"Please, Vile!"

"No."

"Pulleeeeeeaaazzzeee!?"

"Let me think about it...hmmm...No."

"Vile, just listen to me! I won't fail you again, I swear!"

"Overdrive! What's the matter? No speaka english? I said NO!"

Overdrive Ostrich had been following his superior, Vile, around all day, annoying the purple reploid no end, asking for a moment of his precious time. "Vile, listen to me," Overdrive pleaded, "or...or...I'll tell everyone your deepest, darkest secret!"

Overdrive thought he actually saw Vile's eyes blaze behind his mask. "You wouldn't!"

Overdrive stood as straight as he possibly could to unsuccessfully strike fear into his mentor. He was taller than Vile, but that didn't stop him from trembling like an idiot.

"I'll do it!"

"Do it and I'll kill you."

"Then who'll run the Mavericks' genetics lab? I'll tell them Vile! I'll tell your followers...that you read Charolette's Web, and cried at the end! I was around when it happened. You know that. And to buy my silence, all I want is to speak to you."

Vile chewed over this. "I admire your shrewdness, Overdrive. You have exactly 10 minutes of my time. No more."

Overdrive was thrilled. He'd always had a hard time with Vile because he was one of the weaker Mavericks, and was looked down upon. When he had been defeated by X, Overdrive had been banished as a Fighter, and was put in charge of the Mavericks' genetics lab. "Vile, sir. Your plan is to capture Zero, right?"

"My, aren't you the quick one."

"And you plan to infect him with the Maverick Computer Virus?"

"Right again, my mutant robin."

"But Vile, sir, we've been studying this virus down at the lab for a while. It's meant to infect a reploid's CPU to turn him Maverick...but our studies show that the virus can easily be cured if it infects only the CPU."

"So?" Snapped Vile. "What do you want me to do? I knew you'd only waste my time. Get lost." Vile tried unsuccessfully to brush by Overdrive, who blocked his way.

"No, Vile! I'm not finished!" Cried Overdrive. Vile stopped, and Overdrive grinned. The blades of crystal along his broad back glistened. "I'm trying to tell you....we've developed a biological form of the virus. Meaning, if the virus is injected into a reploids blood stream, it attacks his CPU as well as his biological systems...like his CNS and thinking process. If we injected this virus into Zero, there would be no hope for his recovery. His body, mind and soul would be with us. He'd have no memory of his past."

For the first time, Vile seemed interested. "I'm listening..."

Overdrive went on, excited. "It doesn't stop there. The new form of the virus wouldn't just infect those areas...it'd superenhance them! Zero would be stronger...and provided he survived the dosage, he'd be with us...."

"Hold it!" Vile barked suddenly, startling Overdrive. "What do you mean by....'If he survives'...?"

Overdrive fidgeted, and looked down at his toes. Being an ostrich, he only had two. "You see, sir...to get these results, I'd have to use an undiluted form of the virus. It's very powerful, and would be quite a shock to Zero's systems. If I injected the virus into Zero, he'd be in intense pain for a minute or so. Then he'd black out as soon as the virus attacked his systems. During this time, the virus may begin to change him for the better...or.....um, kill him. To survive the shock of the rampaging virus, one has to be extremely strong physically and emotionally."

Vile drummed his fingers against the stone wall. He was obviously thinking hard. If this virus worked, Zero would be almighty. However, if it killed him, Vile would be left with diddily squat. Was it really worth the risk?

As if he were reading Vile's thoughts, Overdrive spoke. "Sir...I know that you have doubts. You're afraid I'll mess up, and Zero'll die." Overdrive shifted uncomfortably. "I may have been a lousy fighter, but I'm very good at genetics, and I'm running a very successful lab. Remember, I created Babykins for you without a hitch."

Vile snapped back to life. Babykins was his beloved velociraptor, created by dinosaur DNA. She had a beautiful soft beige colour, with savage red tiger-like stripes slashed along her back. Like any velociraptor, she was meant for killing. She would mosey around most of the time, sometimes guarding the fortress, sometimes walking along with Vile, sometimes tearing the throat out of a Maverick Hunter who had come to close to the fortress. (Or a Girl Scout selling cookies.) Mentioning Babykins clinched things for Overdrive.

"Very well, Overdrive. You may give this virus thing a shot, no pun intended."

Meanwhile, in Cain's lab, Zero, X, Celeste and Forrest were ready for departure. X's arms were loaded with CDs. He had run back to his room and collected them when he was told that the Gryphon had a CD player. The Hunters stood on the levitation platform. Cain said his goodbyes, and sent them on their way. The platform slowly rose, until they were seated in the belly of the Gryphon.

"Niiiicceeee!" Zero exclaimed when he saw the interior. There were 4 seats, all cushioned and comfortable. The dashboard had all the controls needed to navigate Robot Ride armour, plus some more. Everything was lit up with a brilliance X and Zero had never known.

"I'm driving!" Zero shouted hopping into the navigator's seat. X was a bit queasy from the coolers he had drunk before, and was in no mood to argue. Zero turned to Forrest and Celeste who were settling down in the back seats. "Are you two okay?"

"A little cramped, but otherwise fine."

"Great! All aboard! Here we...goooooooo...." Zero was no stranger to Riding armour. He grasped the levers that controlled the legs of the Gryphon. He pulled them, and instantly the left leg lifted, and came down with a magnificent crash. They lurched forwards. Zero repeated this motion until they were out of the Lab's garage, and on the war-ridden streets of Kapcom. The Mavericks were having a field day, but that would soon stop.

"Take that!" Zero shouted to a Maverick who promptly met his death on the Gryphon's spinning blade. "Move outta the way, you horse's arse!" He laughed to another that was crushed beneath the Gryphon's massive leg. Several nearby Mavericks stood gaping at the blue behemoth coming towards them. Some fled, others stood stupidly while Zero made short work of them. "All right! Woohoo! This is the stuff I like!" Zero cheered, as he sliced a Maverick that looked suspiciously like Bit.

When Vile heard the news that the squad of Mavericks he had sent out had gotten thrashed, he didn't throw a temper tantrum like usual. He just sat in the Mavericks' rec room, quietly and calmly. He knew that X and Zero were on their way...and he'd be ready for them. Toxic Seahorse and Spark Mandrill were also present in the room, playing a game of Mystery Date. They couldn't get into it, however, with their master sitting there, acting so strangely....

".....So then the guy says to the bartender, 'Hey, did you think that I wished for a twelve inch pianist?'"

Zero collapsed, howling at his own pathetic joke. Forrest gazed out the side window, Celeste rolled her eyes. Zero stopped guffawing when he realised that no one was laughing at his joke. "Hey, what's wrong with you people? I make a joke! It was good...wasn't it? Hey Celeste, you liked it, right?"

"Yeah, Zero. Right. I think I heard that one in grade three." The street the party had been travelling along had eventually cleared itself of buildings. Then there were more houses. Now even those had trickled off to plain fields.

"We're almost there, " informed Forrest as if anyone didn't know. "No one would build anything near a Maverick's fortress." It had been the first time that Forrest had spoken during the whole voyage. That was because he was extremely ticked off. Zero's words "Come along for the practice" echoed in his mind over and over. Practice? Yeah, right! More like 'Target Practice' to distract the Mavericks while X, Zero and probably Celeste slipped in to the fortress. Nuts to them.

Forrest's mental griping was interuppted by X's annoyed voice.

"Zero, where in the hell are you going?" the blue reploid snapped suddenly. "You're off course! Bear to the left a bit."

Zero gaped at this friend's sudden temper. He collected himself again. "X, you're insane! We're going the right way."

X's temper rose. His head pounded, and he was still queasy. He was sick of Zero...always the right one! EVERYONE loved Zero! X didn't count. When Zero had saved him from Vile, everyone had mourned the loss of the handsome Hunter, never really caring that X had nearly had his own face ripped off and fed to him for lunch. "Left, damn you!" He shouted at Zero.

"X, you're nuts."

"No, I'm not."

"Wanna bet? Listen to you!"

"Left!"

"NO!"

"You're among the bigger morons I've met in life."

"Shut up, X."

"Bite me!"

"No, thanks."

"LEFT!!"

This went on for a while. Celeste was enjoying the hurling of insults....until she heard X say in a desperate voice...

"NO! Zero, put it down! What're you doing?!"

Celeste gasped when she saw what Zero was holding above his head. It was X's pride and joy, his Pulp Fiction CD soundtrack. The soundtrack was from a classic movie that had been made all the way back in the 20th century. It had taken X a long time to locate. At this point, Zero had stopped the Gryphon, and was threatening to throw X's whole life out the window.

Zero smirked ruthlessly. "I think," he announced, "that Jimmy and Jules, or whatever their names are, want to go flying!" Zero moved the CD closer to the window. "Am I right, X?"

"Nooooooo!! X cried, trying to snatch the disk away from his 'buddy'. However, Zero was taller. The situation was hopeless for X.

Zero drew back his arm, and flung the CD out the window into the wild blue yonder. The last that X saw of his prized possession was a silver disc flying with the sun glinting off its platinum surface. Destination unknown.

X was in shock. So was Forrest and Celeste. Zero, however, showed no remorse whatsoever. "Hated that stupid thing." He grumbled. "Blasting its noise 24 hours a day. Well, X," he said cheerfully. "It's obvious that you don't need my help. After all, I'm going the wrong way. I'll go my own way now...but before I go, I'd like to say exactly what I think of you...."

With that, Zero took a deep breath, and roared a string of curses that would have made a sailor blush.

".......and the horse you rode in on!" He concluded. "See you around, X." Zero hopped down from the full two stories from the Gryphon, his lightsabre drawn. He ignited his long range rocket dash, and headed in the opposite direction from the Riding armour with intense speed. In a few minutes, he was out of sight.