Chapter Text
Signas rubs his temples as he stares at his Office computer screen. He peers at the multitude of windows opened, portraying a cacophony of emails, requests, schedules, reports, etc – information more than one Reploid should handle on his own.
“Why does it feel like things were easier with the Eurasia incident than with this mess?” He grumbles as he clicks through and reads another email. Another candy-coated threat from the WCC (World Congressional Council), sifting through the jumble of phrases that would make a lawyer bawk in approval he can see the true words ring out “Comply with the others or else…”. He sighs again as he looks at his schedule for the day. Another meeting with the council, at least this time is just the Abel City division. They’ve always been able to listen at least instead of shouting demands and whispering slurs whenever he spoke.
Signas sighs as he checks the time, about an hour left until the meeting. Luckily its just a video call so he has some time. He turns his attention from the emails to the other tasks at hand. Approving schedules, reading reports, and answering requests. He is so busy with his work he doesn't notice Alia until she lightly taps him on the shoulder.
“Hey… Did you hear me earlier?” Alia asks concerned with Signas’s expression. If he were human his face wouldve given away the sleepless nights hes been enduring as he worked, Alia also knows only a handful of people wouldve been able to discern the exhaustion in Signas’s scowl. She has also been working herself down to the bone. His exhausted eyes look at hers as he sits up. “No… Sorry.”
Alia smiles “I had simply replied to your question earlier, Eurasia’s incident was easier because most of the humans were underground or hiding in space colonies. They were too busy to worry about what we were doing until they resurfaced.”, Her smile fades into a worried scowl “It's almost as if they do not want to listen nor negotiate unless its in the face of catastrophe.”.
She places a letter onto Signas’s Desk as she also stares at the relic…. Communication has rarely been used in this method since the early 21xx’s time. “This came in today for you. Delivery guy was a human who said you and the sender go waaaay back” Alia says with a small smirk to her lips as she tries to see if she can get more information about the curious letter.
Signas looks at the letter curiously as he looks at Alia. “How are things with you? How is Axl?” He asks.
The topic change makes Alia sigh, knowing her curiosity will not be satisfied at that moment. “Axl seems to be doing a lot better, It's been almost 9 months since he got injured by Lumine. Scans say there is nothing wrong with him, but…. X and Zero have been protective of him since. His combat and leadership skills have been showing improvement and as soon as Zero gives the okay, Axl can start leading on squad team missions.”Alia looks relieved when speaking about Axl’s recovery. HQ was too quiet for those long 3 months when he was unconscious. Everyone was on edge and with the added pressure of the WCC breathing down their neck it was beyond rough.
“When it comes to me… I'm exhausted,” Alia slouches as she confesses to her friend “Ever since then, Pallette switched up to work on the ecosystem recovery unit instead of being a navigator or an engineer, things have been rough. She said she wanted to focus on something else and look into more rare metals. We have other navigators, but she and Layer were exceptional at what they do, it's a shame that now it's mostly down to me and Layer and who we can train to be navigators as well.” She thinks about the day of Lumine’s attack. She and Pallette were navigating at the time and Alia knows Pallette sort’ve blames herself for what happened to Axl. She remembered how Pallette cried small curses at herself as they worked tirelessly with the Lifesavers to help bring Axl to a more stable condition.
An alarm chimes, and it drags the duo out of their conversation and back to the flood of work they had to do. They would have to save their conversation for another time…. again…
“Another meeting? The WCC or Abel City Division?” Alia asks as she stretches and stands up straight.
“Abel City Division” Signas replies as he rubs the back of his neck. He was hoping to talk more in depth with his friend, but alas work calls. As always.
Alia raises an eyebrow “Is it about us hiring some new gen reploids as the next line of maverick hunters? They do know you’d be faster at it if they’d let you vet through the applications instead of wasting your time with all these meetings” She gives Signas a reassuring pat on the shoulder. She missed when they used to eat Daifuku and sip tea on their free time. All of HQ needs a well needed vacation.
Signas lets out another sigh as he gives Alia’s hand a returning pat “ Easier said than done, The Council is trying their best to give us the time we need, but with the WCC strong-arming the other Maverick Hunter divisions to comply it is hard to convince them about the importance of vetting things correctly.”
The tired Duo sighs their “goodbyes” and “let's catch up over tea the next time they are free” as Alia leaves Signas’s office. The office is once again silent except for the muffled bustle of the Navigator’s chatter and mission deck outside of the door. He stares at the curtained window that overlooks the space. The blinds that were pulled for privacy for the upcoming meeting stare back at him as if to remind him of the air of loneliness he feels at the moment.
Signas hears another alarm chime, The meeting is happening now and he needs to enter the call. Signas checks his reflection in the small hand mirror in his desk and enters the call. “Hello Counsel. How can I help you this Afternoon?”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Axl makes a frustrated groan as he looks at X’s scowl “Im not made of porcelain! Im fine X. Jeez I thought how you treated me when I was a rookie was bad, but this is worse! Quit scowling at me and quit treating me as if I'm weak” He complains.
X ignores the pang of guilt he feels as he scowls at Axl “ This isnt the time for games, Axl… I didn't tell you to not charge forward because I thought you were weak. The Maverick was launching a charge attack and when you-” he starts
“I could've shot it before it released its attack. But nooooo! You had to grab onto me and we both ended up hurt” Axl interrupts annoyed, “We've done that strategy with no issues before Lumine. I get it… I got hurt… really hurt…. But I'm okay now. I'm FINE. You guys need to stop trying to coddle me. I am okay and I can even lead my own team if you guys would give me the chance”
X and Axl sit on hospital beds opposite of one another in the medical bay of HQ as Zero stands in the corner of the room tapping his foot impatiently. Zero looks at Axl “We are worried about you Axl. We both know you were cleared and are ‘fine’, and we both know that you would be an excellent leader with your skills…” Zero starts as Axl listens. Its rare for Zero to have a heart-to-heart with anyone so he listens intently. “We almost lost you… we… I was worried… You are a close friend and I couldn't imagine our team without you in it.” Zero says meekly. Things like this were always easier for X to say.
Axl looks at Zero then at X and sighs. The Lifesaver walks in and looks at the trio and then at their wounds. A couple of burns and dents that are mostly cosmetic and will heal with a good shower and their own repair systems, most of their wounds could easily be self-repaired if they took some time to rest and recover, but that is not an option at the moment… “Hello, I am Dr. Berkely and I will be helping you today. All three of you need some rest and your bodies would heal on their own, but we are understaffed at the moment so you'll need some extra energy to speed up your healing” he says as he hands them all an X-tra strength E-tank and wraps a small wound on Axl’s arm “drink up for now it will speed up your healing and give you some extra energy for the rest of the day. Don't push yourselves too far, and when you do finally get some free time, please stop by for another check-up and be sure to get a lot of rest.” He says as he exits the room to quickly help another injured hunter.
The Trio chugs the E-tanks and shudders at the bitter taste. Their bodies already starting to flare with energy and their wounds closing as they stand and walk to the exit and back to the Mission floor. X looks at both Zero and Axl “We also need to prepare… A lot of the other HQ divisions have been forced to hire a lot of new-gen reploids as a sign of good faith to the humans and we are the last ones to comply. So whatever teams or rookies we will have to train and lead will be of the same build as Lumine and them. It's not like how it was and we will need to keep our guard up. If what Lumine said was true they could go maverick at any moment.”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Signas keeps a neutral face as he listens to the Council members converse with one another with flashes of arguments between them flare and ebb like a candle flame at the end of its wick.
“Why haven't there been any of the new-gen reploids hired yet or even added to the team?”
“We are the last Major city that hasn't done so yet, Commander Signas, Have you not been looking”
“He is trying his best, but his first job is ensuring that the maverick threat is under control. Besides Commander Signas’s division was the one who handled the Jackob elevator fiasco.”
“But with the WCC breathing down our necks, this should take a little bit more priority. Besides the extra set of hands could help with the workload as well.”
“Commander Signas…. Have you ever looked at the applications yet?”
Signas clears his throat as he answers “With all due respect, I have, and being able to thoroughly look through the applications takes time. If I could possibly excuse myself from the rest of this meeting I can start selecting new hires and fill in empty positions.” he states softly
The council members look at one another and nod “Very well, We will email you later the transcript of this meeting so you can keep up. We mean well commander and we trust your judgment. We will also try to buy you more time with the WCC as well you dont need to hire an army's worth, just maybe up to 3-5 new hires. The rest of the world looks to Abel City and its Maverick Hunter Division as role models of what they should be doing. These issues should be handled effectively and with grace. best of luck to you.”
The call ends and Signas stares at his screen in a bit of shock that his request actually worked. He recomposes himself as exhaustion weighs his head down. He craves the comfort of his sleeping camber carnally as he knows it will be another night on the rough floor of his office. As he stares down he notices the letter again. Curiously he holds it in his hand and proceeds to open it and read its contents. A warm smile appears on his lips at the recognition of the handwriting and the sender's name. “A letter of recommendation, old friend? You have never done that before. They must be good” He speaks to himself as he reads, “For one who studied under you? Might have a secret or two, but it is worth her weight in gold and reliability.”. Signas pulls up the file name and application of the recommended applicant. “An engineer huh? Douglas has been needing a set of second hands… and She is considered a new-gen reploid too? Not bad testing scores either….”
Signas smiles as he approves the application for interviews. He will include her with the other applicants who have made it to the next round of this hiring process. Maybe hell have time tonight to have the luxury of a long-needed shower in the men's locker room.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Two weeks later-
The warm salty breeze co-mingles with the smell of the crisp autumn air as a woman walks down the long stretch of road that is sandwiched between the Ocean and the hilly patchwork forest that leads towards Maverick Hunter HQ. After a history of attacks on the base, everyone felt it would be better for the HQ main base to be on the outskirts of Abel City instead of near its heart. The residents tried to at least make it look like it was part of the city. The long stretch of sidewalk that sits on either side of the road. Littered with lamp posts, benches facing the ocean, small mechanical trees that provide minimal shade, and the occasional vending machine. Meant to bring a sense of community between the hunters and the rest of the city. There is the occasional jogger but a majority of the foot and car traffic on this lonely highway is dedicated to hunters and hunter activity mostly.
As the woman walks closer towards the base she hums a tune and pulls at her business suit nervously. Her tall ears that jut up from the side of her head twitch and turn from the sounds around her as if scanning her surroundings and signaling any changes. A gentle wind blows by and caresses her long brunette hair that she has styled in a professional half-up and half-down style. She thinks about how her mentor and friend tirelessly picked out the outfit to fit the requirements for this interview. They took so long dressing her up in different looks that by the time they had finished her friend had to cancel giving her a ride otherwise they'd miss their flight to Luke City.
So here she was walking to her interview in an uncomfortable, but stylish suit. Shes let out an exacerbated breath as she looks at the watch on her wrist. She still has ample time despite the setbacks. She quietly smiles in self-pride as her knowings of Abel cities many paths and networks helped keep her on time while traveling through the city from the slums.
As she walks she notices up ahead the top of the Maverick Hunter HQ’s building. Her brown eyes widen and its golden flecks sparkle at the sheer size of the building. She straightens herself out and swallows her nerves. “Come on girl! You've got this in the bag. If you could make the slums in Abel city your bitch then you can do anything.” She walks with confidence and pride towards the building. “Time to kick ass and chew gum. And we are out of gum”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the reception desk, a receptionist works the phones and computers. Diligent and dedicated to her tasks of ensuring the front of the house of HQ was working smoothly. She was startled when she looked up from her work and saw a woman with tall white antenna-like ears staring at her from across her desk. She looks around wondering how she didnt even hear the front doors open to let the woman in.
“Hello,” The woman says calmly “I'm here for an interview”
The receptionist swallows her surprise as she composes herself “Y-yes… n-name and identification, please”
The woman hands over her Identification and blankly smiles “Of course, My name is Nala. I look forward to working with you”