Chapter Two: Lyrics
Despite popular belief, Reploids were not limited to pods. More than anything, X wanted to be resting in his bed—it felt better to him, somehow. However, he was still on call, and as such, he was relegated to the Recharge Room until his time was up or he was called.
X opened his eyes and, with a sigh, opened his pod. He shook his head several times to shake away drowsiness before removing his helmet. Bouncy brunette hair flared out of its confinement, and X ran a hand through it. He hadn't gotten a call, but it seemed the more he slept in a bed, the harder it was to rest in a pod.
He looked over at Zero's, expecting it to be empty, be it Zero got a call or just was restless. To X's surprise, Zero was still in his pod, despite it still being open. X crept quietly to his friend's side, and with a smile, saw the look of contented peace on Zero's face. Relief flooded X, for recently Zero suffered from nightmares, but it was good he would get at least one night of good sleep, provided Cain didn't call him…
With the upmost gentleness, X brushed away some stray hair from Zero's smooth face. Sleep well, Zero.
Without really thinking, X pressed a feather-soft kiss against Zero's forehead. No worries, no nightmares.
With that, a sudden tiredness assaulted X, and he dragged himself back into his pod. Without even bothering to close it, he instantly went into hibernate mode.
Moments later, Zero smiled.
--Morning--
"X…"
X moaned, and he used his arms to cover his face as sound shook him from hibernation state. "Noooo…"
"Yes, lazy. Wake up."
X covered his face with his hands, and then parted his fingers to reveal one eye. "Go away, Zero. I didn't sleep well."
"I sure did," Zero smiled. "Had a good dream."
"Do tell."
"Nah. Get up." Without another word, Zero grabbed X's arm and pulled him out of the pod, even as X struggled.
"Noooo, I want to sleep a little more!"
"Not if I can't. Up to it, soldier!" Zero let his friend go and crossed his arms like he'd seen Colonel do. "Atten-tion!"
X stood in mock salute. "Happy, Commander?"
"Don't mock me; let's go to Cain's office. Says he got a job for us."
"Yeah, whatever."
With X grumbling the whole way, and Zero seeming to be in a very odd yet good mood, the pair made their way to the doctor's main office. Passing hunters offered greetings, but surprisingly, it was mostly Zero who responded. It was almost as if the universe reversed itself for a day.
At Cain's office, the doctor looked up from his desk—which was just swathed with papers—and wordlessly handed Zero a piece of paper. Zero read it, and frowned slightly.
"A human woman's Reploid parts have gone Maverick?"
Cain looked up from his papers again. "I'm sure you've heard. When humans have accidents, whatever parts they need replaced gets replaced with Reploid parts. Now it seems those parts are viable to being infected with the Virus. Her hand, which is the Reploid part, has become infected and somehow now has a destructive ability. I've sent lesser ranked hunters, but if she touches them with that hand, they mal-function. It's up to you. Be careful, though, as she is still mostly human."
Zero snorted, but when he looked at X, the blue Reploid was no longer a disgruntled soldier who's had little sleep. He was fully attentive—all because one human was in danger. Couldn't a newbie handle it? Why two high-ranked Hunters?
Zero sighed; whatever the reason, he couldn't just disobey orders. "We're on it." And with those words, were gone in flashes of indigo and crimson.
Arrival at the coordinates given to them revealed a woman hunched over and sobbing into her hands. An entire building has been leveled, and several bodies of humans and Reploids, all unmoving, were scattered around. X winced, and Zero placed a hand on his shoulder.
When the two took a step toward the woman, she looked up at the sound of their gears. She scrambled to her feet and X held his hands up in peace.
"Please cooperate," he said kindly. "We want to help you. We understand you're having problems. Please just do as we say and we'll solve it."
"You can't!" she shrieked. She held her hand out to them, and Zero could see where the artificial skin had scrapped off, and the metal now gleamed. It sparked several times. "I can't control it!"
"Please just calm down—"
Zero shoved X as the woman launched herself at them. With a grunt, X landed hard on his side, and when he heard Zero draw his saber, X was nearly gripped with hysteria.
"Be careful Zero, she's…!"
Zero either didn't hear him, or didn't care. The woman sobbed as she jerked herself toward him, the metal hand glowing threateningly. Zero held his saber out, waiting for the woman to make a move.
She did, launching her body at him. Zero side-stepped her and swung out with his saber.
Burnt flesh and the woman's screams stopped X dead in his tracks.
The Reploid hand flew into the air and, without looking, Zero swung overhead as it flew down. With one swing, he destroyed the part, even as the woman fell to the ground and shrieked, clutching her wrist that was smoking.
"Get her to a hospital, X!" Zero commanded. "The radar is going nuts—there's another Maverick nearby!"
X stood motionless, and only moved when Zero shouted his name again. X tackled the woman and teleported them away just as the ground started to shake.
--Later, at HQ--
As it turns out, the cut Zero inflicted on the woman was exactly where the Reploid hand attached to human flesh. X could never wrap his mind over just how precise Zero was with his saber, but was nonetheless happy that very little damage was caused to the woman. Maybe that was the reason Cain sent them instead of rookies. Regardless, after calming down, she had asked X to tell Zero, 'Ether is thankful to him'.
After relaying the message when Zero returned (who reported the Maverick was actually an infected droid that the woman had with her to keep her hand in good shape), the red-clad Reploid nodded and decided to retire in the Recharge Room. X followed him, claiming a nap sounded pretty good.
Both laid in their pods, although neither fell asleep. Eventually, X decided to try at the violin again, although this attempt was no better than the other. He nearly threw the violin case at Zero's smirking face.
"So I can't play a violin," X sulked.
"That's why they say you practice."
"Whatever, I'm taking a nap." X put the instrument away and, lying on his side, let his systems shut down.
Zero sat up, as X's attempt now roused in him the desire to play himself. Careful to be as noiseless as possible, Zero pulled out his own violin and quietly played their song, X's form seeming to relax more as the soft song filled the air of the room, and Zero closed his eyes. Unbidden, words began to type in his mind.
You were always there to hold my hand
When times were hard to understand.
But now the tides of time have turned
They keep changing...
Seasons range, but you remained the same
A steady heart, a sun to rain.
You'll be the light that's shining bright
High above me...
Sometimes I feel I don't have the words
Sometimes I feel I'm not being heard.
And then I fear I'm feeling nothing more.
Sometimes I feel I don't want this change
I think we all have to rearrange.
And now I feel there's no one losing more...
A symphony resounding in our minds
Guides us through as you hear me...
As you do as you need me.
Making true what we knew would come all along...
X stirred but didn't awaken. Zero opened his eyes and the lyrics, so clear, suddenly dispersed and he could hardly recall a word, although he did want to write them down. With a shrug, he put his violin away and moved to X's side.
"Sleep well," was all he said, although his eyes said so much more. Hair flowing gracefully, Zero exited the room.
X smiled, and rolled over.
Out of the pod our little blue friend went.
"Ow!"
~*~
Zero sighed for the tenth time in three minutes as he watched the sunset. X was still asleep, although he apparently woke himself up shortly after Zero left the room, and from what he heard, Ether was discharged from the hospital with a new hand that was Virus-free. Before he knew it, Zero was humming the song, eyes proof that he was anywhere but there.
Zero jerked back to reality when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder, and when he turned, large brown eyes met his.
"I-Iris…" Zero mumbled. "Sorry. I was off in my own little world."
"I noticed," the female Reploid said. She smiled gently, her voice naturally sweet. "That song you're humming, it's quite beautiful. Did you make it up?"
"Ah." Zero shrugged, embarrassed. "Thanks… yeah, I did. What're you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you again."
Iris laughed, and Zero smiled. "A visit," was her simple answer. Then her sweet eyes became teasing as she peered up at her friend. "Ahh, the almighty Zero is in love! With whom?"
"Er, what?" Zero blinked. "How do you know? If I was. I mean, I'm not, of course, what makes you say so?"
Iris giggled, a high-pitched girlish giggle that wasn't all that hard on the ears. "It was a romantic sounding song. I figured you made it up for someone you love. So who's the lucky person?"
"No one," Zero mumbled. "I don't have time for that, you know that well enough."
"Ah, well," Iris cleared her throat. It was no secret she and Zero had attempted a relationship. However, it was as Zero said—his occupation, and even hers to an extent, left no time for an actual working relationship. Whatever feelings were there were, sadly, swept under the rug of duty.
"So what's up? Colonel here too?" Zero coughed to dispel the uneasy silence.
"Oh, no…" Iris clasped her hands behind her back, half-turning her body. "We're leaving for America soon. Repliforce has a new branch and, as Colonel, he has to go oversee it. And, well, I have to go with him."
"A branch in America has been something Repliforce has been trying for. Congratulations."
"I'll tell Brother that," Iris said. "They even gave me a job, and I know I'm going to hate it."
Zero chuckled. "Well… if it's any consolation…" although he knew better than to say it, Zero did mean his next statement. "I'll miss you."
"We can e-mail," Iris tapped her hat. "And visits aren't too far-fetched, are they?"
"Short ones, maybe."
Silence.
"I better go. I just wanted to tell you…" Iris looked at the ground. Was she hoping he'd hug or kiss her?
Zero put a hand on her shoulder instead. "Do your best, Iris. I'll see you around."
It was enough apparently, because her cute smile blossomed on her face. "Yeah! See you later, Zero."
When she was gone, Zero turned back to the window, where the sun was almost fully set. "Seems like everyone's going," he mumbled.
"Yeah, but you're still stuck with me."
Zero glanced over his shoulder. "X?"
His friend waved. "Hi. And before you ask, yes, I fell out of my pod again. Laugh and die."
Despite the serious look on his face, Zero knew X wouldn't hurt him. Safe with that knowledge, the blond burst out laughing.
"I said laugh and die!" X cried, frowning.
"You'd never hurt me. I'm your best buddy."
"I hate it when you point that out sometimes…" X looked to where Iris was and, with a frown, continued. "Hanging with Iris, huh? I'm sure you want to savor the moment, so I'll leave."
Zero sighed, although he felt it was karma. While he and Double hated each other and drove X crazy, X and Iris hardly got along and drove Zero completely bonkers. X, when annoyed, wasn't afraid to be a bastard. He had been very rude to Iris on some occasions, and always earned a scolding from Zero. Talking like a jerk toward Double was different than talking like a jerk to Iris—after all, Iris was a lady.
"Don't get jealous," Zero teased. "We're not together anymore."
"Too bad she wishes so damn hard you were," X sneered. "Poor wittle Iris, doesn't get what she wants so she clings like a leech."
Zero sighed. "You're in a pissy mood."
"I'm in pain; I fell out of my pod."
"I'm sure it hurts quite bad to talk smack behind someone's back when they're a thousand times better company than your friend."
X sighed, and began to walk with Zero, shoulder to shoulder, touching slightly. "Sorry. I know that was rude and insensitive of me, but there's just something about Iris I don't like."
"I know, but you can't get mad at me for being an ass to Double and not expect me to get mad for you being a bastard to Iris."
"Fine, fine, I'll stop getting mad."
Zero shrugged. "So what's up? You just walking around?"
"Came to find you, like I always do."
Zero grinned, catching X in a headlock. "You know," he said to the struggling X, "you keep following me around people will get the wrong idea!"
"Yeah right! Leggo! ZERO!"
Zero smirked near X's face, and the proximity made X feel his face heat up. Was he blushing? No way. Not with Zero.
He managed to get out of Zero's headlock, and turned to yell at Zero, who held his hands up with a grin. Their banter went back and forth as they walked toward the cafeteria, escalating to a near shout fest when X saw something flash bright green in the corner of his eye.
He turned and looked, and Zero did as well. Where X stared, Zero's eyes turned just a bit murderous.
Delia stood at the other end of the hall.
<--- PREVIOUS CHAPTER NEXT CHAPTER --->
Despite popular belief, Reploids were not limited to pods. More than anything, X wanted to be resting in his bed—it felt better to him, somehow. However, he was still on call, and as such, he was relegated to the Recharge Room until his time was up or he was called.
X opened his eyes and, with a sigh, opened his pod. He shook his head several times to shake away drowsiness before removing his helmet. Bouncy brunette hair flared out of its confinement, and X ran a hand through it. He hadn't gotten a call, but it seemed the more he slept in a bed, the harder it was to rest in a pod.
He looked over at Zero's, expecting it to be empty, be it Zero got a call or just was restless. To X's surprise, Zero was still in his pod, despite it still being open. X crept quietly to his friend's side, and with a smile, saw the look of contented peace on Zero's face. Relief flooded X, for recently Zero suffered from nightmares, but it was good he would get at least one night of good sleep, provided Cain didn't call him…
With the upmost gentleness, X brushed away some stray hair from Zero's smooth face. Sleep well, Zero.
Without really thinking, X pressed a feather-soft kiss against Zero's forehead. No worries, no nightmares.
With that, a sudden tiredness assaulted X, and he dragged himself back into his pod. Without even bothering to close it, he instantly went into hibernate mode.
Moments later, Zero smiled.
--Morning--
"X…"
X moaned, and he used his arms to cover his face as sound shook him from hibernation state. "Noooo…"
"Yes, lazy. Wake up."
X covered his face with his hands, and then parted his fingers to reveal one eye. "Go away, Zero. I didn't sleep well."
"I sure did," Zero smiled. "Had a good dream."
"Do tell."
"Nah. Get up." Without another word, Zero grabbed X's arm and pulled him out of the pod, even as X struggled.
"Noooo, I want to sleep a little more!"
"Not if I can't. Up to it, soldier!" Zero let his friend go and crossed his arms like he'd seen Colonel do. "Atten-tion!"
X stood in mock salute. "Happy, Commander?"
"Don't mock me; let's go to Cain's office. Says he got a job for us."
"Yeah, whatever."
With X grumbling the whole way, and Zero seeming to be in a very odd yet good mood, the pair made their way to the doctor's main office. Passing hunters offered greetings, but surprisingly, it was mostly Zero who responded. It was almost as if the universe reversed itself for a day.
At Cain's office, the doctor looked up from his desk—which was just swathed with papers—and wordlessly handed Zero a piece of paper. Zero read it, and frowned slightly.
"A human woman's Reploid parts have gone Maverick?"
Cain looked up from his papers again. "I'm sure you've heard. When humans have accidents, whatever parts they need replaced gets replaced with Reploid parts. Now it seems those parts are viable to being infected with the Virus. Her hand, which is the Reploid part, has become infected and somehow now has a destructive ability. I've sent lesser ranked hunters, but if she touches them with that hand, they mal-function. It's up to you. Be careful, though, as she is still mostly human."
Zero snorted, but when he looked at X, the blue Reploid was no longer a disgruntled soldier who's had little sleep. He was fully attentive—all because one human was in danger. Couldn't a newbie handle it? Why two high-ranked Hunters?
Zero sighed; whatever the reason, he couldn't just disobey orders. "We're on it." And with those words, were gone in flashes of indigo and crimson.
Arrival at the coordinates given to them revealed a woman hunched over and sobbing into her hands. An entire building has been leveled, and several bodies of humans and Reploids, all unmoving, were scattered around. X winced, and Zero placed a hand on his shoulder.
When the two took a step toward the woman, she looked up at the sound of their gears. She scrambled to her feet and X held his hands up in peace.
"Please cooperate," he said kindly. "We want to help you. We understand you're having problems. Please just do as we say and we'll solve it."
"You can't!" she shrieked. She held her hand out to them, and Zero could see where the artificial skin had scrapped off, and the metal now gleamed. It sparked several times. "I can't control it!"
"Please just calm down—"
Zero shoved X as the woman launched herself at them. With a grunt, X landed hard on his side, and when he heard Zero draw his saber, X was nearly gripped with hysteria.
"Be careful Zero, she's…!"
Zero either didn't hear him, or didn't care. The woman sobbed as she jerked herself toward him, the metal hand glowing threateningly. Zero held his saber out, waiting for the woman to make a move.
She did, launching her body at him. Zero side-stepped her and swung out with his saber.
Burnt flesh and the woman's screams stopped X dead in his tracks.
The Reploid hand flew into the air and, without looking, Zero swung overhead as it flew down. With one swing, he destroyed the part, even as the woman fell to the ground and shrieked, clutching her wrist that was smoking.
"Get her to a hospital, X!" Zero commanded. "The radar is going nuts—there's another Maverick nearby!"
X stood motionless, and only moved when Zero shouted his name again. X tackled the woman and teleported them away just as the ground started to shake.
--Later, at HQ--
As it turns out, the cut Zero inflicted on the woman was exactly where the Reploid hand attached to human flesh. X could never wrap his mind over just how precise Zero was with his saber, but was nonetheless happy that very little damage was caused to the woman. Maybe that was the reason Cain sent them instead of rookies. Regardless, after calming down, she had asked X to tell Zero, 'Ether is thankful to him'.
After relaying the message when Zero returned (who reported the Maverick was actually an infected droid that the woman had with her to keep her hand in good shape), the red-clad Reploid nodded and decided to retire in the Recharge Room. X followed him, claiming a nap sounded pretty good.
Both laid in their pods, although neither fell asleep. Eventually, X decided to try at the violin again, although this attempt was no better than the other. He nearly threw the violin case at Zero's smirking face.
"So I can't play a violin," X sulked.
"That's why they say you practice."
"Whatever, I'm taking a nap." X put the instrument away and, lying on his side, let his systems shut down.
Zero sat up, as X's attempt now roused in him the desire to play himself. Careful to be as noiseless as possible, Zero pulled out his own violin and quietly played their song, X's form seeming to relax more as the soft song filled the air of the room, and Zero closed his eyes. Unbidden, words began to type in his mind.
You were always there to hold my hand
When times were hard to understand.
But now the tides of time have turned
They keep changing...
Seasons range, but you remained the same
A steady heart, a sun to rain.
You'll be the light that's shining bright
High above me...
Sometimes I feel I don't have the words
Sometimes I feel I'm not being heard.
And then I fear I'm feeling nothing more.
Sometimes I feel I don't want this change
I think we all have to rearrange.
And now I feel there's no one losing more...
A symphony resounding in our minds
Guides us through as you hear me...
As you do as you need me.
Making true what we knew would come all along...
X stirred but didn't awaken. Zero opened his eyes and the lyrics, so clear, suddenly dispersed and he could hardly recall a word, although he did want to write them down. With a shrug, he put his violin away and moved to X's side.
"Sleep well," was all he said, although his eyes said so much more. Hair flowing gracefully, Zero exited the room.
X smiled, and rolled over.
Out of the pod our little blue friend went.
"Ow!"
~*~
Zero sighed for the tenth time in three minutes as he watched the sunset. X was still asleep, although he apparently woke himself up shortly after Zero left the room, and from what he heard, Ether was discharged from the hospital with a new hand that was Virus-free. Before he knew it, Zero was humming the song, eyes proof that he was anywhere but there.
Zero jerked back to reality when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder, and when he turned, large brown eyes met his.
"I-Iris…" Zero mumbled. "Sorry. I was off in my own little world."
"I noticed," the female Reploid said. She smiled gently, her voice naturally sweet. "That song you're humming, it's quite beautiful. Did you make it up?"
"Ah." Zero shrugged, embarrassed. "Thanks… yeah, I did. What're you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you again."
Iris laughed, and Zero smiled. "A visit," was her simple answer. Then her sweet eyes became teasing as she peered up at her friend. "Ahh, the almighty Zero is in love! With whom?"
"Er, what?" Zero blinked. "How do you know? If I was. I mean, I'm not, of course, what makes you say so?"
Iris giggled, a high-pitched girlish giggle that wasn't all that hard on the ears. "It was a romantic sounding song. I figured you made it up for someone you love. So who's the lucky person?"
"No one," Zero mumbled. "I don't have time for that, you know that well enough."
"Ah, well," Iris cleared her throat. It was no secret she and Zero had attempted a relationship. However, it was as Zero said—his occupation, and even hers to an extent, left no time for an actual working relationship. Whatever feelings were there were, sadly, swept under the rug of duty.
"So what's up? Colonel here too?" Zero coughed to dispel the uneasy silence.
"Oh, no…" Iris clasped her hands behind her back, half-turning her body. "We're leaving for America soon. Repliforce has a new branch and, as Colonel, he has to go oversee it. And, well, I have to go with him."
"A branch in America has been something Repliforce has been trying for. Congratulations."
"I'll tell Brother that," Iris said. "They even gave me a job, and I know I'm going to hate it."
Zero chuckled. "Well… if it's any consolation…" although he knew better than to say it, Zero did mean his next statement. "I'll miss you."
"We can e-mail," Iris tapped her hat. "And visits aren't too far-fetched, are they?"
"Short ones, maybe."
Silence.
"I better go. I just wanted to tell you…" Iris looked at the ground. Was she hoping he'd hug or kiss her?
Zero put a hand on her shoulder instead. "Do your best, Iris. I'll see you around."
It was enough apparently, because her cute smile blossomed on her face. "Yeah! See you later, Zero."
When she was gone, Zero turned back to the window, where the sun was almost fully set. "Seems like everyone's going," he mumbled.
"Yeah, but you're still stuck with me."
Zero glanced over his shoulder. "X?"
His friend waved. "Hi. And before you ask, yes, I fell out of my pod again. Laugh and die."
Despite the serious look on his face, Zero knew X wouldn't hurt him. Safe with that knowledge, the blond burst out laughing.
"I said laugh and die!" X cried, frowning.
"You'd never hurt me. I'm your best buddy."
"I hate it when you point that out sometimes…" X looked to where Iris was and, with a frown, continued. "Hanging with Iris, huh? I'm sure you want to savor the moment, so I'll leave."
Zero sighed, although he felt it was karma. While he and Double hated each other and drove X crazy, X and Iris hardly got along and drove Zero completely bonkers. X, when annoyed, wasn't afraid to be a bastard. He had been very rude to Iris on some occasions, and always earned a scolding from Zero. Talking like a jerk toward Double was different than talking like a jerk to Iris—after all, Iris was a lady.
"Don't get jealous," Zero teased. "We're not together anymore."
"Too bad she wishes so damn hard you were," X sneered. "Poor wittle Iris, doesn't get what she wants so she clings like a leech."
Zero sighed. "You're in a pissy mood."
"I'm in pain; I fell out of my pod."
"I'm sure it hurts quite bad to talk smack behind someone's back when they're a thousand times better company than your friend."
X sighed, and began to walk with Zero, shoulder to shoulder, touching slightly. "Sorry. I know that was rude and insensitive of me, but there's just something about Iris I don't like."
"I know, but you can't get mad at me for being an ass to Double and not expect me to get mad for you being a bastard to Iris."
"Fine, fine, I'll stop getting mad."
Zero shrugged. "So what's up? You just walking around?"
"Came to find you, like I always do."
Zero grinned, catching X in a headlock. "You know," he said to the struggling X, "you keep following me around people will get the wrong idea!"
"Yeah right! Leggo! ZERO!"
Zero smirked near X's face, and the proximity made X feel his face heat up. Was he blushing? No way. Not with Zero.
He managed to get out of Zero's headlock, and turned to yell at Zero, who held his hands up with a grin. Their banter went back and forth as they walked toward the cafeteria, escalating to a near shout fest when X saw something flash bright green in the corner of his eye.
He turned and looked, and Zero did as well. Where X stared, Zero's eyes turned just a bit murderous.
Delia stood at the other end of the hall.
<--- PREVIOUS CHAPTER NEXT CHAPTER --->