Axl didn't really mind being alone on this mission, or any mission, for that matter. Throughout his prior time at Red Alert, and even nowadays with the Maverick Hunters, he was perfectly content without backup to slow him down.

That, and going it alone gave him the space to partake in some…experimentation.

Here, he would need to be creative, as he couldn't see two feet in front of his face. Darkness wasn't the problem, though.

It was light.

Soul-searing, optics-destroying light.

After recovering from the initial shock and closing his eyes, he activated something he'd only occasionally had to use as of late: his night vision mode.

His vision dimmed color-wise as if he were wearing sunglasses, but that's not all he did. He sprayed the ground in front of him with his Splash Laser. A ripple in the previously unseeable ground appeared, showing a little bit of the path ahead before dissipating again.

The navy reploid groaned. Was he going to have to do this repeatedly until he got to the enemy?

Knowing he had no choice in the matter, he trudged onwards and into the artificial sun…

-000-

Mercifully, while the Hunter's trek would be time-consuming, it certainly wouldn't be boring. Occasionally, Mavericks of different shapes and sizes would leap their way into his line of sight, only to be fought—and defeated—by him. And that was only one of his challenges. The terrain shifted as well, him having to use the illumination his weapon gave him to dodge spikes, bottomless pits, and a bevy of other traps that only increased in intensity as he went along.

As he got closer to the midpoint, the room became even brighter, as if that was even possible, to the point that even his darkened vision was beginning to short out.

He grumbled frustratedly as he chose to transform into his mentor every so often as he went, making use of the alterations the new form made to his vision.

Red always did have the advantage over his pupil when it came to working with minimal light, his eyes specifically programmed to filter it out completely if need be better than any night vision upgrades that could be legally obtained. Cool and mysterious as it was both then and now, he didn't like having to rely on using his power too much, even in spirit.

Either way, he got to the door and his Mechaniloid threat: a ball of light attached to numerous cables only potentially reachable through a lengthy climb, made all the more dangerous with spikes rhythmically going in and out of the walls.

He kicked himself for not waiting until the short blonde kid got done with his mission to bring him with and…"convince" him to climb for him (not that Zero was ever impressed with his begging or bargaining, but it couldn't hurt having a new person to try it on), or at least get his data so he could copy it.

But he couldn't change the past. He unloaded some of his regular rounds into the floor as a way of venting his frustrations before returning to the menial and somewhat life-threatening task at hand.

-000-

After several go-rounds progressively putting out the artificial sun utilizing a combination of the remainder of his Splash Laser ammo and whatever regular bullets he could get in, the spikes vanished, as did any light for his surroundings at all.

Of course.

The Hunter, now shrouded in darkness, had to once again adjust his sights to compensate for visual issues. This time, however, something was markedly different.

When he shot the ground again, instead of making it ripple and uncovering the way forward, the bullet just bounced off and away of the solid floor.

Without the built-in radar, he was in for a long walk. Reverting to Red as he'd been doing helped, but even then, the largest area that could be illuminated in front of him was about the distance of a common flashlight.

For the last stretch of area, he had to use his guns to defend himself at range while changing just long enough to get a good look at his next few steps.

A few more bad guys tried sucker punching him in the dark, but since they never stood a chance from the moment they leapt into his cone of vision, his real enemies were his drifting thoughts.

As much as he'd said his piece about threatening those two Navigators, the act still didn't sit right with him, given what London had just gone through.

He had been used to fragile alliances as a vigilante, but the process of having to watch his back around his friends held absolutely zero appeal.

Speaking of which, he could only wonder where that freak Wily took off to with his best friend. All this manipulation of his allies made his trigger fingers itch, and right now, he could think of two prime targets for them…

-000-

Instinct kept him alive and pushing forward through the mental overload and physical dullness until he made it to the end. The final corridor let out to a large, empty room.

Suspiciously so.

Light dawned once again, but this time to a reasonably normal amount, allowing Axl's eyes to focus properly for the first time since coming here…and to get a good look at the Maverick.

This one looked very familiar to him. A purple, mantis-like reploid that towered over him. Given what he had come to expect from this latest batch, though, he was waiting for the catch…

Slowly, he walked up to the one known as Dark Mantis, apparently relaxed, but keeping hands in ready positions in the inevitable event that he had to resort to the usual methods.

"Well, well. Long time no see, Mantis."

The insectoid made no reply, instead choosing to physically reinforce the fighting stance he was already in.

The hero picked up on a crucial detail before he could respond.

"So, then. Wanna explain to me what's under your feet right there?"

There was no answer.

"Didn't think so. I think I'm starting to go crazy out here, Mantis, so can we hurry this up?"

Axl got going instantly, not bothering to wait for an answer that would never come. He aimed for the head, wanting to wrap this up quickly and see what was underneath the Maverick. His shots were deflected easily by scythe-like arms.

With a grunt, Axl went through his weapons, the direct assault proving fruitless.

It was then that the room went completely white, similar to his earlier experience, forcing the scarred reploid on his guard. It was a good thing he was, as an army of shadow clones rushed at him.

The scariest part about them was that he couldn't hit the illusions, but they could hit him…selectively. Some phased through him harmlessly, and others managed to give him a fright along with a few more scars to go along with the ones on his face.

He only got his shots In properly in the brief moments of time where the lighting was normal until it became light again. Towards the halfway point of the battle, the lights went out completely in a manner that called to mind the second part of his previous excursion. He swapped to Red after a few more shadow barrages in order to get a slice in at his opponent's head, but only got a few non-lethal cuts before being swatted away and forced to repeat the cycle.

It went like this for a while: a grueling battle of attrition that only finally ended when Axl timed perfectly when the light normalized and carved the praying mantis robot in two before it could react to block like it had done so many times before.

-000-

Axl breathed a sigh of relief as his enemy disintegrated, and debated going home, just happy to have all this behind him…

…until he remembered what was under the pile of rubble he was turning away from.

He thought seriously about ignoring it, but curiosity eventually got the best of him.

Something was up with whatever the Maverick was guarding with his life.

He went back and forth on just calling for home, but in the end, with an uneasy smile, he had come to an equally uneasy decision…

"Sure. Why not? I came all this way. Might as well take a look down there and report what I see…"

Did he buy his own reasoning? Not really. But it was biting curiosity, not reason, that made him move the scraps of metal out of the way and dive down the visible hole in the floor anyway…

-TBC-

Oh, dear… What has Axl gotten himself into now? We'll see soon enough.

On your way out the door, be sure to ask questions, comment, review and show your support in any way available if you liked what you've read here. Also, keep tabs on this story and profile for more. Goodbye until next time!