~Chapter 45~
~Importance...~

Axl's room door opened as X walked in. He gently tugged a chair over to Axl's bedside, it squeaking as the legs were placed on the floor. Axl eyes drifted back towards the wall, in an ignorant way. Axl's whole goal, was to ignore anyone who walked in; and return back to his self-loathing. Axl actually grew hatred to himself, actually believing that the pain he was suffering was a suitable punishment for being too weak to protect me...

"Axl.." X put a hand on his shoulder, shaking it gently. The blue hunter knew he was awake, and just didn't want to hear anything. "I heard that the others tried talking to you to, but you didn't want to talk..." he muttered, as he pulled his hand back. Axl sniffled.

"Why bother talking?" he asked, gritting his teeth tightly. "You all swear I'm why she's gone... not like anyone would believe someone if they said there was 'another them'..." Axl finished, X gave a near saddened look. Axl was right, if anything, telling someone there was a copy of you; they'd most likely think their crazy.

"I believe you though Axl." X replied, Axl's eyes widening. "Both me and Zero know you wouldn't do anything to hurt her. Nonetheless cause any form of physical harm to her." he finished, Axl feeling at least slight relief. He told me how he felt stress wear off.

"Listen, we know what happened, we're just trying to put things together right now... I, hate to be one to say what happened to her, because I know you'll snap." he stated, Axl's mouth opening;

"What did he do to her...?" he asked, in an angered voice. X giving a nervous sigh, "He... shot her down Axl." he replied. Or to most of them, they believe Axl himself was the one who shot me down. At the time... Axl actually believed that I was dead, that the connected emotions he felt through the sync, were his own but just were more aware...

Silence filled the room, Axl's face had gone pale his mouth agape; hearing this just caused even more pain to pile onto him. X sighed as he sat something on the table. A gift that I had planned to give him, I had told X about it and I guessed that X had remembered that I did and decided to give it to him. The wrapper crumbled as he released it from his grasp, and made his way from the room. Axl curled into a tight ball, he suffered, now someone may as well should have been stabbing him in the chest, because I'm sure that's what it felt like.

Egypt tried helping, but by then, Axl was dealing with the five stages of depression... so now, he was just angry with himself. Denial wore off a while ago...

...

"Ala can't really be dead could she?" Massimo asked in a saddened voice. "I don't think so... I doubt that kid would go down so easy." Spider responded. Though, of course during the time they probably did think so.

"The last thing we saw on the footage; was Axl carrying her off to an unknown place... probably to dispose of her..." Gaudile muttered. "I doubt that. I've got a feeling that she isn't really dead. We have to remember, that professor of hers is still around, and it going suddenly quiet like that was suspicious to me." Zero said, crossing his arms. "I remember Ala telling me about that psychopathic old geezer. I didn't realize it was this bad though." Spider commented.

"For now we should focus on finding her." Thorn jumped in, worry in her voice. "I highly doubt Axl would be so cold hearted as to try and kill her like that. I knew something was off about Axl, but I just didn't want to look to deeply into it. I'm the one at fault, I should have watched him. Dead or alive... we need to find her." she finished.

Everyone was worried for me; and here I couldn't do anything to tell them I was alright. "I really don't see Axl doing anything to hurt Ala. Sure I've seen fights between them, but they were usually because Axl started yelling at her about her 'safety'. If he's able to yell at her about that and really mean it, I doubt it was him who did it." Spider stated.

"Something's really off here, we'll have to ask Axl what happened." X said. "I've tried and he's really upset right now... maybe we should give him time to calm down..." Massimo replied. "I hope we have that time." Marino replied.

"I agree... we should give him time to recover from this. I doubt she's really gone, but he believes so right now. We'll keep searching, but we shouldn't pester Axl for a while." X responded, everyone agreeing to leave him alone for a while... Egypt being the only one to stay with him, since Axl knew he was close to me to, and to him; it felt like I was next to him still.

I suppose this is how it's like for couples who are so strongly attached. This was Axl's first genuine heart break; even though the pain was for nothing, it still felt real given the situation.

...

I still lay in the Capsule I was put in, the wound healed. Though, even with the gap in my chest gone, it still hurt.

/"We should have listened..."/
/"I should have listened... I could have stopped it from happening..."/

I was now aware of the viruses presence, she and I hold the same mind and thoughts. I guess I was infected.

/"Let me take over for now. You've suffered enough fear and heartache."

I just listened to Puppeteer, I just wanted to forget everything that happened, so as instructed, I gave up. I guess that's what emotions can do to you, trap you in a prison of despair, and eventually break you. That's reality. The world is a prison, if it isn't emotions holding you down with chains, it's people.

I closed my eyes, where they turned black. Now, the sight of them was calming, to see what a part of me actually is, it told me things of myself that I didn't know. I felt my body turn to it's back, where my foot quickly began to kick the clear glass, shattering it after a few cracks were formed. My body on its own lifted it's self up, any wires connected to me, broke upon the moving, in a flash I jumped from the capsule to my feet. Glass crunched under my feet. Puppeteer was much different from me.

She walked over to a control panel on the wall, without a second thought my hand was within the wires, they climbed up my arm with red electricity following them, they formed armor as they climbed, reaching from my face to my feet, my white armor, transformed into a darkened form, the true sign of an angry... virus...

I found my eyes looking at my hands on their own, my hands opening and closing as they observed every inch of the newly changed blackness of the once pure sign of innocent of white. The clawed fingers, causing me to look menacing.

Black, crow like claws clutched to my cheeks, my face pale and the freckles gone. I truly was changed. My feet moved as they made me leave the room, all I could do was watch as Puppeteer took the lead, walking for me, seeing for me, and likely speaking for me...

"Where is the Doctor..." Our voices sounding as two. She muttered for me, as she walked up to a room, a room filled with camera's. The Doc smiled at us, he had been waiting for us. "I see you've learned of your armor puppeteer. I've been waiting for you." he stated.

My eyes, squinted as I and she, looked at the figure behind him. A blade appeared in my hand, a sharp edge with wires covering it. I snarled, as my brows crossed to form a crease between my eyes. "Now, now puppeteer. I've heard of your... predicament with that proto-type. Quite the promise breaker isn't he? I can help you get revenge..." Sigma muttered, as he revealed himself more into the light. "Payback... is something you seemed to desperately need." he finished, a smirk across his face.

"I can give you the power you need Ala, the power to destroy him and those pesky hunters." he stated, the Doc grinning as he got up and walked over. "All you have to do sweetheart, is gather information from Cyber space... can you do that?" The Doc asked, my mouth closed and arched it's lip as I could hear Puppeteer think...

/"Shall we...? Get rid of him for good? He deserves it... after all, he was the one who shattered you. Put you in that cage.../

I looked at them both, later, watching as my hand was lifted towards them, the Doc gently taking it. "Wise choice my dear..." he chuckled...

A regretful decision indeed...

...

Axl gritted his teeth, due to the sync, he could see nightmares, suffer from my Night terrors. His eyes burst open, tears at the edges as he threw himself up. "Ala..." he mumbled, his nightmare... He held his stomach tightly, as he threw up into a trash bin next to his bedside. He gagged, coughing. His nightmare, so terrifying it caused his systems to reject any food he had eaten, any form of E-tank he had consumed. Egypt woke up from his peaceful sleep, looking at him with a concerned look. Axl laid back with an arm over his forehead, his hair spread around under his head. Sweat dosed his body.

His nightmare, demonstrating that he had lost, that he sat behind me, watching as I led groups of Reploids into the city. They destroyed everything... caused millions to suffer, ended thousands of lives. Reploids cut down when in range, panic filling every corner. His being the only one alive to witness this, X and the others cut down by the blade in my hand... He had been damaged, beaten to where he couldn't walk.

The tip of the blade to his nose. What saddened him, was him looking at my face even through his fearful eyes. My eyes, blackened, but filled with regret and sorrow. I had gripped my wrist as to try and stop it, but I couldn't as he described. Soon, the blade had risen, as he nearly witnessed himself die.

I don't think it was so much the death that scared him, I think it was just seeing me in misery that scared him, him being unable to stop me, to help me... that's what really scared him.

He sighed, as he wiped his eyes with a sniffle. Egypt still looking at him with a worried expression. "I'm fine..." Axl mumbled, looking at him. Axl turned on his side, regret filling his mind. "I guess that dream was a reminder that I can protect her..." he mumbled sadly, Egypt looking at him sadly before jumping over to the present X had left for him. Axl looked up at him, reaching over and grabbing it. "Last I checked you were supposed to open these on Christmas morning..." he muttered, tugging at the wrapper.

Egypt knew what I put in there, and it was important, meant to stop me in case anything happened. Axl pulled a gun from the box, very similar to his own, only more powerful that his own. "Why did she...?" he stated, sitting up to observe it. "Plasma pistols... Almost like she made a copy..." he said, loading it.

Egypt smiling wide as magma leaked from the wise of his glowing white mouth. His blue light shining off of the table he sat on. Axl gave a slight smile. "I'll keep it for you..." he mumbled, as he sat it back down.

It seemed to lighten his spirits slightly, like I said... I gave it to him for a reason; and that reason will stop the upcoming events.. I assure you that.