Axl eyed the food on his plate a bit dubiously. It looked like some kind of seafood medley in teriyaki sauce, over a bed of rice and bean sprouts. The part that was giving him pause was the kind of seafood involved. He could see little pieces of octopus legs, complete with suckers. He'd never been at all fond of octopus.

It was really his own fault, though. He'd gotten a job as a busboy at a fancy restaurant, and when a shipment of octopus instead of shrimp had arrived, he'd been offered the opportunity to take it home. He'd only been working a week and payday was a week away, so he'd leapt at the chance. A whole crate would feed the four of them for the next week, if they were careful. If they weren't engaged in heavy activity, Reploids only needed one meal a day to keep their reactors topped off. Rocco's card had paid for several cartons of rice and various sauces and spices.

Castus and Rocco were eating enthusiastically, though. Axl finally dug in, and blinked at the flavor. The octopus was rubbery, but surprisingly good with the sweet but hot sauce that Modesty had created.

"This is really good!" He complemented the small female, and she smiled shyly, slowly eating her portion. "You're a great cook." She blushed in pleasure at the compliment.

They hadn't been entirely right about her. Modesty suffered panic attacks and crying jags, but she was still managing to hold down a part time job with a cleaning agency. Since the cleaning was done while the occupants were at work, no one cared if she had to take a few minutes to weep in a closet, or control her breathing to stave off a panic attack. Her time at a daycare had left Modesty prepared to clean up the most hideous messes with complete assurance, so nothing about the job itself bothered her. She couldn't manage full time hours without suffering from stress, but she made enough to pay her share of the rent. Not enough to share in utilities or buying food, but she made that up by cleaning and cooking.

Rocco had written resumes for Castus and Axl, but she herself was a bit of a wild card. She had written an article she swore someone would want to buy, and had sent it out to several magazines. Axl wasn't sure about that at all, but Rocco had been a reporter. She had been in print before, and that would help.

Castus' resume had glossed over his awkward membership to Repliforce, but that had left some jarring inconsistencies in it. Rocco had cheerfully perjured her immortal soul by swearing he'd been a runner for the Union-Tribune, scouting and shooting in conflicted areas. No one was alive to say otherwise, and the records had been vaporized along with the newspaper headquarters. The lies wouldn't stand up to any kind of security check, but working as a bouncer in a Reploid bar didn't require security clearance. Castus had been a bit pained when he landed the job, but he was making good money at it.

Axl munched slowly, trying to make plans… and failing. He really wanted to fight the Mavericks and make a difference in the world, but he couldn't do that anymore. What was left?

"Axl? Are you the one who's been using my laptop?" Rocco suddenly asked, and Axl started, then blushed. He hadn't thought she would notice.

"Uh… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mess with your stuff," he stammered. "I just missed my own computer and, well…" He'd felt the need to write something. He'd always written little bits of fiction whenever he was feeling stressed or unhappy, especially. It was soothing, getting all his frustrations out on paper, and Red had encouraged the habit. So had Zero, and he'd even read the stories and liked some of them. Rocco waved his apology away.

"It's nothing bad, Axl. I was just wondering, when I saw that strange piece of fiction on my laptop. Are you a writer?" she tilted her head to one side, and Axl blinked.

"Not really. I just write stuff sometimes," he said, confused. Rocco laughed, then grinned at him.

"Axl, what do you think a writer is? Although you might need some more discipline about it if you want to write a book." She popped a piece of octopus in her mouth as he stared at her.

"A BOOK?" That was the last thing he had ever considered doing. It was also a strangely appealing thought. He already had a story that had been built up over time to almost three hundred pages…

It was on his computer at Maverick Hunter HQ, though. Axl winced at the thought, but he was sure it wouldn't have been deleted. Still, how could he go pick it up?

Unless he sent someone else.

"Castus? Rocco? Um… could you do something for me?" The two looked at him curiously, and he took a deep breathe before he started to explain. "I was really upset when I left the Hunters, and I left in a hurry with what I could carry. But I own the computer and everything in my room, and my computer has a story I've just been going on with for a long time… maybe I could even sell it. But I don't want to go back there. So could you pick up my stuff for me?" Castus frowned, considering that.

"Maybe if you give us a note saying we're allowed to take it," he said reasonably. "I don't think they would release it, otherwise."

"And what should we tell them if they ask where you are?" Rocco asked, and Axl shrugged.

"Tell them I don't have anything to say to them," he said bitterly. "Especially X. That's all."

"Harsh," Rocco commented, but then dropped the subject. She'd heard about his 'unacceptable attitude' from Castus. "That's no problem for me, I'm not doing anything tomorrow anyway. Castus?" Castus finished his food, then shrugged.

"I'm off, so sure. But how much stuff are we talking about?" Axl considered the things he'd left in his room. He didn't want most of them.

"Not a lot… mostly the computer and the monitor. There is a gaming system and some games we could use or sell. The rest of it is clothes and stuff, things I can live without." His new job had provided uniforms, and he'd taken the best of his casual wear when he left. "Oh yeah… there's also a small TV."

"A TV?" Rocco perked up. "That would be excellent! I've been missing my Judge McKenna fix all this time."

"I do miss Law and Order," Castus said thoughtfully. "It would be nice to have that back… alright, we'll take care of it for you. Just write that note." Axl nodded, and got up to do that.

The last thing he wanted was to ever see Hunter HQ again, but he needed his stuff. This was really the best way to get it.

The same day…

Alia crossed her arms and glared at X, who was sitting at a desk, resting his head in one hand. He looked dejected, but it wasn't softening her attitude in the least.

"He's been gone almost two weeks and you just noticed?" The quiet venom in her voice was absolutely deadly. X almost flinched away from her. He was starting to get the sickening feeling that he'd messed up badly.

"I thought he was just sulking in his room. The cafeteria is open 24 hours a day, he could have just been hiding… he wouldn't answer his door, was I supposed to break it down?" Alia just stared at him, and X finally threw up his hands. "We didn't know he was gone until he didn't show up for vocational testing! Alia… Alia, I'm sorry." Alia took a deep breath, obviously controlling her temper.

"It's alright. I shouldn't have trusted you to watch him in the first place," she said shortly. Then she glowered at him again. "He could be dead in a ditch somewhere for all we know. In fact, he probably is! He probably went to fight Sigma single-handedly to prove he could." X blanched at that image.

"He wouldn't have!" X said, but his voice was weak. He knew Axl very well could have. Alia just snorted.

"And you STILL haven't told Zero about this! He's going to get back from Africa soon, you know." Zero had already been back several times, actually, but very briefly. Too briefly to notice the absence of a certain redhead.

"I know!" X gripped his head. "I just don't know what to do… you haven't found any trace of him?" The navigator pursed her lips, then sighed.

"Nothing. He's either in the city, someplace we can't scan, or… gone." Scanning in the city was almost impossible, because of all the conflicting energy signatures. Someplace they couldn't scan meant Maverick held territory, and gone meant dead. X and Alia sat together for a moment in shared misery.

Then someone knocked on the door.

"Come in, it's open," X said, grateful for the interruption. A junior Hunter poked his head in.

"Sir? You wanted to know if anyone heard anything about Axl?" he asked tentatively, and Alia turned around to stare at him as X sat bolt upright. The rookie looked flustered at the sudden attention.

"What is it? Has he been found?" X asked urgently, and was disappointed as the rookie shook his head.

"No, sir, but there's two people in the lobby who want to pick up his things. They have a note from him." X blinked, then exchanged a glance with Alia. What could this be about?

"We'll come see them." X said, standing up. He led the way out, walking quickly to the lobby.

He was a little startled to see the pair waiting there. One of them was clearly uncomfortable, and looked vaguely familiar… X frowned, trying to place the recognition.

"Don't I know you?" He questioned the large male Reploid, who flashed him a hard-edged grin, then a mocking salute.

"Lieutenant Castus, Repliforce." Conversation stopped dead in the lobby as people turned to stare at the Reploid who had the temerity to use the name of that long-dead organization. X flushed in embarrassment, trying to think of something to say, and Rocco stepped into the awkward silence.

"I'm Rocco, formerly of the San Diego Union-Tribune." She smiled cheerfully, pointing at the defunct logo on her cap. "Axl sent us for his things, can we please get them?"

"What's Axl doing?" Alia broke in, excited. "Where is he? Is he well?" Rocco frowned slightly, glancing up at Castus, who answered.

"He's physically well. He told us to tell you, especially you, X, that he has nothing to say." X stepped back at that verbal slap in the face. He wasn't used to getting such pointed, hostile rejections. Castus grinned again. He was more than pleased to give X that smack-down.

"You know, what happened to Repliforce is not X's fault." Alia felt she had to support X in this… it was nothing but the truth. Castus looked at her for a moment, wanting to disagree, but finally nodded.

"No, I don't blame him for that," he said, his voice rough. "But I blame him and all of you for what's happened to the survivors." Alia frowned, wondering what he meant, but he didn't give her a chance to ask. "Where is Axl's quarters?"

"…This way." X finally said. He wanted to ask more questions, but he could tell neither of them would answer. At least Axl was alive… even if he hated him.

But the thought of Axl hating anyone was just so alien, so… wrong. X had a cold feeling at the thought.

What had he done?