X was sitting at his place at the round table at Maverick Hunters Headquarters. To his left sat Dr. Cain, a human scientist and prominent robotics archeologist. Zero sat opposite him, leaning forward with his elbows on the table, his long golden hair running down the back of his chair. The remaining seats were filled by several high ranking Maverick Hunters as well as support staff such as the reploids Iris and Douglas. X was under the impression that Douglas was away on assignment. He must have returned early.
In the past, X would enjoy these meetings. This is where the Hunters debriefed after some of their greatest victories. Lately the mood had been tense. There was no one X had more respect and admiration for than Zero and it was difficult to be in disagreement with him. X really missed the days when they were on the same page. Life seemed so much simpler when X wholeheartedly followed Zero's lead.
The round, metallic table was situated at one end of a large open space. On the opposite end of the room, several rows of computer terminals provided working space for many busy reploids and humans.
A reploid, Iris, was reading a report regarding the public backlash that resulted from the chaos at the airport. The cost of the damage was high and events like these were becoming increasingly common. With no Mavericks apprehended at the scene, the blame fell squarely on the Hunters. Public sentiment had started turning on them and many questioned the effectiveness of their organization.
"I really could have used some help out there." Zero did not look at X when he said this but X knew this was aimed directly at him. "With some back-up, I could have found those Mavericks and destroyed them!"
X's stark white, synthetic hands had the appearance of gloves as he rested them nervously on the table in front of him. He kept his gaze averted and remained silent. He had this argument with Zero too many times. No good could come from getting sucked into this debate again. The truth was that he felt shame in letting Zero fight alone. However, X remained firm in his conviction. Too many times had he walked the dark path of destruction with Zero and knew where it led. This was not easy for X, and he constantly second guessed himself. He envied Zero's singular focus. Like all reploids, Zero was programmed for one main goal and he was perfectly content to wholeheartedly follow that aim. X almost felt that the free will he had been granted was a curse, causing this constant, agonizing self doubt.
Nobody found the loss of public faith in the Hunters more frustrating than Zero. However, his determination to put an end to the Sigma Virus was partly due to the fact that he himself started it. Zero was originally built as an evil weapon of destruction, designed to spread that malevolence in the form of the virus. Eventually, he was defeated and rebuilt as a Maverick Hunter. Having been the originator of the virus, this now made him completely immune from it.
"X, this refusal to fight doesn't make sense." Zero was annoyed at X's silence and decided to be more direct. "You are a powerful weapon; It's what you were meant to do."
Once again, X thought about the X-Buster concealed beneath the wide, blue, metal plates of his wrist. The last time he had activated it was to destroy Zero. After Zero sacrificed himself to help X defeat Sigma, the Mavericks had collected his parts and rebuilt Zero to serve their purpose. Eventually, it fell to X to stop Zero. It was the most difficult and painful ordeal X had ever experienced. It was at that time that he resolved never to use the X-Buster again and to find another solution to the war with the Mavericks. In his desperate search for answers, he decided that his creator, Dr. Light, never intended for him to become a warrior. Dr. Light wanted X to be able to choose his own path in life. X's ability to think freely and constantly reinvent himself could perhaps be used for even greater things than becoming an ultimate battle reploid.
X was overjoyed when Dr. Cain was able to reconstruct Zero. Cain spent many months ensuring Zero would be restored as a Maverick Hunter. When X and Zero were finally reunited, X felt as if a tremendous burden was lifted from him. Initially, they resumed their great friendship, but the differences in their viewpoints on the war with the Mavericks eventually began to strain their relationship.
"Tell me X, how else are we going to stop the Mavericks?" Zero continued his one sided conversation. "Are we going to ask them nicely to stop their rampage?" he added sarcastically.
The others at the table started showing visible signs of discomfort. It was difficult to witness the animosity between the two friends, to see Zero be so disparaging of the new found pacifism that X felt so strongly about. Dr. Cain marvelled at the emotional complexity programmed into the reploids, the awkwardness felt by the others present, as well as the two feuding robots, particularly X who experienced this the same way a human would. How had Dr. Light achieved this miracle of engineering?
"No." X finally spoke up. Although this came out quietly, the break in his silence commanded everyone's attention. "I've come to realize that the Mavericks cannot be negotiated with. You were right, Zero."
X cringed as he recalled his exchange with High-Max. It's impossible to find any common ground or compromise when one side is wholeheartedly committed to the destruction of the other. Now the prospect of the Mavericks rebuilding Sigma or Serges was very worrying. X had to stop it somehow. Perhaps it was time to reveal the location of the Maverick factory to Zero.
And yet, something was holding X back from this. High-Max released him without a fight. X struggled to understand why. Perhaps High-Max wanted to keep the lines of communication open. Maybe X was released as an envoy. If Zero learned of the location of the Maverick compound, there would surely be destruction. Would X be violating some kind of trust and burning some kind of bridge?
"I've located a Maverick factory and ascertained their plans." X decided that the risk of inaction was too great. "They are working on the reconstruction of the reploid Serges. They hope that he will design more intelligent Maverick reploids for them."
"Where is the factory?" Zero was ready to get right down to business, but he sensed X's hesitation to provide the location and this worried him.
"I would recommend a covert operation to foil this plot." X was intentionally dodging the question. "I would like assurances that there will not be a general assault on the compound leading to heavy casualties."
Zero took a pause and leaned back in his chair. "You are so concerned about Maverick casualties." His frustration was starting to boil over. "Do you not have any concern for the victims of Maverick violence?"
X maintained his composure and proceeded with a soft, humble tone. "Everyone fights for what they believe is right." He looked Zero in the eyes. "But we all just end up destroying each other."
Zero found it difficult to argue with X when he spoke with compassion like this. However, ultimately, Zero was not convinced and his frustration only grew.
X looked over at the room full of people, diligently working at their consoles. "I'm uploading the coordinates to the Hunter database now."
Without another word, Zero stood up and left the room. When he wasn't in action, he walked normally, his wide, red, metallic boots clinking against the floor. After a brief period and a few awkward glances around the table, many of the other Maverick Hunters also left the meeting in silence.
X could see that Dr. Cain was still in his seat and took the opportunity to speak with him. "Dr. Cain, have you had any luck reverse engineering the free will circuitry?"
Dr. Cain was a tall, thin, elderly man with a crooked, hunched over posture. He was bald and had a full, white beard. He wore a long, dark blue lab coat and carried a walking stick that was currently tucked under the table.
Dr. Cain, as a robotics archeologist, would spend his days digging up technology from the past and trying to understand how it works. Much advanced technology was lost to society after the Maverick Wars had started and humanity was forced to hide from the reploid onslaught. Many of Cain's discoveries led to breakthroughs in current technological development and much of it played a significant role in turning the tide of the war in humanity's favour. The greatest impact was the unearthing of X himself. Cain often thought back to the time he found X in a capsule in Dr. Light's old, long-abandoned laboratory.
What fascinated Dr. Cain most about the discovery of X was his ability to think for himself. He was not pre-programmed for any specific goal like a conventional reploid. Cain was even more surprised to learn that this ability made him immune to the Sigma Virus as it was unable to reprogram him for its own designs. Now, X wondered if this immunity could be replicated.
"X, reverse engineering your circuitry will not be an easy task." Cain approached the subject delicately. "Dr. Light was very much ahead of his own time and much of his work rivals any technology available today. He also used very different methods from those used in modern day reploids."
X quietly absorbed Cain's words. He could also see Cain had more to say, but was struggling with how to approach what was troubling him.
"I also have reservations about the idea of granting free will to all reploids," Cain continued. "Dr. Light himself was very cautious about this. That is why he never activated you."
X thought about his first moments, emerging from the capsule in which Dr. Light had placed his greatest creation, never to see it work. The capsule was designed to analyze X, to attempt to ascertain whether or not he would use his freedom for good. This was an enormous undertaking and the analysis took decades to complete. By then, X had been long forgotten and abandoned, only to be unearthed by Dr. Cain, over a century later.
"What about Zero?" X asked. "He's completely immune to the Virus. Can't you do the same for other reploids?"
"I've thought about this a great deal." Cain took a moment to formulate his reply. "The initial copy of the virus is in a very different form. He is actually still infected, it's just completely neutralized. He had to be completely rebuilt to achieve this. His construction is very similar to your own, making any kind of reverse engineering an equally daunting task."
"Even if we succeed," Cain continued after a brief pause for contemplation. "I'm unsure of what will become of reploids that have already been built. They may not be compatible with any of this technology."
This was all very disappointing to X. Every new avenue he tried to explore to find an alternative to the destruction, was riddled with road blocks and dead ends. It felt like the world was against him. Cain could see he was despondent.
"However, based on the potential benefit to society, I think it's our responsibility to try." Cain smiled warmly.
X felt very comfortable around Dr. Cain. As his creator, Dr. Light, passed away many years before X was activated, Dr. Cain was almost like an adoptive father to him. They would enjoy philosophical conversations together for hours. As the only reploid with the ability to think for himself like a human, X would often struggle to understand his purpose and who he was, and he found these conversations with Cain to be very helpful. Now, he hoped that Dr. Cain could help him realize his dreams of a peaceful solution to the war.
"Thank you Doctor." X was left filled with hope.