Chap1.
It was cold in the north. Most humans would freeze at these temperatures. Their skin would dry, and their blood would be unable to circulate properly. Three figures in the pale icy mountains had no problem there. They were robots. Some called them reploids. Truly though, they carried themselves with their mission and purpose-Maverick Hunters.
X, Zero and Axl. The latter was a new model reploid and had no idea about X and Zero's history before the sigma wars, but he did know about the mavericks. He knew about this one too. It was once a miner reploid for human colonies at the border of the artic. It was supposed to find minerals and some theorized bacteria from the ancient world, but he stopped his communication a month ago. The warning alarm went off at HQ when a threat was made to the colonies.
Cicle Spearette was a scientist reploid who had been in service to the artic colonies for almost 50 years. He was admired by the public and celebrated every year as the mascot. Now he disappeared and this threat was made to the people. There was a virus that affected reploids and twisted them into mavericks, but this could be more complicated.
The maverick hunters X and Zero took the newest recruit so he could get some experience out of the city and tropical jungles.
"So, we are looking for a what? A spearette?" Axl asked.
"A scientist." X corrected.
"Right. Right. I guess a target is just a target, right Zero?" Axl asked.
Zero answered, "Head in the game. I don't like how this feels."
Axl smiled. "Nice place to take down a relic too. This ice block has these old ruins frozen over."
He was referring to the walls that belonged to the older settlement. There was a time before the maverick wars where the artic had melted, but Dr. Cain's polar reploids helped restore the artic. Toys were left behind and frosted over with ice and snow. Then there were the posters. The hero of an old colonist-Storm Eagle.
Axl looked at it.
"Wait. I know that guy! Tornado Emu." Axl blurted.
Zero snapped. "Hey! We are on a mission. Quit playing around."
"Ok ok jeez." Axl cooled off. He turned to X who had his buster gun ready.
Axl whispered to X "Can I ask you something?"
X paused and nodded to Axl. "What do you need?"
"You knew Dr. Cain right?" Axl asked quietly. His eyes were on Zero. -The red maverick hunter was on the prowl, and Axl kept downwind.
X put his hand on Axl's shoulder. "A very long time ago. Did you read about him?"
Axl used his gun and scratched his helmet. "I did. His journals mentioned animals? Like a lot went extinct. That's what some of the older reploids were right? Animals?"
X smiled. "Dr. Cain believed that humanity could recover their past with reploids. He really wanted to create harmony with nature and machines for the future of the world and humanity. One time he told me that if people could witness a bird flying in the sky again, people might be inspired to fly again."
"I thought they had planes back then." Axl asked.
X smiled, "He was being metaphorical. He was a dreamer, but a rare one who passionately made his dream a reality."
Axl nodded in agreement and closed his eyes.
Axl asked, "So what is a spearette?"
Zero interrupted. "Here."
X and Axl reached him and saw a burrowed hole in the ice.
Zero crossed his arms, "Now you've got your answer. Spearette is a weasel reploid who can burrow in ice. This is gonna be tough to sneak up on him."
"Hah!" Axl chuckled. "I can follow him."
He activated a display of forms he could change into from his arm.
"This one." He smiled.
Zero interrupted, "Are you sure that's a good idea? You haven't practiced with that much. If. You could get stuck if it fails."
Axl turned around at Zero. "Oh, come on! I'm an ace at copying."
X interrupted, "When it's the same mass as you are now. You just pulled up a Metool."
Axl spun around to the hole. "You guys are being annoying. I was going to set it to five in a row so I could keep the form longer."
Zero shook his head. "Still pretty risky. What do you think X?"
X smiled and crossed his arms. "Hmm...I think he has a plan. Just reach back to us if you get in trouble."
"Heheh. Don't wait up!" Axl activated his COPY ability and changed into a smaller construction bot with a hard hat, but there were 5 of them in a row and he beeped through the hole with no problem.
X asked Zero. "Think we should be worried?"
Zero smiled, "Axl wouldn't let us stop him."
They kept on and looked through the old facility. Room after room, they found frozen machines and solid walls. Then they stumbled into a dim with writings everywhere.
Zero asked. "Think this is the guy?"
X looked at the papers and writings on the walls. They looked like equations and blueprints. "Definitely."
Zero turned when he heard something scratch behind them. X turned and saw a laser aiming at Zero's back. He dove in front of the light and shot a yellow blast of energy into the dim corner. The light splashed on a bug shaped bot with a small gun attached to it.
X gritted his teeth. "Heads up Zero. Aphidom's are coming!"
"The security bots?" Zero asked.
X nodded as he started charging the turbine in his buster canon arm.
Zero took the hilt of his Z saber from the charger on his back and his other palm spun open—letting his arm canon expose the green lens forward. He smiled.
The green Z Sabre ignited into a green energy sword. Scratching sounds grew louder in the hallway, and in the corners of the room. They were surrounded.
Zero and X readied their weapons and Zero told the enemy, "You're in for it now."