Karuna-Virus 19


"So... now what?" Harpuia managed to ask after a few hours' worths of disturbing revelation.

How X's mind had been broken, how he was programmed to blindly follow humans despite how they treated him. And how this was no different from how all reploids were programmed.

The Guardians had the same leash, but they would listen to X, first and foremost. And X... had been conditioned to put humans first, and himself last.

It was only due to Zero's bullish attitude and freedom from this program that X was where he was today... despite what had happened to him.

That, and the Virus, apparently.

Harpuia discreetly touched his limbs, Zero had indeed infected him. And this infection had freed him from his conditioning.

He should feel revolted, and he was, don't get him wrong. And yet...

He could still feel Zero's powerful arms against his waist, how she had lifted him off the ground, dancing in jubilation as she thanked him over and over again.

Ow matter how cynical Harpuia was, he had to admit to himself that no one could fake this type of jubilation.

But that was as far as he was willing to go, he didn't trust Zero, and he was itching to have an antiviral scan run... an in-depth scan that would last all day and maybe through the night also.

"Well, first of all." Master X began as he sat with one leg bent on Harpuia's desk. He was dressed like a human, his tiny red boy tie resting on his collar. " You may want to apologize to Draupadi, She's the one who freed you."

Harpuia almost hissed. Sure, he was... grudgingly grateful, he simply could not trust her. At all.

He Virus was propagated through tough, apparently, and the most potent of those touches was kissing... which made a terrifying amount of sense.

This is how the flu travelled the fastest among humans, same as whooping cough and a plethora of diseases.

Zero, he knew she was... He had his filthy maw all over X, his tongue having tasted all available Ports.

No wonder X went mad...

Well...apparently, X had been driven mad by the council. And it had been a willing Process. As told by the legend himself as Harpuia recovered from his... maverick meltdown.

Yay...

No, X was not an idiot, and his... enforced morality had already been weakened by Zero. But the strain and the wear, tears, and emotional scars X had collected over decades of wars and the disappearance of his other half (ugh). Had left the heroic reploid wishing for the release of death.

The look of sheer horror that had marred Harpuia's face had been quite the sight to behold. For he had no idea that he had been instrumental in X's highly elaborated suicide attempt.

The sky general had the highest kill count, and he was the one that all mavericks... reploids feared.

He would hunt them down, play with those he thought would give him the most fun, play with them until they begged for a quick death and deny them this sweet mercy.

But... X's ultimate demise was not the end of their dastardly plan. Oh no, it would have been too easy, too simple.

X suicidal madness had raised unrest among the sane population, in turn, had spurned the rise of rebellion, and in the middle of this rebellion was a mysterious, bio-engendered young girl who had two names and her finger in too many shifty pies for Harpuia's taste.

Really, Master X had not been wrong when he made her a Maverick. For it was clear Ciel had used the reploid uprising to make her group of rebels...

If Harpuia had not... if Harpuia had a better ear for his inner voice, the one that screamed and howled at his that murdering all of those labelled maverick for something as simple as charging five minutes longer then necessary. Then, there would not have been a reason for the resistance to be made, there would have been no reason for Ciel to hunt down Zero... and Zero would have remained in its tomb, undisturbed, and not messing with the wonderful status-quo.

But no, Harpuia was one the trigger and had been the unwilling catalyst for Master X's downfall... and whatever the Hell Ciel Light was planning.

And whatever it was, it dealt with death, ghosts, transhumanism and... let's add the quest for immortality. Just for the kicks.

And for all he knew, miss Light knew what lurked in the pretty frame and the effect it had on reploids. Being a genius, she had probably plotted the whole thing and Neo-Arcadia was playing in her hands, dancing to Zero's accursed song and dance.

"By the look of it... you still don't trust my wife," X spoke flatly, hiding how displeased he was at his left-hand man.

" No... X, she isn't your wife." Desperation entered Harpuia's voice as he ignored the look his master was sending him. "Reploids can't marry."

"If the LGBT+ community can-"

"This had been outlawed years ago to promote more reproduction." Harpuia flatly informed his master. It was cruel, but as long as those men and women gave either twenty fertile eggs, twenty millilitres of semen per week, fetuses or raised at the very least two children, then they could be recognized as... part of a duo, at most.

It worked...

In the back of his mind, Harpuia wondered why humans seemed so important. It's not like they did anything good recently, merely consuming resources and making more babies. And wasn't overpopulation a threat in the past? And weren't they the cause of the rampant pollution and over consumerism?

Weren't they the ones who kept making reploids for their own amusement? To let them be as lazy as they please? To have fun toys to show others?

Sure, there were those reploids who... would live as humans would. They would love, they would play and...

'What's the point of all of this? Reploids can't reproduce, humans... Why do we even keep them alive? Why are they more important than reploids? Why is their reproduction so important? Why are humans so important if they keep destroying the planet over and over again!' Harpuia grabbed his head... was he supposed to think like this? Was it right? Was it wrong?

"Draupadi says that those born in the human form of life have this amazing chance to ask the right question. Why are we here? What is the goal of life? Who made the universe and how can we stop suffering..."

"Reploids can ask the same thing... and not all humans are interested in those unanswerable questions." Harpuia snapped harder than he'd thought. On edge by the whole thing and his headache.

"Unanswerable?" Master X asked with a knowing smile. And Harpuia's eyes widened despite his migraine... something no reploids should have.

Master X leaned forward, his arms still crossed over his chest as... something entered his eyes, making them glow. And no, it was not the glow of a maddened reploid, but a man who just knew.

"We are here in this material world, suffering from constant anxiety because we chose to turn our backs away from our best friend, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We are not these bodies made of Matter." Master X stated as he opened his arms wide, showing himself. " We are eternal souls, made of consciousness and bliss. We exist to Serve God, Krishna with Love and Devotion. Anything that had nothing to do with Devotional service is a gross waste of time."

"Master, we are Robots." Harpuia tried to interrupt. Only to see flames dancing in his eyes.

The fallen guardian Felt the back of his neck joint stiffen.

"Harpuia, are you aware of the room you are in?" X asked as he crossed his arms, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Are you aware of your state of mind? How do you feel? Angry? Confused? Sick with fear?"

"I..."

"Harpuia... do you have a sense of self that goes beyond binaries and quantum numbers?"

"Yes."

" Do you have feelings that are illogical? Like hating the wife of your master when you should just be nodding your head after the first time I told you to accept her?"

Harpuia sat up and leered at X. "X, this is... don't bring your... wife-" he spat like the venomous word it was. into this, " Into this! She's irrelevant to this conversation!" He snapped... and X smirked.

'Wait... what?' Harpuia thought with dread as a shiver went down his spinal tubing.

"You got mad."

"I... did?" The green sky general admitted cautiously.

"and you got emotional about my well-being."

"I did..."

"If you were but a mere AI. This powerful emotional response would not have been this intense." X said as he got up. "Harpuia... we are not mere AI, some numbers imputed in useless fancy calculators. We are spirit souls in a body... a body that just so happens to have been made by a certain doctor Light." His master's eyes turned sad.

"We... used to be human. But because we wanted to live forever in a robotic-"

"Alright, X, let me stop you right here." Harpuia deadpanned. "What you're saying is something straight out of the science-fiction mag that promises the impossible."

"Yes... and you're not wrong about that either." X inclined his head. "All material bodies are meant for destruction, and having a self-updating body won't change that fact."

"And let me guess, that's what your wife told you?" Harpuia didn't even try to keep the venom out of his voice.

"Indeed she did. And right now, I am more inclined to listen to her than my underling and whatever humans who claim that he has the faith of Neo-Arcadia at heart." X mildly declared, daring Harpuia to contradict him.

The demoted general bit his lips.

"Also, what you've just experienced was the effect of the Maverick virus." Harpuia felt his lines turn to ice. "And as you see, you can now think freely and realize the absolute mess we got stuck in. And have strong feelings about it." X's smile turned frigid. "Just be careful how you act on them though, Harpuia, I would hate to kill you over a deadly meltdown." He spoke as he got up. "The "virus" is nothing more than a key that unlocks our free will. And Draupadi always had control over Cyber-energy. She's the reason why we were all returned to sanity."

Harpuia scoffed but said nothing, knowing that one could not reason with a mad man.

" I will see you again next week, Harpuia. You've done an amazing job cleaning the mess... and I would love to help, trust me." X spoke with regrets. "But... My wife told me I've beaten myself up enough as it is."

"She's... right. And I wouldn't want you to witness the macabre sight..."

"Harpuia?"

"Master? What I've done... was it... was it wrong?" He asked his master like a child asked his parents. " We... Neo-Arcadia was meant to be a safe haven for both humans and reploids but..." He hugged his body closer, losing whatever confidence had once lived in him. "Was it right? What we did..."

Harpuia could feel Master X's eyes on him, his calculating glance cold yet... not as cold as he expected.

"I don't know... But I can't rightly condemn what we did, Harpuia." X began to smile slightly, but there. " If I would have stopped this madness, then Draupadi and her teaching would still be lost to us."

"Master..."

"So... I can't really punish you for indirectly reviving a saint..." X lowered his eyes pensively. " It's amazing, really, how my worst atrocity gave us all the path of Salvation."

"Master X, Please. You're sounding like a Fanatic!" Harpuia groaned as he tried once last time to make his master his reason.

A humorous smile stretched X's face... and to be honest, it looked quite nasty, in Harpuia's opinion.

"Oh? I sound like a Fanatic?" He asked with another tilt of his head. "And weren't you the one who elevated me to the position of a sacred icon?"

"You are to me," Harpuia spoke with emotions, desperation to make his Master understand his position and the danger he was in. "Master, Zero was meant to be your destruction. And she's succeeding." He hissed.

X stared at Harpuia for a minute, his disks spinning loud enough to be heard over his servant's heavy venting.

'Please master... Please listen to me... you have no idea... you don't know the dangers that you're in!'

A smile stretched Master X's limps, it was a genuine one.

"Great! I hate X too." The Lord of the last bastion stated joyfully. "Now, keep up the good work... But stay away from Draupadi lest you wish to forfeit your life."

"MASTER!"

"As for why you are punished and not the others... Think about what I have just told you, Harpuia... and please, if you can't hold your hatred for my wife, then please leave this place." And with that, X exited Harpuia's room.

Harpuia looked at his door, X's cloth-covered back the last thing he had seen of his glorious master.

He let himself fall in his bed... there was nothing else he could do. X truly was lost...

'I failed.'

"Ugh, what a Drama queen," X grumbled as he stalked away from Harpuia's room and to the lift. How he wished he was back with Genevieve, TK and Zero the Cat.

"Whom are you talking about, Max?" Andrew asked, his old and crooked form a welcome sight for the ruler of Neo-Arcadia... that was partially retired.

Maybe.

"Harpuia... He thinks Draupadi turned me mad." He said to his friend as they made their way to Max's room. The blue bomber prayed for his dear wife to be there.

He wanted to be with her, talk to her and hear her speak about Krishna. And sing about him too...

'Maybe Harpuia's right, and I've really been driven mad...' X quirked the corner of his lips. 'Ah, but what do I care? This madness beat whatever I was suffering before.'

Beside him, Max, heard Andrew chuckle. " Ah yes. Dear Draupadi turned us all into madmen... and how are TK and his dear wife?" The older reploid asked, his smile glowing through his moustache.

Max could still see some sorrow at the loss of the rest of the Vaishnavas, or Draupadi's followers and Alouette. But Draupadi had told them that to cry over some dead bodies was a terrible waste of time... even if she had been the one who cried loudest.

After three days, his amazing and saintly wife had planned a huge feast for both reploids and humans in need. And as it turned out. There were still those suffering from poverty in Neo-Arcadia.

She had given this feast in honour of those who fell... and for those budding Vaishnava fated for a new human body.

Such a sweet woman, Max knew he didn't deserve her. And yet, there she was!

Who would have thought Zero, his Zaki, would become this... a most perfect being filled with love. A saint whose heart she had given to Max... and God. A pure-hearted saint.

But then, Max had the feeling the nickname he had given to his beloved had been prophetic. For Zaki truly was pure-hearted.

She desired nothing but the best for others... while X, in his selfish desires, had given up his duty under the facade of a martyr and insanity.

"They are doing Great. But Genevieve is worried about Draupadi." Max answered his friend. " The first time she saw my wife, Genevieve and her got along so well, it was as if the two knew each other from before."

Andrew chuckled fondly. "Ah yes, friendship is a beautiful thing, isn't it." Then he slightly frowned. "But... you have to be careful X."

"Why is that?" the wary father of all reploid asked, feeling his tank fall to his heels.

"because of association." The saffron-clad reploid warned. "If you want to get rid of bad habits and all that will stop you from reaching Krishna, you have to stop meeting non-devotees. Well, you can still see them but... the mood of those averse to Krishna, those who are immersed in materialistic pursuer will affect you negatively."

"I see."

"It's good for you to have friends, X. And this, I will admit that you were always lacking on this part." Andrew conceded. "But at the same time..."

"At the same time, you don't want me to stray from the course."

"It's still up to you, of course." Andrew seemed to deflate at this admission. And X could not help but feel his heart swell.

"Andrew, you don't have to worry about it. Both of them are asking me more questions about Krishna, my wife and the path of Bhakti then other useless subjects." And how, while he and his wife had enjoyed the game night. Draupadi would immediately find ways to inject spiritual subjects in otherwise mundane topics.

Ice cream flavour? The type of fruits Krishna would be given to the spiritual world. His numerous cows and how, instead of eating ice cream to cool off in the hot weather, Mother Yashoda (mother of God.) would make a preparation called Mishty doi, or sweet yogourt, rabri and sweet rice.

Of course, the sweet rice was expertly prepared by one Srimati-Radharani.

And during the darkest, most wretchedly hilarious game in all creation, Draupadi kept dropping hints and tidbits about the Gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam (the first chapter was about to be printed, and the oldest couple needed to find a way to distribute it to the people of Neo-Arcadia as soon as possible.) and some other venue and events his sweet wife knew.

In essence, Draupadi had planted many seeds that night, before the grim call ripped the couple away from their new friends' home and back to the terrible reality of being X and Zero.

Once again, Max longed to throw this spineless excuse of a fighting robot as far away as he could. But alas, it seemed that whatever he did would be undone the next day or so.

He was cursed to remain X while Max, whom he desired to be, remained locked behind his duty.

"You know... You are supposed to be retired, you know." Andrew piped up teasingly.

"Death won't even take me."

"No, I mean... you're supposed to rest and not work. You know, leave Phantom and those humans you've chosen to run Neo Arcadia?"

Max stopped and turned to stare at Andrew. "Ah..."

"Max, this was one demand your wife had, and if she were to find out that you're back at meddling with something that has no business with you... oh, I fear we will not have enough humans to have a stable genetic pool."

"She won't do this." Max waved Andrew's concern off. "She may be terrifying when mad, but my Draupadi would never release the virus and start another wave of mavericks. Especially now."

" Meaning?"

"My wife is a Pure Devotee of Krishna, of God. And as a Devotee, her heart has become softer than butter left in the sun."

"Yes, but from what I have read, many warriors also served the Lord. Great ones like the unconquerable Bhima and Bhishma, the undying ones. What to say of Arjuna, and the Lord himself?" Andrew shot back, sparking a wonderful conversation about the amazing Devotees of Krishna and their wonderful qualities.

"True, but Draupadi is not going to turn all reploids rogue just because I'm pig-headed..." He scratched the back of his head. "Actually, I'm more afraid of her finding out I've been involved in managing Neo-Arcadia again. Her pout could dissolve Sigma, I swear... But yeah, Draupadi wants humans and Reploid... everything that has a soul to be in contact with the holy names."

"Even Ghosts in Shells?" Andrew asked with a quirk of his brow.

Max nodded resolutely. " Especially us Reploids. Still, She's under the order of God and if God wants her to destr-"

"X... Max, as your friend and councillor, I beg of you to rest." Andrew spoke without all seriousness, grabbing Max's shoulder as he forced him to look into his rubicund eyes. " You have done enough, you have given enough. Trust me, those that Phantom and I have chosen to protect and guide Neo-Arcadia are all qualified and with high moral ground. You don't have to worry about it."

A moment of silence passed between the two ancient reploid... until X broke it with a sigh as he relent. "Yes... you're right... I just... I'm not used to it." He admitted as he felt the weight on his shoulder grow even heavier.

Andrew's eyes softened considerably. " Oh, X... you were built for peace but forced into a war. The wars are over, my friend. Sigma is no more, and whoever tries to attack Neo-Arcadia will have to face an army like no others. And a ruler who's canon rarely got defeated." He assured the younger-looking robot. "Now... do me a favour and run to your wife, I'm sure she misses you."

Once again, Max sighed as his shoulder slumped.

"Besides, even great kings in the past retired, usually to cultivate their spiritual life further in preparation for their eventual passing."

"Yes... you are right Andrew." X... Max huffed as he hugged the hunched figure. "I... I have to give it up... being a king, ruling." he pulled his hand across his face. " That's... I have enough... I have to give it up... Besides, being a king is not conducive to my spiritual practice."

"Oh?" Andrew tilted his head. "And why is that, Max?"

Max resumed his walk. "Well, Draupadi told me that to reach the supreme controller, we have to give up our desire to control others... not that anyone can really control," he explained. " Draupadi told me that we came into this material world to be god... to be controllers, to enjoy the feeling of lording ot over material nature… but this same position is the source of all suffering," Max spoke as he gazed at his right hand.

Hands that would turn into various weapons... hands that had killed and had forced... hands that had hurt and coerced. Suppressed and elevated… hands that held unlimited potential... but were still shackled.

"I... I have enough to be that... and I have enough to be a so-called master, and to serve persons who don't even deserve to own a pet rock." This caused Andrew to chuckle.

"I see... and who do you want to serve, max?" Andrew asked with a knowing glint in his dark-red eyes.

Max chuckled. "You really need to ask?"

" You want to serve your wife." Andrew gave Max a hearty slap on the back. " Ha! I was right! You are whipped!"

Max could not help the laughter from bubbling up in his chest. " Well, can you blame me? She's perfect!"

"Oh you, lucky dog." Andrew chuckled some more.

At that, X managed to escape another clap as he joyfully ran to his shared apartment with his wife, gladly discarding whatever worry he had about Harpuia... or saving it for later, when he wasn't starved for a more spiritual topic.

When he entered his room, he was met with a sigh that both worried and...

No, it simply worried him, since Master X was a worrywart, even if he had no reason to...

Or not.

Draupadi was plugged into the medical computer... and yet was sitting in front of the monitor, playing with her terminal while alternating between... what sounded like very corrupted cursing and praying.

" Zaki? What are you doing?" X... Max asked as he rushed to her side. Playing with one's code usually ended poorly for the reploid, and the last thing he wanted was to lose his returned wife due to her stubborn nature and overall...

Well... no, Zero, Zaki knew more about computer science then she would lead on. Her skills had been proudly put on display when she fixed X's OS and mind with her tender loving care.

But... X still didn't trust her with her own terminal, since this was not something as easily decoded as X's own, for some reason...

'yeah... I think d... Light wanted me to be copyable. The reason for this is lost to time, but I'm sure Krishna would know.' He grumbled internally.

Draupadi whirled around, her eyes wide with fear. She looked like a child who had been caught stealing from a cookie jar... or, in this case, playing with his brain without any care.

Max took one look at the open terminal to determine the love of his life (for now, he wanted him to fall in love harder than for her.) was messing with her code's language.

He blanches, already seeing the result of her quest.

"Oh, Zaki... why did you do that?" Max sighed as he sat in front of the terminal and began to type Zaki's return to default command under the shamed gaze of his wife.

Now that her setting and codes were back to normal (thankfully, she hadn't saved any change, this would have been disastrous.) he turned to her, waiting for an answer.

"I... figured out why I couldn't just dump the Vedic archive in any storage. Or why I couldn't share it with all reploid like we usually do." Draupadi spoke with uncharacteristic sheepishness. " I was programmed with a different language. Basically, you're like a... mac with a terrible copyright. and I'm this abomination of Kali-Linux and windows vista."

"Zaki, please don't sell yourself so short." X scolded, with a bit of a smile.

Draupadi shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? I'm a custom build made for hacking and filled with viruses." She readily admitted.

No use hiding it now.

"But yeah... I... We may look the same outside, but our systems don't speak the same language. Your system is coded in Sanskrit while mine's... is pure homebrew." She admitted, her frustration clear in her voice.

X grunted as he gave the disconnect prompt to the terminal, the last thing he wanted was any corruption in his beloved.

A sniffle met his audio, and indeed, his beloved wife was crying, her genuine tears melting Max's heart further.

He took his precious Zaki upon his lap, and the most powerful robot master wrapped her arms around the best one. Silently crying.

"Shh, It's alright Zaki... It's alright. We'll figure something out." Max whispered as he felt his wife's body shake.

While one would expect Zero to have close to no emotion. And they would be right. Lorollei, on the other hand, would openly laugh, cry, and emote whatever the cocky and self-assured Zero dared not.

In Max's view, Lorollei had been the real Zero, the real person hidden under the armour and ego. The sweet, feminine reploid who would splurge on cleaning products and would role-play grocery shopping and cooking...

The one who would cry, rant, and show her doubts and fear. The one that despite looming over X, would take shelter of him when something went wrong. Who would open up and spill out all of her fear... all of Zero's fear, anxiety and... guilt.

Guilt for her inadequacies, guilt for not understanding his position, guilt for messing up... guilt for the virus.

Many times, Lorollei had expressed the desire to die... thinking it would end the maverick crisis. Thankfully, she... they hadn't, since X had managed to make them realize that the pandemic would not simply be gone with them. Zero may have been the first patient, but he did not mean the continued source of the infection.

He had thought his Lorollei had listened and had been convinced...

He held his sobbing wife... Max had absolutely no memories about what had happened in Zero space, he had some clues... but his memory was corrupted. As if another event had happened right on top of it.

The only thing he knew was that he'd woke up, alone, on the launch centre couch, unable to recall how he'd gotten there... but only knowing that Zero had taken his place...

Max closed his eyes as he held his life partner. His reason to live closer.

Zero... his Zaki would always be there to support X and would be the first to throw their lives away if it would make Max's one easier.

That time, during the Eurasia crisis, X had elected to be the one to commit the sacrifice this time, Tired and sick of seeing his best friend and lover ending up with the short end of the stick.

... Zero had ambushed him on his way to the rocket, his lover showing that after all the virus he had managed to gather, had returned to his full power.

Absolute Zero, the God of destruction.

Their power was unfathomable, its speed and grace unmatched. And while history hailed X as the winner, the truth was that he'd lost, the demoniac blond all too powerful in cyberspace.

After X's defeat... he'd woke up with his memory messed with... and one less Zero.

"X?" Asked Zero, Lorollei... no... Draupadi, born of Zero's smouldering ashes. "you're crying... I messed up again, haven't I?"

"No... No, Zaki." Max rasped as he held his wife and very life closer. " I just... I just got stuck in the past for a bit... nothing to worry about." The father of all reploid bit his tongue. "I'm just fortunate that you are back with me, Zaki... and I promise you, my love, that I will do everything in my meagre power to help you serve Krishna... no matter what He wants from you." He swore. " I will protect you Zero. You fought for me, gave your life... now it's my turn to be your sword and shield," he swore again as he peered into the purple void that was his Zaki... Draupadi eyes. Planting a gentle kiss on her blessed forehead.

Draupadi's eyes bloomed as fresh tears once again flowed from them, throwing her arms around Max's shoulders and neck.

No words could be spoken, but the blue bomber knew that anything more would lessen the moment they were sharing.

: Hey... guys?: X sent to all of his... siblings. Those who were not punished anyway.

: Yes, Master X?:

: Yeah?:

: Oh, no more formalities with us? Sweet!: Leviathan cheered. : By the way, Max... I can call you Max now, can I?:

: No.:

: Yes... and do you have a sweet name I could use?: Leviathan asked.

: I go by Max now... use whatever you feel like, I don't want to have subordinates in you.: X sent.

: Aww... wait, why?: Leviathan asked. As were all the other guardians.

: Taicho, if I may...: Phantom began. : I wouldn't mind a bit more... a closer relationship with you, being our elder brother. But I do not feel comfortable with being... equal to you.:

: Guys... if Max wants us to be family-like... I'm not sure that's what dad wanted but screw him.:

: Fefnir!:

: But I wouldn't mind having a bro in him... also, Max, As your bro, it is my duty to beat your arse redder than mine for the stunt you tried to pull on us! Your frizzing suicide attempt... dude, bro... we care about you, alright? What the hell would've happened if you succeeded, man? What would've happened to us? To Neo-Arcadia? To Draupadi?... to you? Maxi, I...: Fefnir trailed off before he picked up again. : Max... I got why you got bonkers over losing your wife and all that crap, but you could've... I dunno, retired somewhere and gotten help, I mean there must be some shrink who catered to reploid, I mean, with all the Trauma-"

"No... Fef, I was... I'd exhausted all available options... not that they gave me any save... you know.: X sighed. : But... Thank you for your concerns... it's good to hear that you care that much.:

: I wish I could have done more.: Fefnir said, his voice... wet.

: Me too.: Came Leviathan's sorrowful reply

: Taicho... I-:

: Guys, it's fine... everything worked out in the end. Thanks to Krishna.:

: And Draupadi. Geez, Max, you really hit the jackpot with her.: Fefnir practically purred.

: Yes, and about her... she the reason why I'm contacting all of you.:

Suddenly, Max could feel plenty of unease from his siblings. (he had siblings... oh Krishna!)

: And why would that be?: Phantom asked neutrally.

: She... Draupadi's overworked. I know she writes at night but... I also know she's spending a lot of time with all of you.:

There was a rather heavy pause, and X could easily feel the fear and guilt of his siblings... save Harpuia, he was still simmering.

: Well, she's a good friend, you know.: Leviathan piped up. : She's so lovely, you know. Her hair's the softest but... oh, it's such a dust catcher, I have to spend hours to wash it off, you know not that I mind since... Err, I mean. Um... what are you getting at Maxi?:

: Lebi, Max's just telling us how we've been running Draupadi-Zero to the ground, she needs a break and we should back off and give them the space they need!: Fefnir scolded his sister over the waves.

; But... I... Ok. But Di-Zi takes a bath with me in my room every morning. She loves the water here so...:

: Taicho, if I may.: Phantom interrupted. : I believe Draupadi is affected by the tower life. I have a flat in the quieter part of the city, it's not as big as here but I suspect Draupadi would recover quicker there then here.:

: Yes... you're right, none of us are used to living like this. It's... it's too much for us, especially Draupadi.: X readily admitted.

He felt like Rapunzel in her tower, but instead of a one mother Gothiel, he had many.

This was no way to live.

: Great, I'll send you the address via private connection... both of you, please take the rest you need while there, we can manage Neo-Arcadia without you.:

This caused X to burst into laughter. To some, this meant that he was useless and unneeded... but Max was welcoming his obsolescence to the city-state.

He wanted to be useful to his wife, and if it meant giving up all administrative duties to give Draupadi all of his time, then so be it.

As he watched his beloved rest tucked in the crook of his arm, an easy smile on his lips.

Since the beginning of their relationship, Zero had always been the one who protected X and suffered through all the drama while the Blue bomber stayed at the side, gaining most of the praise due to his more kind and easy disposition.

Zero sacrificed himself to save his Kohai from Vile, And while X did manage to get his part, he still had to fight Zero, and Zero had been the one crawling away to get fixed up while X dealt with Sigma. Then Zero once again saved X when he got kidnapped by Doppler's goon, and Zero was the one who dealt with Iris's betrayal and the backlash that came After.

When the Eurasia space colony debacle happened, X was more than ready to put his life on the line, to sacrifice everything for the planet and the people he loved.

He remembered waking up in the resting area of the launch pad, Zero's vital signs... gone.

There had been a message... a long message. But it had been overwritten.

The only one who could have done that was Doctor Light, but he was already long gone.

Then... Zero came back, saved his sorry ass again and gave the lamest excuse ever for his tardiness.

It was at that time X realized that he loved his Zaki more than his own life, and yet, he could not reciprocate in kind.

Not even trying to work through politics had worked, and it had led to their first couple fight... and the most explosive reunion.

They had a few more adventures, a few more heartbreak... and one day.

His Zaki left him a letter...

Max clutched his returned Zero, unwilling to return to... that time.

Zero was alive, he... She was back, now as Draupadi. She had changed, for sure... but she was still his Zaki.

His Zaki who had once again sacrificed all she had for X... She had once again saved X at the risk of her life.

X pressed a soft kiss of his wife's head gem. And swore to God that this time...

This time, he would Protect his Zaki, he would be the husband she deserved.

Or may death claim him again.

\-O-/

Back at the secret location, all was quiet. The servers were humming gently in the background and the medical grade computer worked in silence as they coordinated the repair nanites in a precision only Weil could program.

Omega was there, mop in hand as he cleaned the floor... as he was programmed to.

Not that he could do much else, not after what X had done to him.

But still, his instructions were clear, he had to combat grime, dust and whatever else soiled the place.

These were his directives.

Easy directives.

Safe directives.

He was undisturbed by all the reploids kept in tubes, it never bothered him at all.

Suddenly, he raised his head... there was a voice... It was chanting.

"Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare... Hare Rama, Hare Rama... Rama Rama Hare Hare.."

Omega... blinked. And for some reason, made his way to the tube that held DWN-0101 (Piano).

The doctor had worked on her first, knowing that she would be invaluable and rare, being the only other Wily bot in existence, and clocking at well over two hundred years of age.

Wow!

Omega stared at the little girl, unknown emotion's reawakening in his frame.

He... wanted what was inside her... he needed to connect... to plug in.

He was not supposed to plug in other reploids.

He was not supposed to connect to others unless it was to gain intelligence.

But...Wait...

When did he start to have his own thoughts again? Wasn't he just a machine?

Nevertheless, He dropped his mop and tried to input the code to drain and open the tube... and succeeded, as if his hands were guided by another presence.

As it was meant to happen, the tube drained, and soon, he had an armful of blond. Everything had been fixed, from her energetic reuptake, to her arms, blown-out head and fried circuit. Even her synth skin had been replaced in its entirety, and a pair of wings laid neatly folded on her back.

She was... small, and yet... and yet she felt bigger than Omega, older, stronger.

Omega shuddered... He had feelings.

He had feelings, and he wasn't sure he liked them, it was like waking up from a long dream...

Not that he knew what dreaming was.

Omega looked to his left and right, scanning the room for any sign that Dr. Weil was around as he broke the rule.

He quickly placed the reploid, no, the robot-master off to the side as he mopped away whatever evidence was left of his crime, then went to wash away the heavy gel that surrounded her.

He didn't want it to drip down and lead Weil to wherever he wanted to be with the robot-master. And he hated messes.

'Huh... I don't remember having likes and dislikes.' Omega thought with some shock...

and with more shock...

and with more shock...

that's it, it was official, Omega was freaking out...

Before it got worse, the repurposed God of destruction quickly finished his task and made sure everything was back into place. He picked up the object of his fascination and stuck to the shadows. His destination was the supply closet at the other end of the hallway.

Once there, Omega curled up at the very end, hidden behind some random boxes and, knowing that he'd locked the door, pulled out his plug and once again glanced at the unmoving girl in his arms.

Was he really willing to do that?

Well... Weil didn't tell him he was not supposed to touch a robot-master, and Weil didn't tell him that he wasn't supposed to plug in Piano and if he did?

Well, screw him. She was not a Reploid based on X, after all. She was a Robot Master...

whatever the hell a Robot Master was.

A predatory smile stretched over Omega's fang. Relishing in his newfound freedom to do as he pleased, freed from his janitorial duty.

He quickly located the smaller blond's port and plugged it in.

Data went from ... DWN-0101 Piano from Omega... the virus unlocking more and more of Omega's mental function.

The Metallic demon let out a happy sigh as he leaned back, he was free. And he thirsts for knowledge.