CHAPTER 5: Uproot

Axl and Lucielle entered the command room, where Alia, Signas, Zero, and X were waiting for them. Upon seeing Axl, X's eyes burned with rage.

"So you're the one who caused all this trouble!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, pointing at Axl, who flinched at the aggression his "hero" directed at him. His teeth chattered.

"I guess...I guess so. I had...no idea they'd sent that kind of gear after us..."
"Gear? Who's after you?" X questioned, his tone getting higher.
"I...left Red Alert. Believe it or not...I'm a hunter." Axl answered, still meekly.
"Red Alert? You mean that gang of wannabe vigilantes?" Signas questioned.
"Do you realize how much damage your internal bickering has caused?" X replied, his anger barely held in.
"I...I'm so sorry. But I...I had to leave. As for what happened...as a result...that's the way it goes...I'm sorry-"
"That's the way it goes? Do you have any idea...!" X yelled at the top of his lungs. His rage numbing his mind, he was unable to finish his sentence or find any words to say. All he saw was red. His face was stuck in a hellishly angry expression instead.
In response to feeling the massive amount of vitriol directed at him, Axl yelped and reflexively hid behind Lucielle.

"X!" Lucielle yelled, her eyes sharply fixated on X, who jumped when he heard her authoritative voice. "Do YOU realize how much damage your temper has caused? Look at this poor boy!" she continued, gesturing at Axl, who was hiding behind her.

X's eyes widened, his face turning fearful as he tensed. Signas sighed at the botched questioning. Alia covered her face with her hand, shaking her head. Zero clicked his tongue and glared at X.

"Axl...please, tell us why you left? Surely you didn't mean anything bad." Lucielle gently asked.
"I...I was always...abused by Red Alert. They used me. They beat me when I refused to kill their targets. I was resigned to my fate...but then...you...Lucielle, you came to my rescue, so I...I can't...disappoint you..." Axl answered, sobbing the more he spoke. "Not after you gave your life for my sake..."

Lucielle bit her lip.
"I...the last time I saw him in my memories...he was held inside a cell. He's important to them, somehow, even if he doesn't like it. They're going to come for Axl, no doubt."
"This is our chance. Red Alert has caused us far too much trouble." Signas declared.
"H-how can you say that? If we fight, we'll fall right into their hands! We can't allow this madness to continue..." X argued.
"B-but X...they...they'll kill many people...if we don't kill them! You...you don't like victims or casualties, right? X...I believe in you-" Axl pleaded, remembering how X was lauded as the most compassionate reploid since forever.
"That's quite enough! You need to back off and pay the dues for your crimes!" X yelled at him, slamming his desk. Axl shrieked in shock and grief.

Compassionate? Really? He never saved anyone, as far as he's concerned. Has X ever jumped in front of him to prevent him from making the choice between killing the target of the day and enduring a beating from Red for not killing? Has X ever tried to save him, the way Lucielle did?

Knowing the answer, Axl's dark blue eyes turned blank and hollow. The look remained even as a sudden static sound filled the room. Everyone was surprised, including Lucielle. But shortly after looking at the monitor, Lucielle glanced at Axl, and widened her eyes in surprise when she saw the look on his face. X and his flaming temper had broken him.

As the transmission image clears, Lucielle grit her teeth.

"You getting this, hunters!?" a low male voice sounded from the monitor that displayed his face. "I am Red, leader of your friends here at Red Alert. I never imagined our little friend would end up in your hands, but in any case, I want Axl back. Now, don't you worry. I know he won't come back easily. So how about this? Like you, we are hunters. We've trashed our share of Mavericks. So how about a duel? A duel to determine who the real maverick hunters are. I'm sure you won't mind if we use the Mavericks that we've captured so far. So, the last one standing wins! If we lose, we'll surrender Axl to you. And if we win? Well...we'll leave that to your imagination!"

X clicked his tongue. "You've got to be kidding. Axl has nothing to do with us. We won't fight the likes of you for his sake."
Axl smiled widely at X's reply, and started chuckling to himself.
Red smirked evilly at X's refusal. "Well, pretty big talker, for a retiree! We could care less about deadbeats like you. We just want Axl. He IS there, isn't he? Now you just sit tight, my boy. Ahahahahahah!"

"They're already on the move. Mavericks are showing up across the map! I'll check for damage." Alia declared.
"Axl...are you okay?" Lucielle asked gently. The poor boy has dealt with more than enough today.

Axl only laughed mirthlessly as tears streamed down his face. Everyone stared at him in response. No one expected it, after all.

"I'm tired...so tired..." Axl stated as he manifested one of his guns in his hand, de-manifested his helmet and moved the gun up his temple-
"Stop it!" Lucielle cried out, slapping the gun away from his hand, acting quickly to save his life. The gun was launched away, falling a few distances away from him.
"Ha...ha...why...? Is this life...worth anything? All I cause is pain, sorrow, trouble...I'm a demon child. Just let me die—"
"No! Every life is worth SOMETHING! Including yours. I believe in you. Do you believe in me?"
"Lu...cielle..."
"If you've got nothing to live for, live for me. Alright?"
"Ha...hahaha...ha..."

Axl took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and gingerly hugged Lucielle's arm before sobbing quietly.

Zero sighed. "Well, this is turning into a real mess."
Lucielle looked up and looked X in the eye. "X, you said he needs to pay his dues, right? So, make him a maverick hunter! Axl and I make a great team, and together we could take care of Red Alert!"
"But...Lucielle...he has no business as a hunter! If he had just gone back, the problem would have been solved." X objected.
"These aren't run-of-the-mill criminals. They won't listen to reason. And even if Axl did go back, which he won't, would they stop their misdeeds? I don't think so." Lucielle argued back. "Besides, how dare you? You KNOW they abused him. Are you heartless, or what?"
"I concur." Signas stated.
"Me too." Alia added.
"X...what's wrong with you?" Zero questioned. "The X I knew wouldn't have said something so callous."
"I...I always thought X and Zero were cool. I...wanted to become like them. Be maverick hunters. I let Red take me in because he said he could make me just like you guys. But...it's over now. It's all over." Axl confessed, his tone of voice getting progressively lower. "Let's go, Lucielle."
"Yeah. We can't waste any time. I'll be with you all the way, Axl." Lucielle replied.

"Lucielle! Wait! I'm sorry...to Axl, too, I..." X said, reaching out a hand to them.
"Talk is cheap. Prove it to me first." Lucielle spat as she left, her hand in Axl's.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: No one shits on canon characters like Gaston! This chapter was another hard one, because I was basically borrowing-erm. Ripping lines off the script, another Mary Sue trope. I'm not used to writing on borrowed lines. No, using Mary Sue tropes does not mean you're a Suethor. Using enough of it does. I think I took it to a new, horrifying level. I didn't only borrow it, I also desecrated it to defile the canon characters further and push Lucielle up. also gratuitous, unchanged copypasta for red bc lol he isn't important he's just there to be vilified and die.
Anyways. I forgot to point out in the last chapter's author's notes that Axl's eyes are blue because I decided to go with the XCM concept. It's not *dark* blue in XCM either, I just did it to distort his design. I've uploaded all the designs of them I've made so far on dA, but I need to tidy up the profile before I announce it all to you guys.

Anyways. Axl and X's sanity slippages mirror my own. I hope that, by writing it out, I can throw it out. Apparently, I can throw out bad vibes by writing them into stories. I didn't use to have a short temper. But after a bunch of bull happening to me, I developed one not unlike what you saw X exhibited. And Axl's...well, I'd rather not say.
Anyways, Axl was supposed to not have much of a background, as a trope I used, but...it looks like a change of plan is for the better.