Politics and Reploids

[Aria]

A new fic that doesn't involve Axl. XD Well, at least, not yet. Enjoy!



The Time Capsule had been hidden away a bit too well.

Dr. Light had meant for Rockman X to be present when it opened. But by the time the capsule was ready, that information had been lost. And while the good Doctor could have informed X via his hologram generators, by that time he had second thoughts.

All through the decades, Dr. Light had survived as a computer program. Mostly within this particular capsule, where he interacted with another intelligence. Also a computer program, but with a body that would eventually be her home… and that other intelligence had wishes. She did not want anyone present at her “birth”.

So the capsule opened alone, and a black hand reached out to grip the side. A female Reploid pulled herself free, then tumbled to the ground.

She had been in the capsule a very long time, and her body felt unfamiliar. But soon, she picked up a small datapad and stumbled away…

~~~

A year later.

The same female Reploid watched a TV program, slowly smoking on a cigarette. Her right hand slipped down to her lap, and idly played with the hair of the man whose head was resting there. His white skin and purple hair were a fascinating contrast to her chocolate brown skin.

Her armor sat in one corner of the room, discarded. It was white and black; black gloves, boots, hip armor, and white everywhere else. Her chest armor clung to her breasts, but three black lightning bolts shot out from the circular blue crystal in the centre. Her helmet was vaguely like Ferham’s; two black wings sweeping out on both sides, a white centre with another circular blue crystal.

Right now, though, she was wearing something else entirely. Black silk harem pants, filmy and exotic. Her brassiere was also black silk, hand beaded with seed pearls in swirling patterns, and on her feet were matching black slippers. The body the exotic clothing accented was exquisite; skin the color of cocoa, long, lean legs, high, firm breasts and a face with such finely sculptured features most women would kill to have it. Her hair was done in hundreds of tiny braids, each capped with white and black beads. Her eyes were a startling color, a bright, bright blue.

When Reploids had first been created, they had followed Rockman X’s style, and that style had been Caucasian. Naturally so, since Dr. Light had been that ethnicity. But over time, Reploids had become more varied than humans, and that variance had encompassed other ethnic groups. Her African appearance was no surprise. The faint hint of Caucasian background in her features and the dazzling color of her eyes were a little odd, but then, no one said appearances had to be consistent.

Her hand balled into a fist as her eyes hardened, and the man beside her stirred with a wince, his hair caught in her grip.

“Watch it, Tamaa,” he said sharply, and she blinked, then relaxed her grip and stroked his hair back into place.

“Sorry Spider,” she said softly. Her voice was like honey, throaty and sweet. The bounty hunter turned his head to see what had annoyed her.

“Errf… you shouldn’t watch that crap, honey.” He kissed her thigh, making her sigh. “It’s a load of garbage. Absolute tosh.” She smiled, running a hand down his back, enjoying the feel of his bare skin. Spider was wearing nothing but a pair of purple boxers. Earlier, he hadn’t even been wearing that. She had enjoyed that part of the evening.

“It’s not tosh, Spider,” she said quietly, still watching the program. “It’s dangerous.” She had lived as a black woman, a lifetime ago, and had suffered enough incidents of real racism to be confident she could identify it. Some of what she was seeing was definitely racist.

But it was the more reasoned arguments that gave her the chills. Of course, there had to be a double standard between Reploids and humans. Reploids were more dangerous. A Reploid criminal was far more of a threat than a human one. And the Mavericks were devastating.

But it seemed like the double standards just kept getting worse. It was a slow leeching away of rights, tearing away civil liberties. And no one seemed to notice, or care, that Reploids on the edge of society were being pushed into the category of criminals. For instance, humans could organize and run a militia. Reploids couldn’t.

And on a more personal level, a law had been passed recently that made some of the hardware she and Spider owned illegal for unaffiliated Reploids to possess. No one was enforcing it – yet – so Spider seemed oblivious to the fact that someday, they could. And resisting arrest was enough to be labeled Maverick.

Tamaa was of the opinion that people, be they Reploids or humans, didn’t know how precious a thing it was to simply be left alone. And she feared they would eventually find out. The Maverick Wars had caused a backlash against Reploids by a lot of humans. Which was perfectly understandable, but several unscrupulous leaders had used it to their advantage to gain power. Now they were discussing plans to restrict Reploid travel, and that infringed on a potent civil liberty, the right to work wherever they pleased. What would be next?

She voiced her thoughts to Spider, who turned his head to look up at her irritably.

“And what, precisely, are you going to do about it?” He obviously thought the only answer was nothing. Tamaa blinked and hesitated. Then she sighed.

“I’ll think about it, Spider. I’ll think about it,” she said. “And after that… we’ll see.” Spider looked faintly alarmed.

A lot of people had regretted Tamaa quietly thinking about things.

~~~

A half year later.

“Well, bro? Do you have the lock open?” Tamaa whispered softly to her datapad.

Just a moment, Hope. Tamaa grinned nervously. Only her close friends used the translation of her name… in Swahili, Tamaa meant Hope. There, try it now. Tamaa carefully lifted open the case, and grinned.

She was in a display put on by the DeBeer Company. And she was stealing everything that wasn’t nailed down, and a few things that were. Her companion in mischief had deactivated all the defenses, with a bit of help from their mutual creator. Dr. Light didn’t approve of any of it, but he’d grudgingly accepted that all the other alternatives were worse. Tamaa had plans, and she needed a good score to make them happen. In the millions of dollars, and better yet, a billion.

The most valuable of jewels went into padded cases she had prepared ahead of time. The less valuable went into pouches that she carefully secreted into her armor. She and her physical companions in crime had already neutralized the Reploids and humans in charge of security, but they were keeping up the regular reports saying everything was fine. She looked up as someone touched her shoulder.

“Are you almost done? Marcus says shift change is soon, and we have to be out of here before then.” A young Reploid in blue armor asked. He was very plain, with light blue eyes and green hair, but there was a strange, haunted look in his eyes.

Marcus was human, and their internal agent in this venture. He’d spent the last year getting into the security company that regularly worked for DeBeer. This hadn’t been their first opportunity to steal something, but he and Tamaa had waited for the best opportunity. This was it. Tamaa estimated that the jewels they were stealing would eventually net them twenty million, perhaps more.

“Yes.” She set the last container into her backpack, and pulled it on. The straps fit snugly over her shoulders. “Let’s get the others and go.” After this, Marcus would be a wanted criminal but that didn’t faze him in the least. The others would all still be anonymous, but wouldn’t have much cared even if they hadn’t been. All they would have cared about was the crimp it would put in future activities. They were all fanatics and they all believed in her cause. All the money from the sale of the jewels would be going towards it.

Marcus made one final report, and they all got together as planned. Tamaa quickly glanced over her companions. Three other Reploids, each very different from the other.

Arcana was a survivor from Repliforce. She had still been devoted to their ideal of Reploid independence when Tamaa met her, but had been charmed and persuaded by Tamaa’s arguments, which were basically a modification of her original views. She was a beautiful female in aqua and red armor.

Zash was a victim of pure malice. A bulky male in dark grey armor, he had been built by a rich man to be a guardian for his daughter, since he was terminally ill with cancer. The reason he’d trusted that duty to a Reploid was because he couldn’t trust his family, and he’d been appallingly right. Several members of the family had decided to get rid of Zash after he died, so they could take over guardianship of the girl and ‘manage’ her money. They had trumped up various charges of Maverick behavior, and Zash had been forced to flee with the girl and every piece of wealth he could carry. He could have left the girl, but he was certain she would have ended up abused if he had. Now they were both part of Tamaa’s cause.

The last was Nos Gwenwyn. Her name was Welsh, and translated as Night Venom. It suited her appearance… she looked like a black and white photograph. Her hair, eyes and lips were all pure black, while her skin was stark white. Her armor was also black, but lightly doppled with patterns of grey. Tamaa knew her story, and it was an ugly personal tragedy. She had joined them mostly because she needed to have something, anything, to believe in. Anything to feel like she had a purpose. Tamaa didn’t doubt that if they failed completely, Gwen would commit suicide. She was still terribly fragile.

Marcus grinned at her, cheerfully amoral and proud of it. Marcus was a hound dog, a ladies man, and always in need of cash. He was also a passionate anarchist who firmly believed that large government was evil. He’d been very receptive to Tamaa’s message… and the cash she was intent on raking in. Right now, he gave her a thumbs up.

“They won’t be expecting another report for thirty minutes. Ready to rock, boss.” Tamaa nodded to him with a small grin, then looked down at her datapad.

“Everything clear, Blues?” The digital image nodded to her. It was a replication of how the bioroid had looked in life, a long time ago. In the screen, his yellow scarf was always blowing in a spectral wind.

Yes, I’ve taken care of it. No one suspects a thing. But you should go now. Tamaa nodded, hooking the datapad to her belt and starting out.

This was a good beginning. Soon, though, the real work would start.

~~~

Tamaa laughed softly as she watched the news program. The authorities were looking for Marcus, but they were looking for him under the wrong name, wrong fingerprints and even the wrong DNA profile. That had all taken a lot of work on Blues’ part, but he’d taken a malicious pleasure in scrambling all the records. The only thing they had right was his appearance, and that would be changed soon with an expensive bout of bio-sculpt. It would take a chunk of their profits, but it would be worth it if only to keep Marcus happy.

Their current hideout was in an old military bunker. They were portraying themselves to the outside world as a religious commune, and making very sure all the neighbors were aware that humans were living in the old complex… and children. It would be very hard for anyone to decide they were Mavericks if they knew about the children. Despite that bit of cover, they kept all the weapons and other illegal items very carefully concealed with jammers and various electronic countermeasures. They’d already been questioned about the jamming effect once, and pretended to be fanatics who felt their inner secrets should not be revealed to unbelievers. Gilgamesh had been the one to take care of that, and the authorities had left convinced he was a nutcase, but a sincere nutcase. Tamaa wasn’t sure how much he actually did believe of it. Gilgamesh was definitely deranged, in an endearing way.

Tamaa smiled sourly. Eventually, she had little doubt that crackpot cults like theirs would be suppressed. But right now, the authorities had larger things to take care of and weren’t interested in risking a challenge based on religious freedom, especially with a cult that involved both humans and Reploids. An all Reploid cult could easily be labeled Maverick, but they were harder.

Her smile sweetened as one of the children toddled over to grip her leg. The child was only a year old and just beginning to talk. Her mother watched indulgently as Tamaa patted the boy on the head, and then pushed him back towards his mother.

The mother was no young sprout. She was almost forty and no beauty either. Tamaa had saved her from a Maverick attack several years ago, and she had joined the organization to help with all the menial tasks that were necessary to keep things running. She had very little opinion about their ultimate goals except that everyone here was good people (with the exception of Marcus) and that was good enough for her. She trusted Tamaa.

Perhaps a quarter of her followers were like that. They didn’t really believe, but they were following for various personal reasons. Tamaa didn’t trust them with any of the inner workings of her plans, and most of them just knew that they were part of a group dedicated to Reploid rights.

Another quarter believed, but weren’t dedicated. They were the lower layer of her followers, mostly holding down various jobs and contributing to the workings of her organization. They didn’t know much more than the first quarter.

The last half of her followers were dedicated and fanatical. They were the majority of her followers, and knew everything she was planning. Her message had hit very fertile soil with most Reploids and a good number of humans. Her core followers included those who had been wronged, old followers of Repliforce and the Rebellion, criminals and anarchists. They all thought what was happening was wrong.

Tamaa leaned back in her couch, wincing as the springs creaked. Everything they had was very scant except for food and weapons. All the money was being saved and invested. They needed more money. More, more, more.

Her plan was to make a clean break from society. They would buy some piece of land from a small nation… probably an island, either in the Caribbean or the Philippines. In a lot of ways, she would prefer something on the mainland for trade purposes, but the isolation of an island had the positive side of having very clear boundaries. Once they had the island, they would set up a manufacturing facility that would produce Dr. Light’s designs. Once they were rich, they would confront the World Federation and demand sovereign status… and the right to pass their own laws. Then, they would build their own ideal society where Reploids and humans could truly live in peace. Hopefully, they could act as an example to the rest of society.

You have a message from Spider, Blues said neutrally from her datapad, and Tamaa grimaced.

Spider was oh so curious about what she was up to. She’d broken off her contact with him as soon as she’d found out he was also Redips. Obvious, looking back at it. But his affiliation with the Hunters, who were affiliated with the Federation, made him suspect. She couldn’t trust him although she wanted to.

“Oh joy. What in hell does he want?” She said wearily.

He wants to meet you on Sunday to discuss matters between you. He’s rather… pleading. Blues sounded slightly put out, and Tamaa grinned.

“Really? Let me see the text of the message.” She held up the datapad to read the message, and laughed softly. Spider was trying to sweet talk her. The message read like one from a passionate lover, trying to lure his love back.

Maybe it was even sincere.

“Arrange the meeting, Blues, and contact Gilgamesh and Marcus to come down here. I’ll need guards.” Maybe Spider only wanted a romantic tryst, but Tamaa couldn’t take the chance that he knew a bit more about their organization and this was a setup. On the other hand… it would really help to have Spider on her side, if only in some limited way.

She’d see how the meeting went.
_________________
That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Cyclone EXE]

Woot! Another fic!! This one's different...I like that. It's really really good just like all of your writing! Once again...I wonder how you come up with all of this... *shakes head in amazement*
_________________
=]

[Aria]

Note: This fic is an entirely different take on the Rockman X universe than my other fics, but considering the way things end up in Rockman Zero, I think it’s plausible. In my other fics, the Maverick Hunters answer to no one, but in Rockman Command Mission, X is referred to as a Federation Reploid. So in this fic, the Federation is like the UN… only a lot more powerful and repressive. Anyway, on with the show!


Tamaa walked slowly through the halls of the old bunker, smiling. Normally, cold grey concrete would not be something to inspire pleasure, but right now she was savoring the feeling of achievement that came from looking over what she had built.

She smiled slightly as she heard a group of girls. They were debating which it was better to be, human or Reploid. But they were focusing on the petty issues, so it was funny rather than serious.

“…And at least you guys don’t have to shave your boobs!”

”You have hairy boobs?”

”Hell ya! It’s not like, fur, but I get these looooong hairs…”

”Gross. Hahhaha! You should go to one of the religious rallies where they claim we’re all soulless imitations, and say, ‘I was made in God’s image and I have hairy boobs!’”

Tamaa smiled again at the laughter, and continued on. She came out into a larger room that was being used as a practice salle, and carefully walked around the edges. She didn’t want to interrupt any of the practice. One wall of the training room had been painted with an exceedingly complex, geometric mandala that had been meant to aid in concentration. The benefits were dubious, but the plexi-glass someone had put over it at least kept it from getting pounded into oblivion by stray throws.

She checked over the mess hall, and smiled as she saw the special of the day… salmon in honey sauce over barley, and strawberries for dessert. They had gotten a fishing license for their own use, and almost every hunting license imaginable. And sometimes, to save money, they ate things that most people would never have considered trying. Pigeon pie was really very delicious, and the town’s rabbit population had gone down dramatically since they had learned how to set up snares. There were no rats, so they’d never had the pleasure of trying that. Tamaa figured it was just a matter of time.

She wasn’t going to be enjoying food in the mess hall today, though. Reminded of her lunch date, she slipped out of the complex. Her hand picked bodyguards were already in position at the restaurant, waiting for her and Spider.

The restaurant was a dainty little teahouse. Her armor seemed dreadfully out of place among the frilly pink tablecloths, bamboo placemats and fine china. She didn’t particularly care, though. Half the clientele was Reploids, although most didn’t look half as dark and deadly as she did.

Her bodyguards had been picked to fit into the background. Two generic female Reploids, both with short blond hair and features so alike they could have been twins, inhabited a booth near the back. They seemed to be engrossed in their conversation and the sweet cakes they had ordered to go with their tea. There was also a male/female pair, apparently on their own date but actually watching for her.

Spider was waiting in a booth, idly flipping a card through his fingers. He looked up with a wry smile as she slipped into the seat across from him and the card vanished. Most likely up his sleeve. “You’re late.”

”Only by five minutes,” she protested mildly. “And I’m a girl, I’m allowed.” Spider laughed softly, and poured her a cup of tea. She smiled, added a couple sugar cubes and a slice of lemon, then sipped appreciatively. Then she carefully set the cup back down.

“So, Spider. What exactly do you want?” she asked. Spider reached out with a smile, covering her right hand with his left.

“Just you, Tamaa,” he said, squeezing her hand. He seemed perfectly sincere, his blue eyes fixed on her face. She smiled sweetly, returning the squeeze, but…

“Forgive me if I don’t quite believe that… Redips.” Spider winced at her cool tone, and the mention of his alias, then smiled wryly again.

“Of course you would know about that,” he said. “I’m sorry about that, Tamaa, but… it was necessary.” She shrugged, making a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat, and tried a tiny cake from the platter Spider had obviously ordered before she arrived. It was honey wafers, bonded together with more honey and decorated with colored almond paste in the shape of a flower. Tooth rottingly sweet, but lovely with tea.

“It was entirely up to you, Spider. You never had any allegiance to me, but you know how I feel about… them. How can I trust you?” She wasn’t willing to date someone she couldn’t trust at least as much as the lowest member in her organization. Right now, Spider was beneath that point. Spider sighed, picking up his own teacup and taking a sip.

“Tamaa, I joined the Hunters as Redips because of the Rebellion. I had my reasons to stop them, which were mostly personal. For the long term, the Hunters aren’t really my… cup of tea.” Spider smiled, and tapped his teacup for emphasis. “I’ve already resigned. You can check the records, if you care to.” He nodded towards her datapad. “I’m sure your digital monkey can find it.” Tamaa sniggered to herself as the datapad vibrated. That mode was meant to let Blues quietly catch her attention, but right now he was using it to signal his annoyance. She decided to take Spider up on the offer, though, and unclipped the datapad.

“So, is he telling the truth?”

Yes, Blues said, extremely put out. But can you kill him anyway? Tamaa laughed softly, and shook her head.

“Sorry, no.” She gently touched the screen with one finger. “Don’t worry, Blues, you’re still my sweet baboo.” That settled him a little, and she set down the datapad on the table. Blues was a bit… odd, these days.

It wasn’t his fault, though. Dr. Light had copied him into the computer as he was dying, and he hadn’t gotten everything, resulting in a rather strange comedown of Blues’ original personality. Some of the original data had been corrupted, as well, which had added chuckles to fun. In life, Blues had been something of a big brother to her. Now, he still thought of himself as her big brother but he had become extremely protective and a touch clingy. Despite the fact that he didn’t want a Reploid body, he was very jealous of her boyfriends. She sometimes wondered what, exactly, Blues thought she was to him. But Blues had always been the strong, silent type, so it was probably better not to ask.

She returned her attention to Spider, who was watching her in amusement and trying a little piece of fudge. He set it down with a small curl of his lip.

“Chocolate does not go well with tea… so, Tamaa. Will you tell me what you’ve been up to? I really want to know. I want to be with you.”

“And do you want to follow me?” She meant to be flip, but Spider seized her hand again, his gaze intent as he looked into her eyes.

“To the moon, and back, if I must,” he said quietly, making her flush. “You’re the most glorious woman I’ve ever met. ‘She is beauty, and she walks in darkness.’” Tamaa didn’t recognize the quote, but she was getting the general gist. Spider really was interested in her romantically.

But it was more than that, or less. Many of the men following her thought they were in love with her, although she tied herself to none of them. Some of the women thought they loved her, too, for that matter. The reason was simple… she oozed charisma. When she’d been a human woman, she’d thought of it as her stage presence, but now she realized it was a greater gift. Marcus had perhaps put it best. You’re like a lightning bolt, Hope, energizing our lives. We may all die following you, but the glory of it!

Spider was attracted to her glamour like a moth to a flame. It remained to be seen if he would still be when she rubbed away the glitter and showed him the truth underneath. Perhaps he would become part of the flame… or perhaps it would burn his wings off. There was only one way to tell.

“Spider, if you follow me to the moon, you can’t turn back,” she warned. “The moon is a jealous mistress, and she doesn’t release what she takes.” Spider nodded, understanding what she was saying in a roundabout fashion. If she took him into his confidence, he would stay there, or die. There could be no middle ground.

In her organization, only the lower echelons could leave. Even then, they had to submit to brainwashing or mind-wipes to remove some select information, and give them the conviction that they really had been part of a religious commune. Those in her confidence could not leave. It had only come up once, with someone in her confidence, and then the situation had been personal. They had rectified it by helping the girl involved take care of her brother. Other than that, no one had wanted to go.

Spider wouldn’t be content with the level of information those on the edges of her conspiracy had. She was certain of that. So he would follow her all the way or not at all.

“The moon can have me… if she finishes her tea.” Tamaa blushed, then grinned at the sly amusement in his voice. She drank her cooling tea obediently. “And if she tries a white cake. They’re delicious.” Spider pushes the plate towards her, and she took one with a laugh.

Spider was clever, had flexible morals, and she liked him a lot. Maybe they would be compatible when the glamour wore off.

It seemed she would likely have a chance to find out.

Once their meal was done, she took Spider back to the complex. He lifted an eyebrow at her as the bodyguards joined them openly.

“You didn’t trust me?” He sounded mostly amused by her paranoia. Tamaa shrugged.

“It could have been a Federation set-up.” She pointed out reasonably. Gilgamesh had quietly relayed her a message, though Blues, that he and Marcus had checked the place and Spider for bugs and all the surrounding buildings for watchers. They had found nothing, so she had messaged her bodyguards to reveal themselves. “Be glad that I’m sure its not, now.”

“Oh, I am.” Spider looked around curiously at the fields of barley. The plants were just barely in bloom. “This is where you live? A… farm?” His tone was dubious in the extreme, and Tamaa grinned.

When they had decided to imitate a religious commune, they had decided the best way to do that was to imitate other such organizations as much as possible. A bit of research had led her to believe that the only way to do that was agriculture. Most sincere religious movements included a ‘back to nature’ component and good, healthy religious communes were almost always based on farming with all the members laboring for the common good. A commune not based on farming usually ran off the salaries of the members, which made the authorities more dubious than simple farming. They could sometimes get very nasty, where farming communes were usually fairly stable.

And farming helped them conserve money. They weren’t making a profit, but they were very nearly self-sufficient. The barley was mostly grown for their own consumption. All through the year, barley was a staple of their diet. They also used it to feed the chickens, who were kept for eggs and slaughtered only when their egg production went down. A smaller field was planted with potatoes, and the vegetable garden was planted with everything from onions to snow peas. The work was constant, as they tended the fields and prepared the food for winter. Everyone pitched in, which only made them seem more authentic.

The one part of the operation that really did create a profit was the massive beehives on one side of the property. Tending to bees was a task Reploids were perfectly suited for, being immune to the venom. They still took care to protect the vulnerable parts of their body, mostly because picking stingers out of their skins was a terrible nuisance. Most of the honey they sold commercially. What was left they kept, or traded to the nearby Mennonites for strawberries from their pick and pay plantation.

“Oh, we’re a bunch of back to nature religious types with a religion that emphasizes the perfect unity of the universe,” she said glibly, and laughed at Spider’s wide-eyed look. That was obviously the last thing he’d been expecting. She could almost hear his thoughts… A strong dose of Is she joking? Followed by What have I gotten myself into? She took Spider’s arm with a smile. “Or at least, that’s what everyone else thinks.” The sudden relief on Spider’s face was almost comical, as he realized it was a cover.

She led him into the old military complex, casually greeting people along the way. Spider was obviously intrigued by the number and variety of her human followers. Tamaa estimated that perhaps a quarter of her total adherents were humans, and they were evenly spread among the three layers. Spider had clearly expected that whatever was going on would involve only Reploids.

Then they ran into Gilgamesh. He was one of the strangest looking humanoid Reploids Tamaa had ever met. He was very tall and lanky, with widely spaced green eyes, a hooked nose and wild white hair and beard. He gave the impression of being permanently disheveled, and his deep booming voice helped his Old Testament prophet impression. The kind of prophet who spent years in the desert, surviving on cacti, and came back with wisdom… if you could understand it.

Right now, he was going to dispense with some of that wisdom.

“Greetings!” He grabbed Spider’s hand and pumped it energetically, with a mad smile. “Been watching you all day! Nice teahouse, what? So, you’re joining us then?”

”Well, actually, I need to know a little-“ Spider didn’t get very far before he was interrupted.

“Naturally, naturally! Here, read this!” A booklet was shoved into his hands, and Tamaa couldn’t help but giggle. Gilgamesh wrote numerous pamphlets and booklets filled with his own personal take on their philosophy. His trying to shovel them onto the authorities, and anyone else who came too close, was the best cover she could ask for. “Tell you everything you need to know, everything! Cosmic unity and freedom to be free!” With those parting words, Gilgamesh bumbled off to go inflict pamphlets on someone else.

“What was that?” Spider said, slightly dazed. Tamaa shrugged.

“Gilgamesh. He’s a dear, even if he’s crazy. And he’s a lot more competent than you might think.” She smiled at him as he gave her a dubious look. “Really. He was serious about following you all day, and you didn’t notice him, did you?” Spider was startled at that. “He does an incredibly good imitation of a random street person.”

”Now, that, I can see.” Spider smiled wryly, more at himself than her, and shook his head. “I’m getting snobbish. I should have noticed that.”

Tamaa gave him a quick tour of the building, showing him the mess hall, the practice rooms and the private quarters. Spider was astonished by the size of it.

“How many of you are there?” He asked wonderingly, and Tamaa frowned, considering.

“About… a hundred and thirty? Somewhere near there. This place could hold as many as three hundred, though, especially since only a quarter of us are human.” The old plumbing in the bunker worked, and Reploids put much less strain on it than humans, in a lot of ways. “We’re always recruiting, but we have to be careful.” She suddenly grinned, as they reached a vault door. There was no keypad, no codes, but sophisticated scanners flared to life beside the door. They were both being scanned, scans so detailed they would show every detail of their internal structure. Then the door swung open.

It was the treasure room. The scanners connected directly to Dr. Light, which wasn’t much of a trial for him, since people rarely wanted to enter. Mostly it was just her, to deposit items and remove them for sale.

Spider gasped softly as the lights came on. The room was large, and only half full, but that half was more than enough to stop the heart. Bags of money. Silver platters and candlesticks from a daring robbery of a mansion owned by one of Zash’s accusers. A Picasso painting, hung on the wall. Stacks of gold bullion from an armored car robbery. And a sturdy table with an upraised edge, and a center covered in black velvet, on which hundreds of jewels glittered like tiny stars. An immense diamond held pride of place; the size of two fists, clear as ice, and full of dazzling fire. Spider stepped up to the table, and reached out tentatively to touch it.

“My god. Is it really…?” The DeBeer robbery had been news all over the world. Tamaa nodded.

“The Star diamond. Yes, it really is.” Spider stared at it for a long moment, and Tamaa was about to speak again, explain everything to him, when he turned and suddenly walked towards her. Before she could move back, his arms were around her and his lips were on hers in a fervent kiss. A very, very good kiss.

“You,” he whispered in her ear a moment later. “Are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.” Tamaa almost laughed, but returned his passion as he kissed her again.

Only Spider could find International jewel theft an aphrodisiac.

~~~

A short time later.

“Mmm… Spider?”

”Mmm?”

”That was wonderful, and I want to do it again, but the floor is cold and I think there’s a gold bar digging into my butt. Do you want to come to my room so I can tell you about future plans and maybe… other things?”

“If those other things involve your bed… I’d love it.”

“You’re insatiable. But I think there could be a bed in your future…”
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That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Aria]

In the morning, Tamaa was snuggling up to her past and present lover and feeling very content with the world.

Spider was exactly how she remembered. A very good lover, considerate, and still a killer at cards. Not that she had expected any of it to change, but it was nice to see she remembered everything accurately.

Spider was in, with full knowledge of the plan to become a sovereign nation. The most telling thing had been her revelation that Dr. Light was still alive, albeit in a different form… and she was his granddaughter and last creation.

Tamaa idly thought about it, remembering the ancient past as Spider slept. When Dr. Light had been a very young man at college, he’d had a brief love affair with a young black woman. They had parted because her family had disapproved of her dating a white man, and she had been pregnant. She had never informed him of that, and they had both gone their separate ways.

Dr. Light had only found out the truth when his daughter was an adult, and her mother had finally told her after seeing him on TV. Fascinated, that daughter had made contact with Dr. Light. The DNA test had been hardly necessary… Tamaa had a locket with a picture of her mother, and when she compared it to Dr. Light the resemblance was clear… but they’d taken it anyway to make absolutely sure. After that, Dr. Light had forged a relationship with his daughter, and had known Tamaa herself since birth.

Tamaa sighed, remembering that. She’d been quite close to Blues, who had been created when she was only thirteen. By the time Rock and Roll had come around, she had been an adult and too busy with her own life as a budding rock star to spend summers with them. All through her life as a child, she had spent summers with Dr. Light.

It was remarkable that none of it had hit the papers. Or perhaps not. People at the time had been more interested in Dr. Light’s creations than the good doctor himself. The only articles that focused more on Dr. Light tended to be scholarly, not the sort to dwell on private matters. And in narrow terms of appearance, there was really nothing to hint she was Dr. Light’s granddaughter.

Of course, there was a hint now. When he’d turned her into a Reploid, Dr. Light had made her almost identical to her human body, but he hadn’t been able to resist putting his mark on her. He’d changed her eyes from a warm brown to a glorious, vivid blue. The same color as Rocks’ eyes, and his own.

Tamaa winced, touching her throat as she remembered the accident that had made it all necessary. Oh, she’d been a damned fool. A damned, drunken fool and she’d popped some pills besides. Jumping into the shallow end of the pool headfirst had seemed like a good idea at the time. Idiotic, in retrospect.

Spider stirred, and she glanced up at him to see he was smiling at her. She was almost exactly the same height as him, but Tamaa liked resting her head on her man’s chest, so she was well beneath him right now. He gently touched her hair, then kissed her on the forehead.

“Are you hungry, love?” He asked softly, and Tamaa sighed as she considered that. She really was hungry. The last meal she’d eaten yesterday had been cakes at the teahouse. Reploids might require less food than humans to top off their reactors, but that still hadn’t been much. Still… she didn’t want to move.

“A little. What time is it?” She glanced over at her datapad, where Blues was watching. She blushed lightly, wondering if he’d watched all through the night as well.

Ten o’clock. Everyone’s wondering if he killed you with passion. Spider choked at that, and Tamaa snorted. That was especially amusing because she was sure it was true.

“Well, let’s go prove to them I’m still around.” She pushed herself out of bed, quickly pulling on some clothes… a loose fitting, royal purple gown, almost a robe. It was embroidered on the hem and cuffs with a vine pattern. It made her look a bit like a latter-day hippie, but it was comfortable, well worn and slightly stained. Perfect for tending the chickens, which was part of her duties for the day. Tamaa grinned to herself, wondering what Spider would make of that. When she didn’t have a job lined up, she took her turn at farm chores like everyone else, and he would be expected to as well.

She had trouble picturing Spider with a basket, gathering eggs. But it would have to happen sometime.

~~~

As it turned out, Spider could gather eggs.

Well. After a fashion.

“Where did you FIND these creatures?” Spider glowered at a rooster, who seemed to be attempting to menace him. It was surprisingly effective for a bird. Tamaa grinned as she deftly secured another egg.

Spider had started the day in civilian clothes, but very stylish ones. With his black slacks, white dress shirt and black vest, he’d looked like a professional card shark if Tamaa had ever seen one. Now, though, he was slightly disheveled and the shirt was punctured in a few places.

“They’re several different breeds, actually. This is free range, so we work with what we get… and it doesn’t matter how much meat they have on them. We’re only interested in the eggs.” She grinned at him. “Rodney really doesn’t seem to be taking to you, though. Maybe he thinks you’re after his hens.”

”Oh joy. I’m a sex object to chickens.” Spider turned around to stare at the rooster, daring him to continue. The punctures on his shirt were from an earlier kamikaze rooster raid, and he had no desire to repeat the experience. Tamaa laughed, getting the last egg and putting it in her basket.

“He does seem to have an unerring instinct for ladies’ men. He won’t tolerate Marcus, either.” Tamaa stood, brushing her dress off. “Don’t worry… there are a lot of things to do here besides chicken duty.” They both left the chicken pens behind, Spider keeping a wary eye on the rooster until they were out of range.

“What sort of things?” Spider asked warily. Tamaa pursed her lips, thinking about it.

”Well, bounty hunting, contracts of all sorts, thefts… we’ll do anything if it pays well enough. If you mean the chores, there’s laundry, kitchen duty, cleaning, weeding, watering, preparing food for winter… all the chores of a large complex and a farm.” She shrugged at his expression. “It’s not so bad. The fact that there’s so many of us works for us… I’d say you’ll only have to spend four hours on chores on a typical day, when you’re not occupied with missions.” Tamaa grinned. “Those of us who do the special jobs pitch in mostly to give the regulars time off.”

“I see. Well, I think I would prefer to wash dishes than go near that rooster.” Spider grimaced as he looked at his shirt. “This was a silk shirt.”

”Silly of you to wear it, then,” she said fondly. Tamaa was certain he’d picked it out to look romantic and studly, without thinking about the realities of farm work. “You should get some overalls, like the ones Nos Gwenwyth is wearing.” She pointed to the Reploid in question, who was weeding the garden wearing denim overalls. Spider shook his head.

“Those might look cute on her, but I think I would just look like a bizarre reincarnation of Old McDonald.” Tamaa snorted as she imagined that. “No, I’ll just get some jeans and t-shirts.”

“Sounds good. Heh, if you really want to see a reincarnation of Old McDonald, you should see Gilgamesh when he does farming.” Tamaa grinned. “He wears overalls, a straw hat, and chews on a stalk of grass!”

“Really… was he an actor?” Spider asked, curious, remembering how Gilgamesh had followed him most of the day without being noticed. Tamaa grimaced, mostly at the accuracy of the question.

“Before he joined us? Oh yes. A wonderful character actor. His portrayal of King Lear has to be seen to be believed. He was even in some movies,” Tamaa said. “Of course, that was before his sister went Maverick and all his savings were confiscated.” Spider stopped and stared at her.

“What…? How does that work?” he asked, confused. Tamaa smiled, but it was a smile full of vinegar.

“Why, Spider, surely you’ve been keeping up on the laws our oh-so beloved leaders have been passing,” Tamaa said sourly, then drew a deep breath and explained. “In their wisdom, they decided any assets of known Mavericks would be forfeited to the state. I believe that law was passed during the Repliforce rebellion, and I know for certain the survivors were affected by it. The rationale is, that the money probably came from previous Maverick activities and dealings with Sigma. So it should go to fighting him.”

”But, most Maverick outbreaks just happen! A person can be entirely innocent, then be overcome by the virus.” Spider protested, and Tamaa nodded.

“Tell me about it. Worse yet, any assets held by the Maverick are affected… even if they’re held jointly. All of Gilgameshs’ accounts were joint with his sister. You see that woman over there?” Tamaa pointed to an older human woman with long blond hair in a single braid. From her features, she could have been thirty, but the lines on her face hinted that she could be much older. Her gaze was hollow-eyed and very intense, even as she watered the garden. “That’s Jolene. She used to be a Maverick Hunter, in the heavy arms division, and she fell in love with one of her teammates. They both quit to start civilian careers… until the virus got him. She lost everything.”

“Dear god. Isn’t there any way to get the accounts back?” Spider asked, shaken. It seemed unutterably cruel, when a person was already suffering the loss of a loved one, to kick them in the teeth by taking everything they owned. Tamaa laughed bitterly.

“No. You might as well bang your head against a wall, it’s less painful. Jolene is a rare case, you see, a human affected by that law. Most of the poor people who lose their savings are Reploids, and who really cares what we think? And hey, if one sibling went Maverick, maybe the other is just hiding it better. It’s not wise to protest too loudly.” Spider blanched at the implications, but didn’t protest. He thought Tamaa was being a bit too negative, but… things could happen. He certainly wouldn’t put what she was describing out of the realm of possibility.

They walked silently for a while, before Spider thought of another question.

“How much money do they get out of that? And where does it go?”

“A good question,” Tamaa smiled approvingly. “And if we knew for sure, we’d all be happier. All we can really say, though, is that it’s a lot, and we know where it’s NOT going. The Maverick Hunters. A lot of it seems to be going to ‘local defense’ instead.”

“Local defense… oh, you mean the army garrisons.” Spider frowned. “I wasn’t aware they were getting new equipment.”

“New equipment, new recruits, new everything. And they’re being quiet about it. Probably so the Hunters won’t suspect.” Tamaa’s gaze was dark as she looked away. “At the best, I think they’ll act as a check to the Hunters. Keep the Hunters weak and the garrisons strong, and they’ll be able to handle the Hunters if they rebel.”

”And at the worst?” With Tamaa, Spider was sure there would be a worst.

“When Sigma is finally gone… who will need Hunters anymore?” she said softly. “And X and Zero’s fame could be… inconvenient. Couldn’t it?” Spider stared at her, chilled by the Machiavellian scenario she was painting. It couldn’t be true.

Could it?

~~~

For the next week, there were only a few minor heists planned. There were no opportunities for real mayhem or anything else that seemed worthwhile. It was a quiet week. Tamaa made a couple speeches, where Spider got to see her in action. She was really able to paint a dazzling verbal portrait of their future. It was almost a little frightening, how easily it was to be swept away in her vision.

Spider didn’t much enjoy farm chores, but he definitely enjoyed joining into the card tournaments. Every evening, there was something going on, even if it was only Euchre. The higher stakes games, like poker, could be very entertaining. They usually played for semi-precious stones, most of which had been taken in the DeBeer robbery. Not really worth selling, the amethysts, lapis, garnet and zircon stones made excellent counters. Very pretty, too, in a pile on the table.

Then came July 4’th, and Spider discovered that the commune had developed some interesting traditions.

“A picnic and lunch barbecue? Followed by a supper barbecue, dancing, and finally fireworks?” Spider was looking over his e-mail, amused, as he and Tamaa cuddled together in bed. His own datapad didn’t have anything like Blues… AI programs of that nature were illegal… but it worked perfectly well when it came to accessing his e-mail account. “With all the neighbors invited?” Because of the nature of the complex, they usually didn’t hobnob with the neighbors besides trading honey for other items. Which was apparently completely normal, for this part of the country. Neighbors tended to keep to themselves.

“We do it every year,” Tamaa said sleepily, eyes closed. “It’s a lot of fun, really. Maybe half the neighbors come, mostly for the lunch party. Did you know some of them think we’re secretly nudists?” Spider blinked.

“Really?” He smiled, amused, as she nodded, finally opening her eyes. “How insane!”

”Not really. They think the places we scramble with our jammers are the secret orgy rooms,” Tamaa said with a laugh. “But they’ll come for free lunch, even if they’re afraid to be around for supper. Never know what the nudists might do.”

“I’d be more worried about Gilgamesh.” Spider said dryly, and pried himself out of bed. He’d have liked to stay… but his datapad was informing him that it was nearly 10 in the morning. It had been a long night, and none of it had involved cards.

“Oh, he’s nothing to worry about. He always does the same thing. You’ll see.” Tamaa said with a twinkle in her eye, as she pulled on her own clothes.

He did see. When they got outside, they saw Gilgamesh in front of a rapidly heating grill, rubbing his hands together. He was wearing an amusing cooking apron with jolly cows on it, and a matching chefs’ cap.

“I’m feeling a primal urge to burn meat coming on!” With that, he began slapping the chicken breasts, hamburger patties and hot dogs onto the grill. “Burnt offerings! Get your burnt offerings!”

Tamaa chuckled, taking Spider’s arm as they explored the festivities. She had seen it all before, but Spider was curious. He smiled as he saw the horseshoe game going on.

“So that’s what that sand is for.” He’d wondered, but assumed they were odd sandboxes for the children. Right now, most of the children in the complex were playing on a water slide and using water guns on each other. They had been joined by several strange children that Spider assumed were neighbors.

“We used to play lawn darts, before there was an unfortunate accident.” Tamaa murmured. “The words ‘lawn darts’ and ‘children’ should never be uttered in the same sentence.”

“Oh. I hope the damage wasn’t permanent.” Spider said absently, his attention diverted by a lively card game. Tamaa grinned, then poked him in the side.

“It wasn’t, just a hand. But try not to fleece the neighbors. We want them to like us!”

“Will that really help?” Spider asked dubiously, remembering everything she had said about the power hungry attitude of the elite. He doubted the authorities would care much more about what a group of farmers thought than they did about Reploids. Tamaa shrugged.

“With the main problem? Likely not. But it makes it easier to trade our honey.” Spider blinked, then laughed softly. He hadn’t thought of that.

“You know, I wish X was here,” he suddenly said. This was the kind of party the blue hunter would deeply enjoy, he was certain of it. Tamaa’s eyes darkened, and she squeezed his hand.

“I wish so too…” She had always wanted to know her brother, although it probably would never be.
_________________
That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Aria]

Hello, Spider. The holographic generator spoke. It felt a bit strange to Spider, speaking to a hologram… but it was Dr. Light. The father of the Reploid race. Speaking to him was actually rather awe-inspiring, in a way. Spider smiled to himself. X had always thought the capsules held recorded messages… it had never occurred to him that perhaps Dr. Light had survived, in a strange form.

“Hello, Dr. Light.” Spider said politely, wondering exactly why the ancient AI had requested a meeting with him. Usually, the only people Dr. Light spoke to were Tamaa and Archimedes. Archimedes was a Reploid that had been designed by Dr. Light only a year ago. Other hands had completed that design, but he was essentially an attempt to duplicate some of the unique aspects of Tamaa’s neural net. Spider didn’t quite understand why that had been necessary, since Dr. Light had created her and surely understood her, but the result had been an amazingly inventive genius of a Reploid.

He didn’t have to wonder about Dr. Light’s purpose for long, though. The AI came right to the point.

What are your intentions towards Hope? He said bluntly. Spider blinked in surprise at that question.

“Well, I… intend to follow her. She’s right about all the things that are going on, and I’m afraid she…” Spider trailed off as Dr. Light shook his head impatiently.

That’s not what I mean. Are your intentions honorable?

“…What?” Spider wasn’t certain he’d heard right. Honorable?

Do you intend to marry her? Dr. Light spelled it out even more plainly. Spider choked.

“What?!? We’re Reploids…” That didn’t make marriage impossible. Many Reploids did get married. But there was no imperative to do so, either. And why would Dr. Light be so interested in this? “I assure you, I don’t want to hurt your daughter.” He could say that sincerely.

My granddaughter. Dr. Light frowned. Didn’t she tell you about that?

“About what?” Spider was almost afraid to ask. “Do you mean… a creation of yours created her?” That was bizarre. But Dr. Light shook his head.

No, she’s my actual biological granddaughter. Dr. Light smiled at Spider’s stunned expression. She probably didn’t think it was important. She’s been a computer program, then a Reploid, for all the time since I died. But that’s why I’m concerned for her. I want better for my granddaughter than just being your sex toy. Spider flushed, embarrassed. If anything, he thought it was the other way around, but he could see he was talking with a protective grandfather.

“My intentions are completely honorable,” Spider said, and was slightly surprised to realize it was true. “We might eventually marry. However,” he added candidly. “I don’t know what her feelings on that are. I don’t know if she ever wants to be married.” Dr. Light sighed.

Fair enough. She can be very hardheaded. Dr. Light said that fondly, but with a bit of exasperation. Spider frowned, then decided to ask his own questions.

”So, why did you turn her into a Reploid? And you built Archimedes to mimic some of the more human aspects of her neural net?” he asked, and the hologram nodded.

She suffered a near-fatal accident. Actually, she caused it… I’ll leave that to her to tell you, if she wants. She finds it humiliating to admit. Dr. Light smiled grimly. As well she should. As for Archimedes, yes, Tamaa’s neural net is very different from most Reploids. Far less efficient and organized, but she has far more cross-connections in her data storage. I suspect that’s the main difference between human and Reploid minds.

“Cross-connections?” Spider repeated uncertainly. He was no expert in Reploid development, but he’d heard others discussing it, and this was new.

Yes. Reploids develop some, as their neural networks grow, but only about a quarter of what the average human develops. I would never have realized that if I hadn’t been able to study Tamaa. I can’t study myself, unfortunately. Cross-connections are connections between otherwise unassociated memories. Cross-connections let humans make strange logic and creative leaps that are generally beyond Reploids. That’s why most inventive geniuses of any kind are usually human. Spider frowning, feeling vaguely offended. He knew Dr. Light was correct about creative genius, but…

“So the human mind is better?” he said as neutrally as possible, wanting to hear what exactly the old AI would say. Dr. Light shook his head.

No, only different. I believe overactive cross-connections may be the root cause of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder, and possibly other mental diseases. Let me use an example. I’m thinking about roses. I start thinking about tea, because tea has rose hips. That leads me to start thinking about going home, where I have tea. Then I start thinking about trains because I need to take one home. That makes me think about my sister, who died in a train derailment. Now I’m depressed and try to shut the thought-train, which was caused by cross-connections, off. Everyone has that experience, but people with OCD suffer through it all the time and develop rituals in an attempt to derail unpleasant thought-trains. Frankly, many humans would love to be completely free of these mental associations.

“I see,” Spider said thoughtfully. “Yet you’re trying to incorporate them into Archimedes?” He was sure Dr. Light would explain… the ancient AI seemed to enjoy the chance to lecture, and was fairly good at it.

Yes, but I was very careful not to make them overactive. Archimedes still talks to himself a great deal, which is a coping technique. The effect may not be restful, but he is a genius. Still, I have something else I want to discuss with you.

“What is that?” Spider tilted his head, wondering what else Dr. Light wanted.

You need to be fitted with a jewel chip, and they work better when they’re customized to the Reploid in question. So if you could step into this pod for a scan, I would be grateful. Spider nodded, stepping forward. He’d heard of the jewel chips.

They’d been invented by one of Tamaa’s followers, not Dr. Light. But the woman who had invented them had been slowly going completely mad. The jewel chips were almost a symptom of that madness, since the virus inside followed a twisted logic that only Dr. Light had managed to decipher. But the good doctor had assured them that the chips could cause no harm, and might save them from the virus, so they had taken his word for it. The woman who had invented them had finally killed herself only a year ago, despite the tender and watchful care they had tried to give her. Spider wondered if that had to do with her mental cross-connections, and felt a bit grateful that he was a typical Reploid and didn’t have many. Mental illness was almost as bad as the Maverick virus.

Dr. Light had wanted to release the jewel chips to the world immediately, but Tamaa had convinced him to hold back. It was cruel, but she might eventually need them as leverage with other nations. And if they failed completely, the knowledge would not disappear. Dr. Light was not tied to any location, so he would be able to release the knowledge after Tamaa was dead.

Spider stepped into the pod, and waited patiently for the scan to complete.

He would feel better after he got a jewel chip of his own.

~~~

A bit later, Spider left the room with blueprints on a disk. He delivered them to Archimedes, who promised a jewel chip within the day. The little inventor clearly bore a family resemblance to Rockman X, although his armor was green and gold in color. He was a bit shorter than X, but his eyes were the same shade of green and full of lively, penetrating intelligence.

When Spider got out into the rest of the complex, though, he quickly realized something was wrong. There were little clumps of people whispering in the halls, and several looked quite angry. The classic signs of an unpleasant rumor going around. How accurate it was, he couldn’t be sure, so he decided to find the one person who would know… Tamaa.

And found her in a fine fury, her eyes hard as stones as she watched several news broadcasts. Spider hesitated, studying the broadcasts and wincing as he understood the gist of the story.

It was about a religious commune, much like theirs appeared to be. Much smaller, of course, but it also included humans and Reploids. And children.

Despite the fact that the children were enrolled in at-home education programs, and made their yearly tests, someone had complained about truancy and possible abuse of the children. So the authorities had moved to take the children into custody, and some of the Reploids on the commune as well.

In terror for their children and friends, the humans in the commune had refused, violently. All the news reports agreed that it had been started by the humans, but it hadn’t ended there. Soon, there was an armed standoff before a crack team had arrived to deal with the ‘local Maverick problem.’

The result had been a complete botch. The news program was a little vague about what exactly had happened, but no one from the commune had survived. The children they had wanted to protect were all dead.

Now that everything had gone wrong, the authorities were trying to portray themselves as acting out of concern for the children, but with Tamaa’s paranoia in mind, Spider had doubts. He didn’t think the usual first action in a case of truancy was to remove the children from the home. And even if it was, why take the Reploids as well? Obviously, they thought there was something wrong with humans who would raise their children in a large group of Reploids. It was very easy to make the parallel to their own situation, and see where it might lead. They home schooled the children here, too. Tamaa stubbed her cigarette out savagely, and turned to Spider, then glanced around, taking in all her close confidants. Gilgamesh, Marcus, Jolene and Arcana were all present.

“We have to step things up,” she announced. “I think we probably have at least half a year. They won’t want to move quickly on anyone else after this debacle. But we’ve got to get things in order and start moving on it. It’s time.” There was a frisson of excitement in the air… along with fear. “So, does anyone have any ideas on how we can make a lot of cash really quick?” They had liquidated a vast amount of their assets, carefully, and put the money in a wide variety of accounts, managed by Blues. They had an unimaginable fortune… but it would cost an unimaginable amount to do everything they needed. And they couldn’t afford to run out. Spider thought for a moment, then nodded.

“I have an idea…”
_________________
That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Cyclone EXE]

Hrm...interesting. You like turning humans into reploids dontcha? Lol *sits and waits for next chapter*
_________________
=]

[Aria]

“I can’t believe we just ripped off Sigma,” Marcus said, awed. “Spider, you are god. Can I kiss your feet?”

”No thanks,” Spider said with a grin. “I’m not into that. But you can treat me to a meal sometime.”

“You’re on.” Marcus grinned, looking at the haul of money, valuable objects and items. Bags of money were spread out across the floor, and Reploids and humans were investigating all the bags to see what they had. Some even had clipboards, and were trying to keep a rough tally.

Spider had led them to a Maverick supply depot. It was a concealed one, hidden deep inside a block of civilian buildings. While Sigma mostly took what he needed, he often bought, through carefully concealed agents. So there had to be supply depots in most cities, to exchange money for high tech parts and other items on the black market.

They had hit one of the largest of such depots. It had been full of riches, and best of all, much of it had been hard cash. It would be easy to move it to secured bank accounts. The rest…

“Enough processors, much?” Arcana laughed as she let the colorful computer chips drip through her hands. “Someone doesn’t have enough good Reploid manufacturing centres, I suspect!”

”Well, that only stands to reason,” Jolene said, looking over the parts. “The Hunters don’t let those fall into Maverick hands. They blow them up first. We don’t have much use for those, though.” She frowned. “Well, not immediately.” Their long term goals meant that eventually, they would be making many Reploids to join their new society. They were hoping for immigration as well, but couldn’t count on that. “Can we sell them?” Tamaa shook her head.

“A bad idea. We’d have to put them back on the black market, and that quantity of chips would be noticeable. Sigma and his goons would come down on us like a load of bricks.” She glanced over at Spider, smiling. He was sorting through one of the money bags with Marcus, and they were both obviously enjoying the feel of crisp, fresh money. “Spider? I’m curious… how did you know about this place?” He’d been very mysterious earlier, probably just to surprise them. Which had been fine, since they hadn’t needed to take on any of the guards. In fact, it had been the easiest theft Tamaa had ever been part of.

Someone had built a tunnel. It had been carefully excavated, reinforced, and concealed. It had gone straight into the treasure room on one end, and out into an empty room in an apartment complex nearby. A room that, as it turned out, Spider was paying the rent for. But somehow, Tamaa didn’t think he’d been the one to built the tunnel. It seemed more than a bit out of character. So how had he learned about it?

”Ah, that happened a long time ago.” Spider said with a smile, picking up a bundle of money and ruffling the bills. “I was hunting down a wily little Maverick, back when. Well, I caught him, and he offered me some information for his life. He had created that tunnel so he could skim a little off the top before shipments went to Sigma. No one noticed a few thousand dollars here, a few thousand there.”

“What a clever little bastard,” Marcus said approvingly. “So, did you kill him?” Spider smiled… and it wasn’t a pleasant smile.

”Oh yes.” There was a harsh, approving laugh from the listeners. They might all despise the Federation, but they had no love for Mavericks either.

“I guesstimate we just nailed fifty million. Not counting the Reploid components.” Tamaa’s eyes glittered with amusement, then she glanced around, her tone turning brisk. “All of you, remember… absolute secrecy! If Sigma finds out about this, he won’t rest until we’re all dead.” It would be a matter of pride to him. Being defeated by X and Zero was par for the course, but being humiliated by a theft was another matter. He’d work out some of his rage by executing the guards who had been watching over the depot, but… Everyone nodded solemnly. They knew how to keep secrets.

“Tamaa, that idea with the moving vans was a stroke of genius,” Spider said, changing the subject. The main flaw of their massive raid had been getting the loot out of the apartment and back home. They had finally used fake moving vans, painted with the logo of a major company… but actually, recently bought by them, used. The Maverick guards hadn’t seen anything odd about a couple of moving vans, and some Reploids loading them with boxes. “It worked like a charm.”

“Thank you, Spider.” Tamaa kissed his cheek, smiling. “Have I told you that I love you?”

”Frequently. But you can tell me more… and I love you, too.” They kissed, ignoring a few whistles around the room. After a moment, the embrace became slightly savage, and they both broke off breathlessly, staring at each other. Then Tamaa smiled, nuzzling Spider lovingly.

It had been a very, very good day.

~~~

“Mmm, Spider?” Tamaa yawned, then smiled at her lover. It was night again, and they were back in bed. Tamaa loved talking to Spider after they did other things. They always seemed to come up with the best ideas in the wee early morning hours. Spider smiled back, running a hand down her side. “I was thinking… it would be good if we could open communications with the Hunters. Jolene’s been gone too long and doesn’t really have any contacts left, but if you know someone you can trust-“ Tamaa broke off, surprised, as she saw Spider wince. “Spider?”

”Tamaa…” He sighed, looking away. “I didn’t leave the Hunters on good terms. In fact, they probably thought my resignation letter was a bizarre joke.” Tamaa frowned, sitting up a little.

”What happened?” Tamaa had heard enough of the incident to know that Spider was also Redips, but the rest of it had been so garbled that she hadn’t been sure about anything. She frowned slightly as Spider explained the whole sequence of events. “…Spider, that doesn’t make any sense at all. What on earth were you thinking?”

”I… really don’t know. It made sense at the time.” Spider said slowly, thinking about it. He really had no explanation for his actions. But he could remember the way he felt, when he was making his choices. “I thought the Force Metal would give me the power I needed to take over the world…” Now that he looked back on it, that seemed ridiculous. The double cross he had arranged for the Hunters had been clever, but not nearly sufficient to eliminate them. And even if he had, he was only a single person. How could he have kept his grip on the world… without destroying it?

For that matter, why had he wanted to rule it in the first place? Spider puzzled over that, and said what he was thinking to Tamaa.

”I don’t know what I was thinking. I felt like… like I was better than everyone. Like things would turn out the way I wanted just by wanting it.” Spider flushed lightly. That was an embarrassing thing to admit. Tamaa looked concerned.

“You don’t think that now, do you?” Spider seemed well-grounded in reality, but on the other hand, he was an excellent actor. Spider shook his head.

”Oh no… actually, I have no idea how I survived. I just woke up in a meadow, almost a thousand miles away. And… I wanted to see you.” He smiled at her, touching her cheek. “The first two e-mails you didn’t respond to were so very nerve-wracking.”

“Ah, you needed the practice writing love letters,” she said playfully, then kissed him. “And speaking of love… will you show me some more?”

”Again? You’ll kill me, woman.”

“Maybe, but won’t it be fun?”

~~~

“Ah, it’s perfect!” Tamaa clapped her hands, grinning. They were exploring several islands in the Philippines. The local government had proven to be extremely receptive to the idea of a private sale. They were in the grip of an economic recession, and every bit of cash was welcome. The tiny islands had no natural resources and no worth, compared to the larger islands.

This particular island was nearly flat, unlike many of the others. It also wasn’t volcanic. Tamaa wasn’t interested in setting their primary headquarters on an island that might become another Krakatoa. It wasn’t too large, but it would do… although they would have to keep typhoon season in mind with everything they built. That wouldn’t be a problem, though. The alloys they were intending to use had been tested against hurricanes before.

“We’ll have to get a full survey and engineers… but it does look good.” Spider allowed cautiously. “And there are five other islands nearby. Perhaps we should buy them as well.” Tamaa nodded. They would eventually need room to expand, although it was possible to actually build out over the sea.

“How much is it, Marcus?” Marcus was handling all the financial arrangements with the Philippine government, because he was human and a good bargainer. Marcus grinned, then named a figure that was pleasantly low… but still almost half their total cash reserve. Tamaa winced, then nodded.

“If the survey pans out, we’ll get this one,” she decided. “Then we can all move and start construction.” For the construction, they would be hiring some very good firms. It wasn’t something they could do for themselves.

Soon, this pretty tropical island was going to become a mechanical mecca, whether it liked it or not.
_________________
That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Aria]

“It’s coming along nicely.” Tamaa smiled as she looked over the island.

In had been six months since everyone had arrived on the island. In a lot of ways, it had been a very rough six months. They had set up temporary housing initially, but it had been very rough, nothing like the comforts they had enjoyed at the commune. The food was still good, though, since they had brought their whole harvest along. That was one of the few plus sides of the endeavor.

The construction crews they had hired were hard at work putting up the structures an expert architect and several of Tamaa’s crew had designed. The architect had known about buildings, while Tamaa’s people had included the engineering staff who knew what the production facilities would require… and the military experts who were looking into defense.

Tamaa looked to the towers. Each had been erected at one of the four corners of the island, protected from nature by the natural cliffs they stood on. They were equipped with extremely heavy laser systems, the sort meant to defend fortresses. They were the first line of defense, if the island was attacked. Their construction was crude… they had taken care of it themselves… but efficient.

A large number of her followers were acting as basic labor for the construction crew, to save costs. The rest were experimenting with trying to grow rice. It was a staple of this region, and some parts of the island seemed suited to it. No matter how much they grew, though, they would be importing most of their food. High tech manufacturing would be their main source of income.

“It’s not going badly,” Spider allowed, glancing towards the harbor. Putting it in hadn’t been easy… this island was flat, but ringed with high cliffs in most places. They’d been forced to sculpt out the harbor with shaped charges, then make a road. But the harbor would be how they would send and receive their shipments, so it was necessary. “We don’t have much money left, though.” They were getting precariously low. Tamaa nodded ruefully.

“We have enough to finish the production facilities. We’ll have to depend on sales, after that.”

“And when will we approach the Federation?” There was a long silence as they both considered that question. Tamaa finally sighed.

“Whenever we have most of our defenses in place. We don’t want to wait for them to find out about us, but…” She didn’t finish her thought, and Spider gently put an arm around her.

They feared the Federation would launch a punitive assault, no matter what they said and did. They were a threat, and the Federation reacted in only one way to threats…

~~~

“Well, here they are.” Tamaa said tonelessly, looking into the monitors. Enemy icons were beginning to appear on the horizon, and she grimaced as the data came in. “The Maverick Hunters. Oh, joy.” She wondered how they had been convinced to attack. Someone must have lied through their teeth. They had sent a mixed delegation to the Federation, to make certain they would get the message.

It didn’t seem to matter. She wondered exactly what lie they had spun for X. If all went well, they would be able to show him the truth. If not… they would die. Tamaa took a deep breath, then activated an open communication circuit.

“Start plan Alpha.”

~~~

“Come to me, my darlings. Oh yes, come.” Arcana breathed, staring at her monitor.

She was in charge of manning one of the laser defense systems on the perimeter of the island. The Maverick Hunters were heading straight for each tower. Her screen was full of enemy icons.

Her orders had come, and she knew her task. Buy time. Sometimes, in chess, you sacrificed a piece. Buy time. They were the first ones in the breech, and they would die today. But they would buy time, or be damned. Arcana turned her head to look at one of her crew. The youngest and newest among them, she was human, just turned sixteen and very afraid, her face tight but brave. So young. So young to die. We’re all so young to die. Arcana chuckled throatily, and reached for a cigarette. She’d been trying to quit, but who cared now? She was twenty years old and wasn’t going to get a day older. But isn’t that what the young are for? Only the young can be so mad.

“Lovey,” she said to the young girl. What was her name again? Oh yes. Kimberly. “How long before they reach us, Kim?” The girl swallowed hard, and checked her instruments.

“Five minutes before they get within striking distance, ma’am.” She reported, and Arcana chuckled again.

“Long enough, then.” She tapped a few keys, and a slow, pulsing song filled the air. There were no words… she would supply those. Her voice had always been very good, deep with a fascinating rasp.

We are the Widow Makers,
We make the women wail,
And if you dare to meet us,
You’ll never tell the tale.
Come and join our party,
If you’re daft and young and brave,
You’ll never come out again,
We kill more than we save.

The others joined into the chorus. There was still fear in the air, the fear of death, but also a fey excitement was building. They were the Widow Makers. The Hunters would know it, and be damned!

Widow Makers, Widow Makers,
We’ll make the women cry,
For all the husbands, sons and brothers
They’ll lose to us this day!
We are the Widow Makers,
Know us and be damned!

Arcana laughed. The song was so very sexist, really.

But god, it sounded good!

~~~

The last of the outer defenses is gone, Dr. Light reported, and Tamaa closed her eyes, her jaw tightening. That was twenty of her people, gone. If any of them came back alive, she’d be amazed.

But the sacrifice hadn’t been in vain. The noncombatants were evacuated. The way for X and Zero had been prepared. Jolene’s combat crew was ready to pound the hell out of the incoming transports.

And that was sounding like an excellent idea.

“Signal Jolene to start the bombardment.” In an abstract way, she regretted the deaths of the Hunters that were about to come. Sigma was a menace and the Hunters were needed to deal with him.

But they had allowed themselves to be used by the Federation, and now there was no choice. No choice at all.

~~~

“Get the speed up! UP, I said, you motherhumpers!” That was followed by a string of obscene words. The gunners just grinned. They knew she wasn’t serious. They were going at excellent speed.

The cannons they were servicing were crude, crude by any standard. Solid fuel artillery had gone out of vogue when lasers and rail guns had been created. It was still sometimes used, mostly by the Mavericks and by nations too poor to afford good laser placements. But even the Mavericks used auto-feeders to feed in new shells. They were doing it by hand.

It had been a simple equation. With the resources at their disposal, they could create ten cannons with no auto-feeders to every single cannon with an auto-feeder. And with a great deal of drill, they could feed the cannons nearly as quickly as the auto-feeder. The only drawback was the need for a five-person crew per cannon. Which really wasn’t much of a drawback. They had plenty of humans and Reploids who would have been no use in a close combat fight against the Hunters, but who could certainly pick up a shell.

Jolene almost danced in place, her long blond hair waving. “Keep up the speed! Keep it up! Screw the cannons! Let ‘em blow!” The gunners’ grins faded. They knew she was serious now.

The cannons were crude and could overheat. The risk became greater the longer they were used. There was every chance one or more was going to explode and kill the crew manning it, sometime today. Perhaps also the crew beside. So be it. But if their defense broke, there was no way the inner defenders could stop all the Hunters. So be it. Let the cannons explode. Jolene herself would pick up the next shell.

The shattering booms of shells exploding continued as the gunners sweated through their rhythm, hoping that Tamaa could somehow end this. Somehow, bring them a miracle.

Somehow.

~~~

Arcana giggled, wiggling free from under the remains of her command chair. The back of it was reinforced titanium, and it had been all that had saved her when the Hunters returning missiles had hit them like the wrath of an angry god.

Arcana stumbled to her feet, weaving slightly. She was in no pain, but her internal diagnostics were down and she was feeling very… disconnected. That probably wasn’t good. Her attention was caught by the puddle of fluids under her feet. Quite a large puddle, really, and getting larger. Her gaze traced the thickest line of dribble, and she realized that her left arm was severed at the elbow. Red and black vital fluids were oozing down her red and aqua armor. It was really rather pretty.

“Quite the flesh wound there,” she said, and giggled again. She never giggled. Why was she giggling? “Oh, yes… shock. It’s so… shocking!” She started to look for survivors. The first person she found was Kim. Or rather, what was left of her. She had been torn almost in half. Arcana stumbled, then kneeled down beside the body.

“Poor girl. Poor, poor girl. If only you had been a Reploid, maybe you would have survived…” Then she followed the line of shrapnel, seeing how far it had dug into the opposite wall. “Or maybe not. Ah!” She could pick out what was left of the others. All of them had been torn to pieces by the same explosion. “Definitely not. What has the world come to?” Shaking her head, Arcana sat down heavily. She was feeling too woozy to stand. “I’m dying too, darling. Wait for me on the shadow side, I’ll be there soon… and the Widow Makers will be together again.” She slowly gathered the corpse with her good arm, and sang softly as she rocked the mangled body.

Widow Makers, Widow Makers,
We’ll make the women cry,
For all the husbands, sons and brothers
They’ll lose to us this day!
We are the Widow Makers,
Know us and be damned!

She stopped singing for a moment as she saw a red light flashing on what remained of the console. Someone had activated the auto-destruct sequence for the tower.

“Oh, how wonderfully cheeky,” she said with a giggle, wondering who had done it. Tamaa? Spider? Whoever it was, she saluted them.

The door to the command room was forced open, and Arcana beamed as three Hunters stepped into the room. They all trained their weapons on her, but she only laughed.

“It’s so gloriously insane. I do hope you like it hot.” She grinned madly at them, but none of them had a chance to ask what she meant before the bombs beneath the tower exploded and took them all into oblivion.

~~~

Nos Gwenwyth slowly ran her rosary through her fingers, quietly praying for the safety of her friends. She was devoted to the Catholic Church, and her private faith was strong. Many times, that faith had been all that had kept her alive.

She blinked and stiffened as she heard something in the brush, and quietly hung her rosary back onto her belt. The jade beads and silver cross clinked against her armor, a splash of brightness against the black. There was something in the bushes, and it sounded too big for a bird.

She drew her gun, and stepped back into a protective position. No one was supposed to have come here, no Hunters should have found this place. Something had gone wrong. She quickly sent a distress signal to let the main fortress know what was happening, but Gwenwyth doubted any help could reach them in time.

She could only hope the Hunters would investigate, and not bomb the bunker outright, if she died protecting it.

She stiffened as she saw the redheaded Hunter step out from the bushes. She recognized him. She doubted she could win, but Gwenwyth had to buy time. She stepped out to meet him…

The fight was quick and savage. Gwenwyth couldn’t afford to let any shots go near the door of the bunker, so she absorbed them the only way she could… with her body. But she was hurting him… until a horrible pain hit her from behind. She screamed as her armor shattered under a pulse weapon, dropping to her knees.

No, no… She moaned to herself as she collapsed, her vision frizzing around the edges. She couldn’t have failed. The others had to get here soon.

Axl panted softly, his body battered from the battle he had just fought. The black and white Maverick was on the ground, moaning softly in pain. Her black hair was matted with blood from a wound to her back.

“Thanks, Mia!” Axl waved at the small mouselike Hunter who had ambushed the Maverick from behind. She beamed at him, and waved back.

“Let’s go see what’s inside,” she suggested, stepping daintily over the body. Axl raised his gun to finish the Maverick off, but then hesitated. If he left her intact, she might shut down quietly, and they would be able to retrieve some information from the husk. She was certainly no threat.

Axl stepped cautiously up to the entrance to the bunker, peering into the darkness. There were stairs leading down. He aimed his gun as he heard-

And stopped just before he fired as he identified the sound. That’s not right! What would a baby be doing here, in a concealed bunker? Astonishment was followed by horror. Oh my lord I almost fired I almost fired…

“Axl, what is it?” Mia was very nervous, her ears twitching. Axl gave her a shocked, horrified look, appalled at what he had almost done.

“There’s a baby in there…!” Mia blinked, then laid her ears back.

“Hostages?” She hissed, gripping her weapon tightly.

“Damn.” Axl breathed out the word. Mia had to be right… the Mavericks were holding humans hostage. But he had a nagging doubt. If they had hostages, what were they doing way out here in a concealed bunker? Well, maybe there were explosives and a camera or something… “We have to go in, but let’s be careful. There’ll be guards.” The mouse Hunter nodded, following Axl cautiously.

And they both dodged frantically as a wild blast scorched through the hallway. Axl came out with his gun ready-

And just barely managed to hold his fire a second time. It was a human shooting at him! An older woman, middle-aged, and shaking like a leaf with terror. She saw him and tried to fire again-

And missed by a mile. The blast went well over their heads. Axl decided the first one had been a freak occurrence, and this woman was more of a danger to herself than them. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she’s managed to shoot her foot off.

“Lady, please! We’re here to rescue you!” He retreated towards Mia’s hiding spot, just in case the woman decided to fire again. Worst shot in the world or not, she might get lucky, and her gun was a surprisingly strong pistol.

“Rescue? Tamaa sent you? Where’s Gwen?” She tried to peer past him, then blinked, looking at his face. “No… who are you? Get out!”

”Tool of fascist imperialists!” A young voice behind her exclaimed, and Axl’s eyes widened as a teenage boy came up behind her. He didn’t have a weapon, but he tried to grab away the woman’s.

”David, get back!” She ordered him, raising her hands. The boy looked incredibly frustrated.

”Mama, you can’t shoot!” Then he shot Axl another venomous glare. “Federation lackey!” Axl lowered his weapon, completely confused.

“What are you talking about?” He said, baffled… then a voice from behind spoke. A very familiar voice.

“Put down your weapons.” Axl turned around at that cold, firm order, his eyes wide.

”Spider?!?”
_________________
That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Cyclone EXE]

Very good. Sorry I haven't commented sooner...busy busy. I'm anxious to read more.
_________________
=]

[Aria]

In case any of you are wondering where I've been this week... my Grandpa died on Saturday. I've been with Grandma all week...


The black clad mercenary was there, in all his glory. He slowly flipped a card through his fingers, giving Axl a razor edged smile.

“Me. Sorry, Axl, but you should just surrender now.” He said quietly. Axl raised his gun, his eyes cold.

“Surrender to you, you traitor? I don’t think so. What’s going on here?” Axl snarled, eyes narrowing. Spider didn’t wince or look guilty, but he did sigh, faintly.

“I’m not guilty about betraying you,” Spider said briefly. “Because we were never really friends. But I am guilty about my insane actions, and I regret everything that happened. All I can say is that I am no longer that person. Will you listen to me? This place isn’t what you’ve been told.” Axl hesitated, torn. He wouldn’t have believed Spider if he’d said the sky was blue, but…

Axl glanced back at the woman, who was watching, wide-eyed with anxiety. Her son was still scowling and muttering uncomplimentary things about the Federation. Axl hesitated, then lowered his gun again.

“Fine… explain.” He would listen, but not necessarily believe. Spider had forfeited their trust a long time ago.

~~~

They’re coming. Dr. Light was very worried. X, Zero and Cinnamon had almost reached the inner room. Tamaa nodded, activating her neural whip. Her troops were hard at work, keeping away the lesser Hunters who had managed to get past Jolene. Only this small group had been permitted inward with a minimum of resistance. Most of that resistance had been purposeful. Some of it had not. Tamaa closed her eyes in pain as she remembered a transmission she had received from Marcus.

Gilgamesh has lost it! He thinks he’s Macduff and Zero’s Macbeth or something! He’s going after him with a sabre!

Stop him!

I’m on it!

That had been Marcus’ final transmission, and she only hoped he was still alive. Gilgamesh probably wasn’t. But she could hope.

Archimedes was nearby, fidgeting nervously as she smiled at him. He was there because he was also X’s brother, not because of any ability at combat. If things deteriorated, he had an escape route to follow. Tamaa would fight almost alone.

Only almost. Blues was in control of a vicious little invention, a spider-like creature standing beside her. Dr. Light had created it, and it was simply a killing machine, with no intelligence. Her datapad was inside it, and Blues controlled it directly.

The door cycled open, and Tamaa wiped her expression clean, stepping forward to meet her brother. Her heart ached a little, as he entered the room, followed closely by Zero and Cinnamon. He had changed a great deal, from her memories of him being created in the lab, but she still recognized him.

“Hello X,” she said conversationally. “I’ve been waiting to meet you for a long time. I’m Tamaa, and this is Archimedes.”

”I don’t want to fight you, Tamaa,” X said, also conversational, but Tamaa didn’t miss how Zero was getting ready for action. “Please surrender. We’ll try to help you.” Tamaa couldn’t help but laugh. X thought they were infected with the virus!

”If you don’t want to fight, turn around. Otherwise, you’ll have to kill your brother and sister… and possibly your creator as well.” At X’s puzzled look, she stepped to one side… revealing the pod behind her. X’s eyes widened as he recognized the hologram generator. And then it switched on. The hologram inside was very familiar.

“Dr. Light?” X gasped. Zero looked surprised, while Cinnamon was just puzzled. She had no experience with the legacies X’s creator had left for him. Dr. Light nodded.

Yes, X. As you may have guessed, I’m still alive in a slightly different form. X, I beg of you, do not destroy this place. Tamaa’s name means Hope, and she’s building something beautiful here.

“What… are you talking about? They’re Mavericks…” X said uncertainly.

No. That is a lie. They are the outcasts, the ones who are untouched by Sigma yet alienated from society. Many of them are pariahs, for one reason or another. They are the ones who have been hurt, and no longer want to suffer under the Federation. Rebels, certainly, but there is no law against buying an island to live on. Tamaa grinned to herself. Dr. Light was glossing over all the illegal things they had done to get this far. He didn’t approve of what she had done, but wasn’t about to betray her. Or about forming their own country, where they can live in peace.

“X, this is just a Maverick trick,” Zero said, igniting his beam sabre. “There’s nothing easier to fake than a hologram!” X looked troubled. Zero was right, but… “This is just another Repliforce, even if he’s telling the truth.”

”The Hell it is,” Tamaa interrupted the red hunter, giving him a glare. “We have humans here. Manning the wall cannons as we speak, and there were some in the towers you demolished!” Zero frowned, and X looked slightly sick, but shook his head.

“Signas wouldn’t have lied to us,” X said, his voice firming. Tamaa ground her teeth.

“I’m not saying he did, I’m saying-“ X suddenly frowned, his eyes shifting away from her. “X?”

She couldn’t know it, but X had just received a transmission from Axl. So had Zero and Cinnamon. It was on the Hunter command circuit, so no one else could hear.

X, we have to break off the attack! There are women and children in this bunker, and they say they LIVE here! Spider is here too, and he says this is a colony or something! X blinked, then spoke into his communicator.

“Axl… you’re sure?”

Of course I’m sure. One of the mothers almost shot me, even if she couldn’t hit a Maverick at fifty feet. X looked at Zero, appalled, and he frowned, scratching his head.

“Why would Signas have lied to us?” He asked the air. But Tamaa had an answer.

”He didn’t. Ask why would have lied to Signas, instead,” she said. “So can we call this off now, before too many people die in this stupid conflict?” X started issuing orders immediately, and Tamaa followed suit.

“All Hunters, break off! Break off and go back to-“

”Everyone, stop firing and let the Hunters go! Repeat, let them retreat!” Tamaa knew the process would be anything but seamless. It would, in fact, be extremely messy and some people would be killed as they tried to break off, either from malice or just because someone else was slow on the uptake. There was no help for it. War was always very messy.

Once the orders were given, she looked up from her communicator, and met X’s gaze. His clear green eyes were simply puzzled, now.

“Can you explain what’s going on?”

~~~

“…And then you attacked,” Tamaa concluded her version of events. It was a very edited version, tailored to suit the Hunter’s sensibilities. Well, X’s sensibilities. After talking with Zero for a little while, Tamaa didn’t think he would insist on turning them in for the DeBeer robbery. She did include their ripoff of Sigma, after swearing the three Hunters to silence. Zero had almost laughed himself sick, and actually congratulated Spider.

Spider and Axl had come in to join the discussion, leaving Mia to tend to Gwen. With the basic medical treatment the mouse Hunter could give, it looked like she would live. At that, she was lucky. Tamaa closed her eyes at a surge of pain.

Gilgamesh was dead. Tamaa had actually cried when one of her subordinates had brought her the news.

“He couldn’t fight, you know,” she had said thickly to a startled X. “He was an actor and a bit insane… he probably really thought he was Macduff and Zero was Macbeth…” She knew she would desperately miss the quirky, amusingly deranged Reploid.

The fact that Marcus was alive had taken some of the sting out of the news. He was just barely alive… Zero had flung him through a wall, mistaking his armor for Reploid technology… but he would live. His broken bones would take months to heal, but with nanite microsurgeons, there was little doubt he would recover.

“But how did they think they would get away with it?” Axl said, baffled. “Didn’t they think we would find out?” Spider shook his head.

“No. Why should they have? They didn’t know about Dr. Light, Blues, Tamaa or Archimedes. Why should you listen to a bunch of Mavericks?”

“What I want to know is how they tricked Signas.” X glowered at the thought, but Spider shrugged.

“He believed what he was told. Forgive me, X, but you all suffer from the same problem. You’re basically good natured, honest people who assume you’re dealing with honest people. Signas is savvier at politics than you are, but he still is mostly concerned with military matters. And he doesn’t believe that he’s dealing with scum, so he doesn’t see the plots.”

“You seriously think they’re planning to eliminate us?” Zero said, an angry edge to his voice. Tamaa had told them her theories about where the money was going, and X had been troubled… while Zero had been furious. Even more than X, he’d seen the gradual decay of the Maverick Hunters. He’d been around from the very beginning, and wasn’t at all pleased by the changes since then.

And unlike X, he was willing to believe their leaders were scuzzballs. X was still fighting that part. Tamaa raised her hand, making a ‘maybe, maybe not’ gesture.

“It’s a possibility. If not eliminate, certainly contain and supplement.”

“What I want to know is how Spider survived?” Cinnamon asked, looking distrustfully at the stylish Reploid, who was playing with a card as they talked. Spider frowned, and the card disappeared.

“I don’t know… I woke up in a meadow outside Pittsburgh, a month later.” X blinked, as Zero and Axl exchanged a dubious glance.

“Pittsburgh? That’s nowhere near Giga City.” Spider shrugged, and spread his hands.

“Tell me about it. I have no idea what happened,” he replied. X frowned, then blinked as Dr. Light caught his gaze and pressed a finger to his lips in the ancient ‘be quiet’ gesture.’ “And I really have no idea what I was thinking when I came up with that idiotic plot to take over the world.”

Did the ancient AI know something? X decided to change the subject, but corner Dr. Light on it later.

“I see… what should we do now?” This whole situation was really unprecedented, and he wasn’t sure what they could do to make up their attack to Tamaa and the others. Tamaa grimaced.

“Well, you could start by helping us put back together the defenses you trashed. And help us recover the bodies.” X winced, and the others looked unenthusiastic, but nodded.

They really did need to do something to help repair the damage they had caused. It wasn’t much, but hopefully it would be enough.

~~~

“Dr. Light, is there something you can tell us about Spider?” X had insisted on some private time with the ancient AI, accompanied only by Zero and Axl. He would have been entirely alone, but they deserved to hear this… and there was still hostility in the air. X didn’t really think anyone would attack him, but being alone still might be unwise. Dr. Light nodded.

Yes, but you must promise not to tell Tamaa and Spider. The truth would only injure them. That was puzzling, but the three Reploids nodded. I was responsible for rescuing and repairing Spider. He was mentally ill.

“Really?” Axl said, taken aback. “He didn’t seem crazy. What was wrong with him? How did you fix it? Why did you fix it?” Zero hushed him, but Dr. Light didn’t seem to mind the rapid barrage of questions.

It wasn’t simple insanity. His neural net was defective. He had far fewer cross-connections than most Reploids, and the ones he did have were almost inactive. The result was intense narcissism, megalomania, a vast disconnection with reality. Spider believed that things would turn out the way he wanted simply because he desired it. To him, other people were like insects. I fixed it by revitalizing his neural network, then forcing growth by making him relive his life in a dream. The process took a month. When I was finished, he was still a somewhat selfish bounty hunter… but not uncaring.

“Why?” X repeated one of Axl’s questions, leaning forward intently. “Why did you do it?” He couldn’t see any reason Spider would matter to Dr. Light. The old AI hesitated, then seemed to sigh.

For Tamaa’s sake. She is our Hope, but that’s a difficult place to be. Spider had some cross-connections, and he cared for her, as much as he was able. His powerful will and ego kept him from falling easily under her spell. After they first met, I kept him under observation and saw his deteriorating sanity. I fixed him because I hoped he might be drawn back to her, and still egotistical enough to resist her spell. I was right.

“Ha! You old matchmaker.” Zero was delighted. “No wonder you don’t want us to tell them. Might kill the romance.” Tamaa might assume Dr. Light had implanted Spiders feelings for her. At best, she would be doubtful. And both of them would feel manipulated. Dr. Light nodded.

Please, keep this secret. There is no need for either of them to know. They deserve to be happy. The three Hunters nodded solemnly. They would keep Dr. Light’s secret. Now, X, you wanted to ask me some things privately? The others took the hint, and slipped out, giving X some alone time with his creator.

It had been a long time in coming.

~~~

The funeral was the most depressing part.

Everyone in the island gathered for a mass funeral, for all the dead. X and Zero were there, to pay respects for all the Hunters, but the others had prudently stayed away. Everyone was hurting, and while there was a spirit of forgiveness in the air, this was a sensitive time.

The human bodies were ashes in an urn. The island didn’t have enough free land for them to bury people for very long, so they had decided on cremation as the proper thing to do. With modern technology, it was a very easy process. When they were finished the ceremony, the ashes would be scattered into the sea.

The Reploid bodies weren’t present at all. They would be disassembled and recycled inside the manufacturing plant. But they were present in spirit, their names inscribed on the memorial one of their sculptors had manufactured. It was a simple steel slab, but the front had a border of vines and flowers. The sides and back were covered in the same vines, with little forest creatures peeking through. The slab was inscribed with a short message, as well.

They were the first in battle, the first to defend us all. We loved them, and we will miss them.

Tamaa stepped forward to deliver the elegy. Everyone was quiet as she spoke. Almost forty people had died, a cruel blow to the small colony. Tamaa had known them all, and her voice wavered with emotion at times.

Zash was gone, and so was the girl he had adopted, Kimberly. She had died with Arcana and all her crew. Gilgamesh was gone, and Marcus was present to say goodbye, although he’d been forced to endure the indignity of being carried out. Tourmaline, Nimitz, David… the names went on…

“We will remember them forever,” Tamaa concluded. “With this monument, inscribed with their names. May we never forget.” There was a murmur of agreement, although in truth, they all knew better. Eventually, they would no longer be able to remember what their friends had looked like. The memories would fade, as inevitably as the tide. And someday, if they were lucky, their descendants would hardly remember what the monument was for.

But that thought did not bother Tamaa. Here and now, they remembered. And if that future came to pass, the sacrifice would have been well made. Tamaa unstoppered the urn of ashes, and let them flow into the sea.

This was an ending, and a beginning.

~~~

In sending the Maverick Hunters against Tamaa, the Federation had made a tactical error. After the Hunters had refused to attack, it was impossible for the Federation to take action in what was technically the space of the Philippine government, which chose to recognize the sovereignty of the small group of islands. They saw only advantages to their tiny, high tech neighbor and had been promised the status of preferred trading partner.

That was not their mistake. The Federation had sent the Maverick Hunters precisely because they could not send local defense forces without inciting unpleasant allegations and hostilities. But with their suspicions aroused, the Hunters were considerably more difficult to manipulate. Funding of the Maverick Hunters began to go up, as Signas and the others pressed for more concessions. X began to take a more active hand in the development of policy, and with his great fame, met with some success.

Meanwhile, the islands were finally given a name. They became New Hope. Eventually, they began to expand and finally merged with several other countries in a wider nation. Their technological products were vastly superior to many on the market, and the jewel chips were highly sought after. They became quite rich and well militarized, to deal with Sigma and the Federation.

Eventually, the final battles with Sigma took place, and time kept passing…

Look for the sequel soon, set in the Megaman Zero timeline.
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That which does not kill me... shall be the basis for my revenge.

[Cyclone EXE]

I'm so sorry. Oh my gosh...I've lost a grandpa as well and I know how tough it is...I'm so very sorry.

Nice work on your writing...it's excellent as always.

I'm so sorry! *cry*
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=]

[Mugen.exe]

Yeah, you've got talent. This was a really good fic, and I liked the spin you took. I cannot wait to read the sequel.
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False Swipe is a great finishing move!
Witty robots, spunky orphans, and invincible pilots, this link's for you! A Gundam RP