"Okay, Violen. Here's an easy one: 'What was the name of the whale that swallowed Pinocchio and Geppeto?'"

The massive two-tonne reploid scowled at this question. He wasn't built for thinking; he was ment for destruction and killing. Still, he didn't want to seem like a moron to his buddies....

"Well?" Inquired Storm Eagle, who had asked him this question. He was growing impatient. "What's the answer? Just because you're an idiot doesn't mean you can take 5 years to answer this."

Violen was wondering whether it would be worth getting up to smash Eagle's face in when Drill Rhino interrupted his thoughts.

"Answer the good man's question, Violen," he said in his gruff voice, "otherwise, we'll never finish this game."

Violen tried his level best to at least make an educated guess.

"I dunno. Moby Dick?"

Eagle let his head sink in his hands. Rhino smashed his armoured head against the stone wall.

Violen grew angry. "Well excuse me!" He shouted. "Who's bright idea was it for me to play Trivial Pursuit??"

"Hey yeah, this sucks." Interjected Wheel Gator. "Let's go start a forest fire or somethin'."

"We could play Hungry Hippos, " Rhino suggested.

Storm Eagle stood up so suddenly that his chair tipped back and landed on the floor with a crash. He glared at one stunned reploid to another in disgust. They were all seated around a wood table with a beautiful stained finish. Various books and games were scattered around the table. In the background, the giant-screen TV was on, with Neon Tiger watching it happily.

It looked like something out of the Brady Bunch, only worse.

"People!" He said sternly. "Look at us all! Ever since the third fall of the X-Hunters, we've gone downhill. Gotten soft. Look," Eagle pointed taloned finger at Neon Tiger. "Good old Tigger has started watching SOAPS!"

Tiger turned around dejectedly. "Don't call me Tigger," he growled. "and for your information, I'm only watching this today because Dan found out that Lila is having an affair with Charles."

"I rest my case, " Eagle crowed. "I say that we have ourselves a riot in downtown."

"Ah, what's the bloody point of that?" Grunted Rhino. "The whole reason we can't go out at all is because of Zero and that little moron X. Ever since their last victory over us, the Maverick Hunters have grown in size, strength and number. Going outside of this fortress would be like wearing a big neon sign with the words 'Please kill me, I'm a Maverick' flashing on it. "

Eagle slammed his fist on the table. There was an audioable crack from the wood. "Rhino, that's a rotten additude. I ought to have Vile rip off your horn and sell it as an aphrodisiac. The problem here is that we're Reploids, so we're able to make our own decisions. We're scared to fight. Or YOU guys are, anyway. Back in the old days of Wily and the Robot Rebellions, robots didn't have their own free will. They were just unleashed like dogs trained to kill. They weren't afraid of failure. They didn't have the ability to be. It was better that way."

"I ain't movin' until Sigma comes back." This comment was from Violen. Eagle spun around on his heel to stare at the behemoth. "Sigma is NOT coming back! Get it through your thick skull. Why would he return? To be destroyed by X and Zero again!? He's smarter than you think. But..." A slow smile reached Eagle's metallic beak. "What if we destroyed one...nay, BOTH of those hunters...? It would be safe for him to return...."

"Sure, Birdman." Smirked Rhino. "Look who's talking about destroying them. You were one of the first to fall to X's arm cannon."

A sudden heavy knock at the door made everyone jump. Eagle recognised it right away.

"Is that you, Vile?" He called.

"No, it's the Avon Lady posing as Vile. Let me in!"

Wheel Gator was up right away to open the steel door. Nobody who wanted to live to see their next birthday disobeyed Vile.

The heavy doors clanged open. In the doorway stood a formidable repliod clad in purple armour. His dark eyes were hidden behind his mask, as they always had been since the day he was created. It was none other than Vile, Sigma's top henchman, and all around bad guy. Vile ran happily into the room. He was holding some sort of document in his glove.

"Boss, you seem happy." Grunted Rhino, watching his master dance around the room.

Vile faced his underling. "Happy?" He said gleefully. "I'm orgasmic!! Look at what I found." He held up the document for all to see. "I found it when I was going through Sigma's things. I was hoping that I could find something that would help us in our battle against the Maverick Hunters. It looks like I found something?"

"What is it?" Asked Violen.

"It's a page out of Wily's old journal. Read it!"

Violen stared stupidly at the page, trying to make out the words. "Oh, give me that!!" Vile said, snatching the paper away. It was fragile and yellow with age. "I'll read it to you." Vile was about to begin, when two soft taps sounded at the door.

"Knock knock. Can I come in?"

Vile turned around. "Phoenix, good of you to join us."

Phoenix strode in. She was the latest of the X-Hunters, a female reploid who looked somewhat like Storm Eagle, except she was slightly taller. Her wings and metallic body were all painted a brilliant firey colour.

"Vile, who loves ya baby? What's that you've got there?" She reached for the paper in Vile's outstretched hands.

"It's our ticket to victory." Vile informed her. "It's a page out of Wily's old journal. Read it to these illiterate idiots, will you?" He motioned towards the X-Hunters.

Phoenix read it to herself once. Her head jerked back in surprise. Then she blinked twice and began to read...

"I've done it! After my faithful servant Bass managed to steal a copy of my enemy Thomas Light's design notes, I've created a 'Reploid.' A reploid is not just a robot. A reploid is much more advanced. It has the strength of a robot, and the emotions and dangerous intelligence of a human. It combines the best of both worlds. I've created one reploid so far. He's a lethal killing machine named Zero.

"I'd love to create armies of reploids; however, I'm too old. According to Light's notes, his reploid, X, is set to activate in about 30 years. I'm setting Zero's activation at 30 years as well. If all goes well and I've set everything correctly, Zero will be a born killer and destroyer of mankind.

This "X" character will likely be a protector of humans. There should be many clashes between these two, resulting in wars unlike the world has ever seen.

20XX J. Wily"

There was a brief silence after Phoenix had finished the Jletter. Tiger, who had joined the other hunters at the table raised a furry eyebrow at Vile. "So this means...."

"What this means, you misbegotten housecat, is that Zero is one of us. He should be fighting alongside us. How he ended up with the Maverick Hunters is anyone's guess. It's ironic that Zero, a killer, is best friends with X, a peacemaker. But this letter gives me confidence...and a plan. Eagle!"

Vile called sharply. "Contact the good people at Hayatrom and order a Nullifier, and a dart gun. Phoenix and Violen, come see me. Tigger, I want you to open a Videophone channel to Cain Labs. And the rest of you...."

Vile glanced at the remaining Hunters, most of which were still mesmerised by the facts the letter had held. "Who's up for a game of Monopoly?"

"All right," agreed Rhino, "but I get to be the horse!"