The MHHQ had never been so active since Sigma last showed up. This was also the first time the Mavericks had tried a mass attack instead of randomly sticking reploids at odd places and hoping somehow to conquer over humans. A chain of domes much like the first one had appeared around the coast of Elysia, all located at strategic ports and roads.

Dr. Cain was making the final adjustments to the glider when X walked in, looking better than he had for quite a number of days. For one, he had stopped wearing sackcloth and was no longer throwing dust on his head (and any other heads he came across).

"Why, hello, X! What, the units all organised, I expect?"
X nodded. He was determined to completely wipe out the Maverick domes. "How’s the glider coming along, Doctor?"
"Splendid, X old chap, simply splendid. Come, come, X, I’m quite done now. Do try it out."

X gave the doctor a look. Dr. Cain must have really overworked this time. Shall I be receiving tea and crumpets next? X also thought that the scientist looked horrible in a Teletubby suit.

He slowly approached the glider. It still reminded him of Zero. To his surprise, the glider flashed to life before he even touched it. He took a step back, slightly startled.

"Quite smashing, eh, good fellow? Well, it’d be lovely to stay and explain all my unappreciated hard work to you, but I have personal matters to attend to. I’ll just leave you two to get nicely acquainted now, Cheerio!" So saying, the doctor snuggled up in his furry green suit and promptly fell asleep on the floor.

X thought it might be rude to simply nudge Dr. Cain out of the way with his foot, but it would be such a bother to lift him up from the floor and then find some suitable shelve, etc. to store him until he awoke. Instead, he deftly stepped over him. Later, the doctor would wonder why there was a large print of someone’s boot on his forehead.

"Uh…hello?" X awkwardly addressed the glider.
The console flashed, HI, X. WHAT’S UP AROUND THE HQ?

"Uh…well…we’re going to go smash some Maverick camps in a few days…um… we …we’re interviewing for Zero’s replacement and uh…we’re just preparing to do some major smashing up of things."
AH…WELL, THAT’S A TERRIBLY INTELLECTUAL ANSWER, X.

X had trouble deciding whether the glider was being sarcastic or not since the glider didn't have a voice. Needless to say, X wasn't too perceptive when it came to subtlety. "Uh…yes, well…things are a lot harder to run without Zero."

YES, THE RED ONE. YOU KNOW, I REALLY LIKED THAT KID. NOW THAT GUY KNEW HOW TO FLY.
"Uh…then…I suppose you know what happened to Zero."
WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT WE LEFT HIM BEHIND. FOR ALL WE KNOW, HE MIGHT HAVE SURVIVED. I HAVE THIS FEELING HE’S STILL AROUND.
"Thanks for trying to comfort me," X said, not seeing the glider flash I WASN'T. "But I’ve come to accept the truth," X finished with a dramatic sigh.

OH, GIVE ME A BREAK. YOU SOUND LIKE SUCH A WUSS.

X was starting to have doubts about asking Dr. Cain to give the glider the ability to make decisions. "No point in exchanging derogatory remarks, right? Now you listen. I’m your boss now, and you obey my orders."

I’LL BET YOU FLY LIKE AN OLD LADY.

X had the impression that Dr. Cain had tried to implement Zero’s personality into the glider so X would get along better with it. Unfortunately, Dr. Cain had somehow managed to use only the purely annoying part of Zero. Well, as the commander of his own unit, X was used to dealing with more difficult soldiers. Usually a little coaxing and understanding did the trick.

"I…AM…YOUR…COMMANDER, UNDERSTAND?" X began to apply pressure to a particularly delicate yet useless part of the glider.
YES, YES, NO NEED TO RESORT TO VIOLENCE. PLEASE STOP!

"Well, I’m glad you and I were able to come to terms with each other so well, glider…" X thought that sentence ended rather lamely. "You need a name, how about…Tinky-Winky?"
SURELY YOU JEST.

"What name more honourable than the great Teletubby we rallied behind in the struggle to save the Po faction?" X smiled to himself as he thought of all the heroic deeds of that great battle. Teletubbies...perhaps the most revolutionary of all toddler television shows...destined from its humble birth to rise to its current glory. Teletubbies Forever! Moved by these great thoughts, X allowed a tear to trickled down his face.

UM...ARE YOU FEELING ALL RIGHT?...MAYBE YOU'D LIKE TO BE ALONE...

"No, no, I'm fine," X said, holding back another proud tear, "I’ll leave you to socialise with the others and gain whatever bits of information you can about the operation. Ciao." X strolled over to the door. As an afterthought, X lifted the happily-snoring Dr. Cain and dumped him onto the glider. He smiled as Tinky-Winky attempted to give him a dirty look with its single headlight.

"Okay, Zero. You just stay still while I perform some checks," Theta commanded.

She brushed the two strands of hair aside as she turned once more to the computer. After hours and hours of reprogramming, she was glad that it was almost over. With a long sigh, she watched as the computer ran a final check on Zero’s functions. All systems were functioning and the new programming was active.

Theta freed Zero from his capsule and disconnected the cables. He slowly climbed out as a long series of commands kicked into place in his mind.

"Who are you?" Zero asked groggily.
"Theta. You’ll feel disoriented for a while, but soon you’ll remember everything."

Theta…The name drifted through his mind, searching for something to link with. It found an all-too-vivid vision of being blast in the face by the same Theta. There’s something different…analysing programs were called up and restarted, why is she carrying around a box of tissues?…she’s not wearing her helmet…logic sequences hurried into place, I’m not wearing a helmet…this started a whole chain of logic and deduction, because they caught me and…then what?

"Welcome to the Mavericks, Zero. I do hope you’ll feel at home here." Zero thought he detected something of a smirk on her face.

Some misplaced bit of information wandered around Zero’s mind. "Cogito ergo sum," he announced. Since when did I know Latin? The last bit of logic fell into place. "Oh…I hate being reprogrammed," he moaned.

"It’s no worse than if I had changed your opinion with a brilliant and eloquent speech," Theta said casually as she handed him his sabre which had been retrieved from among the branches of a pine.

"But why Latin?" Zero moaned, plucking out pine needles wedged into his weapon, "yet another useless chunk of information I’m forced to know."
"I’ll have you know that Latin is the basis for many languages, and it is a most interesting tongue," Theta retorted sternly.
"Stulta," Zero mumbled.

"Don’t you ever call me that. Come on, you wouldn’t want to be deprived of the excellent company of your fellow Mavericks." Zero thought that Theta was rather good at smirking.

Theta put on her helmet. After an absurd moment of yanking her ponytail out the hole at the top, Theta strode out of the lab in as dignified a manner as she was able.

Zero retrieved his helmet and followed her.

author's note: stulta: feminine form of "stupid"

Onwards to Chapter seven
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