Hello there, to the one person who actually reviewed and the handful (if even that many) of people who read my stories and never review (though I really whish you would). This chapter's been a long-time coming, and well... Since my editor was as swamped with homework as I was recently, the delay has been, to be blunt, fantastic.
Well, anyway. This chapter has no action what-so-ever, though if you read all the paragraphs, you'll find some nice sarcastic humor.
Right then, on the with the chapter and...
PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!
Salvation
Chapter 4: Proposition
There was only one thing Caroline had say when the remaining survivors of the defense team warp-landed in secondary base one.
"Holy Lord Above, what the hell happened to him?"
Axl winced under the scrutiny.
"Direct hit with Demos' iron." Zero explained bluntly. Axl again sniffled. He was going to be treated like a little kid... again.
"A what kind of hit with who's iron!?" Commander Blues' voice echoed around the room like a banshee's wail echoing in an enclosed cavern.
Please don't let me start crying. Please don't let me start crying... Axl's thoughts echoed like a broken record. Unfortunately, his body had other plans, leaving him to sniffle back the tears as best he could.
"A direct hit, in the face, with Demos' iron, and he only now started acting like he was going to cry." Zero explained. Blues could tell he was lying. X, who had just entered the room, could tell Axl had been crying far before his entrance all but draped over Zero's shoulder. And Allure yet again showed she was more than just a simple four year old.
"I'm surprised he had the guts to hold it in that long! Hey, mommy, when I'm old enough to start dating guys around my age, can I go out with him? I don't want a cry baby taking me out on my first date." Allure giggled. Axl somewhat stared at the child, his eyes misty yet still full of wonder. Allure's mother caught the look her older brother gave her from under his visor.
"Well, that depends. Dating material consists of two things. One: the man can only be a maximum of ten years older than you. Two: that man still has to be alive and in good favor with all parties involved." Caroline smiled.
"And number two seems to be in jeopardy." X teased lightly. He swung Axl's left arm around his neck, heaving the boy's weight off Zero.
"Come on. I know a great mechanic than can have yah fixed up in no time. Hey, she might even through in a free armor upgrade if you're nice and cooperate with her."
"R-Really," Axl quickly realized who he was talking to and added, "sir?"
"Just call me X. What did you say your name was again?" X questioned, keeping in careful mind to avoid calling the boy just that in fear of bruising his ego. The boy had no idea how lucky he was to simply be functional, and doubly lucky to be awake with such intense burns and blood loss.
"A-Axl, sir... Um... I mean X..." Axl answered. He refused to allow his fatigue to get the better of him, and by doing so nearly fell asleep halfway to the medical ward. Seeing his brother's plight in getting the child halfway down the five foot long hallway, Blues slipped under on the boy's opposite side.
"Hey, so you managed to stand up to old charcoal-for-brains, eh? You've got guts. Either that or you are incredibly stupid, pal. I even run away from the guy." Blue laughed. His jokes managed to raise a small smile from Axl.
"Uh, I think it was the latter, Commander..." The conversation did its trick. Axl staid somewhat awake right up until he was dumped into a repair bed.
"Now you just shut down and get a good rest, Axl. I'm sure Caroline will have you up and running in no time flat." X smiled.
"Yeah, and I heard she might even have some extra armor upgrades in the works she could toss in for yah." Blues laughed. Axl was too far gone for that to reach his ears. "Well what do you know? First time somebody's fallen asleep while I'm talking."
"Yeah, with the racket you make?" X laughed teasingly.
"Hey!"
"Alright you two, out," Caroline's demanding voice echoed through the room. She turned to look at her daughter, smiling, "Allure, you were very nice to that young boy. Saying you'd go on a date with him and all, it really perked him up."
"Well, Mr. Zero seemed to think he needed perking, and his head does look pretty badly bashed." Allure let out a little whistle.
"I'd say. Allure, how about you go help out with Zero's repairs? Oh, and tell him I'd like to know exactly what he thought of the boy in combat. He might just be the one..." And Caroline was gone from the world, lost in a sea of her own thoughts.
"Yes, mamma!"
Allure was only a slight bit hyper at the chance to help with repairs. This being a slight bit for a four year old, which at any other age would have been seen as a full on hyper-mode. Needless to say she almost got lost twice, she was in such a giggle fit. Forte gently pushed her in the right direction, trailing her like a dutiful dog trailing its loving master. No one dared to call the caring Reploid the equivalent of a hound to his face though. Well, not unless it was someone with a death wish.
Zero was in the medical ward, handcuffs off and demeanor the same as if he had just woken up from a long nap -- not necessarily cranky, but not exactly tolerable, either. His attitude, the medics working on him quickly noted, did a complete one hundred and eight degree turnaround the moment Allure's whistle reached hearing range.
"Hi, Michel!" Allure was on first name basses with all known medical and repair personal. It came from her habit of making the locks click when she wasn't supposed to down in the medical wing.
"Hello there, little Allure. Caroline send you down here to check up on this red dude?"
Michel was generally a peppy human male, with wild red hair stripped with orange hair dye. He wore the typical Reploid-support medic uniform – a plain white jumpsuit with a single star colored in indication of which unit the medic responded to located on the left shoulder. His right shoulder was decorated with his rank – five stripes to indicate Michel was the head medical officer. Taking in his rank plus the solid black star on his left shoulder announced Michel as the head of the newly formed Maverick Unit #0's Reploid-support medic squad. The others around him, all of which had the Maverick Unit #0's insignia, had at most two stripes, with a rare few new recruits sporting no stripes at all.
"She said I could help, too!" Allure giggled. Zero's eyes bolted over to look at Forte, who simply smiled lightly and nodded his head. Zero took this as either a 'what she is saying is true and she's actually good' or 'you're doomed and I'm just going to watch you suffer for the hell of it'. Zero was not the kind of Reploid to pray, however this situation was a unique occasion.
"Ah, that's okay kid-o! You can watch us work, though." Michel smiled.
Allure was content with watching them work. For obvious reasons, only the males were allowed to watch as Zero's full armor was removed. Allure was allowed to watch again after a few checks had been made and Zero's lower armor had been substituted with a pair of on-loan short blue jeans. This did not make Zero any more comfortable, for he found the blue jean material itched. That and he had to keep so still it felt like being back in the middle of a fistfight was a calmer place to be.
He allowed himself a deep breath of relief when Michel's medical unit was final finished with repairs. Zero wasted no time in attempting to get his armor back.
"No can do, red dude." Michel sighed, "Your armor's got more dings, dents, and holes in it than a Ride Chaser after a motor derby. It's sticking here 'til it's repaired."
"But...But what am I supposed to wear in the meantime? I've never worn anything besides that armor!" Zero countered, his voice close to a juvenile wine in protest.
"Dude. Chill. It's not like you can't barrow some of his cloths. You're both practically the same size." Michel's hand went straight to Forte. Forte instantly tried to duck out.
"Yeah, Forte! Would you mind lending Zero your old jump pants and red t-shirt?" Allure questioned innocently. Forte opened his mouth to protest, took one look at her, and shut his mouth again.
"Follow me, Zero..." Forte sighed. Zero was extremely glad to find that Forte's room was no more than half a foot away from the repair bay. He was tossed a pair of black sweat pants made from a material that created an echo when it chafed together, a red t-shirt, and a white vest.
"Put them on, fast, before I change my mind and hand you the sweater I got for Christmas hand knitted by Caroline herself." Forte sighed.
"Caroline knits?" Zero blinked, all the while getting dressed in Forte's private wash closet. One look at the ball of yarn that was supposed to be a sweater, and Zero ducked his own questioned.
"Never mind,"
"Good idea," Forte sighed yet again. He took one more look at Zero, then added, "And no handcuffs. You proved yourself in that fight. Handcuff restrictions are now off."
Zero just sighed at this. He didn't care – the cuffs were annoying anyway.
"...So how's Axl?" Zero questioned once Allure was again standing by his side.
"Oh, that reminds me! Zero, mommy wanted to talk to you. She wants your honest opinion about Axl's fighting abilities." Allure giggled, having almost forgotten the message her mother's message.
"And that reminds me, I need to speak with X or Blues at their next convenience." Zero sighed. He tried to keep his annoyance at the topic of debate an inward expression, but somehow it wormed out enough for Forte to pick up on it.
"About?"
"About the fact Axl has been fully active a grand total of five years."
"What?!"
This news sent Allure jumping.
"He's only a year older than me? For real?! Ah cool!" Allure was suddenly no longer besides the two adults. Forte raised his hand to his temple.
"And there she goes, the Eighth Wonder of the Maverick Rebellion." Forte huffed lightly, "And these people think I have an easy job keeping an eye on her? Sometimes I wonder if she's really all human, or half a Reploid based on her speed alone."
Zero simply stood there, nodding alongside the child's Guard.
----
"Oh, about time you two got here. We've just been waiting, what, three hours!" the woman's harsh voice cut through his mind like a needle prodding through the soft spots of his brain. As far as he knew, he was back in his dorm with some new recruit pestering two others about their tardiness.
"...Shut up and let a kid sleep..." Axl moaned. When he tried to roll over in his bed, he found that he couldn't. This puzzled him. He could always, always roll over in his bed; it wouldn't be natural if he couldn't.
So, like any unhappy being, he opened his eyes and prepared to get out of bed. Only, to his great shock, the face of Caroline Light was all but on top of his own.
"Gah!"
"Well good morning to you too, sunshine." Caroline laughed. She leaned back away from him, allowing the forms of the two greatest Commanders in the history of the Maverick Rebellion to fill his vision in her stead. Axl's mind worked double time, and before Caroline could begin again, he was spurting off an apology for his earlier rudeness in telling her to shut up.
"Axl, if you don't shut up, not only will I let the grease monkeys down in the Special Units finish up your repair job, I won't give you an armor upgrade." Caroline stated, her voice somehow sweet while echoing off like ice.
"S-Sorry ma'am!" and he said no more. In fact he even bit down on his tongue to insure that he'd say no more. Like many of Axl's plans, that backfired and he was forced to yip lightly at his own stupidity.
Blues leaned against the repair table Axl was laying on and whispered, "Word of advice: when trying to keep your mouth shut, don't set yourself a reminder by biting down on your tongue. Trust me. It always backfires straight into your face."
"And that's true words of wisdom for you, coming from the blabbermouth himself!" Caroline laughed. Blues instantly stood upright.
"Hey, you ain't exactly known not to have verbiage diarrhea either!" Blues countered. Caroline simply stuck her tong out at him, to which Blues countered by pulling up his visor for half a second and throwing in an eyeball drag-down with a tongue stick out.
"Hey!" X cut in, "Before you two scare the kid into thinking his superiors are insane, could we please get on with business?"
Axl remained silent despite the fact that he severely wanted to shout out he was not a kid. Well, technically, he was still a kid due to his age, and they were, supposedly, his superiors in every way, shape, and form...
"True enough, X." Caroline sighed. She walked back over to Axl. "So, Axl, I got a question for yah."
"Y-yes ma'am?" Axl couldn't help stuttering.
"Just call me Caroline."
"Yes, Caroline?" Something about saying her name without any kind of tag of respect sent what felt like sand down his throat.
"You want a new ability that's finally been cleared for field trial use that's only good with one particular type of Reploid, that particular type being so handsomely you? The armor upgrade comes in the deal free, of course." Caroline explained.
"Sis, you make it sound like he's an experiment." X chided. He gently came into Axl's view and smiled warmly at him. "Axl, what Caroline's trying to say is that you're a little more than just a unique person. You are the preverbal diamond in the ruff. Caroline has been working for half a year on a unique device called the Copy Shot. She'll be the first to admit that the technique is far from perfect, however it is safe and using it causes no side effects whatsoever, mentally or physically."
"I... I still don't see what this has to do with me..." Axl whispered.
"The answer's simple, kid. You're the only one on base with physical properties coming even close to being able to handle the Copy Shot's power." Blues answered instantly.
"I...I am?" Axl questioned blankly. His eyes turned downcast as he added, "But... that can't be right... I'm only ranked as an F Class Maverick at best...and... and the Commander... He said there wasn't a chance in hell I could advance with my performance rating..."
"And exactly which Commander said that, because obviously they missed a great find." Blues questioned. Axl kept his mouth shut.
"I don't want to have to make it an order, kid. You've got potential, potential your Commander should have recognized instantaneously. He should have sent you in for specialized training the moment he laid eyes on you in combat. I got the report on how you handled the fight with the enemy units. And I quote, 'eleven confirmed kills during an explanation of why he was on the defense team'. Do you want to deny a record like that because of some dirt a higher-up rubbed in your face?"
"N-No..." Axl whispered.
"Good. Because you're about to get a chance to throw the insult right back at him."
Axl looked over at Blues slightly.
"...But... What could I have that nobody else on base does? I'm not strong; I'm not that good at anything mental, or with my hands."
"But you got an aim that kills, literally, and your mental readings for multitasking are off the charts!" Caroline laughed. She walked right up to him, smile on her face and all, and said plainly, "Axl, you have the two key skills needed to be able to use the Copy Shot to its full advantage. With a little training from somebody like X, or Blues, or Forte, or hell even Zero! You'd make a great Maverick."
I have to be dreaming... She just listed off three S-Class Mavericks and the demon as people who would train me. Me! The little drop off from Black Points...
"But wh-..." Axl's question was cut off by Blues putting his hand over his lips.
"Stop asking and answer the damn question. You in with this Copy Shot plan or what?" Blues removed his hand from Axl's mouth, allowing the boy a chance to get his proverbial bearings straight in silence.
"...I... I guess... I suppose I am..." Axl finally whispered what seemed like an eternity later.
"Great! Axl, make no mistake, you just made the right choice! I'll get started with the armor and Copy Shot upgrades at once!" Caroline all but hopped out of her chair. X and Blues watched with sad eyes.
"Don't worry; she'll be sane when she's upgrading you."
"She better!" Allure's voice cut in through the entrance to the medical lab, " 'Cause I just found out he's only a year older than me! Which makes him the first guy my age to have gone to, and survived, the front line! That and he's on Mr. Zero's good list, which makes him doubly cool to know!"
"Whoa, slow down. How old did you just say he is?" Blues questioned of his niece.
"One year older than me. Five years, in Laymen's terms for those special case," and she conspicuously coughed Blues' name under her breath, "That can't count past two."
Blues glared at her, "I can too count, and that's at least ten years too young for somebody to head out to the front line. Who the hell authorized you to pass Zero his cuff key and fight in decoy duty?"
"T-The Commander, sir..." Axl seemed to shrink back into the table. Although Blues' eyes were hidden, Axl knew quite well that they were staring angry holes into him.
"Name. Now."
"But sir...!" Axl would have sat up to argue had he been able to. "...Sir... C-Commander Red doesn't know how old I am... I panicked when I was out on the field and, instead of telling the Demon the same age I told Commander Red, I told him my real age... Please, if you have to punish someone, punish me..."
Blues seemed to calm down slightly.
"So are you telling me that you've lied about your age since the day you joined the Mavericks?" Blues questioned. Axl slowly nodded his head in affirmative.
"You do realize that there is a stiff penalty for such acts, namely permanent removal from duty." Axl again nodded in the affirmative. To his surprise Blues burst out laughing.
"You hear that, sis? He hasn't even been trained properly and he already knows how to infiltrate and manipulate information inside enemy lines! Heck, if he isn't the right guy for the Copy Shot then I'm a human! No offence, Allure."
"None taken," Allure giggled.
"Uh...one last thing..." Axl whimpered.
"Yes?"
"...How come I can't move?"
His answer came in two parts. One part was from Caroline muttering something about the fact she knew she had forgotten something and the other was from Blues 'gently' whacking his sister upside the head.