Perfect Sacrifice

by Parker, Jack

  "Dr. Solaris?" questioned Ray. "What are you doing here?"

  "I figured that the three of you would come here if I waited long enough," he responded as he came out of his hiding place. He sighed as he adjusted his glasses. "This may be a mistake telling you this, but Ramirez is responsible for this break in."

  "I thought so," said Ray as she clenched his fists. "Is he here?"

  "I'm afraid not," he said, sounding relieved at that fact. "I did, however, see quite a few of his men walk in. There was a boy with them, dressed in a lab coat. He didn't look any older than fifteen." Ray turned her attention back to the building and watched as a few men walked out, carrying an assortment of metal. They were heading towards the Geno where a car was parked underneath.

  "What are we going to do?" asked Leon as he watched the men place the metal in the car.

  "What else?" asked Ray as she opened her backpack and pulled out two pieces of metal. She put them together, creating a rather large riffle. She shouldered it and turned her attention to the Geno. "We take them out."

  "Are you insane?" questioned Chris softly. "They have a Geno with them."

  "Exactly," she said as she took the gun in both hands. "I'm going to take it out first." She held it up, placing her finger near the trigger. She began to aim at the massive creature, pointing towards one spot in particular.

  "You can't take it out with a gun," said Leon as he crossed his arms.

  "Two shots," said Ray as she lined up the exact spot she wanted. As soon as the men who had been loading the metal went back in the building, Ray fired too shots right after another. The Geno cried out as it slumped to the ground, just missing the car full of metal.

  "H-how…?" questioned Leon, shocked at the outcome.

  "One to pierce the armor," began Ray, "and the other to crack the core." She smiled in pride of her work.

  The cockpit opened, and a man jumped out. He was about to make a break for the building when Ray stepped into the area, pointing her riffle at him.

  "Don't move," she said as she placed her finger near the trigger. The man froze, deciding that it was better to obey than to be shot.

  "Who are you?" sneered the man, his eyes narrowing slightly.

  "I'll ask the questioned," stated Ray harshly. "What are you doing here? What is Ramirez after?" The man's eyes widened.

  "How did you know?" he asked in wonder. Ray only smirked in response.

  "Tell me what you're after. What do you need with that metal?" she asked, glancing over at the still intact car. She had meant to crush that with the Geno.

  Before the man could answer, the other men came out of the building, their arms full of metals and other equipment. They took one look at Ray and dropped everything. Surprisingly, not a single one drew a gun. Perhaps they didn't have any.

  "Who are you?" asked one of the men.

  "None of your business," she stated arrogantly. "Tell me why you're here, or I'll pull this trigger." The man in front of her seemed nervous right now. They'd probably just let her shoot him.

  Before Ray could do anything, a single shot rang out, ramming into her riffle. It was sent flying into the air, landing a long distance behind her.

  "Damn it, I missed," said one of the men as he quickly reloaded his gun. He appeared to be the only one with a weapon.

  Ray broke into a run before he could shoot at her again. She sped towards the man in front of her, quickly punching him in the face. Before he could fall, she kicked him in the side. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious. She then ran towards the group of five.

  The man with the gun had finished reloading and soon lined his sights up with Ray as she was approaching. However, he never got the chance to pull the trigger. Leon had come up from behind to knock him out with a hard punch to the back of his head. The gun flew from his hand, clattering to the cement ground.

  Ray took out another guy who fell to the ground, not showing any signs of getting back up. She continued on her path, but two more men came from the building, instantly going after her. Leon was distracting a few others. She'd have to thank him for this later.

  One of the men began running away from the building, heading towards the car full of metal. Ray was quick to chase after him, leaving Leon on his own without a weapon. He was doing fine, however. Unfortunately, another man broke away, heading for the gun that had been discarded. Leon gave chase, managing to catch the man right before he reached the gun. The silver pistol had fallen near the first man Ray had knocked out. He appeared to still be unconscious.

  Once Leon was done with the stray, making sure he was out cold, he ran back towards the few that were just coming out of the building. If he could get to them before they had a chance to draw their weapons, he'd have a better chance.

  As soon as Ray was done with the man she had chased, she looked around the area. Her eyes quickly fell on a man who had just picked up the discarded silver pistol. It was the first man she had knocked out. He was aiming the gun at a retreating Leon. There were no screams of warning from either his brother or father, seeing as how they had gone to alert some remaining officials at the main police station.

  Ray's eyes widened as the world seemed to slow down for a moment. She could see Leon running and the man holding the gun. This was all so familiar. Too familiar. Everything seemed to stop as a distant memory ran through her mind.

  Everything was suddenly gone, replaced with the desert. She could see Lee running as fast as he could towards the GRC transport. Ramirez stood a good distance away, a hand crafted and specially made silver pistol in his hand. His cold ice blue eyes were focused solely on Lee. His finger pulled the trigger, and in a split second, Lee stopped running. His back was arched, his eyes wide with pain as the bullet bore itself into his body. He was thrown off his feet, now slowly falling to the desert sands. There was nothing anyone could do. No one could save him.

  Everything came back as Ray blinked her eyes hard, trying to rid herself of the memory. She snapped her attention back to the man with the gun. His finger was slowly pulling the trigger.

  Without thinking, Ray ran towards him, determined to get between the gun and Leon. She reached to her backpack and withdrew two of her daggers. She got between the two just as the gun was fired. She used her dagger to block, but the weapon was ripped from her hand, and she was knocked down.

  Leon stopped running and watched as Ray got up into a sitting position by using her elbows. Before the man could fire his gun again, she threw the second dagger at him, lodging it in his chest. The gun fell from his hand, clattering to the ground. He pulled at the dagger, but it took a few times before it came out. He discarded it, the metal blade now covered in crimson.

  Ray walked up to him and picked up the gun, emptying it of its bullets. She wasn't about to take anymore risks. The end of this battle needed to be easy.

  The sound of a car starting quickly drew her attention. The truck they had been loading with metal was now running, the engine being revved as a sign for any remaining men to hurry up.

  Leon was soon thrown to the ground as some of the men began to flee. There were quite a few of them left. Ray watched them, deciding not to go after them for now. Against six men, she didn't have as good of chances. Not to mention that her wrist was throbbing from having a dagger ripped from her hand like that. Her eyes widened a little, however, when she saw the boy Dr. Solaris had mentioned. There was a fifteen year old dressed in a white lab coat amongst the men. He was carrying something in his arms. What it was, she didn't know. She didn't care right now. The boy was intriguing enough.

  "Andy," she whispered as she watched him get into the passenger's side of the truck.

  The loading vehicle sped off, streaking down the street until it was out of view. Ray watched it until she couldn't see it anymore. She then went to Leon, who was proceeding to get back up.

  "You alright?" she asked, looking him over for injuries.

  "Yeah," he answered softly, rubbing his left arm a little. He looked to the dow
ned Geno and then to the building. "Just what were they after?" he asked.

  "I don't know," she answered as she began to walk away, heading towards the Geno.

  "Ray," called Leon, drawing her attention. "Thanks." She just smiled.

  "No problem," was her only reply.

  "No, it wasn't 'no problem'," he said walking up to her. "You could have been killed."

  "I'm used to it," she said with a shrug. "It doesn't bother me much."

  "Ray…" he began, only to get cut off.

  "I said it was nothing, so don't dwell on it okay?" she said rather quickly, not bothering to look at him as she said it. "It was nothing," she repeated rather softly, her eyes filling with remorse and remembrance. Leon decided to just leave the subject alone. Besides, the familiar sound of police sirens was approaching rather quickly. Too bad they were too late. Most of the men had already left.

  "Leon! Ray!" shouted Chris as he ran from one of the police cars. He went over to the two of them and began looking around. There were men everywhere, each one currently unconscious.

  "Well…" began Dr. Solaris, surveying the area. "I guess you didn't need help after all." Ray just smiled, obviously proud of her work.

  Another car pulled up to the building, and Ray's pride filled smile fell. She quickly moved behind Leon.

  "Hide me," she whispered, peeking around his shoulder.

  "What are you doing?" he asked before watching the car doors open. From the car emerged three people: Gordan, Abby, and Brian. They appeared to be observing the battle sight. Gordan was anything but pleased.

  "What the hell happened here?" he asked, a deep scowl on his face. The streets were a mess, littered with metal and unconscious men. Not to mention the fact that a Geno was blocking off a good portion of one of the streets. His eyes soon landed on the Solaris family.

  "Dr. Solaris?" questioned Brian. "What are you doing here?"

  "We were spending the day in Torran when this happened," explained David Solaris as he motioned towards the building. Gordan looked around the area once again, sighing in disappointment.

  "This figures," he said. "Most of them got away." He looked to the Solaris family, his eyes landing on Leon. Ray quickly tried to get out of his line of sight but failed by a second. Gordan crossed his arms, his eyes darkening.

  "Ray," he demanded, tapping his foot impatiently. "I know you had something to do with this." Ray smiled sheepishly as she moved into the open. She rubbed the back of her head while turning her attention to the ground.

  "Hey Gordan," she said, seeming a little nervous.

  "Did you do this?" he asked her, but he quickly sighed and shook his head. "What am I saying? Of course you did this. You're always doing this. Ray, you're supposed to be on probation…"

  "I know," she cut him off. "I'm really sorry, but they were robbing the building. I couldn't just sit it out." Gordan didn't seem to care as he continued to impatiently tap his foot.

  "Ray, this…" he began, only to be cut off again.

  "Andy was there," she said softly, her expression falling. That simple statement seemed to change everything. Brian and Abby both seemed quite shocked, and Gordan dropped his arms, his foot ceasing to tap.

  "You're sure?" asked Abby. A nod from Ray was her only answer.

  "This changes everything," whispered Gordan, sighing afterwards.

  "If I may ask," began Dr. Solaris, drawing everyone's attention. "Who is Andy?" Gordan took in a deep breath, realizing that the explanation may take a while.

  "Andy is a fifteen year old genius," he began, using the bluntest terms he could come up with. He wanted to make this short and understandable for all who were listening. "He works for Ramirez as a researching. When he was younger, he was with us, but after his parents died, he switched sides. He blamed us for their deaths. Ramirez promised him revenge, so he helps research the excavation sites."

  "He's only fifteen?" questioned Leon in disbelief.

  "Yes, and he specializes in old ruins and sacri studies," explained Brian. "He's absolutely brilliant."

  "He's like a sponge," said Ray. "He absorbs everything, never forgetting a single piece of information."

  "General Gordan," called one of the officers. He motioned for Gordan to come over, who only sighed and turned to Ray.

  "It looks like we have a mess to clean up here," he said in extreme disappointment. He surveyed the site once more. "I guess we'll have to interrogate these men. We need to figure out what Ramirez is up to."

  "I can…" began Ray, but it was her turn to be cut off.

  "You're not helping," he told her. "You're still on probation. I want you to stay away from anything even remotely related to the GRC. After your month is up, then you can investigate this stuff. Until then, just please stay out of trouble."

  "But…" she began in protest.

  "Please Ray," he pleaded, his voice and expression showing that he really meant this. She gave a defeated sigh and hung her head.

  "Okay," she whispered. "I'll stay out of it."

  "Good," he said as he turned away to face the officer who had called for him. "I will, however, thank you for taking care of this. I'm amazed that you actually paid attention when we taught you how to disable a Geno with a riffle."

  "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked while crossing her arms.

  "You know as well as I do that you slept through most of those classes," he said, earning him a glare from Ray. "We'll see you in a few weeks, Ray." He began walking away, followed by Abby and Brian. They really had a mess on their hands this time. At least Ray had left them plenty of accomplices to interrogate.

  "Let's get going," said Dr. Solaris. "We still have a long day ahead of us." He began to walk down the road. Chris, Leon, and Ray followed after him. They all agreed that they had had enough excitement for one day. It was time to relax. Besides, there was still the matter of lunch…

  CHAPTER 13

  Excavation Site

  It had been nearly a full week since the break in at Torran. In fact, no one had heard anything about Ramirez or his group since then. Ray had been staying out of the GRC's affairs just as promised, but that didn't mean that she was in any way happy about it. In fact, she spent most of her time alone in her room, doing absolutely nothing. If she wasn't doing that, she was mindlessly cleaning her Geno. It was only a small step above staring at her still bland ceiling.

  There had, however, been a battle a few days ago. However, it was a one on one, and Leon had taken it. Ray had only watched him battle, and she had to admit that he was good. He was much better than most pilots. He had only been hit once during the whole battle, and the damage had been minor.

  Currently Ray, Leon, and Chris were home alone. Dr. Solaris was out for the day. He wouldn't be back until the evening. This left them with nothing to do at all. Their Genos were in perfect working order, not to mention completely clean. There was just nothing left for them to do.

  Ray was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. There was something she wanted to do, something she believed she had to do. The only problem was that she was specifically told not to go there. However, she wasn't the type to listen to anyone. She wasn't about to do so this time.

  Ray got up and left her room, walking into the living room where Leon and Chris were playing a game of chess. Both boys turned to look at her as she walked in, heading towards the hanger door.

  "Where are you going?" asked Leon, stopping Ray in her tracks.

  "Out," was her only response as she looked to him and smiled. Leon's eyes narrowed a little.

  "Where to?" he questioned.

  "Just out," she said as she began to head for the door again.

  "Ray," demanded Leon, stopping her a second time. She turned around and watched as Leon stood up, slowly making his way over. "Where are you going?"

  "I…I'm just…" she began, racking her mind for an answer.

  "The truth Ray," he said, his arms now crossed with a very Gordan like expression on his face. Ray sighed i
n defeat, unable to come up with an excuse as to where or why she was going.

  "Fine," she said hotly. "I'm going to the excavation site."

  "What?" questioned Chris as he walked over to stand next to his brother. "An excavation site?"

  "You can't," stated Leon. "Gordan told you to stay out of the GRC's affairs."

  "I know!" she shouted. "But I have to go. He's not doing anything about it. I just want to know what they're doing. Please?" Leon's scowl only deepened, and Ray realized that he was most likely going to say no. And if she decided to go anyway, he'd tell Dr. Solaris. Either way she was going to lose.

  "Fine," he said to Ray's surprise. She began to cheer inwardly until he finished his sentence. "But I'm coming with you."

  "No way," she said, her eyes filling with both anger and slight worry. "Ramirez knows who you are. If you're seen, he'll kill you."

  "You're not going alone," he insisted. "I'm coming with whether you like it or not."

  "Then so am I," stated Chris, drawing their attention.

  "No," they both said in unison.

  "You're not leaving me," he demanded, startling them both. Chris was usually so quiet and timid. He almost never raised his voice. "I'm not going to stay here by myself. Besides, I'll tell dad if you don't take me with." Leon sighed, placing a hand to his forehead. His head was beginning to hurt from all this constant arguing and blackmailing.

  "Alright," he said. "You win. We'll all go." Ray smirked as she silently went to the door. Leon and Chris followed her down into the hanger. They all got into their Genos as Leon opened the hanger doors. The second the doors were fully open, they took off. Leon made sure to close the doors via remote before sprinting off after his brother and Ray.

  * * * *

  Ramirez stood in the desert at the fifth excavation site, the one that the GRC knew the most about. He needed to be there for something that Andy had called him about. He had yet to learn what that reason was.

  "Sir Ramirez!" called Andy as he ran up to the older man, his lab coat flapping in the wind. "We've been working on it nonstop, and it's finally finished."