Notes: Sorry for the wait on this one. I had a harder time with this chapter than I thought I would and I decided to break from my normal release order a bit. So I ended up doing Cardin and the Snail Girl chapter 7 first. Which if you have not check out that series at all yet you may want to. Anyway please enjoy and please feel free to leave a review. I don't mind criticism and hearing what my fans like helps keep me motivated and on the right track.
Heart of Iron
A boy awakes in an unfamiliar yet some how familiar place. He knows he has not been here before but it feels as if he has. What is this feeling he is feeling is it perhaps déjà vu? He looks around in an attempt gain some answers to these questions. Everything is hazy and he feels as if his head is spinning. He is in a hallway and he seems to be lying down on a stretcher of some kind. His surroundings are bright white and dark blue. It feels like its ether the inside of a hospital or a military base. The people rushing by him in white lab coats and blue scrubs would support this theory. Everyone seems like they are in a panic, perhaps there was a major accident of some kind he thought.
The boy was more aware now but everything still seemed hazy. He began to notice strange things. He could hear the sound of children screaming and adults shouting at each other. He began to wonder why he was there. "Am I injured?" He wondered as he looked down at himself. He didn't see any wounds but what he did notice was just as shocking. Both of his arms and legs were strapped down to the stretcher. "Way am I restrained?!" He wondered.
It was not long before he got his answer as he heard the screaming go silent. The shouting followed soon after, only to pick back up again. "Damn it not another failure! Ironwood will have our heads if we can't produce results soon!" He heard a man shout.
The voice of a woman could be heard soon after. "Should we scrap the augmentation project for now and try again after we do more research?" The women inquired.
"No we can't afford any more delays! Bring in the next subject!"
"Yes right away sir!" The women said before she appeared from the room and entered the hallway. She was dressed in scrubs and a lab coat like the people he had seen earlier and she began to wheel the boy's stretcher towards the source of the earlier screams and shouts. On the way into the room the boy spotted another identical looking stretcher being taken away. At one point he was sure that the motionless mass of meat and blood that now laid on that stretcher use to be just like him. Not just a boy in a similar situation but just like him.
The boy was now surrounded by doctors and surgical equipment. He some how knew what was about to happen. He tried to shake him self free but his body wouldn't respond, he tried to scream but his mouth wouldn't open. "Don't worry kid we will make you big and strong so just relax and it will be over soon."
"No…. No!...Nooooooooooooo!" Axel shouted as he shot up out of his bed in a gold sweat. He then covered his face with his hands. "That dream again why can't I forget about that day?"
"Axel, are you alright?" A small almost frightened voice said.
Axel removed his hands from his face and spun his head to face the source of the voice. "Penny?" Axel glanced around and noticed it was still in the dead of night. "Are you already done charging?"
"No I am only about half charged but I was reactivated when I picked up your irregular heartbeat. Your sweat glands also seem to be malfunctioning, what is happening to you Axel?" Penny inquired with worry clear on her face.
"It was nothing, just a bad dream."
"A bad dream? You mean like a nightmare?" Penny inquired.
Axel looked surprised for a moment. "You know of nightmares Penny?"
"Yes Ruby has told me about them. She once told me that dreams are normally strange and confusing but. Nightmares are very dark and scary. Like all your weapon systems malfunctioning at once in a live combat situation."
"Ya I guess that would be a Nightmare alright." Axel said with a chuckle.
Penny began to smile as she noticed his heart rate returning to normal levels. "Hey Axel, what was your nightmare like?"
"Huh why would you want to know that?"
"Ruby said that everyone's dreams are a little bit different. I was just wondering what your dreams were like."
Axel broke eye contact with Penny and he put on an almost statue like expression. "It was a dream about the past. It doesn't really matter anymore." Axel then slipped out of bed and made his way to his dresser. He then began change into his combat gear.
"Axel, why are you equipping your armor? My sensors show no hostiles in the immediate area and your sleep cycle is scheduled for another 4 hours and 43 minutes."
"Not tiered, I think I will go work off some energy in the training room."
"Oh mind if I assist you in your training exercise?" Penny inquires.
Axel glances at Penny with a confused expression. "Shouldn't you be recharging?"
Penny begins to smile. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
Axel chuckles at this. "Fair enough I guess I could use a sparing partner anyway, go gear up."
Penny jumps for joy. "Sensational!"
The pair made their way to the training room and entered one of the many sparring arenas. The arenas were large and had hard wooden surface and a concrete slab underneath. They were designed to be durable.
After entering the arena Axel removed Silent Knight from his back and placed it aside and drew a long double edge sword from his back and took a combat stance. "Are you ready Penny?"
A look of confusion came over Penny. "I am combat ready but are you not using your weapon Axel?"
"I normally don't use Silent Knight when I am sparing. It is designed with defense and demolition in mind. So it is very useful in a support position but not ideal in a one on one battle."
"I see, so why the long sword? Surely there is a more effective alterative?"
"One of my brothers preferred this type of weapon. Since I use to train with him often I guess I just became a custom to using it." Axel replied as his expression began to become solemn.
"You have brothers Axel? I must emit I am a bit jealous of Ruby and Yang's relationship having siblings just seems so nice."
"Ya, it's nice to have family. With that said my brothers and I were a bit different than most but. That's a story for another time." Axel then rushed at Penny with his blade drawn.
Penny was unsure what Axel had meant but had no time to dwell on it as he quickly approached her. She opened up her back panel and released two of her blades and griping them in an x formation above her head. Axel's sword came down on the blades with enough force to crack the arena floor beneath Penny's feet but. It did little to faze the synthetic girl herself.
Penny pushed forward off the ground and forced Axel backward throwing him off balance. Penny flipped through the air and landed behind him readying a strike to his back. She thrust her blades forward but before she maked contact, Axel's aura flickers and his skin hardens like steel. The blades crack the surface of his metallic skin but fail to punch through.
Axel uses the force of the blow to spin his body in place and bring his blade around. The blade is level with Penny's waist and is poised to slice her in half but. Penny brings her knee up and her elbow back to pin the blade in between the two limbs. A move like that would be considered crazy for somebody made of flesh and bone to attempt against a bladed weapon. Penny spins around on one foot to yank the sword out of Axel's hands causing it to fly across the arena.
"You are disarmed Axel do you use to concede?" Penny inquires with a proud smile.
"I may not have a weapon but still have two perfectly good arms right here Penny." He said as he took a boxing stance.
Penny smiled and returned her swords to her back panel. "I shall now engage in hand to hand combat!"
They both charged one another Axel opened up with a wide right hook aimed at Penny's head. Penny dodged under the punch and delivered a savage upper cut to Axel's chest. He fell back for a moment but returned to the fight with a whirlwind kick but Penny again blocked and grabbed him out of mid air and throws him across the arena. Axel flipped in the air and landed back on his feet. He then charged Penny again Penny reached out her left hand and with the palm of her hand she stopped the in coming punch in its tracks. Axel countered by reaching out with his left and grabbing hold of Penny's arm with both hands. He focused his aura into his arms to increase his strength and lifted her up over his head before slamming her into the ground.
"That was an excellent throw Axel! Now it's my turn!" Penny said before leaping back up and delivering a spin kick to the side of Axel's head. The blow sent him wheeling backward and left him dazed. Before he could recover Penny had rapped her arms around his waist and tackled him to the ground. Now on top of him she began to pelt him with punch after punch. Axel pulled his arms up in front of his face to withstand the blows but the steel coating was beginning to crack and his aura was draining fast he needed a distraction.
"You know Penny many people would get the wrong idea about our relationship if they seen us like this."
"What do you mean Axel?"
"Well from my understanding there is normally only one reason for a man and a woman to be alone and on top of each other in the middle of the night. Yang has likely talked to you about it before right?"
Understanding came over Penny and her systems quickly began to over heat for some reason. Her attacks became unfocused allowing Axel to block one of Penny's punches and hold onto her arm tightly while he moved his head out of the way of her other arm. Penny punched the ground shattering wooden flooring and getting it stuck. With his free hand Axel reached over to his arm mounted scroll and pressed a button. Suddenly Silent Knight rocket towards the synthetic girl and plowed into her side knocking her off of the iron boy.
"I thought you weren't going to use Silent Knight!? And what was that talk about a moment ago it was playing dirty." Penny protested.
"I just said it was not well suited for one on one combat but. I never said I couldn't use it. You should let this be a lessen for you. You should be ready for everything on the battlefield Penny."
"I will remember that Axel. I won't hold back next time."
"Good I will be waitin…" Axel was interrupted by the sound of his scroll going off. He took a moment to see who was contacting him and his eyes widened when he seen the message.
"Who is it Axel? Is something wrong?" Penny inquired.
"It's a message from General Ironwood. He says he is come in the morning to pick us up. We have an emergency mission and he needs all hands on deck."
"Emergency mission, what could be going on!?"
"I don't know but we have are orders. Penny I need you to return to the room and begin your recharging I will fill in the rest of the team and begin preparing."
"Understood!" Penny said while giving a salute and rushing off.
Ironwoods ship flies high in the air above a burning and crumbling structure. The building was once a military factory, now nothing more than a expensive pile of ashes. General Ironwood over looks the wreckage with a steely glare, anger and frustration practically printed on his features.
A soldier walks into the command deck from behind the general and begins to speak. "General Sir the scout team has returned from surveying the factory. Would you like a damage report?"
"That will be quite alright soldier I can tell that much from here. How many attacks does this make now soldier?"
"This is the fourth attack in the last two days Sir."
"Was this attack the same as the others?"
"Yes Sir all the attacks have been carried out by a splinter group of the White Fang. Think they are calling themselves the Black Wings."
"And is it true what I have been reading in the reports? Are they really using those beasts?"
"Yes Sir we have confirmed that they are commanding them some how. We didn't think it was possible until now."
"Thank you solider you are dismissed."
"Sir yes Sir!" The soldier gives a salute before exiting the room.
"These bustards want a war then fine I will give them one!"
Notes: Ya a big reason for this chapter was that I needed to fit some of Axel's back story in some place and I realized that Penny and him haven't had much time together lately.