by Parker, Jack
"So what are you doing here?" asked Abby.
"Picking up my Geno and looking for Aaron," she answered while stretching her arms over her head. She was still a little tired. She hadn't fallen asleep until about three.
"Oh," began Abby with a smile, "I just saw him."
"Really? Where?" asked Ray, sounding more awake and rather anxious.
"He was in the park," she answered. "He's doing really well, but he doesn't have a job or a place to stay. So…I invited him to come and stay at the base."
"Abby," scolded Ray, but she quickly brought her voice down to a whisper. "Have you forgotten that he was a commander for Ramirez? Staying at the base will be dangerous. What if someone figures it out? Gordan would never forgive him, you know that."
"Relax," she began, a smile still on her face. "We worked it all out. We came up with a cover story and everything. We're going to say he's an ex-commander for Ramirez, and now he's in hiding because Ramirez is out to kill him. We won't mention anything about the spider Geno or about how he killed the knights."
"Well…I guess that'll work," said Ray, seeming to think this all over. It was a pretty good idea. This way he'd have a place to stay, and he'd be protected. They'd just have to make sure that Ramirez never found out about him. After all, Aaron was supposed to be dead.
"Anyway," said Abby as she turned around. "I need to get going. I'll see you later, alright?"
"Yeah, okay," said Ray as she also turned around. "Bye." She walked off as Abby went the other direction, on her way to investigate the warehouse. Ray herself was curious as to why they had been there. What was so important about a warehouse? It was old, rickety, and abandoned. Who would want that?
She turned a few corners, deciding to just head for the repair shop. If Aaron was doing alright, then there was no need for her to go bother him. She would just get her Geno and head back to the base. Dr. Solaris would have breakfast ready by the time she got there anyway.
Ray walked to the back of the repair shop where her Geno sat, fully restored to the way it had been. The custom made black armor had been put on, and the broken glass eye had been replaced. It looked better than ever.
"Hello Ms. Cayden," greeted the man from before. He had a smile on his face as he watched her admire her fixed Geno.
"Everything's done?" she asked him. "All of it was repaired?"
"Of course," he responded smugly. "We'd never call you down if something was wrong. We're sorry it took so long. It would have been done much sooner, but the four point cannon needed some repairing."
"It's okay," she said as she walked over to it. She began climbing up towards the cockpit. "I didn't really need it during that time, so no harm done." She got up to the top and jumped into the cockpit, quickly bringing the large feline to life.
"What about the payment?" he yelled up to her.
"Just send it to Gordan!" she called as she began walking away from the shop. She just smiled. It was nice working for the GRC. Gordan paid for everything. If her Geno needed to be completely repaired, core and all, he would pay for it. It was so nice.
Ray just sat back and had her Geno keep walking. She would pick up her pace soon. She wanted to get home within the hour. She was starting to get hungry, and Dr. Solaris always made a big breakfast. Hopefully they would save her some.
After a while of strolling leisurely, she decided to speed up. She didn't only speed up though. She broke through the sound barrier, watching as the desert flew by her at incredible speeds. She could probably take this for at least ten minutes. Then her body would need a break. Her Geno was fully capable of going at this speed for at least an hour, but she would definitely lose consciousness way before then. After all, even though she was the ace knight, she was only human.
* * * *
Later on in the day, everything was returning to the way it usually was. Jace and Ray would spend their time together, and Leon and Chris would be left out of whatever they were doing. Currently they were sparing with their short swords. It was easy to tell that Ray was going to win. The difference in skill was so obvious.
Ray and Jace swiped at each other, using the dull sides of the swords. They didn't need to risk accidentally hurting the other. After all, they were just sparring. Ray never got much of a chance to practice, but by the looks of it, she didn't need any. She was easily beating Jace. Pretty soon he'd be down on the ground with her sword pointed towards his neck. That's exactly what happened too.
"Man," said Jace as he just sat there, staring at Ray. Her sword was just centimeters from his throat. "How do you keep beating me?" Ray just smirked and sheathed the short sword. She then offered him a hand in getting up, which he willing took. He stole a glance at Leon, who wore a slight scowl on his face. Jace rather enjoyed that look. He was going to make it clear that Ray liked him more. This had turned into a competition, and he was determined to win, no matter what.
"Let's head upstairs," suggested Ray. "I need to go put this away." Jace nodded and followed her up the stairs, passing by Leon and Chris. The two Solaris boys followed after them, having nothing better to do. Chris couldn't help but notice the way his brother glared at Jace. He found it rather amusing, since he knew why. Chris had to admit that Jace was pretty fun to hang around, but he could get annoying. He spent all of his time with Ray, trying to be around her as much as possible. Didn't he understand that she needed time alone or time to spend with Leon?
They eventually made their way into the kitchen. Chris decided to go visit his dad in the study, leaving the three of them alone.
"I'm gonna go change, okay?" she told Jace as she went to her room, leaving Jace and Leon alone in the living room. Leon looked to the chessboard, which had yet to be put away. He might as well reset it. Maybe he'd get the chance to play another game later on.
Jace watched Leon out of the corner of his eye. He decided to try something. He had a plan to get Leon in trouble with the ace knight. After a week or so of living with the other man, he knew more or less how he responded to things. It was time to play around with him a bit. Besides, he knew that Leon liked Ray. The way he looked at her gave it all away. They had only known each other for about two months or so. That wasn't nearly enough time for him to get to know her well. There could only be one reason that Leon actually liked her, or so that's what Jace thought.
"Hey Leon," began Jace, drawing perhaps half of Leon's full attention. He really didn't care about what Jace had to say. He was busy. "How'd you like the sparring match?"
"It was alright," he answered, wondering just why Jace was asking. What did he care anyway?
"I noticed you were watching Ray," he began, and Leon stood up. Jace was really getting on his nerves. Just where was this conversation going?
"Yeah, so?" he asked. He had been watching Ray because she was interesting. She was graceful and very skilled with a sword. She was more fun to watch than Jace was. Besides, he didn't know if this would offend Jace, but Ray was much more beautiful and agile than he was.
"I just want you to know…that you should give up," said Jace, causing Leon to tense up. He clenched his fists, refusing to turn around and face Jace. "I mean, I've known Ray for the majority of my life, and you've only known her for…what? A few months maybe? I know her a lot better than you do."
"We're just friends," Leon managed to say without growling it. He was really starting to get annoyed at the redhead. He had no right to imply anything.
"Yeah right," sneered Jace. "I've seen the way you look at her. You like her, I can tell. Well, I've got news for you. She's not interesting in somebody like you." Leon gritted his teeth, his nails threatening to break the skin on his palms. He wasn't going to say anything. He wasn't going to hurt the man behind him. For Ray, he would find a way to resist.
Jace knew he was starting to get to Leon. He could see it in the way his shoulders shook. He was mad, and Jace was just going to keep pushing. He glanced down the hallway and noticed that Ray was just coming out of her room. It was time to f
inish this.
"After all, you just want her for her body," he told Leon, and that was it. He had hit a nerve with that comment. Before he could even react or comprehend just what was happening, Leon spun around and connected his fist with Jace's head. He hadn't broken anything, but he did end up knocking the knight to the ground.
"Shut up! You don't know me at all!" he shouted at the downed knight. There was anger flaring in his dark violet eyes. However, all Jace did was smirk, because his plan had worked. Someone else had seen this happen, and she was anything but pleased.
"Leon!" scolded Ray as she ran over to the two boys. Leon's eyes quickly lost their fierceness as he watched Ray get down by Jace, looking over the injury. The side of his head was turning red. It would definitely leave a bruise.
Leon just stood there, dumbfounded. Why was Ray helping Jace after what he had said? Hadn't she heard it? He soon realized that this was probably what Jace had planned. Why else would he have picked this time to say those things?
"Jace, are you alright?" Ray asked, concern hanging heavy in her voice. She quickly snapped her attention to Leon, her expression full of disbelief and anger. How could he do that? Leon was always so reserved and more or less good natured. Why would he attack a friend of hers, more so a friend that was also a GRC knight?
"Ray, I…" he began softly, but she quickly cut him off.
"What the hell is your problem Leon?" she asked angrily, not waiting for him to explain himself.
"But he…" Leon tried again, only to once more get cut off from his explanation.
"I don't want to hear it," she said, turning away from him. "I don't want to see you right now Leon. Just get the hell out of my sight."
"But Ray…" he tried one last time.
"Just go!" she shouted angrily. A great deal of hurt flashed through Leon's eyes, quickly being consumed by how angry he was at Jace. Instead of trying to explain himself again, he bolted, doing as Ray had said. He was going to leave. He ran into the kitchen and threw open the door, letting it slam against the wall. He just didn't care anymore. He needed to leave for a while, so he got in his Geno and quickly left the hanger, racing through the desert.
Ray was helping Jace to his feet as he nursed the now forming bruise on his face. She felt bad about what had happened to her fellow knight. She was wondering what had gotten into Leon. He was always so tolerant. Why would he hit Jace?
"I'm sorry about that," she apologized.
"It's alright," he said, a small smirk playing in his eyes and on his lips. "In fact, I'm glad you got rid of him." Ray quirked an eyebrow, wondering just what he meant. "After all," he continued. "He only liked you for your body."
A loud crack sounded in the living room, and Jace was quickly nursing the other side of his face. In front of him stood Ray, a deep and angry scowl on her face. Her hand was still positioned from when she had slapped him.
"How dare you?" she asked angrily. "Leon isn't like that at all! How could you say something so horrible? You don't know him!" Realization quickly hit her, her eyes losing all their anger as they widened in disbelief. This was all making sense now.
"Ray, listen," he tried to say, but she quickly cut him off.
"Did you say that to him?" she asked softly, almost as if she was ashamed. Ashamed of him. "Is that why he hit you?" Ray quickly turned her attention towards the kitchen door, still hanging wide open from Leon's rather quick exit. Without another word, she sprinted towards the door.
"Ray, where are you going?" called Jace.
"To apologize!" she shouted back as she disappeared into the hanger. She looked to where Leon's Geno had been only to find that it was gone. Without even thinking it over, she got into her own Geno and quickly brought it to life. She bolted from the hanger, heading out into the desert. She could still see the deep footprints of Leon's snow colored Geno. She prayed that they wouldn't disappear. She needed to find him. She had a very large apology to make.
* * * *
Leon ran through the desert in his Geno, not really caring about where he was or where he was going. He was so angry at Jace right now that he couldn't think straight. The knight had planned this. He had known that Ray was coming. He had wanted her to see Leon hit him. How could he do something like that? How could he berate him when he didn't even know a damn thing about him?
Leon gripped his controls tightly as his mind went to Ray. She had been so angry with him, angrier than she had been any other time. Sure she had slapped him once and would have again, but this time she didn't even look at him. She refused to, in fact. If she wanted him gone, he wasn't going to disappoint her. He would have to go back eventually, but until she was ready to apologize for yelling at him, then he wouldn't return. He had had every right to hit Jace. He had done nothing wrong.
The sky above was really fitting for his current mood. The brilliant blue sky was concealed by dark clouds. They hung low in the air, refusing to let their water fall to the dry desert. It was all the better. He didn't need to be caught in a desert lightning storm. In his current state of mind, he wouldn't be able to dodge the lightning bolts if they tried to strike his Geno.
Leon continued running, but his pace was slowly falling into a walk. He was getting really far from the base, but to a certain extent, he didn't care. He didn't need to get himself lost, but he really didn't want to go back. He'd just head for Torran instead. He could spend a few days there until he cooled off enough to face Ray again. At least that's what he thought.
There was something in the distance, and it was approaching rather quickly. He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what it was. It was dark, pretty close to the color black. It couldn't be Ray though. She'd be approaching from behind not the front. What was that thing? It was picking up sand and dust as it approached rapidly, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. Was whatever it was coming for him? Maybe it would just pass by, and he could continue on his way. But exactly where was he anyway? This place looked surprisingly familiar. He could make out a few rock formations, and in the distance there was a hole in the ground. That's when it hit him.
"The excavation site," he whispered to himself, and his eyes quickly widened in fear. If he was near an excavation site, then the thing approaching was probably one of Ramirez's men. Or worse. Maybe it was Ramirez himself.
Leon was about to turn around and leave when a few stray shots cut him off from doing so. He slowly turned his Geno back around, and standing only a few yards away was a midnight blue raptor. Its red eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the afternoon. The machine let off a rather loud growl, imitating the sound of thunder. Its attention was quickly focused on Leon, and he knew there was no running away. Just as he feared, a communication link was opened, and in the seat of the midnight blue creature sat the silver haired devil himself. A sly smirk crossed his face, his ice blue eyes full of amusement.
"Hello Leon," he said slyly as he readied his guns. There was no escape this time, and Leon knew it. Before he could even move, Ramirez fired.
* * * *
Ray ran through the desert as fast as her Geno would let her. She wasn't about to break through the sound barrier though. She had to follow Leon's footprints. She needed to find him. She had to. An apology was in order.
Currently she was rather upset with a certain someone. She couldn't help but feel angry at Jace. This was all his fault. She knew Leon wasn't like that. He didn't care about what she looked like, right? He was her friend because of who she was, even though she did tend to get on his nerves occasionally.
Ray saw a light flash in the distance, but it wasn't a bolt of lightning. It had been from a cannon. There was a Geno battle up ahead. Who would be battling out here? There was about to be a lightning storm, and Genos couldn't operate well under storms. She picked up her pace, determined to reach the area.
She knew where this was. This was close to the excavation site. That's where the battle was taking place, she was sure of it. But who was it? She had a sinking feeling that Leon was i
nvolved.
Ray arrived near the excavation site, and she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what was going on. Leon's white armored Geno was fighting with Ramirez, and it was obvious that he was losing. His recently repaired Geno was getting dented and shot up again.
Without thinking, Ray ran forward, looking for an opening to strike Ramirez with a sonic boom. She watched in worry as Ramirez's Geno tossed Leon's a good few yards away, the feline now just lying in the sand. That was it. Ray flipped the switch that would send her flying. She sped right past Ramirez, knocking his Geno away with a sonic boom. She circled around and did it again and then spun into a stop, now facing his midnight blue Geno.
"You," he snarled as he brought his Geno back to its feet. "Just who are you?"
"Your battle is with me Ramirez," she said as her Geno lowered itself a little. She didn't care if he found out who she was. In fact, she hoped he knew. She was the ace knight, and she was damn proud of it. She wanted him to know that she wasn't going to let him hurt Leon.
"Ms. Cayden is it?" he asked without much question. "I see you've come once again to defend this boy."
"Ray," began Leon, his Geno slowly getting to its feet. "What are you doing here?" He sounded a little angry, and she couldn't blame him. She had better hurry up and apologize before Ramirez decided to attack her.
"Leon, I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "Jace never should have said that to you, and I should have listened when you were trying to explain. Do you forgive me?" Leon was shocked to say the least. Ray didn't apologize often. How could he say no? She had come all the way out here to find him, and now she had to face Ramirez because he ran away.
"Of course," he said with a small smile.
"How touching," noted Ramirez as his Geno growled at Ray's. She quickly returned her attention to her enemy, a glare forming on her face. This was no time to screw around. Ramirez was the only opponent she had ever battled that was as good as she was. She couldn't make the mistake of getting distracted.
Before his Geno charged for her, he fired off a few rounds, which missed her by a long shot. He shot off in the direction she was dodging in and swiped at her with his claws before she was able to dodge again. He only nicked the right side of her newly replaced armor, and she paid him back with a slash of her own. The battle had begun.
