Chapter Twenty-Seven: Tension and Release
X hung his head, heaving a sigh as he left Signas' office. Axl had woken up on time and, obviously still mad at X, hadn't bothered to check on his parents to get them up, instead taking the public transporter to HQ and letting them oversleep. Never before did X get the 'why are you late' lecture from any of his superiors, and the amount of shame, on top of Axl's distance and its related stress, made X want to curl up on a bench and go back to sleep for the rest of the day.
The blue armored Hunter glumly dragged his feet toward the briefing room, not wanting to deal with any missions today. He had hoped a good night's sleep would not only help clear his head, but settle Axl down, too, so they could be rational. Yet each time X passed him in the hall, it was as if he didn't exist to the younger Reploid—hell, it was as if they weren't even friends, let alone family. X never felt more wounded in his life, seeing the boy he loved like a son shun him over such a stupid thing as a girl.
The thought of Delia made anger flare up inside of him, and X's dragging became frustrated stomping as he passed through the door to the briefing room. Not only did the woman screw him over, now she had her sights set on his son and was splitting their family up. Was there no end to her vileness? What the hell did she have against him?
Wish she was more like Iris, X thought miserably. At least I never heard Zero complain about Iris being a bitch of an ex-girlfriend. I wouldn't have minded Iris and Axl together… they actually would have been cute…
Alia beckoned to X from her usual desk, and X's shoulders sagged when the anger of Delia drained away to the sadness of Iris and Colonel's loss. The Navigator sighed at him, grabbing X's wrist and dragging him down into a chair next to her.
"So what's wrong now?" Alia asked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. "Zero reported in for his mission on Jakob, and he looked upset. Axl came in for his briefing to infiltrate the so-called abandoned lab again, and he was agitated. Now you're here, and you're depressed. What's happening to our favorite little family?"
"The stupidest crap ever," X replied, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his palms. "My bitch of an ex-girlfriend is trying to put the moves on Axl, and I don't like it… but apparently, Axl likes her."
Alia made a long 'oo' sound, tilting her head. "I've been hearing rumors about that girl, Delia, right? She quit the Hunters a while ago, and then came back. She's a pretty good engineer, but now I hear a lot about how you and she were an item once."
X snorted. "You'd think those rumors and stuff would be dead by now."
"She talks about you a lot, so that's probably what started it," Alia shrugged, readjusting her headpiece. "Signas give you an earful over being late?"
"You know it. I never been late before… that seriously puts me down."
The blond woman grinned widely. "Don't let it. He talks big, but Signas actually doesn't care if you're a few hours late."
X raised an eyebrow at her knowingly. "No, Alia; he doesn't care if you're a few hours late. You're his little favorite."
Alia blushed, her eyes widening. "That's not nice, X, nor true."
"On the contrary, madam…"
A loud series of bleeps interrupted X's smug retort, and both Reploids glanced at Alia's console. She turned to it and pulled her chair closer, her fingers flying over the keyboard and the screen flashed. X brought his chair closer, peering over the Navigator's shoulder to look at the screen. Zero's face flickered on the monitor, set in a heavy frown.
"Remember earlier, when we said Red Alert was quiet? " Zero glanced over his shoulder at something X and Alia could not see from their angle. "Yeah, well, they're shouting their damn heads off now."
"What happened, Zero?" X asked, worry in his eyes. "Did they attack the Jakob Project?"
"How 'bout I show you?" Zero huffed, sounding angrier. He stepped aside, and Alia gasped, a hand flying to her mouth in shock.
A large worker Reploid laid in pieces, strewn across the roadway that was flashing with the cones Zero and other patrollers set up to divert traffic. The camera suddenly was lifted higher, and X's eyes widened. The parts were arranged to spell out a message.
'Give Back Axl. '
~*~
Axl ducked his head down toward the monitor, his borrowed form hunched over and looking uncomfortable in its tiny seat. As his squad leader promised, the tagged scientist helper person had no idea what happened to him, and re-acquiring him to perform the switch was easy enough. Sometimes Axl cursed his special ability of copying forms and abilities of fellow Reploids, but now with this assignment, he was thankful beyond anything. He left the monitor and went on to the shelf he had looked up.
Snooping around wasn't hard, given that his borrowed form seemed to be the go-for of the pack of scientists. Samples were easily obtained, and copies of plans and data were like taking candy from a baby—which, of course, Axl never personally did. But never before in his history of slinking around did Axl get the information he wanted so easily—something had to give, and something bad had to happen.
The moment he thought of 'something bad', Axl immediately thought of X, and he had to fight the urge to scowl. He loved X; no amount of fighting would change that, but his adoptive father was so infuriating right now. Axl's hands jerked angrily as he pulled the manuals off of their shelves, and when he brought it to the woman who requested them, he dropped them ungracefully on the desk with a loud bang.
The woman peered at him from around the current book she had her nose in. "What be yer problem, man? H.S. shove yer data pad up yer arse?"
"I'd be squatting trying to shit it out if that were the case," Axl snapped without thinking. His eyes widened and he had to fight the urge to cover his mouth. Crap, he could blow his cover!
The woman laughed as if she were expecting that response. "Oi, don'tcha worry, man. We all got steam buildin' since that new guy came about. He be givin' me the creeps, man."
Axl blinked, having to take a moment to dissect her strange accent to get to the core of her words. "The… new guy?"
"Oh yeah, ya weren't here when he first came in," the woman snorted, putting her manual down and grabbing her own data pad, inputting various codes. "Came in with some pricey data, I heard. H.S. about had a baby over it, man."
"What kind of… pricey data?"
"'Ell if I know, man. He just waltzed in 'ere like he knew we were 'ere and was all 'Lemme see ya H.S.!' and H.S. comes runnin' in like them hounds o' 'ell were nippin' his wires." She fiddled with the data pad, scowling at it. "Now, as ya know, we switched research to this new crap and everythin' we were workin' on earlier be trashed! Trashed, man! Pisses me off, oi."
Axl saved the recording of the conversation. "That's real interesting," he said. "Anything else I can get you?"
"Naw, man. H.S. will be comin' here in an hour o' so. Maybe he'll bring his new buddeh!" She tossed her data pad down with a scoff. "Shady guy, man. I wouldn't get caught alone wit' 'im if I was ya."
"Of course not…" Axl mumbled absent-mindedly, going off to a computer. He was supposed to leave and switch out in half an hour, but if the H.S. was coming in with a guest…
Axl meandered away from the computer and out of the main lab. He had been sent out of it before for various tools and things from other labs, so if he were caught, he could claim he was on an errand. He couldn't wait the hour—he wanted to see what this head honcho was going on about now.
When no one stopped him from leaving the usual hallways, Axl ducked into a shadowed corner, taking quick glances around. He saw no visible cameras or the signs of them, like blinking lights or domed decorations. It was a risk, but he had to take it.
Quickly, Axl morphed out of the scientist form to his own, then into that of a common mechaniloid. He had seem them wandering everywhere in the lab, even outside of it, so it should be safe. At least, Axl hoped it was.
He kept a low profile regardless as he ventured deeper into unknown areas of the abandoned laboratory. It was quite a feat, he decided, that they had restored this place's inner chambers so well and kept the outside as crumbly as they did. But what data work would require utmost secrecy?
Axl found himself in front of a large set of double doors at the end of the hallway, and finding nowhere else to go, he slinked inside as quietly as he could, scurrying to a dark corner. There, in front of a huge monitor and console, was the H.S. The Reploid was straightening his lab coat as the monitor flashed with various command prompts, and Axl set himself to record.
"Fascinating," the H.S. mumbled as his eyes looked at the rapidly-passing information and binary codes. "Amazing. This simple little thing causes so much havoc?"
"It's hardly simple," a familiar voice said from the other side of the room, and Axl's blood froze.
Stepping into his view, Axl fought the urge to scream as his old mentor and 'older brother' Red appeared. He still stood so tall, so intimidating, and Axl shrunk further into his corner as he prayed rapidly to whatever listened that Red would not look in his direction.
"Well, I'll give you that," the H.S. said, turning to face Red. "Tell me, how did you get this sample without going Maverick? Last I heard, the pieces of Sigma aren't exactly safe to handle."
"My boys and I are quiet special," Red said, grinning wide. "Plus, the member I sent to get this sample is quite extraordinary… he's actually naturally immune to the Sigma Virus."
"Is that so?" the H.S.' eyes widened slightly in interest. "And who is this special young man? He sounds… quite worthy of research."
"If I still had him, I'd let you. I'm curious, myself."
"You lost him?" the H.S. laughed, and Axl winced at how casually he was spoken of.
Red shrugged. "He was kidnapped. The Maverick Hunters now hold him hostage… we're actually preparing to go to war with them, but if you could help us out…"
The H.S. frowned, tilting his head, his violet eyes regarding Red with a healthy measure of distrust. "What exactly are you asking me to do with this sample? It's weak, and my own anti-virus can combat it. What could it possibly do to help you?"
Red tapped himself on the temple, grinning. "You're a smart man, Mr. Gate. You'll figure something out."
"Science isn't free."
"Oh, the labcoat wants a bargain!" Red laughed, tossing his head back. "Help us get our old member back, and not only will we let you study him… I'm sure his ability to extract data will be of utmost interest to you."
"Data extraction is not difficult—"
Red held his hand up, cutting Gate off. "Along with him, we'll give you samples of data you have been quite interested in… raw, pure samples…"
Gate's eyes widened more. "You mean…"
"Oh yes. So, do we have a deal?"
Gate turned back to his monitor, where the data of the Sigma Virus was displayed. "I'll have to think on it. If you'll excuse me?"
Red smiled. "Of course, of course." The mercenary headed for the doorway, and Axl couldn't get further back into his corner than he was.
He swore Red looked right at him and smiled knowingly, but Axl was far too terrified to be sure.
~*~
"Please, Signas," X clapped his hands together, bowing his head. "Red Alert will kill him if they ever find him! Please let Axl remain in HQ! He can do Navigator work, or help Lifesaver in the medical bay… just keep him off the field until this is resolved! I'll beg if I have to!"
"That is not necessary, X," Signas rumbled, flipping over the formal document X had written up. "Although I have to say, I cannot accept this paperwork. While everyone views you three as family, legally, Axl is not your child. You cannot claim parenthood over him, and therefore, cannot reserve rights to how his working hours are used."
X gaped at him. "Axl requires a guardian, human or Reploid, until he passes the maturity A.I. test. I was designated as his guardian upon enrollment into the Hunters. That's enough for a parents' request form."
Signas shook his head. "We unofficially made you Axl's guardian. Truth be told, X, Axl has no guardian… or, worse case scenario, this 'Red' has guardianship. If the man were smart, he would simply take the matter to a human court, where their 'ever so righteous' judge would take Axl out of our care and place him into Red's, regardless of what Axl may say." The bitterness could not be missed in Signas' voice.
"He obviously never adopted Axl formally either, seeing as he hasn't taken that simple route," X snapped. "If he wants Axl back so bad, he would have done it. I fail to see how this is relevant anyway!"
Signas leaned back in his chair, staring at X. "You're getting more and more emotional as time goes on," the Commander observed. "Ever since Zero's depression, you're more prone to outbursts and stress. Not even the grieving girl in the Thirteenth Unit has shown such… change."
"Commander, with all due respect, you are avoiding my request. If I have to take a trip to the city and formally adopt Axl right now, then just say so!"
"No, X, that is unnecessary. I'll approve your request to move Axl temporarily off field work," Signas put the paper aside into a slim folder. "If nothing else, he can work in Engineering. I have been getting complaints they were swamped."
X sucked in a breath. "Not… not Engineering…"
"You can't have everything, X. Axl either works on the field or Engineering; those two places are where we need our hands the most."
Out the frying pan and into the fire! X's mind raged. Out of the two evils, he had to pick whichever was the lesser evil—Red, or Delia.
As much as he abhorred the woman, she wasn't a direct threat to his son's life, and X felt ready to throw his helmet out the window and dive after it. "Fine. Engineering it is, then."
Signas nodded. "Then upon returning from his current mission, Axl will be regulated to Engineering assistant until the Red Alert Incident is resolved or I find another place for him. Good enough?"
X sulked. "Good enough. Thank you, Commander." He saluted, although sloppily, and turned to leave.
"X," Signas called, making the blue-clad Reploid stop. "Do me a favor? Tell Alia I need to see her."
"Yes, sir." X grumbled, leaving the office.
Zero sat up from the bench he had taken, immediately going to his boyfriend with obvious worry on his face. "Well? Did Signas agree, or do I gotta go in there too?"
"He agreed," X huffed. "But apparently, I'm not Axl's legal guardian. So he's doing it more as a favor."
"Say what? They made you his guardian." Zero frowned as X shook his head, and he folded his arms over his chest. "Damn. Well, at least he did it. Axl will be safe at HQ til we find these assholes."
"He wants to put Axl in Engineering!" X suddenly exploded, making Zero take a half step back. "Out of all the damn places, he puts Axl in Engineering!"
"What's wrong with Engineering? Axl's pretty handy with weapons—"
X stomped away, Zero following close behind. "She is in Engineering."
"Oh fu—seriously?" Zero's palm smacked his forehead jewel and he groaned. When his hand dropped and he glanced at X, he noticed how tense the blue-armored Reploid was. He looked ready to snap.
Zero grabbed X's fist and pulled him down another hallway, X frowning as he was practically dragged. The blond lead him to the Recharge Room, where a few other Hunters were climbing into pods after a hard few hours. Dragging X to his claimed one, Zero sat into it and pulled X in as well.
Immediately X blushed, his eyes darting to the other people who, after giving them the initial wide-eyed look, simply smiled and went about their business. "Z-Zero…"
"As if they don't see other couples cuddling in pods," Zero said. "Besides, you're upset, and you've had a terrible couple of days. I'd be the worst boyfriend if I left you to deal with it by yourself."
That said, Zero reached to the back of his helmet, undoing the wire compartment and pulling free the connection wire. X flushed when he saw it, but even he couldn't deny the quickened pace of his heart was due to excitement at the thought of feeling Zero inside of him, so utterly raw and complete, once again.
The blond opened X's helmet compartment and plugged himself in, the two going slack in the pod the instant the connection was established. Walls down, opened so utterly, X surged into Zero the instant Zero surged into X, and they let out collective sighs at the intense feeling. No words were thought or spoken—emotions were sent across the connection, bare and complete, unfiltered and desired, and it was all X needed. Inside, Zero truly had no face or form; he was essence and fulfillment, and X felt relaxed as their data gently passed back and forth.
Other Hunters came and went from the Recharge Room, all smiling at the couple that appeared to be asleep. Unbeknownst to them, the two were fully awake and engaged together in the most complete and wonderful way, and the outside world meant, for these few precious hours, absolutely nothing.
<--- PREVIOUS CHAPTER NEXT CHAPTER --->
X hung his head, heaving a sigh as he left Signas' office. Axl had woken up on time and, obviously still mad at X, hadn't bothered to check on his parents to get them up, instead taking the public transporter to HQ and letting them oversleep. Never before did X get the 'why are you late' lecture from any of his superiors, and the amount of shame, on top of Axl's distance and its related stress, made X want to curl up on a bench and go back to sleep for the rest of the day.
The blue armored Hunter glumly dragged his feet toward the briefing room, not wanting to deal with any missions today. He had hoped a good night's sleep would not only help clear his head, but settle Axl down, too, so they could be rational. Yet each time X passed him in the hall, it was as if he didn't exist to the younger Reploid—hell, it was as if they weren't even friends, let alone family. X never felt more wounded in his life, seeing the boy he loved like a son shun him over such a stupid thing as a girl.
The thought of Delia made anger flare up inside of him, and X's dragging became frustrated stomping as he passed through the door to the briefing room. Not only did the woman screw him over, now she had her sights set on his son and was splitting their family up. Was there no end to her vileness? What the hell did she have against him?
Wish she was more like Iris, X thought miserably. At least I never heard Zero complain about Iris being a bitch of an ex-girlfriend. I wouldn't have minded Iris and Axl together… they actually would have been cute…
Alia beckoned to X from her usual desk, and X's shoulders sagged when the anger of Delia drained away to the sadness of Iris and Colonel's loss. The Navigator sighed at him, grabbing X's wrist and dragging him down into a chair next to her.
"So what's wrong now?" Alia asked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. "Zero reported in for his mission on Jakob, and he looked upset. Axl came in for his briefing to infiltrate the so-called abandoned lab again, and he was agitated. Now you're here, and you're depressed. What's happening to our favorite little family?"
"The stupidest crap ever," X replied, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his palms. "My bitch of an ex-girlfriend is trying to put the moves on Axl, and I don't like it… but apparently, Axl likes her."
Alia made a long 'oo' sound, tilting her head. "I've been hearing rumors about that girl, Delia, right? She quit the Hunters a while ago, and then came back. She's a pretty good engineer, but now I hear a lot about how you and she were an item once."
X snorted. "You'd think those rumors and stuff would be dead by now."
"She talks about you a lot, so that's probably what started it," Alia shrugged, readjusting her headpiece. "Signas give you an earful over being late?"
"You know it. I never been late before… that seriously puts me down."
The blond woman grinned widely. "Don't let it. He talks big, but Signas actually doesn't care if you're a few hours late."
X raised an eyebrow at her knowingly. "No, Alia; he doesn't care if you're a few hours late. You're his little favorite."
Alia blushed, her eyes widening. "That's not nice, X, nor true."
"On the contrary, madam…"
A loud series of bleeps interrupted X's smug retort, and both Reploids glanced at Alia's console. She turned to it and pulled her chair closer, her fingers flying over the keyboard and the screen flashed. X brought his chair closer, peering over the Navigator's shoulder to look at the screen. Zero's face flickered on the monitor, set in a heavy frown.
"Remember earlier, when we said Red Alert was quiet? " Zero glanced over his shoulder at something X and Alia could not see from their angle. "Yeah, well, they're shouting their damn heads off now."
"What happened, Zero?" X asked, worry in his eyes. "Did they attack the Jakob Project?"
"How 'bout I show you?" Zero huffed, sounding angrier. He stepped aside, and Alia gasped, a hand flying to her mouth in shock.
A large worker Reploid laid in pieces, strewn across the roadway that was flashing with the cones Zero and other patrollers set up to divert traffic. The camera suddenly was lifted higher, and X's eyes widened. The parts were arranged to spell out a message.
'Give Back Axl. '
~*~
Axl ducked his head down toward the monitor, his borrowed form hunched over and looking uncomfortable in its tiny seat. As his squad leader promised, the tagged scientist helper person had no idea what happened to him, and re-acquiring him to perform the switch was easy enough. Sometimes Axl cursed his special ability of copying forms and abilities of fellow Reploids, but now with this assignment, he was thankful beyond anything. He left the monitor and went on to the shelf he had looked up.
Snooping around wasn't hard, given that his borrowed form seemed to be the go-for of the pack of scientists. Samples were easily obtained, and copies of plans and data were like taking candy from a baby—which, of course, Axl never personally did. But never before in his history of slinking around did Axl get the information he wanted so easily—something had to give, and something bad had to happen.
The moment he thought of 'something bad', Axl immediately thought of X, and he had to fight the urge to scowl. He loved X; no amount of fighting would change that, but his adoptive father was so infuriating right now. Axl's hands jerked angrily as he pulled the manuals off of their shelves, and when he brought it to the woman who requested them, he dropped them ungracefully on the desk with a loud bang.
The woman peered at him from around the current book she had her nose in. "What be yer problem, man? H.S. shove yer data pad up yer arse?"
"I'd be squatting trying to shit it out if that were the case," Axl snapped without thinking. His eyes widened and he had to fight the urge to cover his mouth. Crap, he could blow his cover!
The woman laughed as if she were expecting that response. "Oi, don'tcha worry, man. We all got steam buildin' since that new guy came about. He be givin' me the creeps, man."
Axl blinked, having to take a moment to dissect her strange accent to get to the core of her words. "The… new guy?"
"Oh yeah, ya weren't here when he first came in," the woman snorted, putting her manual down and grabbing her own data pad, inputting various codes. "Came in with some pricey data, I heard. H.S. about had a baby over it, man."
"What kind of… pricey data?"
"'Ell if I know, man. He just waltzed in 'ere like he knew we were 'ere and was all 'Lemme see ya H.S.!' and H.S. comes runnin' in like them hounds o' 'ell were nippin' his wires." She fiddled with the data pad, scowling at it. "Now, as ya know, we switched research to this new crap and everythin' we were workin' on earlier be trashed! Trashed, man! Pisses me off, oi."
Axl saved the recording of the conversation. "That's real interesting," he said. "Anything else I can get you?"
"Naw, man. H.S. will be comin' here in an hour o' so. Maybe he'll bring his new buddeh!" She tossed her data pad down with a scoff. "Shady guy, man. I wouldn't get caught alone wit' 'im if I was ya."
"Of course not…" Axl mumbled absent-mindedly, going off to a computer. He was supposed to leave and switch out in half an hour, but if the H.S. was coming in with a guest…
Axl meandered away from the computer and out of the main lab. He had been sent out of it before for various tools and things from other labs, so if he were caught, he could claim he was on an errand. He couldn't wait the hour—he wanted to see what this head honcho was going on about now.
When no one stopped him from leaving the usual hallways, Axl ducked into a shadowed corner, taking quick glances around. He saw no visible cameras or the signs of them, like blinking lights or domed decorations. It was a risk, but he had to take it.
Quickly, Axl morphed out of the scientist form to his own, then into that of a common mechaniloid. He had seem them wandering everywhere in the lab, even outside of it, so it should be safe. At least, Axl hoped it was.
He kept a low profile regardless as he ventured deeper into unknown areas of the abandoned laboratory. It was quite a feat, he decided, that they had restored this place's inner chambers so well and kept the outside as crumbly as they did. But what data work would require utmost secrecy?
Axl found himself in front of a large set of double doors at the end of the hallway, and finding nowhere else to go, he slinked inside as quietly as he could, scurrying to a dark corner. There, in front of a huge monitor and console, was the H.S. The Reploid was straightening his lab coat as the monitor flashed with various command prompts, and Axl set himself to record.
"Fascinating," the H.S. mumbled as his eyes looked at the rapidly-passing information and binary codes. "Amazing. This simple little thing causes so much havoc?"
"It's hardly simple," a familiar voice said from the other side of the room, and Axl's blood froze.
Stepping into his view, Axl fought the urge to scream as his old mentor and 'older brother' Red appeared. He still stood so tall, so intimidating, and Axl shrunk further into his corner as he prayed rapidly to whatever listened that Red would not look in his direction.
"Well, I'll give you that," the H.S. said, turning to face Red. "Tell me, how did you get this sample without going Maverick? Last I heard, the pieces of Sigma aren't exactly safe to handle."
"My boys and I are quiet special," Red said, grinning wide. "Plus, the member I sent to get this sample is quite extraordinary… he's actually naturally immune to the Sigma Virus."
"Is that so?" the H.S.' eyes widened slightly in interest. "And who is this special young man? He sounds… quite worthy of research."
"If I still had him, I'd let you. I'm curious, myself."
"You lost him?" the H.S. laughed, and Axl winced at how casually he was spoken of.
Red shrugged. "He was kidnapped. The Maverick Hunters now hold him hostage… we're actually preparing to go to war with them, but if you could help us out…"
The H.S. frowned, tilting his head, his violet eyes regarding Red with a healthy measure of distrust. "What exactly are you asking me to do with this sample? It's weak, and my own anti-virus can combat it. What could it possibly do to help you?"
Red tapped himself on the temple, grinning. "You're a smart man, Mr. Gate. You'll figure something out."
"Science isn't free."
"Oh, the labcoat wants a bargain!" Red laughed, tossing his head back. "Help us get our old member back, and not only will we let you study him… I'm sure his ability to extract data will be of utmost interest to you."
"Data extraction is not difficult—"
Red held his hand up, cutting Gate off. "Along with him, we'll give you samples of data you have been quite interested in… raw, pure samples…"
Gate's eyes widened more. "You mean…"
"Oh yes. So, do we have a deal?"
Gate turned back to his monitor, where the data of the Sigma Virus was displayed. "I'll have to think on it. If you'll excuse me?"
Red smiled. "Of course, of course." The mercenary headed for the doorway, and Axl couldn't get further back into his corner than he was.
He swore Red looked right at him and smiled knowingly, but Axl was far too terrified to be sure.
~*~
"Please, Signas," X clapped his hands together, bowing his head. "Red Alert will kill him if they ever find him! Please let Axl remain in HQ! He can do Navigator work, or help Lifesaver in the medical bay… just keep him off the field until this is resolved! I'll beg if I have to!"
"That is not necessary, X," Signas rumbled, flipping over the formal document X had written up. "Although I have to say, I cannot accept this paperwork. While everyone views you three as family, legally, Axl is not your child. You cannot claim parenthood over him, and therefore, cannot reserve rights to how his working hours are used."
X gaped at him. "Axl requires a guardian, human or Reploid, until he passes the maturity A.I. test. I was designated as his guardian upon enrollment into the Hunters. That's enough for a parents' request form."
Signas shook his head. "We unofficially made you Axl's guardian. Truth be told, X, Axl has no guardian… or, worse case scenario, this 'Red' has guardianship. If the man were smart, he would simply take the matter to a human court, where their 'ever so righteous' judge would take Axl out of our care and place him into Red's, regardless of what Axl may say." The bitterness could not be missed in Signas' voice.
"He obviously never adopted Axl formally either, seeing as he hasn't taken that simple route," X snapped. "If he wants Axl back so bad, he would have done it. I fail to see how this is relevant anyway!"
Signas leaned back in his chair, staring at X. "You're getting more and more emotional as time goes on," the Commander observed. "Ever since Zero's depression, you're more prone to outbursts and stress. Not even the grieving girl in the Thirteenth Unit has shown such… change."
"Commander, with all due respect, you are avoiding my request. If I have to take a trip to the city and formally adopt Axl right now, then just say so!"
"No, X, that is unnecessary. I'll approve your request to move Axl temporarily off field work," Signas put the paper aside into a slim folder. "If nothing else, he can work in Engineering. I have been getting complaints they were swamped."
X sucked in a breath. "Not… not Engineering…"
"You can't have everything, X. Axl either works on the field or Engineering; those two places are where we need our hands the most."
Out the frying pan and into the fire! X's mind raged. Out of the two evils, he had to pick whichever was the lesser evil—Red, or Delia.
As much as he abhorred the woman, she wasn't a direct threat to his son's life, and X felt ready to throw his helmet out the window and dive after it. "Fine. Engineering it is, then."
Signas nodded. "Then upon returning from his current mission, Axl will be regulated to Engineering assistant until the Red Alert Incident is resolved or I find another place for him. Good enough?"
X sulked. "Good enough. Thank you, Commander." He saluted, although sloppily, and turned to leave.
"X," Signas called, making the blue-clad Reploid stop. "Do me a favor? Tell Alia I need to see her."
"Yes, sir." X grumbled, leaving the office.
Zero sat up from the bench he had taken, immediately going to his boyfriend with obvious worry on his face. "Well? Did Signas agree, or do I gotta go in there too?"
"He agreed," X huffed. "But apparently, I'm not Axl's legal guardian. So he's doing it more as a favor."
"Say what? They made you his guardian." Zero frowned as X shook his head, and he folded his arms over his chest. "Damn. Well, at least he did it. Axl will be safe at HQ til we find these assholes."
"He wants to put Axl in Engineering!" X suddenly exploded, making Zero take a half step back. "Out of all the damn places, he puts Axl in Engineering!"
"What's wrong with Engineering? Axl's pretty handy with weapons—"
X stomped away, Zero following close behind. "She is in Engineering."
"Oh fu—seriously?" Zero's palm smacked his forehead jewel and he groaned. When his hand dropped and he glanced at X, he noticed how tense the blue-armored Reploid was. He looked ready to snap.
Zero grabbed X's fist and pulled him down another hallway, X frowning as he was practically dragged. The blond lead him to the Recharge Room, where a few other Hunters were climbing into pods after a hard few hours. Dragging X to his claimed one, Zero sat into it and pulled X in as well.
Immediately X blushed, his eyes darting to the other people who, after giving them the initial wide-eyed look, simply smiled and went about their business. "Z-Zero…"
"As if they don't see other couples cuddling in pods," Zero said. "Besides, you're upset, and you've had a terrible couple of days. I'd be the worst boyfriend if I left you to deal with it by yourself."
That said, Zero reached to the back of his helmet, undoing the wire compartment and pulling free the connection wire. X flushed when he saw it, but even he couldn't deny the quickened pace of his heart was due to excitement at the thought of feeling Zero inside of him, so utterly raw and complete, once again.
The blond opened X's helmet compartment and plugged himself in, the two going slack in the pod the instant the connection was established. Walls down, opened so utterly, X surged into Zero the instant Zero surged into X, and they let out collective sighs at the intense feeling. No words were thought or spoken—emotions were sent across the connection, bare and complete, unfiltered and desired, and it was all X needed. Inside, Zero truly had no face or form; he was essence and fulfillment, and X felt relaxed as their data gently passed back and forth.
Other Hunters came and went from the Recharge Room, all smiling at the couple that appeared to be asleep. Unbeknownst to them, the two were fully awake and engaged together in the most complete and wonderful way, and the outside world meant, for these few precious hours, absolutely nothing.
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