-

Brilliantly shining lights restricted his line of vision. The cold metal of the table seemed to pierce through his body, and the silence of the stange place gave it an eerie background. Axl instinctively raised up one of his hands, to block out the painful brightness. Carefully, he sat up, expecting to feel a wave of pain wash over him; however, much to his surprise, the previously unbearable pain had subsided. Unaware of where he was, and curious to find out, he slid his legs over the side of the table, and heard the sound of his armored feet colliding with metal. His eyes ventured around his surroundings, trying to find something recognizable.

The room itself was unusually cold, and sent out an feeling of fear. Axl became stunned, as he saw a tray full of laboratory equipment. On it, lay a small knife stained with blood, a vial full of a pale yellow substance, a glass half full of water, and materials used for sewing. He stared at them for a moment, particularly at the needle and thread. Why would these things be here?

Finally, it hit him. He took a quick glance down at his abdomen, seeing the wound had been accurately sewn up. The thought of this made him sickened, and he immediately felt sympathy for whoever had to do this. He winced then, recalling what had been going on. Zero must have brought him back to their base for healing purposes. Axl felt dispiritedness come over him, as he hadn't wanted anyone to see him as weak as he was. He was almost sure there would soon be problems for him, but before he could assume anything, he knew he had to find Zero.

"He shouldn't be too far," Axl whispered to himself, "But with my amazing sense of direction, I'll never find him. Might as well start here." He sighed, making for the door. Just as he was about to exit, he heard a voice from behind that made him jump.

"Even with your amazing sense of direction, I think you should know, that is the way into the navigation room." said the silhouette. He motioned to a door, the one from which he came. "This is the way to the central hall." The shadowy form then stepped into the lights, revealing a grinning Zero.

Axl looked up, reading the sign placed above the door. It read 'Navigation Room - Authorized Personnel Only.' He blinked, and glanced back at Zero. "I know, I was just kidding...I wasn't going in." Zero rolled his eyes, and managed a laugh. Axl blinked, now agreeing with Zero about his ability to lie. "Okay, fine, I didn't read the stupid sign. Happy?"

"Yes, that's what I thought you said." Zero smirked, leaning on the table where Axl was. "So, anyway, you feeling any better? I made sure to have as few medics as possible, so nobody would see." Axl tilted his head slightly, the same way Zero had earlier. He then moved away from the door, and shielded his eyes again from the increasingly annoying shining lights.

"Yeah, I'm okay now." Axl said, while questions began to appear in his mind. Being the meddlesome young teenager he was, he didn't hold back. "Oh, how long was I asleep? Are you gonna let me finish my story? Is this really the Hunter Base? Can I-" Zero felt like putting a large piece duct tape on Axl's mouth, but instead, he just decided to cut him off.

"Okay, one question at a time," breathed Zero, pausing for a moment. He motioned for Axl to also take in a deep breath, and went on speaking. "Alright, in order: You were asleep for about three days. You should be fine now, as we used our most experienced medic units. Yes, you can finish your story, as soon as I'm done answering your questions." Zero looked over at Axl, and expected to see him jump up and down. However, Axl just nodded silently. "And yes, this is really the Hunter Base. It's old, and probably falling apart, and not all that special. Anything else?"

Axl nodded, "Yes, but I'll ask that later. Only because I know you'd ask me about my background and history once I did decide to ask you." Zero blinked, and pretended to understand what he just said. "Alright then...Where did I leave off?" His eyes moved up to the roof, and he became lost in thought for a moment. Everything that had happened seemed so much like a bad dream, now. Axl questioned the reality of the situation, wondering maybe if he was still just dreaming. From the hatred of his father, to the injury that had befallen him, to meeting his idol; how could this have all happened like this? Only Zero's voice caused him to recover from his daze.

"For someone who hates his past so much, you do seem like you want to talk about it." Zero looked at Axl quizically, seeing him lower his head slightly in recollection. He felt a little guilty for saying so, but he was also curious. "I didn't mean it to offend you in any way, so don't take it hard." He sent him a small smile, as if to bring a little joy to him.

"No, I know. The only reason I'm so eager to tell you, is because of something Red told me once." Axl kept the sorrow out of his voice as best he could, taking a sharp breath. "He told me how it's best to tell people when you're sad, it might make you feel better." Zero nodded in agreement, remaining silent so he could continue.

"Red is the leader of the Red Alert Syndicate, which I think I already told you about. All the time, we'd go on missions together, and he taught me about survival and life. Even so, he always had a bitterness toward me, but I thought maybe it was just something that had happened to him, and I left it alone. Sometimes, I still wonder what it is..." Axl's eyes became more and more distant with every word, but he managed to keep going.

"He taught me that only the strong survive, and the one rule of survival is, 'Kill or be killed.' As time passed, we went on more missions daily, most of which were illegal. I didn't think much of it then, because I knew Red was a strong leader, and nothing could possibly go wrong," His voice became full of pain, and he put a lot of emphasis on the word 'was'.

Zero's mind began trying to decipher the meaning of the story, or at least where it was going. It didn't take him very long to understand that the ending of it would not be a cheerful one. He knew people who thought that way, usually ended up becoming corrupt with desires and power. He smiled, although it was full of sadness. He nodded, waiting for the young one to resume.

"Until the final mission I went on with him. We infiltrated a nearby group of hunters, and killed most of their members and their leader." Axl sighed deeply, wishing things could have gone differently. Although he loved being able to meet Zero, what he really wanted, was for things to be normal again. "...I used my copy ability to get this done fast, like I usually do...And then, Red just asked me for the DNA data I had..." Zero contemplated this, curious as to how DNA data could possibly have a benefit, other than to Axl. There was a stretched period of silence, as tears finally had taken shape in Axl's eyes. They glistened an oceanic blue in the shimmering lights, and finally strolled down his cheeks.

"It's okay. If it's too much, you don't need to finish it. I'm sure I'll hear about it somehow, later on." lied Zero. Axl shook his head, his eyes possessing an innocence only a child could. Zero then closed his eyes, a gesture for Axl to resume telling him.

"If I-I don't tell somebody, I'll always feel like this...Won't I?" choked Axl, looking to Zero for some kind of reassurance. He shook himself mentally, sorting through his memories. No, he had to tell everything. As much as it would may hurt, it would only be more damaging later on.

"I didn't give it to him...I just thought...I wanted to

protect them..Zero, I betrayed Red...He hates me now...He hit me, kicked me, and told me...He'd have my data, even if he had to kill me for it...I'm a traitor, Zero! I didn't mean to...Commit any crimes...I..I'm sorry..." Axl then fell apart, falling to the ground. He abandoned his pride, letting the tears flow freely, now. A look of shock came over Zero, who looked to the sobbing child in disbelief.

"No, you did nothing wrong," whispered Zero, who knelt down beside him. "You're not a traitor. Forget about any crimes, anything else that's bothering you." He placed a hand on Axl's shoulder, to comfort him. Before he could say anything more, the door creaked open, and another form stepped through the door. The lights exposed yet another Reploid, armored in shades of cerulean.

"So, you're the one called Axl," the Reploid blinked, watching as Zero turned from the crying child. "The runaway from Red Alert. You and me...We have some..'Matters' to discuss."

Axl's gaze shifted up at the blue Reploid, immediately recognizing him as X. He felt his heart sink, and knew his life was just about to get worse.

-

Before I write the next chapter, keep in mind X is only trying to do what's best, he's not trying to be mean. And that he will eventually warm up to him. :3

Thanks again for the reviews, everyone!

Menolly5600: Thank you so much for all the grammar tips and such. :D I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the huge review. I fixed Chapter 1 accordingly, and I've also added another chapter before the events of Chapter 2. You're right, it does make more sense to show them returning home, before unfolding the conflicts. Oh, and I'll try to keep X from being a hyper-pacifist. Could be a nice challenge. Thanks again:3

Rue-07: I plan on keeping this going for a while, no worries. :D Thanks for all the compliments, makes me feel happy with my stuff. Which is weird, coming from me, I always hate what I do.. I'll try to keep X from being mean, too. Maybe just overprotective?