Work Text
"The Burden of a Hero"
A nightmare X has fairly often, poor guy.
The city was burning, the air heavy with acrid smoke. X could taste burning plastic and the stink of chemicals.“What…what happened here?”Around him, bodies lay scattered on the ground. Some were mechanical. Reploids, torn to bits and scattered over the pitted asphalt. Others….others were not mechanical.X shuddered and turned his gaze upward to block it out. The sky was reddish with smog, lit up occasionally by the light of flames on the remaining skyscrapers. Other than the sound of the fire, all was silent. And yet he could still hear screams echoing in his mind…an endless din of shrieks and sirens…He started walking, hoping to find someone, but there was nothing, nobody left. At every turn and every crossroad was another body. A man lay sprawled on the ground, a pasty remnant of a human being. Against a building, the remains of a woman and the child she had tried to protect were left in horrible reminder of the tragedy. No matter where he looked, there was an image of the terror and struggle and carnage that had taken place.It never ended. The scene went on and on and on. Tears started to flow down his cheeks.“Please…”He looked again at the darkening sky. Not a star peeked through.“Why couldn’t I save them?”As if in a vision, he saw something else. Many people crowding around him, accusing, shouting, weeping. “This is your doing! None of this would have happened if not for you! You caused the Maverick wars yourself!”And before their challenge he shrank down, because in a way it was the truth.All of the strength left him and it seemed there was no reason to go on. No matter where he turned, he was met with the realization that he could not make things right. He had never been able to and now he knew he never could. The ones who had died needlessly, the ones he had killed in the name of peace, their voices still tore at him.He remembered his words from that day.“I’ll use this strength to fight for justice. To fight for hope!”Well…there was no hope. Not anymore. How much time passed, he wasn’t sure, but he heard a slight noise behind him. When he looked up, he found that the sun had set and the dead city was mercifully covered in darkness. He strained to see what had made the sound.
“You’re entirely useless.”
Someone spoke, startling him. X jumped to his feet, feeling panicky. “Hey! Who’s there?”He walked out of the shadows and stood still a few yards away. It was like looking into a mirror. Aside from there being something off about the eyes, he looked exactly like X.‘X’ scowled and said “Why are you still alive? You can’t do anything.” He walked forward slowly, and X found himself unable to move. “G…get away from me!” he cried in terror. It was like sinking in quicksand. His body refused to obey his commands, and the copy drew closer, inexorable, and reached out to him, methodically wrapped his fingers around X’s neck and slowly tightened his grip. “Just die already. There’s no place for you in this world.” He growled. His eyes were deep and powerful and more terrifying than any Maverick X had ever faced. X couldn’t shut out that gaze. He gasped and tried to pull away but could do nothing.“You’ve brought them nothing but sorrow….” The doppelganger’s voice became deep and thrumming, and the deepness in his eyes turned to jet black. Slowly his entire body turned black, and it dripped off onto X. It burned like hot acid. “You parasite. Die, X. Just die.” And then abruptly, his world changed entirely. The dark city was replaced with his room, and his bed, and the sound of the cooling unit in the wall.X was trembling all over as the nightmare seeped in like a driving rain on him. It had been only a dream but…it hurt, hurt like someone had driven a spike into his chest and twisted it. He lay back down and pushed his face into his pillow. His shoulder shook but he made no sound.“I can’t lose them. I can’t….”
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Flame Hyenard fell easily. He wasn’t expecting the attack, after all. Not from the little rookie. Axl watched the huge Reploid topple to the ground slowly, like a felled tree. He gripped his guns tightly and took a breath, trying to cool his systems. Couldn’t overheat yet, not so close to the prize. There wasn’t time to hide the body, and nobody came around this area anyways, so Axl left him behind as he slunk back into the shadows. They’d given him this job because he knew the place inside and out. Only he could do it. It had to be an inside job, and they wouldn’t trust anyone else to do it. In a way, he was flattered by this. It supplied motivation of a different type from the suitcase of credits he was to receive. A far more satisfying type. Axl was still breathing hard even as he tried to calm down. Every sense was keyed up to hyperawareness. On the catwalk of the third level, Axl carefully avoided the creaky metal that would alert the target to his presence. He could hover, but that would use up too much energy, and he’d need all he could muster once he reached that room. They’d given him this mission, sizing him up with cold eyes. He hated how cold those eyes were. They bore into his very framework, assessed him and dismissed him for the child he was. No…they hadn’t entirely dismissed him. A touch of a button brought the image of the target onscreen. A moment of silence passed, and then the Reploid said “There’s a price on his head. Take him down. His whole crew, if you can handle it. Then we’ll talk.” How could he say no to that? To the promise of acceptance? He couldn’t. They were right. He was weak. He bowed under their expectations, took up his guns, and headed out. And he still didn’t understand it. Finally reaching the door, he paused a moment to collect himself. This would have to be quick. He scanned the area again, probing mentally out into the darkness, and was relieved to find nothing. Nothing but a big, bright form where the target was. Axl inhaled silently…and then struck. Door down in one swift kick, guns blazing. Inside the room, he fired unceasingly at the startled target, grinding Red down before he even had a chance to pick up his scythe. The fear was gone, and all Axl felt was emptiness. Just keep shooting, and everything will come right in the end. Finally, the target, Red, stopped moving. Axl fired a few more times at the head, just to make sure. The echoes of gunfire melted away and the place was shrouded in the silence of the tomb. That’s when he knew how sorry he was. Reporting back to his employers, their eyes had not changed. They were still cold. No, they were colder. They pushed the suitcase across the table to him, and then just waited. Axl found his voice. “Well? I did it! You said if I did it, we’d talk.” The two looked at each other, and then back at Axl. “Kid, all you did was prove that you won’t hesitate to kill anyone who’s got a few credits on his head,” one snapped. “We’ve seen the files. The target was like a father to you. All we had to do was dangle your childish dreams in front of your face and you were happy to kill him. That kind of maniac, we don’t need on our team.” He leaned forward menacingly. “Now take the credits and get out, before you find a price on your own head.” Stunned, Axl felt as if he’d been gem-punched. For a moment he couldn’t even move. He wanted to grab the suitcase and throw it at their heads and scream, but he didn’t. He took the handle almost gently and stumbled out of the room, unable to do anything else. Outside, their voices followed him. “You’re nothing but a killer. A monster who would kill his own family just so that somebody would give him the time of day. You’re worthless.” A jarring pain dragged his mind down, and he cried out. He was falling, falling into a bottomless pit, and still the voices raked at him— “Kid, wake up! Geez, you’re a pain.” He felt his body connect with the ground with a painful – but not as much as he’d expected – impact. His eyes sprang open and he didn’t recognize where he was. Something was clouding his mind. “Wh…what? What?” Splash Warfly stood over him, weary and annoyed. “You’re hoggin’ the recharge, kid.” He’d shoved Axl out of the charging capsule. Which meant…that was just a dream. Axl sat on the floor for a while, dazed both by the rough reboot and the nightmare. He watched Warfly settle into the capsule. It didn’t seem quite real.
Would I really do that? Just to…just to get approval?
Red…
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Voices slowly trickled in. Axl’s mind was humming low, barely conscious, basking in the delicious tranquility of the state between sleeping and waking.“Has he gotten bigger? I think I’m gonna throw my back out.”“So make him walk. He’s no newbuilt.”“Eh, it’s not that bad. No need to wake him.”“Softie.”“You wanna be carrying him the rest of the way?”“Heh, don’t look at me.” Axl opened his eyes a fraction of an inch, just long enough to see Red’s chest and part of his head, blurry in the golden sunlight. Then his eyelids slid back closed. He could feel his legs, limp, bouncing heavily with every step Red took. The rest of his body was pressed up protectively against the vigilante’s chest plating. His cheek was pillowed on the curve leading to the gem housing. Light, soothing thrumming passed through the conduits close to the surface, and he let it coax him back to sleep.“He learns fast.”“Yeah, he’s a good kid. You got a steal.”Red’s hand shifted up, tucked against Axl’s shoulder. “Frag, I thought he was an ultralight model.”“Don’t start botting now. Pretending not to be as proud of him as you are.” Red didn’t answer. Axl felt rather than saw a slow smile spread across his face. It warmed him to his core, made him feel better and safer than he’d ever felt in his life, and he never wanted it to end.“Eh? Eh? I know that look.” The other Reploid chuckled, and Red returned “Keep it up and you’ll carry him back.” And so on and so forth, comfortable banter, low, as if wary of awakening him, washing over his ears like ocean waves, lulling him into a doze and finally a deep, deep sleep. Then it was cold, and he was alone.Axl blinked and groped out, muddled with sleep, unsure what had happened. “Red?” His voice was strange in his own ears. Everything was dark, dark and cold, but it had just been sunset, just moments ago, and where was he? This wasn’t Red Alert. This wasn’t even an outpost. What…He finally woke up fully and remembered. The silence hit him like a ton of bricks.If only he hadn’t remembered.A quivering iciness welled up in his chest, spreading to his arms and throat and pushing moisture to his eyes. Axl lay back down in his capsule and pressed his fists to his head. His shoulders shook as he gulped back his sobs. He could feel the edges of his mouth tight in a despairing grimace. The tiny gasps he tried to suppress were the only sounds in the room. If only he hadn’t remembered.
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Zero opened his eyes, feeling dazed. What was going on? What had he been doing a moment ago? Where was he?“All of them…”X’s voice echoed behind him. Zero turned quickly and saw him standing there a few yards off.“X! What…”X raised his buster, aiming it at Zero. His eyes were burning and determined. “I have to destroy all of the mavericks. All of them.” He began charging his weapon.“Whoa, X!” Zero took a step back in surprise. He nearly stumbled over something heavy. Glancing down, he could see the smoldering torso of another Reploid. There were piles of them, lying all around. He swung his head back up to face X. “Stop! What are you doing?”X didn’t even seem to hear him. He continued the strange, monotone chant. “All mavericks must die. For peace, I have to destroy all of the mavericks.”Someone stood behind X. He said “Careful, this one’s very dangerous. He even wiped out Gamma’s whole unit…”“X, stop! It’s me, Zero!” for some reason, his weapons system wasn’t working, so he couldn’t even defend himself. He took another step back. “Don’t do this!”X fired.The blast tore through Zero’s chest, setting off dozens of useless damage alarms, knocking him to the ground as an icy, metallic taste filled his mouth with the pain that spread…Zero sat up suddenly. Around him, the air was still, and he felt no pain. He realized he was in his sleeping capsule in Hunter Base. It took a few moments for the nightmare to fade. He leaned forward and sighed.“Scrap…couldn’t I get a good night’s sleep for once?”
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Being forced to lie on an analysis cot all day was bad enough without having constant nightmares.Axl opened his eyes and saw Cinnamon standing there. Relief flooded him, washing away the fear. “Cinnamon…”She gave him a warm smile, gentle and radiant like a soft spring day. “You should be sleeping, Axl.”“Yeah…I know.” He didn’t feel tired, though. “You’re not gonna make me take a pill again, are you? I hate those things.”“Hm…alright, if you promise to go right to sleep, you won’t need medication.” Cinnamon bargained. Axl lay back. “Okay.” But even though he closed his eyes and tried to go into hibernation, he was too alert. “I’m trying…I just…” again he ran into that mental wall, blocking him off from rest. His features tensed and he opened his eyes, unable to face...THAT. “Sorry, I just…can’t. Do I really have to take meds?”She laid aside her Patchlet. “No. I dislike medication as much as you do. It’s best if you sleep naturally. Do you think it would help if I was near you?”“Huh?”“It worked before. Will you let me try?” she asked with soft, earnest eyes. “I need you to go to sleep as soon as possible. Do you mind if I stay beside you?”She really meant it. Axl felt some unnamed sadness well up in him, but a smile came to his face. “Sure…sure, it’s fine. I mean, I’d like that. Thanks.” Axl scooted over to make room for her on the bed. Cinnamon carefully positioned herself beside him and put a hand on his arm. “Is that good?”What could he say to that? Her touch made everything seem so much better. “It’s fine.” Why did he keep saying that over and over? Why couldn’t he just say… “Cinnamon…thank you.”“What for?” she seemed truly surprised.“For helping me like this. I mean…” he closed his eyes against the hot tears gathering there. “I feel like I’ve been so messed up…trying to make sure nobody gets close…but you get close and make me actually believe I can be okay. You help me and trust me and…it means a lot.”She nestled against his head, and he felt rather than saw her smile. “I’m glad I can make you happy, Axl.” “I’m glad too…that you are so easy to fool.”The words came out of nowhere, startling him. The horrible, heavy darkness spread out from his chest and he tried to push it back down, but it had come too far. Something else gripped him, inside, moved him and twisted his thoughts.“A…Axl?” Her voice, low, anxious. He felt his fingers dig into her arms and pull her to his chest even as he tried to stop, but he couldn’t stop, he had lost control of his body again. He couldn’t even voice the scream building up in his head.“You really trusted me, didn’t you? Don’t you know I’m a killer? What a beautiful fool.” The evil influence was like a choking weed growing impossibly fast, blocking out every other thought, pushing him – the last true remnants of himself – far, far away. “Now give me your power. It will be useful…” A crawling cold spread over him, and he saw that black thing that had invaded his Crystal. It was flowing off of him, a part of him, reaching for Cinnamon’s face in horrible tendrils.Cinnamon gasped and tried to pull away. “Axl!” No, no, he shouldn’t be delighting in that fear! He desperately defied the mental bonds dragging him down. No! Lumine, stop! Please!The dark tendrils clutched at her, wrapped around her neck and choked off a cry for help. Axl held her tighter, tighter, and smiled. Soon, her power would be his, and the rest of the Hunters would be next…In his mind, a smooth, calm but horrifying voice spoke quietly. “If you truly cared about her, why did you do this? Axl…you’re deluding yourself. You’re nothing but a killer.”“Cinnamon! No!”“Axl? Are you alright?”He sat up fast, trembling hard and clutching at the sides of the pod. Cinnamon stood in front of him, her head tilted and lips pursed with worry. “Axl? You’ve had a nightmare. It’s okay now.”Axl pressed against the wall, shaking with fear and adrenaline. A nightmare? Just…was it just that? But it seemed so real. A nightmare?He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. “It was…I couldn’t…Cinnamon, scan me again.”“What?”“Scan me!” he pleaded. She finally nodded, understanding that this was the only way to get him to calm down. Cinnamon hooked a cable from the back of his head into her Patchlet. A few minutes passed as the scan progressed, and then Cinnamon showed him the results. “Axl, there is still no abnormal data,” she told him.He had expected that. They had never found abnormal data. Before, it had reassured him. Now it just made him even more afraid. The lack of data only meant that…whatever was messing with him was very good at concealing itself.