One hour passed.
The skies hovering above the Lava Energy Factory were dark, immeasurable abysses of black emotions. The winds were cold and harsh, but at the same time, they were also unbearably hot. There were black and silver clouds in the sky, but they did not hold waves of raindrops-instead, they were the havens of thunder and lighting. Once again, the young Reploid called Axl was out in the middle of another storm….the atmosphere surrounding the Maverick Hunter base had been so quiet, soft and serene…..
The atmosphere of the Lava Factory was anything BUT peaceful.
Alia had given him the information on the latest activity. The Lava Factory located in the city of Utopia had been taken over by a member of Red Alert, and the problems that had risen needed to be taken care of. She too noticed that something was wrong with him, but he completely blew everything off and went on his way, determined to put down someone he used to know as a friend.
There was something wrong with him.
He felt lonely, deserted…..broken….
Because someone went and threw away the promises he had given.
His friends didn't need to worry about him. They had their own situations to deal with. And Zero was all right now, so it was a time to rejoice and celebrate. Besides, the Red Alert Syndicate was his problem. He used to be a member of the Syndicate, Red and Sigma were after HIM…..
The situation with the Syndicate revolved around him, yet he wanted no one to worry about him.
The Reploids of the Maverick Hunter base didn't need to dirty their hands with his problems. He wanted them to concentrate on Zero, who had barely escaped the clutches of death by a mere centimeter. He wanted to take care of everything….on his own.
He craved the company of Megaman X, and he definitely wanted to hear Zero's voice. The chances he took to speak with the Crimson Flame were small and short, yet deep and meaningful. He developed a strong affection for Zero the very second his eyes fell on him for the first time, and the desire to become friends with him forever was definitely like a flame in his heart. The Hunter's voice was rough and bold, yet soft and gentle at the same time. It was weird, yet comforting….it was a nice fact to think about.
Twenty minutes passed.
The thunder of the clouds began to fall from the clouds that hovered over the factory.
Axl approached the entrance, wanting to speak to at least one of the two Hunters, but at the moment, that wasn't possible. He could sense the presence of several Reploids, but nothing could be seen……it was as if there was an army lurking in the shadows…waiting to spring out at him. Still unable to shake off the feeling of loneliness, the young one entered the factory, ready to complete his newest mission.
He had been nicknamed 'The Black Tiger' by Red…..
But at the moment he felt like a kitten.
He unsheathed one of his guns and twirled it around on his finger, the way he always did-
But not even that worked.
-Thirty minutes.
Megaman X landed right in front of the Red Alert homebase entrance, greatly confused by its almost comical, unbelievable appearance. Dark rainclouds surrounded the entire building….there were dim rays of light streaming from the windows….
It STILL looked like a haunted house.
The Maverick Hunter's eyes scanned the entire building the very way an eagle's eyes rushed over its new home. For a minute, he tried to figure out the very meaning of the base's appearance-it was as if someone was really trying to play a bad joke or something….
Okay. Gawking time is over. Time to get in there.
X slowly entered the base, keeping his eyes wide open, and his ears completely alert. He could sense the presence of evil forces, but could see no one at the moment. The halls of the base seemed to be infinite, and darkness was streaming through each and every nook and cranny….the entire base really was like a haunted house….but the time for jokes had come to an end. X knew that his "old friend" Sigma was responsible for the appearance of the base.
Cold winds brushed by the Hunter, and distant voices reached his ears. The voices that touched him confused him-there wasn't a single soul in sight, and all of the rooms were dark. It was almost like…..the memories that had been created inside of the base were reaching him…..and so were all of the emotions that had been created. Five minutes passed before he reached the room Axl had found the cure in-
A smile of sadness blossomed on his face. The computer screen was still on and beaming.
He must have worked really hard.
After thinking of the last conversation he had with Axl, he trudged onward, searching for the very one his friend had lost. Cold silence continued to burn into him, but nothing could stop his heart from singing. His best friend was going to be with for quite some time-he was going to make sure of that. He would be seeing him again soon, and the Crimson Flame was going to be back on his feet. And as for Axl?
He meant so much to the legendary Maverick Hunter….but it wasn't just because of what he had done.
The young one made him feel safe and secure….the way a mother made her infant feel safe and warm. Everything about him made his heart feel warm. Axl was brave-the bravest Reploid he had ever met. He was also one of the strongest Reploids he had ever met, and was definitely a genius. Words left the mouth of the Hunter in a gentle whisper-
"Heh. You would make a good researcher, Axl."
Seven minutes.
X came upon a room that was filled with the bright lights of many computers. It was obviously another room filled with a large amount of data…..but was there anyone inside?
Cautiously he walked inside, looking around at his surroundings. His heart began to pound on the drums of anxiety slowly….but the tension wasn't the kind of tension he had been trapped in for such a long time. He felt like one of the clueless individuals of a horror movie-he was a teenager walking into a room…the very room the killer was hiding in. The very thing Axl had restored swelled up inside of him-
Hope.
"Who are you!"
A sharp gasp tore itself from the mouth of the Hunter, and his eyes widened in surprise. He prepared himself for an attack, but lowered his buster the very second the speaker emerged from the shadows of the room. He spoke to the speaker, his voice filled with relief.
"Red!"
The leader of the Red Alert Syndicate walked up to the newcomer, wearing a cruel, vicious smile. X thought of the way he had looked during the transmission he sent to Headquarters-
Red looked like a bloodthirsty demon then-
And he looked like one now.
"So it's you, Megaman X. How fortunate. I was just thinking of you."
X frowned. Red bore a great resemblance to Sigma.
"I've been thinking of you for a short while, Red. But I'll let you speak first. Explain yourself. What do you want with me?"
Red delivered a pleasant smile, but it was like the smile from a cat to a mouse. "Hmm. That's easy. I would like to have a piece of your DNA. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?"
X's voice grew cold-dangerously cold. It didn't match the ferocity of Axl's-Axl's fierceness was IMPOSSIBLE to match, but his voice was still pretty harsh.
"Not really. I'm not giving you anything. The same goes for Sigma. Axl told me that you ran into him a short while ago."
"Yes, he did. I asked him to give me pieces of your DNA-oh, and Zero's too, but the little insect refused to do anything for me. Filthy piece of garbage….I should have ripped him apart when he turned me down."
The tone of Red's voice disgusted X immeasurably. An extremely high level of hatred rose into the eyes of the Hunter, and his heart began to pound upon the drum of both disbelief and scorn. "That's DISGUSTING." he shouted out at Red hatefully, his eyes glowing in the fashion of a black panther's. "You're sick, you know that? Axl misses you! You obviously spent a lot of time as friends, but now you're throwing all of the times you two shared away! You're pathetic! He needs you! Don't you care at all!"
Silence flooded the very room they were in…..but it was…..serene silence…..
A few minutes passed……before Red hung his head. That action caused X's eyes to widen in confusion…..what was he thinking of?
"X….."
Red's voice was deep and sorrowful…….
It was filled with regret.
The eyes of the Maverick Hunter became beautiful, solid pools of empyrean light.
"Huh?"
The eyes of Red met his a moment later…..and the emotions that were soaring through them filled X's eyes with more tears. The leader of the Red Alert Syndicate spoke to him……..and the words he gave to him caused his heart to break.
"It's……too late for me now."
"What? What are you saying!" Oceans of tears flew from the Hunter's eyes…his teardrops lingered in the air, shining like drops of starlight...
"I don't understand! What do you mean, it's too late! Didn't you hear anything I said! Axl NEEDS you! Don't YOU miss HIM!"
"X………I can't go back. It's over. The two of us are on different paths now. It's done. I can do nothing to bring the past to the present, or to the future. Axl…..must fly on his own now."
"YOU AREN'T BEING FAIR!"
X knew he sounded like a child that wasn't getting his way, but he wasn't willing to control his emotions. He felt as if Red had betrayed HIM. He cared for Axl DEEPLY, and Axl needed Red so much…….
"YOU AREN'T BEING FAIR AT ALL! IT ISN'T TOO LATE! IF YOU STILL CARE ABOUT HIM, TELL HIM! DON'T LEAVE HIM ALONE! YOU AREN'T MAKING ANY SENSE!"
Red didn't budge.
"It's over now. There isn't anything I can do. It's time for him to spread his own wings and fly…..and besides…..he has you to watch over him now. He needs me no longer."
X's chest began to burn all over again, with endless waves of tears...
His dear friend was suffering…….
But Red was unwilling to return to his side…..
"Axl……Axl………"
I……I'm sorry……I……really am……….
"I'm so sorry………."
