Chapter Thirty-Five: High Above
“…and Lumine would like to meet with you at some undefined point in the future,” X finally dropped his salute.
Signas kept still, peering at X over his joined hands as his elbows rested on the desk. X fought the urge to fidget—even after so long and working with Signas closely, X never could get over just how piercing his eyes were. Signas was an intimidating Reploid, in ways much different than someone like Zero.
“As you know,” Signas finally spoke, breaking some of the tension, “it was Zero’s duty to prepare the private road.”
X blinked. “But…”
“Yet surveillance footage shows him and the New Gen with him clearly preparing it properly.” Signas finished. “Unfortunately after that, the tape goes into a loop of an empty road—we don’t even see Lumine’s car pass through. Whoever sabotaged the road had clearance to the video… and only Zero was the reported person in the sector to have that clearance.”
Rage spiked in X so quickly he couldn’t stop himself fast enough, and he slammed his palms on the desk. “Are you accusing Zero of trying to hurt the director?” X shouted.
Signas was prepared for this outburst, so he just gave X a steady, subtle glare. “I’m giving you what evidence we have, X. I’ve spoken with Zero, and I have no reasons not to trust him. However, given both of your states, it would not be far-fetched to say Zero’s security code was stolen. Because of this, Zero has been removed from the Jakob Project.”
“That’s basically saying—”
“That he’s to remain at home until your Recovery Period is over,” Signas cut in smoothly, and X frowned severely. “X, it could be a number of things. Someone stole Zero’s code, the Nightmare Virus infected the terminal, some rogues who protest the migration did it—we don’t know. For Zero’s sake, I ask you tell him this decision and keep him at home.”
X pushed himself off the desk with a deep inhale, trying to keep his conflicting mind at ease. The ‘Zero’ in him snarled at the idea of being chained at home, but X wasn’t Zero. He had to regain himself. “Sorry,” the blue-clad Reploid muttered. “What about my patrols?”
“Also on standby. You will be Zero’s alibi, assuring the human directives he adheres to orders,” Signas handed X a folder of papers. “These are your excusal forms. Feel free to throw them away at your leisure.”
“Waste of paper.”
“Once humans figure out tablets are much more effective, we won’t have to worry about that.”
X tucked the folder under his arm. Most likely the things would find a new home in his overflowing cabinet. “How is Axl doing?”
Signas smiled knowingly, and X felt a little put off he was so easy to read now. “Just great, X. Have no worries.”
“Says the guy without a kid,” X muttered, walking out of the room without a salute. Signas didn’t reprimand him, just letting him walk out of the office.
Signas waited a few moments, staring at the written report X had submitted along with his verbal one. He stared at the mention of Lumine desiring another meeting, knowing he should call to confirm. Yet something kept Signas from dialing the Jakob director; instead, he just stared at the report, not moving.
~*~
Axl shaded his eyes, wincing as he emerged from the shaded grove he had teleported into. Layer had said there were Maverick readings, and he was the only one near Point Galapagos to rush to the Park, so why the hell was it so quiet? Mavericks tended to make a big display, and if he were the only opposition, they should still be having a party.
“You sure about this area, Layer?” Axl asked into his comm-unit. “I don’t see anything.”
“You just got there and already complaining?” Layer replied. “The m-loids that were supposed to be in charge of maintaining the Park’s ecosystems have gone insane, and there’s a massive Maverick there practically oozing Virus. Find the hotshot and stab it.”
“You mean, shoot it.”
“It has an unusual pattern, so pick up some samples for analysis. You did take your quick-send, right?”
Axl checked his wrist compartment. “Yeah, I got it.”
He heard some sort of muffled voices in his ear piece for several seconds before Layer finally got back to him. “Keep heading in that direction, that’s where I’m picking up the Maverick readings. You’ll probably run into small-fry first.”
Axl cut off the communication when he heard the muffled voices, as if Layer was putting her hand over her microphone to speak to someone else. He had to wonder if that was a good sign or bad one—bad, that his own assigned Navigator was too busy gossiping to assist him in a mission… or good, because obviously the mission was easy and world peace wasn’t threatened by some madman pissing out virus. Hopefully he’d finish this mission up quickly; he had plans for the evening after all.
True to Layer’s word, Axl’s first encounter were simple re-programmed mechaniloids that somewhat resembled their natural counterparts; bees, fish, the like. What was definitely not right was the amount of missile toting weaponry mechs, controlled by servbots glowing with corruption. Regardless of enhancements these servbots gave to whatever they touched, Axl dispatched them with a round of bullets and rushed toward the recreation facility. Luckily it was Sunday, and the facility was closed to visitors…
Axl skidded to a halt as suddenly several flocks of birds burst through the trees, frenzied in their flight to get away from what scared them. Axl watched them soar over him, then slowly lowered his eyes to the distance. The ground began to shake as a giant crab-shaped tank mechaniloid made its way to him, and Axl drew his guns.
“That’s it,” Layer cut in, making Axl jump in surprise. “Watch for its pinchers, they’re detachable and can crush you. Aim for the legs, then the head.”
Axl snickered to himself as he began to race toward the Maverick—why go for the legs? Axl had an advantage his parents lacked, and that was his renovated hovering ability. Once within range, the front legs of the Maverick sparkled, and two plasma orbs on each leg appeared, discharging rapid fire. Axl jumped into the air as high as he could, and the Maverick let loose one of its claws.
Axl twisted in the air as the claw attempted to grab him, activating his hover ability and aiming his guns at the thing’s head as the claw sailed useless under him. He began a furious double-volley of bullets, smirking as the tank backed a step from the sure volume of the attack. His hover deactivated automatically, and as he fell carefully back to the ground, a sudden rush of wind caught Axl’s attention.
Before he could even turn around, the claw he thought he had dodged had swerved back around and clamped on him around the waist. Crying out in shocked dismay, Axl flailed, slamming the butts of his guns into the claw to no avail. If he could turn and see the hinge…!
The claw began to squeeze down, and Axl winced at the grinding sound of his armor beginning to crumple. The crab stepped forward, recovered from the earlier barrage, the other pincher joining the first to add more pressure. Uncomfortable compression quickly turned to painful crushing, and Axl flailed even harder, shooting behind himself in vain hope to hit the hinge.
One pincher suddenly let go, falling to the ground with a heavy thud. Before Axl could even turn, he heard a familiar grunt and discharge of a quick shot before the second claw let him go, and both gravitated back to the crab tank, which took a step back as Axl fell to the ground.
Looking up at his savior, Axl gaped. “Pops!”
X stepped over Axl protectively, a charge already building in his Buster arm. He assumed a wide stance, aiming the shot for only a second before releasing it. He skidded back from the recoil discharge, and Axl stared as the shot hit the tiny head of the crab tank dead on. X had regained his shooting abilities, it seemed.
Fragments of metal littered the ground when the head was impacted, electrical pulses coursing through the massive Maverick as it slumped to the ground and began to quiver. Axl scrambled to his feet, moving away as X himself also backed up cautiously. Instead of exploding, however, the Maverick managed to bring itself back to its feet and launched itself into the air, jetting toward the recreation facility.
X went over to the various debris the Maverick left, scooping up two handfuls before turning to Axl. “You okay to go on or do you want to run these to HQ?”
Axl marched up to him, face set in a frown. “What are you doing?” he demanded. “You’re not supposed to be doing missions!”
X raised an eyebrow, although it was hard to tell with the helmet on. “Would you have preferred I let you get crushed?”
“That’s not the point!”
“If you’re so hyperactive, than you’re fine to clean up the rest,” X commented. “I’ll be back soon.”
“No you…!” Axl’s protest fell on deaf ears, as X just smiled ever so Zero-like at him and teleported out. Axl stared at where his adopted father had stood, then sighed heavily before covering one of his ears.
“You keep him there,” Axl said when Layer opened the channel.
Layer snorted, or it sounded like she did. “Sure. Anyway, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m moving on.” With that said, Axl cut communication and resumed his trek.
Several feet ahead ended with a cliff, and Axl carefully hopped down to a close ledge. Peering down, he saw the madly skittering crab mechs, and his nose scrunched in confusion. There was a large lake nearby, but he didn’t recall Noah’s Park having crabs. So whoever was sending the Mavericks in, they apparently aimed to completely screw up what little natural life was left.
The flapping of wings made Axl pause, and glanced up he saw several bat-shaped mechaniloids come toward him. He scoffed, singing a single shot each to fire out wing. The bats plummeted to the gorge below as Axl hopped into the air, activating his hover ability to assuredly cross the distance to the next platform.
He heard the tinks of the crabs’ legs crawling along the ground, and he groaned in annoyance. Once the enemies came into view, Axl set off a few shots point blank, yawning as the scurrying crabs exploded. He should have let them bring a low rank to this place; outside of the tank, this was rookie work.
Axl yelped as a fish jumped out of the waterfall he was passing under, smacking him upside the head and nearly knocking him off the ledge. He slapped the fish away, cringing as it exploded shortly thereafter. That would not have felt very nice…
The sounds of several more splashes made Axl glance up, and he jumped back a few feet as fish sparking dangerously planted themselves where he had been previously, exploding seconds later. While he could have handled one or two direct hits, the four that had jumped out certainly would put him out of commission, and Axl looked ahead with new resolve. Now things were dangerous.
Shortly ahead he managed to dispatch two more missile-toting weapon mechs, entering a faux cave through a scorched door. Unsurprisingly the door shut behind him, and immediately several bat mechaniloids descended from the dark ceiling. Axl dropped to the ground in a crouch, both guns now drawn and let off a merciless volley of rapid fire. He rolled forward when a bat tried to swoop down at him, and two shots to its body caused it to explode.
The last bat’s body hit the ground with an odd sound, and although the door ahead unlocked, Axl took a moment to examine the corpse. The body was hollow; fitting his fingers into the cracks, Axl split the body open like he would an egg. Inside rested a glimmering triangle of metal, and he plucked it out carefully, slowly turning it this way and that. It reminded him of the hunks of metal he saw in the research lab, like what Palette was working on.
It was too large to quick-send, and none of his inventory packs could hold it either. Frustrated, Axl scowled and tucked it under his arm, marching through the door. He would just to hold on to it for now.
Immediately exiting the cave, Axl came to a stop as a teleport materialized before him. He closed his eyes briefly against the light, and when he cracked open his eye, he let out an indignant yell.
“Dad!” Axl had half the mind to slap him with the metal. “What are you doing?”
Zero smiled at him, as if proud of something. “Boredom. Seems like you need someone to take over anyway.”
“No,” Axl shoved the metal into Zero’s arms. “You take this back while I finish this mission.”
“How abouuuuut,” Zero pushed the metal hard against Axl’s chest, causing the boy to stumble back, “no way.” With a smile, Zero pressed Axl’s mission wristlet.
Axl yelled out some sort of obscene word before he was teleported away, Zero waving merrily at his fading form.
~*~
Axl would have shattered the metal on the floor if Palette hadn’t snatched it from him, and all he could do to help let out the frustration was stomp as loudly and angrily to Signas’ office as he could. The door slid open and Axl practically threw himself into the office, hands already raised in the air and yelling.
“Why the hell are you letting Dad and Pops out when you knoooooohhhh, hi.” Axl blinked when the figure he hadn’t noticed before stood from the chair across from Signas.
Signas gave Axl a critical glare. “Is something amiss, Axl?”
“Uh…” Axl stared for several seconds at the visitor, temporarily stunned before snapping to attention and throwing up a sloppy salute. “I-I would like to lodge a formal complaint, sir!”
Signas looked away from Axl to the visitor. “Director, this is one of my Hunters, Axl. Axl, this is Lumine, the Director of the Jakob Project.”
“Hello,” Lumine smiled at Axl, holding a hand out. Axl tentatively dropped the salute to shake his hand. “I’m afraid I have your superior tied up at the moment.”
“I’m sorry for barging in,” Axl chuckled nervously, using his other hand to rub the back of his helmet. “Please, forgive me.”
Lumine’s smile grew just a bit, yet something about it made Axl tense. Whoever designed Lumine had a great respect for the old androgynous way of beauty, but such a plain face shouldn’t make any sort of large emotional display. It was rather… creepy. Axl struggled with himself to not betray such thoughts on his own face.
“I think I can if you help me,” Lumine said, a bit of a teasing tone to his voice. He turned slightly so he could peer at Signas over his shoulder. “If Commander Signas is all right with that, of course.”
“I see no harm in it,” Signas said noncommittally, “If you agree, Axl.”
Axl frowned. “But, Noah’s Park…”
“I sent Zero to relieve you. I assume that’s why you’re back without a report.”
Axl’s eyes told Signas everything he wanted to say in a nanosecond, but the Commander was unflinching as usual. After a few moments of Axl’s glare, the gunner looked back to Lumine. “I would be happy to assist you.” Despite his damnedest, Axl did have to grit the words past his teeth.
Lumine either didn’t notice or really cared. His smile just grew and he nodded. “Very well. Apparently, there is a problem at Metal Valley. As I’m sure you’re aware of, the minerals there are essential to space development, as well as your own Metal Enhancement Development.” Lumine leaned a bit closer to Axl, and he had to fight the urge to lean back. “I would ask the escort of the police, but with you, I’m sure your developer would not mind a few extra samples. I will turn a blind eye to your acquirement of metals in exchange for your help.”
Axl swallowed as Lumine leaned away from him, and all he could do was nod numbly. Lumine shook his hand again, and before the gunner knew it, he was shooed out the door with instructions to recharge and prepare for departure within the next six hours. He stared dumbly at the now closed and locked office door, blinking several times before looking down at the hand Lumine had shook.
Even mass produced Reploids had minute differences to make them unique to each other. Yet, there was something striking about how Lumine gripped his hand. Wasn’t he a New-Gen, like Axl himself? Perhaps he somehow stole some of Axl’s data?
As he walked to the recharge room, Axl replayed the recent video several times, but never once did he feel his data being pulled out. He wouldn’t deny he sighed in relief—imagine, a Reploid ripping data out with a mere handshake and not being detected! Sure, it’d be cool as hell but…
For some reason, it made him think of the Professor. What if the madman went to another New-Gen? Surely they, in all their perfected glory, could offer him what he wanted. Axl slumped into a pod, frowning deeply.
“Ah, shit,” Axl swore, bolting up before the pod could activate. He had to tell Delia to cancel their evening out, and that made him cringe more. Only days as her boyfriend and he was already brushing her off.
He hopped out of the pod and jogged to the Engineering Department, figuring a face-to-face visit was better than a text or phone call. If nothing else, maybe he’d get points for at least telling to her in person? Axl had done a little research, and apparently women kept track of ‘points’ for their boyfriends or something along those lines. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but it made him think of a game… and he was fairly good at games.
Axl winced as he made his way through the Department, his eyes scanning for the familiar green hair. He shouldn’t think of his relationship as a game, but what else could help him understand it? His mindset wasn’t helping his already high running stress, but he swallowed it down once he caught sight of Delia, who was working away on a weapon with Douglas. Taking a few deep breaths, the gunner added characteristic spring to his step and approached, smiling when she took notice of him.
Delia muttered something to Douglas and went toward Axl, leaving the Head Engineer to loudly complain at her back. She grabbed his hand without a word, dragging him back the way he came to the hallway.
Once outside she hugged him tightly, smiling sweetly. “Something up?” Delia asked, her voice sugary.
Axl returned the hug and bravely planted a quick kiss on her forehead. “I got roped into an extra mission,” he started, and her face instantly fell. “I’m sorry, Delia.”
“What mission is it?” she asked, although her voice was much less cheery. Axl felt like an ass, watching as she tried to cover her disappointment. He was disappointed in himself.
Axl sighed heavily. “Signas sent Dad to relieve me in Noah’s Park. When I went to complain about him being on missions, the Jakob Project Director was there.”
“Lumine?” Delia made a face, frowning deeply. “He’s a creep. And I don’t even think he’s a he, either!”
“Shh,” Axl looked around, a bit panicky, before turning his attention back to her. “Yeah, Lumine. He needs an escort to check out what’s wrong in Metal Valley.”
Axl was quite amazed at the way Delia could express herself. She was still disappointed at the loss of a date, but the mention of Metal Valley was of obvious interest. She was quiet for several seconds, obviously trying to pick which emotion she was.
She settled on interest. “Metal Valley?” she asked, her smile returning although not as wide as before. “Will he let you get some samples?”
“For the R&D Lab…” Axl paused a moment, then smiled at her. “But if it’ll get you to forgive me…”
“You better!” Delia giggled, snuggling up to him. “You’re forgiven, then. When do you leave?”
“In a few hours, I gotta recharge.”
Delia shyly stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Be safe.”
Axl blushed, but he hugged her and lightly kissed her lips before making a quick getaway, her giggling ringing in his ears the entire way back to the Recharge room.
~*~
Due to interference, direct teleportation to Metal Valley was impossible. Lumine, Axl, and a few more guards were teleported to the nearest point, where a truck waited to transport them; Axl hated riding in a truck. While his Dad’s car could lower the top and allow in fresh air and more space, the truck was completely closed in and cramped. In a way, Axl was a bit of a claustrophobic, even worse with eerie Lumine sitting across from him, their knees touch and him leaning forward. Axl tried to look casual in leaning back into his seat, but the Director was still too close for comfort.
Axl tried to calm himself by idly brushing off his armor or inspecting his guns, but Lumine’s gaze never left him, and it sent creeping shivers down the gunner’s spine. Apprehension rose in him, but no matter how Axl tried to ignore it or avoid looking back, it was getting unnerving. The truck ride was going to last a few hours, and there was no way Axl could stand it for that long without pulling out his hair.
“Er,” Axl turned back to Lumine. “Is there… something wrong?”
Lumine blinked slowly before settling his elbows on his knees, leaning forward more. Axl’s uncomfortable levels shot through the roof, but for once, he kept Lumine’s eyes and didn’t lean back.
That must’ve been the correct action, for Lumine smiled just enough to be noticeably but not creepy. “You’re the New-Gen prototype… aren’t you?”
Axl winced. “Uh, I dunno. New-Gens have been around for a while, y’know.”
“And you, much longer.” Lumine said carefully, causing Axl to frown. “I’m merely in awe and shock, and rather honored. It’s like meeting a… revered ancestor.”
Axl then, at that moment, understood how X felt when meeting other Reploids. He felt old, and not in the wise way. Looking at Lumine, Axl had to wonder what copy-abilities he possessed, how perfected they were… the whole virus immunity thing, even. Did Axl have flaws he wasn’t aware of, and Lumine here was the pinnacle of perfection flaunted in his face? Axl didn’t need a reminder of that, and his frown deepened.
“I suppose,” Axl muttered. Realizing his rudeness, Axl forced a smile. “I mean, I suppose I’m kinda like that. Really, I’m like every other every day Rep.”
“Far from it.” Lumine replied.
Axl didn’t like the way he said that, the shushed and secretive tone. He leaned forward himself, try to be just as intimidating and get a straight answer from the Director. But at that moment, there was a massive shake and the truck jerked to a stop, slamming all of the riders in the back into the wall separating the trailer from the driver’s seat. Axl winced as his head cracked against the wall, but he immediately clamored over the bodies and threw the doors open, jumping out.
A sudden shadow made Axl glance up, and he took a step back as a massive mechaniloid landed before him. It stomped crazily, waving its arms and clamping its claw-like hands menacingly. Lumine poked his head out of the truck, eyes wide.
“Get back in here, Axl,” Lumine called. “There’s no way you can defeat that here!”
Axl turned and shoved Lumine back into the trailer, slamming the doors shut and climbing to the top of the truck. He slammed his foot down. “Start going! I’ll try and keep it away!”
The truck lurching into motion made Axl lose his footing and he nearly fell off the truck. He managed to snag the edge of it and pull himself up, crouching and watching as the crazed Mechaniloid began to chase after them, swinging its arms and throw up debris and boulders. With all that mess in the way, Axl wasn’t sure any bullet he fired would matter.
Lumine opened one of the windows, yelling out, “We’ll get to the Valley! Earthrock should be able to disable it!”
Axl punched his hand through the top of the truck, using it as a hold as he studied the other pistol. “Well,” he shouted back, “tell this idiot to drive faster!” Once the debris cleared, Axl let off a long stream of bullets at the thing’s head.
The mechaniloid paused from the onslaught, more out of surprise than damage, giving the truck a few precious seconds to gain ground. Once it started coming back for them, Axl wasn’t sure he could surprise it again.
The mechaniloid jumped after them, landing practically inches away and managed to grab the truck’s bumper. All of the occupants cried out as it flipped the truck forward, the back doors flying open and bodies going up into the air. Axl landed hard on the ground moments before the truck landed on him.
After the initial impact and pain, all Axl heard was the crank of the mechaniloid coming closer and Lumine’s shout of his name before all went silent and black.
“…and Lumine would like to meet with you at some undefined point in the future,” X finally dropped his salute.
Signas kept still, peering at X over his joined hands as his elbows rested on the desk. X fought the urge to fidget—even after so long and working with Signas closely, X never could get over just how piercing his eyes were. Signas was an intimidating Reploid, in ways much different than someone like Zero.
“As you know,” Signas finally spoke, breaking some of the tension, “it was Zero’s duty to prepare the private road.”
X blinked. “But…”
“Yet surveillance footage shows him and the New Gen with him clearly preparing it properly.” Signas finished. “Unfortunately after that, the tape goes into a loop of an empty road—we don’t even see Lumine’s car pass through. Whoever sabotaged the road had clearance to the video… and only Zero was the reported person in the sector to have that clearance.”
Rage spiked in X so quickly he couldn’t stop himself fast enough, and he slammed his palms on the desk. “Are you accusing Zero of trying to hurt the director?” X shouted.
Signas was prepared for this outburst, so he just gave X a steady, subtle glare. “I’m giving you what evidence we have, X. I’ve spoken with Zero, and I have no reasons not to trust him. However, given both of your states, it would not be far-fetched to say Zero’s security code was stolen. Because of this, Zero has been removed from the Jakob Project.”
“That’s basically saying—”
“That he’s to remain at home until your Recovery Period is over,” Signas cut in smoothly, and X frowned severely. “X, it could be a number of things. Someone stole Zero’s code, the Nightmare Virus infected the terminal, some rogues who protest the migration did it—we don’t know. For Zero’s sake, I ask you tell him this decision and keep him at home.”
X pushed himself off the desk with a deep inhale, trying to keep his conflicting mind at ease. The ‘Zero’ in him snarled at the idea of being chained at home, but X wasn’t Zero. He had to regain himself. “Sorry,” the blue-clad Reploid muttered. “What about my patrols?”
“Also on standby. You will be Zero’s alibi, assuring the human directives he adheres to orders,” Signas handed X a folder of papers. “These are your excusal forms. Feel free to throw them away at your leisure.”
“Waste of paper.”
“Once humans figure out tablets are much more effective, we won’t have to worry about that.”
X tucked the folder under his arm. Most likely the things would find a new home in his overflowing cabinet. “How is Axl doing?”
Signas smiled knowingly, and X felt a little put off he was so easy to read now. “Just great, X. Have no worries.”
“Says the guy without a kid,” X muttered, walking out of the room without a salute. Signas didn’t reprimand him, just letting him walk out of the office.
Signas waited a few moments, staring at the written report X had submitted along with his verbal one. He stared at the mention of Lumine desiring another meeting, knowing he should call to confirm. Yet something kept Signas from dialing the Jakob director; instead, he just stared at the report, not moving.
~*~
Axl shaded his eyes, wincing as he emerged from the shaded grove he had teleported into. Layer had said there were Maverick readings, and he was the only one near Point Galapagos to rush to the Park, so why the hell was it so quiet? Mavericks tended to make a big display, and if he were the only opposition, they should still be having a party.
“You sure about this area, Layer?” Axl asked into his comm-unit. “I don’t see anything.”
“You just got there and already complaining?” Layer replied. “The m-loids that were supposed to be in charge of maintaining the Park’s ecosystems have gone insane, and there’s a massive Maverick there practically oozing Virus. Find the hotshot and stab it.”
“You mean, shoot it.”
“It has an unusual pattern, so pick up some samples for analysis. You did take your quick-send, right?”
Axl checked his wrist compartment. “Yeah, I got it.”
He heard some sort of muffled voices in his ear piece for several seconds before Layer finally got back to him. “Keep heading in that direction, that’s where I’m picking up the Maverick readings. You’ll probably run into small-fry first.”
Axl cut off the communication when he heard the muffled voices, as if Layer was putting her hand over her microphone to speak to someone else. He had to wonder if that was a good sign or bad one—bad, that his own assigned Navigator was too busy gossiping to assist him in a mission… or good, because obviously the mission was easy and world peace wasn’t threatened by some madman pissing out virus. Hopefully he’d finish this mission up quickly; he had plans for the evening after all.
True to Layer’s word, Axl’s first encounter were simple re-programmed mechaniloids that somewhat resembled their natural counterparts; bees, fish, the like. What was definitely not right was the amount of missile toting weaponry mechs, controlled by servbots glowing with corruption. Regardless of enhancements these servbots gave to whatever they touched, Axl dispatched them with a round of bullets and rushed toward the recreation facility. Luckily it was Sunday, and the facility was closed to visitors…
Axl skidded to a halt as suddenly several flocks of birds burst through the trees, frenzied in their flight to get away from what scared them. Axl watched them soar over him, then slowly lowered his eyes to the distance. The ground began to shake as a giant crab-shaped tank mechaniloid made its way to him, and Axl drew his guns.
“That’s it,” Layer cut in, making Axl jump in surprise. “Watch for its pinchers, they’re detachable and can crush you. Aim for the legs, then the head.”
Axl snickered to himself as he began to race toward the Maverick—why go for the legs? Axl had an advantage his parents lacked, and that was his renovated hovering ability. Once within range, the front legs of the Maverick sparkled, and two plasma orbs on each leg appeared, discharging rapid fire. Axl jumped into the air as high as he could, and the Maverick let loose one of its claws.
Axl twisted in the air as the claw attempted to grab him, activating his hover ability and aiming his guns at the thing’s head as the claw sailed useless under him. He began a furious double-volley of bullets, smirking as the tank backed a step from the sure volume of the attack. His hover deactivated automatically, and as he fell carefully back to the ground, a sudden rush of wind caught Axl’s attention.
Before he could even turn around, the claw he thought he had dodged had swerved back around and clamped on him around the waist. Crying out in shocked dismay, Axl flailed, slamming the butts of his guns into the claw to no avail. If he could turn and see the hinge…!
The claw began to squeeze down, and Axl winced at the grinding sound of his armor beginning to crumple. The crab stepped forward, recovered from the earlier barrage, the other pincher joining the first to add more pressure. Uncomfortable compression quickly turned to painful crushing, and Axl flailed even harder, shooting behind himself in vain hope to hit the hinge.
One pincher suddenly let go, falling to the ground with a heavy thud. Before Axl could even turn, he heard a familiar grunt and discharge of a quick shot before the second claw let him go, and both gravitated back to the crab tank, which took a step back as Axl fell to the ground.
Looking up at his savior, Axl gaped. “Pops!”
X stepped over Axl protectively, a charge already building in his Buster arm. He assumed a wide stance, aiming the shot for only a second before releasing it. He skidded back from the recoil discharge, and Axl stared as the shot hit the tiny head of the crab tank dead on. X had regained his shooting abilities, it seemed.
Fragments of metal littered the ground when the head was impacted, electrical pulses coursing through the massive Maverick as it slumped to the ground and began to quiver. Axl scrambled to his feet, moving away as X himself also backed up cautiously. Instead of exploding, however, the Maverick managed to bring itself back to its feet and launched itself into the air, jetting toward the recreation facility.
X went over to the various debris the Maverick left, scooping up two handfuls before turning to Axl. “You okay to go on or do you want to run these to HQ?”
Axl marched up to him, face set in a frown. “What are you doing?” he demanded. “You’re not supposed to be doing missions!”
X raised an eyebrow, although it was hard to tell with the helmet on. “Would you have preferred I let you get crushed?”
“That’s not the point!”
“If you’re so hyperactive, than you’re fine to clean up the rest,” X commented. “I’ll be back soon.”
“No you…!” Axl’s protest fell on deaf ears, as X just smiled ever so Zero-like at him and teleported out. Axl stared at where his adopted father had stood, then sighed heavily before covering one of his ears.
“You keep him there,” Axl said when Layer opened the channel.
Layer snorted, or it sounded like she did. “Sure. Anyway, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m moving on.” With that said, Axl cut communication and resumed his trek.
Several feet ahead ended with a cliff, and Axl carefully hopped down to a close ledge. Peering down, he saw the madly skittering crab mechs, and his nose scrunched in confusion. There was a large lake nearby, but he didn’t recall Noah’s Park having crabs. So whoever was sending the Mavericks in, they apparently aimed to completely screw up what little natural life was left.
The flapping of wings made Axl pause, and glanced up he saw several bat-shaped mechaniloids come toward him. He scoffed, singing a single shot each to fire out wing. The bats plummeted to the gorge below as Axl hopped into the air, activating his hover ability to assuredly cross the distance to the next platform.
He heard the tinks of the crabs’ legs crawling along the ground, and he groaned in annoyance. Once the enemies came into view, Axl set off a few shots point blank, yawning as the scurrying crabs exploded. He should have let them bring a low rank to this place; outside of the tank, this was rookie work.
Axl yelped as a fish jumped out of the waterfall he was passing under, smacking him upside the head and nearly knocking him off the ledge. He slapped the fish away, cringing as it exploded shortly thereafter. That would not have felt very nice…
The sounds of several more splashes made Axl glance up, and he jumped back a few feet as fish sparking dangerously planted themselves where he had been previously, exploding seconds later. While he could have handled one or two direct hits, the four that had jumped out certainly would put him out of commission, and Axl looked ahead with new resolve. Now things were dangerous.
Shortly ahead he managed to dispatch two more missile-toting weapon mechs, entering a faux cave through a scorched door. Unsurprisingly the door shut behind him, and immediately several bat mechaniloids descended from the dark ceiling. Axl dropped to the ground in a crouch, both guns now drawn and let off a merciless volley of rapid fire. He rolled forward when a bat tried to swoop down at him, and two shots to its body caused it to explode.
The last bat’s body hit the ground with an odd sound, and although the door ahead unlocked, Axl took a moment to examine the corpse. The body was hollow; fitting his fingers into the cracks, Axl split the body open like he would an egg. Inside rested a glimmering triangle of metal, and he plucked it out carefully, slowly turning it this way and that. It reminded him of the hunks of metal he saw in the research lab, like what Palette was working on.
It was too large to quick-send, and none of his inventory packs could hold it either. Frustrated, Axl scowled and tucked it under his arm, marching through the door. He would just to hold on to it for now.
Immediately exiting the cave, Axl came to a stop as a teleport materialized before him. He closed his eyes briefly against the light, and when he cracked open his eye, he let out an indignant yell.
“Dad!” Axl had half the mind to slap him with the metal. “What are you doing?”
Zero smiled at him, as if proud of something. “Boredom. Seems like you need someone to take over anyway.”
“No,” Axl shoved the metal into Zero’s arms. “You take this back while I finish this mission.”
“How abouuuuut,” Zero pushed the metal hard against Axl’s chest, causing the boy to stumble back, “no way.” With a smile, Zero pressed Axl’s mission wristlet.
Axl yelled out some sort of obscene word before he was teleported away, Zero waving merrily at his fading form.
~*~
Axl would have shattered the metal on the floor if Palette hadn’t snatched it from him, and all he could do to help let out the frustration was stomp as loudly and angrily to Signas’ office as he could. The door slid open and Axl practically threw himself into the office, hands already raised in the air and yelling.
“Why the hell are you letting Dad and Pops out when you knoooooohhhh, hi.” Axl blinked when the figure he hadn’t noticed before stood from the chair across from Signas.
Signas gave Axl a critical glare. “Is something amiss, Axl?”
“Uh…” Axl stared for several seconds at the visitor, temporarily stunned before snapping to attention and throwing up a sloppy salute. “I-I would like to lodge a formal complaint, sir!”
Signas looked away from Axl to the visitor. “Director, this is one of my Hunters, Axl. Axl, this is Lumine, the Director of the Jakob Project.”
“Hello,” Lumine smiled at Axl, holding a hand out. Axl tentatively dropped the salute to shake his hand. “I’m afraid I have your superior tied up at the moment.”
“I’m sorry for barging in,” Axl chuckled nervously, using his other hand to rub the back of his helmet. “Please, forgive me.”
Lumine’s smile grew just a bit, yet something about it made Axl tense. Whoever designed Lumine had a great respect for the old androgynous way of beauty, but such a plain face shouldn’t make any sort of large emotional display. It was rather… creepy. Axl struggled with himself to not betray such thoughts on his own face.
“I think I can if you help me,” Lumine said, a bit of a teasing tone to his voice. He turned slightly so he could peer at Signas over his shoulder. “If Commander Signas is all right with that, of course.”
“I see no harm in it,” Signas said noncommittally, “If you agree, Axl.”
Axl frowned. “But, Noah’s Park…”
“I sent Zero to relieve you. I assume that’s why you’re back without a report.”
Axl’s eyes told Signas everything he wanted to say in a nanosecond, but the Commander was unflinching as usual. After a few moments of Axl’s glare, the gunner looked back to Lumine. “I would be happy to assist you.” Despite his damnedest, Axl did have to grit the words past his teeth.
Lumine either didn’t notice or really cared. His smile just grew and he nodded. “Very well. Apparently, there is a problem at Metal Valley. As I’m sure you’re aware of, the minerals there are essential to space development, as well as your own Metal Enhancement Development.” Lumine leaned a bit closer to Axl, and he had to fight the urge to lean back. “I would ask the escort of the police, but with you, I’m sure your developer would not mind a few extra samples. I will turn a blind eye to your acquirement of metals in exchange for your help.”
Axl swallowed as Lumine leaned away from him, and all he could do was nod numbly. Lumine shook his hand again, and before the gunner knew it, he was shooed out the door with instructions to recharge and prepare for departure within the next six hours. He stared dumbly at the now closed and locked office door, blinking several times before looking down at the hand Lumine had shook.
Even mass produced Reploids had minute differences to make them unique to each other. Yet, there was something striking about how Lumine gripped his hand. Wasn’t he a New-Gen, like Axl himself? Perhaps he somehow stole some of Axl’s data?
As he walked to the recharge room, Axl replayed the recent video several times, but never once did he feel his data being pulled out. He wouldn’t deny he sighed in relief—imagine, a Reploid ripping data out with a mere handshake and not being detected! Sure, it’d be cool as hell but…
For some reason, it made him think of the Professor. What if the madman went to another New-Gen? Surely they, in all their perfected glory, could offer him what he wanted. Axl slumped into a pod, frowning deeply.
“Ah, shit,” Axl swore, bolting up before the pod could activate. He had to tell Delia to cancel their evening out, and that made him cringe more. Only days as her boyfriend and he was already brushing her off.
He hopped out of the pod and jogged to the Engineering Department, figuring a face-to-face visit was better than a text or phone call. If nothing else, maybe he’d get points for at least telling to her in person? Axl had done a little research, and apparently women kept track of ‘points’ for their boyfriends or something along those lines. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but it made him think of a game… and he was fairly good at games.
Axl winced as he made his way through the Department, his eyes scanning for the familiar green hair. He shouldn’t think of his relationship as a game, but what else could help him understand it? His mindset wasn’t helping his already high running stress, but he swallowed it down once he caught sight of Delia, who was working away on a weapon with Douglas. Taking a few deep breaths, the gunner added characteristic spring to his step and approached, smiling when she took notice of him.
Delia muttered something to Douglas and went toward Axl, leaving the Head Engineer to loudly complain at her back. She grabbed his hand without a word, dragging him back the way he came to the hallway.
Once outside she hugged him tightly, smiling sweetly. “Something up?” Delia asked, her voice sugary.
Axl returned the hug and bravely planted a quick kiss on her forehead. “I got roped into an extra mission,” he started, and her face instantly fell. “I’m sorry, Delia.”
“What mission is it?” she asked, although her voice was much less cheery. Axl felt like an ass, watching as she tried to cover her disappointment. He was disappointed in himself.
Axl sighed heavily. “Signas sent Dad to relieve me in Noah’s Park. When I went to complain about him being on missions, the Jakob Project Director was there.”
“Lumine?” Delia made a face, frowning deeply. “He’s a creep. And I don’t even think he’s a he, either!”
“Shh,” Axl looked around, a bit panicky, before turning his attention back to her. “Yeah, Lumine. He needs an escort to check out what’s wrong in Metal Valley.”
Axl was quite amazed at the way Delia could express herself. She was still disappointed at the loss of a date, but the mention of Metal Valley was of obvious interest. She was quiet for several seconds, obviously trying to pick which emotion she was.
She settled on interest. “Metal Valley?” she asked, her smile returning although not as wide as before. “Will he let you get some samples?”
“For the R&D Lab…” Axl paused a moment, then smiled at her. “But if it’ll get you to forgive me…”
“You better!” Delia giggled, snuggling up to him. “You’re forgiven, then. When do you leave?”
“In a few hours, I gotta recharge.”
Delia shyly stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Be safe.”
Axl blushed, but he hugged her and lightly kissed her lips before making a quick getaway, her giggling ringing in his ears the entire way back to the Recharge room.
~*~
Due to interference, direct teleportation to Metal Valley was impossible. Lumine, Axl, and a few more guards were teleported to the nearest point, where a truck waited to transport them; Axl hated riding in a truck. While his Dad’s car could lower the top and allow in fresh air and more space, the truck was completely closed in and cramped. In a way, Axl was a bit of a claustrophobic, even worse with eerie Lumine sitting across from him, their knees touch and him leaning forward. Axl tried to look casual in leaning back into his seat, but the Director was still too close for comfort.
Axl tried to calm himself by idly brushing off his armor or inspecting his guns, but Lumine’s gaze never left him, and it sent creeping shivers down the gunner’s spine. Apprehension rose in him, but no matter how Axl tried to ignore it or avoid looking back, it was getting unnerving. The truck ride was going to last a few hours, and there was no way Axl could stand it for that long without pulling out his hair.
“Er,” Axl turned back to Lumine. “Is there… something wrong?”
Lumine blinked slowly before settling his elbows on his knees, leaning forward more. Axl’s uncomfortable levels shot through the roof, but for once, he kept Lumine’s eyes and didn’t lean back.
That must’ve been the correct action, for Lumine smiled just enough to be noticeably but not creepy. “You’re the New-Gen prototype… aren’t you?”
Axl winced. “Uh, I dunno. New-Gens have been around for a while, y’know.”
“And you, much longer.” Lumine said carefully, causing Axl to frown. “I’m merely in awe and shock, and rather honored. It’s like meeting a… revered ancestor.”
Axl then, at that moment, understood how X felt when meeting other Reploids. He felt old, and not in the wise way. Looking at Lumine, Axl had to wonder what copy-abilities he possessed, how perfected they were… the whole virus immunity thing, even. Did Axl have flaws he wasn’t aware of, and Lumine here was the pinnacle of perfection flaunted in his face? Axl didn’t need a reminder of that, and his frown deepened.
“I suppose,” Axl muttered. Realizing his rudeness, Axl forced a smile. “I mean, I suppose I’m kinda like that. Really, I’m like every other every day Rep.”
“Far from it.” Lumine replied.
Axl didn’t like the way he said that, the shushed and secretive tone. He leaned forward himself, try to be just as intimidating and get a straight answer from the Director. But at that moment, there was a massive shake and the truck jerked to a stop, slamming all of the riders in the back into the wall separating the trailer from the driver’s seat. Axl winced as his head cracked against the wall, but he immediately clamored over the bodies and threw the doors open, jumping out.
A sudden shadow made Axl glance up, and he took a step back as a massive mechaniloid landed before him. It stomped crazily, waving its arms and clamping its claw-like hands menacingly. Lumine poked his head out of the truck, eyes wide.
“Get back in here, Axl,” Lumine called. “There’s no way you can defeat that here!”
Axl turned and shoved Lumine back into the trailer, slamming the doors shut and climbing to the top of the truck. He slammed his foot down. “Start going! I’ll try and keep it away!”
The truck lurching into motion made Axl lose his footing and he nearly fell off the truck. He managed to snag the edge of it and pull himself up, crouching and watching as the crazed Mechaniloid began to chase after them, swinging its arms and throw up debris and boulders. With all that mess in the way, Axl wasn’t sure any bullet he fired would matter.
Lumine opened one of the windows, yelling out, “We’ll get to the Valley! Earthrock should be able to disable it!”
Axl punched his hand through the top of the truck, using it as a hold as he studied the other pistol. “Well,” he shouted back, “tell this idiot to drive faster!” Once the debris cleared, Axl let off a long stream of bullets at the thing’s head.
The mechaniloid paused from the onslaught, more out of surprise than damage, giving the truck a few precious seconds to gain ground. Once it started coming back for them, Axl wasn’t sure he could surprise it again.
The mechaniloid jumped after them, landing practically inches away and managed to grab the truck’s bumper. All of the occupants cried out as it flipped the truck forward, the back doors flying open and bodies going up into the air. Axl landed hard on the ground moments before the truck landed on him.
After the initial impact and pain, all Axl heard was the crank of the mechaniloid coming closer and Lumine’s shout of his name before all went silent and black.
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