ࡱ> z   !"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]^_`abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy{|}~Root Entry FV7WordDocument GCompObjnle a party so late after the attack on the site?" "Maybe we're after the wrong guy," said Zinc. "This Yaven Enterprises might be involved in those weapons you've told me about, but maybe they're oblivious to that attack that happened to you guys." 'Oh...you're supposed to use a tab,' Anyi thought. What an annoying program. "Well, let's see if this works," Anyi said. Zinc and Zero looked at the capsule as soon as it came online. "Don't worry, we're ready this time," Zero said, a single spark of electricity coming from his left index finger. The capsule lit up a light blue as power was transferred into the small red robot inside. Her hair moved across the electrical currents and her body began to move slightly. Suddenly, her eyes opened up. Roll smiled cheerfully. "Yes!" Anyi exclaimed, clapping her hands together. *** The next morning, the sun shone brightly through the windows; another clear summer day in the heart of New Sydney, Australia. Lying in bed, hoping the sun would go away because it got up way too soon, was Anyi. Her short brown hair fell across the blue pillow as well as her face. She slowly opened her eyes, faced with the late morning sun coming in from the door that led into her temporary bedroom. She dared to look out the door into the light coming from the large windows. She had come home incredibly late last night, hoping to find X at home, maybe even asleep. Anyi's stare went to the entrance to the bathroom, seeing a young girl dressed in a red dress. "Hey Roll, nice to see you're up," croaked Anyi, still half-asleep. "I never went to bed," Roll smiled weakly and shrugged. Anyi sighed and smiled. She wished she could do that once in awhile. As it was, the rest of the day would be spent in some sort of sleepless haze. She slowly rolled out of bed and stood up to take a shower. Anyi was a little worried. Roll literally stumbled around in a daze, possibly trying to recuperate from the removal of key memory files. It would be like waking up from being knocked out, only to find yourself in a totally new place. Roll remembered waking up before, but only as a dream. "Did you see X come in, Roll?" asked Anyi, as she took a towel from the closet. "Yeah, he came in a few hours ago," Roll said. "I didn't bother him though, he seemed out of it." Anyi somewhat ignored the comment and took a shower. When she had got out, she noticed that Roll was gone. Anyi thought she heard someone knock at the door, so maybe there was company. She quickly got dressed and walked out to see Mrs. Petersen and Roll sitting up at the kitchen table with X. "Hello, Mr. Layne, what are you so worried about today?" asked the kind lady. It was obvious that Anyi had walked in only a few seconds after the woman. X looked up and smiled, but Anyi could see that he was still thinking about something that was bothering him. "Huh?" X looked up from his coffee and smiled. "No, it's nothing. I'm sorry, Roll, I'm not being a very good host. Would you like something to eat?" "I don't need to eat," replied Roll. Anyi realized that she didn't look too happy either. "Oh yeah, right, you don't have a sense..." X stopped himself when he saw that his landlord had a strange look on her face. X handed her a lump of hundred dollar bills, "That will be all, Mrs. Petersen. I believe that my rent is paid in full for the next few months." "Oh, yes Mr. Layne," she croaked happily at the sight of money. She was the landlord after all, collecting rent on her best suite. She never seemed to question X paying her completely in cash, as rare as it was these days. "If there is anything I can do for you, just call me." The old lady shuffled out the door and waved goodbye. Zero and Zinc passed right by her and walked into X's apartment. "Hey X, how's it going today?" asked Zero. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the two androids sitting at the table in a funk. "...What's on your mind?" "Huh?" X looked up again from his coffee. "Oh, it's nothing. I've just been--" "Hi, my name's Zinc," Zinc bowed sliܥe# G,Fl,FlFF F C(FFFTFoCTimes New Roman Symbol ArialCourier New MEGAMAN X: THE SERIES SEASON ONE: Poles Apart SEASON FINALE: "These Spiritual Machines" Author's Note: Hurray, I got to this one! Hopefully this trend will continue. For those of you wondering; this really is NOT Chapter 21. Think of this more of an Epilogue to a book. This is basically the epilogue to the first season...as long as it may seem. Hopefully my new writing style isn't bugging anyone. I've gone from simple structure to "tries to be mysterious and ultimately fails" style. ...At least it's a start. And for those of you wondering about this tremendous wait. Yes. I will get to the next one much sooner. You may scream with joy or whatever. ________________________________________________________________________________________ "The machines will convince us that they are conscious and that they have their own agenda worthy of our respect. They'll embody human qualities. They'll claim to be human. And we'll believe them." - Ray Kurzweil, The Age of Spiritual Machines. *** Typecasting variables were always a pain. At that particular moment, Anyi was staring at the capsule's blue-screen readout of yellow ancient text. She had managed to find the memory file and delete it, without accidentally causing a fragmentation in the sectors of the drive. It would sound like a ridiculous statement to anyone who knew computers as well as Anyi, however for some odd reason, the memory files were actually part of the tracks themselves. How Dr. Light ever managed to program something so incredibly hard-coded was beyond her, unless he had actually designed the harddrive himself. She was beginning to realize that this man must have been a real genius. 'Ah well, at least if I screw this up again, there's nothing left in the lab worth destroying for her,' Anyi thought. She had moved out of the lab two days ago when Roll's little fit happened. She was lucky that Zero and Zinc had walked in on it, or else she wasn't sure what would have happened. 'Speak of the Devil,' Anyi thought to herself when she looked up and saw Zero and Zinc walk through the busted doorway. "Hey guys, what's up?" she asked. Zero sat down on the computer network table, he looked like he was out of it. That was assuming of course, that an android could actually be out of it. "We took a walk through campus," Zinc answered. "He met some weird guy at the subway that's been following him around." Anyi's eyes immediately came up from the script read-out. "What happened?" Anyi now knew that her friend was probably distraught because of something he had found out. "This guy had apparently been following X and I around," Zero said. "I'm not too sure what he knows, but whatever he knows, this Yaven guy probably knows. That means he might know we rescued Roll from the Excavation Site. I'm not too sure what else he could know." 'What the hell is a Makefile?' Anyi thought, looking at the directory listing. "I was at his office building today," Anyi mentioned. "I have a feeling that the guy is one of the rich, powerful, and politically influential. I spoke with his secretary and apparently he's holding a party of some sort on Venus." Zero's eyes immediately narrowed, "What the heck is this guy up to?" "I dunno, but he's starting to tick me off," said Zinc. "Why can't this guy just do something, like build a fortress and throw a few Robot Masters at us or something? THAT we know how to deal with! All this useless waiting is really getting to me!" Anyi frowned; she would have to rewrite at least one of the lines in it after changing the linking procedure. Now if she could only figure out how these old libraries worked. "No, this guy is being a lot more careful," Zero thought out loud. "I'm starting to think that he's been waiting for Anyi to get out of the hospital. Why else would he schedughtly for Roll. He was his usual happy self. "I didn't get a chance to talk to you before Anyi brought you here." Roll didn't answer Zinc, in fact she just stared at him with wide eyes in astonishment. Zinc returned the stare with a blank gaze. "What, do I know you?" asked Zinc. *** "Chinese...for breakfast?" Anyi thought she was going to be sick. She stared around the room from her usual table. Sure enough, the lunch crowd was coming in, but that was only because of the late hours the entire group had been keeping lately. The waitress had already come and gone, taking their orders. "Yeah, sure why not?" Zero smiled. Anyi knew Zero was poking fun as usual. Zero took another sip of his tea. Anyi just shook her head and smiled. "So X, how do you feel about going to Venus? You seem to be thinking about something," Zero replied. While they were sitting in the taxe, Anyi had filled them in about the tickets for an entire trip to the important business party on Venus. Zero certainly was interested, if only just for a chance to go home again. "I dunno, I don't like playing on the enemy's turf," X sighed. "If it does turn out that Yaven or Genolt manipulated the military, we'd be right in the middle of their territory." "Genolt...You mean that major stockholder?" asked Zero. He remembered mentioning it to X a few days ago, but he thought X wrote him off as a minor suspect. "Yeah...I got new information saying he could be the guy," replied X. Zero raised his eyebrow in suspicion, wondering just who X had been talking with. Perhaps Yaven had another scout following them around. The thought of it brought a wicked gleam in his eye; in the same moment he shut it out. "Well, Genolt is gonna be there too, won't he? He is a major stockholder," Zero mused. "I guess we have no choice but to pack tonight and leave on that jet in the morning," said X. "If we want any answers to what happened anyway. I thought that maybe we should just wait for him to make another move, but that doesn't seem like it's going to happen." "Wow, I've never been to Venus before!" Zinc was incredibly enthused. Roll, just gave him another stare. Anyi noticed, in fact, that Roll had been staring at Zinc the whole time. That's when it hit her: Zinc looked nearly exactly the same has her now dead brother. "Oh...," Anyi raised her hands to her face, shocked that Roll had even agreed to be with them so far. There was so much she must have been feeling, and all this time they had been worrying about their own problems. "Roll...I'm sorry we've--" "It's okay," Roll looked down into her glass of water. "I don't mind going with you guys...I just need to take a walk." Roll stood up and walked out, leaving the boys with looks of confusion on their face. "What the heck is her problem?" scolded Zinc. Anyi shook her head. "Look...you guys, you can't expect her to get over seeing her dead brother," Anyi whispered. X and Zero both looked at eachother and then looked at Zinc. It suddenly occured to them. "Damnit, with so much happening, I forgot all about that," Zero shook his head. "I know just how she feels...X, maybe you should talk to her." "...I'm not sure I would help matters much by doing that," X recoiled a bit. Perhaps a little afraid of his new sister. "Anyway, I agree with Zero on one thing; let's go to Venus." They all shrugged. It was the only option they had if they wanted to find out what was Yaven's attitude problem. The food arrived, and they all began eating slowly. Anyi just sort of picked at her food. "What is it about this place that you guys like?" asked Anyi; she still couldn't believe she was eating Chinese food for breakfast. "Well, we used to come here all the time for meals," replied X. "But...it used to be a bakery, didn't it?" Anyi remembered the place long before it was ever a restaurant. In fact, she was around this part of town all the time when she was a kid. Then she realized something, looking at X's face. "Yeah, every morning I would buy something to last the day," X smiled, remembering his mornings sitting outside the Candy & A Current Bun. "...the two guys..." she suddenly exclaimed under her breath. She realized what had been nagging her the first time she met X. The blue hair was a bit longer now, but they were the same eyes. "What are you talking about?" X raised an eyebrow. He was obviously confused. Anyi remembered clutching her china doll behind the counter. She used to help her grandmother out with the bread. "It's ...just that--" She remembered her grandmother saying that Anyi's mother used to help all the time until she got married. She remembered how young she was only seven years ago. Such an impressionable small kid at the age of ten. "...I can't believe---" The smile of the gentleman who always came in...the man with short black hair, always buying a bag full of goods and then eating them outside with his other friend, the one with long dirty blonde hair. "...that was you--" her voice was barely audible. Anyi used to ring up the till for the man with short black hair. She had a crush on him way back in the day. Always blushing and clutching her small toy when he patted her on the head. "...in the bakery," it came out as an incoherent mumble. That's why she started helping out her grandmother's boyfriend with cleaning the basement in the first place. She also remembered seeing the man lying naked on a glass table, as she stared up at him through the slits in the floor. In fact, that's how she first got started in Caine Labs. The little assistant. '...My grandmother's bakery,' she finished her sentence in thought only. Anyi looked up at the two across the table. X's face was still the same as it was so long ago, when she recognized him the first time...it wasn't just because of the files she saw on him. And when he recognized her...maybe he remembered seeing her young impressionable eyes. There was something strange in the first look she ever exchanged with him. Zero and X started talking about the trip to Venus, but Anyi couldn't really make anything out. She just ate the rest of her meal in silence. *** 'How am I supposed to believe this?' thought Roll. She stared blankly at names she didn't recognize; they were carved into the stone tablets sticking out of the ground. She had been walking for a long time now, but her eyes never adjusted to what she saw before her. The future. If she had been pulled out of the ground a year later, she would have been a lot more miserable, she guessed. But it wasn't. She was 50 years in the future. And 50 years...was just stupid. She had no clue as to why or how, her entire family was gone. They would probably be gone even if they hadn't died in the accident. Anyi had explained to her that there was an accident of some sort, but didn't go into any detail. Roll simply couldn't remember; had it really been that traumatic? The sunlight overhead shone directly upon the graves beneath her feet. She sat down on the ground and started really reading the names. She felt like she was looking for names she knew she wouldn't find. No one buried her brothers or her father. The new laboratory was moved to a secret location that even the government had trouble finding. The move was done after Forte had destroyed the first lab. No one could find them to hurt them...or help them. 50 years in the future with a future model of Rock that isn't Rock and a model of Rock that really looks like Rock. It had to be a dream. It was simply too ridiculous to be real. "I hope I'm not intruding," the voice from behind spoke softly. Roll turned her head slightly and saw the man in the red jacket. "...Your name is...Zero, right?" Roll asked. The man with the short reddish hair nodded. "Yeah, that's right," the man seemed a bit uncomfortable around her. In fact, Roll had the strangest feeling that she had met him before. She trembled slightly. "How are you holding up?" Zero asked. He seemed concerned. Now that she had her core activated, she would really feel terrible about...everything. "I'm not sure what to feel; just numb, I guess," Roll paused and looked up again. "Do you know why X has long hair?" Strangely enough, Zero laughed under his breath. It was such an odd topic to bring up. "I think so, yes," Zero stopped his chuckle. "A long time ago, he used to keep it neat and clean. On the other hand, I never even bothered with it. It became a tussled mess very quickly." "What happened?" she asked earnestly. "I don't know. I think when the war was going on, I wasn't sure how to feel; maybe a bit like you are now. I woke up in a time I didn't understand with a past I couldn't explain. I felt like the war was my fault. I felt the same way as my hair, ...a tangled mess. X, on the other hand, it was like he was programmed to thrive in war. It was a little disturbing sometimes. Although I think I was also programmed for war. He and I are very similar in our designs." Roll thought about this for a moment, "It's true. Dr. Light predicted another world war would break and so he made sure X was really capable, but I doubt he ever programmed him for war." "I'm not so sure about X," Zero replied. "But I knew that war really made me feel alive. So once it was over, I didn't know what to do, but I knew I was tired of it. I simply left; took off for the Venus colonies and never looked back. X and I have kept in touch over the past five years; we got together a few times. We even bought a personal jet, because we didn't know what to do with all the money the government gave us. It was supposed to give us an excuse to visit eachother more often. I started a new life without him, without my past. My hair reminded me too much of my old self, so I cut it off." "But X. His hair was longer every time I saw him. I don't think he has had a life these past five years. There is no Sigma, there is no war. Everything he knew is now gone and forgotten by an oblivious media. It was like we did nothing important. X no longer mattered. He's really been lost these past five years; his only meaning was to find out his link to Rock, and with the help of Caine and Anyi, he has found it. But once this Yaven deal is over, X really won't have anything to go back to. I only hope Anyi..." Zero trailed off. "It seems I'm not the only one that's gone numb," Roll tried so desperately to cry, but couldn't find it within herself. "...Maybe," Zero shrugged. "But, I'm more worried about you. I thought someone should talk with you...I guess I'm hardly qualified." Roll looked down at the ground again with a wry grin, "So you want me to cut off my hair to get over it?" "...Um, that's not what I--" Zero paused and smiled. "Well... unlike X, I think it looks good on you." *** X felt the breeze against his face. The summer air had cooled, which was unusual this early on. It was only November, and yet it felt as if they were already nearing the end of the season. His dark blue hair was pulled back as usual, but stray hairs still leapt across his forehead, dancing in the wind with his open blazer. He was walking, trying to sort out the events of the past day. Now that Roll was awake, X knew that she would want to know what happened as eagerly as X wanted to know. But, to replace his curiousity, she would carry a deep sadness, possibly for the rest of her life. 'In my eagerness, I've caused her incredible pain,' X couldn't really get the thought out of his head. 'Maybe I should have left her buried so she could rest in peace.' "No, that's not right," X shook off the dread thought by speaking aloud. "No one deserves to be left alone like that." "I hope that will mean a 'yes' for me," came the soprano accent from behind. X turned to see Anyi smiling at him. She was wearing her large green sunglasses to hide her eyes from the cool sun overhead. "Hey, Anyi, I thought you would be packing your stuff at the lab." "Well, not really," Anyi said slowly. "Zinc was happy enough to cover me on that; I was actually going to go back home tonight to see my parents." "Oh, that should be nice," X smiled and put his hands in his pockets. They both turned towards the opposite sidewalk and crossed the street together. "Are you busy?" asked Anyi. Even with her sunglasses, she still held her left hand high over her eyes, because of the glaring sun. "Oh, no, just taking a last look before going home to pack," X said. "No, I mean busy tonight." "Well, other than the usual packing--" X interrupted himself. "Why?" Anyi shifted uncomfortably, "Well, I wanted to thank you for letting me stay the night after the lab got practically destroyed. I'm not really much of a cook, but my mother would always be delighted to have another guest at her table tonight." "Oh yes, your mother," X mused over the thought. X remembered meeting Anyi's mother at the hospital. When they had heard the news, they immediately rushed to her side and took X's place beside her after she awoke. X remembered that he had not called her parents until she had first stirred, it just never occured to him before then, never really having parents of his own. Then they came and he left the hospital the same day. Anyi's mother was grateful for X staying by her side, and had offered dinner back then. "I'm sure she would love to have you," Anyi smiled. "I'm sure it was her idea to have me over for dinner in the first place," X grinned and poked her arm. Anyi stopped walking and gave him a curious look, "How did you know that? I'm not sure where she met you, but apparently you mentioned that I work as your assistant or something." "Oh, I met her awhile ago," X gave her an enigmatic look. "So, dinner?" "I'd be delighted," Anyi nodded. She still seemed perplexed at X knowing her mother. In fact, she lowered her eyes mumbling something. "You still wondering about how your mother met me?" asked X. "Oh no, it's not that," Anyi paused. "I'm just wondering how I'm going to convince Zinc to pack your bags too." *** The sun streaked across the carpet in the large office room. Behind his desk, Vile was making certain that most of his invitations had been responded. The dim flicker of the antique plasma screen caused a glowing radiance over the rest of his wood desk. He smiled as he read the names. A number of deans from local universities on Venus, not to mention a number of senators and self-important movie celebrities would be dining at The Orpheum that particular night. He was certain that all of his preparations: room, catering, events, even random toasts and speeches, had all been prepared. That night would be his night to shine. To outshine every Maverick before him. Even outshine the blue ones. He smiled. His entire operation in Cluster Four would hinge on this particular event. But even though it's success would provide him with more political influence; it's failure would be far more beneficial to his cause. His cause to make the Reploid voice finally heard. For a few years now, he had stood in the background, being human. Perhaps on that night, they would discover truly, that even Reploids can change the rules of the world. But he was more than that now, wasn't he? And X was going to prove useful for once in his wretched existence. "Sir, you wished to speak with me?" The throaty solemn tone erupted from the open doors. Agile was standing there, wearing a tuxedo and carrying a rather large briefcase. "As you can see, I am prepared for the event. May I suggest that Iris looks positively stunning in that outfit you chose." Vile smiled and laughed, "Ah, well I always had a keen fashion sense." He stood up from behind his desk and put out his smoldering cigar. He poured himself a glass of cognac from his cabinet and offered a glass to Agile. Agile walked slowly over and took the glass. Vile patted him on the shoulder and poured his friend's glass. "It's all coming together," Vile said. "Zero managed to find Null and now I'm sure they'll be more than interested in my little conference. It's too bad Null didn't survive the encounter." Agile raised an eyebrow, "I find it difficult to believe Zero would kill a Reploid that hadn't gone maverick." "Oh no, it wasn't that," Vile shot down his drink and sighed in appreciation. "The poor man couldn't take it anymore and finally shut down. The first Reploid to officially die without becoming one of us first. At least, I'm not so sure, perhaps Zero did end it for him. After all, consider his true heritage. He barely managed to hide it during the war, but now that we've ripped Sigma apart, I know his true secret." "Ah, yes, what shall we do with Sigma, sir?" asked Agile. "Why, bring him along of course, it's all part of the fun!" "Sir?" Agile certainly was confused by Vile's cheery outburst. Agile paused and stared at his glass. "...I went and talked with X." "Ah yes, hopefully that bottle of wine suited him," Vile sat at his desk. "It really was the best one I had in my cellar." "Sir, if I may ask, why do you wish to go off-planet to carry out this plan?" Vile smiled, but the emotion was dry and empty just like his glass. "I thought a good party would convince X to see reason. My reason." Vile looked out the window, the sun was beginning to set and the sky streaked orange with red cloud highlights. His smile was the only highlight on his otherwise dark face. "It is no matter; has the construction of the Robot Masters completed?" asked Vile. "Yes sir, they are ready for presentation, would you care to see them?" "Send them in at your leisure," Vile poured himself another drink. Agile pressed the intercom button on the desk and immediately the doors opened. Three menacing individuals walked into the room. They were all clad in armor; one jet black, one dark green, one pale yellow. The yellow one had a long face, his armor glistened with black and pale grey streaks, his pale colours contrasted with the sunlight almost perfectly. His wings were folded, the dark splash of colour covered even his titanium joints. He was a bit shorter than the other two, but Vile knew that his weaponry was distinct. "Nova Xenica, I presume," Vile smiled and shook his new servant's hand. His servant remained expressionless, but returned the favour. "Sir, you are aware that they are not sentient as us," Agile said. "They are at best, rudimentary intelligence." "It never hurts to be courteous to one's guests, Agile." Agile shook his head slightly. Vile certainly was an interesting employer to be working for. Agile knew that the three new ones had basic tactics and intelligence. Of course, they were comparable to the Robot Masters built before World War Three. Hence the reason why Vile insisted on calling them that; comparing them to Reploids seemed distasteful. Agile saw an advantage though. Because these three did not have Core programming as the rest of the Reploid race, they would never go Maverick. They would also never go insane from degradation. They would survive long after Agile himself was dead. "This is the one that controls electrical fields and produces plasma auras, correct?" Vile asked. "Yes, Nova Xenica is also capable of bending light to a certain degree." "Ah, right, to be invisible and such," Vile laughed. "I remember that addition now. Well, how about the next one?" The dark green one stood forward, but Vile did not shake his hand. His face was round and bulbous with no facial expression whatsoever. The two antennae were metal chains, and his limbs were thin and sharpened as blades. They were long, like a praying mantis, however the tips were sharp and incredibly dangerous. "This would be Synth Locust," Vile nodded his head as he spoke. "The one that can distort his limbs. Difficult to get one's hands on bio-synthetic material such as this. The silk of a spider combined with the deadly abilities of an assassin." "Yes sir, however he was not the most expensive one to build," said Agile. "Yes, but they all took a large part of my budget. After rebuilding you and Iris with my best technology, rebuilding Sigma's core hologram, and rebuilding Mars' defence, I was lucky enough to build three Robot Masters," Vile laughed. "Hopefully, three will be able to do the job that eight could never manage. I simply am not made of that much money." "Well sir, it is more difficult to come by this technology at a fair price after five years ago. Once the war was over, it became rare to come across these types of battle systems." "Yes...but I am sure that even this one," Vile pointed to the black one. "This one could do the job that not even all of Sigma's men could do. It carries within it, the Maverick virus itself." Agile shuddered. He knew that only something as simple as a Robot Master could be a carrier for such a deadly attack. He also knew that the black one was one of the most dangerous machines ever designed by Mavericks. The black one could rival Sigma's best work. The black one stood proud with a smile. It's only programming was to emote sadism. It relished in torture. Somehow, Vile had found a way to infect humans with the Maverick virus; possibly through nanites, Agile wasn't sure. The black one had a tail that resembled a scorpion, with limbs that resulted in sharp claw-like fingers and a rib-cage exo-skeleton all painted black. "Argasid Domina..." Vile trailed off. "This one was easily the most expensive one. Yes, he will be on the frontlines to come." "Sir, the design of these robots, should I say," Agile paused. "Is simply astounding." "I always was fond of insects," Vile smiled. "Such power and grace." "Sir, shall I pack them with the rest of the jet for departure to Venus?" Agile bowed slightly. "Yes, that would be quite nice. In fact, perhaps we should leave for Venus immediately. I have a few things I need to take care of first." *** It wasn't the largest house in the Marbolis suburbs. But it was in the cozy small part that every big city has. Anyi was currently setting the table for four persons. It was a simple circular table behind the couch in the livingroom. Old carpeting and an old digital television set added to the dark wood hues of the entranceway and lead into the white tiles of the kitchen. Stairs climbed upwards to the second floor, an antique railing that squeaked whenever someone went up or down. In fact, everything about this house was old. It was the oldest part of town and was at least an hour drive from the New Sydney Center. Still, Anyi had always considered it an important part of her life. Although she loved machines and worked with them all day, she still appreciated coming back home to the only place she had ever known that still had trees and grass near the sidewalks. Even though there were no animals, except for the occasional pet, there were plenty of plants and wildlife. Even pets were rare, ever since the complete destruction of the Australian habitat. Anyi remembered stories about how it held onto the edge of complete environmental failure before the last World War. She smiled, breathing in the musty air of her home. Since her father was a collector of old things, this house had become a testament to her family history. Her mother even had old newspaper clippings of Rock upstairs in the attic. 'I forgot just how much I missed home,' thought Anyi as the scent of scalloped potatoes wafted in from the open kitchen just behind her. She turned to see her mother, her faded blonde hair pulled back in a net with an apron covering her blue dress, pulling them out of the oven unit. Her mother never really liked cooking, however it was difficult to avoid learning it from her grandmother before she had passed away a few years ago. Anyi turned back and set the last plate down. Her mother had insisted on using the good china tonight, seeing as how she only ever got to use it for her guests, which were rare. Her father was sitting in the leather recliner, watching television. His clean face interrupted by a bit of stubble and wild brown hair tussled to cover his bald spot. Just as Anyi set the last glass down, there was a knock at the door. Anyi's mother was already there to answer it. "Please come in, Mr. Layne," her mother said. Their door was an old fashioned wooden door, much like X's own door. Anyi guessed that her house was probably as old as the Petersen building, which was one of the oldest buildings in Cluster One. "Thank you kindly, Mrs. Solieu," X replied smoothly. His dark blue overcoat was a little wet from rain that was beginning to start outside. "Yes, I'm glad I made it here this soon, otherwise I would have been caught in those incoming rainclouds." Anyi's mother laughed, "Well, dinner is nearly ready, so please come in and have a seat." She took X's jacket and hung it up on the wooden coatrack. X followed Anyi's mother past the shotgun in the hall. It was then that X decided to comment on how old everything in this place was. His curiousity seemed peeked by the old-style weapon in the hall. Surely, X had never even seen one in reality before. "Ah, well, my husband Peter is an antique collector," Mrs. Solieu smiled and went back into the kitchen. X let out a low whistle. "The oldest gun I've ever seen was a Seamus Particle Beam Collector," X said. That's when the old, gritty, but somewhat nasal voice popped up from the couch. "Type-3 from 2056, I imagine is what you're talking about?" said Mr. Solieu. He turned his leather chair away from the television currently broadcasting the news portion of a program. "Yes, I picked up a bit of an interest with my military service," X smiled. "How did you ever come across a piece like this, though?" "Well, Sheila's father served in the war and he got me interested in it as well," the somewhat old man pointed at his wife. Anyi smiled and waved hello silently after smoothing out the wrinkles in the table cloth. Anyi's father went back to watching television and X sat down at the table in front of Anyi. He drank in the old atmosphere. At best, he would only see this sort of house in an heritage museum. It seemed a little strange walking about in a house where he was probably the newest thing in it. 'Well, except maybe the good china,' X thought as he examined the pink decals splashed against the edges of the pale grey plates. "I'm glad you could come here, ...um," Anyi trailed off after noting the presence of her parents. "Arnold." X laughed under his breath, "Usually I don't care if someone calls me by my real name. But, in this case, it may be for the best." Anyi whispered back, "I dunno if it is for the best. You certainly don't look like an Arnold to me. Maybe Andrew or James, but definitely not an Arnold." They both laughed silently and sat down at the table. That's when they both heard a loud grunt of disapproval from Anyi's father. Something on the television was obviously a bit upsetting. "After the assault and abduction of a Reploid servant two days ago, police have begun investigating possible leads from customers at the last location that Mr. Farethan and his servant were last seen together," the news anchorwoman read the notes off the page until she disappeared in a flicker. Mr. Solieu had turned off the television set. "I hate hearing about those damn bolts," said Anyi's father. "If that servant's disappeared, I say good riddance. Besides, the guy that took it won't get far. Not stealing from one of the senator's personal council." X was getting uncomfortable, Anyi could tell. Anyi hadn't turned to look at the screen, but X had. Anyi knew that her father had a problem with Reploids, but she hoped it wouldn't come up. X, on the other hand, looked a little spooked. "What's wrong?" whispered Anyi. "I really should have asked where Zinc had come from," X replied. "I think Zero might have 'freed' our new friend." Anyi realized suddenly what X was talking about, "That news broadcast about the missing reploid... Zinc?" X slowly nodded. "Which means they may be looking for him when we pass through airport security. I better talk to Zero before we leave tomorrow morning." Anyi shifted in her chair a little, knowing that the situation for getting off the planet tomorrow would be more difficult than she had previously thought. Her worrying, however, was interrupted by a stronger scent of roasted garlic when Anyi's mother walked into the livingroom with a metal tray. "Alright, here we are," Anyi's mother began putting the seperate dishes into bowls from her tray and she brought it back to the kitchen. Anyi's father came over and sat down across from X. Then Mrs. Solieu came back and they all sat down in silence for half a minute before eating. They then all began to serve themselves. "So, Arnold, was it?" Anyi's father asked. X nodded. "Where is that accent from? Sounds like you're from Canada." Anyi smiled inwardly. Actually, his accents were from the United States of America. The only problem was that the USA, where he was originally built, had been gone for nearly fifty years. The Americans survived by moving further south and taking most of South America and all of Central America. Now, Canada had moved a bit further south, losing their north to Russia and parts of Asia. "Yes, I'm from Canada, that's where I served in the military," X lied blatantly. "Ah, really? So what is it you do now?" asked Mr. Solieu. "Well, I teach at the local university," X replied. "I host AI seminars for computer students." "I see, we can always use more 'computers'," X noted a lot of hidden sarcasm in that tone of voice. X decided to just say nothing and finish eating. Anyi got worried that perhaps her father would continue. Anyi's mother tried to save the conversation by talking about Anyi's work at the Planetarium. X and Mrs. Solieu were discussing Ivan, the proprietor of the old place. Anyi's father just sat there, glaring. Anyi could tell X was getting the third degree from her father. She knew that her father was angry; it was stupid for X to come here. What did she really think her parents' reactions would be? She looked over at her mother. Her mother seemed to be more embarrassed than she was, but still continued talking with X. The roof began to tap as rain started. "So, where on Venus will you be staying?" Anyi's mother continued the conversation. "Oh...well, I believe we will be staying with a friend of mine," X smiled. Zero said that accomodations shouldn't be a problem. "Why are you going to Venus?" Anyi's father looked up from his meal. "The only thing I know is there is a bunch of lawless communities. Can't imagine why anyone would want to live there." "Well, we're only going there for a conference," X tried his best to smile. The rain began to bleat against the aluminum roof. "Well, it certainly sounds like responsible work," Anyi's mother tried to pick up her husband's lack of etiquette. "Although I am curious to know what Anyi is so busy doing for you?" "She's my assistant, as I said earlier. She has been helping me with some government work," X replied. "Hopefully you got enough information to warrant her getting that badly injured in that 'accident'" Anyi's father seemed intent on showing his disapproval of X. Probably because he was afraid of X putting his daughter in danger once again. The wind shuttered against the windows and rumbled the front door. Anyi knew that X would put her in danger again, but she chose to remain anyway. "I offered her at every point to leave, and she never did," X smiled politely. "She certainly is the most trusted and brightest assistant I've ever had." "Could everyone please stop referring to me as if I'm not here," Anyi said, a little annoyed. She could tell that this entire situation was about to break apart, and she was starting to get angry at her father. "Well, thanks for staying by her side until we got there," Anyi's mother replied. To that, Anyi was a little shocked. "It means a lot to us that you stayed with her at the hospital." X had stayed by her side all that time? Maybe she shouldn't be surprised. He waited by her side when Eugene had attacked her earlier. But then, why had X left the hospital just as she woke up? "All I know is she got hurt and that kid that she was with died from a gunshot wound," Her father continued. "Government work indeed. The only thing that dangerous these days is trying to kill those damn bolts. Or protect them." "Look, what do you want from me?" X said. He wasn't one to take it lying down. His frustration with Anyi's father was growing. The rain outside began to beat wildly against the glass. "You're teaching AI seminars...I thought they had been banned to discourage Supporters like you," Mr. Solieu's voice rose a little. "Well," X gritted his teeth. "If that is how you feel about those 'damn bolts', perhaps it would be best if I left." X was noticeably frustrated from such a sensitive issue. The fork in his hands snapped with ease; he stood up from the table, grabbed his jacket and headed out into the pouring rain. Anyi couldn't believe what had just happened. Why was her father so angry at him? He never seemed to approve of her and her studies. And she would let him know. "You!," Anyi stood up from the table, her fists clenched. "You are a horrible man!" Anyi's father reeled a bit from the insult. Her mild-mannered daughter would never say anything like that...unless she really meaned it. Anyi knew that he never approved of her interest in machines. He was a purist, which was why they had so many old-fashioned antiques in the house. She felt herself beginning to cry, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She felt like he was more disapproving of her association with X then of X himself. She turned and ran upstairs to her bedroom. Anyi's mother jumped a little when the door to Anyi's bedroom slammed shut. *** "Hit me," Zinc said, looking at the cards in his hands. The suitcases were packed and lying against the broken couch in the laboratory. Even though they had cleaned it a few days ago, it still seemed dank and rusted. Still, it didn't stop them from having a nice friendly game of-- "Poker," Zero sighed. "Zinc, this is Poker. You're not supposed to...Nevermind." Zero just shook his head. Zinc shrugged, "Bah, whatever. Give me some cards then." Zero, the dealer, took some of the cards off the top and gave them to Zinc. All three of them, including Roll, were sitting about the table. They were all holding cards. Zero had suggested it, not knowing what else they could do. None of them had really wanted to go to sleep, and Zero thought this would be a good way for Zinc and Roll to get to know eachother. Zero hoped that perhaps Roll could overcome her anxiety around Zinc once she realized just how much more ...erratic, Zinc's behaviour was compared to her brother. He assumed that they all knew how to play Poker. It was how X and he had spent a few long hours during the Reploid War. A few other Hunters got together with them and they played, trading workshift hours. Zero remembered that when he was particularly anxious for a fight, he would lose on purpose. "Ooh, I think this is a good hand," Zinc smiled. Zero shook his head again. It was a good thing Zinc had never played with the hunters back in the war; he'd probably still be out on patrol. "You're not supposed to tell us...nevermind." Zero looked at his hand. He was happy with three of a kind and decided to just stick with it. Of course, he shouldn't forget the new player. Zero had heard that she was particularly good at card games from Anyi. Apparently she had dug up all sorts of memory files involving card games when she was re-activating Roll. Zero shifted forward in his chair a little, waiting for the young girl to make a move. She sat there, looking rather uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, maybe Zinc knows how to play this game, but I still don't get it," Roll said. She seemed a little frustrated. It seemed like her thoughts were definitely not on the game. Zero ignored the tension and tried to help her out. "Hmm, well, a pair would be pretty nice," Zero started. "Although getting all of them of one suit would also be nice, or three of a kind..." "Oh. Well, that's not too good," Roll sighed. "This is all I have." She laid down her cards, and she was right. There were no pairs, no flush, no three of a kinds. Only a straight. A very high straight. "Ah, crap, I fold," Zinc put his cards down on the table. *** The rain was pouring down incredibly hard, soaking X's hair and overcoat. The cold wind, untypical of summer, blew against his face. If he had been human, he might have cared about his health. He stood there, hair drenched across his face and overcoat blowing madly in the wind. He was looking down at the immense multi-colored skyscrapers which seemed to stretch on towards the horizon. He was still up on the hill, near the end of Anyi's street. She lived far out of town on a high rise, giving a rather spectacular view of the rest of the city. The grey clouds made the city seem cold and dead, and also seemed to sum up X's feelings at that time. 'Why do I always let the really stupid ones get to me,' thought X. He had been putting up with their racism for years, but it had never really got to him like that. Did Anyi feel the same way her father did, back there. No, of course not. But then, how could she avoid growing up to think like that. He had thought that children normally emulate their parents. He sighed and sat down on the wet bench. His clothes had soaked through, ruining his white shirt, but he didn't really care. He simply kept staring down at the city. The city that he once tried so desperately to protect. The city that refused to protect him back. "X!" the voice rang out loudly, but muffled by the rain and wind. Still, only one person knew his name. He turned around to see Anyi, but was rather surprised. Standing in the rain, at the end of the street, was Anyi's mother. Her grey hair had fallen out of place, her yellow poncho covering her chest. Still, he could tell from a simple scan, that her body temperature was dropping. It certainly was not in her best interest to be outside. "Mrs. Solieu, please," X got up and went to her quickly. "You shouldn't be out here!" "X, I couldn't just let you go like that," Mrs. Solieu looked up at him. "I'm so sorry about my husband, Peter." "It's alright, a lot of people feel that way," X sighed. "I guess I'm just going to have to give people like him some time." That's when the point finally reached home. "Waitaminute..." X stood straight and backed off a bit. "How did you know my real name?" Mrs. Solieu smiled. "Rock was always sort of a legend on my side of the family. My mother used to know him personally, but that was a long time ago. Still, she used to talk about him and about you. Apparently, you used to shop in her bakery." The bakery. X remembered it well. He used to shop in that bakery every morning, just before he started work. It seemed to be a perfect, calm way to start the day. It was ironic that he only got his sense of taste shortly before the bakery was gone and Evelyn died. The same Evelyn sitting in the theatre. The same...Evelyn? X reeled back physically. These new memory files of Rock included a little girl named Evelyn. The same little girl that he met in the bakery. "No wait, that's not right," X tried to sort the memories properly. That little girl used-- "When I needed a babysitter, I used to send my daughter to be with my grandmother," Mrs. Solieu sighed. "She loved working there and I know my grandmother would have loved to have me. Still, I had my own life. When she died, I sold the place. Ever since, I've been wondering if that was really the right decision..." "Your daughter, Anyi," X couldn't believe it. He extrapolated a growth analysis of Evelyn and realized that other than the hair colour, Anyi and Evelyn looked almost identical. He simply couldn't believe it. He had suspected, but had never really confirmed that Anyi was a direct relation to Dr. Light. He looked down at the ground. "Is Anyi okay? I'm sorry I left like that," X said, coming back to his senses. Mrs. Solieu just shrugged and sat down on the bench. "She's upset with her father. She never really did get along with him, they are simply too very different people. Peter came down hard on you, not because of your history, but because what you did caused harm to our precious little girl. I can't say that I feel differently either." X shook his head. "I had no idea what we would find...I suspect there are some guerilla left-overs from the War." Mrs. Solieu shuddered. "I'm worried, but she still insists on going with you." Mrs. Solieu took X's hand. "She trusts you, and so maybe I should trust you too. I'm just not used to her having such a good friend." X smiled, "I'm grateful that she can trust me." "You're the first person she's ever really trusted outside of family before. She was never very good at getting along with anyone. Always in the basement tinkering with her latest invention. So much like her great great uncle. She's always been more comfortable around machines, I guess." X shrugged, "Well, I know what that's like. Because of the war, Reploids make me a bit edgy. I'm so used to ...destroying them, that I only really ever got to know Zero and a few others. Ever since I've left, making friends with humans has been a lot easier for me...even if most of them are against my kind." Mrs. Solieu stood up slowly, her voice beginning to crack from all the wind and rain, "Well, let's go back. My husband left in anger, but he'll be fine. You should come and get dried off." *** X picked up the fine-tooth comb and began running it through his hair to get as much water out as possible. His hair was still drenched and his shirt was hanging to dry. He looked at himself in the mirror. Other than his hair, the rest of his body was free of the rain. He draped the towel over his shoulder, grabbed his shirt, and headed out into the hallway. The upstairs part of the house was a bit smaller than downstairs, the one hallway which lead down into the staircase. X headed for the end of the hall, because he was told that was where the dryer was. He put his shirt in the dryer and hit the button. 'I hope Anyi's feeling okay,' X was a bit worried. He hadn't seen Anyi since he had come back. Still, he could hear her in her room; hopefully sleeping, but probably crying. Mrs. Solieu warned X that Anyi got really upset when X had left in anger. Perhaps he had better go apologize to her. He grabbed his shirt out of the dryer; at least one thing was modern around here, trying to dry a shirt with an old model would take at least five more minutes. He half-put the shirt on and walked back down the hall. He stopped outside the room with a picture of Megaman 2: Dr.Wily's Return; a videogame for a very old console system. Her name was scrawled on the door, obviously made when she was very young. He knocked on the door lightly. He heard shifting from the bed inside and the door opened slowly. "Can I come in?" asked X. Anyi looked up at him and smiled weakly. She invited him into the room and sat back down on her bed. The room's walls were a bit bare, only a few small posters of diagrams and a number of videogames. Her desk and parts of the floor were littered with all sorts of mechanical scraps and pieces. "Are you feeling okay?" asked X. Anyi sighed and proceeded to lie down on her bed. "I should be asking you the same question," Anyi hugged onto her white pillow. "X, I'm so sorry that my father made you angry like that. I knew he felt that way, but I never imagined he would get so mad at you." X smiled, "Anyi... he wasn't mad because he knew who I was; he didn't. Your mother knew, but he didn't. He got mad because he was worried about you; he wanted to protect you from harm. I can understand that." X sat down on the floor in order to look at Anyi, face to face, "Your mother clued me in on a few things. I had no idea why you were upset this morning in the restaurant. But she told me about how you used to help out at the bakery." "I forgot about meeting you in the bakery, I was so young," Anyi smiled. "I couldn't have been more than 10 at the time." X smiled. Then he realized something fairly crucial. "So...you're only...17 years old?" the thought of that made X's head spin. He had guessed, twenty at the very least. "Yeah...I lie about my age a lot. It's bad enough being a genius, but being a kid genius..." Anyi sighed. "A whole lotta good my brains did me. It only made the other kids hate me more. And they just kept getting older as I kept getting higher and higher in grades. I finished a Phd just last year..." X held onto her hand, "Don't let them bother you, you should be proud of your work. Besides, I would like to think you have a few friends now." "One very good friend," Anyi smiled. "My mother told me that she met you outside the hospital. I had no idea that you were there, but she said that you had waited by my side the whole time I was asleep." "I was worried about you," X realized that was only half of the truth, but he didn't really know why. He also realized that they had started whispering. "Thank you so much," a tear started to streak across her cheek once again. "Except for my family, I've always sorta been alone. And even though I insist on burying myself in work, you at least make sure that I go with you guys for lunch." X smiled again. The rain outside started to slow down to a gentle patter, the room was still dark; Anyi had simply left the light off. The two stared at eachother in silence. X became afraid to look away. "I've never known anyone like you," said X. "Or like...this." Anyi grasped his hand tightly and leaned forward a bit. "I thought that maybe it was because I was a bit tipsy...that one time, at your place." X leaned a little closer to hear her, "What do you mean?" "I just wanted to...," Anyi leaned further forward, but X didn't back away. Instead, he went forward as well, his chest tightening in anxiety. It was a gentle kiss, so light that X barely felt it. Yet it was sustained, and he could not help but press further. So simple and yet, suddenly everything he was feeling started to fall into place. Or maybe it was all just so nicely out of place. The rain outside came to a stop. Her eyes closed gently and she fell asleep in their embrace. X stroked her hair and put the blanket at the foot of her bed over her body. He stood up and left the room. *** Author's Comments: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm a trekkie. I can't write "love scenes" worth a damn. I'm sure all the fangirls feel gipped. Anyway, let's look at an interesting fact, shall we? Okay, X is the...well, I suppose you could say son of Dr. Light. Making him Anyi's great uncle. Not to mention she had a crush on him since she was a little girl. So...let's see, X decides to kiss an underage girl who is not only (somewhat) directly related to her, but also knew her when she was just a little girl. Boy, that's just wrong, somehow. Tune in next time, when I summarize everything up to this point and help you guys follow the story. I know my writing has been convuluting the plot, so hopefully I can clear up a few things for you. 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