Tiny sparks of electric blue spritzed from the expansive control panel that splayed out in front of Axton. He leaned in the pilots chair of the small Hyperion vessel he had stolen not but two hours ago. He wasn't a pilot, but he new the general steps to flying an air craft. He knew how to turn it on, he knew how to power up the engines and he knew how to make sure he didn't steer into a stray meteor. However, he had no clue why the navigational system wasn't working, or how to pull it up. He had no clue why the dash had sparks flying from it, and what was that orange blinking button trying to tell him?
Irritated he flipped through the ship's manual that he had found conveniently in the side pocket of his chair. He grumbled under his breath, letting the vehicle lazily drift in orbit around Demophons while he glanced over the manual's pages.
He assumed the ship had taken some damage during the blast, after all, he had cut it close. He had scurried on board with thirty seconds to spare, not even enough time to fasten his seat belt. The air craft had barely made it out of the docking bay when the blast rippled through the base, sending out a powerful wave of flames. The pressure from the blast caught the tail end of the ship and rocketed them full force into the air. Axton was able to gain control of the ship again...after it had flown through at least three different trees. He figured that maybe that had something to do with the large crack that skirted over the frontal glass, and it might even be the cause of the frizzing control panel and blinking lights.
He was grateful, at least, for the fearful quietness coming from the...child he had saved. Axton stole a quick glance over his shoulder to the back seats where the kid was curled up under the soldier's jacket, eye closed. He hadn't said a word sense Axton hauled him out of the base and the soldier was beginning to wonder if maybe he just couldn't speak at all. Yet, he didn't need words to understand that the kid was confused and scared. The small thing had been trembling like a leaf in the wind the whole time Axton carried him. The moment he was in the ship the boy had immediately huddled himself in a corner, knees pulled up close. It wasn't until Axton demand that he sit down and buckle up that he finally crawled out of the corner and into the seat. Good thing too, surely the blast would have sent him bouncing around the ship like a Rubberized Grenade.
Now that the impending doom of a fiery death was lifted off Axton's shoulders, he found he finally had a moment to assess the predicament he had gotten himself into. He had made the brash decision to save a strange child who had obviously been the spawn of some sort of bizarre experiment. Now he was stuck with the possible mute, in space, orbiting the planet he had just blown up a Hyperion base on. The navigational system had been damaged in the explosion and he had no way of knowing how to get back to his own base from here. To top it all off, he was positive that Hyperion would send backup before too long, and no doubt they would find his ship, lazily floating along.
“Ok...think. You've gotten yourself out of worse.” He grumbled under his breath, chucking aside the useless manual. He let his gaze drift out the glass and to the distant stars littering the never ending blackness of space. Occasionally the ship would tilt and he could see the green curve of Demophons bellow. For once in his life, he was completely out of impulsive ideas and found that perhaps he should formulate some kind of plan.
“First off...I need to get this fixed.” He jabbed a finger at the sparking dash. “So I need to find a mechanic...” He eyed Demophons resting peacefully several hundred miles under the ship. “But not here, Hyperion will be sending back up soon.” There, that wasn't so hard, he figured. Understanding that the first thing he needed to do was to get away from Demophons, Axton turned the ship's engines back on. The steady hum of the powerful machines made the kid stir under the warm jacket, but he didn't wake, and Axton was grateful for it. He wasn't ready to deal with a scared child...not yet.
Turning the air craft away from Demophons, Axton blasted the ship out towards space, in no particular direction. He wasn't sure where he was going, as long as it was away from that planet. He knew Demophons was in a heavily populated side of the galaxy, there were other planets around somewhere, Axton just had to find one. He made sure to keep his eyes on the stars dotting the void around him. He wasn't a navigator, but he could tell the distant shine of a star vs. the distant glow of a planet. And when his eyes finally found a blue shimmer lost in the cluster of whiter lights, he turned the ship heading toward what he hoped was a planet populated with civilized individuals.
The ship he had stollen was a small thing with only three seats, one in front two in back. The bathroom was so tiny the Dahl Soldier found he could hardly turn around in it. Even the ceiling was built low, brushing the top of his gelled hair whenever he stood. Even though it had two powerful engines that propelled it through space, it wasn't nearly as fast as the massive ships the soldier was used to riding in. Although this air craft was very capable of getting him where he needed to go, it was not meant for galactic travel. It was more of a moon hopper, carrying passengers to nearby space stations or bases. That's why, two hours into the flight, Axton found he wasn't much closer to the distant planet. It was at least a day away.
“I could be gone for a while.” Axton grumbled, rubbing his temple with irritation. He grabbed his ECHO off his belt, his thumb hovering over the on switch. He didn't really want to speak with Sarah, no doubt she would just go off on him again, but she needed to know he was ok. He imagined she was worried sick, wondering if he had survived the blast and made it out on time. He figured that giving her a quick call would be the right thing to do. It took him a moment to work up the nerve, but he finally flipped the device on.
He wasn't sure what he had been expecting. Maybe her voice would break through the static immediately after his ECHO powered up, but he was met with nothing but complete silence. Realizing he would have to call her, he took a deep breath and dialed up his CO. The empty quietness that followed was enough to make his hands feel clammy, this wasn't normal. She was always barking over his shoulder, commanding this and commanding that. He hardly ever had a moments rest from her irritated barrage of complaints.
After what felt like an eternity, her voice finally rippled from his ECHO.
“Axton.” She acknowledged him in an unusually calm voice. “I see you made it out alive.” She added. Axton's mouth felt dry as he suddenly couldn't remember what he was calling her for. He felt...ashamed almost.
“Y-yeah.” He finally form coherent thought. “I uh...snagged a ship at the last moment.” He wanted to tell her that he never did get to break his kill streak, but he had a feeling that was the last thing she wanted to hear.
“How long before you reach base?” She asked, still managing to keep her composure.
“Uhm, I'm not sure...” he paused, expecting her to snap, she remained quiet so he continued. “The uh...navigational system got damaged when I was escaping. I'll have to get it fixed before I can head back. I'm not sure where exactly I'm even at.” He forced a chuckle, hoping to ease the obvious tension between them.
“Don't take too long.” She huffed. Axton wanted to burst, wanted to scream and ask her what was up. Her behavior was beyond unusual, it was down right strange. She wasn't angry, she wasn't relieved, she didn't even sound concerned...just...exasperated. Axton heaved a heavy sigh from his fallen chest.
“Ok well...I'll see you when I get back.” He grumbled. There was no response as the call was disconnected. Axton threw his head back against the seat, draping his arm over his eyes. He snapped his ECHO back onto his belt and let his mind contemplate the possible mistake he had made.
The faint rustle of movement from the backseat went unnoticed by the soldier as he lost himself in thought. 'A', who hadn't really been asleep, just “thinking with his eye closed” as he liked to call it, was finally coming to terms with the overwhelming events he had just gone through. It had taken him a while to get over the fear he had almost drowned in.
He recalled how seeing that massive gun barrel aimed directly at him had nearly petrified him in that glass cage. Images of Braden's gun flashed before his eyes, that same searing pain rekindling in his ear. Before he could push himself from those horrible memories, he had been grabbed up by the strange soldier are carried off through blood stained hallways. He shuttered, recalling the mangled bodies that littered the ground. He had been sure a similar fate awaited him, but he couldn't move, his arms refused to do his bidding and had simply shook as he was dragged off by the strange man.
He finally lost the fear that had kept him frozen in place as he was carted onto a ship. As soon as those strong arms let him go, he had crawled off to an empty corner, hiding behind his own lanky legs. His body still shook, betraying him by showing how completely terrified he was. There was no way he was escaping, not from this man. He was covered in guns, strapped to his belt and back. His arms were thicker than A's waist and made Braden look like a toothpick in comparison. No, he was not winning this fight, escape was out of the question.
The next thing he recalled feeling was pure terror when the man demanded he strap himself in the backseat. 'A' didn't question the soldier and was glad he had listened as the ship was practically flung from the docking bay, spinning through the air like a rogue whirlwind. He couldn't take it, and had to close his eye, it was too much. So 'A' had sat quietly, eye closed for nearly three hours, calming himself out of a state of shock. At some point the soldier had draped his jacket over his bare arms, but 'A' refused to move.
Now, however, his limbs were beginning to cramp in the small confines of his seat. He struggled to keep still as the urge to stretch his legs ached through him. After having heard the soldier talking on the ECHO for several minutes, he found it was much easier to relax around him. Before, he was a burly blood drenched soldier with a massive rocket launcher, but now he was just a confused pilot trying to get home, 'A' found himself peeking his eye open. The soldier, who he had heard the woman over the ECHO refer to as Axton, was reclined in his own seat, arm draped over his face with exasperation. 'A' had so many questions, but he couldn't swallow the nervousness that bubbled up around the stranger. Instead, he shuffled under the man's jacket, trying to make his position more comfortable. As he uncrossed his lanky legs, the jacket slipped from his form and crumpled onto the floor.
'A' swallowed a gulp as the sound of the garment hitting the floor alerted the Dahl-soldier. Axton spun his head around, meeting the gaze of that one emerald green eye. They were both quiet, staring for several minutes before Axton finally spoke.
“S-sleep well?” he asked with hesitance. 'A' wanted to reach down and grab the jacket and hide underneath it as if it was a shield. However, he instead managed to nod his head with affirmation, deciding to let the soldier think that he had indeed been resting.
“Oh uh that's good.” He scratched at his head, contemplating what to even say. He was sure the kid had questions, tons of them probably, but Axton wasn't sure if he even had he answers.
“You uh, got a name?” He decided that would be a good ice breaker. 'A' again nodded his head. He didn't want to speak, he didn't know this man but he had saved him from the glass tank, from the explosion, and by extension, he had saved him from Braden. 'A' blinked, coming to the realization that he was free, he was finally rid of the invasive surgeries, the cruel training sessions, and painful development enhancers. A wave of gratitude rose in his heart and he immediately leapt from his chair and onto his knees close to the soldier.
“Experiment A/ But you can just call me A/ Thanks for saving me.” He held the jacket back out toward the soldier with shaky hands. Axton's eyes widened, shocked when the child spoke, he had been positive he was a mute. A's fear also seemed to vanish in an instant, which boggled the soldier more.
“'A'...” he rolled the name off his tongue as if testing it, deciding if it was a fitting name for the scrawny lad. “My name is Axton.” He finally offered.
“You have set me free/ My life was miserable pain/ I was suffering.” A's voice was but a whisper as his gaze trailed out into the vast space. He had never seen anything like it, and before Axton could comment on what 'A' had just said, the kid was speaking again.
“Where are we right now?/ What is there outside the glass?/ Out in the darkness.” He pointed out to the millions of stars that twinkled brightly against the midnight. Axton twerked up an eyebrow, eyeing him with confusion.
“What? Stars? You've never seen stars before?” Axton felt a twinge of pity as he watched A's eye sparkle with curiosity. It was like he was seeing the world for the first time. The soldier couldn't help the smile that spread over his face, remembering the first time he too had boarded a ship and blasted out to see that stars in all their beauty.
“So what's your deal kid?” Axton finally took the jacket 'A' was holding out to him, sliding it over his toned arms.
“Huh, what do you mean?/ What deal would I be having?/ Please explain to me.” A turned away from the front glass, peering back at the soldier quizzically.
“Well I mean...what were you doing all trapped at Hyperion? You said your life was miserable and that you were an experiment. Are you a human experiment? Is that why you talk...funny?” Axton felt odd asking, like it was rude almost, but his curiosity out weighed his manors. 'A' furrowed his brows, glancing down at the floor bitterly.
“I tried to escape...” he slowly began, “My scientist locked me up/ He also shot me.” He added, pointing to the dried blood clinging to his shredded ear. Axton winced, holding his own ear as sympathy pain shivered his skull.
“Before it was good/ My scientist who made me/...who took care of me...” He paused, unable to finish as his eye began to haze over with salty tears. Remembering he needed to be strong, especially in the face of a stranger, he rubbed his eye with his wrist, forcing himself to continue.
“They took him away/ I don't know where he is at./But Braden is bad.
He took parts from me/ Added parts to my body...” he pointed to the implant in his head and neck. “I am different now.”
“Is that why you talk...all...odd?” Axton found himself whispering. 'A' simply nodded, folding his legs and sitting criss cross, staring out into space. The two were quiet for some time, wordlessly contemplating their situation. Axton made the realization that this kid had absolutely nowhere to go, he was born at a base and couldn't possibly survive out on his own. 'A' seemed to be thinking something similar, his worried gaze ever drifting around the air craft as if contemplating what he should do next with himself. Axton also realized that by saving 'A'...he had made him his responsibility. Him, the most reckless of Dahl-soldiers, incapable of working on a team, was now the sole care taker to this abandoned child.
“Sarah would never allow him to stay.” He muttered under his breath. There was no way he could take him back to base. He knew Dahl wouldn't take a walking Hyperion experiment lightly, heck they might even kill him on sight. He couldn't risk it, it would totally defeat the purpose of saving him in the first place.
“Where are we going?/ Are you taking me away?/ To somewhere very far?” 'A' asked, timid as he fiddled with his fingers. Axton noted how he oddly only had eight of them.
The soldier sighed heavily, raking his fingers through his drooping hair...his gel was wearing off. This had been exactly what he was regretting, all the questions. He usually wouldn't have minded, but right now he was just as lost as the experiment kid. He was drifting in space, aimlessly aiming for what he hoped was a populated planet. He hadn't the slightest clue where they were going or if they would even get anywhere before starving to death in the empty ship.
“Well...I need to get back to my home base, and you need a home in general. But before we can go anywhere we have to get the navigational system fixed. So hopefully I'm taking us to a planet where there is people...who can fix this.” He jabbed a thumb towards the dash where sparks still sprung into the air.
'A' nodded in understanding before finally deciding to crawl back to his chair. The two didn't converse much during the tedious flight through void space. Occasionally Axton would think of another question for the confused experiment to answer and would start up a minute or two of small talk, but the conversations weren't long and hardly stayed on one subject.
Eventually the soldier ran out of things to say as he focused on manning the ship towards the planet that had finally gotten close enough to make out. It was a dark brown orb covered in little orange splotches of either man made light or volcanic activity, Axton couldn't tell yet. What he could see however, was that it was very dark, masked in shadows as it slowly orbited.
“We'll be landing soon.” Axton informed 'A', winking over his shoulder encouragingly. However, his attention was quickly snapped back to the planet ahead when the dash began to beep loudly. A red light blared and flashed, omitting a warning sine over the frontal glass. 'A' squeaked in fear, recalling the shrieking siren of the zoology sector before it had caught on fire. He feared the ship would do the same. Quickly he darted from his seat, grabbing Axton's arm fearfully, surely the soldier could protect him.
Axton however was too distracted by the alarming warning sign to notice the boy's state of panic.
“Incoming missile.” The control pad warned as it screamed at him. Axton didn't have much time to react when he finally caught site of a bright yellow streak zipping right towards the ship. He yanked on the control wheel, jolting the aircraft to the side. The soldier's reflexes were fast, but he was no pilot. The missile snagged the tail end of the ship, completely dislodging the engine before it flitted off a few feet and exploded. The whole aircraft rattled and shook with vicious tremors as even more lights flashed and beeped.
“Engine failure. Make an emergency landing.” The dash instructed. Axton's knuckles paled as he gripped tightly onto the ship's yoke, trying to control the plummet towards the dark planet bellow.
“Buckle up!” He demanded of 'A' for the second time that day. 'A' was quick to listen, shutting his eye as he prepared himself for the worst.656Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFKzQentnr
Author: And so our heroes finally talk for the first time ever!
Axton: You really picked the wrong person to save that kid. I am absolutely awful at team work.
Author: All in good time my dear, all in good time.
Sarah: Time won't help him, he is beyond saving. He doesn't think of anyone except himself.
A: *sneezes*
Axton: OMG KID, ARE YOU SICK? *throws a tissue box* ARE YOU GETTING COLD? *smothers him with his jacket*
Author: You were saying?
Sarah: .....
ns 15.158.61.12da2
