The Suite Life X

36 - Opposing Plans

At a hidden base nestled deep the ocean…

Lucien smirked as he wandered the halls, mulling over the intricacies of his plan.

Months of scheming, analyzing data, as well as the weaknesses of his enemies had gone into this.

True, he hadn't expected those intruders, but he'd adapted, shifting his plans to include the humans playing “reploid”. It had turned out to be quite…fruitful.

Yes, the brat, the coward, and the childish fool would serve as useful lures for his real prey.

X and Zero.

As things played out, however, he would go on to target the more obviously troubled of the two identical brats.

Both he and the girl served their turn as excellent test subjects for his powers.

As he walked by a particular workstation, a man bearing a vague resemblance to a certain human scientist of old grumbled to himself, clearly deep in whatever work he intended to do.

Whatever fascination he had with Zero, it could wait until he was done with him.

“An update, Master Lucien.”

He regarded the ressurrected reploid researcher. His formerly purple and black colors were swapped out with something more appropriate: Silver and gold.

He’d taken extra care to alter his mind so that he would be subservient, unlike what was the case back during his offensive. There would be no jockeying for position with him.

“Yes, Gate?”

“The two girls, they are sedated. Their combat shells are being finished up and are almost ready for integration,” he reported in a light, British-accented voice.

“Good. Finish it and get on that right away.”

“Yes, Master.”

He thought about letting him leave, but then realized he had one more question for him.

“…and the boy?”

“Yes, well. We removed all the armor he had on, using something lighter instead. Allows for greater mobility and jump height.”

“What is his tempermant like?”

“He seems to be completely docile. Whatever you did to him has rendered his personality according to what we've seen a non-factor.”

“Perfect.” If his powers worked so well on him, imagine how quickly he could have the taller one’s power under his thumb…

One way, or another.

He wouldn't need those ancient robots, after all…

“The other generals are with Metal Shark Player?”

That Maverick’s revival had been crucial to this operation, so it'd been among the first things he focused on after ensuring Black's “cooperation”. His unscrupulous nature and ruthless dedication to giving life to retired reploids had been a boon in ways he couldn't even imagine. He couldn't help but respect that.

“The other Mavericks as well. As for Vile, he’s repaired, but mercifully unconscious.”

“Good.” The bait would be sent out with them. “Do be sure to marshal the workers with the scientist. This craft needs to be worthy of air and space travel.”

“Understood.”

The pieces were coming together indeed… Though that did leave one loose end, which Gate would be kind enough to remind him of.

“With all due respect, what about the man?”

Ah, yes. Black.

“Oblivious as ever. He likely still thinks that I'm just going to waltz in and try to take over like some common Maverick.”

“Hmm…”

Lucien folded his arms. “What?”

“Nothing, Master. It's just… I would strongly advise against underestimating him. From what you've disclosed, he seems to be a desperate man. Those with nothing to lose can be quite…unpredictable.”

“Intriguing.” He wasn't surprised to hear that. Regardless, that old man wasn't anywhere near a credible threat to him at this point. Still, he might have to pay him another visit soon, just to be sure… “Anyway, you have your orders.”

With a nod, Gate walked off, with his Master watching him go for a moment before warping away himself.

Tomorrow would be interesting indeed…

---

Hunched over the workstation in his lab, Black toiled away…

…or at least, he made it look that way whenever his so-called “Master” swung by.

Then again, that in itself wasn’t entirely true. He was working, just not on what he would want.

He’d long finished working on the bodies that he was charged with. Instead, he was tinkering with something much closer by: his communicator.

He had never trusted Lucien anywhere near as far as he could throw him since he realized the Maverick’s deception and had been secretly looking for any way towards freedom.

Hearing whatever his captor was planning was a one-way ticket to getting himself and his daughters out of this mess, or at least, he hoped so.

His girls had been, ironically enough, the only sliver of light amidst the darkness. Sapphira’s earlier distrust, though understandable, had hurt him, but it was nothing compared to the silence he got now.

Perhaps it was fatherly instinct telling him that something was deeply, deeply wrong.

For what felt like the millionth time, he pulled the tablet he’d snuck from the Base out of its hiding place underneath his tools.

Having hacked into its camera feeds, he had begun to get a dim picture of what was going on. Coupling that with the updates Lucien was unintentionally giving him (as he loved to gloat), he could just about piece together what had been going on outside.

Even before communications with his daughters had fallen silent, he had been brainstorming ways to get in touch with the Hunters. Given that there was no adequate means of escape (he'd spent what time he could checking out what turned out to be a lab situated at the end of what seemed to be an endless hallway with a normally non-functional teleporter), and contact with the Base came up empty, he turned his attention to tinkering with whatever signals he could get, in an effort to reach out to someone, anyone.

That's when he remembered…

Zack! Lucien had let his capture slip, and he was most definitely close to wherever Lucien was hiding…

If Lucien’s as well as the boy’s signals were close enough to tap into, then…

He had to redouble his efforts. Perhaps there was a way out of this after all.

---

Unfortunately for both parties there was one player in the game who would not stay put.

As he worked on his project from the “comfort” of his workstation, the old scientist stroked his artificial beard with a grin. Sly and malicious, anyone could tell from one look at him that he was planning something big.

“Let those morons keep in-fighting. They make my job so much easier!”

Tapping in a secret code on a floor panel, the man revealed a strange small globe-like object.

“With my ‘ace in the hole’, nothing will stop me from achieving total control of both man and machine.” Closing the paneling, he looked back at his creation.

“It all starts with you, my dear Zero…”

His raucous, evil laughter echoed through the base until one of the worker reploids called for him to shut up.