by Parker, Jack
Leon just sighed as he walked back over to his Geno, his hands now deep in his pockets, his back slightly hunched over. He was sick of thinking for one day. He just wanted a nice long rest after this. However, for some reason he couldn't stop thinking about the arrogant ace knight. I'll never understand her. With his mind made up, he got into his Geno, bringing it back to life. It was time to go home and take a nice, long rest. Both of them greatly deserved it. After all, it wasn't everyday you conquered your fear.
* * * *
General Gordan sat in the main room, staring at the monitor. He had his arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently. If there was one thing he hated it was waiting. He had sent Abby and Brian out a while ago to investigate the sighting of the mysterious Geno, and they had yet to contact him about it. He couldn't help but worry. Exactly what had happened? Had they found it? Did they contact Ray? Did they fight with it?
"Gordan?" called a familiar voice over the speakers. He looked to the screen as Brian's face came up, a very serious expression on it.
"Brian, thank God," Gordan sighed in relief. "What happened out there?"
"We found the Geno, sir," he began
"And?" wondered Gordan. A smile crossed Brian's face before he answered.
"We did it," he said. "We finished it off." The officials in the room were all cheering, some doing so inwardly while others outwardly expression their joy. The knights had really done it.
"How is everyone?" wondered Gordan, needing to be assured that all of his knights were okay.
"We're all fine," stated Brian, "all four of us." Gordan quirked an eyebrow. Four? Who had been the forth?
"Four?" he questioned, voicing his curiosity.
"Well, when we found Ray, Leon Solaris was with her," began Brian with a slightly nervous smile. "We ended up dragging him into the battle as well." Gordan just sighed. Ever since Ray had met the Solaris family, he was hearing Leon's name more and more often. If Leon was going to participate in the battles, why not just make him a knight? Why did he even want to fight with them anyway? Didn't he understand that he could die? Some people were so confusing.
"Gordan, we'll be there in a bit, okay?" said Brian. "Abby and I are on our way back now."
"Alright," he said as the screen went blank. He couldn't help but smile. His knights were alive, and not only were they alive, they had defeated the machine that had killed so many of the others. Maybe things were finally going to start going his way.
"Sir!" called one of the officials, a rather excited tone to his voice. Gordan turned to him, a question playing in his eyes.
"What is it?" he asked, unsure if he wanted to know or not. Was it more good news, or was this going to be something bad?
"It's a message," began the official, "from Trin." Gordan quirked an eyebrow as a smile formed on the man's lips. "One of the knights there may have survived."
CHAPTER 24
One More Threat
Ray and Leon got back to the Solaris base around dinner time, and they were sure that Dr. Solaris was fretting about them by now. After all, they had been gone for half the day. Any parent would be worried. Sure enough, the second they walked through the kitchen door, he was right there, his arms crossed and a worried scowl on his face.
"Where were you?" he asked rather angrily, causing both Leon and Ray to feel slightly nervous.
"Um," began Ray, wondering just how to explain their situation. "We kind of ran into a slight problem." Dr. Solaris only quirked an angry eyebrow, his eyes not leaving the two young adults before him.
"What kind of problem?" he asked.
"See for yourself," said Leon, wondering if that was such a good idea.
Dr. Solaris walked past them and began to make his way into the hanger. He nearly fell down the stairs from shock as he bestowed his eyes on the two feline Genos. Leon's was full of dents in the armor, even some holes. Ray's was much much worse. In fact, hers didn't even have armor. The glossy black armor was now gone, showing the raw gray and black skeleton of her Geno. Some of the wires could be seen since there was no longer anything protecting them.
"What happened?" he asked, finally sounding more curious and concerned than angry.
"When we were in the desert," began Ray, "we ran into Abby and Brian. They were…out looking for that monster Geno, the one that killed the knights."
"And?" he asked, knowing full well that that wasn't the end of the story.
"…We found it," she stated rather simply, as if having all the armor ripped off her Geno wasn't fazing her in the least.
"You…found it?" he asked, his face paling at the thought. That Geno had taken out eight GRC knights, and Ray was acting as if the encounter had been nothing.
"We're all okay though," she said before he could ask about it or go ballistic on either herself or Leon. "We managed to win the battle, but…needless to say I didn't get off so easy." She gave a sheepish smile as she looked over her Geno. "Guess I'll have to take it in tomorrow."
"I might as well too," said Leon while standing on the stairs, looking at his own. "I probably can't fix the armor with what we have here." Dr. Solaris glanced between the two of them, wondering if both of them were perhaps insane. They had just faced one of the most deadly Genos on the planet, and all they were talking about was repairs. Shouldn't they just be relieved that they were both still alive? Why the rush to get their machines back into working order?
"Let me get this straight," he began, drawing their attention away from their Genos. "You two were just in a serious battle with a powerful Geno that could have very well killed you both, and all you care about are how soon the repairs can be made?"
"Yeah," said Ray. "What's wrong with that?" Dr. Solaris just sighed. He would never understand the way they thought. He was a genius, not a psychiatrist. As far as he was concerned, they were beyond help anyway. Their minds were too warped. There was nothing he could do. It's not like it really mattered much anyway.
"I can't believe one Geno was able to rip off that armor," he said, seeming to think this over. "What kind of weapon could do such a thing?"
"Whoa," said Ray, shaking her head. "That Geno wasn't what ripped off my armor. Give me more credit than that." Dr. Solaris turned to her, obviously confused now. If it hadn't been the Geno, then what had done it?
"Then how did that happen?" he asked, pointing towards her bare Geno with a missing glass eye.
"Um," began Ray. "It was sort of my fault that that happened. I was so focused on winning that I really wasn't thinking much about my Geno. You see, I was using a four point cannon, and…"
"A four point cannon?" he questioned in disbelief, cutting her off in the middle of her explanation. Four point cannons were rare; in fact, they weren't even supposed to exist anymore. They had been destroyed at least fifty years ago because they had been seen as threats to the lives of the pilots. Everyone had agreed. Where had Ray gotten one from?
"Yeah," responded Ray, "but I only used two of them. I'm not rash enough to use all four without my silver armor. If I had, well…I'd rather not think about it." She smiled as she finished that sentence, but it gave away how afraid she was of the weapon. She should be. A four point cannon was deadly. All four points would have annihilated her Geno. There would have been no escape, no hope in surviving. She had gotten lucky the way it was.
"Ray," began Dr. Solaris, "where did you get it?"
"From an excavation site," she said. "It was a few years ago. I asked Gordan if I could install it, and he said it was alright as long as I didn't use it often. This is the first time I've used it in two years. I've never used all four parts of it, because, well…I have to admit, I'm a little scared about what might happen."
"I don't blame you," Dr. Solaris said while crossing his arms. He was going to have to think about this. What was a four point cannon doing in an excavation site? If that really was where it had come from, then what about Ramirez? Had he found one by now? Did he have that kind of power as well? The thought was bone chillin
g. The idea of one of those horrific cannons still being around was enough. They didn't need to have two.
"Anyway," began Leon, "this has been fun and all, but it's dinner time, and I'm hungry."
"No shame," sighed Ray with a small smile, earning her a glare from Leon. Dr. Solaris just smiled at the two of them. Things were really getting interesting. With Ray living with them, everything was different. Leon and Chris weren't bored that often anymore, thank God. He hated having to put up with them when they were just lounging, being the lazy boys he had grown accustomed to. Having Ray around had proven to be a good thing in more ways than one.
"I guess I should start dinner," said Dr. Solaris as he began heading up the stairs, back to the kitchen. Leon quickly followed with Ray not far behind. It was getting late, and they had both missed lunch. It was kind of hard to think about food when you were in a life and death battle.
* * * *
Gordan ran to the console and slammed his hand down on a button. The screen quickly brought up the image of a man dressed in a military uniform.
"General Gordan," said the man, saluting respectively.
"What's this about one of my knights?" asked Gordan, very anxious for the news. If one of his knights was still alive, he needed to know.
"Yes, that," began the man, dropping his arm. "We have reason to believe that one of the knights from Trin is still alive. He was in the base during the attack."
"Yes," began Gordan as he crossed his arms, "but that base was obliterated. Nothing but a hole was left." The man on the screen smiled.
"Exactly," he said. "Not just any hole. We did some investigating, and that hole wasn't made by the destruction of the base. A Geno in its water form made it. We think he managed to escape before the base was destroyed. He's probably heading your way as we speak."
"Which knight?" he questioned, wondering who could have escaped. He had an idea, but he needed to know for sure.
"Jace," the man answered, and Gordan couldn't help but smile. He had been expecting that. Jace's Geno had originally been a water base. That explained how he had gotten out in time.
"Thank you captain," said Gordan. "I'll contact you if he shows up." The captain only saluted one more time before the screen went blank. Gordan couldn't help but feel good about this. Everything was going his way. The knight killing Geno was gone, another one of his knights was alive and hopefully coming to Nerid, and there hadn't been any disturbances in Torran. Everything was great. It looks like things are finally going my way.
Ray was walking through the park in Torran, a smile on her face and her head in the clouds. It was another day, and it was rather early. She and Leon had taken their Genos into the shop. The man who usually fixed Ray's Geno nearly passed out when he had seen the damage done. Needless to say he had never seen a Geno in that bad of shape. He said he'd fix it though, and she was going to take his word for it.
Currently, she was just walking around Torran, not having anything she needed to do. She was slowly making her way towards the hospital, and she decided that she might as well see how Aaron was doing. It's not like she had anything else to do.
She walked up to the hospital's front doors and just went right in, heading to the front desk. The receptionist looked up and smiled when she saw Ray. They all knew her there. She had been in too many times for them not to know who she was.
"Hello Ms. Cayden," she greeted kindly. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for a patient," responded Ray. "His name is Aaron. He should have been brought in yesterday around…four or five o'clock." The receptionist began looking through her records, looking for one that fit Ray's description.
"Ah, here it is," she said, pulling out one of the files. "He was the man with the chest wound, right?" Ray nodded, and the receptionist stood up. "Follow me. I'll take you there myself."
"Thanks," said Ray as she began following the woman down the hallway.
"It's no problem," she assured her with a sweet smile.
They passed room after room, going down about three different hallways. After a while, they finally arrived at the right room. The receptionist opened the door, and Ray walked in, going over to the bed. Aaron was lying there, staring out the window. The television was on, but he wasn't paying it any attention.
"Hey Aaron," she greeted, startling him. He snapped his head in her direction and sighed in relief.
"It's just you," he began with a small smile. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to visit you, of course," she said with a smirk. "I had to make sure you made it."
"I'm fine," he told her as she made her way over to his bed. "I've been waiting, though."
"Waiting?" she questioned, deciding not to sit down. She didn't plan on being there for long.
"To see Andy," he said. "You know, that kid is the only one at the base that's not a blood thirsty jerk. He isn't insane like Ramirez, and he isn't sick like Nathan. He's the only one worth talking to there."
"Yeah," agreed Ray, and she didn't even know the people there. She would take his word for it.
"Ramirez was wrong about you knights," he told her. "You're a lot different from what he said, Ms. Cayden."
"Ray," she corrected him. "Just Ray."
"Very well then," he said with a smile. "And if I may ask, what are you doing in Torran?"
"Leon and I were dropping our Genos off at the repair shop," she said. "The four point cannon really did a number on my Geno." He only nodded, remembering the damage done to the once black Geno. The armor had been torn completely off. She was lucky her Geno hadn't been destroyed. The ace knight without her Geno wasn't much of a knight at all.
It was silent for a moment as Ray looked out the window, surveying the area. The park wasn't far. Maybe she'd go there next. As she made that decision, she turned to Aaron, a smile on her face.
"I've got to get going," she told him. "If I see Andy, I'll send him over, alright?"
"Yeah, okay," responded Aaron with a small yawn. He was starting to get tired. Hospital rooms seemed to do that to people. Maybe it was the calming white color that was everywhere.
"Bye!" she called as she walked through the door, only receiving a wave from the ex-commander. It was time to go look for something to do. She began to wonder where Leon had ended up. There was something he had said that she was supposed to remember. Oh well, it doesn't matter. I'll remember it later.
* * * *
Andy sighed to himself as he walked down the next to empty pathways of Torran city's park. He had come to visit Aaron, but he realized that he had no idea where to even start looking. Torran was a huge city, and he was trying to find someone who didn't really want to be found. How was he supposed to go about doing this?
He walked with his head down, unaware that on the path that intersected with his, Leon Solaris was running, not exactly watching where he was going. He was too busy looking for something or someone. Ray, you jerk! Why did you just ditch me? Just wait until I get a hold of you. You'll pay for this.
Leon was so caught up in his own thoughts that when he stepped into the intersection, he nearly knocked over Andy. The fifteen year old boy genius stumbled back a little, but he didn't fall.
"I'm sorry," apologized Leon. "I didn't mean to run into you."
"That's alright," said Andy, not really caring much. He hadn't really been paying attention either.
"Hey kid, can I ask you something?" asked Leon.
"Sure," responded Andy, still not really caring. He might as well help this man out. What harm could it cause?
"Have you see a girl about this high?" he questioned, placing his hand at Ray's height or what was pretty close to it. "She has red eyes, blue hair, keeps the left side of her face covered…" Andy was quickly snapped from his small stupor. This man was talking about Ray.
"You mean the ace knight?" he asked, not sure exactly what this man wanted with his "sister".
"Yeah, have you seen her?" Leon asked, seeming rather anxious. Andy only shook his hea
d. He had yet to see Ray today. Usually if she was in Torran she ended up at the park. "Oh well," said Leon with a sigh. "Thanks anyway." With that said, he ran off down the path, still searching for the ace knight.
Andy continued on his way, now keeping his eyes on the road. If Ray was in the park, he was going to find her. Maybe she would know where he could find Aaron. He began to wonder what that man had wanted with Ray. He was sure he had seen him somewhere before, but he wasn't sure where.
"Andy!" called out a cheerful female voice, one he would recognize anywhere. He looked down the side road and saw Ray approaching, a smile on her face. "Hey, I was looking for you."
"Hi Ray," he greeted, and his mind returned to Leon. "There was some guy looking for you." Ray paused, a confused yet thoughtful expression on her face.
"What kind of guy?" she questioned, having a pretty good idea about who it was.
"He had brown hair, kind of violet colored eyes, and a red headband," began Andy.
"Leon," she sighed, her suspicions being proved accurate.
"You mean Leon Solaris?" questioned Andy, now realizing why Leon had looked so familiar. "Why was he looking for you?"
"I don't know," answered Ray as she crossed her arms and contemplated this. Why would Leon be looking for her? It suddenly hit her. "Now I remember," she stated, a slightly surprised look on her face. "Man, I completely forgot. I was supposed to wait for him at the repair shop." She sighed out of either disappointment or worry. Andy couldn't tell. "I just got so caught up in what the repair man was saying that I sort of forgot. When he was done explaining, I just kind of left. We were supposed to go run some errands for his dad."
