Chapter Text
Several Years ago prior to the Red Alert Incident…
For years, a legend has existed about Mt. Ebott.
A place where Monsters were buried over a millennia ago.
Few humans have braved this mountain.
Those who did... were never seen again.
A total of 6 humans have gone missing.
And soon...
That number would be up to seven.
Emergency near Point Ebott! We've received reports of a possible missing person last seen headed towards the mountains. They are believed to be a child with brown hair that answers to the name of Clover. Exact age and gender are still unknown. Any Hunters with the area please be on the lookout! This area has a history of cases just like this!
The voice of HQ's Navigator rang out over the coms line as a certain Blue Hunter rushed to the scene. He had been nearby aiding the escort of an evacuation convoy of humans that had been forced to relocate following a rather destructive Maverick attack on their settlement. Due to some issues regarding transportation, the convoy would have to be split into two separate teams: A and B. X had been assigned to work with the B convoy which hadn't been far behind the A convoy, the one in which the missing kid had been from.
"This is X. I'm currently on-route to the last known location that the child was last seen at. I will keep you updated if anything comes up." The blue bomber responded back to HQ as he rushed up the mountainside. The rocky terrain was no issue for someone like him whom had braved landscapes worse than this many times before. Alia had suggested that he bring one of his armor sets, particularly the Shadow Armor, but he had decided against it as it still needed some repairs after the whole Nightmare debacle several years back now.
The Surface had been well on its way to recovery thanks to the efforts of the Maverick Hunters. Things were starting to clear up enough that most of Humanity could safely come out of hiding. But they were still far from finished, a lot of work still had to be done until things were completely back to the way they were before the whole Eurasia Crisis.
And well, that work had been taking a clear toll on the Maverick Hunters. Including their star Hunters, X and Zero. Both of whom had seen mission after mission without any sort of break sometimes. This was most notable with X whom had been starting to slowly question his own methods which he was feeling was starting to become a little much.
Eventually he was able to reach the location where Clover had been last reported. As expected, the kid was nowhere to be seen but there was evidence that they had been there in the form of some footprints that the blue reploid was quick to analyze.
‘These are still fresh…’ X mused to himself as he took a moment to analyze the tracks. The prints did indeed match up with that of a child sized shoe which was all the hunter needed to know that the kid was likely nearby.
And well that turn out to be true as the blue bomber would catch sight of the child. Brown hair and a cowpoke getup, just as the parents had described in their report.
The child had been too busy reading a piece of paper to notice the approaching Hunter until they heard the telltale clicks of his metal boots, causing them to look up. Brown eyes locked with green as X put on his best smile as to not startle the child before they took off running.
”Kid. Wait! This place is dangerous!” The hunter fruitlessly called out to the fleeing child. Either he had accidently spooked them or the kid had known that he would be coming to get him. But regardless of the reason they had run away, X made sure that it would be his duty that this child returned to their family.
Speaking of that kid’s family, X really hadn’t a clue on what they were like. All HQ had received in terms of contact with them was a brief notice and menial description of what the kid looked like. They also had informed them that they would be picking up the kid once they had gotten settled in their new home which, from X’s estimates, would still be a couple of days.
Something about these people didn’t sit right with the blue bomber as he suspecting something a little more suspious about this child’s home life that may have caused this. Which is why he was planning on running a bit of a background into them check once he had gotten this child secured. Likely leading to them being taken under Maverick Hunter custody if what his gut was telling him.
Sure HQ wasn’t really the place for a kid to grow up in nor did he consider himself really that fit to be father-figure material. But they could manage.
It was probably a lot nicer than this kid’s home life anyways.
Up the mountain the kid climbed, followed closely on foot by that of their unrelenting pursuer. Driven by a sense of Justice to finally bring closure to those whom had come before them.
A mission that they would make sure that nobody, not even a Reploid, got in their way of.
This race up the mountain would end with the two standing in a clearing as X finally caught up to the child whom was just about to enter a nearby cave.
”Hey, Clover…” X put back on a calm tone as Clover turned to look at him, not moving. They would let the Hunter approach as he bent down to his height, placing a hand on their shoulder which earned a small flinch. Something that wouldn’t go unnoticed as X raised his hand a bit.
”I’m sorry if I startled you earlier, but my name is X. I’m here to take you somewhere safe.” The child seemed to relax upon realizing that the blue bomber wasn’t a threat. “This mountain has a history of missing persons cases. It’s far too dangerous for somebody your age to be climbing these peaks.”
He and the rest of HQ were well aware of the urban legends that surrounded this land. Supposedly the site of a war between humans and another race known as monsters that resulted in the latter being buried beneath the mountains below. Yet no archeological or historical evidence from that timeframe suggested that any form of war like that had taken place in the area nor were there any signs of any other possible non-human civilizations. If anything, these legends were possibly little more than tall tales passed on from generation to generation to keep kids from climbing the mountain and risk falling to their death.
Though that didn’t explain everything as there was still that report of a monster sighting and the occasional instances of communication interference that a few hunters have reported from happening, usually when the were closer to the Mountain itself.
Clover looked as if they were considering the Hunter’s offer as X assured them that he’d be sure to look into how things were back home, allowing him to take hold of him. A promise that was tempting…
…but alas,
"KID! Wait!" All he could do was cry out as the human child pulled free from his grasp, tearing a decent chunk out of their bandana as they took the plunge into the deep dark cave below. X was dragged into the cave with them but managed to catch himself before he too could plunge down the hole.
"N-No..."
X was paralyzed as his processors went into overdrive at what had just happened. He couldn't think straight as his comms line let out a loud cackling buzz, causing him to cover his audio processors in pain as he got back to his feet.
Even if he were to go down there, there would be chance that kid would have survived that fall. That cavern was at least several hundred feet deep and the interference was even worse over here.
All he could really do was call this a mission failure as he held the last little piece of said child, tears threatening to seep down his face as he made his way back towards the designated drop off point.
The whole journey back, X couldn’t help but to think to himself.
Another one…
Another innocent life lost all because of his incompetence.
If only he had gotten there sooner.
Perhaps then none of this would have happened to begin with…
…
Oh what was he thinking? Even if he had gotten here a lot sooner then it would have still gone down the same way.
All of this had occurred all because of that Maverick attack and the Hunter’s failure to do any sort of damage control of the situation.
If only that Maverick hadn't been there to begin with...
If only the Hunters hadn't been so reckless to add to the already existing collateral damage...
Then maybe none of this would have happened to begin with...
Was this really how they handled things? How HE handled things?!
If only he hadn’t been so forceful back there. Then perhaps all of this could have ended with far fewer casualties then both incidents had.
The sound of his communication line was enough to bring him back to reality as Alia wanted an update on this mission.
“X! X! Can you hear me? Any update on this missing child?”
"This is X... I managed to locate the lost child but I... I... I wasn't able to reach the kid in time before they..." He cut himself off as he looked down at the torn piece of yellow cloth in his hand. "Just forget about it! I'm on my way back to HQ." He quickly cut off his communication line after that, much to the surprise of Alia and Signas.
The mission had been deemed a failure as Signas had to break the unfortunate news to Clover’s parents, whom as expected, did not respond right away. X had made the choice to take the rest of the day off, choosing to keep to himself.
Most of the other Hunters around HQ got the memo, including his best friend, Zero whom had decided to give him some space as the mission had hit him pretty hard.
Though that didn’t mean that they weren’t worried. Some of the others had noticed that X had been acting a little strange for some time now and many of them were scared that this mission would be the tipping point for the already stressed out hunter.
Somebody would eventually take the risk and decide to talk to him that night as the blue bomber sat out on the HQ’s balcony, watching the stars.
A sky that had been for several years covered by a thick, purple, virulent haze that now once more shown as it had before everything had gone to hell. Soon his eyes would be torn away from them as the sound of a sliding door and reploid footsteps could be heard, followed not long later by a telltale stench of dirty cigarettes.
”Wyvern?” The Hunter seemed a bit surprised at his sudden company as the Wyvern themed reploid took a drag off her cigarette as she did her best to play it cool.
“Signas doesn’t let me smoke inside anymore after that little mishap in the supply closet.” Wildfire Wyvern said in her usual gruff tone from where she leaned against the wall.
“I heard from the others how the mission went. Always one of the worst things about this job. But hey, you did what you could and that’s what really counts.” X let out a simple huff in response as he turned his attention back to the sky. She too did the same.
Wyvern couldn’t help but to be reminded of a mission she had helped on that ended in a bust. It had been sometime after the whole Nightmare Incident when she and a small detachment of Hunters were sent out to nearby neighboring forested area to capture some lunatic Maverick who had set up shop there.
Known simply by his nickname, The Viral Puppeteer. What was known was that this Reploid in particular had some sort of vampiric ability which is why she and her group had been forced to wear these bulky devices developed in tandem by a certain medic she despised, one that everyone would have to report back to once this was done with.
Damn 48 hour quarantine measures.
A family of humans in the area claimed that the creature had abducted their daughter, a girl that was last seen wearing a tutu and ballerina slippers whom had taken off after their home had been attacked. She and her unit would eventually charge into the forest, intent on tracking down the Maverick. Only for something to happen that she would have liked to have forgotten.
”You know how I was missing for some time, only for you and Zero to find me in agony. Well I don’t think I told you the rest of that story… Turns out we got ambushed. All of my men were killed and I was dragged off by that maniac to his lair…” Her body tensed as she continued to recount the tale, something that wouldn’t go unnoticed by the now listening Hunter.
“He held me captive there for several days, planning on turning me into one of his puppets, or worse, a wall mount like my colleagues if I displeased him. I’d already been infected by the time I woke up and if it weren’t for me tricking him and getting my pack reactivated… Well… Let’s just say it’s a wonder what a few of these spines in my tail can do.” A chuckle escaped Wyvern as she noticed X smirk a bit out of relief.
”Sure Lifesaver’s an ass… And a bit too paranoid at times… But he’s done a lot for us as Hunters. Hell I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him. And well… That dedication is something I can admire in a man. It’s… kinda…” Wyvern stopped before she could go any further, glancing at X as if to say ‘You heard nothing’.
With the stick now spent, the reptilian themed Hunter clamped the remains in her jaws and expelled the smoke from her nostril smoke vents.
”Welp I think that’s enough of me pestering you with my life’s story. I need to get some shut eye. Oh… And before I go. X… If you feel like you need to. Don’t be afraid to come talk to any of us about what’s on your mind. No matter what lies ahead, we’ll stick by your side. After all, we’re all kinda like a one big family here.”
And with that, she would make her leave. Not catching the quiet words that would be spoken by her grateful yet quiet companion.
”…
Thanks. Wyvern.”
The door shut behind him as he entered his private quarters, a room that hadn’t seen much use for who knows how long as most of his time resting hadn’t been spent in his own bed, but a more communal pod designed to aid in the automatic repair process after a mission was complete.
It wasn’t too dissimilar to a pod, being a place where a reploid could rest and recharge. Unlike a pod however, these were designed to function the same as one a human would use. Soft bedding and all.
The blue bomber sunk into it, sucking in a deep intake of air using his artificial respiratory system. X couldn’t remember how long it had been since he had this amount of peace and quiet.
A place all to himself with nobody else around HQ to bother him. Essentially his own little private oasis off the front line.
It was almost never that he took off his helmet, revealing the mess of short brown hair so few knew that he had as he let his mind wander to what Wyvern had said.
He thought of all of those whom had been by his side supporting him in his continuous fight to bring peace to the world against the forces of Sigma.
Signas, Zero, Douglas, Lifesaver.
To think without their support and aid, he and by extension, Earth probably would have perished by now. Yet for some reason, his mind kept coming back to one name in particular.
The Maverick Hunter’s one and only top navigator…
Alia.
She’d always given it her all when it came to helping him and Zero on missions and also in the lab with regards to his armors. Something that he could respect. Yet recently, she’d been more on his mind a lot more often than he’d like to admit.
It was different than when he was with Zero. A much more warm and fuzzy feeling that made his internal temperature rise whenever she’d give him little compliments or simply hold his hand like during the whole Gate debacle when he had been there to comfort her at her lowest.
Yet despite his attempts to think happy thoughts, there was that look again. That look of fear in those green eyes. Like that if he were to let go of her, she would vanish. with all that remained being but a distant memory.
Just like Zero had.
Just like that kid had.
So many lives had already been lost as it was with Mavericks. Just how long would it be until it was finally over? How many more casualties left? How much longer until she would become one too?
Fresh tears began to flow as he saw him in a room, cradling her dying frame like Zero had with Iris. He was begging, pleading for her to wake up as his colleagues told him that it was too late to save her.
”No! Please… She’s going to be ok. She going to make it. Alia, please! Wake up!
“Wake up!”
“X!”
He was jolted out of sleep mode by somebody running their hand through his hair. Frantically his eyes darted about before landing on the very concerned navigator looking down at him.
”Alia?” He said half groggily as she gently shushed him. “H-How did you get in here?”
”You gave me your room code. Remember?” Of course he did. Aside from Zero and the senior staff, she was pretty much the only other person whom he had shared the code with.
”Still upset about how the mission went?” A sigh escaped the blue Reploid’s mouth at those words as he sat up, nodding his head running a hand through his hair. Sometimes he wished that she couldn’t read him as easily as she could.
“If only I could have gotten to them on time… Then none of this would have happened.” He felt like he wanted to cry again as Alia pulled him close to her. “Sometimes I wonder if there’s even a point to continue fighting anymore. We’ve already lost so many people to this war…”
”I know how you feel, X. All of this has been hard on all of us… Especially for me with Gate… If only I hadn’t pushed myself away from him and fallen into that conspiracy to sabotage his creations. Then maybe he wouldn’t have gone down the path that he did…” They still had Gate’s remains on them. Signas had permitted to have him lay interred at Hunter HQ after Alia had made the choice to possibly have him repaired one day. Just when that day would come was still up to her. Until then, she still didn’t feel like she was ready to look him in the eye and say that she was sorry yet.
“Just remember this, no matter what you decide. I’ll always be here for you.”
Alia never left his side that night as the two drifted off into sleep mode.
A few days would pass until X made up his mind that he had enough. The blue bomber had made it well known to the Commander that he would be stepping off the front lines following an outburst that was very much not like him.
“Why must Reploids continue to fight one another!? I’ve had enough violence!”
”Commander! Alia… Zero… I’m stepping down from being a Hunter.”
This revelation had come as a major shock to most everyone at HQ, whom had been worried with how quiet and reclusive he had been. Most notably had been Wyvern whom had been hoping that Alia had managed to calm his nerves the night that it had happened.
X’s first order of business now that he was no longer working the front lines was requesting that Mt Ebott and its surround areas be made into an Exclusion Zone. Meaning that nobody, civilian nor Hunter, would be permitted within the premises as a means to prevent any further missing persons cases from occurring. The area would be frequently monitored by cameras and patrols along the fence line to make sure that it was enforced.
There would be a few exceptions though as the Mountains were home to an active landfill. Mechanaloids that worked there would be permitted to move between designated zones to and fro the dump while only B Rank and above Hunters would be allowed within the region should any cases of Maverick Activity be noticed.
All of this would mark the start of possibly one of the most difficult times for the Hunters since the Eurasia crisis. Without X out fighting, the Hunters would soon find themselves having to work overtime, allowing for smaller, illicit, bounty hunter gangs to fill in the gaps.
Yet even in these new hard times, X still found comfort in the form of Alia whom had made it her promise that she’d stick by his side through the thick and thin, to that day and beyond that he finally came to his senses again as the X she once knew.
Snowdin Forest , Present Day
The door to the cabin creaked open, pried open by a set of icy blue claws. Glowing eyes peered out at the figure on his front porch.
Usually he would just ask them to leave as the former Nightmare Investigator had become somewhat of a recluse these past few years. Slow to trust after some local kids thought it would be funny to make him relive that very incident that got him retired in the first place. At least he didn’t go down the path that Yammark had after being given a third chance.
To his surprise, it wasn’t the Doctor making her usual round trips to check up on everyone, but instead one of the K-9 unit.
Those dogs had become one of the few he had been willing to call friends long before the whole incident with the Snowdin River. They had made him an honorary member of the pack despite the King’s current regulations on not having any like him in the Guard as per that protection orders.
The canine monster got down on all fours as it sniffed him from the little crack before placing down a letter that it had been carrying in its mouth. After that, the dog left, possibly to get back to their post as Wolfang knew that by now they would be patrolling soon. While he would have preferred the mail slot, he would let it slide since this was from a friend.
A clawed hand quickly snatched the letter and shut the door as he went to tear the top open.
The letter was from Dogamy and Dogaressa Wolfang noted as he took out the contents of the letter.
It was a thank you letter for his recent attendance to their anniversary that the rest of the Unit had worked together to set up as a surprise. Attached was a photo depicting the Reploid smiling wolfishly alongside the rest of the pack. He still had the tux from the photo as well.
Carefully the reploid made his way over to a small little pinboard that hung over his fireplace. It held a few things: A small calendar with marks for the doctor’s weekly visits, a receipt from Grilby’s that he kept for some reason, and a few other pieces of paper and belongings he’d collected.
As he went to pin the photograph up using a shell shaped tack that had been sent to him by an old colleague as part of some promotion for his new job as a “river taxi”, Wolfang’s eyes couldn’t help but to land on a certain apology letter that was also hanging up.
The letter had been from one of the local troublemakers, at request of their mother whom had been rather upset upon finding out what their child had been apart of. It had been the only letter he’d received in that regards about the incident which still lingered fresh on his mind the longer he stared at it.
Cold icy water slowly drowning out the laugher of his tormentors as he thrashed about, desperately trying to get back to shore.
Eventually he gave up, resigning himself once again to a watery grave like that woman had done until an armored arm suplexes him out of the water. The whole time while he whimpered while those brats were hauled off by their angry parents.
He was quick to shake it out of his memory. After all, that was now a thing of the past. As long as he was in his cabin away from those who could hurt him, he would be safe.
Free from the ghosts of his past that haunt this now lone wolf.