Navy Blue

"This is really bloody wonderful, you know?"

"Spaaaaaaaaaace!"

"I'm trapped forever to float in the void of space with a core obsessed with space."

"Space space spaaaaaaaaaaaace!"

-()-

The navy hunter sat outside, looking up at the artificial stars. Something about them was peaceful for the child-like Axl. By now he was an S-rank hunter, but everyone still seemed to look down upon him. Synthetic or not, the night sky was one thing he could talk to without ridicule or snarky comments.

"I still so know so little about my past… It really bothers me at times. I guess this must've been how Zero felt in the early wars…"

Two shooting stars crossed the sky, seeming ever larger.

"Maybe the human tradition of wishing on meteorites will do something… Worth a shot."

Before the smallest of the S-ranked hunters could make their wish, something fell on the balcony and knocked him out. When his green eyes opened again, there was one big blue one staring at him.

"Hello and who might you be kid?"

Groggily, Axl replied, "My name's Axl. Who and what are you?"

"Well I am, or rather was the insane overlord of Wheatley Science until those meddling girl and potato completely screwed up my plan for laboratory domination and threw me into space with another complete bloody idiot that's obsessed with space. Lovely bloomin' day isn't it?"

"Whoa, slow down there sphere-guy! Start with your name or something."

"I am the Wheatley core and it's been just a wonderful day for me!"

"I haven't heard of Wheatley Science, where is that?"

"It's underground in the middle of nowhere I tell you! And I would be its master if that stupid potato didn't kick me out!"

"Umm, I think I'll let you relax a bit…"

Axl bolted out of his room, confused by the visitor. This was a job for someone the same shade of blue as the thing's eye, or whatever it was, X.

"X, I need your help."

"Don't you DARE cover me in acid again! That kind of prank isn't funny!"

"No seriously, I need your help! Something just fell from space on the balcony outside my room and it talks!"

"Are you sure you're not having a weird dream again?"

"No, please come now! I promise it's not acid or a dream."

"Okay then… But if you pull something funny I'll have to get Zero in here and the word is, he's in a really bad mood right now."

The azure reploid exited his quarters, and much to his surprise, Axl was not trying to pull a prank. Weird dream was still in the scenario though. Even more to the blue bomber's surprise, there indeed was something weird on the balcony.

"About bloody time someone came! Now where was I…? Oh! The potato!"

"Wh-what…?"

"Apparently a potato forced Wheatley here out of being the insane overlord of Wheatley Science."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"The more I hear from Wheatley, the more confused I get."

"How hard is it to tell someone a bloody story around here? Oh, nice costumes too. Is it already Halloween or something?"

Both hunters remarked at the same time, "Yes, he's crazy."

"Let me see if Zero can make any sense of this guy. If anyone can follow this logic, it has to be Zero."

X ran off to find Zero, leaving poor Axl to slowly go crazy with the ever-speaking Wheatley

"Now I know why humans say be careful what you wish for…"

"Come on, I can't be that big of a problem to a little kid like you! I helped keep a woman alive and safe from a potato's wrath!"

"Is this potato the Potato God or something?"

"No, she's much worse. She's GLaDOS."

"Grr… X better not be dawdling…"

-()-

"Zero, you'll never believe it!"

"What now?" Zero was clearly in no mood for games.

"A strange mechanical ball just flew in from space onto Axl's balcony!"

"Is this some dirty prank you're pulling?"

"No, it's not!"

Mustering up a superhuman amount of strength, the azure reploid managed to drag the red robot to Axl's room.

"So as I was saying, the potato took back her body and sent that idiot Space Core and I into space. Being trapped in the endless void of space with a core obsessed with space is torture! Plain bloody torture!"

"Save… Me…!"

"So this isn't a prank after all. What is this?"

"Gah… Overload…"

"Seems like Axl won't be any help for a while… Wheatley, this is Zero."

"I can't say yet if it's a pleasure to meet you yet madam."

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"

It took all of X's remaining strength to prevent a furious assault on Wheatley. Axl began blubbering on about nonsense like flying monkeys. Typical sugar-rush five-year-old kind of stuff.

"Wheatley, Zero greatly despises being called feminine, so please keep that in mind next time."

"LEMONS! Don't you get me started on the LEMONS!"

"Get. That. Idiot. Out. Of. HERE!"

"Please calm down Zero, we want to figure out who Wheatley is and we need some Zero Logic to fulfill that task."

"Grrh…"

"SPAAAAAAAAAACE!"

"Oh bloody wonderful, Space Core is landing here also!"

Another mechanical ball plummeted out of the sky, and it hit Zero head-on. At least Wheatley was safe for a while now. This core had a yellow eye that seemed to be going crazy.

"SPACE! I WAS IN SPAAAAACE!"

"Yeah, like we have been for nobody knows how long. Calm down already!"

"SPACE!"

"I can see why you'd be annoyed, Wheatley."

"You should've heard him when we were actually in space! Drives anyone mad instantly!"

"Space space SPACEEE!"

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Get this bloody idiot de-activated!"

"SPACE!"

"Umm…"

"Where was I again…? Oh! So then there was this question that the potato asked me that was so easy! She said 'This statement is false' and it's so obviously true!"

"Argh! Not the classic how-to-stop-a-rouge-AI-statement!"

X then joined Axl in nonsensical rambling, rolling all over the floor in the process. With all the commotion it was a wonder why nobody came. The navy hunter then rolled completely off the balcony to a kind meeting with the ground, five stories below. Or at least he would have if he suddenly didn't wake up.

"Ugh, what was all that about…?"

"Would you like some SPAAAAAAACE with your morning wake-up routine?"

"Oh bloody wonderful…"