[Backdated, see below]

[hacker_twins]

(Continued from here after Release 88 made the first post unusable)

The only thing that grates on Techno worse than when people notice how obviously he resembles Forte, is when it dawns on them he resembles both Forte and Mega. He isn't really sure how to feel about the person responsible being dead, as now he'll never get to have that nice loud 'what the hell were you thinking' talk he'd sometimes fantasized about.

But for now the Twins skirt around that topic and onto one of pets, as they follow Zero towards X's room.

"I still think we should get a puppy."

"We live in a treehouse, Middy. Canines can't climb."

Comments

[hacker_twins]

Techno switches the hacked video feed from the computer screen to the TV to make it easier to watch, and tries to see if he can get sound.

There, in a small and very neat room, is Copy X. He has a desk. He has a couple of datapads of 'paperwork'. And he has blocks. Occasionally, he'll pause in reading, and rearrange the blocks. Sometimes in rows by color, sometimes grouped by color. Once, feeling adventurous, he put them in alphabetical order by the names of the colors. One constant is that he always puts them in a very neat and ordered pattern.

He's also not in armor. The tunic-top he wears even has a slight resemblance to the robes of the game's Elf!X, though not as long. And the camera angle is just right to show that they end at mid-hip and have matching pants. He resembles both Rock and X a great deal, older in appearance than the first and younger than the second... but he doesn't have the messy hair of either Lightbot. It's trimmed shorter and slicked back, as obsessively neat as everything else.

"And she's... he's one of Fafnir's," says Zero. "That name problem is going to get annoying." He's studying the copy, but figures they might as well plan, too.

[builtforbattle.livejournal.com]

"Hm. It seems like a waste of resources to chase a bunch of reploids just so you can destroy them. And that they don't send a flyer after it is odd as well, even if it does crash in the desert. I'm wondering if Anubis was already in the area for them to let him have it."

Forte doesn't know what to make of the copy now.

[hacker_twins]

"So we should have someone scan desert areas for Reploid energy signatures?" suggests Middy.

Zero nods. "It's worth a shot." He's not quite sure what to think of the Copy either. Between the serious little face and the neatness, it's almost like Lumine tried to copy X or Rock and got stuck that way. Except that he can't imagine Lumine playing with blocks.

"Hah, got it," Techno says with some satisfaction, just as Copy X sets the datapads neatly to the side and watches the door as if waiting on something.

[builtforbattle.livejournal.com]

It's like watching a goldfish in a tank by Forte's comparison. Neither did much or had much room to do stuff in. He's not sure why they're even watching until the copy does something different. Was it lunch time or something?

[ww_arcadia]

Forte's guess would seem to be right, as the door opens and Leviathan brings in a tray with a couple bowls of something that looks like gray porridge, each with a spoon. "I've brought lunch, Master X." She sets his bowl on the desk, then settles onto the floor with her own since there are no other chairs.

"Thank you, Leviathan," says the Copy. He hesitates, glancing towards the datapads. "The rest of the disposals were carried out today?"

"Yes, Master X." Leviathan watches a second, then stands back up, placing her bowl on the desk and moving closer to the copy to put a hand on his shoulder. "It still troubles you, doesn't it. But you know there wasn't any other choice."

[builtforbattle.livejournal.com]

Disposals? Most likely reploids destroyed. But it's a good sign if the copy is bothered by that. Not so much that Leviathan isn't or doesn't seem to from that one comment.

[ww_arcadia]

Copy X nods. "All of the humans had to be moved here for safety. We didn't have the energy to keep that many reploids active. We didn't even have the space to store them if they were shut down. And to let them go would have added to the number of Mavericks causing problems. I read the report Weil sent several times... There was no other solution except to eliminate the excess population."

Leviathan nods. "There wasn't anything you could have done. Don't blame yourself for this. Blame the Mavericks that made it necessary." She sighs. "I didn't like it any more than you do, but..."

There's a knock at the door. Leviathan's startled and Copy X looks puzzled. He wasn't expecting anyone. "Come in."

It's Harpuia.

[builtforbattle.livejournal.com]

Okay, at least Levi does care. But their reasoning is still off.

Then there's Harpuia, and from their looks she's not suppose to be there or at the least wasn't expected.

[ww_arcadia]

Zero mutters something barely hearable, wondering how Copy X can commit genocide and still manage to act like a Lightbot about it.

---

"Harpuia? Is something wrong?" Copy X twitches slightly at the thought. Nothing should be wrong. Ever. If there was, he had to fix it.

"A minor concern, Master X," Harpuia says, mostly to calm the agitated copy. "As you know, Aztec Falcon is undergoing repairs. A defect has been noticed in his emergency teleport system. It would have caused severe programming damage if the system were used. The others among my subordinates also have the same problem. I thought I should suggest the remaining forces be checked as well."

"A defect? They shouldn't have any," worried Copy is worried. Defects are bad. "This must be corrected."

"I'll let Phantom know," says Leviathan. "But Fafnir is still running his through training at his Death Valley base."