".....Ninety - nine bottles of beer on the wall....ninety - nine bottles of beer...." Celeste sang. She knew that she was annoying X, and she was loving every minute of it.

Before long, Forrest joined in. "If one of those bottles should happen to fall...."

"Ninety - eight bottles of beer on the wall." Celeste finished, laughing. "Ninety - eight bottles of beer on the wall...."

"Okay, that's enough," X called from up front of the Gryphon. He was resting his aching head on his hand, trying to remember exactly which path Zero had taken to the Mavericks' fortress.

"NINETY - SEVEN BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL!" Celeste sang with all her might. Her voice got really high - pitched, and X's eardrums nearly split. As it turned out, the Gryphon made good Riding - Armour, and a perfect echo chamber.

"I SAID that's enough!" X turned around and glared at Celeste's grinning face. "Jeez, what IS it with you humans? It's times like these that I want to join Sigma, and wipe your species off the face of this planet!"

Despite his hostile tone, Celeste knew that the blue reploid was joking. At least she hoped so.

Forrest spoke up in Celeste's defence. "You can't blame her for being bored, X." He said in his most annoying I'm-a-know-it-all-demigod tone of voice. "It's a fact that, when humans are sitting still for a long time like we've been doing, that tends to happen. Then they lash out by being unruly. So, it's not the human's fault. It's just an instinct, that's all." Forrest clapped a platinum glove on Celeste's shoulder. Celeste looked smug.

X frowned, annoyed to the max. So, now they were both teaming up against him, was that it? "Since when did you become an expert on humans?" He growled. "Listen, Chocolate - Boy, you can either shut up, or run alongside the Gryphon. What do you say, hmmmm?"

Forrest sunk back into the comfy seat. "I'll be good."

X turned back to the control panel with a satisfied little grin. He knew how to handle Forrest. " Make a bad joke about his name, and there you go....what the hey...?"

The last three words of X's thought ran through his mind with a shock. There, almost under his nose, was the grim, looming building that served as the Maverick's fortress. They were there! The thought cheered him and, at the same time, scared him out of his wits. His first concern was that if Zero was okay, but then he recalled the image of his CD flying out the window courtesy of the crimson Hunter, and that feeling of worry was quickly squashed. His next concern was about what appeared to be a force field surrounding the fortress. With its forbidding, neon glare, it didn't look too neighborlike. In fact it seemed downright impermeable. How was he gonna get past it?!

Celeste tapped the musing reploid on his plated shoulder. "Hey, X, what's the hold up.....WHOA!" She remarked when she saw the nasty force field. "The last time I saw something like that, I was driving the porcelain bus! Hey Forrest, lookit this!"

Forrest whistled through his teeth when he had a look at the situation.

"How are we going to tackle THIS?" He thought aloud.

"I'm sure we'll think of something," X said glumly.

"He's tough." Phoenix remarked.

Vile nodded in agreement. "VERY tough. I'm surprised."

They were both gazing at the unconscious figure crumpled at the bottom of the cage. It seemed that Zero was surviving the effects of the virus injection. Even in the depths of unconsciousness, Zero was restless. He kept on thrashing about, like a bass out of water.

"Nightmares," suggested Vile.

"Or convulsions," Phoenix added. "It's like his systems are fighting it. Won't do him any good....he's a Maverick once he wakes up." Phoenix turned to face Overdrive Ostrich at the other end of the lab. "Isn't that so, Overdrive?"

Overdrive looked up, shocked. He had been playing Cat's Cradle with Wheel Gator, who was still too freaked of Vile to move from his appointed spot. "Uh...yeah, miss Phoenix. That's what I said, right? Overdrive keeps his word!!" He went back to his game.

"Hm, we'll see," muttered Phoenix. She looked back at Zero, who cried out in his "sleep."

"You know, Vile..." she began. "If Zero survives this ordeal, he'll need a few...changes done to him."

"Such as...?"

"Such as....well, how about a new coat of paint? Something cooler than that icky old crimson."

Vile saw the logic of this. "What do you suggest?"

"How about a shade of grey...maybe a silver?"

Vile scraped the tip of his steel boot on the tiled floor. The sound set everyone's teeth on edge. "Sounds okay to me. I think we should get it done right now."

Phoenix was thrilled. "Really?"

"Sure, why not? When Zero wakes up, I want him to look nothing like he used to. He's with us now, why should he look like a Hunter, still? I want nothing of his past remaining behind...which reminds me..." Vile faced Phoenix. "He needs a new name. Something creative. But my creativity fails me right now."

Wheel Gator spoke up brightly from the other end of the lab. "We could have a contest! The 'Name The New Maverick On The Block' contest! Maybe a raffle or a draw...." Gator's voice trailed off when he saw the fire in Vile's dark eyes. "Uh...sir? Can I leave now? I swear to you, I won't sing again."

Vile waved him off. He had more important things to attend to. After Gator had been brow - beaten and dismissed, Vile said, "Well, we'll think of a name later. In the meantime, let's go get that paint you wanted."

"Oh, good." Phoenix followed Vile down the long corridor that led out of the lab. "But let's get that quick - dry stuff. Don't you hate it when you paint a fence or something, and a fly gets stuck in the fresh paint?" "Yeah, that's a bugger."

"Wow, Zero working for us!! I guess life really IS like a box of chocolates..."

"Yeah, then you get yourself a cold beer, and you're all set." Vile laughed at his own jest.