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"Let's see... white picket fences, a cat and dog per property, 4X4 Land Rovers, immaculate front lawns EXACTLY one inch tall, a soccer mom having a sexual liaison with her yoga coach because she secretly hates her husband but loves their three kids..."Zero suddenly gave Axl a whack on the head, making him complain and drop his binoculars as they all sat in a booth in a diner. Opposite them, X dutifully read the mission statement in front of him - printed on PAPER of all mediums in the tech age... But Zero couldn't deny that the oval glasses really suit X even though his eyesight is perfect."I'm making accurate deductions!" the orange-haired teen snapped while their blonde colleague sighed heavily, pinching his nose."You don't have to say it all out loud, we look suspicious enough as it is without wearing these ridiculous clothes," Zero hissed, gesturing at his red and white tracksuit. His armour and helmet were absent as per instructions on the mission statement, so wearing a baseball cap to match his sportswear gave him SOME comfort to hide the fact that his hair is so long it'd put punks to shame. Zero then looked at X, who calmly sat there still reading the damn mission statement, and at his simple grey linen suit with subtle darker vertical stripes. Worse, he looks REALLY good with his hair slicked back even though it contradicts the look...Axl snorted. "X, you look really good in the suit. I bet Zero's jealous because you're the one wearing it."X gave Axl a quick kick to his shin and he held back a wheeze."Behave yourself, Annelise," he says calmly with a slight grin, "and stop pestering your 'brother' Brandon."Axl grumbled, crossing his legs and wishing that miniskirts weren't so damn tight. "And remind me WHY I'm a punk-slut for this undercover mission, X?""That's Xavier to you, 'young lady,'" X says lightly, holding the paper out to them and Zero took it, holding it between him and his companion. "Commander Signas has been receiving reports about undercover mavericks hiding out in this town, and due to the locals being isolated in this town for almost 300 years and a lack of internet, their ways have remained completely unchanged, so views on certain topics are completely as they are in their times.""So like..." Axl frowned, dragging his fishnet-gloved fingertips down the paragraphs before stopping. "Damn - there's a KKK group here? In that case, let me ki-""No," X says firmly, "we are to find the mavericks in question, interrogate them on companions, then dispatch them without rousing suspicion of the existence of reploids.""What?" Axl's mouth dropped. "They... they don't know that reploids exist?""No," Zero mutters, hunching close over the table. "And because of the experiment on isolating communities for social experiments, it continued longer than the original project managers liked, so they wanted to see how far it'll go, especially with the town's occupants never once leaving the area."The youngest reploid muttered to himself as he read more on the 'DO NOT DO THESE' section of the paper before shivering."No displaying signs of same-sex affection - damn, this really is a backwards place!"Zero and X quickly shushed him, but luckily there are only two servers boredly smoking behind the counter. Meanwhile, Axl covered his mouth with both hands, nodding."And yet, I'm disguised as a punk girl," he huffed, toying with his spiked hair while admiring his ripped band t-shirt, denim jacket and doc martens. "I gotta say, this look kinda suits me.""Yes, well, if someone gets fresh with you, just grab their middle finger and bend it all the way back," Zero says bluntly while their suit-wearing companion groaned."Alright, violence is only a-okay as long as it's in self-defence. So... we'll only be here for a total duration of 10 days. No more than that, otherwise the locals will get suspicious of the outside world existing. So, Brandon and Annelise, do not do anything to compromise the mission otherwise the local will bring their diseases to the outside world and compromise the health of the remaining population.""Roger," Zero nods quietly while Axl saluted."Ax- Annelise, you're a punk, so all you gotta do is go into the local high school and pretend to be a student. Got your backpack with the necessary equipment?""Pens, pencils, notebooks... why can't I be with you guys?" he complained, "I can use my copy ability to single out mavericks with a simple touch!""Not without causing a panic," X whispered, glancing at the servers coughing while stubbing out their cigarettes, "maybe in a private area, then yes-""Then go make out with random people in private," Zero commented unhelpfully and X facepalmed while Axl winked and gave him the bisexual fingerguns sign."Good idea 'brother'," he snickered while the other reploid resisted the temptation to faceplant the wobbly table."So now what?" Axl muttered to himself as he joined the large crowd of schoolgoers heading towards the local High School. 'I can always just touch people by accident, I don't actually transform right away. I can 'store' their appearance for a few hours in my mind then run back to X!'However, the people in front of him stopped - two athletic jocks laughing while a skinny nerd cowered before them clutching his notebook. Axl then backed up, realising that the crowd around them were jeering for a fight to break out."Lunch money, dweeb! I'm starving!" the one jock with a buzzcut demanded in a sluggish tone."On the double!" the other job with shaggy blonde hair snapped.But the nerd trembled, knees practically knocked each other as he gulped, trying to stand tall but the audience began to bay for blood.'Shit, this can't be good,' Axl thought with a frown. 'Maybe those jocks are mavericks!'"N-no!"Gasps rippled through the crowd. Even the ginger reploid almost fell in surprise.The stunned faces from the steroid-monkeys reflected beautifully on the poor guy's oversized thick glasses until they snarled and the blonde one snatched him by the collar, holding him in the air. The crowd cheered."Drp it NOW, dillweed!" he spat, shaking the guy almost as if shaking money from him to no avail."N-n-n-never!" he shrieked and went bright red, "I've read Sun Tzu's teachings on the Art Of War! I know my enemy as well as I know myself, so I will not retreat!"Blinking, Axl stared at the nerd trying to defiantly glare down the brutes until they threw him to the ground and he gasped, winded as he rolled a few feet away."Cough it up, already!" the bald jock snapped, crunching his knuckles together, "or I'll give you my share of a knuckle sandwich!""DO IT THEN!" the wheezing guy yelled, but the onlookers laughed. Someone even bought out their polaroid camera snapping up shots.Axl just glanced around, stunned. Why the hell isn't anyone stopping this? What are the teachers doing? Why are these overpowered humans taking on such weak prey?Before the blonde jock could lay a punch on the nerd, Axl flew in the blink of an eye, kneeling between the two and easily catching the fist.Everybody gasped loudly while the jock gagged on his own spit in surprise and recoiled quickly as the ginger reploid stood up with a glare."What the heck is wrong with you?!" he shouted, "why can't you pick on someone your own size? This guy obviously can't win a fight, so why pick an easy battle when you can just take on your pal in a fair one-to-one match?""Uh..." The two meatheads glanced at each other, unsure of how to comprehend being scolded by a fast punk girl with lots of spiky orange hair."Well?!" Axl barked and they backed up, hurrying onto school grounds while shooting him horrible-confused looks.Disliking the whispering crowd, the reploid turned around, seeing the nerd on his knees in absolute awe of the size of his saviour's willpower for standing up to the school's football darlings, and held his hand out, helping the weak human stand up."Th-thank you..." he whispered, adjusting his glasses, "but who ARE you? Are you..." a blush filled his face, "...like a female version of Astro Boy but with bright ginger hair...?""Uh..." Axl stared at him, "maybe? Anyway, my name is... Annelise. Annelise Light.""Annelise," he nodded, finally regaining control of his nerves as he held out his hand - rather bony, as Axl noticed - and he shook it, "I'm Ken. Not a very nerdy name, I know, but I used to be athletically inclined until I got diagnosed with asthma so I couldn't be in a team."But the reploid has noticed that the more Ken spoke, the more confident he actually seems deep down.Axl's internal systems analysed the warm hand, but to his relief Ken is 100% a human and not a threat. He smiled and let go."I'm here while my brother and my father check out the new house. If it's decent enough, you'll have me pestering you for the next couple of years and giving you a shoulder to cry on at prom."Axl forgot how clique-y high schools can get - not that he's ever been to one, but while training at Red Alert he took part in the 'office politics' because he was young and dumb, and everybody just wants to find a place to fit and a role to fill that makes them feel comfortable. But he dutifully escorted Ken to make sure that he doesn't get shoved into a locker and made it to class before the bell rang. However, Axl remained where he stood, readying to walk away when his new friend spoke up."Wait, isn't this your class?" he quickly asks."No, it's... the other side of the school," the reploid babbled, almost forgetting about his mission and then gave him a quick cheery wave. "See you at lunch, Ken!" Then made a run for it, only for the boiler room door to swing open and a haggard cleaner yelled at him."No running in the halls, young lady! And get to your class before the prefects bust your sexy ass!"The reploid almost tripped in shock, glaring at him."Go fuck yourself, pervert!" Axl spluttered, suddenly remembering his miniskirt. It's more baffling to him that nobody yet discerned his actual gender. "I'm, like, a teenager! You can't just say that! You're an adult!" But the cleaner snorted."Yes, I can, it's a compliment! Now get going or I'll make you!"Axl snarled and flipped him off before storming away down the corridor, grumbling to himself."If that guy is the undercover maverick, then I'll be glad to shoot him..."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Won't it be suspicious that we barely have any furniture?" Zero spoke up while X sat at the table beside the window of their 'home'. Around them, the plain white wallpaper glowered in the late morning sunlight that came through the large windows."Definitely, but we're only here for the next 9 days," X mutters, reading over the mission statements. "It'll be best to refrain from inviting anyone over, but we gotta watch out for the friendly neighbours coming over to bring housewarming gifts.""Housewarming?""Yes, like indoor potted plants. It'll be a shame once we leave and there's nobody to water them.""That is IF we even get any. We could always gift them to the other Operators at HQ."X smiled wryly, glancing at the corners of the ceiling but seeing no cameras. "Good thing we can't risk exposure from the outside world and have cameras or cellphones, otherwise our conversations would be listened to right now like one big sit-com." Zero sighed, taking his cap off and running his fingers over his scalp."I'm already sick of the drive here. But..." He frowned, looking past X's head and through the curtain-lace over the window. "Seriously, how could the town be THIS isolated? Wouldn't there be SOMEONE curious enough to leave town and explore the surrounding forests and discover that the world has fast-forwarded a few centuries?"But his partner simply unclipped a slip of paper and stood up, walking over to sit beside him and handed it to him as he read it."Right..." the blonde murmured, "the curse of gigantic wolves thanks to the perpetuation of ACTUAL wolf-shaped mechanloids guarding the forest. Genius. So NOBODY could physically leave - except in the rare circumstances of students getting into college in the other isolated community experiments and by which the researchers have human-disguised reploids drive them while they're knocked out with sleeping drugs.""Exactly," X nodded, "but the research data was compromised weeks ago and radio chatter has it that a maverick group has infiltrated this town to hide from the other Hunters.""Pretty clever," Zero agrees, "except for one thing...""They're MANY miles away from the cities where they can do the most ideological damage.""...I just hope that Axl doesn't do anything stupid and blow our cover before we can find out."They fell silent to the sound of chirping birds outside until X grinned and nudged his elbow."Have more faith in Axl, because after this mess is over, EVERYONE at HQ will demand pictures of him, which we will keep as blackmail if he ever pulls any pranks on us."Axl explored empty classrooms, the bathrooms, other cleaning cupboards and even the belltower where a couple were having a rendezvous, but to his disappointment he couldn't clear up everything within 24 hours of arriving in this hidden town.Before he knew it, lunchtime arrived just as he descended the stairs of the main hall and students flooded from the classrooms and into their cliques when a group of boys wearing their varsity jackets surrounded him. He sighed as the two bully-jocks from earlier stepped in front of him - the ones he mentally named Baldy and Blondie."What now?" Axl clipped, crossing his arms."We're here for payback," Baldy stated, cracking his knuckles."And we don't give a shit if you're a girl or not!" Blondie added, "NOBODY humiliates us! We're the stars of the football team!""Big deal!" Axl snorted and sharp gasps drew from the crowd, "so you can handle a bunch of balls and shower naked together in the communal showers while denying your sexuality - so what?" Laughs and snickers shook the circling crowd while the footballers fired each other looks; some puzzled."For a little girl, you have a big mouth!" Baldy snapped and took a step closer. Axl stood firm, arms still crossed."Is this because I taught you basic manners? Or do you want ANOTHER lesson?" At that, his arms finally relaxed and his bag slid off his shoulder, landing on the floor with a heavy thud. "Because now that it's lunch break, I can squeeze in a ham sandwich to match your face!"But the jocks around him chortled and Blondie shook his head, amused."You're dead meat, punk.""You sure talk a lot," Axl yawns and other students jeered at Blondie.Not being able to process words quick enough due to interference from excessive testosterone, Blondie's' hands shot out to seize his shirt, but Axl's boot swiftly slammed against his balls and Blondie's scream reached an impossible pitch before crumpling to the ground sobbing and hunched into a ball.Stunned, Baldy stepped away, hands hovering close to the family jewels while shooting a helpless look between the new student and his compadres."Get her!" he yelled, "there's only one of her and 9 of us!""Technically 8!" Axl yelped and ducked to avoid an incoming punch, which flew over his head and knocked out the other jock coming in from opposite direction. The ginger quickly slammed his fist into an uppercut and sent the assailant flying a few feet away.The audience cheered and jumped up and down, baying for blood just like this morning, but with more excitement filling their veins at an unexpected fight.Grinning, Axl snatched the wrist of another thug, spinning and ducking at the same time before tossing him at the heads of two charging team-mates and faced off against another NPC, getting into a fighting stance. But the remaining 2 jocks just watched her nervously, backing up."Get her, you pigs!" Baldy yelled, pointing at Axl. "She's kicking our asses! If Mr Bert sees us right now, he'll rip our asses apart!"Gulping, the two incoming jocks - the shortest pair in the team, about the reploid's height - blindly charged, but Axl relaxed and merely jabbed both his fists at their faces, breaking their noses and cutting their charge short as they collapsed to the floor wailing.Letting out a breath, the winner glanced at Baldy and he let out a whimpering cry before sprinting, followed by the conscious friends carrying/half-dragging the fallen with them. Meanwhile, the audience exploded into applause and Axl felt a surge of happiness tingling his every circuit from having these strangers cheer him on. One of them, a familiar nerd and his large spectacles, cheered the loudest in spite of his weaker lungs."Annelise! Annelise! Annelise!" Ken began to yell, and the audience followed, crying out Axl's alias while he grinned and gave them all the peace sign with his hand."HELL YEAH!" He bounced on the spot, looking like the happiest teenager punk in the world until everyone fell deathly silent and a bad feeling crept up Axl's spine.A voice spoke behind him and he slowly turned to face one of the teachers - a scowling gentleman in his 60s in a pinstripe suit even more out of fashion than X's and grey hair that looks fake."Report to my office immediately, young lady!" The phone rang, making X and Zero almost react by grabbing the nearest decorative vases for self-defence, but after a couple of seconds of laughing in realisation X picked up the phone, mindful of how woefully short the twisted cord is, saying "Xavier Light, how can I help you?"Zero noticed the smile vanish from his face and he let out a sigh, standing up and putting his hat on without even being prompted to."Yes... I'm on my way now with my son. Thank you. Bye."No sooner did X put the phone down that Zero snorted and he shot him a glare."Not funny, Zero! I got a phone call from principle Dr Drivel saying that Axl just beat up half the football team!"The blonde laughed even harder, not stopping until they were outside on the path flanked by an immaculate lawn as perfect as the next 4 lots of neighbours' lawns."Good on my 'sister' - Axl hates bullies," he chortled while they hopped into the car and X immediately floored it like Axl's in the ICU and not in petty trouble. Axl smiled at them guiltily as Zero and X entered the principle's office - well decorated with deer heads and trophies on the walls - and the designated father went up to his designated daughter who sat in one of the hardwood chairs in front of the massive desk."What's the meaning of this, Annelise?!" he snapped before shooting the principle an apologetic look, "I apologise on hi-- her behalf, she's such a tomboy and doesn't know when to apply APPROPRIATE force!"Casually, Zero approached the pair before extending his hand out to the principle, who gruffly shook his hand."Name's Brandon Light, I'm Annelise's older brother. We're still sorting the house out so I'll come to school soon. Still got any places on the football team?""Yes... Thanks to your sister," the man grumbled with a glare, "we're due for a match next week, and I can't have any of my boys missing a single slot of practice!" But Axl sighed dramatically."You'll have to forgive me, things have been difficult since my dear father got divorced."Zero snorted, making Dr Drivel frown at them. Meanwhile, X shot Axl a panicked glare, forgetting that he didn't read the mission statement-"It was a ROUGH time," X quickly spoke up, turning to him. "You know what kids are like.""Yes... Although you look awfully young yourself," Dr Drivel frowned and the smile vanished from the reploid's faces, but X just nodded."I had them when I was 15 and 18 with my childhood sweetheart, but she took care of them while I worked in Connecticut, so we could only communicate over the phone and through letters..."If Axl wasn't so deep into his role of the troubled punk girl, he'd be impressed with the improve. But Zero just kept his smile to himself, knowing how brilliant X is in a time of dire need. For a moment they didn't think that the hesitating older man would accept the wild story, but nodded."I understand. People will do anything for the person they love... even if it means cutting their teenage years short.""Yes... Sadly, it was circumstances that directed our lives beyond our control," X murmured and for that moment his acting was so perfect that Zero now wished that they WERE being monitored - this would make a brilliant TV drama... "So again, I apologise for what my daughter has done. She's always a free spirit, but perhaps... she could make it up by working with the cleaners after school for a couple of hours until you rule that she has learnt the lesson of humility and self-control?"Axl shot him an aghast look and quickly stood up."That cleaner's a pervert! No way!"But while Zero gave him a concerned glance, X didn't budge. Dr Drivel's beady eyes looked at the troublemaker, unperturbed by his claim, and hummed thoughtfully."I suppose that is an excellent suggestion, but only for an hour and under supervision of Mr Berton, the gym class teacher. After all, she did hospitalise three of his players."X bowed, saying: "Thank you, Dr Drivel." But without standing up straight, he whispered to Axl: "Apologise and just accept it.""But-""NOW, young lady," he hissed and reluctantly the ginger reploid stood up and bowed only slightly. Meanwhile, Zero looked at the trophies around the room as well as the deerheads.The principle clapped his hand with a satisfied nod. "Now that we're done - Annelise, you may start your detention today until the night of the Winter Ball.""Winter Ball?" Axl blinked."Yes, that's in 9 days, on Friday evening," he explained, "I take it that that will suffice, Mr Light?"With a knowing smile, X agreed and they shook hands before leaving the office and shut the door. Luckily lunch break was already over so there was nobody else in this reception area, but X let out a huge sigh of relief and Zero laughed lowly. But Axl wasn't amused."Why is it that when people defend themselves here, THEY are the ones who get into trouble?" he complained, "man, high school sucks! But at least I got a tonne of respect from everybody else for publicly humiliating those meatballs!""You get respect anyway, Axl," Zero spoke up, but the ginger reploid's expression fell."Yeah... Sometimes.""In ANY case," X cut across, looking between them. "We gotta stop causing fights or taking part in them until this mess is all over. Zero, did you find any clues on the mavericks?""I haven't," he uttered and brought something from his pocket: a scanner that looks like something you'd find in the supermarket. "I scanned his body temperature, but Dr Drivel is definitely human.""Dammit," Axl muttered, "I wanna check all the teachers though, just in case.""You won't need to," X said, "because we both have temperature guns. It'll only be suspicious and dangerous if you physically touch every person you see, even through casual touches for the Copy Shot ability.""Then why am I here?" the ginger reploid hissed, glaring at him, "my ability can do a lot more than those stupid guns!""In that case - did you scan those footballers that you fought?"Axl stopped."Thought so," X huffed and began to walk away, "so last warning, Axl, don't get into any fights unless you want us to send you back to HQ early and do all the paperwork. We NEED you to be in the school to protect civilians in case any mavericks decide to show up, so you're important for this role - to safeguard."He left the reception area and Axl hopelessly looked at Zero, who shrugged."If you ask me, you taught a bunch of idiots the meaning of good manners.""They bullied Ken earlier today and I kinda humiliated them then, so they circled me at lunch..." he muttered, but the blonde grinned."Who's that? Your boyfriend?""No!" Axl spluttered, "he's a friend! Kinda. We just spoke once, plus he's pure human, so my attention will be on everyone else."Zero nodded. "Even though you pulled off a tactically dumb stunt... you did protect someone who couldn't save themselves. You're very much like X that way, so he's secretly proud of you."With that, Zero left the reception area, leaving Axl alone with his bittersweet thoughts. "I can't believe that kid," X sighed, resting his head on the steering wheel. "First day of school and he's already in trouble..."But Zero smiled, relaxing in the leather seat. "You're really getting into this parental role. There's nobody watching us right now."Flinching, X sat up, starting the vehicle. "Can't help it. If I slip for even a second like I almost did in the principle's office..."Zero's hand rested on his shoulder and he visibly relaxed."You've been jittery all morning.""What makes you say that?"The engine hummed and they began their drive down the empty road."Well..." Zero began, "when you're worried, you read something - anything - like the mission statement. Plus you slightly bite your lower lip. Then there's the fact that this is our first undercover mission in years and even then it was only always us together long before Axl joined the team."Silence filled the car until X spoke up."You know me so well.""I'm glad I do," Zero chirped, amused, "how else am I gonna make plans on saving the day when you get into trouble?""I could say the same thing for you," X says, finally smiling, "Mr I-Die-Every-Few-Years Zero."Zero rolled his eyes. "Very funny. People will say that you're all calm and serene, but they've never seen how hotheaded you can get. Only I have the privilege.""Hopefully I can keep it that way, then." While classes broke up for the day and cheery students still buzzed about Axl's fight against the football team, the hero himself grumbled as he mopped the floor of the shower room while Mr Berton scolded a skinny kid younger than Ken."...That throw was SO PATHETIC that even a spider could catch it! Now fuck off before I give you detention!"Frantic footsteps and then silence as Axl glanced over his shoulder at the obese gym teacher, who shot him a glare."Get scrubbing, girl! I wanna be able to see my face in that floor!""Yes, Mr Berton," he muttered, dipping the mophead into the bucket with more force than necessary. 'Now I know how the cleaners at HQ feel...'"And because of you hospitalising my best boys, I want you to scrape the gum off from under the benches too!" he demanded.Thinking of X's warning, Axl refrained from groaning and nodded. "Yes, sir.""Good! Because if you miss even a single hair on that floor, your detention will last until you GRADUATE!"Shuddering, glad that he can only smell the strong bleach in the mop bucket, Axl persisted wiping the floor while glad that Mr Berton stormed off to go read nude magazines in his office."No doubt that he's human..." he muttered to himself, "I swear I'm going to end this sooner..."A painstaking long 55 minutes of floor-mopping and chewing gum-disposing later, Axl slouched out the shower rooms when he saw a large hulking figure turning the corner and his instinct immediately made him leap into an empty locker, peering through the slits in the metal. The figure turned out to be one of the footballers, but he wasn't one of the ones that Axl had beaten up. No, this one only LOOKED huge because he began to pull out padding from under his football kit before taking his wig off with a relieved sigh. Axl held his breath. The face also slipped off, revealing a chameleon-like face.'Bingo!! A maverick!!' Axl's mind screamed but the reploid outside the locker pulled out what looks like a transmitter from it's pocket, switching it on with an impatient grunt. It suddenly sloped into the shower room and the ginger reploid quietly slipped out the locker, waiting just outside the door to eavesdrop."Commander, sir, this is Scales Meeleon reporting. I've successfully integrated myself as a high school student after 5 days. Progress went as normal until today when my human-friends have been in a fight with a new student."Axl frowned, trying to see if he could recognise the tones...
"A fight, you say?"
"Yessir. Some punk girl with lots of red hair."
"...Scales Meeleon, if this is a stupid prank..."
"I-it isn't, sir," Scales Meleeon gulped and Axl's eyebrow rose. He sounds really panicked. Just WHO is he talking to, exactly? "I've seen the fight. She's very martial-arts focused. They barely left a scratch on her. Do you believe that she could be a Maverick Hunter?"'DOUBLE BINGO!' our dear reploid cheered internally, 'I even know what disguise they're using too!'
"Be on your guard. Our mole indicated that there are three Maverick Hunters on this case. Likely chance that they had one to scout the school while the other two deal with other affairs."
"Sir, that would perfectly correlate with the fact that three new people have moved into the town this morning. Gossip is very easy to come by," Scales Meeleon hissed, "rest assured, I will... deal with the hunter responsible for protecting the school."
"Only engage with the enemy if they make the first move. Do not do anything foolish like drawing attention to yourself. You're on your own for a reason: to ensure the highest chance of finding the data that's needed."
'Data, huh? What of?' Axl wondered, listening intently."Yes, sir. I won't fail you, sir."
"Logging out."
Panicking, in realisation, Axl quickly ran into the locker from earlier to shut himself in, just in the nick of time as Scales Meeleon exited the shower room wearing his false face and wig again - black in colour and longish - while the mask's lips twisted into smiles for a warm-up as he left the corridor.Axl didn't leave until 5 minutes passed, by which then he burst out the locker like a bat out of hell and charged out of the school building with urgency. Although students still hung about on school grounds, Axl was still sprinting when he spotted X at the car park standing beside the car, trying to talk down the schoolgirls who have flocked around the poor guy. Grinning, relief surged through his veins as he ran towards X, schoolbag banging against his hip and waved with a shout:"HEY, DAD! LET'S GO HOME ALREADY!"Gasping and muttering, the older girls began to diverse, letting the ginger schoolgoer run up to X and hugged him around his waist, almost knocking him off-balance."Oh... hello, Annelise, did you have a good day at school?" he said, dithering, awkwardly patting his head for the father-daughter effect."I SURE did," he rolled his eyes, getting into the car as X also entered, leaving the gaggle of lovestruck schoolgirls aside to complain.But the ride home was hilarious on Axl's part, made even better with his big news."I found the Maverick!" he blurted and X almost crashed the car."Already?!" he burst, giving him a quick stare before averting his eyes to the road ahead, "report, now!""I watched him go into the shower room after I mopped it clean, then he made a phone call to someone and his name is Scales Meeleon!""Dammit," X grumbled, fingers clenching on the wheel. "I know who that is. He's a maverick who escaped from prison last month before he could be sentenced to death."Axl puffed out his chest in pride."Yep! And I'M the one who found him here first! But he's been talking about 'finding data' and the guy he talks to knows that there are 3 of us Hunters here..." he fell quiet, remembering more. "He mentioned something about a mole at HQ as well."But X grimaced. "Then we're on our own to form our own plan until the extraction team receives us in 9 days. We can't post any updates by mail in case it gets intercepted by the wrong reploids."Axl frowned. "But what if it's just Alia?""This mission is sensitive. I trust her with my life, but..." X sighed, "we can't take ANY risk at all now that we know for sure there's a mole.""So..." the younger reploid deflated, "we can't leave immediately either?""No.""Dammit!" Axl growled and crossed his arms. "And I got sick of cleaning the shower rooms too AND scraping up ancient mouldy chewing gum!""Just get over it!" X groaned, "Axl, just hold out for NINE days, okay? This mission is extremely important for social sciences!""Fine, fine! I'll carry on being a stupid cleaner..."They fell quiet, not quite having anything to talk about, until X coughed."So... how was your afternoon?""Boring... I hung out in the library.""Wow. THAT bored, huh?""What's THAT supposed to mean?!"But X chuckled until he began to laugh harder and Axl smiled."Oh yeah, 'dad,' when IS 'Brandon' coming to school? If he doesn't go to school, then he'll have to get a job or he'll be a lazy bum mooching off you!""For now, he's critiquing the house in case of any surprise guests," X rolled his eyes, amused. "But luckily we got enough room in the basement for E-tanks to last us through the next few days.""Good, because if he starts to slack off, I'll be the breadwinner for this family and run my own coffee shop with an equally-broke partner who sells cupcakes!""Rude! I'm the 'adult' here, I'M the breadwinner.""Doing what, exactly?" Axl grinned."Don't tell your non-existent mother this, but I'm secretly a government spy just trying to make ends meet for my precocious little girl and my complete jock of a son."But Axl rolled his eyes. "And the next thing you know, Zero will become a guitar-playing college student writing songs on how nobody understands him."They burst out laughing and the drive finally ended as X parked the car in the driveway, glad that they're 'home' for the day."Know what, X?" Axl suddenly spoke up, "this mission is kinda fun after all."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Though the clock on the mantelpiece ticked away and indicated that it's 7 in the evening, the three undercover reploids gathered around the table in the dining room drinking sub-tanks. Right now, a majority of humans in this isolated town will be eating their meals while making small talk with their families around the table on different topics and woes: Teenage girls lamented possible rejections from guys who can play an instruments, boys whined for money to buy comic books while fathers are half-comatose with exhaustion of working 16 hours a day at an office - luckily situations that many peers of their age groups outside the social experiment settlements will never go through.But for Day 1 of their undercover investigation, the reploids have accomplished one of their mission parts and located an actual maverick."And it's allll because of me!" Axl boasted, leaning back in his seat."Good work on that too," X uttered, writing some notes, "but I'm still concerned about what you mentioned he said.""About there being a mole in HQ?" Zero spoke up."Yes... so instead I'm going to send snail mail directly to Alia."Axl almost fell off his seat and quickly balanced himself against the hardwood table."SNAIL mail? That's too slow!" he complained, "we know who it is, so let's just seek him out and kick his ass already!""The mailworkers are doing the last collections of the day in an hour, so I'm going to quickly write up today's report before posting it off. I'll just have it sent first-class recorded so that I'll get confirmation that Alia herself received it.""Woah." The ginger reploid blinked. "You really thought this all through."X couldn't help but smile slightly, not taking his eyes off the paper in front of him. "Maybe if you'd read your copy of the mission statement then you wouldn't be floundering so much." But Zero snorted."You almost lost it in Dr Drill's office when we started improvising.""Dr Drivel, not Drill. And no, I did NOT 'lose it,'" X grumbled, carrying on writing. "Plans need to stay as on-track as possible, otherwise one screw-up could cost us the entire operation and we'll be having our ears talked off by Social Studies students for the next few centuries...""And thanks to YOU, X, I gotta serve detention!" Axl suddenly snapped, "cleaning's for cleaners!""Actually, Axl," Zero intervened, noticing a dangerous glare in X's eyes, "it's common for High Schools to have their students clean their homeroom classrooms. It alludes to the Bhuddist teaching of having a clean space for a clean mind." But it only satiated Axl's dismay slightly as he sighed heavily and stood up."Whatever. I'm going to go chill for the night.""What, no secret party to sneak out to while our 'father' is busy with work?" the blonde reploid grinned and the other male paused thoughtfully."Actually... now that I'm instantly popular for beating up the football team-""NO," X said loudly without looking up at him, "you need to preserve your energy. We're miles away from the nearest charger, so we have to carefully ration the sub-tanks in the basement.""Dammit," Axl grumbled before leaving to go upstairs.Once the stairs stopped creaking, Zero turned to X just as he finished writing a full page, raising an eyebrow."Do you really need to write every itty-bitty little thing that happened? And-" Before X could complain, he snatched up the finished page and read with a laugh. "-Oh god, you even got Axl's detention written down! They're going to rip the shit out of him when he gets back."A hand shot out and took the paper from him."It's necessary because we don't have any recording equipment," he explained, starting to write again. "It may not be ideal, but it's the only way right now to create a comprehensive report, plus my handwriting is unique enough to be secure in it's own way."Zero nodded slowly, relaxing in his chair with his bare arms crossed. His jacket is hung over the back of his seat so his black vest is on display."You're nervous."The other stopped writing before carrying on, pen scratching the paper."What makes you say that?" X wondered."Well... let's face it, we're not meant for suburb towns like this. We are advanced machines with thoughts, feelings, morals..." He trailed off when X gave him a look and he shrugged. "SOME morals - but point is, if these humans were to find out that they were a part of a massive elaborate experiment, then think of the surprise it could cause. The world outside theirs is so vastly different that they'll either embrace all these groundbreaking changes and explore new possibilities, or...""...Or reject it completely as a false reality," X muttered."That's an interesting way of putting it. But I can see why you're worried about accidentally exposing them to the outside world.""And why is that?""Because of the isolation, unique cultures have been created. Long ago, superstitions used to be waved off as silly nonsense, but thanks to the project, stuff like going into the forest and being chased back by giant wolves have made superstitions important as 'mental shackles' on the inhabitants to prevent them from getting curious enough to leave."Finally, X stopped writing and looked at him with a neutral expression."So you actually read the report."Zero smirked before standing up, picking up his jacket. "I don't spend ALL my free time admiring your brilliance."Laughing, X shook his head, pen nib scratching against the paper again."If you have time to compare yourself to me, then go run to the store and grab envelopes and stamps. The money's in my coat pocket."
Day 2 (Between 00:00-01:00AM)
It's so damn hard trying to relax in a bed that hasn't been furnished with covers of it's own. Not that Axl cares since this is only temporary, but it's after midnight and he STILL can't find a reason to just power down for the night. He ended up tossing and turning until the wall by his head thudded noisily."Power down, you nimrod, I'm trying to meditate!""I can't help it!" Axl yelled through the paper-thin wall, "I've been through a lot today!""I'll put you through a LOT more if you don't power down!""But what if someone breaks in and murders us?!""Zero's sleeping downstairs, he'll be the first to let us know!"Giving up, Axl just laid back in bed, looking over at his designated human outfit lying on top of the suitcase full of other clothes that Layer helped pick out for him. Seriously, he's glad that he won't have to wear the ridiculous leg warmers...As he mentally recounted the number of clothes he took with him, his mind finally slipped and his processing systems slowed to 25%, leaving only his vitals to function.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 2 (morning)
"WAKEY-WAKEY, SUNSHINE!"Loud slamming on the bedroom door startled Axl awake and he screamed, sharply looking around, but groaned and flopped back in bed."UP AND AT 'EM, WE GOTTA GET TO SCHOOL!"He blinked before hurrying out of bed, running over to yank the door open to see Zero in the same tracksuit-style outfit he wore yesterday, except his hair has been pulled back in a braid.Axl finally remembered what the heck is going on and almost instantly shut down."What time is it?!" he burst, but the blonde reploid cackled."Exactly 1 hour and 55 minutes until class starts."Axl picked up one of his shirts and slapped him with it before he ran off laughing."DILLWEED!" he shouted."You two are lively this morning," X spoke up as Zero and Axl both walked inside the living room.Instinctively, Axl's eyes wandered to look for a TV, except there isn't one here. Now that he thinks about it, there's only shelves of books, a gramophone, a radio and an open newspaper spread over X's lap."I didn't sleep that well," the ginger reploid sniffed."No wonder, you were making a racket rolling around," Zero uttered before sitting beside X to look at the paper. "What's the news this morning?""Nothing much," the other male says, "only exciting thing considered is the Winter Ball coming up at the school, and with this culture of humans it's not just teenagers who get to take part in the festivities, but also the whole town.""Wow, really?" Axl mumbled, peering at the paper. "Then would it mean that there's the highest chance of mass casualties if Scales Meeleon decided to kill some people?"Zero and X shared a look of silent agreement."Very likely," X says before closing the paper and standing up. "Get your bags ready, I'll drive you two to school."Zero already had his bag ready since yesterday, along with a sports bag with his kit in and towels, but Axl suddenly realised something."Wait, X, will it be a good idea having him around as well? I totally have the school under my protection!"But the other two laughed."At least no more nerds will get wedgied as long as you beat up the football team again and again," Zero chortled and nudged his shoulder. "C'mon, get your shit together already, otherwise we really WILL be late."The drive to the school more or less went smoothly, what with identical houses, long hedges and leafy trees zooming past.Axl still couldn't get used to being a backseat passenger, especially now with X and Zero talking away in the front seats on mundane subjects. Pouting, the reploid disguised as a punk wearing a black shirt with a skull on it crossed his arms, not noticing Zero twisting the mirror above his head to covertly show him the childish display and he snickered about it."Hey X, I think state law requires children having booster seats," Zero joked and Axl let out an indignant yell before kicking the back of his seat, resulting in X yelling at them to behave.Finally, the drive ended as X parked in front of the school gates, and the same gaggle of girls who admired X the other day squealed and gathered beside the car.
"Hey, handsome! I LOVE how you make that suit look good!"
"Yeah! That suit is SO last year, but it looks fashionable on you!"
"Do you think you can become a model for my dad? He's the local tailor!"
Uncomfortable, X tried to answer the barrage of questions until he heard the car doors open as Axl and Zero both left, amused."Paws off our dad, ladies," Zero cooed, leaning against the car and the starstruck eyes brightened upon seeing him. "He's still in mourning. But I won't mind handling your books.""Yeah!" Axl chirped, "and I can be your bodyguard too!"But when Axl spoke, they deflated."Oh..." one of the girls uttered with a frown: a senior with a lot of black hair tied back in a ponytail. "You're that feral girl who beat up my boyfriend and his friends!"X's smile tightened, happy that in a second, he'll just drive off and leave babysitting duties to Zero-"Oh, you mean Baldy?" Axl says with missing a beat and the group all gasped sharply. Hesitantly, his eyes darted over them. "Or was it Blondie?"Luckily, Zero hurried around the car, standing beside Axl with a laugh."You'll have to ignore Annelise, she's a tomboy.""And tactless," the black-haired girl tutted while her friends held their noses up in the air, before sauntering over to Zero in her heels. "But you're sooo different from her - can you help me carry my books to Biology if you have time?" she simpered.Axl almost threw up, but to his surprise Zero laughed, accepting the books from her."Of course, cutie - that's my first class too. I'd love to call you that all day, but what's your name?""It's Darla Stitches," she giggled. "And you are?""Brandon Light. But my friends call me Bran."Axl snorted: "Yeah - Branflakes."With that cue, X drove off so fast nobody noticed him leaving.But unperturbed, Zero began to walk and Darla followed as well as her group, all asking him dozens of questions before the blonde reploid sneakily glanced over his shoulder, giving Axl a wink and he nodded. That's right. He's not going to class because he's going to investigate the school and learn more on that maverick. Luckily for Axl, he found Ken in the library hidden behind a pillar of books. They're the only ones in here as even the librarian seems absent. Grinning, Axl snuck up to the desk, peeking over the wall of books."Keeeen!" he cooed, making the nerd squeal and fly off his seat, knocking a book off the edge."A-A-A-Annelise!" he hissed, pale, "I-I-I didn't see you coming!"Cackling, Axl grabbed a chair from nearby to sit beside him."Sorry about that, I couldn't resist. So what IS this Winter Ball that people kept yammering on about?""Oh," Ken blinked, finally seating himself and adjusting his glasses while brushing back his longish fringe. "Well, you see... it's basically to celebrate the time our ancestors survived an extremely harsh Winter caused by climate change hundreds of years ago by collectively working together to hoard food and distribute it equally amongst townspeople, regardless of wealth.""That's it?" the other stared at him."Yep," he sighed, "so now we absolutely must celebrate a near-famine as a holiday even though we can get plenty of food nowadays.""Sounds boring," Axl uttered."It IS," Ken groaned, faceplanting his notebook. "And every year, I don't get invited to any of the dances.""So it's like a dance then? The whole thing?""God, no!" Ken shot up before stretching his arms and grunting. "Even though it's a sombre event created to share feelings of solemnity in memory of those who died during that Winter, it's become nothing more than a pageantry of wealth, desserts and glamorous garments.""Really, now?" Axl suddenly thought of someone. "I take it that Darla Stitches is the queen or something of this school?"To his surprise, Ken smiled goofily, staring ahead."Yes... Every year, she wins the title of the Winter Monarch. This year will be no different. Her father designs the best outfits to match the themes, naturally."A lightbulb lit up in Axl's mind as he grinned."So I take it that she'll lose her shit if someone beats her?" Axl wondered."Oh, absolutely," Ken nodded, looking at him before frowning. "Wait... you don't even know what it takes to be the Winter Queen.""No, but YOU can help me!" Axl suddenly whispered, excited. "And if I become the Winter Queen, then I can nominate YOU to wear the crown instead as a massive 'fuck you' to all the people who beat the crap out of you!"He thought Ken would say no, but to his surprise his eyes misted over in deep thought as he nodded slowly."Yeah... that sounds a good idea... Not bad at all, Annelise, but unfortunately you already lost some popularity points.""What?" Axl blinked.Turning the pages in his blank notebook, Ken ripped out a lined page before writing things down, speaking as he went."So the Winter Monarch is someone who is... Popular, generous and empowering.""Bullshit," Axl spat, finally understanding and Ken nodded."Popular? Well, the football team is ADORED by the school, especially the faculty, so why you're only given cleaning duties and not expulsion, I'll never know... And you happened to beat the crap out of their best players.""It was to defend you!" the other blurted, gesturing at him. "Well, the first time was me defending you, but the second time was defending MY health.""Unfortunately, rumours are already spreading fast that you're an escapee from a lunatic asylum and that your mother slept with Dr Drivel in order to get you a place in this school."Axl almost choked on air, wide-eyed."WHAT?!""Exactly," Ken nodded again, "and rumours are often perpetuated by no other than Darla's most loyal propaganda machine, Viper Blacks. She's ALWAYS hanging out with her. Plus, it's no surprise that it's because of her that no girl dared to go against Darla in the race for the Winter Monarch crown.""What a bitch," Axl grumbled."Which brings us to point 2: generosity. Back in the older days, the Winter Monarch is someone who forego eating in order to have more food given to the less-fortunate. But later on in a twist of fate, the Winter Monarch is someone who gives out treats, compliments and favours in order to win votes." Ken laughed bitterly. "There's a reason it's called generosity and not humility, otherwise Darla would behave much nicer. It doesn't help that her family is old money as well, even though her father loves the manual work of sewing.""I can be generous!" his friend spoke up, but Ken grinned."Giving out a 'ham sandwich' won't cut it. You need to out-compete Darla by being kind and exercising polite manners. Guys can get away with being rude, but if it's a girl holding doors for teachers and offering to carry books for other people or giving them a shoulder to cry on, then they're more memorable.""Right..." Axl sighed, already dismayed that he has cleaning duties on top of the crazy endgame in his mind. "So the last one... empowerment? Like teaching people how to believe in themselves?""Exactly!" Ken whispered enthusiastically, writing more on the paper. "But remember this: 'deeds, not words.' Just saying stuff isn't going to get people to miraculously change into something else entirely, but you have to show them how and show encouragement. In the past, Winter Monarchs take part in community efforts such as fundraising, volunteering and assisting the less fortunate to show that everybody can reach the stars together.""And how does Darla empower people?""By telling them that as long as they kiss her ass, she won't get her boyfriend to shove them in the garbage cans.""Geeze..." Axl murmured, "I'd feel bad if I suddenly gave you the crown if people voted for me." But his friend shrugged."I wouldn't really care. I just want to graduate, get into the best university ever and get into the robotics program!"Axl froze, staring at him."R-robotics?""Yeah!" Ken smiled brightly, dropping his voice to a whisper, "but don't tell anyone I said that, okay? I know it's too dangerous to leave the town without the 'will' for a destination, but I want to create and develop machines!""...I promise," Axl says with a small smile. "You're a brainy guy, that's for sure.""Oh stop it, you," Ken snorted but folded the paper and handed it to him. "Take this. Maybe you can brainstorm tonight and suddenly win the hearts and minds of the locals into voting for you before the next 7 days pass.""I'll definitely will..." Meeting on rooftops seems to be a genetic trait for reploids as Axl stood by the railings overlooking the vast town and it's forest-bordered boundaries when he heard Zero call his name out - "Annelise! You're alone?" - and he turned around with a nod."Yep - so how was Darla?"Zero's face twisted in disgust."'The Sweetheart Of Oaktown,' my ass! She kept talking about wanting to make out with me in the boiler room even though she has a boyfriend already!""And what about her lackey, Viper Blacks?"Zero nodded, pointing at him. "Met her. She's very quiet, so I'm going to gun her with the temperature detector to make sure she isn't a maverick. So how did your intelligence-gathering go?" He asked, walking over to lean against the railing beside him."I've spoken to Ken, and he told me about the Winter Ball. It used to be a celebration of their ancestors not dying in a near-famine, but now it's nothing more than a glorified promenade and the Winter Monarch is someone who is voted into the position."The blonde reploid raised an eyebrow. "And lemme guess, you want to take part?""Well..." Axl mumbled, feeling foolish. "If it involves talking to everybody in this school, then it might smoke out the maverick sooner. Plus it's someone disguised as a member of the football team too." To his relief, his colleague nodded."Good plan, Ax. Although be careful - if the maverick knows that we're on their tail, then they could cut and run.""I understand..." the ginger reploid sighed. "Man, it's not even midday yet. Aren't you late for class?""Free period.""Gotcha.""But I'll definitely vote for ya, although I met the football team and they're still pretty pissed that you showed them up."Axl cackled. "Maybe I should make them cakes or something. But I ain't grovelling like a lil bitch for forgiveness when THEY'RE the ones bullying people!""Although..." Zero began lightly, watching the town thoughtfully. "I've heard unfavourable rumours that Mr Berton provides the footballers with steroids. Unless there's evidence, we can't blackmail them into voting for you or something."The ginger reploid smirked, rubbing his hands together."Genius implication, Sherlock. If Darla Stitches is going to bully people, then I don't see why I shouldn't take a leaf from her book.""I'll take part in the doping as well so I can find out where they're stashing the stuff," Zero spoke up, "I think there's a photography club going on as well after school." But Axl groaned in dismay."I got detention, remember? Cleaning with that dickbag Mr Berton supervising me - well, from his office, at least.""I'll get you what you need. Meanwhile, you go draw up your other plans on how to get those votes, and who knows - you might even get this Scales Meeleon guy to ask you for a dance at the Winter Ball." If X wasn't in an undercover mission, he'd be in the back yard watching the birds in the trees right now. But he just sat at the table quietly while writing more reports and taking timed sips from the subtank beside him. Not that he minded, although the thought of Axl and Zero working together gave him a strong sense of unease. Zero may be a fatherly figure to Axl, but Axl's got a penchant for being persuasive - it lead to an infamous incident back at Maverick Hunter HQ one time where he and Zero spiked all the e-tanks with a strain of cannabis that resulted in everybody being high. Of course, nobody knew it was those two that did it, but X scolded them.'...Oh crap, what if Axl persuades Zero to burn cannabis in the boiler room and have the fumes fill the school through the ventilation? Shit, I can already picture Axl calling it a 'high' school...'He stared at the phone, just expecting it to ring angrily with a red-eyed Dr Drill screaming for him to take Annelise and Brandon far FAR away from Oaktown, but it remained silent.X can't relax. All he could do is doodle a mettaur, which offered him some minor comfort knowing that he's only here for another 7 days.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
In a surprising twist of fate, Axl attended class. At least, the last one of the day - Alia hacked the school's student list days ago and made it so that he can just take half the classes without consequence in order to investigate the whereabouts of the maverick. But just as the bell rang and he went inside the classroom, his eyes roamed to the desk beside the window, where there's only one seat left beside a very familiar footballer - Scales Meeleon himself in his human disguise leaning on his elbows while balancing a pencil between his nose and upper lip.Axl almost shat himself, but got pushed inside the room by a very impatient Maths teacher - a large man with a snarling tone in his voice."Get to your seat already, or I'll mark you as la- Oh wait, you're new," he paused before gesturing at the only seat left. "Sit by Charles and get your book out.""Th-thanks sir," Axl stuttered, blindingly aware that he doesn't have his pistols on him as he walked closer to the disguised maverick.Chair squeaking, he sat down nervously and tugged his blank notebook and pen out, trying not to look at the curious human-disguised reploid beside him.But luckily, he still toyed with the pen, even balancing it on the tip of his nose. Although amusing as it was to Axl, the teacher wasn't impressed as he suddenly slammed a chalk down."Stop pissing about, Charles!" he snapped and 'Charles' gasped and it clattered on top of his book."Sorry, Mr Spots," he apologised sheepishly, surprising Axl. He sounds so human. "I was trying ta break my personal record, but it ain't workin'."Mr Spots scoffed. "Save the parlour tricks for the Winter Ball! Now, today, we're working on quadratic equations..."'Fuck,' Axl thought in dismay, biting his lip. 'Thank god I'm only doing this lesson twice. And better, tomorrow is Friday, so I'll have a whole weekend to decide how to win the hearts and minds of the natives...'While Axl agonised over an hour of maths, Zero hung out with the football team at the bleachers as they all joked and passed nude magazines around, cackling and cheering at every other glossy page flipping open."I don't get it, Brandon," Baldy suddenly said with a frown, looking at Zero. "How the hell are you related to that witch again?""Who?" he blinked before snapping his fingers. "Oh! Annelise!""Yeah!" Blondie gulped, crossing his legs instinctively. "Are you two seriously bro and sis?""Definitely. You've seen me during my initiation - I can take down you lot quicker than she can, though."The other men grumbled and nodded."And your pops don't look like much," the shortest footballer - Liam - said in wonder."Trust me, he's the one who taught me how to fight. My strength just comes from building myself up," Zero answered so eloquently that nobody questioned him further. Something came to mind. "Say, were we the only new students to start school recently?"The guys glanced at each other with half-muttered questions before Spark - Liam's brother - rose his hand."There's this one guy called Charles Menningson, but he ain't in any of our schedules.""Right..." Zero hummed, glancing about. "So what do you guys usually do after the newbie kicks your asses?"Baldy and Blondie's lips twisted in disapproval of losing a bet, but stood up off the wooden bench."Well, we usually haze other new kids, buuut..." Baldy paused, thinking of the disastrous encounter with 'Annelise.'Blondie quickly shoved him aside with a fake smile, saying: "We just practice on the field. Oooor we go into the library and pick on any nerds hanging out there.""Is that wise?" Zero wondered, "because what if the librarian's there?""We..." Blondie faltered before coughing, determined. "We just leave." But Zero tutted, crossing his arms."You guys don't do much for fun, huh?""So what would YOU do then, Bran?" Liam chirped, also crossing his own arms. "What did you do where you came from?"Zero thought back to Maverick Hunter HQ; during his free time from patrolling and maverick-busting, he'd usually sit and play poker in the storage room with a small group of hunters as gambling on-grounds is prohibited..."Well... I usually play poker..."...And practising his aiming with the Z-buster, but he'll never be as accurate as X..."And borrow my pop's rifle for target-practice..."...Reading manga - in secret."Oh, and chat up any pretty girls."Well, that one isn't entirely a lie, but ever since he became X's full-time partner he stopped caring about seeking out the ladies for sneaky smooches. They're just not as inherently enigmatic as X is.The guys murmured, nodding as they mulled over Zero's answers.But then he realised something - if classes are on right now, then where is Mr Berton?"Uh, is it free period right now?" Zero suddenly asked."Technically no," Liam says, "he's usually in his office, doing paperwork. He trusts us to practice anyway and we do.""I see..." Zero murmurs before thinking of something. "Say, guys, I'll be back - bathroom check and that. You go ahead with the practice."But they shared small laughs."No rush," Baldy snorted, "we KNOW we're good enough to win the match next week without practice, especially now that you're with us."Zero left, walking up the long pathway between the field and the main school building, except with a glance back at his lazing classmates he skipped into the bushes so that he crouched beneath Mr Berton's office window. Peering over the windowsill, Zero spotted the teacher sitting at his desk with his back to him as he quivered and chortled to himself while flicking through brightly-coloured glassy magazines of... oh dear.With a sneaky grin, Zero pulled the camera from his bag, snapping a few quick shots before leaving the bushes and made his way back to the team with a victorious whistle. Finally after an hour of torturous maths, Axl sloped away from the classroom only for someone to shout after him."Annelise! Hallo? Annelise? Yoohoo!"A hand waved in front of his face and the ginger reploid straightened, facing Charles and he almost short-circuited. But he just calmly smiled at him."Hello!" he squeaked, warming up. "Sorry, maths was SO boring I almost fell asleep!" But Charles laughed softly."I could tell. I wanted t' talk to ya, but the old bat would only throw me into detention if I did. So what are ya doing now?""Ah... well..." Axl gulped. 'I need to get more intel on this guy, but how can I do that when there are still civilians around?' ..."See, I got detention - I gotta clean the changing rooms for an hour after school until the Winter Ball.""Oh, I see!" Charles simpered, suddenly holding his hands and Axl's face flushed. "If I could, I'd take your place, but Mr Berton can be a VERY vicious man.""It's fine..." the embarrassed reploid grumbled, snatching his hands away. "I'll get over it, but I still ain't apologising to the football team for being dicks!" His eyes roamed over the varsity jacket before quickly adding: "THOSE guys, not you."The maverick-in-disguise chuckled. "No offence taken. In fact, I need to have a look for this new player in the team everyone has been ravin' about.""My brother?" Axl wondered and he nodded."I must say, you two are very different, but no doubt that you share the same violent streak."Axl grinned in pride. "He taught me how to fight.""How brotherly," Charles uttered, "I should go with you and meet him. I'll escort ya in case the nutjobs decide to jump you.""That would be a perfect idea," Axl agreed, "let's go now, otherwise I'll be forced to work overtime."As they walked together out the building and towards the path leading to the football field and it's satellite building, they maintained small talk between them while Axl's thoughts raced like cocaine-fed rats. This Charles guy is DEFINITELY Scales Meleeon, but the contrast between his persona and his actual self surprised him. Scales Meleeon looked really shady, but with this human disguise he is perfectly blending in with the students, even waving at a couple of friends who went past like they've known each other for years.
'I hope he DOES pull up some shady shit soon so that it'll give me an excuse to apprehend him.'
Up ahead of them as the group of jocks began to leave the field altogether laughing and joking, Axl quickly turned to Charles - "See ya later!" - and hurried into the office of Mr Berton to report in. However, as he opened the door, the teacher yelled in surprise and dropped a stack of magazines behind his desk."Uh... sorry to startle you, man. I'm just reporting in-""I KNOW!" the teacher ranted hotly, quickly kneeling down and disappearing out of sight. "Get to cleaning the changing rooms already!"Sighing silently, Axl slunk out, seeking out the cleaning equipment. However, he didn't go inside the boys changing room because the team are in there laughing and jeering. Interested, he pressed his ear against the door, listening."I dunno why y'all are so scared of that little gal." Sounds like Charles. "When I held her sweet little hands, she was blushin' redder than my grandpaw's famous tomatoes."'WHAT?!' Axl's mind screamed as he paled, listening to the hooting from the other jocks."What a sap!" Baldy yelled, "hey, go ask her out at the Winter Ball and then forget to pick her up!""Yeah!!" Blondie shouted, "do it! Do it!""I ain't gonna do that to the sweetheart," Charles tutted, "but ah think she has a crush on that little nerd that y'all tried to make mincemeat out of."Axl's hands clenched. Oh NOW he has a reason to go in there and rip his head off-"That better not be my baby sister you dorks are talking about," Zero spoke up and he sighed in relief. "Don't forget, I'm the one that taught her how to fight after our mother passed away. You haven't even seen her at her best. Besides, if any of you plan to hurt her, I'll quit the team."Protests and groans immediately followed."I mean it!" Zero carried on sternly, "I flattened you dimwits once and I'll do it again. Besides, she'll be here any second now to clean this place, so scram already."Nodding to himself, Axl quickly wandered back around the corner and heard the door open as voices filled the corridor and then he returned slowly, acting like he just got there. But as he made eye contact with Baldy and Blondie, he gave them his sweetest smile."Afternoon, guys."And then he sauntered past them, dragging the mop and bucket as he went into the changing rooms where Zero sat on a bench. The other guys muttered to each other."Hey, get out already, Bran-""It's fine," Axl spoke up dismissively, "he'll be here to make sure I don't bunk otherwise dad'll ground me.""Whatever," Baldy grunted and the door slammed shut before Axl dunked the mop in the solution."So..." he began lightly, not looking at Zero. "They're making plans to get revenge on me?""You guessed it," the blonde reploid shrugged, "but meanwhile, I found a little something that could be very interesting.""Which is...?""I actually borrowed a camera from the photography club already. And guess what I saw Mr Berton do in his office?"Axl stopped mopping, turning to him. "What is it?""He likes reading magazines, and not the swimsuit kind - actual honest-to-goodness PORNO magazines."The ginger reploid could barely hold back his grin and laughed."Oh shit, bro.""Yes - so now I gotta print them off and then decide how to help you win that Winter Monarch title.""Yeah!" Axl cheered, waving the mop in the air. "Thanks, Z!""So..." Zero lowered his voice, "I've met Charles properly. You sure it's that guy?""Definitely, but he's very... human, if you know what I mean.""He must've spent some time studying these people before integrating himself. Good for us because he hasn't caused a panic, but bad for us because he can be anywhere and we don't know where he lives.""Yeah..." the other reploid muttered, "although... maybe... I could ask him to help me win the Winter Monarch title!"Zero shot him a look. "What? No, that's too risky.""But, Zero!" Axl hissed, coming close to him. "You can't always keep an eye on him yourself, plus I still gotta attend some classes, so the best way to keep him occupied would be for me to befriend him so that I can find out what his plan here is before our extraction time!""This guy is a maverick, he can just backstab you when you least expect it.""But-""You said it yourself: he's very human. And that means that if he can change his personality so easily, then what's to say that he won't suddenly turn on you when you least expect him to be?""I swear!" Axl argued, feeling himself getting close to strangling him with the mop bucket. "I think he's interested in me! And if he gets closer, I'll make it as obvious as possible that we could be 'possibly' dating so that rumours will spread and make it harder for him to 'take care' of me if I find anything dodgy about him!"Zero said nothing, sighing as he hunched over."This might be because I see you as a brother for real... but I don't like your plan.""But-""BUT," he interrupted, "it doesn't mean that I'll tell you not to do it. It's just X that we gotta deal with, and he's frazzled enough as it is without being away from home for so long relying on subtanks for sustenance."Despite the warning about X, Axl smiled brightly."Thanks, Z! Now get out and let me clean this shitty hellhole!"Zero laughed to himself, leaving the changing room and closed the door behind him, smile dropping into a grimace.
'No. I don't like your plan at all. We're in the middle of nowhere far from help and you don't have your weapons on you. I guess it just HAD to be me to deal with X because you know how much I care on how he reacts to surprise plans. But your plan will make it harder for us to discover exactly WHY Scales Meleeon decided to hide in this particular town.'
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Classes have ended for the day and like clockwork, students flooded into the grounds outside the buildings lingering to chat with friend while waiting for the buses and their parents. X, on the other hand, parked the car a few feet away from the school to avoid the embarrassment of being flirted with again.He saw Zero round the corner, walking towards him while waving back at his football team and hopped onto the passenger seat."How are things looking?" X quickly ask."Let's see..." the blonde hummed, "Axl established contact with the maverick, whose alias is Charles... Mennington, I think?... and from the looks of things he's already well-known throughout the school as a ditzy guy who only got into the football team because the last guy vanished from town 9 days ago. Oh, and the schoolwork is boring as hell. Seriously, even the history books for the past 300 years have been condensed - not a single person knows about how far robotics have become nor was there any mention of Dr Li-" Zero stopped himself, side-glancing at X, but his expression remained neutral. Cautiously, he carried on. "Centuries ago, this level of censorship would've given the Chinese authorities massive security boners."X cracked, letting out a mix between a snort and a laugh. His partner smiled in relief. Finally, Axl finished cleaning up when he stepped outside the cleaning cupboard to see Charles leaning back against the wall opposite. The reploid almost jumped in surprise as the disguised maverick simply smiled like he watched a flower waver in the wind."Finished at last?" he simpered and Axl notices that he's wearing casual clothes - denim jeans, trainers, a colourful band t-shirt..."Yeah," he nodded, shutting the door behind him. "It's crazy how messy it can get in there a day after it's all done. I had to remove ANOTHER bucketful of chewing gum from under the seats again." Is there even a factory in this town creating and selling chewing gum...?"Crazy, huh?" Charles murmured, stepping closer to the ginger reploid.Blinding, Axl backed up until his back hit the wall and the maverick's face was only mere inches away, expression unchanging."What's crazy is that of all the maverick hunters to pursue me while dressed in drag, it had to be the most unreliable one ever." X fidgeted while Zero blew a bubble with bubblegum. The buses have long left and the only people around are those who finished recitals and after-school clubs, but he grew worried before opening the door."What's up?" Zero suddenly spoke up."Axl should've been here by now. I got a bad feeling... Axl daren't breathe, but looking at the subtle glare coming from Charles'- no, Scales Meeleon's eyes, his systems flooded into fight-or-flight mode."What are you talking about?" he uttered, staring at him. But he laughed and his face twisted."You know full-well what I'm talking about, Axl Red of the Maverick Hunters. You're here to destroy me when I least expect it, right?"Axl gulped. "Ch-Charles, I-I gotta report back to Mr Berton-"Hands slammed against the wall by his head, and Axl finally reacted, swiftly pulling out a long, needle-sharp hair pin hidden in his hair and held the point against Scales Meeleon's throat. It vibrated as he chuckled under his breath."You're going to kill me and risk exposure to Mr Berton?" he muttered, not removing his hands.The ginger reploid gave up, growling while keeping the needle where it is. He might as well interrogate him..."I could say the same thing to you. What's your REAL reason for coming here?"But Scales Meeleon snorted."Like I'd tell a hunter. But if you don't get in my way, I'll make things easier for you.""Oh really? Then help me win the Winter Monarch title at the Winter Ball."The maverick did a double-take, blinking."What?""Y-you heard me," Axl stuttered and the maverick stepped away from him while keeping a wary eye on his movements. "I won't report you to the other hunters as long as you help me win that title!""And what..." Scales Meeleon began, still stunned, "makes you think that... uh..." He visibly deflated. "You... you've never taken part in an undercover mission before, have you?""Of course I have!" Axl blurted, "I took part in plenty! Just not in a human settlement...""Right..."They fell quiet, staring at each other in growing disbelief."So..." Scales spoke up unsurely, "why win that title? It'll mean nothing since you're only here for like days.""Well..." the other reploid scratched the back of his head. "I guess I just like being competitive.""Really now?" he grumbled, crossing his arms. "This is awkward. I've been aiming for that title too.""Why?" Axl suddenly wondered."Because- Ah," the maverick shook his head, wagging his finger at him. "Almost made me spill the beans. Nice one, Axl." But the young reploid grinned."Come ooon! Tell me! You just really wanna look pretty with that crown on your head, don't you?""Maaaybe," Scales chuckled in Charles' voice. "You'll look a right doll with one on yer pretty head too.""Oh, stop it, you," Axl mock-giggled, pointing at him. "I'll find out more about you, and who knows, I might even ask you for a dance at the Winter Ball."Scales said nothing as distant footsteps echoed in the corridor. He sighed."I better hurry. But mark my words, Axl..." he murmured and a chill ran up Axl's spine, "if you get in my way... unpleasant things will happen."Then he walked away, vanishing around the corner just as X and Zero ran to Axl's side and surprised him."What's going on? Where were you?" X quickly asked while his partner stared ahead."I-" Axl gulped, thinking before laughing. "I just had trouble with a blocked toilet, that's all." But Zero clearly doubted him, stepping closer."In that case, let's go home and unpack some more stuff," he suggested, hinting. "Tired or not, you gotta get your room looking tidy."Not getting the hint, Axl groaned and slouched alongside them whilst being eavesdropped upon by Scales Meeleon, who stood close to the corridor corner. "So he does know we're here," X muttered."I'm sorry, guys, but he looked ready to kill me.""So we're definitely on our own until the extraction date," Zero sighed, crossing his arms as they sat around the dining room table where Axl told them of his encounter."But Scales Meeleon is also looking to become the Winter Monarch for that Ball next Friday!" Axl quickly adds, much to X's confusion."Winter what?""Winter Monarch," his blonde partner whispered, "for the Winter Ball, which is really a promenade.""Ah," X nodded before blinking. "Wait a mi-! Axl, there's no time for that kind of stuff!""Didn't you hear him, X?" Zero spoke up, "he said that the maverick is interested in winning the title even though it's just a dumb school event. Axl is onto something here."The younger reploid nodded smugly, happy for the defence when X groaned, holding his face in his hand."Axl, that means that you'll have to take the lead in this mission."Excitement flooded the younger's circuits."You don't sound very happy about it~" he sang when X slammed his fist on the table, making him jump."I'm not!" X ranted hotly, "I'm getting NOWHERE at my end of this mission, Zero doesn't have much either and you're taking MASSIVE risks exposing us in such a public place!"Axl stared, opening his mouth to protest when Zero put his hand on his shoulder, looking at X."X... chill. NOBODY is taking the lead in this case.""Why is that?" his partner grumbles."Have more faith in Axl," he simply replied, "I didn't have much towards you when we first met."Axl glanced between them, wondering why they're silently gazing at each other."That was decades ago," X uttered, "I was young and inexperienced.""So is Axl. The only reason I have more trust in him right now is because we can't afford to slip up on this mission. But unlike you, he's much more self-assured. He can pull the trigger when necessary and rarely hesitates."Axl felt like giving X a smug look, only to see the lost look in his gaze before he sat back down with a sigh."Axl. You've already navigated the intricacies of a teenager's life in a span of two days... what do you want us to do?" he asked and the ginger reploid almost short-circuited."He's not joking," Zero whispered in his ear before he gulped and cleared his throat."Alright..." he muttered, sitting down while their blonde colleague also joined them. But what? What could he tell them that'll be useful for the mission? "I asked for help from a friend of mine named Ken. He said that in order to win the Winter Monarch title, I gotta be popular and likeable with everyone..."He expected his partners to interrupt or roll their eyes, but they stared at him without uttering a word. Feeling more confident, Axl carried on."So far, I pretty much plunged my popularity down the toilet the moment I fought the football team, but people saw me defend Ken from being bullied so I could... maybe..." A sour taste stung his tongue as an idea made him shudder. "TRY and get along with the football team. With Zero's help.""Count me in," he nodded, "those kids don't know how to have fun without fighting other humans. I'll introduce them to some pranks that I've learnt from my former cadets.""And what shall I do?" X suddenly piped up."X, you could try and talk to other parents who drop their kids off at the car park. Some still get driven there because of poor bus routes in parts of this town.""And say what?" he blinked."I dunno," Axl shrugs. "Maybe advice and times for any PTA meetings? If there's anything that parents love about school, it's that it becomes a real-life social media platform for them to tear down incompetent teachers or bitch-talk behind other parents' backs.""Interesting..." X muttered to himself. "I could seek out any other mavericks that way."But Zero chuckled. "I love how you've already learnt so much already. If your brain wasn't made out of bullets and foolhardiness, you'd have been perfect for intelligence work.""I try," the younger grinned."And what of Zero?" X suddenly spoke up."He'll carry on wi-"Zero cut across Axl, giving him a quick apologetic look."Sorry to interrupt, but I got something VERY interesting to show you, X..." Pulling some photos from his pocket, he splayed out the black-and-white pictures across the table in a magnificent display of depravity: images of Mr Berton reading hardcore nude magazines. Axl mock-vomited and X stared in shock. "Yep. The football team coach Mr Berton reading some very naughty material indeed under the guise of doing 'paperwork' while he leaves the team to practice.""Oh yeah!" Axl chirped, "I forgot that you told me about your covert mission! Hah, covert..."X promptly gathered them into a pile."So what are you suggesting, Zero?" X rose an eyebrow, "because I don't know if I like what you're going to say...""You won't," he said breezily, "but I'll say it anyway. Axl." The ginger reploid glanced at him as he snatched the pics from X's hands, handing them to him. "You said that you want to get along with the football team, right? Well... this here can be bribery mate-" Axl's eyes shone."I'll find those magazines to give to the team in exchange for them leaving the weak kids alone!" he blabbered.But the other two reploids deadpanned."Uh... no. That won't work. The team already has their own stash.""Aw... So you want me to talk to that pig of a teacher into telling his students to stop hurting nerds?""Exactly. You're listening now.""Fine," Axl grumbled, taking the photos. "But I'll need you to be close by in case he really IS a maverick and goes to kill me.""Deal."They shook on it while X looked between them with a bad feeling."Out of curiosity, what would happen if the other parents found out that a teacher is looking at porn?" he asked and Zero chuckled darkly."Oh, you'll rather deal with another maverick uprising than witness the wrath of the PTA."