Also I need hex and Slasher to have a weird relationship like there is so much there to talk about. Both robots made for a specific purpose being misused at the hands that made them, one already knowing the freedom they got afterwards and one still stuck thinking this is the way things must be. Hex extending the hand of friendship that was given to him before and hoping it can help Slasher, but Slasher only takes it as a distraction. He ignores the love in Hexs words because he knows getting attached will make it hurt worse. He ignores the way his heart swells when Hex kisses him because he knows it'll be ripped away soon. But when the time comes to hand Hex in he doesn't hesitate because his knowledge of what Infernus will do to him scares him more than than the possibility that they both will be hurt no matter what so he may as well survive on his own terms.
And when Hex wakes up in that cage with his lover staring him down, memories flooding his head as he comes to, he doesn't scream and he doesn't swing. He just looks back at Slasher with broken eyes, turning away from him with pain instead of fear running through him. And there he stays for days upon days, with no one in sight to rescue him. Slasher visits more and more often, growing more irratic and violent then the last. Overtime Hex grows wiser, piecing together Slasher’s look he gives to him compared to Infernus. He looks at Infernus with nothing but hatred, but he looks at Hex with pity. So, Hex extends his hand again.
Hex begs Slasher to see the poison underneath Iris's foundation, the poison that's been so deeply rooted in him since the day he was made. To see the disregard that's given for his own life. To see that he's treated not as a person but as a tool to discard the moment it doesn't work. And as much as Slasher yells at him and denies it, the ages spent questioning his life finally come to a head. And for just a moment the wall falls. He falls to his knees to whisper to Hex that he's afraid. He doesn't want this, he never has. He wants more than anything to let Hex go. Slasher reaches a hand into the prison holding Hex.
Infernus storms in, a decision finally made. He boasts and parades as he unlocks Hex's cage, yanking him away by the arm as he beckons Slasher like a guard dog. He sings praises to Slasher with every step as he brings Hex closer and closer to the room that held the blood of many victims before. And as he forces Hex onto his knees, he brings Slasher in close to tell him the grandest of news. Thanks to this final prisoner, Slasher has gained one of the highest positions for one like him. All he has to do is one last thing. Infernus presses a gun into Slasher’s palm, and reality hits him like a truck. He doesn't want this. He never wanted this.
Slasher’s hands shake as he approaches Hex. He isn't afraid, and all he can do is bow his head with tears running down his screen. Slasher cocks the gun, carefully raising it with hands shaking. He was about to do something he may regret for the rest of his life. His finger hovers over the trigger, and he shoots.
Infernus is shaken by the bullet hitting his chest, his hand rushing his suit as Slasher stands frozen. Before Infernus can move, Slasher immediately grabs Hex by the hand and runs as fast as his legs can take him. Together they run through the tiled halls as alarms blare with their step. Through turns and roadblocks they run and run until they finally reach the exit, but Slasher keeps them running until they approach Hex’s mansion.
As they finally reach the door, Slasher stands panting as the events rush through him. He just shot his boss and ran away with the person he was meant to kill. His thoughts start to spiral, thoughts of being a murderer on the run, of whether he even deserves to escape the hell he was made in, whether what he had done was worth it. But before his mind can truly lose itself, Hex puts a hand on his shoulder. And pulls him into a hug. Neither of them move for a moment, but slowly, Slasher hugs back. He takes a moment to do something he had never had the chance to under Iris's thumb, and he rests. As Slasher buries his monitor into Hex's neck, Hex gives a gentle unseen smile as he pulls him in closer to whisper what he had been begging to say. "I knew you could do it."
