Mega Man Fan Fiction ❯ Mega Man X: The New Mavericks - Arc 1: Outbreak ❯ Authorization ( Chapter 1 )

 

 

“Very interesting, Jona.” Kiloh pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as he looked up from the data he was reading. “Far too interesting to be a mere coincidence.”

 

Dien nodded. “Indeed.” He answered. “This is too unusual to be anything but deliberate. The patterns of infection, and even the symptoms all resemble the Maverick virus far too closely to be a fluke.”

 

Kiloh sat back in his chair, his head reeling a bit. “Do you think someone is trying to instigate war between humans and reploids?” he asked. It was a strange theory, he knew, but one that made sense, considering what the data was telling him.

 

Dien shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine at this point, though I will agree that that theory of yours sounds feasible.” Removing his glasses, he stood. “Why don't we take a break, Nage? I swear, I've been staring at these numbers for so long that they're congealing and producing new numbers as I watch.”

 

Kiloh nodded his agreement as he stood and joined his friend. “Excellent idea, old friend.” He replied. “We should get a bite to eat and rest our eyes. It's been tough work, analyzing pages upon pages of data.”

 

As they headed for the cafeteria at Cain Labs, Kiloh couldn't help but think about everything that had gone on in the past two days. Since his arrival, he had alternated between data analysis with Jona and discussion of their findings with Dr. Tayx, head researcher at Cain Labs. After listening to their last discussion regarding the possible meaning and motive behind the illness, Tayx had dismissed them with a promise to make some inquiries and check with them as soon as she was finished.

 

Sitting down at one of the tables in the large room, they were soon approached by the reploid server. Kiloh ordered his usual meal of tea and toast, while Dien ordered coffee and eggs. When they were alone again, they let a few moments elapse in silence before Dien cleared his throat.

 

“So, how is your ward, Nage?” he asked. “Mine always tells me to ask you that when I see you. So tell me how Trysta is, that I might tell her sister that she is well.”

 

“She most definitely is well, if nothing else.” Kiloh replied. “She's as she always is. I practically had to lock her in the Security room to keep her from accompanying me here.”

 

“And with your luck, she would figure out the override codes and be out in five minutes if you had tried.” Dien pointed out with a chuckle. “All the while berating you until your ears bleed for locking her out of her job.”

 

“True.” Both men looked up as their food arrived. After thanking their server politely, they each began to eat, occasionally exchanging tidbits of news about how things in their respective labs fared. Kiloh was interested in the grant Dien had received to study ways to shield the human population from diseases, while Dien was fascinated by Kiloh's research into beefing up existing security measures for reploids to prevent them from contracting viruses and going Maverick as a result.

 

“It won't mean the end of Maverick reploids.” Kiloh finished. “But it will eliminate one way they can become Maverick.”

 

The conversation soon shifted to their previous meeting with Dr. Tayx, and what might come next.

 

“Think about it, Nage. We might have just stumped a woman who is easily one of the brightest minds anywhere.” Dien whispered to his friend. “Does that concern you at all?”

 

Kiloh nodded. “Admittedly, it does.” He replied. “The fact that our data is so new to her that she has to make `inquiries' about it is most distressing. It means there is more danger in what is going on than we originally thought.” He and Dien shared an agreeing nod, then went back to their food.

 

As they finished eating and were preparing to return to the lab, they were approached by another reploid. This was one they knew very well; she was Jun, Dr. Tayx's own personal assistant. She smiled her usual bright smile as she stopped a few feet away from them.

 

“I have a message for you from Dr. Tayx.” She said in her usual slow yet even tone. “She says to meet her in her office immediately so you can continue your previous discussion with her.”

 

Dien smiled. “That will be fine. Thank you, Jun.” She smiled again as the two scientists left the cafeteria, stopping by the lab to pick up the bundles of data they had been analyzing.

 

Dien looked at Kiloh. “Well, Nage? What do you think?” he asked.

 

Kiloh shrugged. “To be honest, I won't know what to think until we're sitting with Tayx talking about what's going on.” He answered honestly. “So I think we should get going so we can accomplish that end.”

 

 

 

“Come in, gentlemen. Come in and have a seat.” Rising to her feet, Dr. Kera Tayx gestured to the two chairs in front of her desk as her visitors were ushered in. “I have news for you.”

 

“You got answers on the inquiries you made, Kera?” Dien asked as he sat down.

 

“If I hadn't received any responses, I wouldn't have called you here, Jona.” Tayx replied smoothly. “So you could say yes, I've gotten answers. Though I must say, I was not anticipating the wave of near-panic that your little bit of research has set off.”

 

Seeing Dien's confused look, and noticing the mirroring one Kiloh wore, Tayx continued. “Every scientist I've spoken with who has seen the data and been told what it means has had the same reaction. I don't know why, nor do I pretend to understand, but the fact that your data has set off this sort of alarm tells me this is serious.”

 

“Hell, just looking at the data tells us the same thing, Kera.” Dien interjected. “So what do we do now?”

 

“As I was about to say, Jona, if it weren't for the serious nature of your findings, I doubt any of my inquiries would have been listened to.” She answered. “I was able to use my connections to gain the authorization I needed in order to proceed.”

 

Kiloh raised an eyebrow. “Authorization, Kera? For what?” he asked. “What could we possibly need that would require clearance before you could obtain it?”

 

Tayx smiled and looked at the timepiece that sat on her desk. “Meet me down at the H&A Lab in an hour.” She replied. “I'll explain everything to you when you arrive. Until then, go back to your rooms and get some rest. There's little more you can learn from burning your eyes into nothingness by reading all this data.”

 

 

“Get any rest, Nage?” Dien was leaning against the wall next to the entrance to the Hibernation and Awakening Lab, watching keenly as his colleague showed up.

 

Kiloh shook his head. “Not a bit.” He answered. “I keep thinking about what Kera told us in that last meeting. It's so difficult to get my head around the fact that we've discovered something potentially dangerous is happening.”

 

“Makes two of us, Nage. I admit, it shocked me when she told us that other top scientists were panicking when they saw our data. If what we've learned is enough to frighten the most brilliant minds in the world that badly, it has to be something terrible.”

 

Kiloh nodded, watching silently as Dien attempted to use the lab's security system. After three times were attempted and denied, he felt he needed to smooth his friend's ruffled feathers before the good scientists at Cain Labs found themselves having to replace a security system.

 

“Easy there, Jona. Remember, the H&A Labs have the highest clearance level of any place in this facility.” He reminded Dien. “Of course you're going to be denied entry. After all, they don't let just anyone in here who wants to enter. It would be too dangerous.”

 

“Nage is right, Jona.” Tayx appeared behind them before Dien could reply. “We can't let just anyone come in here, as you very well know.” Quickly, she punched in a sequence of keys on the nearby console before pressing her hand to the screen above it. With a hum, the doors slid open, admitting the trio into the most secretive lab in the complex.

 

Both men fell into step behind her as she walked in. “So, how come you asked us to meet you here?” Dien asked. “What's here that you wanted us to know?”

 

She smiled to herself. “You'll see for yourselves here in a minute or two.” She answered. Detaching herself from them, she approached the trio of scientists who were working in front of a large console. She spoke with them for a few moments before returning. “All right. Everything is going as was planned.” She said.

 

Dien raised an eyebrow. “Now will you tell us what is going on, Kera?” he asked. “Without all the enigmatic crap? It's starting to grate on my nerves.”

 

Tayx laughed softly. “Certainly, Jona.” She answered. “The `inquiries' I was making were to see if I could get you some help, if you'll recall.” Seeing him nod, she continued. “Nearly three centuries ago, three reploids existed. The task they chose to accept was to protect humans, no matter what the cost. When it seemed all would be safe without them, they went into hibernation, that they might be awakened if they were needed again.”

 

Kiloh nodded soberly. “Yes, I do recall hearing about them.” He said quietly. “Powerful reploids that could stand up to anything thrown at them. They were even said to be immune to the Maverick virus, though that could simply have been a myth.”

 

Tayx shrugged. “Could have been. Anyway, I figured you would require more help than a scientist could bring to the table, and I immediately thought of these three.” As she spoke, the three hibernation capsules immediately in front of them were opening, slowly revealing their occupants. As the group of scientists watched, the figures within the capsules stirred, slowly sitting up as they opened their eyes.

 

Gesturing that they should follow her, Tayx approached the trio briskly. “I apologize for having to awaken you.” She said as she drew near them. “But it seems we are in need of your help once again, Hunters.” Looking back, she nodded to Dien and Kiloh, indicating they should join her.

 

As he approached, Kiloh observed the three Maverick Hunters carefully. As with their present counterparts, at first glance they were indistinguishable from normal human beings, armor aside. Each was different from the others in many noticeable ways. The first wore blue armor and seemed to have short hair, as none could be seen peeking from his helmet. The second wore red armor adorned with green jewels, his long blond hair sweeping in a long arc from the nape of his neck. The third wore blue and gray armor striped with red, and his hair was more of an orange hue where it was visible.

 

Even their personalities seemed different from what he was observing. The one in red appeared to be the collected one. He stood leaning against the pod he had emerged from, green eyes scanning everything as though he expected an enemy to emerge any second and attack them. The other two appeared to be in differing stages of confusion over their current situation, their expressions revealing their puzzlement over what might be occurring.

 

Finally, the blond reploid spoke. “So, are you gonna tell us who you all are and why you felt it so important to wake us up?” he asked. As he spoke, Kiloh made mental notes, listening to the tones and nuances of his words. He knew this one was lethal, he had known it on sight. It was something in his posture, in his stance that led Kiloh to that conclusion. What he hadn't known until that moment was how lethal he sounded. This was an individual who could kill with one shot, if he so chose.

 

I'll have to warn Trysta about this one. He told himself mentally. Otherwise she could wind up on the wrong end of a fight with this guy.

 

Tayx smiled apologetically. “Of course I am, Zero.” She answered, not even fazed by his abrupt questions. “First, the introductions. I am Dr. Kera Tayx, head researcher here at Cain Labs. With me are my two independent associates. On my left is Dr. Jona Dien, Doctor of Human Immunology, and on my right is Dr. Nage Kiloh, Doctor of Reploid Immunology.” Dien and Kiloh each nodded a greeting to the trio, letting Tayx handle the talking.

 

“As for why you have been awakened, that is a bit of a story.” Tayx continued. “One that should be told in more private quarters. Come, we'll all return to my office. There, I'll tell you everything we know, and what you will need to know.”

 

 

“What do you think of all this, Axl?” X flopped onto his stomach across one of the beds in the room they were given. Nearby, Axl sat cross-legged on another of the beds, and Zero lay on his back on the third, head pillowed by his arms. The past few hours had been taxing; first they had been brought out of hibernation, then they were required to sit and listen to that trio of scientists explain why they were awakened. Once the explanations were finished, they were allowed to retire to this room, in order to more fully recover before they were needed.

 

Axl shrugged. “To be honest X, I'm not really sure what to think.” He said. “I really want to make some kind of crack about this, but they seem so serious about everything. It makes me wonder why we're here. I mean, it's just a virus afflicting humans, isn't it?”

 

X nodded in agreement. “Me too.” He answered. “I know the one scientist -Kiloh, was it?- seemed especially worried about conflict breaking out between humans and reploids. After all the fighting we endured before we went into hibernation, I'm not sure I'm ready to go through it again.”

 

“It isn't like we have a choice.” Zero's voice broke in. “It's our job, remember? We can't pick and choose our duties just because we aren't sure we should get in the middle of things. I'm pretty sure if they felt they could handle things without us, we wouldn't have been awakened. The fact that we are here suggests to me that this could be serious.”

 

Axl nodded. “You do have a point there, Zero.” He answered. “Regardless of how we feel about this, we were awakened to help with it. We can't just turn our backs on them now, not when they seem so desperate for our help.”

 

X nodded as well, though his actions were somewhat reluctant. “Yeah, I suppose you're right, Zero.” He said with a sigh. “I just wish I knew more about what's going on. Do you feel like there's things they aren't telling us?”

 

“No, that's just you being paranoid, X.” Axl interjected, holding up his arm to block the pillow that suddenly came flying at him from X's bed. “Besides, if there is anything they aren't telling us, it's probably because they don't know enough about it to be able to gauge its importance.”

 

“Axl's right, X.” Even resting with his eyes closed, Zero was actively listening. “We can't just assume they're intentionally keeping us in the dark about things. Not with how concerned Dr. Kiloh and Dr. Dien seem about this whole situation. I would think they've worked as hard as they can to make sure they know as much information as possible. We just have to trust them at this point.”

 

 

 

“I really wish we hadn't had to awaken the Hunters.” Kiloh said to Dien as the duo walked to the lab's transport center. Their allotted time spent at the labs was up, and they would be returning to their own respective labs, hoping to continue their research from there.

 

“I do too, Nage.” Dien replied. “But we didn't have any other choice, and you know that. We don't know nearly as much about this virus as we should; and the less we know about it, the less likely we are to find a cure.” They stopped in front of the loading ramp for Dien's transport. He would be returning to his lab alone, as he felt that his colleague's more vast knowledge of reploid technology would lend itself well to him hosting the three Hunters.

 

Kiloh sighed. “I know, Jona.” He answered. “I just wish…I just wish there were another way, that's all. But you're right, this is likely the best way we'll find any answers, if not the only way.”

 

“Believe me, I wish there were too.” Dien answered as he held his hand out. “Anyway, safe journey back to the lab, old friend.” He continued as Kiloh clasped his hand in a firm shake. “I'll continue my research on this illness, and contact you as I learn more.”

 

“Thank you, Jona. I'll do whatever research I can on my end, and stay in touch as I learn more.” The two colleagues exchanged a knowing nod before Dien made his way up the ramp and into the waiting transport. Kiloh waited until it had begun lifting off from the platform, then he walked over to his own transport, smiling a bit as he saw the three Maverick Hunters standing in front of the loading ramp.

 

“Ready to get back to the lab?” he asked as he approached them. He saw that only the orange-haired reploid -Axl, he remembered was his name- was smiling. X, the blue-armored reploid was watching him uncertainly, while Zero, the one in red, wore an enigmatic and unreadable expression.

 

“We're ready when you are, Doc.” Axl answered with a grin, Zero punctuating his statement with a silent nod. “One question, though. Are we gonna get any real clothes?” Axl continued. “Because I'm not too thrilled at the prospect of living in this armor day in and day out.”

 

Kiloh laughed softly. “Yes, Axl, it's all been arranged.” He replied. “When we get to the lab, there will be someone there who has everything ready for you all.”

 

“Well, let's get going, then.” X said as he turned toward the loading ramp. “The sooner we get there, the sooner we can change out of our armor.”

 

Kiloh chuckled to himself as he boarded the transport first. Such an interesting trio. He mused silently. Things could become quite different around the labs with this group. Within moments, the three reploids had boarded and taken seats, and the transport lifted off.

 

 

“So, you're a Doctor of Reploid Immunology, are you?” the nearby voice drew Kiloh away from the data he was perusing. Looking up above the tops of his glasses, he saw Zero sitting a few seats away from him, observing him intently.

 

Putting the sheets aside, he nodded. “That's right. I've studied reploid Immunology for a number of years now.” He replied.

 

“What does it entail?” The green eyes narrowed slightly, whether out of interest or some other unverifiable reason Kiloh could not say.

 

“It's a lot simpler than it sounds. I basically study the various viruses that can afflict reploids, along with their infection patterns and rates.” He explained. “I then use the findings of that research to make improvements in anti-viral protection for reploids.”

 

“Interesting.” He watched as Zero's gloved hands removed his helmet, revealing more of his face. “So tell me, Dr. Kiloh. Why is it that reploids are needed to help with a virus that is attacking humans?” Zero continued, raking a hand through his hair as though to restore it to some semblance of order. “Wouldn't humans be better suited to study a human virus?”

 

“You would think so.” Kiloh answered, removing his glasses. “I thought the same thing when Dr. Dien first transmitted the data to me. It wasn't until I compared the data to research I was conducting that I saw the patterns.” He sighed, leaning back in his seat. “The reason it was necessary to awaken you three is that this illness resembles one of the stronger variations of the Maverick virus far too closely to be mere coincidence. That's really about the only concrete thing we know about this virus, however.”

 

Zero was silent after that, yet his expression told Kiloh that he was pondering the information he had just been given. At the same time, the transport's pilot announced that they were approaching the lab, bringing a small smile to his face.

 

Ah, home again. He thought to himself. Even after only a few days away, it will be good to be there.

 

The transport landed uneventfully in the docking bay, its loading ramp lowering to allow its occupants to leave. As Kiloh emerged from the craft, he smiled when he saw Molli waiting for him. The newest arrivals followed closely behind, all eyes scanning the area in order to acquaint themselves with it.

 

“Welcome to Obsidian Labs, Maverick Hunters.” Molli said with a smile. “And welcome home, Dr. Kiloh.”

 

“Thank you, Molli.” He responded. “It is good to be home. Now, will you kindly escort our new residents to their quarters? They've had an eventful time of things over the past day, and I'm sure they wish to relax.”

 

“Of course. Dax and I made sure all the arrangements were taken care of as soon as you contacted us, Doctor.” She said. Approaching the trio, she beamed sweetly at them. “Follow me, I'll show you to your rooms.” She then turned toward the doorway and walked toward it, leaving them to fall into step behind her.

 

Kiloh surveyed their retreating forms with great bemusement. “Yes, things will definitely be a lot more interesting with them around.” He said to himself. “I only hope they can get along with Trysta.”