The trio rushed in after Tornado, and each of them were in the devilish clutches of excitement. However, each of them was affected by excitement in different ways.
X was worried about the outcome of the battle,
Zero was ready to see if he could still be the warrior he knew he was meant to be,
And Axl was ready to kick his ex-friend to the curve.
Lightning lit up the faces of the three Reploids, and it caused X's heart to drop about two hundred miles. He got a glimpse of Zero's current facial expression....and....
He could hear heavy breathing.
".....Zero...?"
As if on cue, a bolt of golden yellow light lit up the body of Tornado, and the cold winds became stronger. Malicious laughter pierced the air the way the venomous teeth of a cobra pierced a baby's skin, and Axl folded his arms scornfully.
"Tornado, you haven't changed a bit. You're still the psychotic freak I know and love! How's it been?!"
X looked at the former member of Red Alert, totally stunned by his attitude. Axl was nonchalant, perfectly calm and cool....but at the same time, he was fired up and ready for battle.
The young Reploid, the calm, cool and collected ex-Red Alert member, was being chased down by evil forces.....
He had enough guts to stand his own ground...
He left behind everything he had worked for.......
But he was still able to smile.
A part of X wished that he could swap personalities with the youngster.
How was he able to smile-
When he had so much on his shoulders?
Tornado turned around to face his ex-friend, and the two Maverick Hunters. He folded his own arms, and his face lit up with bitter intentions. Laughter faded away after two long minutes, and then he spoke to the one he had called a comrade.
"You haven't changed too much either, Axl! Or should I say, The Black Tiger?"
"Heh." The young one chuckled, putting an arm out in front of X and Zero....protecting them. X had his arms wrapped around Zero again, who was once again on his knees. The blue Maverick Hunter's eyes were on his protector, watching him worriedly....Axl's eyes were blazing with hatred....
But a smile was still on his face.
"I don't mind being called either one, but Axl will do just fine, thanks."
"I don't really understand why you were the only one with a fancy nickname anyway." Tornado said bitterly, narrowing his eyes at the young one the way a cowboy would at a duel. "Hmph. Our boss spoiled you SILLY, pretty boy Axl."
Okay, now things were starting to heat up.
"At first I was surprised when I heard about your betrayal, but then...well......I got over the shock and realized that you weren't anything but Red's PET. A cute little puppy dog that always wagged his tail around the base."
The smile left the tiger's face.
Provoking a tiger wasn't such a good idea-
But Tornado didn't know that.
"You ungrateful little wretch. Red took you in off the cold, hard streets! He watched over you, cared for you, RAISED you!! And you turned your back on him!!! You turned on all of us!!! TRAITOR!!!"
Tornado's last word echoed throughout the vast skies of black torment-
And it echoed through Axl's mind.
Traitor.
Traitor?
X continued to watch the young one. Serenity was no longer on his face. Infinite, relentless pain was now drenching his eyes...his heart. Immeasurable hatred burned in the young one's eyes like black fire......
"Axl....."
"X! Stay behind with Zero!! I'll take care of this bastard!!!"
"But-"
It was too late. Axl lunged out at Tornado, locked with the heart-rending requiem of pain. The young Reploid looked as if he was being controlled by his emotions....but.......he was still able to fight with the skill and grace of a young eagle. It only took X a few seconds to realize that Tornado was clearly outclassed-Axl was definitely faster-
And he was definitely smarter.
Tornado couldn't really even touch him.
The young one's emotions had caused him to become stronger.
The thunder became louder, the lightning became brighter....it was as if the world was watching. It was aware of Axl's emotions.....and it knew of Tornado's intentions....
Two minutes elapsed, but they felt like seconds.
A bright light blinded X, and then he saw the two Reploids break away from each other-they had gone into a headlock. Axl landed right next to his two friends, and Tornado landed a few feet away. Axl's eyes were once again filled with nonchalance, but this time, it was tainted by unending contempt.....
And sorrow.
"Heh heh. You DEFINITELY haven't changed a bit. You're still too slow."
"And you're still the spoiled little brat I know and love. Life sure is weird, isn't it?"
A part of Axl wanted to explode with rage-
But he ignored the temptation to do so.
"Now hold still, Tiger." Tornado's voice was filled evil.....and so were his eyes. "Let me take care of you-so Red can find a new pet to play with."
In an instant, Axl raised one of his guns, changed something on it, and aimed right at Tornado's head. He had changed the mode of the gun-he had switched from plasma bullets to something else.
"You really want to die, don't you?"
The temptation was becoming stronger.
"I can help you with that."
"And so I guess it comes to this. Dear Axl, after everything we've been through, do you really want to kill me?"
A second later, an extremely bright beam of crystal blue light blinded the Black Tiger, and a loud scream from Tornado shot into his ears.
--Hey again, everyone. I'm always grateful to those that stop by. Like always, I am accepting any feedback, just as long as it's detailed. Concerns, questions and comments are always welcome. Your reviews are the type of things that make writers want to write even more. All of you are like my family! And to those of you that have stopped by for the first time-welcome aboard Rue Airlines. Please, relax and enjoy yourselves, all of you. A special thank you to Khilai, the revered author of 'Complexity of a Soul' (if you're really only 14 years old then you're going to hit nothing but gold mines in your life....with the talent you've got), and to the author of 'Why Won't Anyone Talk to me'-Uzu Chan.
In all three of our stories, Axl plays a huge part....but he's the one getting screwed all of the time! Hmm. Poor Axl. --Rue
