[ Video - Locked to friends of Sideswipe ]

[flame_flurry]

[Axel's not a big fan of locking things so ... non-specifically. But he's kinda running low on options here. And let's be honest: he has no idea who all Sideswipe considers a friend.I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you all saw Sideswipe's reaction to Optimus going to Sleep. If you didn't, just look back a couple weeks. Nautilus made it all

Comments

[Voice // Private]

[flame_flurry]

I know what you mean. He's not usually in the habit of calling me a "murderous little monkey".

[Sure, that particular description was used when Axel - having lost several years worth of memories - was deliberately egging Sideswipe on. But still.]

[Voice // Private]

[flame_flurry]

What do you mean, delving in?

[Voice // Private]

[flame_flurry]

[There's a little pause before Axel responds.]

Digging into a person's memories like that isn't without its risks.

[His tone isn't a disapproving one; he just sounds cautious. The Organization did plenty of messing around with memories, after all.]

But as far as cause goes: my guess is this started with something that Labyrinth-monster said to him. I just don't know what it was.

[Voice // Private]

[flame_flurry]

... Right. That.

[That little murder that Axel paid absolutely no attention to, back when it actually happened.]

So, what do you suggest? Even if it is that memory, we can't exactly take it apart without affecting all the ones connected to it.

[Voice // Private]

[flame_flurry]

[An abrupt silence greets those words. Were the video on, Lelouch would see that the silence is accompanied by Axel physically drawing back. Because as much as he's come to like and respect Lelouch ... taking away emotions just isn't an option for the Nobody. Not after everything he's been through.

[When the silence does end, Axel's tone has changed. It's not angry, but it is serious as hell.]

That's not a solution I can support.

[Voice // Private]

[flame_flurry]

I'd rather turn him into a dog and muzzle him than go down that road. Got it memorized?

[No, he's not exaggerating. At all.]

The second you take away something that strong, it's like undoing a link in a chain. It quits shaping who a person is. And it's not confined to just the negative. Anything that came out of it - like drive and motivation - it's all meaningless. There's no feeling backing it up.

You wind up with a memory that should influence you, but it's like reading a textbook of someone else's life: all info, no impact.

[Voice // Private]

[flame_flurry]

Divert it. Keep it locked down until he can get control of it himself. Turn it into something he can grow from instead of cutting it out.

This is Nautilus, right? Try hard enough, and we could probably drag it out as a physical manifestation. Let him actually fight it and overcome it that way.

[Rapid-fire responses, those; all ideas brought on by Axel quickly scrambling for any alternative (even ones that mimic the Shadows Nautilus brought forth before). He's massively biased, and he knows it ... but he still believes he's right.]