Disclaimer: I only want to say this once;I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Capcom.

Okay, I just want to pre-warn you, now. If you're one of those people that don't like Axl, you probably shouldn't read this; he's the main character. Oh, and second thing is, Red isn't portrayed as he normally is. If you don't mind this, then go on ahead.

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He stared into the tattered base, feelings of uncertainty plaguing his mind. He backed up a little, being cautious as not to bump into the larger Reploid who towered over him. The hand of the greater figure pressed against the young Reploid's shoulder, and he felt pressure surge through his body. There was no choice for him; he had to obey the orders of his mentor, or he would have no place to call home. Although he had regrets, when he would look up into the elder's eyes, he believed that everything was alright.

"This is it. Are you ready?" Moonlight flashed over the crimson face of the tall Reploid, revealing a jagged scar that ran down his right eye. He was none other than the beloved leader of the Red Alert Syndicate, as well as Axl's father figure. He rubbed the younger's shoulder, as if to comfort him. "You know that we need you for this. You're very special, Axl."

"..I'm always ready..." Axl stared down at ground, moving out of Red's grasp. His tone was filled with misery, regret, and uneasyness. "I know what we have to do. Can we just get this over with, Red?"

Normally, he would love the missions they went on together, as he loved constant action and the feeling of adventure. But now, the attitudes of his comrades had begun to change toward him - and he didn't like it. 'Why is everyone so dependent on the outcome of our missions? Why does it matter what I collect and who I kill?'

Not too long ago, his friends at Red Alert treated him as an equal, and even protected him from danger or harm. Now, their only concern was about the mission, and they never seemed to find the time to care for him anymore. Everything that was once so wonderful had suddenly changed, forcing Axl into a feeling of numbness.The child couldn't take the neglect he was repeatedly given much longer.

A shake from Red forced Axl back into reality. He took a quick glance at the structure, before nodding slowly. Red grinned, kicking open the door to the base. He gently shoved Axl in a short distance, and returned to his former defensive position.

"You know where to go." Red nodded assuringly, and hid behind the side wall, waiting for the planned task to be done. "Don't mess this up, okay?"

"Sure...Whatever you say." With that, he slid to the metallic wall, his back parallel to it. He walked with extreme caution, and his footsteps were made with his best precision, allowing him to move without fear of being detected. Occasionally, he would stop to listen to his surroundings, which did cause him to make a misstep. Despite this, he quickly learned that the guards positioned around the perimeter were inexperienced. A single shot in any vital area was enough to take them down effortlessly. He even earned a little bit of money off them.

Once he finally reached the central hall, he made his way to the front door of the main office, kicking the door lightly, before quickly moving to the side. Patiently, he waited, until an ashen colored, silver-haired Reploid opened the door, checking for the source of the noise. Before he could even turn in Axl's direction, he felt the plasma pierce through his chest, and fell to the floor. Axl kicked the unconscious Reploid's head, and shuddered as a sickening cracking sound reverberated vaguely through the halls. Again, Axl found his behavior astounding, even to himself; however, he decided that there would be time to contemplate these matters, once he completed the task at hand. He knelt to the ground, stealing the DNA data from the victim with expertise.

"This..Why am I doing this?" Axl said quietly to himself, examining the limp body. He couldn't completely force the thought from his mind. "I don't understand...Red says it's 'Kill or be killed' in this world, but.." He slowly rose from the floor, a cerulean aura gleaming over his body. In an instant, his physical appearance had shifted to that of the dead Reploid, allowing him to take on all the characteristics of the one he now knew as Aluce. He walked carefully in, his eyes fixed on the shorter Reploid before him.

"What happened?" He shouted, his cigar almost slipping from his mouth. "What was that noise!"

"Relax. It was nothing." Axl, who remained disguised as Aluce, kept his eyes focused on his new prey and prepared to strike it down. "Why so tense?"

The smaller Reploid glanced downward, grunting in disgust. "Y'know, they found out about our plans, Aluce." He cursed under his breath for a moment, but then looked back up at Axl. "I don't understand. We were very careful, and..."

"Oh, really?" cut in Axl, "Are you sure about that?" He smirked at the short one, stepping backward as he did so.

The stout Reploid gasped, and immediately froze for a moment. He then blinked, and almost lost his balance, "You...You're the traitor! How could you, of all people...How could you betray me?" He looked at his predator in panic, as a handgun materialized in Axl's hand.

"Hm, funny thing about this." The aura returned, shimmering over Axl's feigned body. The glowing slowly began to subside, revealing his original format. He laughed quietly, aiming his gun at the shorter one's oversized cranium. "He didn't betray you it all. Nah, in fact, I took care of him a second ago." With this, the pistol fired a plasma shot, striking the desired target. The dazed Reploid gazed up at his murderer in awe, and fell backward, a loud slamming noise ringing throughout the base.

"How...How did you-" He was cut off by Red's scythe, cutting cleanly across his throat. He took in his final dying gasps, and before he could finish his final words, he fell completely limp. This allowed Axl the DNA needed to complete the mission; however, even though the mission had been accomplished, he felt nothing. There was no joy, or feelings of pride afterward. He stared down into the cold, lifeless eyes, and could feel no remorse for his victim.

'What's wrong with me? I can't even feel guilt anymore. It's all so natural to me, now.' The thought caused him to shake lightly, but again, Red's voice quickly brought him back down to Earth.

"You did good, kid." Red's voice echoed faintly through the hallways, as he ran his fingers through Axl's spiked orange hair. "I'm proud of you. Now, I just need one more thing from you."

"Um, alright, what is it?" Axl asked, his facial features alight with curiousity. Red shook his head, concealing his humorless laughter.

"What, you think I'm going to tell you here?" replied Red, turning his head sharply away from Axl. "I'd prefer the comfort of my own home, wouldn't you say? Besides, you never got around to destroying the security systems. If we stay, we'll be caught."

"..I was going to, but I just wanted to finish this as fast as I could," Axl answered, his voice woven with shame and sadness. "I thought maybe you'd want to get home sooner."

"Don't try to place blame on me. I think what you mean is, you wanted to get home sooner," Red retorted, shaking his head. "Well then, I guess you're getting what you want. Happy?"

Axl stared sadly at the ground, shaking his head slowly. The security systems began to activate, and the base seemed to come alive. The sound of alarms pierced the unnerving silence between father and son, while a monotone, computerized voice shouted 'Warning! Warning!' repetitively. Red motioned toward the nearest exit, and had begun to make for it. Axl remained oblivious to the happenings around him, his eyes fixed with intensity.

A few moments had passed, and the boy had not come out. Red rolled his eyes scornfully, rushing back inside. Security cameras protruded from the walls, searching for the He grabbed Axl by his arm, and pulled him out the way he had come.

"What's wrong with you? I told you we had to get out of there!" Red muttered angrily. "Don't you pay attention? If one of those cameras caught a glimpse of you..." He trailed off, clenching his fists in frustration. Finally, he shook his head, unable to form words. He looked off into the distance, the direction of Red Alert's base, and had begun running for home.

"Father," Axl whispered softly, after Red was out of hearing range. "Why don't you love me?" A single tear rolled down his cheek, pleading for an answer. Somehow, he would earn the pride of his father. He made a promise to himself, that he would never give up, until Red could truly say he loved his child. Axl nodded gently, prepared go the distance to achieve this. Then, he bounded off after Red, a false smile replacing the sadness.

...If only he had known then, just how vast that distance really was...

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First chapter of first ever fanfic, and I hope it was okay.

It's also the revised version.

Special thanks to Menolly5600, for the plot suggestion, and for pointing out my grammar errors; and also to moonymonster, for correcting my formatting problems, and for showing me some of the content was unclear. Everything does look a bit cleaner now, doesn't it?

Remember: I love constructive criticism. If I make any kind of mistake, or something is unclear, feel free to slap me and tell me what it is! It does happen a lot, seeing as though I don't have any special word program that underlines my errors, or a spell check.