X1

Dr. Cain had been trying to get ahold of the Maverick Hunters for over an hour on the communicators when he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"You guys and your games...Looks like I have to be the Hunter this time!"

He calibrated their coordinates and found them to be inside Sting Chameleon's hideout. With his Mini Jet in tow, he set off to find and find out the two Hunters' fates.

Finally blasting through the security doors at the forest base ruins, Dr. Cain came upon two lifeless bodies; one missing an arm, and one with extremely heavy electrical damage.

"By the moon and stars, what happened!"

Not a word from either Hunter.

"My goodness, you two needed me sooner than I thought!"

He quickly gathered the two Maverick Hunters into his Mini Jet and raced at blinding speeds back to his lab.

Dr. Cain spent days working on their inner bodyframes and biomechanical organs. With only their schematics it took him almost an eternity to make heads or tails of their technical readouts.

"Oh you boys and your games, making me worry all day long. You just better hope dear old Dr. Cain knows his business."

Dr. Cain didn't even rest through the night. He continued work on the two Hunters for hours on hours. And with X's new body armor, luckily repairs seemed to go much smoother for him. Zero, on the other hand, would take time.

"D....Doctor....Doctor..."

Dr. Cain put his finger to X's lips.

"Shh, no talk. Just sleep."

"D....Doctor....Doctor Light..."

Dr. Cain shook his head and smiled. He made some last-minute adjustments to X's minor wounds.

"There. You'll be stiff for awhile but that good new body armor will probably make things quicker."

The Doctor then turned to Zero.

"Your friend, though, still needs extensive work."

X slowly rose from the operating table and cranked his head from side to side, fastening the few loose bolts left in his neck.

"Oh Dr. Cain...I...I'm alive. I'm okay! Zero!"

X turned and saw his fellow Hunter on the other table, still with only one arm.

"My God! What did that bastard Sting do to him?"

Dr. Cain softly smiled in his direction.

"No need to worry. Yes, he still needs lots of work, but I did salvage the arm. Everything will be okay. He'll just be out of commission for quite awhile."

X shook his head in confirmation.

"You, however, seem to be in a good and ready mood. This is good news, at least. There are more reports of Maverick activity at the Fortress Tower in the middle of the city."

X puffed out his chest and gave a half-smile.

"Hmm, so now Boomer Kuwanger has joined the foul ranks of the Mavericks. This is spreading faster than expected! Are there any former Hunters we can trust?"

Dr. Cain just kept looking at Zero.

"For the time being, we have to assume that only you and Zero are the two capable of carrying out these missions. I don't want you going on some foolhardy expedition with a potentially Maverick Reploid, Hunter or not."

"Understood, sir. But it just seems that just as we put one Maverick threat to rest, another one springs up. Is this going to continue until the end of time? Will I be responsible for a never-ending world of Mavericks and death?"

Dr. Cain finally turned away from Zero and looked into X's eyes.

"This is not your fault. This is the fault of an old man trying to recreate the works of something he doesn't even understand. This isn't your fault at all, X. You are a shining beacon of light in a world full of hate and prejudice. You and Zero are the two most prominent sources of hope for the humans and Reploids out there also fighting for survival."

X looked at his X-Buster and held it in his other hand softly.

"But this weapon, the people I destroy..."

"You only use that when there is no other choice. I know you, X. You're not one to senselessly kill without reason. Those that you've retired would only cause more pain and suffering if they were allowed to continue living. They had no chance of reform and only had hate and misery in their minds."

X jumped off the operating table and stood beside Zero's table. He gently patted Zero's shoulderpad.

"Don't worry, Zero. I'll still be of some use to you yet. Now then, I think at this point I'm ready to head to the Fortress Tower. I never really knew Boomer Kuwanger, but heard he had ninja-like stealth and agility."

Dr. Cain raised his head in affirmation.

"You are correct. Keep in mind you still have a bevy of subweapons to choose from which you haven't even tried yet. Those could be the sway you need to outdo Boomer Kuwanger should he try and destroy you."

X looked up to the ceiling and stood fast.

"Okay, Dr. Cain. I'll try anything and everything before I resort to violence. Sting Chameleon better hope he doesn't run into me when I reach that point..."

X teleported out of sight, heading towards the long and perilous Fortress Tower. Dr. Cain went over and took Zero's arm. He began to repair the extensive damage still present all over the shiny red metal.

"Looks like your friend X is gonna play hero this time. You'll join him soon enough. Godspeed, X. Godspeed."