"Ohhh, I know it's hard when you're fat and alone...no one's there to see you. And on your birthday, no one calls you on the phone...'cept for your mother and she says, "Ha-ha-happy birthday, Pumpkin! I won't talk for long, 'cause I know you've probably got someone in your bed..."

Zero, under a burden of medical supplies, let his song wail through the almost - empty infirmary. The shrill words wafted around the room, bouncing back at him in a hollow but pleasing echo. A disgruntled, bedridden human next to Zero winced as the desolate sound tore at his eardrums.

"Zero...tone it down a bit, will you? The Mavericks tortured me enough when they captured me."

In response to this plea from the injured Hunter, Zero cranked up his voice a few notches and sang a verse to another one of the songs in his infamous cache:

"SomeTIMES these WOMEN are so EASY....SOMETIMES these women are sooo COLD! SomeTIMES these WOMEN seem to RIP YOU RIGHT IN TWO..."

"That's enough, Zero," Genesis drawled from across the room. "bring me those supplies now. And watch your step. The floor may be slippery. I just had it --"

A muffled 'clank' of dense metal hitting concrete accompanied by the tinkling crash of medical glassware shattering cut Genesis off in mid - sentence.

" -- waxed." The reploid fox finished lamely.

Zero cursed as he pulled himself up from the sea of glass shards that lay scattered around him. "Sorry Gen. I'm not really much of a help to the Medical Unit, am I?"

"You've really improved over the past couple of weeks, Zero." Genesis smiled as he crossed his fingers behind his back. "And you'll continue to improve."

Zero fetched a broom to clean up the spilled glass. "I guess I'd better improve! I've botched up pretty badly lately. Man, remember the time I gave that human Hunter the wrong antibiotics, and he went into spasms? Hehe! Boy, that was golden!" Zero laughed hysterically at the memory.

Genesis' grin did not fade as he pat Zero on the shoulder. "Okay, buddy...here's a job that's nearly impossible to screw up. We need some ice up here. Our daily shipment is late. Would you go down to the cafeteria and fetch some?"

"Ice?" Zero echoed.

"Yes. Ice. Do you need a recipie?"

"Hardly!"

"On your way, then."

On his way down to the cafeteria, Zero noticed that the hallways of MHHQ were almost deserted. Another large hunt involving all three Units was underway at the time. Bitter jealousy poured acid into Zero's heart, and not for the first time.

The Crimson Wonder made his way down to the mess hall. The large door leading to the area swung open without complaint. The warm smell of food cooking in the back kitchen greeted him. The cafeteria itself was a mammoth room which occupied rows and rows of tables standing at attention. The room's huge size was necessary: at meal times, the area had to seat every human Hunter, as well as the refugees in the camp.

Yet, few were inside the cafe at this hour. Besides himself, Zero spied two reploids who were shaking and abusing a candy machine, obviously in an attempt to get some free treats. Across from them, two maintenance reploids were busy trying to put up a shelf on the south wall. Zero recognized them right away. They were A.G. and Hack. Neither of them were very bright, but they were nice fellows. Finally, a lone, blue - armoured reploid was anchored at a table, reading some sort of book. Half the reploid's face was sunk into one hand, and his green eyes were partway closed. He looked sleepy.

"Hey there Astro Boy," Zero remarked casually as he breezed by.

The azure reploid snapped to attention and his head perked up. " 'scuse me?"

"Oh, nothing."

The blue reploid cut his eyes at Zero. "You DID say something."

"I dinna say anythin'!" Zero grinned, turning around. He had found a new victim to torment, and it pleased him greatly.

The reploid snorted disdainfully and said, "Well, just so you know, my name's X."

"X?" Zero tasted the name, letting the single - constanant roll around in his mouth. He liked the sound if it.

"Yes. X."

"As in X - Ray?"

"No..."

"As in X - Men?"

"No!"

"As in X - Rated?"

"NO!!!"

"As in --"

"AS IN MEGA MAN X, YOU IDJIT!!"

A bright red thread of alarm cut through Zero as he heard the name that was tacked on to the 'X'. 'Mega Man'...was this the same Mega Man who had killed Wily, his father, all those years back? Zero cleared his throat.

"Er...uh...Mega Man...I've heard that name around before. Wasn't there a famous robot from the past named Mega Man? Are you him?"

X shrugged helplessly. "To be honest, I don't know much about my past. I haven't much of a clue who I am."

Zero snapped his fingers. "NOW I know where I remember your name from! You're X, the first reploid ever created, right? The loser who knows nothing about his past! Am I right?"

X's mouth was drawn in a tight line, but he managed a short "Yes."

The hatred and alarm that had stirred in Zero's mind subsided and went back to its slumber. This obviously wasn't the same Mega Man he knew and hated. The original Mega Man had been smaller, and had been a robot, not a reploid...

X continued to stare at Zero with his head cocked to one side, as if he expected another quip to fire from the Scarlet One. Zero gulped nervously, searching for nasty words. He bought time by watching A.G. and Hack put up the shelf they were struggling with.

"Okay A.G...hold the other end of that shelf up. I've gotta put the nail in this side." Hack called to his friend at the other end of the structure.

"Okay, Hack!" The other reploid returned cheerfully.

Hack nodded. He held his end of the shelf against the wall and began tapping a nail into it.

"My arms are gettin' tired," A.G. complained after a minute went by.

"Well, keep on holding your end up! If you let go before I get this nail in, the whole shelf will fall!" The tapping of Hack's hammer ensued.

"Okay, I'll try to hold on..."

* tap tap tap *

"My arms are about to fall off!! Hurry up!"

* tap tap tap *

"I can't HOLD this thing any longer! I'm dropping my end, Hack!"

"NO!"

* BLAM *!

"SHIT!!"

"I'm sorry, Hack..." A.G. gulped apologetically, rubbing his sore arms.

"YOU'RE sorry?!" Hack exploded.

Zero couldn't help but grin at the scenario. As it ended, Zero thought of something to say to his new 'friend'.

"So X...how come you're not out a - huntin' like everyone else right now?"

"I'm not a Hunter." X returned in a flat tone.

Zero nodded in understanding. "I know how you feel. I wanted to be a Hunter SO badly, but nooo, they stuck me in the Medical Unit! I am SO ticked off about that --"

X shook his head. "No, you misunderstood me. I'm not part of the Hunters. I won't have anything to do with them."

"Wha --"

"I don't believe in violence."

"Uh?"

"You heard me."

Zero gaped in disbelief. "But violence is FUN!"

"Violence is terrible. Reploids and humans mangling each other...it's insane."

Zero snickered. "Aw man, who programmed you? Raffi? Or was it Barney the Dinosaur? Perhaps Big Bird or Mr. Snuffleupagus threw in a few source codes of theirs. No, I've got it! Your creator was Dudley the Dragon!! I just solved the great mystery of your past for you, X my boy! You owe me a beer."

X slammed his book closed and scraped his chair back as he stood up and drew himself up to full height. He tried to look Zero straight in the eye, but he was a few hands shorter than the crimson reploid, so he appeared a bit less threatening than he would have liked to look.

"I don't know you," X hissed, his tone low and dripping with venom, "but I REALLY don't like you."

"Aw, poor baby." Zero snorted sarcastically. "Life just bites with a capital 'B', don't it? Everyone around you is fighting for a cause they believe in, and you just wanna go home to mommy. Boo hoo."

"And I'M just standing up for what I believe in!" X retorted faithfully.

"I recommend that you don't whine like that, X." Zero warned.

"And why's that?"

"Because it makes my fist twitch like THIS." With that, Zero drew back his fist and buried it in X's face. X staggered backwards in shock and collapsed weakly into his chair again. It appeared that Zero's punch had rattled a few of X's teeth.

"Aw, damn! There it goes again. See what I mean?" Zero chuckled as he cracked his bloodied knuckles. His grin was poison.

X stood up, dazed. He shook his head once to clear it and stop the bells from chiming in his ears. Then, narrowing his eyes, he threw a fluttering and rather sad punch that missed Zero by a country mile."

"Hehe! You swing like a girl, X!" Zero taunted.

X did not answer, but his glazed eyes fell on a bowl of fruit on a table nearby. He seized a bright red apple that was throned at the top of the fruity pile. He brandished it, liking the feel of the weight in his hand...

"See what happens when you don't believe in fighting and violence?" Zero's voice touched X's ears and burned them. "You end up all soft and sugary like a box of old Lucky Charms." Zero paused and beckoned towards X, backing up against the wall. "Yeah, that's what you remind me of, X! That little elf who's always trying to hide his cereal from those kids. Well, come here, Lucky! I've got your cereal! Try to come and get 'em from me! I'VE GOT YOUR LUCKY - FRICKIN' - CHARMS RIGHT HERE!"

"SHUT UP, EWOK!" X screamed as he hurled his apple in Zero's direction. Zero ducked the projectile as lithe and liquid as a cat. The fruit made contact with the wall behind the scarlet reploid and decorated it with its spattered pulp.

"Oh man! You throw like my grandma, X!"

A screech of utter rage escaped X as he threw himself on Zero, flailing his fists wildly. Zero's grin of malice held strong as he confronted his attacker and attempted to pin his wheeling arms. Punches, kicks and curses were exchanged.

"You KILLED that nice apple, X!" Zero puffed as he and the rage - swathed X both stepped backwards for a breather. "So much for your vow of non - violence! I bet that apple had a wife and kids. I bet all the little apples are crying for their dad right now, and they'll never SEE him again because you just HAD to splatter his brains all over this wall!" Zero jerked his thumb behind him. "You murderer! I hope you burn in hell! I hope that you're tormented by the apple - demons until the end of time! I hope --"

Zero was cut off as X shot towards him again like a blue bullet. The fight began anew. However, Zero only got a few good kicks before he felt strong hands prying him away from his target.

"Take it easy!" The voice behind Zero demanded. It was Hack. Zero could see that A.G. was restraining a wildly struggling X, who appeared to be foaming at the mouth. His eyes burned a baleful red.

"I'll KILL him! I'LL KILL HIM!" X screamed over and over, lunging in Zero's direction and cursing at A.G.'s strong hold. Luckily, A.G. gave X no slack. Zero had aroused the killer instinct in a once - peaceful reploid. You can bet he felt extremely proud.

"I think Cain himself is gonna hafta handle this one," Hack declared, nodding his head in X's direction. "Bring Zero with. Cain'll have a talk with 'em."