The Voice in Your Heart
Page 51: Recurring Nightmare
"It's been so long!" X beamed as he, Zero and Axl walked in Central Tower after Nana successfully teleported them. "Man, you two worry me a lot, you know that?"
Zero chuckled. Of course he knows. He knows that more than anyone. Axl, on the other hand…
"Really?" he replied with a coy smirk.
"Of course. When you couldn't communicate some time ago, I freaked, you know? I was cut off from Zero, and then you. Why didn't you tell me when you were going deeper into Ulfat, where the signal's crap?" X responded.
"Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Axl. How could you do that to X?" Zero teased.
"Ah—I um. I didn't mean to, I didn't…um. I didn't pay attention to the signal in my phone, and all of a sudden, I checked my phone and I was like, 'shit, dude, I'm totally i-so-la-ted!' and then I just told myself, 'ah, hell' and carried on…" Axl ranted, with a vivacious tone that hasn't come out of him for some time.
Is it returning? Is his "true self" returning? Is everything returning to how it was supposed to be? The three of them, fighting together, being best friends…
Is it how it's really meant to be? Then, those times he spent with Epsilon—
"Zero, he takes after you." X playfully grumbled.
"What, are we his parents, now?" Zero shot back, with a coy grin of his own.
"Look at your dumbass grin, it looked just like Axl's when he went 'reeeeeeeeeeealleh?'" X retorted.
"Then you're the odd one out again, X. Right, Zero? Fuck you, X." Axl joked.
"HAH! Fuck you, X." Zero added.
X just stuck out his tongue in response.
"Well, I'm going to introduce you two to the people that have helped me get this far…" X said as soon as they arrived in front of the command room door, which he opened as soon as he finished speaking.
Axl's eyes bulged as soon as he caught sight of none other than Professor Gaudile, who glared at him when he saw him.
"YOU!" Axl shouted, pointing at Gaudile.
"What do you want?" Gaudile coldly growled.
"Professor, what's going on?" Cinnamon squeaked.
"Hey, what the hell?" Marino complained. "You trying to start a fight?"
"Ggggh…why the hell are you here?" Axl asked.
"That's my line! You couldn't even do anything to those Force Metal-pumped freaks! Because of you, Tezuka died!" Gaudile shouted in response.
"Excuse me? The one who decided to hit first was you! You were the one who threw that weird-ass flashbang grenade!" Axl defended himself. "What kind of part did I play in Tezuka's death, huh? Like I know the reasons behind it!"
Gaudile swallowed. He was the one who let Tezuka get herself killed…she was the one who came up with such a suicidal strategy, and he let her do it anyways. He was the one who escaped, who lived instead of her. But the reason Tezuka had to come up with something like that in the first place was…
"If you actually managed to, you know, pacify or retire those monsters, we wouldn't have to resort to such drastic methods!" Gaudile argued.
"Why the fuck are you blaming me for your own idiocy? You didn't even know what was happening, and you threw a fucking bomb at them, of course they're pissed!
And the whole struggle? It's your fucking fault that you decided to just up and kill them even if they haven't gone maverick yet, just in case they would! Then if you're gonna kill them like animals anyways, why bother making those so-called 'Force Metal-pumped monsters' in the first place, you idiot?" Axl ranted.
X and Zero could do nothing but freeze as the unexpected verbal fight ensued, revealing a few truths as it progressed. Axl was involved? And what really happened before the whole crisis, that caused it in the first place…?
"Professor…? You…what…" Cinnamon stuttered, having heard a few ugly truths about her father.
"Cinnamon…it's alright." Gaudile tried to gently pacify his daughter.
"I did what I had to do. It was a government order. I had faith in them. Former maverick hunter Axl, wouldn't you have done the same? You should understand…" Gaudile tried to appeal to Axl's morals.
"So you decided to take reploids away from the streets, from loving communities, just to stuff them with shit you're gonna kill them over, just because the government told you to? Spare me your pretty words. If there's anything I learned from my job, it could've been orders from fucking Sigma!" Axl retorted.
"The two of you…" X interrupted the conversation. "It's enough. Please."
Both Axl and Gaudile turned to look at X, surprised by the unexpected response.
"Look, I don't know what happened. I don't know what truly caused this crisis, but…let's not fight like this? We're…on the same side, right?" he assured.
Axl bit his lip. Him? On the same side with the fucker who caused the shitstorm in the first place?
Gaudile gently closed his eyes to calm down. That's it. His faults have been exposed in front of his comrades. Having Psyche confront him over it was bad enough…
"It's not over, Gaudile." Psyche had said to him when he invaded his laboratory. "I'm still mad about what happened, but it doesn't mean we can't work out our differences."
"Psyche, spare me your pretty words. I know you just want me on your side." Gaudile countered.
"I do, but I'm willing to put my grudge aside, so I can stand working with you again. You tried to kill me. Who wouldn't get angry? You were my friend!" Psyche replied.
Gaudile wasn't sure which was more uncomfortable—Axl's hostility towards him, or Psyche's "pretty words"?
It doesn't matter right now. One hates him; the other hated him, and carried that hatred to his grave.
"Right." Gaudile said, "But remember, the ones who decided to react so violently were those Force-Metal monsters you tried to defend." he sniped at Axl.
"Professor Gaudile has a point. They ransacked Giga City, and that's why we're here in the first place…that's what matters most." Chief R added. "I don't want any infighting. It'll dissolve morale and make us more susceptible to their attacks. Are we clear?"
"Tch…alright, I get it." Axl hissed.
"I think…" Zero spoke, "I'm going to get out of here and find the truth myself."
"Zero, what? What are you talking about?" X asked, as he tried to prevent his comrade from leaving the room.
"I don't…it doesn't feel right, being the government's attack dogs, to be ordered to kill whoever they want dead. But hell, what even is right anyways? This whole crisis is fucked up. I want to know what kind of cause I'm really fighting for, so…see you around, I guess."
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Wow, it's been more than a month, and without me realizing it, the 1st anniversary of TViYH had passed. I'm so sorry for the long gap! I was dealing with my new job, other projects, and life in general. I'm fine, and I still have my resolve to finish this story. I want this story finished as much as you guys do. I'll try to write more often! I can't believe how much I've neglected this fic. Thanks for being with me while I was unable to be with you, I'm very grateful.
I feel that this chapter speaks volumes, even without any words to point the messages out.
