Chapter 1: "Infiltration"

"All due respect to our guest, but don't you think you're coming off as a bit of a warmonger?" the suit-clad human asked, leaning onto his part of the massive, semi-circular desk in the meeting chamber.

Holo-corders snapped and flashed as Megaman X looked up from his small table and chair to the councilors around the table before him. "It is not warmongering to pose concerns on life or death risks, Councilor Teagan. Dr. Doppler's 'cure' is questionable at best, and the blatant refusal of peer review only makes it more concerning."

Another councilor spoke, an older woman on the far left. "Yet the fact remains that all Mavericks your own organization has captured in the last year treated by Doppler's lab have become model Reploid citizens. Even this 'Doppler Town' settlement is commonly described by visitors as all but utopian."

"As are the millions of Reploids we didn't capture because they weren't infected. So far, all we have is complete ignorance. Standard, scientific peer review should not be a threat to this supposed cure, and if it can be verified in effect, we all have reason to celebrate. Until such time, however, it is dangerously negligent to assume all is well and move on."

Teagan rattled his hands and shook his head. "I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that the Maverick Hunter who brought us this revelation, that this entire Maverick mess is a computer virus, would be the biggest opponent of the obviously effective cure. It seems to me that you're just concerned about losing your job, Maverick Hunter X."

X frowned faintly, more holo-flashes resulting. "If you think I have any great desire to continue slaughtering my own kind to keep innocents safe, you don't know me very well, Councilor. However, that's also beside the point of this meeting, isn't it?

"Whatever you suspect of my motivations, the fact remains that Dr. Doppler's lab was one of seven labs given samples of the virus data to work with, and all six of the other labs are only confounded by the virus. I have here," he lifted a datapad, "signed statements from the heads of each lab confirming their scientific concerns, and requesting peer review."

Teagan retorted, "So they can copyright it first."

More flashes.

Another councilor leaned forward. "Councilor Teagan, let's keep the inappropriate commentary to a minimum, please? This Reploid raises a valid concern, which is why this session has been convened. The public outcry caused by knowledge of the virus demands immediate action and attention, and while I don't wish to look a gift-horse in the mouth, we are dealing with dangerous variables. I, for one, would support cautionary measures, at the very least."

X added, "Just to address the accusation of the greed of these other labs, however, I would point out that by codified global law, Dr. Doppler's lab has clear proprietary rights to any cure-related data, especially if it is submitted for peer review in official and documented data banks. He would be completely protected and still see all of his profits. There is nothing to lose by affording analysis other than the suspicion that hiding the data is creating."

"All of which delays the further application of a one-hundred percent successful test pool," Teagan rejoined, leaning back with a roll of his eyes.

"One-hundred percent appearance of success, councilor. Nothing has been verified," X pointed out.

Councilor Teagan leaned in again. "Let's look at some things that have been verified then, shall we? Such as your noted disregard for chain of command, to the point that it has gotten your allies destroyed. Or did you think we forgot that part when you went through so much trouble to bring Maverick Hunter Zero back from the dead?"

Yammering started up across the entire council, flashes almost blinding the chamber. X looked at Teagan across the room, and privately the councilor faltered. There was a coldness in those eyes for a moment that froze his spine.

"Order, order!" the councilor in the center shouted, slamming a metal gavel on her part of the bench. "Maverick Hunter X's previous record has nothing to do with this session, Councilor Teagan." The noise settled a bit further, and the same councilor went on. "Maverick Hunter X, full peer review and other processes will take time to push through, and the test cases are too successful for us to ignore them in turn. Unless you have alternative recommendations, we can't put anything into immediate action."

X closed his eyes for a moment, and then spoke up, "You can remove all civilians from Doppler Town immediately. You can also have the test-case recipients in posts at sensitive locations put on leave pending review."

Several councilors clamored.

"They were inoculated specifically to avoid that kind of down-time!"

"Evacuate hundreds of people on suspicion alone?"

The central councilor banged the gavel again. "Order!" she rolled her eyes at her comrades. "I've been reviewing the reports Maverick Hunter X transmitted to us as part of his testimony. I find the stone-walling of peer review troubling myself. Megaman X, the Reploids in sensitive posts are already under observation… but I will put forward a motion to have Doppler Town evacuated as a cautionary measure pending further review of the Maverick cure."

As the council clamored, X nodded. "Thank you, councilor."

Alia flicked off the display holo, and smiled over at X. "You look pretty good on the holoviewer, you know, X?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Alia, honestly."

She giggled, and adjusted some controls on a console. They were in the X-Hunter bunker together, each working at different consoles.

"I'm just glad the vote passed for that much. Civilians will be out of the way," X muttered quietly.

Alia kept working, but replied, "I'm never against caution, but you seem completely certain this a trick, X."

"Look at the list of test-recipients you compiled for us," X offered, sitting down and leaning back, rubbing the bridge of his nose. His white, gold, red, and blue armor was glistening even in the dim light of the screens.

Alia remembered it flawlessly of course. "They were all volunteers before any contact with Dr. Doppler was made."

"But Dr. Doppler approved those names. Look at their stations."

Alia paused, and adjusted something different on her console. "I do see your concern, but there are security measures in place at all of those facilities, and none of the recipients have much security clearance."

"If they were given Dr. Doppler's clearance?"

Alia's hands stopped over her console. She re-analyzed mentally, and her eyes flared. "…Perfectly placed to shut down the entire city."

X lowered his hand, looking at his map of the city on his console. "See why we deployed the teams now?"

"It made sense already, but… yeah, that's…" Alia's face tightened. "…I think part of me was blinding myself. Hoping…"

X bowed his head, eyes shutting. "I know."

Alia glanced over her shoulder at him, frowning gently. No one wants this over more than him, but he's the only one who never lets his hopes get up. I wish that wasn't justified…

Dr. Doppler stepped up to a console with a mechaniloid operator already working on it. It showed a grid-map of a massive network of facilities nestled inside a mountain range. He stroked his long, pointed beard, and his green optics sharpened. "Everyone is in position, yes?"

"Yes, doctor," the mechaniloid replied in a monotone female voice.

"Deploy the strike team, and keep stealth systems at maximum capacity. I don't want anyone to know where they are until the lasers are firing."

"Initiating, doctor."

"And seal the compound. Dispatch the orders. By the end of the day, we'll be in control."

The crimson pylons spanning the gap in the mountains around the huge, almost city-like network of facilities started to flash with lights as armored bulwarks rose out of the ground between them, sealing into a massive guard wall. A dome of light erupted around the entire perimeter, closing over the compound in a core-pulse.

"Hold my calls, Anita, I'm taking some personal time," Councilor Teagan explained dismissively as he marched past a Reploid in clean white armor working at a station outside his office.

"Yes, councilor," she echoed pleasantly, and idly watched him vanish in his office, the security seals clamping over the frame.

Then her comm beeped, and she touched the side of her helmet. Her optics flattened of emotion, and she stood up. "Orders received."

She started for the door, drawing a pistol out of her torso compartment at her back. Her free hand planted itself on the security console at the door, and it suddenly crackled and sizzled, the door rushing open.

Councilor Teagan snapped up in his chair, nearly choking on his shot of liquor. "H-how the blazes did you get the code to—!? Oh G'd…"

Her pistol aimed at his head, his expression twisting into a sneer. "That tie makes you look really stupid, by the way. I lied!"

Taegan screamed as the pistol fired, ducking down. He eased slightly, confused when he heard muffled shouting and scraping metal.

Easing up, he saw chord of metal stringing Anita up to the ceiling, aiming her blaster up, the apparatus holding her just melting out of the air that moment.

Shimmer appeared, leaning against the councilor's desk to his left, making him jump again, and Tripwire lowered himself from the ceiling, out of the field his partner had created.

"So, should I say 'X told you so,' or should we just bring her back to headquarters?" Shimmer asked casually, jerking a thumb back at Anita and the door as she writhed furiously but ineffectually in her fetters.

Teagan stammered, "T-the others…"

Tripwire straightened, and rasped, "Being handled."

A furious Reploid snarled and jerked at the base of the controls to a weapons depot. The door he'd just cracked was sealing shut again as Deepfreeze operated it, ice coating the Reploid's frame on the ground.

"There was no ice, how did you stick me to the floor!?" the Maverick snarled as he fought and twitched.

"Magnets," Mapteron whispered from his ear, and the Maverick was startled enough to stare up at him for a moment.

Mapteron stood up, and looked at his partner. "Status, Deepfreeze?"

"Repairing and changing the security protocols. We're good here."

Mapteron lifted the ice-cocooned Maverick and started to march out with Deepfreeze.

A Reploid with long blonde hair and black body armor hurried under a crackling power-conduit, and started to enter rapid commands on a security console. She smirked when the door cracked open, and she shoved it the rest of the way, dashing up to the controls for the entire facility.

"Here goes the power to your entire city, human insects."

She reached for the console, but something blurred past her, and her arms were knocked up violently. She stumbled back from the console, and twisted around, then slowly looked up into Overload's crackling gauntlets and glimmering optics as he slowly smiled.

"Looking for the charge-station?"

She suddenly turned animalistic, snarling, and wrenching her arms up as they started to snap into busters.

Turbo flickered into view behind her, and jammed a stun-pod into her back. She screamed as her body overloaded for a moment, and then she simply crashed flat.

"You can thank Alia's emergency stasis for surviving that, by the way," Turbo muttered at the Maverick's back.

Overload touched his comm. "Power station secured."

Power-smashers resounded throughout the factory as a reploid in dull gray armor hurried up a ladder, and rushed to a command pod high up at the ceiling, starting to work at the console. Another Reploid hurried up in his wake, and held a buster ready, aiming out from him.

"Crack the damn security already," the guarding Reploid hissed.

"The protocols take a cycle. Keep your slagged circuits calm."

A gout of flame shot through the catwalk below the guarding Reploid, and he cried out as his buster, sealed by the fire-blast, went critical when he instinctively tried to fire. His arm blew apart as Inferno somehow flipped his massive bulk onto the catwalk with a shaking crash, and slapped fetters onto the injured Maverick immediately.

The one at the console twisted, drawing a pistol, but blinked as the weapon fell in half, flash-melted in a flawless cut.

Pyrostrike grabbed him from behind, burning arm-blade at the neck. "Stand down, or I'll make you."

The restrained Maverick went berserk, snarling and starting to flail, but Pyrostrike deftly pin-point struck him, and as he collapsed, put more fetters on him.

"Gaines-Krip Factory secured. They aren't getting the military fabrications this time," Pyrostrike reported calmly.

Three Reploids in simple construction-equipped gear quickly ran up onto the hover-pad on the roof of the Council building. The each had a large, boxy package, and were rushing to the corners. The one at the farthest corner felt a rush behind him, and twisted, then looked up into Airstrike's dark expression.

"Maverick Hunter!" the one shouted.

The other two twisted, pulling pistols from their torso compartments.

Two plasma bolts sounded, but not from them. Their pistols blew part in their hands, and Blast Squirrel swept down, crashing to his haunches.

"You can stand down, if you want," he started dryly.

The two charged him like wild animals.

Airstrike dodged the punch from the one he faced, and twisted that Reploid into a set of manacles on the wrists and ankles, dropping him flat.

Blast Squirrel twirl-flipped over the pair attacking him, and dropped down on one, clamping manacles over his limbs as well.

The third tried to run toward his package at that point, but Airstrike flew over and dropped in front of him. That one was down the next core-pulse.

Airstrike touched his comm. "We need bomb retrieval on the roof of the Council building, but the attackers are secured."

A Reploid with short dark hair, black body-structure, and a pack over her shoulders hurried up a maintenance ladder, and rushed down a catwalk over a reservoir chamber. Just as she reached the main hatch into the reservoir, she pulled her pack free, and started to open it.

A matte metal clamp snapped her bag shut in front of her hands, and she stared up at Snapvice. His cold optics stared back at her without emotion.

"What's in the bag?"

She suddenly jerked back, pulling twin pistols out as she fell. He twisted, and let the bolts bounce off his heavily armored back, dispersing.

The Reploid growled, and started to recover to fire again, but a massive hand shot down and grabbed both arms, lifting her clean off the ground by them.

"Are you going to answer the question?" Depthcharge asked, looking at her furious expression as she writhed and tried to kick at him.

Snapvice opened the satchel, and pulled a large container out, filled with almost glowing-green fluid. "Scans show toxic. Poison for the city's water supply, it looks like."

"You can't stop it!" the Reploid spat at Depthcharge. "Maverick Hunters, humans, all of you are going to DIE!"

"I really wish you'd remain silent. I thought we had that going? She didn't tell us what was in the satchel, right?" Depthcharge asked Snapvice dryly, looking at him around the flailing Maverick.

Snapvice just shrugged, and then touched his comm. "Water utilities secured."

Warp Turtle glanced across from his console to another mature Reploid in a lab-coat, adjusting controls at his station.

Spikesaw entered the room from beyond the lab-coat Reploid, and greeted them both lightly. "Warp Turtle, Dr. Fenz, any network anomalies while I was getting a charge?"

"None yet, as usual, Spikesaw," the large, turtle-like Reploid called over.

Dr. Fenz smiled back as well, and then focused on his console, and started to enter some more controls.

It was when his hand reached over to the far part of his console that it was seized by Spikesaw's, and the two locked optics, suddenly dead serious.

"There a reason you're releasing the security protocols, doc?"

Dr. Fenz snarled and pulled a plasma rifle out of his coat, swinging it around to fire at Spikesaw point-blank.

He froze in mid-motion, however, and Warp Turtle stepped out from behind him, adjusting controls on Dr. Fenz' console.

"Security protocol protections restored."

The two Maverick Hunters secured Dr. Fenz' limbs before Warp Turtle released his odd freeze over the Maverick's body.

"How did you catch it so fast!?"

"Do we really look like network specialists to you, doc? We've been waiting for you to freak out for four weeks."

"Begging your pardon, but I have excellent network analysis scores," Warp Turtle reported, puffing his frame up.

"Sorry, Warp Turtle. Do I look like a network specialist, doc?"

Dr. Fenz degraded into snarling gibberish at that point as they dragged him out.

Five Reploids in sleek armor dropped down support ladders, and into the darkened warehouse. Military vehicles were arrayed across the massive chamber, and the five started to spread to them, data-cores ready in their hands to upload commands to the machines.

Just as the first one leapt up onto a vehicle and brought his data-core around to upload, he jerked, and fell flat, twitching from the shock-fetters suddenly on all four of his limbs.

The other Reploids froze for a moment, and then full-speed dashed to their targets, their spare arms turning into busters.

A plasma bubble churning through the air like a drill tore into one, batting her aside and across the floor.

Barrel stomped over, and clamped manacles on her limbs before she fired her buster, which was disabled by the manacle. He picked up the data-core, and whistled. "Nasty stuff. Wow, it's actually programmed to aim for baby-carriages? That's just… overly detailed for rampant slaughter. I mean, really? Even for the virus, that's something special."

Another Reploid was sneaking up behind him as he prattled away at the prone one at his feet.

Just when it was about to strike, he sighed, seemed to wait for something, and then nodded as the new Reploid fall flat, crackling fetters on his limbs.

"Thanks, Quickman."

The crimson cutter Reploid appeared opposite Barrel, the visor dismal. "One? I drop the four others, and you get one?"

"What can I say, I don't have your raw… charisma?"

"Aw, a real charmer. You're lucky I'm a glutton for flattery. Let's get this lot back to HQ. Well… when we can."

Barrel smirked at him, and they started to pick up their captured Mavericks.

Zero ran up a flight of stairs, and opened a hatch, running out onto the roof of Maverick Hunter headquarters. It was a thick, cloudy night, and he saw Megaman X standing there.

"X, why are you all the way up here? Have you gotten Signas' reports about the attacks all over the city?" Zero challenged first, his eyes scanning his old comrades' back quite seriously. He was suspicious.

X looked up past his own helmet. "Tell Signas to sound general quarters."

Zero was about to push when he sensed the problem, his optics flaring, and he looked up. He turned grim.

An armada of battle-ships were descending over Maverick Hunter headquarters, joined by swarms of green, mantis-like mechaniloids that were already starting to rain down laser fire.

Zero touched his comm, but then watched X speed-dash and leap clear off the edge of the tower, shimmering with power as he aimed to land on the closest mechaniloid.

So he knew the entire time. He's been waiting for this attack. "Vice Commander Signas? We're under attack. I'm joining X outside."

"We have another problem, Zero!" Signas voice chimed back urgently. "Our internal security measures have collapsed. Sabotage! The signal isolated it to level four!"

"X, did you get that?"

"We'll clear our way to it," X returned.

Zero growled, and boosted, drawing his sword. As he flew off the roof, his ponytail rattling, he muttered, "Somebody's gotten a little full of himself!"

The mantis mechaniloid rushed down toward Maverick Hunter Headquarters, several of its fellows blowing apart from the defense turrets of the building's upper levels, firing lasers from its turret-mandibles as the air sheared around it. Its sensors only barely registered a collision warning before X slammed into its snout, and unloaded plasma-bolts with both busters into the control module.

The mechaniloid was already starting to crash down when Zero came flying off another mechaniloid from the left, his beam-saber flaring as he raised it for a downward slice. The mechaniloid he came from was exploding as he flew, and he drove his sword down into X's target along the flank.

It exploded, and the two hunters flipped off, crashing to their haunches on different sides of the smoldering wreckage of the flyer. X started to shimmer with building energy over his frame, distorting the air and taking on tinges of purple, pink, and blue color. Zero glanced his way, then looked up, shimmering with green light himself.

As a wing of mechaniloids came around, the defense turrets of the base suddenly died, turning themselves off.

Signas' voice sounded over general comms, "Defense systems have just failed completely. All Maverick Hunters, prioritize defense. We need those mechaniloids and ships out of the sky before the civilian population is attacked!"

The two hunters on the ground snapped their busters upward, and unleashed storming rushes of plasma. Zero's shots erased a few lines of mechaniloids, but his optics tightened at the torrents of destruction that poured out of X's blasters. They didn't just blow the mechaniloids apart, they flash-vaporized the directly hit targets, and tore pieces out of the rest.

He doesn't hold back anymore, Zero noted, anything but pleased by the notion.

With that immediate threat managed, X turned toward the walled edifice behind him, touching his comm. "Command, did the rest of our security just go down?"

"Confirmed. Level five access this time. They know our protocols well. Alia and Dex have it contained finally, but the damage is done," Signas returned.

Zero burst forward, and started to rip up the wall. "I'll infiltrate from level eight and work down!"

X nodded, and started to dash up the wall with him. "I'll come in from below." On the private X-Hunter network, he chimed, /Signas, Alia, what do we know about the security failure?/

/I'm sorry, X, I blew it,/ Alia replied instantly, her digital voice rushed and sharp from her focus on her tasks re-securing the network. /I let my guard down because I thought we had this all knit up. It never should have gotten this far./

As X rushed across the courtyard toward the main entrance, Signas cut in, /Alia's taking too much fault, per usual, but it seems there was a Doppler-cured Maverick here in headquarters of enough rank to have the security protocols./

/Who was on level four when the attack started?/

/Transmitting list now,/ Alia pinged, and X felt the data rush to his system.

"Sorry," X felt compelled to say as he plasma-vaporized the armored bulkhead sealing the lobby of headquarters, and shot through the still-steaming hole. No one on this list was on the Doppler list… You're not the only one who slipped up, Alia, this was foolish of me. I got too confidant.

A few more bulkhead casualties were required, X making note of their positions for later repair, but he quickly reached the level four access node that had started the defense failure. As muffled explosions reached his audio-receptors from the battle outside, he quickly checked over the console's access history.

"Mac…?" he muttered, confused.

An energy pulse sounded behind him, and X's senses had him flicker down to his left, watching a stun-bolt wash over the console he'd just used. Twisting and glancing, he saw a purple-armored Reploid with a visor over a humanoid face aiming again.

"You didn't get the cure, Mac," X called out calmly despite having to twist his body out of the path of another stun-bolt. His torso armor actually pulled on the trails of energy, soaking up the ambient power.

"You mean I wasn't on the list," Mac retorted with a dark smile, and suddenly rapid-fired his stun-buster in a spiral volley toward X.

Truthfully, after all he'd faced, dodging each bolt was child's play. X was already starting to flicker and writhe through the attacks, his optics tightening toward Mac even in the midst of the deadly dance. The list had to be modified, the Reploids weren't infected before they got to Doppler. Where could it have been modified that even Alia wouldn't catch? …I need more information.

X feigned slipping, gave a shout, and took a stun-bolt to the chest. He cried out as he was overcome with crackling power, and crashed to all-fours as his respirator cycled heavily.

Mac ran up to him with a smirk. "All hail Doppler. We have such wonderful things to show you, X! You'll become a part of something so much greater!"

X looked up at him. "When did you get the cure, Mac?"

Mac smirked, and touched a control on his forearm. X looked up, his optics flaring as a mag-lift mechaniloid hovered down, and yanked him to its surface. It lifted him up off the ground, and kept him from being able to move much more than his eyes.

Damn, this was stupid. I figured he'd want to gloat. Only way I can break this is my G-Crusher, and I'm not trying to kill him or erase half the base…

Tearing metal made X and Mac both stare out to the side of the room just as the ceiling blew open, Zero crashing down to one knee, his saber burning out to the side. His gaze locked on Mac with dark focus. "Let him down, Mac. This is over. Alia and Dex already have the security protocols repairing, and the fleet is taking down those carriers."

"You think that's all the Dopplerforce brought?" Mac taunted, and then his buster snapped toward Zero.

X saw the stance Zero was dashing into. He's going to terminate! "NO, ZERO, we need-!?"

Zero flickered past Mac, and Mac went limp, crashing to his knees… then fell in half.

That moment froze for X, his fists managing to clench as his body shivered in its containment field. He saw blood all over his armor again, heard her dying voice, saw Reploids dying, saw Vile's headless body falling limply to the floor… heard Alia's scream as her arm was torn off… His optics shimmered red in their depths, parts of his torso shifting, shivering open.

The field dispersed, and he was falling freely. His mind returned, and he landed neatly, but stayed crouched, just breathing. Mac's remains were just a meter or so away from him.

Zero walked up behind him. "X, on your feet. There are probably more Mavericks we have to deal with. One slip-up doesn't mean you have to give up."

X frowned darkly, glaring at the floor. "He didn't have to die."

Zero's brow creased at the smaller Reploid's back. "X, he was Maverick. They don't listen to reason."

X stood up, but didn't turn around. He touched his comm. "Signas, Maverick infiltrator terminated by Hunter Zero. Status?"

"Against my instincts, this looks like it's wrapping up, X. …No, wait. There's what I was waiting for. We have incoming. Massive mechaniloid attacker, it's dropping from a high-altitude carrier our scanners missed for all the hubbub with the attack."

"En route," X replied, starting to lean into a dash.

Zero grabbed his shoulder, and twisted X to face him. "What is wrong with you?"

X raised an eyebrow, but his expression was otherwise cold. "We have work to do, don't we?"

Zero narrowed his eyes as they held their locked stare. "…You're furious." He almost sounded impressed.

"That's not fury. Now let's go, before we get a new sunroof nobody asked for."

X twisted, and dashed along at full speed, flickering across the room. Zero frowned, but sheathed his saber at his shoulder, and dashed after his comrade.

The massive mechaniloid burned down on massive thrusters instead of legs, its gray and green structure resembled a hulking ogre with spiked maces on chain-arms instead of actual limbs, and a massive, grotesque face.

It swung its body, and brought one mace around wide, ready to smash it down into the roof of Maverick Hunter Headquarters. That never hit, because a plasma-bolt burst from one of the communication spires, and hit with such precision and force that the entire limb bounced backward, forcing the behemoth to float back awkwardly and search for the new threat.

Cadis, plasma-rifle slung in one arm, repelled off that spire with a chord-tether, and swung wide as her dark hair lashed in a ponytail, her targeting monocle scanning for weak armor points. "Well, I got his attention, Commander!"

Signas chuckled over the comm. "Good work. Back-up is on the way, just stay out of those maces' reach, alright, Cadis?"

"Roger that!" she called, and let go of her wire as the behemoth smashed down the entire comm tower she'd used.

Cadis back-flipped, and as she did readied her rifle, aiming in mid-flip, and fired. The force of the blast snap-twisted her around the other direction, her bolt bouncing the behemoth's arm to the side again, and let her clamp onto the side of a different comm-tower.

Just as the behemoth was twisting for her again, a series of blue-white bolts slammed into its head, and Cadis gawked down at the roof-level.

Alia was sprinting out from the roof-access, her buster lighting up the behemoth with pin-point strikes at his optics and neck. She gave a sharp whistle, "Down here, big guy!"

The mechaniloid roared and revved its thrusters, coming down at her with both maces. Alia was starting to leap back herself, but Cadis took aim, and fired a trio of blasts into the base of its neck from the side.

It roared again as it was sent crashing to the side, its maces hitting only air over Alia's head.

She's one heck of a shot, Alia realized. She'd known before, and was familiar with Cadis' record, but seeing it in action was something different.

Then a crimson streak shot down behind the behemoth, and Zero appeared on the roof, saber out, one knee down.

Cadis and Alia watched the behemoth rear back as a gash burst open down its entire back.

"Sorry, I'm late, ladies," Zero said, though he was completely calm as he stood up and turned to look up at the mechaniloid sidelong.

"Works for me!" Alia called lightly. Privately concerned, she chimed, /X, you okay?/

/No./

Two towers of plasma energy made all three other Reploids jerk back in momentary panic, Zero's eyes flaring at the released energy that seemed to all but erase the core of the behemoth vertically.

X shimmered into view, his chameleon cloak fading as he walked toward Alia and the roof-access door, the wreckage of the behemoth crashing down behind him.

"Lieutenant, anything else trying to blow us up?" he called aloud, his voice serious, but she heard the dark edge beneath it.

Not voicing her concern yet, Alia touched her comm, and looked up. "Scanners look clear. I think we've cleaned up this mess, you guys."

Cadis repelled down, slinging her rifle down her back, where it collapsed into storage mode. "Wow, X… that was… some weapon."

X looked over at her, and managed a small smile for her sake. "Sorry if I startled you three."

Zero just eyed him again, and then moved to join the group.

"And great work holding the line, Cadis," Alia added as they started inside.

Cadis flushed. "Sorry about the comm tower."

"Hey, it worked, and they're easy enough to repair."

"You didn't flash-melt the armored bulkheads on the ground floors," X muttered ruefully.

This got him another set of looks, and he shrugged.

"I was in a hurry at the time."

Alia and Cadis started to giggle a little, and Zero just rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Let's get to Signas, hm?" Zero prompted.

Once they were in the lift taking them down to the command level, Alia was able to give X a private glance, her eyes lit with concern. X met her eyes, but his own fell away after, and he just looked exhausted.

In the command center, Signas turned from the map-console in the center, and returned the salutes of the team from the roof. His armored cap and more robust armor reflected his rank at a glance. Scattered around the chamber were the X-Hunters from the other missions, and Zero had to set his hands on his hips. "And where were you lot during this crisis, hm?"

It was clear Quickman was about to hop forward and declare some grandiose statement, but Signas stayed him with a gesture, and then smiled at Zero, and said, "Saving the city."

Zero raised an eyebrow. "Can I see the report…?"

Signas lightly tossed him a datapad, which Zero caught instantly, and glanced over it. He seemed gravely shocked rather than pleased. "Your dispatch orders from weeks ago…?" he asked, looking up at Signas.

Signas gestured to X. "He was willing to be my scapegoat for any public outcry. When the Council wasn't willing to take steps, we had to."

X gave a playful salute. "A pleasure, sir."

Cadis giggled, and Alia and the other X-Hunters beyond Signas shared knowing smiles or laughs.

Shimmer leaned back fully on his nearest console. "Councilor Teagan should be a lot more friendly, by the way. We had to practically pull his assistant's fingers off his throat."

Tripwire just snort-cackled at the reminder.

Zero returned the datapad to Signas more calmly. "I'll report to Dr. Cain, if that's alright by you, Signas?"

"He's your direct report, sir. I appreciate you running the errand for me, though," Signas returned with a light chuckle.

Zero gave him a dry look, and then turned. He and X shared a surprisingly dark glance as he walked past, but nothing was said, and he vanished through the door a moment later.

X looked to Alia and Signas, serious still. "It was Mac who brought our systems down."

Dex looked over his shoulder from a console closer to the far end of the room. "I was about to log that in the reports, sir. It was too late to mean much, but I ID'd his signature on those hacks."

"And Zero terminated him?" Signas confirmed gravely, really informing the X-Hunters of the event. It caused a grim glance to be shared across the room. Even Cadis looked down sadly.

X nodded. "Indeed. My main concern at this point is why he wasn't on our list of known cure-recipients."

Alia replied, "Exactly. I'll get to work on that with Dex. There might be other moles we need to tag."

Cadis raised a hand meekly.

"Yes, Cadis?" Signas called attention to her.

"S-sorry, commander, I know I'm not an information specialist, but I was just thinking… didn't Doppler's lab create the list originally anyway? He'd only have to provide a trail for the Reploids in official posts, no one would care to ask about any others."

Alia turned to her. "An excellent point, Cadis. The main issue is that Maverick Hunters should be on the criteria."

She shrugged. "What if… they went privately? Hoping?"

An uncomfortable silence settled over the room, only the beeps of scanners still resounding.

X finally spoke up, "That may be the case, Cadis. If so, then all we can do is watch and respond. For the moment, though," he looked back to Signas, "I think Doppler Town is going to be our main focus?"

Signas nodded. "Indeed. Alia, I think you already had most of the information compiled due to our precautions?"

"Yes, sir. I'll get a full debrief put together within the hour."

"Thank you, do so. Well done, Maverick Hunters. Let's get some repairs complete while Alia prepares the data."

The group started to disperse, Alia patting Cadis' shoulder as a final affirmation and show of sympathy.

Cadis smiled at her, and then found X's eyes with her own. She mouthed, "You okay?"

He shook his head, but also waved his hand. "I'll start on those bulkheads I melted," he called over to no one in particular.

Cadis moved up to him. "I'll help!"

He chuckled, and nodded. "Thanks."

Alia just smiled over her shoulder before they left the room. Thanks, Cadis.

Dr. Cain eased back in his chair with a deep sigh. Zero was standing in front of his desk, mildly expectant.

"Sometimes, I wish his ideas would backfire on him, not prove him right," Dr. Cain muttered.

Zero rolled his eyes a little. "Doc, this is a bit more serious than all that. He had Maverick Hunters infiltrating government facilities, with specific intent to capture and detain government employees, without any evidence of wrong-doing."

Dr. Cain fixed Zero with a hard stare. "And took no action until they attacked or attempted terrorism. Not to mention everyone he placed did their job professional and functionally in those weeks. I don't like it either, Zero, and I find Signas' involvement troubling, too. The problem is that everything they are doing is kept clean and orderly. There is nothing to action here."

Zero snapped a hand back at the door. "He's not the same Reploid you found, Doc! Have you seen that look in his eyes?"

"Yes," Dr. Cain answered, no humor in his expression.

Zero eased fractionally. "So you're worried about him, too?"

"How could I not be? Zero… you've been gone… No, you actually weren't gone very long, but a lot has happened. You've read the reports from the X-Hunter scenarios, right?"

"Of course."

"On record, we excuse his success with infiltration and stealth skill, but the truth is much more terrifying. They can't stop him, Zero. Armies, and some of the most powerful Reploids ever created, can't stop him. There has not been a single Reploid who could defeat him in combat since he defeated Sigma."

"I just watched Mac lock him down like a child!" Zero snapped in frustration.

Dr. Cain frowned. "Which is what troubles me. I think he let himself take that hit, Zero. I think he was trying to gather information. He wasn't upset at being captured."

Zero's eyes tightened. "…I know."

Dr. Cain nodded. "Keep an eye on him. And have you settled on who you want in your squad, yet?"

Zero crossed his arms. "It's a bit hard to when all the best candidates seem to be wrapped around X's pinky."

Dr. Cain cringed, rubbing his beard. "…Yes, I imagine it is." He seemed to think of something abruptly, and stood up, retrieving his cane from his desk, and walked over to a console at the side of his office.

"Doc?" Zero prompted, only mildly confused.

"We've been focused on the Doppler research for the last few weeks, but I keep an eye on Reploid factories and R&D labs myself. The Gate facility has recently started a test case, and it shows potential of a unique type. I believe Alia used to work there, so you can gather some information from her, if you wish, but I think you'll want to meet a couple of Reploids they recently brought online."

Zero walked over, and leaned on the wall by his elbow, looking down at the screen Dr. Cain was using. "…Sibling Reploids. That's been done before, hasn't it?"

"In essence, yes, but these two are unique. They were created from a desire to mix compassion with combat prowess. The two systems were so opposed they couldn't put them in the same Reploid in the end, but they had a rather ingenious idea. Turn them into two Reploids with a mutual defense sub-routine."

Zero frowned thoughtfully. "Interesting, certainly. Names?"

"Iris is the sister. The brother, rather militaristic by design, just goes by 'Colonel.'"

"Colonel sounds promising, but the sister seems… civilian."

Dr. Cain chuckled, and opened another document.

Zero actually whistled, "Those are her aptitude scores for data management?"

"An ideal operator. She's intended as a support for her brother, obviously, but as long as she's on your team…" Dr. Cain shrugged.

"Thanks, Doc. Yeah, I'll check it out. I'll touch base with Alia to be safe."

"Very good. I'll be back later this evening if you need anything else, Zero."

Zero was intrigued. "Running errands, doc?"

"Emergency Council meeting. This Doppler disaster has them shaking in their boots. Apparently they have some mad idea for a Reploid army."

Zero tilted his head down, dismal. "That's the worst idea I've ever heard, especially if they want to AVOID Maverick outbreaks."

"Exactly," Dr. Cain returned, marching along with his cane toward the door. "Let me know how the brother and sister turn out, would you?"

"Will do, Doc."

Zero looked back at the console while Dr. Cain left the office, viewing the model display for Colonel and Iris.

Author's Note: IT ONLY TOOK SIX YEARS, HUH!? Really sorry about the massive delay on getting this started on here, folks. Life got crazy, stress kills my ability to write, etc. HOWEVER, I have a new writing schedule now, and I can promise you that Chronicle 3 will be completed! This first chapter is up 'early' for my intended schedule. You can look forward to new chapters every Friday!