The Alien Agenda (#Wattys2018)

[Chapter 52: Betrayal]

"Axel... no...," I said, refusing to believe  the bitter truth.

Axel did not wait for me to cope with the situation. He charged at me and we were suddenly engaged in a hand to hand combat.

"I would have shot you down by now. You're lucky they want you alive," he said as he shot my leg, but I successfully dodged it. I tackled the blaster in his hand and flung it away, leaving him weaponless. We began throwing punches, dodging and kicking, engaged in our fight.

I was simply confused, shocked. I did not know what to think. Axel was not on my side? How long was he like this? Since the beginning? I felt a piece of my heart removed leaving it hollow.

"Axel, you have been working with the aliens... all this while?" I said in between our punches. My voice cracked at the end.

Axel grabbed my arm and pulled it behind my back, spinning me around,"Took you long enough to find out. Aren't I amazing at disguising?" His said into my ear.

I elbowed his gut, and flipped myself over him, releasing myself from his grasp. I got into stance, but I was trembling and he saw it.

"You can't be serious..." I said still refusing to digest the fact.

Axel did not reply, instead he hooked his arm around my neck and flipped me onto the ground. Lying on the ground I kicked up, hooking legs around him and bringing him down. We went on and on fighting with each other while my mind began clicking the pieces together. I thought back to the beginning.

I remembered when we hacked into the blueprint of Area 51. The anonymous hacker was only present when Axel and I were there. Was it actually Axel's doing?

I dodged one of Axel's punches. I gasped as Axel landed a punch in my gut, knocking the wind out of me for a moment. I fought back, repeating my series of moves.

I thought back to when we infiltrated Area 51. The passageway had no guards. It was a secret pathway for the extraterrestrials. And only Axel could have found it.

I remembered how he somehow just knew the password to the containment chamber. It was not an impossible coincidence. He really did have the knowledge of the password, and possibly everything else.

Which made sense why his memories did not get wiped out by the government agents, but mine did. He was a part of them all along.

He was the one that choked me when I was deep in my subconscious. It made sense. After all, he was the only one there at the time.

And when the defense system activated when we tried to enter the force field of Atlantis. Axel must have set off the alarms. It had to be him. But he must have covered it up somehow, making them unable to detect him as the enemy.

Was that why he did not trust the Atlanteans?

He was never on our side.

How did I miss these things? Why was I only realising them now? Was I that naive to trust Axel so easily?

Unless it was all part of his plan, to make me trust him.

I dodged another blow. Axel's moves were quick and matched my own. He was as skilled as I was. It was almost impossible for the fight to end.

The blaster on my back felt heavy. It was the only other advantage I had over him. He could not blast me, as he needed me alive. But I could shoot him.

But why didn't I?

Because I couldn't? Because I wouldn't?

I dodged and rolled on the ground putting some distance between us. Axel paused and so did I. I eyed him once again.