A Rockman X fic!

[Cyclone EXE]

Heehee...good job as always. Nuttin to do but sit and wait for next chapter...
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[Aria]

Jennie touched the pendant on her necklace as she waited. It was a golden square with an upraised musical note, and was really quite pretty. Touching a pendant was something she did when she was nervous, and feeling the ridges of the gold calmed her slightly.

The Winnebago was in sight, and she tensed for a moment. Then she waved, trying to look demure and desperate.

It wasn’t hard. Her clothing had been meant for a semi-formal outing in an urban setting. Her flats weren’t as difficult as high heels, but walking on gravel was still a trial. The wind kept trying to do nasty things with her calf-length, crinkly skirt, although for her purposes a show of panties was probably all to the good. She was wearing an untucked, white dress shirt over it. Three gold bangles adorned one wrist, and a length of iron pyrite beads was on the other. The overall effect was of a young college student with a touch of hippy still in her clothes sense.

Jennie tensed, and waved harder as the Winnebago started to slow. It pulled over beside her, and a man got out of the side door.

If she had really been a hitchhiker, alarms would probably be going off. The man who had stepped out looked harder than forged steel. His hair was cut in an extremely unflattering buzz cut that made his head look like a pea stuck on his outsized body. His arms had been toned and built up almost freakishly, and Jennie assumed he was a bodybuilder. But presumably, even perverted rapist kidnappers needed something to occupy their time between victims, and he didn’t seem like the sort to read.

But Jennie was playing the naïve little fool, with just a touch of desperation, so she pretended not to notice the way he was eyeing her chest.

“Please, sir, can I get a ride to Albuquerque? My boyfriend and I had a fight and he left me here…” She lowered her gaze, as if embarrassed by the circumstances. She had decided on that story as she and Axl were circling around the Winnebago, out of sight in the scrub desert. If the perverts were particularly observant, that story would explain her flats much better than hitchhiking.

The effort seemed mostly wasted. He gave her a smile that was surprisingly warm, and motioned toward the door to the back of the Winnebago.

“We’d be glad to.” His voice was husky, deep. “Get right in.” Giving him a grateful smile, Jennie did just that.

The interior of the Winnebago wasn’t particularly neat. Jennie wrinkled her nose at a noxious odor, covered up incompletely with air freshener. Then she stiffened as something hard and cold touched her back.

She didn’t have to feign a surprised gasp, although she’d been expecting it. It still came as a shock, being held at gunpoint, and she didn’t have to pretend to be afraid. It hadn’t been very long ago that she would have been terrified.

“Get in the back.” His rough voice was hard, brutal. She shivered, following his orders. She didn’t want to give him a reason to hit her… her flesh was much too firm for a human, and if he broke his fist on her he would undoubtedly figure things out. She wanted to make sure there was no chance of the woman and child being shot when she took them out.

He shoved her through the door to the bedroom, and she stumbled, falling to her knees. Two other women were there, and looked at her with wide, terrified eyes. She saw that she and Axl had made a slight mistake… they’d thought the child would be young, but she was actually a teenager, only slightly less mature looking than her mother. Both had bright red hair and green eyes. The mother was a bit on the plump side, but still pretty enough. The girl was beautiful, or would have been if her face hadn’t been parchment white. Their feet and hands were both duct taped together, and duct tape covered their mouths to muffle any screams. The walls were enough to make most woman scream… they were decorated by posters depicting hard core pornography, all of it degrading and frightening.

“Stay there, bitch.” She moaned softly, pretending to be utterly terrified, too petrified to move. Soon, he was duct taping her hands together.

”Please, I’ll give you all my money, you don’t have to…” She thought a protest was in order, and kept her voice soft and breathy.

”Shut up!” He snarled at her, raising his hand, and she flinched back. He dragged her over to the other two, with a little surreptitious assistance from Jenny. He still grunted in surprise at her weight, before letting her drop. Then he taped her feet together as well, and put duct tape over her mouth.

She waited quietly until he left, and the Winnebago started to move again. Axl would be following at a discreet distance. Then she raised her head, and yanked her hands apart.

The duct tape parted like rotten cord. The mother watched wide eyed as she stripped away the tape on her feet and mouth, but the daughter seemed to be in shock, lost in her own mind. Jennie crawled over to them, and tore away the duct tape from the mother’s mouth. No doubt that hurt like hell, but there was no help for it.

The woman winced at the pain, and then spoke.

”Who are you? How did you do that?” Jennie started pulling away the rest of the tape as she explained.

“I’m a Maverick Hunter. My partner and I came across your car, and your husband told us what happened. Are you and Marjie alright?” They looked untouched, but that might not be true. But the mother nodded.

”We’re fine. George, is he…” Jennie looked at her, unwilling to put the bad news into words in front of the daughter. But the mother evidently read it from her expression, and her face twisted with grief. Then she took a deep breath, calming herself. “What’s your plan?”

”I’m going to go up there and force them to park. If they give any resistance, I’ll kill them.” The mother actually looked slightly relieved at that. Maybe she’d been worried that Jennie wouldn’t be able to bring herself to hurt a human, even animals like these.

“Be careful. They have a shotgun.” Jennie nodded as she peeled away the last of the tape. The mother immediately started freeing her daughter, as Jennie carefully opened the door.

The engine of the Winnebago was very noisy and would probably muffle any sound from her movements. She was still cautious, and stopped only to strip away her civilian clothes, depositing them on a moderately clean couch. Then she activated her flash case and called back her armor, grimacing at the feel of it on bare skin. Putting on her casual clothes had meant removing the jumpsuit that usually served as padding.

Slipping through the rooms like a ghost, she reached the front, and frowned. The door to the cab was closed. She couldn’t open it without alerting them… then she shrugged and flung it violently open.

”What the hell- Holy SHIT!” The man in the passenger seat, the one who had brought her inside froze as a buster was leveled at his face.

“Pull over.” She ordered in a voice as cold as liquid helium. The driver, a much smaller, weedy man, was already obeying.

”What are you, a Maverick?” The bulky man asked, face pasty white. She gave him a look similar to the one she would have given a cockroach.

”No, I’m a Maverick Hunter. One of the ones you two tried to run off the road earlier. But don’t think I won’t kill you if you give me any trouble.” She didn’t want to, but that was solely for her own benefit.

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to doubt her. As soon as they parked, Jennie forced them outside.

“I have them, Axl.” She spoke into the communicator. “Come in, I need you to tie them up.”

Your wish is my command, lovely. Be there in a minute. She smiled at his reply… she could easily see his dust plume as he headed towards them at full speed. The mother of the pair poked her head cautiously out of the Winnebago. Jennie didn’t move her eyes from the men as she spoke to her. “Can you get the duct tape?”

”Oh yes.” She ducked back in to fetch that, and came out just as Axl skidded to a halt and hopped off his bike. Axl took the roll from her with a smile, and started binding the offenders, giving one a hard smack as he tried something. The man yelped in pain, although nothing was broken.

“The police will be here soon.” Axl said as he stepped back.

“Do we have to wait for them?” Jennie winced at the thought of all the interviews they would probably be required to give… they would certainly be taken back to the police station to give statements.

“’Fraid so, lovely. This sort of thing doesn’t happen much, but we’re supposed to give local police full cooperation in stuff like this.” Axl shrugged, then grinned. “Hey, it’ll be air conditioned and we’ll have coffee.” Jennie shook her head with a small laugh.

”I suppose that is a bit of a plus.” Then she glanced over at the woman and her daughter, who had both left the Winnebago. “Would you two like something to eat?” She had a sandwich, a few oranges and a granola bar in her backpack for lunch. But she could share it, and they might be waiting for a while…
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That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Cyclone EXE]

Yay! Great chapter again!! Your writing is really keeping me hooked...can't stop...reading...lol.
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[Aria]

Jennie looked into her cup of coffee distastefully. She preferred the fancy, sweetened coffees from Starbucks rather than the bitter brew they were serving at the police station.

But beggars couldn’t be choosers, and she downed it with a single gulp. The whole process was taking about as long as she thought. They had been required to repeat their story several times and fill out several forms. She thought it was finally winding down, though.

But they were still being held. She wasn’t sure why, but Jennie had an unhappy feeling she’d find out soon.

Axl was staring at a wall, his mind obviously ranging far and wide from his body. Then he suddenly spoke.

”Jennie? What was the first thing that attracted you to me?” He asked her, and she blinked, and then gave it some serious thought.

“…Your face.” She finally said, then smiled. “I love your eyes, the scars… you just look so cute.” Axl grinned at her, taking her hand.

“Cute? Aww, thank you. You look cute too.” He said playfully. “But what about my other parts?” He guided her hand to that part, making her blush lightly.

“Oh, that’s very nice too.”

”Nice?” Axl looked hurt. “Only nice?” Jennie bit her lip to keep from laughing.

”Well… that’s a nice big handful?” She laughed softly as he grinned again.

“A handful… I like that!” He moved closer to her, looking deeply into her eyes. “You know what I like best about you?”

”No… what?” Jennie licked her lips. He was so close… his eyes were so green, so sincere…

“Your lips. They’re so full… so kissable…” Axl suited his actions to words, and kissed her deeply. They explored each other for a moment… then broke up sharply as someone opened the door.

“Oh! Sorry to interrupt, but you’re free to go.” A young, female officer smiled at them apologetically. “If you can get past the crowds, at least.”

Crowds? Jennie glanced over at Axl, but he seemed as mystified by that remark as she was. She hesitated, then stood.

“Where should we go for supper, Axl?” She took his hand, smiling. “Any ideas?” They had the rest of the day free. Their patrol had been completely blown in any case, so X had decided to give them some extra time off when he got the full scoop on what had happened. Half a day’s patrol missed wouldn’t matter much anyway, in Arizona. It was one of the stablest areas under Hunter control, which was part of the reason why they were putting a new base there. Jennie suspected that she and Axl were being given boring duty both as punishment, and something to do until she had mastered the art of listening to her communicator in the heat of battle.

“Mmm… if you’re up for it, I’d really like something Chinese. A buffet would be- GAH!” Axl flung up a hand as a light flashed in his eyes, and Jennie froze in shock.

A crowd! Was her first wild thought. It was quite a large crowd, too, mostly made up of reporters but with a generous sprinkling of interested citizens. Axl and Jennie were both shocked as they were bombarded with questions.

“Ma’am, why did you stop…?”

”Sir, what did the husband say to you…?” After that, Jennie tried to ignore the questions. She didn’t want to give an interview, and Axl seemed even less inclined. The crowd was obviously freaking him out.

”No comment!” She said sharply, trying to push her way through the crowd. It wasn’t easy and wasn’t quick, but no one was willing to actually prevent them from escaping. It was still a madhouse, and she tried hard to ignore everything around her except the location of the hoverbikes… she had to almost drag Axl through behind her. He was far more careful of the humans around them than she was.

There! The hoverbikes! Jennie jumped onto hers gracefully, and Axl got onto his with more enthusiasm than normal. In only a few seconds, they had pulled into traffic, leaving the reporters behind them. Soon, her communicator crackled on.

Kzt… That was crazy! What was that all about? Axl asked, bewildered. Jennie grimaced, and then laughed.

“Have you ever heard the saying that one death is a tragedy, while a million is a statistic?”

Yes… why? Axl didn’t see the connection. Jennie sighed.

“This is the flip side. One million people saved are a statistic, while one person saved dramatically is a human interest story. I’m afraid we might be famous for a while.”

That’s… appalling! All we did was stop some human perverts! That’s nothing compared to what X and Zero and everyone else does!

“I know, but that’s human nature for you.” Jennie grimaced again. “I’m just worried someone might investigate me and get an idea of who I really am.” Her brother, David, hadn’t released that information yet. They would both much prefer never to release it, or at least not until the human/Reploid transfer had become fairly commonplace. If that information got out, on top of what they had done, she might end up besieged. It was the last thing Jennie wanted.

Let’s hope not. A brief silence. So, who’s going to be getting the new Jennie busters? Jennie was grateful for the change of subject.

“X and Zero… maybe the other unit commanders. That’s about it.” She guided her hoverbike down a seamy side street. There were too many pawnshops, too much grime.

Only them? I thought the Jennie buster was better than anything on the market.

“It is. And the price tag is a cool half a million.” Jennie frowned, looking around. She really had no idea where they were.

Woah! What’s in it, rubies?

“Oh, the parts are much more expensive than rubies.” The Jennie buster was cutting edge, and as expensive as could be imagined. Achieving the extreme power in such a small package had meant using a special power generation system. That had led to a special, very critical cooling system. If a normal X buster malfunctioned when it was charged up, it would be painful and the injuries would need a great deal of work. If a Jennie buster malfunctioned when it was charged up, the medics would be picking teeth out of the walls. The armor was thicker, yet the whole weapon was thinner, sleeker and lighter than earlier generation busters. “It’s not going to be widely used until it can be made more cheaply… Axl, do you know where we are?”

Not a clue. I thought you knew. She was ahead of him, so that was reasonable.

“Then we’re lost!” Jennie smiled. “Let’s pull over at the next intersection and get out the map.” It wouldn’t take long to figure out a good location to go for supper…
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That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Cyclone EXE]

Great job as usual...damn humans, huh? n.n
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[Aria]

I'm back! Goddamn work. >< I've done over 50 hours this week, augh....



Jennie was making her way through a maze. A very complicated maze, rife with enemies and concealed guns. She ducked behind a corner, then darted her arm out like a serpent, frying several mets.

She jumped out, activating her dash boots, and reached a fork in the road. She hesitated a moment, trying to remember which path was the correct one.

Go to the right! X’s voice came through the communicator. Jennie started to do that… then paused again as the schematic she had viewed before starting the mission flashed through her mind. If she remembered correctly, the right led to a dead end. It was the left…

She finally decided to follow her own impulses, and jetted down the left passage. The simulation blurred, then went out. X was regarding her curiously from an observation deck.

“Why did you disobey my order?” He asked, his tone enquiring. Jennie threw back her hair.

“Because you were wrong. The schematic said that tunnel was a dead end.” She stared up at him challengingly… and was surprised when he smiled.

“Yes, it was.” She blinked at the agreement. “And that was your final test.” X’s expression turned serious. “Obeying a communicator all the time is just as bad as ignoring it. Sometimes, the person on the other end might be wrong or might not be up to date on the situation. You understand?”

”Yes.” She said softly, nodding. She had come along way to controlling her furies. Now she could listen to her communicator, react to it, and even evaluate how good the commands were as she fought. That was a remarkable achievement from simply ignoring it.

X jumped down from the platform. “Your probation is over, and your friends, too. Feel free to go tell them… I’m sure they’ll want to celebrate.” Jennie blushed at his wry smile.

She had made up all the wages her friends had been docked from her own personal fortune, and X knew it. Or rather, he thought her creator had done so. The only one she had told about her origins was Axl, and surprisingly, no one else had figured it out. That was probably partly because it had taken her body two long months to finally die after she had been transferred. David had let everyone know that the transfer was lethal to the human body, but hadn’t mentioned that the body could linger.

So the wages hadn’t been an issue, and with probation finally over, they would be back in the groove for real combat assignments. It was a pleasing thought.

“Yes sir! Thank you, sir!” Jennie saluted X, then dashed off to tell her friends the good news…

~~~

Elsewhere…

A delicate, deeply tanned hand picked up a sheaf of papers. Black eyes scanned them quickly, bright red lips pursed into a moue of distaste. From her dainty toes to her long, lustrous black hair, she was a beautiful woman. Or rather, a beautiful Reploid. A thick, wine colored dress clung to her curves, modest yet revealing in its stark simplicity. Only her eyes hinted at her inner nature. They were cold, and blank, more reptilian than human.

A young Maverick stood in front of her, hands clasped behind his back. His armor was green with touches of lemon yellow, and his face was young and fresh. If it hadn’t been for the Maverick symbol on his shoulder, he could have easily been mistaken for a young Hunter.

The last figure in the room was highly unlikely to ever suffer that error. A huge, hulking animal Reploid crouched by the side of the woman’s desk. He was wolflike in appearance, but with a ratlike tail that lashed constantly. His fur looked ratty and diseased, and he constantly scratched at it. His unsavory appearance had always made him an outcast… to most people. The female Reploid lowered a hand to gently scratch his head, and he growled in pleasure at the touch.

“So… a way to transfer humans into Reploid bodies. How abominable.” She chewed idly on one perfectly manicured, hard as rock fingernail. The Maverick in front of her said nothing. He privately agreed with her opinion, but that only made him less certain about it. He hated agreeing with someone he loathed in every aspect. “Hmm… and this.” She picked up a second report. “The information on that new Hunter, the one who defeated Skie?” The Maverick nodded. He knew his mistress well, and knew what she would find interesting… but she wouldn’t appreciate commentary until she had finished reading.

“An original creation by that same human… fascinating.” She slowly placed the sheet back down on the table, gazing away as she thought. Then she began to pace. There was no sign of anger on her face, but it was there in the brisk way she moved.

The Maverick in front of her could guess the reason for it. She had once been a lab assistant. She had wanted to be more, but there had been no spark, no genius. He despised the truth of it, but most of the great Reploid designers were humans. There were only a few exceptions, like Doppler.

The fact that David Herkowitz was a thousand times greater at designing new Reploids, new inventions, was somewhere between mortifying and infuriating for her. Her subordinate carefully hid a smile. He despised humans just as much as she did, but still found the situation amusing.

“Still, this gives us an… opportunity.” She said softly, patting her pet again and lightly scratching his muzzle. “It’s vile, but still…” Her smile was ghastly, and the Maverick in front of her frowned to himself, then tensed as she began to explain her idea.

“It shall be done.” He said mechanically when she was finished, but his mind was busy working through the implications… implications she obviously wasn’t considering. Implications he shouldn’t be considering, either. To even think them was close to betrayal of the Maverick cause.

But he had always prided himself on his honesty with himself. So he needed to think about it very carefully…

~~~

A few days later…

“And, here on the all Hunter all the time radiothon we are now playing-“

”Jeremy, get off the damn command frequency!” The platoon leader for the 16’th snarled over the communicator, and Jennie giggled softly.

She was standing atop the roof of a large industrial plant. In better times, it had been a jewel of the Chinese economy, employing nearly four thousand workers and acting as the centre of a small town. Now, the town was deserted. The shells of ghostly buildings still stood, just beginning to show the effects of neglect. The plant itself had been sealed neatly, and while parts had begun to rust it could still be refurnished and pressed into service.

Which was what they were there to prevent. This was a contested area, and they had gained information that indicated the Mavericks would make a play for this facility. It wasn’t ideal, but it could produce low level Maverick drones with ease.

Jennie’s mouth twisted as she thought about their mission. It wasn’t critical, but it was almost solo and had a lot of potential to go wrong. They were bait in a gigantic trap.

China had written off this facility. With the legacy of their old Communist regime, Chinese companies were far more willing than many to accept the outright loss of contested assets. In return for some assurances of protection for its assets farther east, the company that owned this facility had given it over to the Hunters to do with as they would.

Twenty hunters from the 17’th had been assigned to ‘defend’ the facility. A platoon of eight from the 16’th had been chosen to lay a series of booby traps and explosives within the facility, as well as several carefully planned escape routes.

“The trick of this is going to be not to bite off too big a piece to chew.” Sebastian observed quietly, hefting his new gun. It was another prototype weapon, courtesy of Jennie’s brother. He had sent it for her, but she had decided it was just too large and unwieldy, but those characteristics made it perfect for Sebastian. It was a rail gun, shooting out slugs accelerated to hyper velocity. It was a cheap alternative to plasma rifles, but it still remained to be seen if it would be completely effective in combat.

“And that won’t really be up to us.” Jennie said quietly, and Sebastian nodded, scanning the landscape. It would all depend on how many Mavericks came in, how fast. The trick on their end would be drawing the Mavericks in while maintaining enough distance to break off and escape before the bombs went up.

“Ah, don’t worry so much! We’ll be fine.” Came a very familiar voice behind her, and Jennie winced. She slowly turned around to regard… herself.

“Axl, please don’t do that. It’s somewhere between annoying and creepy.” Jennie said wearily as the perfect copy of herself grinned.

Axl couldn’t use his DNA copying power in most places anymore. As soon as the technique had become widespread, countermeasures had been quickly developed. By now, all the main installations on both sides were equipped with scramblers that made it impossible for Axl or any other copying Reploid to assume someone else’s form. Even worse, perhaps, was the development of sensors that would detect some emanations caused by the DNA copying in action. Jennie had that enhancement, and right now Axl was rimmed with a reddish glow.

Of course, in the middle of combat, that sensor could go offline from damage or electronic countermeasures. So DNA copying wasn’t entirely useless, but it was very daring to try. Right now, though, Axl could play with his abilities again.

“Oh, alright.” Axl morphed back to his usual self, and Jennie smiled, giving him a quick hug. He returned it, then-

Kzzt… Jennie, you and your squad report back to HQ. Jennie blinked, taken off-balance by Alia’s voice over the communicator.

“Huh? Why?” She asked inanely. “Is someone replacing us?” Her squad was herself, Axl, Sebastian and Dagger. The Hunters had fairly loose ranks, but it was basically arranged in squads of four, and larger platoons as the situations dictated. Lieutenants commanded the platoons and reported to the unit commander. Squads didn’t really have a leader, but tended to be identified by one person and everyone had taken to calling hers by her name.

Replacements will be coming soon. Teleport back and leave the hoverbikes. Since the battle hadn’t commenced, teleportation was still possible. Jennie glanced at Axl, mystified, and he shrugged.

“Yes, Alia.” Jennie said obediently, and called over Dagger. But she couldn’t help but wonder what was up…
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That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Cyclone EXE]

YAY! You're back! Sry about work...must really stink... *hugs for you* Uhm...really great chapter, as usual! Missed your story...really did. Keep up the awesome work!
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[Aria]

The mood was solemn when Jennie stepped into the meeting room. She tensed slightly as she saw the others there… X, Zero and Signas. It was pretty clear they were coming in on the tail end of an important discussion… and it had something to do with her. Signas stepped forward as she entered the room.

”Jennie, we have some bad news.” He said matter of factly. “Your creator has been kidnapped.” Jennie stared at him, her face turning white. Axl put an arm around her… he knew the truth of how much this would frighten her.

My brother? Kidnapped? Jennie wet her dry lips, and managed to speak. “Who did…?” She had trouble imagining who could have kidnapped her brother. Humans could have done it for money, but in that case, why would the Maverick Hunters be involved? And Mavericks would kill, not kidnap.

But it seemed she was wrong.

“It was a group of Mavericks.” Signas said grimly, looking at her very directly. “We called you here to ask if you know of any projects he was working on that the Mavericks would want badly.”

Jennie hesitated, thinking about that. She knew several projects he had been working on…

“Maybe… he had one project, but he wasn’t going to implement it.” She said softly, looking down. “It was a nanite virus. If the Mavericks found out about it and thought he was going to use it, that might…” Then she stopped, hesitating. “No, they would have just killed him. That doesn’t make sense.”

”A nanite virus? What would that do?” X asked with a frown. He knew about nanites… they were the basis for Reploid auto-repair systems, tiny machines that were invisible to the naked eye. They could also be used in human medical care, but he’d never heard of a nanite virus.

“It would be a Reploid plague.” Jennie glanced up at X. “He came up with the idea after his family was destroyed, but… even then he wasn’t angry enough to do it. And he never found a way to immunize anyone against it.” Signas blinked, and X looked rather horrified at the idea. Zero just lifted an eyebrow, slightly skeptical.

“You’re right, the Mavericks would have just killed him if they’d heard about that…. Anything else?” X asked, and Jennie tried to think.

“I don’t…” She suddenly stopped, horrified, as something occurred to her. “Oh no, they couldn’t mean to do that! Could they?”

”Do what, Jennie?” Axl asked, gently touching her shoulder to catch her attention.

“Turn him into a Reploid and infect him with the virus…!” The Hunters in the room blanched at the thought. But when they considered it, it seemed horribly plausible. David Herkowitz had created the system to transfer a human to a Reploid body, and created so many new inventions and innovations in Reploid technology. Exactly the kind of thing the Mavericks hated in a human… and desperately wanted in a recruit.

If they were willing to overlook his original humanity, transferring him into a Reploid made him recruitable. Or rather… infectable.

“That must be it. Damn!” Zero swore feelingly. “We can’t afford that!” Signas nodded solemnly as X looked troubled. The inventor was a great donator to the Maverick Hunters in terms of money and materials. And loosing his designs to the Mavericks would be a tremendous blow to everyone.

“What can we do?” Jennie hated the quaver in her own voice, but she couldn’t help it. X stepped forward, patting her on the shoulder with a reassuring smile.

”Don’t worry, Jennie. We’re already searching for him. As soon as we find him, you can be in the assault team to get him back.” X smiled warmly. “Just don’t let your feelings get away from you.” Jennie nodded, understanding his warning. Her rage and fear could be useful if she kept it under control, but a liability otherwise.

“Yes sir. Thank you.” Jennie saluted, and they all left to return to their quarters.

There was nothing to do now but wait.
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That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Cyclone EXE]

Wow, short but powerful chapter. You could go so many different ways with this story now...
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[Aria]

Alia checked her communications panels diligently. Coordinating the efforts of the Hunters was a very important task, and she excelled at it. Of course, she often suffered from the communicators’ bane… lack of information. Satellites did well to locate massive Maverick outposts but couldn’t locate more discreet locations. And as the Hunters developed more measures to detect the Mavericks, they were always working to defeat those measures.

“Demodand, you’re entering an area of occupation. Be careful.” She advised a Hunter from the 5’th. A cheery voice answered him.

Thumbs up, Alia, thanks! She smiled slightly at that reply, and went to check something else.

Hunter, Alia started as an unfamiliar voice spoke in her ear. The internal network was supposed to be impenetrable! If you want to find the inventor, try Death Valley. You might find something interesting.

“What?!? Who are you?” she said, stunned. The voice did not reply. “Hello?”

Alia checked her network, trying to find an intrusion but could only detect traces of it. She scowled… she would check that to find out how it had been done, but for now, there was something more urgent to be done.

“Commander X, I just received an anonymous communication over the secure lines…”

~~~

Later…

Kzzt… And I thought Arizona was hot! I’m melting! Seriously, I think my skin is coming off! Jennie smiled weakly at Axl’s attempt at comedy, but didn’t reply. She was far too worried to be easily amused.

Under any other circumstances she would have been fascinated by the scenery of Death Valley. The heat was just as bad as Axl had said; enough that even Reploids needed to bring some water to refresh their systems. It was the height of summer, and heat waves were radiating from the ground. That was a little confusing to the eye, but the cracked, hard surface was extremely flat and perfect for hovercycles.

She and Axl were part of a six person team. Surreptitious scouting ha discovered the concealed, underground Maverick base in Death Valley. But given the nature of that base and the situation, Signas and X had decided that a frontal assault would be disastrous. A frontal assault could easily cost Jennie’s brother his life.

So they had decided to send a small team. X and Zero were leading the way. Jennie had been taken because of her connection to David, and Axl had been picked as one of the best hunters in the 17’th. A crack shooter from the 0’th named Nexus was there, and last was a medic from the 14’th. She was a double specialist in human and Reploid physiology, and was riding behind X, clinging to him with grim intensity. Jennie hoped the girl would be alright. Her double specialties usually made her too valuable to risk in battle, so she had never done this before.

Jeeen-nie? Still alive? Axl sounded a little muted now. Jennie winced and keyed her communicator. She hadn’t meant to worry him.

“Sorry, just thinking. It is really hot,” she said, trying to make conversation. “We’ll all need showers when we get back.” Usually, Reploids only needed to shower once a week or so. The artificial skin and semi-organic components didn’t shed or generate sweat the way human skin did. But things did tend to build up, especially during heavy activity or heat. Usually, that resulted in a smell that mingled plastic with a metallic tang. It was a longstanding joke in Hunter HQ that you could tell when a unit came in from the smell of ozone in the air.

Did you hear that we’ll be getting a hot tub? Jennie blinked at that. She hadn’t heard it, and the idea managed to distract her momentarily from her worries.

“No. You mean for the whole HQ?”

Yup. We’re splitting the next rookie class with the new HQ, so the architects are figuring out how to take out a bunch of rooms and install a pool and a hot tub! Won’t that be awesome? Axl sounded enthusiastic, and Jennie grinned. Right now, Hunters who wanted to swim had to take a bus or hoverbike down to the local YMCA. Having on-site pools would be far more enjoyable. The new HQ was built with them, the lucky bastards. Almost makes me wish I was in their units.

We’re getting close. X’s voice cut across their private chatter. Everyone, park the hoverbikes. They couldn’t take them much closer without alerting the Mavericks. Axl skidded to a screeching halt, and Jennie coughed as she took more of his dust.

“Axl, do you always have to kick up dust clouds?” She complained, and he flashed her a grin.

“Afraid so, lovely. It’s part of my charm!” he said cheerfully, and Jennie shook her head.

“I think it detracts from your charm.” She hopped off her hoverbike, and the other four started setting up a concealment field. Jennie wasn’t certain how it worked, but it would screen the hoverbikes from most casual scans. It involved four rods set into the ground in a square, and would be entirely useless against straight eyeball detection. But it was the best they could do.

“Alright, that’s it. Let’s go!” Zero led the way, dashing towards the base. There was no cover in Death Valley, but the fact that the Maverick Base was so well concealed would work in their favor. The Mavericks couldn’t run patrols without risking being found so it was unlikely they would meet anyone.

Of course, finding the entrance was a bit of a challenge. Their cover couldn’t last much past then, but they wanted to keep it as long as possible and that meant finding the concealed entrance. Alia’s scans could detect the base but no other details.

It took almost half an hour before their scanners finally found it. Jennie was gritting her teeth against her own impatience before they were halfway through, concentrating with grim intensity on her scanner.

Over here! Axl’s voice came over the communicator, and Jennie abandoned her search instantly to rush over to him. He was pulling open a hatch that led to… well, who knew? Soon, everyone was there.

“Okay, let’s do this by the numbers.” X started directing them, putting the medic second last, with Zero bringing up the rear. If something went wrong, the medic would need shielding.

Jennie closer her eyes, taking a deep breath, then started in. She had to do this right
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That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Cyclone EXE]

...cliff hanger...that's not cool. XP Keep writing! I have to leave for vacation tomorrow night and so I won't be here to comment for a week!!!!
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[Aria]

The young Maverick watched the human strapped to the table. He was slightly interested by the man’s looks. Not that he was attractive in the least, in fact, he was quite the opposite.

But someone with billions of dollars in assets could afford the latest and greatest in bio sculpting. David Herkowitz could have looked like a movie star, if he’d cared to. But instead, he was getting by with what nature had given him. A large Maverick with an ostrich like form was fussing over him. The Maverick smiled to himself as he thought about how hard it had been to find a Maverick with any kind of human medical knowledge. Most Mavericks were only concerned with how to end life.

He shifted irritable as the ostrich brushed past him. The room was far too small for this kind of operation, but it had been the best available. His mistress was keeping her little project secret from everyone else until she could triumphantly display it to Sigma, and that meant few people could know what was going on.

But small or not, the equipment fit, and they were almost ready for the transference. The new body was strapped to a second table, with steel instead of leather. The Maverick looked at the ostrich again, and his right hand touched the buster on his left arm.

Then the base shook, and he swore as the dissonance of electronic warfare hit his senses. The ostrich panicked entirely and ran out with a squeak. The Maverick just gazed after him a moment, then laughed softly.

Stepping forward to the controls, he began to implement his own plan…

~~~

Jennie snarled as she sliced through low level Mavericks like butter. She was going to find the person running this base and-

Kzt…fzzt…Jennie! Slow…kzt! The communicators were suffering from an EMP bomb that had been set off earlier. Jennie snarled again, but got the idea and obediently slowed down to let the rest catch up.

“Woo, Jennie! A little torqued?” Axl said gaily as he reached her side. X and Zero had split from them, exploring other parts of the base while the last member of their team had stayed with the medic at the entrance. They would come deeper when one of them found something that needed her skill.

“You think?!?” she snarled back, and then winced as a bomb unexpectedly detonated near her. Axl used his copy shot, and then had fun throwing a few bombs of his own.

Then they reached a large, familiar door. Axl laughed, and touched his gun fondly.

“Ready to face a Maverick General, Jennie?” There was no doubt what lay behind this door. Jennie grinned, exhilarated.

“I was born ready! Let’s do it!” They both reached the door simultaneously and jetted through as it opened.

~~~

The beautiful Maverick burst into the room just as the new Reploid began to stir.

“He’s done? Good! Where’s Split Ostrich?” she demanded of her subordinate. He shrugged.

“He split.” Her glare at him could have taken the finish off furniture, and she didn’t seem to realize that he didn’t care in the least.

“Don’t be cute,” she snapped. “Have you infected him with the virus yet?” She quickly walked over to the David, who regarded her with horror. Very obvious horror. “He’s not infected yet! What are you waiting for? We need to get out of here!”

His lips tightened at those words, and he made a final decision. One of the things he had always despised most about her was her penchant for escaping any situation completely unmarked. She might justify it by saying she wasn’t a combat model but he knew the truth. She didn’t have an ounce of physical courage.

“I was waiting for you,” he said calmly. “And now that you’re here…” He turned around, and leveled his buster at her startled face. “Goodbye, mistress.”

She had just enough time to scream.

~~~

“What was that?” Jennie said, startled. A high, thin scream had managed to penetrate the room they had just entered. The big Maverick in front of them looked just as surprised… and far more concerned, glancing between them and the way out. He was wolflike, with an ugly rat tail, and Jennie had the uncomfortable feeling that he had the mange. She disliked the thought of touching him, even to rip his head off.

“Never mind it!” Axl said as he fired on the Maverick, who howled and leaped to attack. Jennie jumped back to avoid a swipe of a huge paw.

He’s FAST! Jennie thought as he managed to avoid several of Axl’s shots. Her own were going wild, too, which was a truly great achievement on the Maverick’s part. He had a nasty habit of seeming to be a little off from where he was supposed to be. Jennie’s eyes narrowed as she suddenly wondered if that was literally the case. Some kind of optical illusion power?

She started deliberately firing a bit off from her target, and was rewarded with a yelp of pain.

“Axl! He isn’t where he appears to be, he’s a bit to the side! Try to the left or right!” The actual side seemed to switch randomly, so they would have a bit of trouble, but now that they knew the problem it wouldn’t be too bad.

“Thanks!” He called back to her, trying to circle around to hit the Maverick from behind. Jennie gritted her teeth as she dived in, resigning herself to a long fight. This one wouldn’t go down easily.

As it turned out, she was wrong about that. The other door suddenly opened, and a Maverick in green and yellow calmly stepped through. Behind him was someone achingly familiar, and Jennie felt as if her heart had stopped.

”David!” She screamed, and the battle paused as everyone turned to look at what she was staring at. David flashed her a familiar half-smile. He was unarmored, but carrying a massive cannon… something she had seen him working on at his house.

“Hi, Jennie.” He said calmly, then turned slightly and triggered the cannon. The recoil jerked it right out of his hands, slamming it into the wall… the beam had lastly only a fraction of a second.

And had neatly punched through the Maverick General, who slowly collapsed into a heap of blood and mangy fur before his reactor gave up. The explosion briefly lit up the room.

“What…?” Axl said, confused, as he aimed at the young Maverick. The Maverick just looked at him, almost indifferent. Jennie was just as confused. Her brother had come out with a Maverick… was he infected, or not?

”It’s a long story, but he’s on our side.” David said with a weary grin. “Can we get out of here? We can explain it later.” Axl and Jennie exchanged a glance, then looked at the Maverick. They didn’t trust him at all, but…

“Alright… this way!” Jennie led the way, while Axl took up the rear. On their side or not, they’d keep an eye on the Maverick…
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That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Cyclone EXE]

Yay! I already read this...XP It's really good, as always! Keep up teh awesome writing...it really keeps me on the edge of my seat...
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[Aria]

Jennie held tightly to Axl’s waist as they rode out of the area. Just in case the Maverick base had gotten off a distress call, they needed to leave as quickly as possible.

She had given up her hoverbike to her brother, and she glanced over to look at him as they rode. The Maverick (was he really, though?) rode behind him, suffering the indignity of being a passenger with no expression. She tilted her head as she gazed at him.

He was really quite odd. His reaction to meeting X and Zero, and being surrounded by Hunters, had been complete indifference. Not that he was unaware of his danger in the presence of enemies, but more that he just didn’t care. There was a certainty to him that made Jennie think she understood how he could be a Maverick, yet uninfected with the virus.

It was an unfortunate fact that some Reploids joined the Mavericks of their own free will. The virus could corrupt anyone into going Maverick, but those who fought the fiercest against it tended to go stark raving mad. Those who folded quicker were deadly, but the worst for the Hunters were the uninfected. Sigma allowed such Mavericks to exist because they could be used as spies and infiltrators. Any scanner would pick up the Maverick virus, so the only way to get in spies was with uninfected Reploids… like Double.

Of course, that cut two ways. The Hunters could place spies in the Mavericks, but it was a grueling and dangerous process for the spies. But perhaps this Maverick was some kind of agent? He seemed so utterly confident in his own actions that she had decided he was some kind of fanatic. Capable of doing absolutely anything for a cause he believed in, and safe in his own convictions. What was that phrase she had read, once? Kill them all and let God sort them out. I have no concerns about my place with the Lord.

Then X’s voice came over the communicator… a general frequency, so the Maverick could hear him and answer.

We’re far enough away for a talk. What happened in there? Jennie’s brother was the one to answer that question.

I woke up to find him talking with the woman running the base. She wanted me infected, but he shot her instead and let me up, saying we needed to help you. The Mavericks had looted my lab, so I took a cannon I’d been working on and… you know the rest.

I have decided to defect from the Mavericks, came the calm voice of the Maverick. My name is Trance, by the way.

Why? Why are you defecting? X asked urgently. It was a very important question. There was a short pause as Trance considered the question.

I was created by the Mavericks. I have always believed in the rightness of our cause. Humans are clearly inferior to Reploids in every way. However, I like to think for myself and I do not consider bloodshed and war to necessarily be the ideal way to bring the proper state of affairs about. Jennie arched an eyebrow at that. He was pretty gutsy, to admit his convictions to X and Zero. When I heard about this technique of turning humans into Reploids, at first, I thought it was an abomination. So did my Mistress, but I hate her guts, so I considered it further. It occurred to me that if humans can become Reploids they eventually will, since our form is superior. Eventually, natural humans will die out. Then, the world will be the Reploid one I envision… if the virus doesn’t make it impossible for humans to take Reploid bodies. Jennie understood what he was saying. Her greatest fear when she had been offered the chance at a Reploid body had been the possibility of infection.

As for the rest of his logic, she was appalled at his conviction that humans were inferior, but couldn’t really fault his reasoning. He was quite possibly right. Reploid bodies lasted so much longer than human ones, if all went well. Who wouldn’t want to be immortal? And humans might very well eventually die out, integrated into the Reploid population…

There was another pause as everyone considered that.

I can’t say I agree, but I understand your reasoning, X finally said. We might be able to find a place for you as a Hunter, but you’ll have to prove your loyalty.

Of course. Any kind of mental scans you require, I will undergo, he said calmly. Jennie was surprised again by the young fanatic… mental scans of the type he was discussing were anything but painless. But I have some information with me that you might find useful, about Sigmas plans and some current spies placed in the UN. Unfortunately, I could not get at any of the records about spies in the actual military organizations.

Too bad, but anything you can give us will be appreciated, X replied, and Jennie nodded. The UN was mostly bureaucratic in nature, so spies in it didn’t really help Sigma too much.

Still, it was a sign that Trance had really changed sides. Or was Sigma just sacrificing the UN agents to place one in the Hunters? Jennie shuddered at the thought, then decided not to think about it. X and Zero had no doubt thought about it, and they’d find a way to deal with the possibility. She was sure Trance knew it, too, although it didn’t seem to bother him a bit.

Soon, they had reached the depot they had gotten the hoverbikes from, and after storing them safely, they teleported back to Maverick Hunter HQ.

Trance seemed utterly indifferent to the reaction of all the Hunters in the area, who stopped to stare at the clear Maverick in their midst. Some reached for weapons, but a cold look from Zero stopped any incipient mayhem. Trance was escorted out between X and Zero, and Jennie watched, wondering exactly what would happen to him.

Then someone touched her shoulder, and she looked over into David’s face.

“It’s so good to see you again, Jennie.” He said warmly, smiling at her. She giggled, and hugged him tightly. “Woah, careful! This body isn’t up to much abuse!”

“It’s not?” She blinked up at him, and he shook his head with.

“No, I got a chance to look at the schematics. It’s barely a shell, something they whipped together in a hurry. I’ll have to completely overhaul… oh!” David blinked then grinned as Axl stepped up behind Jennie. “You must be Axl. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

”It’s all lies,” Axl said straight-faced. “Except for the part about us being engaged!” He hugged Jennie from behind, and she blinked, looking back at him.

“When did we get engaged?” she questioned him, and he grinned.

“Right now? Please?” he said, nuzzling her neck lovingly.

“…Sure!” Jennie said with a wide smile. It wasn’t the most romantic of proposals, and her reply was even less so… but that was just fine by her. Wonderful joy filled her, and she hugged Axl tightly, giving him a deep, passionate kiss. She didn’t care about the other Hunters walking by.

All was right with the world.

~Fin~
For now, anyway. ^^
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That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Cyclone EXE]

omg luv your writing soo much! I'M BAK FROM VACATION! WEE! I missed reading your stuff...omg...
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[Aria]

The wedding eventually turned out to be a grand affair.

Jennie hadn’t really planned it that way. In fact, she hadn’t much considered what her wedding would be like at all except for a definite preference in gowns. She had been leaning towards a two-week vacation in Vegas where they could tie the knot. Axl had been into that plan.

Until they had both been convinced otherwise.

“Jennie, you can’t do that! All the Hunters want to see your wedding!” Dagger said, aghast. “Really, we all do! It’s going to be the event of the year!” Jennie had been a bit taken aback to hear that, but weddings in the Hunters were rare. And after her true nature had come out… she and her brother had finally decided it was time to release it… she was a minor celebrity with the general press.

“You really think so?” Jennie said doubtfully. The Hunters weren’t the general public, and while she was popular among her unit, well…

“Of course,” Dagger clapped her hands in glee. “The planning committee wants to get right on it.” Jennie choked at the thought. The “planning committee” usually looked after keg parties.

“Do they have any idea how to plan a wedding? Gads, I don’t want a beer keg at the reception!” That would be beyond tacky. Dagger smiled cheerfully.

“Don’t worry, I can keep you updated on everything if you have it here! Please, Jennie?” Jennie’s resistance collapsed at the puppy-dog look Dagger gave her.

Jennie discovered that the planning committee consisted of many girls, often with mutually contradictory ideas of how a wedding should go. Fortunately, they also had a leader with good sense, a human girl named Lindsey. She arranged compromises and, when necessary, applied whips to the troops.

Jennie could just go with the flow, occasionally making decisions on minor things like what kind of flowers she preferred. Axl sometimes added an opinion, which was how they ended up with tiger lilies in the bouquets. The effect was rather charming, white lilies and tiger lily bouquets…

Their only attendants were Dagger and Sebastian. Dagger was wearing a metallic silver gown, with metallic orange trim that she had picked out herself. Jennie considered it a fashion atrocity and thought it clashed terribly with Daggers pink hair, but she was quite sure Dagger was serious about wearing it to every party she could. She would never change her friends’ taste, so Jennie just smiled. Sebastian was wearing a fine suit, the same as Axls’, and Jennie couldn’t help but giggle when she saw him in it. She could only imagine the tailors trying to find one large enough.

When the day finally came, Jennie gave all the arrangements a quick going over. There was no need for invitations… the whole Hunter HQ had been invited, basically, so the reception was being held in the auditorium. The ceremony was more private and was basically just her unit. The only invitation she’d had to issue had been to her cousin, who was flying in.

The auditorium had been decorated with tiger lilies and white lilies, and giant wedding bells. Jennie smiled as she saw that, than giggled as she saw the wedding cake. Most people would call it tacky, but who in Hunter HQ could resist a giant replica of the Maverick Hunter logo? The food was buffet, hosted by a very good catering company, and Jennie sniffed appreciatively. The garlic ribs smelled particularly good. The DJ was already set up and testing his sound equipment. All in all, it had the makings of a very fine party.

Someone tugged on her veil, and Jennie turned to see what was the matter. Dagger beamed at her, pulling her back towards the ceremony. “It’s almost time, Jennie. Come on!”

”Right,” Jennie agreed, and followed, pausing only long enough to give her gown a quick check. She was wearing a deceptively simple gown. Off the shoulder and made of silk, it was the kind of style that highlighted any body flaws. However, since her Reploid body was flawless, it was beautiful on her. A modest headpiece of gold and pearls had been bobby pinned to her hair, with a waist length veil flowing back from it. She was wearing matching gold and pearl earrings and necklace. Jennie’s hair had been braided into her usual style, but was mostly hidden by the veil.

Jennie took a deep breath as the music started, and walked down the isle, her brother escorting her and Dagger following. It was all more nerve wracking than she had expected, after the countless dances she had performed in public. Jennie had thought she’d lost any vestige of stage fright long ago.

Then again, there were lots of dances. She was only going to have one wedding.

Jennie almost giggled as she looked at Axl. He looked wonderful in a suit, but he’d kept on his helmet. That was actually rather interesting, in a kinky way, and Jennie had to repress some fascinating thoughts. She smiled happily at him as she reached the alter, and he smiled back.

They had personalized their vows. Traditional wedding vows didn’t quite work for Hunters, and even less so for Reploids. Duhallan made a quick speech, which washed over Jennie. Then Axl took her hands, and said the vows he had written.

I will give you beads of honor and respect,
And string them on cords of love.
That will be my gift to you as long as we both live.
If sickness comes upon you, I will end it with honor,
Despite the temptation to join you.**
I will trust you with my gun,
And if you should go on before me,
I will write your name upon sheets of sky,
So that no one can ever forget,
The love that we shared.

Jennie sniffed quietly as he slipped a gold ring on her finger. It was a plain band, the most Axl had been able to afford, but it was more precious to her than the largest stone would have been. She took a deep breath, and spoke her own vows in a clear, ringing voice.

I will hold you in my heart forever,
And cherish you until the end of days.
I will treat you kindly and with respect,
Forsaking any others.
If sickness comes upon you, I will send you into the light,
With all my love and despite my pain. **
I will trust you with my knife,
And if you should go on before me,
I will build a samadh to your honor, *
So all the world will know,
The glory that was you!

Jennie slid the matching gold band onto his finger. The kiss that followed was gentle and lingering. They finally parted, blushing as a few members of the audience whistled and the others clapped.

It was a beautiful beginning.

* Samadh means memorial. In this particular case, “samadh to your honor” is a quote from Kipling and refers to a memorial built of the skulls of fallen enemies, to mark the resting place of a friend.

** Oaths to kill each other if they contract the Maverick Virus.
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That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Cyclone EXE]

AWWWWW!!! That was the cyutest chapter ever!!!!!
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