Perfect Sacrifice

by Parker, Jack

  They were fighting in close range, not bothering with guns or other added arsenals. They were using only their claws and teeth, rolling in the desert sands, trying to pin the other down. Neither was proving to be very successful. They were both sustaining minimal damage, their armor classes both good for defense. It would be hard to crack all the way through it.

  Ray was the first to pull away, and she quickly began shooting at him. He dodged almost every bullet and then ran towards her, swinging his tail at her Geno. She jumped up, dodging the swing, but before she landed, his Geno reached up and swiped at hers. It scratched the stomach, but before it could dig in too deep, she used the boosters to escape. She flew back a few yards and then came to a skidding stop. Now they were just glaring at each other, standing at a stalemate.

  "You've gotten better," he noticed with a small pinch of irritation. She wasn't supposed to get better. She was supposed to lose her concentration so that he could take advantage of her. He wanted to win this. He would do anything to guarantee that he won.

  Ramirez glanced back towards where Leon was. His Geno was mobile, but it just stood there, watching them. He would be an easy target, but there was no way to reach him without the ace knight getting there first.

  "Mark my words," began Ramirez as he narrowed his eyes. "One of you will die today. I'll make sure of it." The chest compartment on his Geno opened up, revealing the hidden cannon. He turned towards Leon and began to charge it.

  "Damn you," cursed Ray as she charged towards him, slamming into the side of his Geno. "Your battle is with me!"

  Ramirez smirked as the compartment quickly closed. As Ray's Geno was still shoving his, he grabbed onto it with his claws. She was stuck now. He began firing at her, not caring if his Geno's arms were damaged in the blast. Unfortunately for him, Ray quickly fired her own gun, allowing her to break away from him. However, as she was jumping away, his tail came around and slammed hard into her Geno's side, bending a lot of the metal. She rolled on the ground, and this time she didn't get back up.

  Inside Ray's cockpit there were messages flashing on her screen, showing that the right side of her Geno had been damaged. There was a problem with one of the joints. It would be hard to continue fighting. Her speed had been decreased greatly. Without it, there was no way for her to battle with Ramirez. She was going to lose.

  Ramirez began slowly walking towards her Geno, wanting to prolong this moment. However, before he could reach her, he was bombarded by gunfire. He growled and then turned to Leon, who had all his guns out. He showed no sign of stopping the onslaught anytime soon.

  "Leon, stay out of this!" shouted Ray, not wanting him to get involved anymore. Ramirez would kill him at this rate.

  Leon didn't listen to her, and he kept firing at Ramirez. He didn't care anymore. This looked hopeless, so he might as well do whatever he could to help Ray. He didn't want to be a burden for her anymore. He wanted to pull his own weight in battles like this. He didn't want her protection. He wanted to protect her.

  Ramirez began running towards him, firing back. The bullets slammed into Leon's Geno, causing it to crumble to its stomach. As Ramirez got closer, Ray tried to get to her feet, but her Geno was going too slow. She needed to get up now and help Leon. He would get himself killed at this rate. She couldn't allow that.

  Just as Ramirez reached Leon's Geno, he stopped. His Geno began to change, the gears turning and the metal shifting. It soon began to resemble a human. However, this humanoid was very different from the others. It was taller, more bulk looking, and it was stronger by far.

  Ramirez just smirked as he walked slowly, getting closer and closer to Leon's Geno, which was now struggling just to stand. There was no hope for him. The joints had been damaged. He wouldn't be getting up. Ramirez would make sure he never did again. He stalked closer and closer, his fist now pulled back into a punch. He stopped just in front of the downed feline, a smirk playing on his face.

  "Ramirez!" shouted Ray, as if demanding his attention. He didn't look to her. He didn't even acknowledge her.

  Ray watched in horror as a single spike flipped up, the sharp blade seeming to gleam even without the light of the sun. It was rather thin for a Geno weapon, resembling a blade like her short sword, but it was indeed sharp enough to damage a Geno's armor. It would be perfect for what he intended to do with it.

  "No!" she shouted, her voice now pleading with him. "Don't! Please stop! Ramirez!" The silver haired devil ignored her plea. He thrust his fist forward. "No!"

  Ramirez's fist connected with Leon's Geno, piercing the armor of the cockpit cover and shattering the glass eyes. Leon's pain filled scream echoed over their communication systems, and Ray felt something inside her snap. Her eyes widened, her mind unable to comprehend this. It felt like someone had just stuck a knife through her heart and twisted it. She slumped in her seat with something of extreme disbelief and horror. What she had just seen was no nightmare. This was real. This was Ramirez actually winning. He had vowed that one of them would die. He was keeping his promise as Ray was breaking hers.

  All that shock and horror was replaced just like that as Ramirez drew out the blade, now stained in blood. Ray was angry now, her hands tightening against the controls until her knuckles turned a ghostly white. She growled out of irritation, and without even thinking about it, she hit one button that she almost never touched. The button to one of her points of the four point cannon.

  Ramirez turned to her, a smirk on his face, but he quickly noticed the change in her position. Her Geno was fully on its feet, its legs spread in a bracing position. Just what was she doing that would require her to need to brace herself? He received his answer as the tail to her Geno raised up, curving so that the point aimed towards him. It opened up, expanding a little. A finely pointed cannon was there, the mouth not being very large at all. That didn't matter though. That one cannon was enough to blow away half a city.

  "What is that?" he questioned, focusing on the cannon. A pink light began to gather inside of it, and his eyes widened in disbelief. "A four point cannon?"

  In no time, it was ready. It was only one point, but it would be enough. She fired it, and the beam was much larger than the cannon itself. The white hot light raced towards Ramirez, but he quickly jumped into the air, switching his Geno into its aerial form. He managed to get away from the majority of the beam, but the underside of his Geno was scorched from the heat alone. This didn't go over well with the general.

  "Damn you," he cursed. "This changes everything." He turned around and began to fly off. He wasn't going to stick around for her to fire that cannon again. He knew when to retreat. Besides, he had accomplished his objective. He would finish her some other time.

  Ray closed the cannon and then made a dash for Leon's Geno. She stopped, and just when she was getting out of the cockpit, his opened. With the last of his strength, he stumbled out, falling the short distance to the ground. He just lied there on his back, his eyes closed.

  Ray quickly got out of her cockpit and jumped down, falling to her knees next to him. His hand was currently covering the hole in his chest as blood leaked out of it, turning the ground beneath him red. His breaths came in quick gasps as the simple act became rather difficult. He was in so much pain that he couldn't even move anymore.

  "Leon?" Ray questioned in worry as she looked over his injury. His breathing began to slow, and she became increasingly worried. "Leon?" He didn't respond to her at all. She reached out and gently turned his head towards her. "Leon?" she tried again, and he opened his eyes weakly. "You have to stay awake. Keep your eyes open." Even as she said this they were closing. She gently stroked the side of his face as tears began building in her eyes. "Leon, please. Stay with me. Stay with me…"

  Ray tried to figure out what to do. At this rate he would bleed to death. She quickly removed her black jacket and pressed it against his chest, doing her best to stop the bleeding. She shifted him enough so that she could wrap it around him. She pulled it tight and tied
the sleeves. Now she just had to figure out what to do. She needed to get him into Torran. They weren't far from it, but getting there would be the problem. What am I supposed to do? I can't let him die. What should I do?

  Just as those thoughts crossed her mind, a low growl came from her Geno. Nothing else happened, but it did spark an idea. She could control her Geno through the communicator. She could set it on a path to Torran.

  "Leon, hang on just a little longer, alright?" she asked him gently. He nodded weakly, doing his best to keep breathing steadily.

  Ray quickly got into her Geno, bringing it back to life. She transformed it into its humanoid form and cupped its hands. She gently used it to scoop under the sand, moving under Leon. Carefully she picked him up and then got out of the cockpit. She jumped down into her Geno's hands and hit a button on her communicator. Her Geno began to run, moving towards Torran. It would only be about five more minutes, but it would seem like hours to her.

  "Ray…" whispered Leon, but she quickly hushed him.

  "Don't say anything," she told him. "Save your strength. You have to hold on, you understand?" She gently ran a hand through his soft brown hair, his half opened eyes holding hers the whole time. "You have to stay with me. Please." He nodded weakly before hissing with pain. Ray just bit her bottom lip in worry. She had to make it in time. She couldn't let him die. Screw the promise she made to Dr. Solaris, and screw that guilty feeling for letting Ramirez find out who he was. She just didn't care anymore. She wanted him to live for her own reasons. He was her best friend, and she wasn't going to let anyone take him from her. Just hold on Leon. Please don't die. You have to stay with me…please.

  CHAPTER 28

  Remembrance

  Ray sat alone in the waiting room of Torran's largest hospital. She was doing what most people who sat there did. She was waiting. For what, she didn't know. She was waiting for news, for Dr. Solaris, for anyone who could come and comfort her. She needed to be told that this would all be alright. She wanted solid proof that Leon was going to live. He had lost so much blood…

  Ray placed her head in her hands, hiding her face from the world. She had been so close to crying, and even now she was fighting back the tears that were clinging to her eyes. She couldn't let a single one fall. She didn't cry. Not now, not ever, no matter what happened. She had to be strong. But would she really be able to stop them if the doctor told her that Leon had died? Would she finally break down? She didn't want to think about it, because he would live. He was going to make it. He had to. She didn't want to think about what would happen if he didn't.

  The door to the hospital opened, and Ray looked up as three familiar figures walked in. Dr. Solaris and Chris both looked overwhelmed with worry, as they should. After all, they were Leon's family. They were supposed to worry about him.

  Ray looked to the third member of their group, and she scowled deeply. She really didn't want to see Jace's face right now. She couldn't help but feel angry towards him. This was his fault, and he damn well knew it. The guilty look on his face was proof enough.

  Unable to take it, Ray stood up and began walking towards them. She held Jace's eyes, her glare not faltering. Jace was soon walking ahead of Chris and Dr. Solaris. He wanted to reach Ray first, perhaps to apologize. However, no matter how sorry he was, it wouldn't fix anything.

  The second Ray got close enough, she extended her hand and slapped him hard. All three men stopped walking, a look of shock playing on their faces. Jace gently touched the red mark forming there. That was the second time today that he had been slapped by Ray. His face was really beginning to hurt.

  "This is your fault," she accused angrily, her fists now clenched at her sides. "If you had never said that to him…if you had never driven him to hurt you, then this…this wouldn't have happened!"

  "It's not like I wanted him to get hurt," defended Jace, and he really hadn't. He had just wanted Leon to leave for a while. He had never wanted him to end up in the hospital. It's not like he had known that Ramirez was going to be in the desert.

  "Whether you meant for him to or not doesn't matter," she stated with tears dancing in the corners of her eyes. "What matters is that it did happen, and that it's your fault."

  "Look Ray, I'm sorry…" he began, only to be angrily cut off by the ace knight.

  "Sorry doesn't cut it this time," she stated dangerously low. "Sorry won't help Leon. What's done is done." She turned away from him, lowering her head a little. "Jace…I want you to leave the Solaris base."

  "What?" he asked in disbelief, taking a small step backwards.

  "We were fine when it was just the four of us…just the Solaris family and me. I don't need you hanging around there all the time." She paused, inhaling deeply before continuing. "I still like you Jace. You'll always be my friend, but I just…I see too much of you, and I'd appreciate it if you'd just return to headquarters." It was silent as she finished her request. All three men behind her were shocked at the proposition. Dr. Solaris was about to reject when Jace put on a wry smile and spoke up.

  "Alright," he said in a tone very unlike him. "If that's what you want, then I'll be gone by tomorrow."

  "Thank you," Ray said softly as she glanced back at him, unable to see how much hurt was playing in his eyes. Without a word he turned around and walked right past Dr. Solaris and Chris. For some reason, he didn't feel welcome there. Besides, he had some packing to do before tomorrow.

  Dr. Solaris and Chris followed Ray into the waiting room. They didn't say anything to her about what she had just done to Jace. True, this had been his fault, but he really hadn't meant it. However, as Ray would put it, that wasn't an excuse. He had still verbally berated Leon. In her eyes, that was enough to get him kicked out.

  "How is he?" Dr. Solaris asked softly, breaking the rather heavy silence that had set in. Ray only lowered her head, placing it in her hands.

  "I don't know," she answered sadly. "He…he lost so much blood. I was afraid that I wouldn't get him here in time." She raised her head and looked to Dr. Solaris. "I'm sorry," she said genuinely.

  "For what?" he asked, confused as to why she would apologize.

  "I broke my promise," she said. "I let Ramirez hurt Leon, and now he might…" She shook her head, not wanting to think about it. Leon wouldn't die. He wasn't allowed to. She didn't want him to.

  "Will he…?" began Chris softly. "Will he really die?" Ray bit her bottom lip, unsure of how to answer that. She honestly didn't know. She wasn't sure how strong Leon was when it came to injuries. She couldn't help but wish it had been her. She would have had no problem. She could have piloted her Geno back with the hole in her stomach. Why did it have to be Leon?

  Ray reached over and put an arm around Chris's shoulders, pulling him close. She rested her head against his as he leaned against her shoulder. She closed her eyes, fighting off the last remains of her tears.

  "He'll make it," she said softly. "He has to. I won't let him get off that easy." Chris only nodded, his expression still the same morbid, depressed one he had had before. He had already lost his mother. He didn't need to lose Leon too. He would be lonely without his brother.

  Dr. Solaris just watched his younger son and Ray, noticing how Ray was doing her best to quell the uneasiness in Chris. She wouldn't be able to though, no matter how hard she tried. Chris loved his older brother. The thought of losing him was devastating. Dr. Solaris didn't want to think about it either. He continued to watch as Ray just held Chris, her head sitting atop his. She was trying so hard to comfort him. Almost like the way an older sister would. David had to give a small smile at that. He could dream after all, couldn't he?

  Dr. Solaris watched as hundreds of different emotions flashed through Ray's eyes. She wasn't nearly as sure as she had sounded when talking to Chris. After all, she was the only one who had been there. She had gone through the fear, the guilt, and the worry. She alone was responsible for what happened to him, and if Leon died, she would undoubtedly blame herself. She had lost so ma
ny people that she cared about all because of Ramirez. He seemed determined to shred every piece of mental and emotional security she had left. He would tear it down until she was nothing more than a cowering child that he could easily break. He was praying off of the one thing she truly feared: being helpless.

  It was the one thing she feared the most, even more so than her fear of spiders. She couldn't stand being helpless, being unable to provide assistance to her friends. She wanted to save people, to protect them. Every time she failed, her walls were cracked just a little more. If she kept breaking promises, if she kept letting people down, she would break. If that happened, no one, not even Leon, would be able to help her. Ray would be dead to them.

  "Excuse me," began a woman dressed in a nurse's outfit, a clipboard in her hand. She quickly drew their attention. Dr. Solaris had been so deep into his mental analysis that he hadn't even noticed her coming. "You're all here for Leon Solaris, right?"

  "Yes," he answered her. "How is he?" The nurse flipped through a few pages on her clipboard, the firm line of her mouth forming into a frown.

  "Well," she began, just letting the word hang there. "None of his internal organs were damaged too badly. They should all heal given time, but he did lose a lot of blood." She tucked the clipboard under her arm and sighed deeply. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see. It could go either way."

  "So then," began Chris in a soft voice. "Leon could…"

  "I won't lie to you," she said with sad eyes. "There is a possibility that he won't make it. These kinds of things all depend on how strong he is mentally and physically. There really isn't anything more we can do. It's all up to him now." She watched as they all hung their heads in despair. She couldn't blame them. She had gone though too many of these information relays to not recognize the looks in their eyes.