“Axl?  How you holding up?”

The gunner blinked, snapping out of his drifting thoughts and turning his head toward the rough, familiar voice.  “You should be resting,” he said instead of answering the question.

“I’m not going to fall over.”

“Your core nearly got split in half.”

“What’s your point?”

Axl rolled his eyes, shaking his head as Skrah moved to stand and peer over the edge of the roof alongside him.  “I’ve spent the last two weeks resting,” Skrah pointed out, looking just slightly uncomfortable about being in casual civilian clothes rather than full armor.

“Two weeks,” Axl murmured, sounding a bit absent.  “I can’t believe it’s already been two weeks . . .”

Silence.

“Axl . . . ?”

“Sorry.  I’m just tired.”

Skrah’s expression softened almost imperceptibly, though he didn’t reach out for fear of Axl simply shrugging him off.  “How much rest have you gotten since then?”

Axl laughed bitterly.  “What rest?” he said.  “Between making sure everyone feels safe and traveling back and forth between here and Anacua, diplomacy, checking up on injured, when have I had time to rest?”

The former gladiator raised an eyebrow, but some part of him seemed to sense that Axl was in too stubborn a mood to really listen at this point.  They were lucky, really, that they had at least one city on their side at this point.  Having even a few police officers who would look the other way or outright side with innocent Reploids was a near-blessing.

As was being able to find some semblance of safety in Donnelsbury, a gang war having left the city half-destroyed and abandoned a number of years ago.

“I don’t know what to do next,” Axl said after a long silence, his voice soft and almost tired-sounding.  “This . . . this is just the start of it.  There are still so many arenas out there, and I’m trying to organize it all in my head but . . .”  He drew a sigh, lifting a hand to rub his forehead.  “God, I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Your best,” Skrah replied, turning his gaze toward the Reploids milling about outside of the next door warehouse.  It was almost fascinating to him, in a way, how quickly they had organized themselves, the older and more experienced units in the group of escapees seeming to take it upon themselves to protect those who were younger or still wrapped in fear.

Not that all of them didn’t still carry a healthy dose of paranoia, mind you.

“They trust you, you know,” the former gladiator added when Axl didn’t speak.  “And so do I.”

“It’s going to be dangerous as all hell,” Axl murmured, his brow furrowed with thought.

“Obviously.”

Silence.

“You don’t really plan on trying to do this alone, do you?”

“It’s not as if I have much of a choice,” Axl said, at last turning his head toward his friend.  “I can’t very well justify asking anybody to join me in risking their lives standing up to humans and breaking people out of gladiator arenas.  The last escape wasn’t exactly pretty.”

He paused, narrowing his eyes slightly at the absolutely deadpan stare that Skrah fixed him with.  “And don’t give me that look,” he added.  “I’m not asking you, either.”

“You didn’t,” was the blunt reply.  “I’m telling you that I’m staying with you.”

Axl rolled his eyes and turned away with a resigned sigh, shaking his head and looking down over the edge of the roof again.  “They’re waiting, aren’t they,” he said.  “They’re all waiting for someone to organize them and tell them what to do next.”  His lips twitched in a frown.  “They’re waiting for me.”

"Axl..."

Without answering, the gunner straightened up and vaulted himself over the edge of the building, pressing his heels into the wall to slow his descent with the ease of long years of practice. He heard a clank somewhere nearby, and he sighed in resignation when he saw his friend making his way down the fire escape. "You plan on sticking around, you're gonna have to learn how to scale walls," Axl pointed out.

"Fair enough."

"Stubborn ass gladiator," Axl muttered under his breath.

"I heard that."

Axl simply rolled his eyes and motioned for Skrah to follow after him as he made his way toward the warehouse, one of the Reploids guarding the entrance straightening at the approach. "Relax," Axl said. "You're a door guard, not a soldier. "Gather everybody up and have them meet me inside, okay? I need to talk to everyone for a bit."

"Right on it, sir!"

The gunner almost physically winced at being called 'sir', though he was quick to shake it off as he made his way inside. Skrah was close behind him like a living shadow, silent and deadpan as ever.

Most of the Reploids inside were either sitting on the floor or dozing, though a few seemed too restless to do more than pace or mill about. Several of them looked up at the sound of footsteps, and Axl was admittedly relieved to see a number of the group brighten at the sight of him. At least they seemed to trust him…

"Ev..." Axl felt his voice start to waver, and it took him a moment to calm down and steady himself. He still wasn't quite used to making speeches for crowds, after all. "Everyone, gather over and listen up. There's some stuff we all have to discuss."

"You're fine, Axl," Skrah murmured, so quietly that only the gunner would hear. "Just breathe and relax."

Axl nodded almost imperceptibly, waiting a few moments for everyone to crowd around, as well as for the Reploids outside to filter in and join the group. "I'm...I'm pleased to say that everything's going well so far," Axl started, trying to make his mouth and his processor work at relatively the same speed. "You've all done...I'm really impressed by how everyone's banded together. And how you've taken it upon yourselves to organize, for the strong to guard the weak, and for everyone to take their turn keeping watch over everyone else."

He took a deep breath, all the gazes fixated on him mostly serving to make him want to go duck and hide somewhere for a while instead of facing all this. He'd never been trained for this, taught for this. He didn't know how to lead. He didn't want to lead.

But everyone was counting on him to do so.

"The question remains," he went on after a moment to gather his thoughts, "as to what happens next. And...and the honest answer is, at this point, I don't know. The prejudice and danger isn't over just because one city has had their minds changed, and one group of Reploids has been liberated. Nothing is even close to over."

Another pause, and his expression hardened just slightly, a cold weight settling in the pit of his stomach. "What all of you do from here on is your choice, and yours alone. This city, as well as the nearby city of Anacua, is safe for us." As safe as it could get, at least. "Regardless, I'm...I'm proud of all of you for the courage you've shown, during the escape and even now. Thank you, all of you."

"But sir," one Reploid piped up softly. "I-I didn't even fight, I was too frightened..."

A soft smile graced Axl's lips at that, something in him seeming to soften slightly. "You were still brave to follow us, and to stay with us," he pointed out gently. "Courage isn't just about fighting."

"What are you going to do next, sir?" someone else asked.

"I..." Axl took in a slow breath to calm himself, Skrah's presence near his side more comforting than he was willing to admit out loud. "I have no choice, I'm afraid, but to keep fighting until peace is established between humans and Reploids. Until all of our brothers and sisters are free, or until the last scrap of energy leaves my core. Whichever comes first."

"By yourself?"

"I wouldn't force any of you into this," Axl said, his voice quieting a note. "As I said before, what you do from here on is your choice, and yours alone."

There was a long silence, and for a few seconds Axl feared that he had lost their attention.

"Well I'm not going to sit on my ass and do nothing," someone suddenly spoke up, and Axl recognized one of the Reploids who had been dedicated to checking and double checking that every cell was empty during the escape. "Wherever you go, Axl, I plan to follow."

"There's probably materials around the city," someone else put in. "Beds and clothes and scrap metal we could use."

"A couple of us might be able to get jobs in Anacua too," a third voice added. "Or medical training or something."

"Wh..." To Axl's amazement, that had seemed to spark the entire room into a chatter, some Reploids backing away as if unwilling to risk themselves, but many beginning to look brighter and more eager as ideas were thrown out. They were certainly far from the tired, spiritless units Axl had first met in the arena.

He glanced at Skrah, and the former gladiator merely shrugged and nodded toward the chattering crowd as if to encourage Axl to carry on. "Hey now," Axl said. "Hey come on, one at a time, you-"

Something seemed to snap into place for him, and he straightened up and raised his voice as he gave a loud call of, "Everyone, stop the chatter and listen up!"

The room went silent, and this time Axl didn't shy when all eyes turned toward him.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm," he said, the faintest of smiles beginning to twitch at his lips, "but I can only listen to one of you at a time. We'll need to get an organized system in place for guards, patrols, medical procedures, and training for combat, defense, and teamwork. Has anyone here worked in construction or engineering?"

To his satisfaction, several hands went up.

"Good," he said with a nod. "For now, everyone with construction or engineering experience, left side of the room. Anyone with medical experience, south side; combat training, right side. If your skill set varies, go where you feel you'd perform the strongest for now and discuss it with me in person." His gaze softened faintly. "And anyone who doesn't want to be a part of this, you're free to go. You don't need to put yourself on the spot or give your reasons to anyone if you don't want to, but I'll be available to speak with you if you wish."

He turned his head slightly, and it was a moment's pause before he spoke up again. "Once we get more settled, we'll start organizing duties and hierarchies. But regardless, if I'm unavailable for one reason or another, you may defer to my second-in-command." As he said as much, he gave a small nod toward the unit still standing silent and unwavering at his side. "Any immediate or pressing questions or concerns?"

Silence.

"Right then," Axl said, drawing his pistol and raising it over his head. "Then let's get moving and start standing up for ourselves! We've all done enough sitting around, it's time we started fighting for our freedom! Break into groups and get on task!"

As the group split up without a moment's pause or protest, Axl allowed himself a small if tired smile, and a moment later a mutter of, "Told you so," came through his earpiece in a private transmission.

"Shut up," he replied over comm. "Dick."

  "I'm sorry, I thought I was your second in command now."

"You are. And you're also a dick. Now quit snarking at me and get to work."

"Sir, yes sir."

It was a long day, to say the least. One of the longest Axl had been through in ages, and that was saying something. Plans were quickly put into place to turn the warehouse into a training area- and, Axl hoped, eventually a full simulation deck- and adjacent office and apartment buildings were declared to be converted into medical wings and dormitories, respectively. The gunner's head was spinning from all the transmissions he'd answered and sent throughout the day, and it was nearly four in the morning before he finally got a chance to sit down in his new bedroom.

"You're going to crash if you don't get some sleep," his roommate pointed out, not stirring from where he was leaned against the far wall examining a handheld trans-server. "Go to bed."

"Jeez, hi to you too," Axl muttered as he sank down on his own bed. Not the best mattress in the world, but he didn't think it was fair to be picky right now. "God, I'm exhausted and I feel like I've done one percent of the five hundred things I need to do."

"The rest can wait," Skrah said bluntly, though after a moment he lifted his head to fix Axl with a visibly concerned gaze. "You alright?"

There was a long silence, Axl slowly trying to gather his racing thoughts into something that made a relative amount of sense. No, he wasn't okay, he didn't want to do this, he didn't want to have all of these Reploids looking up to him and counting on him for everything, he didn't want this responsibility and he didn't want to be a leader like this.