Perfect Sacrifice

by Parker, Jack

  "Hey," he called to them as he slowly began to make his way over. He looked around the hanger, quickly noticing that something was missing. "Where's Ray's Geno?"

  "I don't know," answered Dr. Solaris as he looked back out into the desert. Chris looked out across the vast ocean of sand, a forlorn expression on his face.

  "Where is she?" he asked his father. Dr. Solaris only sighed as he removed his glasses in order to clean them. It was more like a habit than an actual need.

  "Leon…said a few things to her that he probably shouldn't have," explained Dr. Solaris, stealing a glance at his eldest son. "She got upset and apparently ran away."

  "Oh," said Chris as he lowered his head sadly.

  "Come on," said Dr. Solaris as he began to head towards the stairway. "Let's head back to her room and see what she took with. Maybe we'll be able to figure just where she went."

  * * * *

  Ray's room was full of stuff, completely opposite from its original empty state. There was a book shelf lined with different novels, strategy guides, and magazines. Her dresser was full of different clothing items, and her closet was packed to capacity with clothes and other objects that apparently had nowhere else to go. She had painted her walls three days ago, now a baby blue instead of white. It had gone from plain to beautiful in just a few days.

  "Nothing," said Chris as he finished looking around. "Everything is here."

  "Except for her backpack," pointed out Leon, "and her skates." Chris walked over to Ray's bed stand, opening the small drawer. His eyes widened as he backed away a little.

  "Look at all those weapons," he said, drawing his father's attention. Dr. Solaris walked over and looked into the drawer, not seeming too surprised. There were daggers, a short sword, and an assortment of different handguns.

  "Well," he began, "she is the ace knight. I suppose she has to be equipped."

  "But she left it all here," pointed out Chris. Dr. Solaris crossed his arms and began to walk to the door.

  "I think it's safe to say that she'll come back," he said as he opened the door. "She wouldn't just leave this all behind." He walked out into the hallway. "All we can do is wait."

  * * * *

  The day went by quite slowly without Ray around to make it interesting. Dinner came around, and still she wasn't back. Currently, it was approaching midnight, and they had yet to hear from their cocky friend. Surely she would have called them by now. However, there was no word from her, no messages left or anything. She was just gone, and not a single one of them knew when or if she was coming back.

  Dr. Solaris walked out from his study, finally done with his work for the night. He was heading to the kitchen to get a glass of water when he saw someone sitting on the couch.

  "Leon?" he questioned, drawing the attention of his eldest son. "What are you doing up? It's past midnight."

  "I know," he responded lazily, "but I can't sleep." Dr. Solaris sighed and walked over, taking a seat next to his son. It was hard to believe he was twenty-one. The boy still acted like a child at times.

  "What's wrong?" he asked him, waiting patiently for an answer.

  "I just…I can't stop thinking about what I said," he began softly. "I didn't mean to…" He lowered his head more. "No, I meant it. I really had wanted to make her mad, to make her hate me. I don't know why, but now…"

  "Just don't think about it," cut in Dr. Solaris. "Ray will come back. She's strong. She can take care of herself."

  "But what if…" began Leon. "What if something happens to her? It'll be my fault." He balled up his fists tightly, his head still down. "Damn it," he cursed softly, unable to finish his most current thought.

  "Get some rest," ordered Dr. Solaris as he stood up. "I'm sure she'll come back tomorrow. Ray is very capable. She can handle herself. There's no need to worry about her." Leon said nothing as his father left him alone on the couch. For some reason, even the words from his father couldn't quell that guilt he felt. He couldn't help but think that something was going to happen to her. If she never came back, if she got hurt, he'd be the one to blame. With that thought running across his mind, it looked like sleep wouldn't be coming for him tonight.

  The next morning rolled around quite quickly, and Leon had removed himself from the couch, only to sit in the hanger. He was leaning against the far wall, sitting near the back leg of his Geno. He was simply staring out at the wide desert through the large hanger doors. He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there, but he really didn't care at this point in time. Riddled with guilt, he could do nothing but wait.

  A soft roar caught his ears as his attention suddenly snapped to a single point out in the desert. Something was approaching, something black. He waited until it got a little closer before standing up. It was a Geno, slightly smaller than most. A small portion of his guilt disappeared, replaced with a strange kind of relief. He still had a lot to be worried about though.

  The Geno reached the hanger and then slowed down, padding carefully on the metal floor. It walked over to the other two and then stopped, crouching down. The cockpit opened, and out jumped Ray, her small blue backpack hanging loosely on her right shoulder. She sighed deeply before turning towards the stairs. Her expression faltered when she saw Leon approaching her.

  "Hey," she said softly. He stopped in front of her, and they both just stood there in an awkward silence. Unable to stand it, Ray took in a deep breath.

  "Listen Leon, I…" she began.

  "I'm sorry," he said, cutting her off. He watched as the confusion swiftly washed over her features. "I shouldn't have said those things to you."

  "Still, I…" she began, rubbing her arm. She looked away in shame. "I shouldn't have hit you."

  "It's alright," he assured her. She didn't seem convinced.

  "It's just that…when people talk about my Geno like that, I…I tend to overreact," she explained. She looked to her Geno, her eyes filling with pride. "No one understands just how much it means to me." She turned back to Leon, and her expression fell. He looked horrible. His hair was unkempt and tousled, and his eyes were half closed. Bags were forming under them. His posture was very forced, as if he was struggling simply to stand.

  "What?" he asked her softly as he watched her study him.

  "Are you alright?" she asked, noticing the way his voice just fell, not containing too much of any emotion or life.

  "Of course," he said. "Just a…little tired is all." Ray studied him a bit more, dissecting his words and his appearance. It didn't take her long to realize what was wrong.

  "Did you…stay up all night?" she asked him, sounding a little surprised.

  "I was waiting for you," he told her, his eyes slowly closing all the way. "I…felt bad about what I had said, so I had to make sure you came back. If something had happened, it would have been my fault." He was barely able to control the words coming from his mouth anymore as they all took on a heavy tone.

  "Leon, you need to get some sleep," she told him. "Come on, let's go…no, wait!" It was too late. Leon was already out cold, now falling towards her.

  Ray did her best to try and support him, but she hadn't been ready, not to mention the fact that her left arm was still a little sore. She fell back, managing to sit up, but Leon was lying across her legs, now on his back. His head was resting on her lap.

  "Damn it Leon," she cursed, obviously annoyed. "You did that on purpose!" There was no comeback from him, since he was still sound asleep. Ray's annoyance quickly subdued as she just watched him for a while. The gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed was somewhat soothing. Ray couldn't help but admit that he looked quite cute just lying there like that. Why was it that sleep always made people look so innocent?

  Slowly, she got out from under him, making sure to keep his head from slamming into the hard metal floor. She stood up slowly, still watching him. A smile tugged at her lips, and she could feel them curling into a grin. No one, other than Gordan, had ever fretted about her to the point of losing sleep. She felt
a little guilty, but it quickly went away as she just watched him for a while more.

  "Sleep tight, Leon," she said as she began to head to the stairs. "…Sweet dreams."

  CHAPTER 10

  Motivation

  A man sat alone in a dark room, lit only by a single blue light. He was in a chair, his legs propped up on the desk before him. His dark attire fit in well with the essence of the room itself. He appeared to be quite bored as he sat there, twirling a stray strand of silver hair that had fallen before his cold eyes. He stared at the door to his room as if waiting for something he knew was going to come. As if to prove his suspicion, the door opened slowly.

  "General Ramirez?" questioned the man at the door. His voice was soft and a little uneven. Fear laced itself through his eyes as he took a step into the room. Ramirez said nothing to the man, so he continued forward.

  "What did you find out?" asked Ramirez the second the man reached his desk. He was staring at the strand of hair he was currently twirling with his fingers.

  "Um…" began the man. "T-they know about the excavation site." Ramirez stopped twirling his hair and gave a deep sigh.

  "What else?" he pressed.

  "The…the ace knight," the man began hesitantly. "She's still alive." Ramirez snapped his attention to the man, a hard glare on his face. He removed his feet from the desk and stood up to face the man.

  "You haven't gotten rid of her yet?" he asked angrily.

  "N-no sir," responded the man as he quivered in fear. Ramirez's cold blue eyes were full of resentment for both the man before him and the ace knight.

  "I want you to find her and kill her," ordered Ramirez. "Do you understand?"

  "Yes sir, but…we're not sure…where she is." Ramirez's glare became harder yet.

  "What do you mean? She's at the GRC base, isn't she?" he asked.

  "No sir. She was put on probation, and she isn't staying there. We're not exactly sure where she is at the moment." Ramirez growled out of annoyance as he turned and walked towards his door. "If I may ask, sir, what do you want with her?" Ramirez stopped and glanced back at the man.

  "I want her dead," he told him. "It's as simple as that. Without that girl around, we'll have no problem taking over the GRC headquarters." With that said, he left the room, deciding that it was time he started doing a few things himself.

  * * * *

  Ray opened the door to the kitchen and carelessly let it slam shut behind her. She instantly drew the attention of Dr. Solaris and Chris. They were sitting on the couch in the living room, watching TV.

  "Ray," said Dr. Solaris, drawing her attention.

  "Hey guys," she said as she walked towards them. Chris smiled brightly at her.

  "I'm glad you're back," he said.

  "Hey, I wasn't gone all that long," she told him with a smile.

  "Ray, where were you?" asked Dr. Solaris, causing her to lose the smile.

  "Out," she answered, trying to avoid the question.

  "I want the truth, Ray," he demanded, once again taking on a fatherly tone. Ray just sighed as she sat down on the couch next to him.

  "I was checking out the excavation site," she told them. "Before then, I spent some time in Torran just to cool down a little. I talked with Sam for a while, saw gramps at the repair shop, and then wandered the desert."

  "For an entire day?" asked Chris.

  "Is it that hard to believe?" she questioned curiously. "I used to do this all the time at the base."

  "Ray, the next time you go out like that," began Dr. Solaris, "I'd appreciate it if you'd leave a note of some kind. Leon was up all night because of you." Ray bit her lip and looked away, ashamed.

  "I know," she told him. "It's not like I meant to make him worry. I thought he'd be happy that I left. I didn't think he'd want me to come back."

  "Where is Leon?" asked Chris, noticing that his brother wasn't in the base.

  "He's asleep in the hanger," said Ray as she stood up, stretching her arms. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some rest." Before they could say anything else, she disappeared down the hall and into her room.

  * * * *

  "Sir?" questioned Abby as she poked her head into General Gordan's office. He glanced up at her from his clipboard. He set the object down and motioned for her to come in. She carefully closed the door and took a seat in front of his desk.

  "What is it?" he asked her.

  "You had said you wanted to see me," she reminded him. He leaned back in his chair and sighed.

  "That excavation site…the one Ray went to," he began. "I want you and Brian to check it out."

  "Without Ray?" questioned Abby, as if the very thought seemed impossible.

  "She's still on probation," reminded Gordan. "I want her kept out of as many of our affairs as possible for the next month. You two should be fine. I simply want you to observe them for a while."

  "Understood," said Abby as she stood up. "I won't tell Ray."

  "Good," he said as he turned around to face his window. "You're dismissed." Abby stood up and left the room quietly, heading down the hallway to find Brian. They had a mission to accomplish.

  Ray and Leon were sleeping the day away. Leon was for obvious reasons, but Ray was just bored. Sleeping seemed to be a good way to solve that. Ray wasn't sure how long it had been, nor did she care. It's not like she had anything important to do anyway. It wasn't until a soft beeping came from her communicator that she finally opened her eyes. She sat up, somewhat annoyed, before pressing the small button and flipping up the screen.

  "Hello?" she asked tiredly.

  "R.C?" questioned Abby, a hint of worry in her voice. Ray picked up on it quickly and snapped herself from her tired state of mind.

  "Abby? What is it?" she asked, now fully aware and alarmed.

  "The…excavation site," began Abby. The screen was blurry, and now her voice was beginning to fade. "Come…hurry…Brian and I…" The screen went blank, her voice fizzing out along with it.

  "Abby?" called Ray, praying for an answer, but the screen didn't relight. It was just gone. Ray jammed it down and got up, running towards the door. In the process, she grabbed her blue backpack, swinging it over one shoulder as she burst from the room. She ran right by Chris and Dr. Solaris, stopping as she reached the door to the hanger.

  "I'm going out for a while," she stated as she threw the door open. "I'll be back by dinner." Before they could get in a word, she was gone.

  Ray ran down the stairs, her boots clattering against the metal. She jumped the last few stairs and sprinted across the hanger to her still crouching Geno. With little effort, she jumped into the cockpit, closing it by hitting a small button. Gears began to turn as the mighty cat was brought to life. It stretched its back and flexed its legs. It gave off a loud roar, echoing through the metal room.

  Leon was sound asleep until the roar of an awakened Geno caught his ears. He slowly cracked his eyes open, forcing himself to sit up. He was snapped to attention when he saw Ray's Geno take off across the hanger. Before he knew what was happening, she was bounding off through the desert.

  Leon got up and ran to his Geno, climbing into the cockpit. He quickly brought his white cat to life and used the boosters to set it at Ray's pace. He ran out into the desert, keeping his eyes on the retreating form of Ray's black Geno. Leon wasn't about to let her go off on her own again. If she wanted to disappear for a while, he was going to go with her.

  The two Genos ran through the desert, their boosters flaring, kicking up sand that swirled through the already thick air. Leon wasn't sure where she was going or how long this was going to take. The scenery, however, began changing after a while. The desert was becoming rockier.

  After about ten minutes of pure running, some lights appeared in the distance. They would brighten and then fade, and then they'd appear in a different place. The sound of explosions was soon picked up by the wind, being carried to their ears. Leon kept his eyes on Ray, but in a burst of speed, she became nothing but a blur.
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  Leon scowled as he reached for the switch that would accelerate his boosters. He froze, however, when Ray's words from their battle resurfaced in his mind. Breaking the sound barrier could easily destroy him and his Geno. He wasn't trained for high speed battles.

  With an exasperated sigh, he placed his hand back on the control stick. He would just keep going forward in hopes of eventually finding Ray again.

  The excavation site was full of activity right now as two Genos tried to defend against over twenty. Every time one would go down, another would take its place. They were pouring out of the large hole in the ground. The two Genos were currently hiding behind a rather large rock formation.

  "Damn it, they just keep coming," said Brian as he pushed his Geno up against the rock formation, keeping out of range of the bullets that were flying everywhere.

  "I guess we can't tease R.C about this place anymore," noted Abby. "We were discovered about as quickly as she was." The sand exploded around her Geno's hind legs, and she moved closer to Brian.

  "Look on the bright side," began Brian. "At least Ramirez isn't out here." A large explosion rang out, and the rock formation began to crumble, the pieces falling towards the two of them.

  "Run!" shouted Abby as her Geno bounded away from the falling debris. Brian ran the opposite direction and quickly opened fire on the enemy Genos, taking out as many as he could. Abby did the same. Unfortunately, more started coming from the excavation site, and the barrage of bullets increased. Soon it would get hard to dodge.

  "This is endless," noted Brian as he tried to take out a few more.

  "Hurry up R.C," prayed Abby softly as she focused on dodging the swarm of bullets. The ground began to tremble beneath her, but her mind was elsewhere at the moment. She couldn't feel anything. Before she knew it, the ground beneath her shattered, and a Geno in its water form threw her into the air. She cried out as her Geno hit the ground.

  "Abby!" shouted Brian, looking to his fallen comrade. In his moment of distraction, he was met with heavy fire. His Geno crumpled to the ground, barely staying out of a system failure.