Perfect Sacrifice

by Parker, Jack

  "Aaron," called a deep voice from behind him. He turned to see General Gordan standing there, accompanied by Abby and Brian. "Have you fixed it yet?"

  "I'm almost done," he answered, starting to feel just a little dizzy. He was starting to see doubles of them as well. He just couldn't get his eyes to focus Why is everything spinning?

  "Aaron?" questioned Brian, trying to get the boy's attention. He succeeded, but Aaron looked a little less than unaware. His eyes were drooping, and his skin was just a little pale. "Are you alright? You look awful."

  "Thanks for the compliment," Aaron grumbled to himself as he turned away from them. He did look rather awful though. His hair was still a mess, and he looked tired. The circles under his eyes were a dead giveaway that he hadn't slept well that night.

  "How much longer will it be?" Gordan asked him, earning him a sigh from the ex-commander.

  "At least two more hours," he said. "I just have to wait until everything stops spinning." He placed his head in his hands, resting his elbows on the desk before him. He was just so tired, but sleep wouldn't come for him. He hadn't slept decently since the battle with the knights. There was something that felt unfinished, as if he still had a reason to be afraid. Why couldn't he just get a decent amount of sleep? Why couldn't he let it go?

  "Aaron, are you alright?" asked Abby softly.

  "Fine," he responded in a voice he hoped would convince her. None of them seemed very convinced though. It was probably easy to tell that he wasn't alright. Why does my head hurt so much?

  "Aaron," began Gordan, "go get some sleep." Aaron quickly turned towards the general, a question playing in his eyes and on his lips. "You look exhausted. You're no good to us if you're so tired that you can't see straight."

  "But I'm fine," he insisted as he got up. That turned out to be a mistake. No sooner after he stood up did he fall back into the chair. Everything was spinning, and he began to feel sick. If he had known that sleep loss would do this to him, maybe he would have tried harder to get at least three hours. This was horrible. It was worse than any illness he had ever had before. Even worse than scarlet poison…well, maybe not quite that bad.

  "Aaron, this is an order," stated Gordan. "I want you to return to your room and get some sleep." Aaron was about to protest when he realized he didn't have much of a choice. Besides, he really was tired. He was just a little too stubborn to admit it.

  "Fine," he stated haughtily as he stood up and began to stagger out of the room. He then began to walk down the hallway, using the walls for support. It was hard to see straight when his head was pounding. Everything seemed to split into multiple images, and then they started spinning right before his eyes. He was really starting to get dizzy now. He was sure he was about to collapse when he felt a pressure on his side. He lazily turned to his right and saw Abby standing there.

  "Don't worry," she told him softly. "I'll help you to your room, okay?" He was about to protest when all of his insides seemed to twist. He really couldn't take this anymore. He just wanted to lie down, to close his eyes and sleep. He didn't care about the nightmares anymore. He was dead tired, his body unable to take the lack of stimulation.

  "Okay," he said softly, his headache making his words near inaudible. He decided to just lean against Abby as he staggered down the hallway towards his room. "Hey Abby?"

  "Yeah?" she asked just as softly.

  "Yesterday…I didn't mean what I said," he told her, seeming somewhat embarrassed. Abby just laughed a little at his expression.

  "I know," she told him with a smile. "You were tired. I understand." Aaron just lowered his head a little. He had to make sure that she knew that. He wasn't like that at all. He would never be a man like Nathan.

  * * * *

  Leon sighed deeply as he drove his car through the desert. His brother sat next to him, a smile upon the sixteen-year-old's face. He seemed to enjoy the rather irritated reaction of his older brother. It was amazing how one girl could get so far under his skin like that. Chris just smiled more as the communicator in their car went off again.

  "Hey Leon," began Ray, her voice sounding rather annoyed. "Are you sure you can't go any faster?"

  "For the hundredth time, yes!" he shouted back angrily. There wasn't a response from Ray, and he was thankful. She had been bothering him constantly about the pace they were walking at since they left Torran. It was rather slow for a Geno, but he was going about as fast as he could without losing control of his vehicle. Ray would just have to deal with it.

  "Hey Leon?" began Chris, drawing his brother's mind away from the annoying ace knight. "What's that?" He pointed to his side view mirror, so Leon looked into his own. In the distance was a flying transporter. It looked similar to the one that the GRC used, but there were a few differences. For one, it wasn't quite as big, and it had a lot of silver armor on it.

  "Hey Ray?" questioned Leon. "Do you know what's following us?"

  In her cockpit, Ray began to look back after receiving Leon's message. She could see the transporter that was now getting closer. It was moving very quickly. Is that Gordan? She took a better look and noticed that it wasn't quite the same as her general's, but it was heading for them nonetheless.

  "Who is that?" she questioned to herself, trying to figure out what the transporter was doing so far out. Not many people had them. It was mainly just the GRC. A few private team owners had flying transporters, but most just used the land based ones. Who would come so far out in a flying one?

  Before they knew it, it was right over their heads. They all just stopped and stared at it, wondering what was happening. Two doors on the underside quickly opened, leaving a huge hole there. It was big enough to fit them in.

  "Run!" shouted Ray as she realized what was happening. However, before she could make a move, a gun fired at the leg of her Geno, and she went down. Whoever had fired the gun had really good aim, since it managed to hit the joint. Another gun fired soon after, and it hit near Leon and Chris. Both boys quickly abandoned their car as it was targeted next. It exploded, but they managed to make it out okay.

  However, all three of them soon realized that none of this was okay. They were now inside the transporter, the doors closing under them, bringing up some of the desert sands as well. Before they knew it, they were lifted into the air, flying towards an unknown location.

  Ray quickly jumped out of her Geno, landing next to Chris and Leon. All of them were wondering the exact same thing, and not one of them had the answer. There was no way to determined where they were or where they were going.

  "Are you two alright?" Ray asked, watching as the boys dusted their clothing off.

  "I think so," answered Leon.

  "Where are we?" asked Chirs, voicing the one question they all wanted to ask. They were currently in a rather dark room that was completely empty. There were no windows, no equipment, and no people. It was just the three of them and Ray's Geno.

  Up above, unknown to any of them, was a camera. It was moving and zooming in on the transporter's captives. Through a series of complex electrical equipment, it relayed the images back to a control room, stationed near the head of the monstrous floating device. In the room were quite a few officials, one who was currently looking over the video footage.

  "General Ramirez," began the official, drawing the attention of his leader. "I think you may want to see this." Ramirez walked over, not seeming all that interested. He knew what he had caught. The ace knight was now in his custody. What else was there to see?

  He peered over the man's shoulder, looking down at the screen displaying the inside of their empty hanger. His eyes widened just a little in disbelief. He clenched his fists angrily as his eyes fell on one man in particular.

  "How is that possible?" he asked, not expecting an answer nor wanting one. "He was supposed to be dead." Ramirez slammed his hand down on the console, startling the man next to him. He growled out of irritation.

  "Sir?" the man asked nervously, wanting to know if his general wa
s alright.

  "Rayla Cayden…" Ramirez cursed, the name coming out as a snarl. "She must have got him to Torran in time." Just as quickly as his temper exploded, it retracted, and he was calm once again. He folded his hands behind his back, a smirk spreading across his face. Without a single word, he turned around and began to walk back towards his chair in the center of the room. No matter. This works out perfectly. They can all rot in my prison.

  * * * *

  Leon's back connected with the hard concrete, a small pained cry escaping his lips. His brother rushed to his side, shooting a small glare at the men before them. The two men only slammed the barred door in response, walking away from the two boys.

  Leon quickly got to his feet and ran to the bars. He grabbed them, the space between being just big enough to fit his head through. He looked out and turned towards the two men who were walking away.

  "Hey!" he shouted. "Where is she? What did you do with Ray?" His only response was silence as the two men turned the corner, disappearing from his sight.

  Leon walked back over to the far wall, taking a seat in the corner. He crossed his arms, a glare still present on his face. They had to find a way out, and they needed to find Ray. They had been separated upon arriving at the base. They had found out that Ramirez was in charge of the transporter, and he had been anything but thrilled to see Leon still alive and well. After exchanging a few insults, he and Chris had been hauled away to the prisons. He hadn't seen Ray since. The last thing he remembered was watching her charge towards Ramirez, ready to punch him.

  "Hey Leon?" began Chris softly, drawing Leon's attention. "What now?"

  "I don't know," he answered honestly. He sighed deeply, his expression softening quite a bit. "I hope Ray is alright."

  "No need to worry, Mr. Solaris," said a deep voice from the barred door to their cell. Both boys looked over to see Ramirez standing there, a rather bemused smirk upon his face. "She hasn't been harmed…yet."

  "Where is she?" Leon demanded as he began to get up. "What did you do with her?"

  "Interesting," he began, his cold eyes shining with pure amusement. "She asked the same thing about the two of you. There's no need to fret. All of you will be kept alive…at least until tomorrow."

  "Tomorrow?" questioned Chris nervously, earning him the general's attention.

  "Yes," he answered. "Then I will let you two watch as the ace knight is killed." He smirked sadistically turning his attention to Leon. "Then you will understand, Leon, just how weak you are as we kill her right in front of your eyes." Leon only glared deeply in response, knowing that a verbal assault wasn't going to help him any. In fact, anything he could throw, Ramirez would take as a compliment. There just wasn't any point in it.

  "Damn you," were the only words he could think of right now, and he meant it with every bit of malice in his being.

  "Until we meet again…Mr. Solaris," the general said as he smirked and walked away, leaving Leon and Chris completely and utterly alone with only their thoughts for comfort. However, they wouldn't be receiving any.

  * * * *

  Ray sat alone in her concrete cell, staring at the wall. She was unconsciously rolling a rock back and forth with her fingertips. She was so bored that even thinking no longer was sustaining her. She hated being enclosed, whether it was in her own base or here. She just didn't like small rooms where she knew she couldn't leave. She despised confinement.

  It had been at least five hours since they had been captured, and that was five hours too long for her taste. She began to wonder about Leon and Chris. She hoped they were alright. Knowing Ramirez, that was very unlikely. They'd probably all be killed pretty soon. After all, the cells in the prison were empty, and there was a good reason for that. Ramirez hated prisoners. He would much rather kill the hostages than keep them. I guess that's what they mean by "take no prisoners."

  Ray's thoughts were interrupted as something metal clattered on the floor next to her. She glanced over, not moving at all. The sound hadn't even really startled her. Not much really did anymore. What was on the metal plate before her was a little confusing though. Before her was a piece of bread, accompanied by a glass of water. Her eyes rose up towards the bars of her cell, and she glared at the man before her.

  "Eat it," he demanded with a smirk, his dark blue eyes shining in the lighting.

  "Bread and water," began Ray. "A little cliché, isn't it?" The man just laughed, running a hand through his mahogany hair. Ray only glared harder. "What do you want, Nathan?"

  "I just came to check up on you," he defended, a sign of mock hurt on his face and in his voice. He sat down outside of her cell, his eyes never once straying from her. The same could be said about Ray. "Just eat it," he told her.

  "I'm not hungry," she stated, turning away from him. He just smirked as he shrugged his shoulders.

  "You're going to eat it," he stated. "I'll force you to if I have to, and trust me. You won't like my methods." Ray glanced at him, noticing the sick smirk upon his face and the mischievous glint in his eyes. Without a word, Ray picked up the piece of bread and began eating it, going rather quickly. She glanced at Nathan, noticing the disappointment on his face. At least that was one victory. Breaking out would be another, but that didn't seem too likely of happening anytime soon.

  Ray quickly finished the bread and then grabbed the glass of water. She missed the smirk on Nathan's face as she took a sip, but she instantly spit it out. The taste still lingered on her tongue.

  "This water is disgusting," she stated, holding the glass away from her.

  "It's just water, now drink it," he demanded. Ray knew what would happen if she didn't, so she gulped down the glass of water, fighting off the urge to spit it out. They obviously didn't clean it very well. Then again, this was mainly a prison base. It was no wonder that the water didn't taste good.

  "Why don't you guys get a filter or something?" she asked as she tried to get the taste out of her mouth. She was quickly alert, however, when the metal door to her prison cell opened. She turned and watched as Nathan entered it, making sure to close the door behind him. A smirk spread across his face, and Ray quickly became nervous. She knew what kind of man Nathan was, and now she was stuck in a cell with him. It's not like he had locked the door, but there was no way she could get out with him standing there. Things couldn't get much worse, or at least that's what she thought until his leg came from behind her, cracking into the back of her head. She was quickly devoured by darkness, her fate now in Nathan's hands.

  * * * *

  Leon and Chris sat in silence, having nothing to really say or do. The prison cell was rather boring, and the scenery was dull and routine. Everything looked the same. It was just your average prison. It was a place to lock up prisoners, but they were the only ones in the area.

  Leon yawned a little as he let his mind wander. He couldn't remember how long it had been now. Maybe four hours, perhaps five? Either way, it was too long of a wait, and he was starving. They hadn't been given any food yet. If a guard were to come with food, then there was a possibility that they could get out.

  "Hey Chris," he began, catching his brother's attention. The younger boy seemed just as bored as he was. "I have a plan."

  "What?" Chris questioned softly.

  "When a guard comes," he began, "I'm going to grab him through the bars and take the keys. We're going to break out of here and find Ray."

  "But how are we going to get out of the base?" asked Chris, his expression falling a little when he had seemed quite relieved with the idea. "This base has so many people in it. There's no way we could get away in time." Leon considered this for a moment. What Chris had said was true. There really wasn't much hope in them escaping unscathed, but there was no other way. They were running out of options.

  "We have no choice," stated Leon as he stood up and walked to the bars. "Anything is better than just sitting here." He grabbed the bars and stuck his head between them, peering down the hallway. "I'd rather die trying." He cl
enched his fists tightly, squeezing the metal bars. "I'm going to show Ramirez that I'm not weak. I'm just as good as any pilot…as any knight."

  "Leon…" began Chris, but he quickly silenced himself as the sound of footsteps began echoing down the hallway. Leon quickly got away from the bars, pressing himself against the wall. It was now or never. He had to get out of the cell. He was being driven mad with all of this waiting. They were going to escape, and they were going to find Ray, no matter what the cost.

  The footsteps got closer, and the person was soon by the bars. Without bothering to look, Leon made his move. However, he stopped the second his eyes fell on the person before him. He was now peering into the face of a fifteen year old boy, a familiar one at that.

  "Andy?" he questioned as he straightened himself out. Andy just blinked a few times, staring at the older boy.

  "Just what were you doing?" he questioned Leon, earning him a nervous smile from the older boy and a small chuckle from the other.

  "Well…" began Leon. "I was trying to…" Before he could finish, Andy fished a set of keys out of his pocket. He held them up towards Leon, a smile on his face.

  "I assume this is what you were after," he said, picking his way through the keys towards the one that would unlock the cell.

  "Yeah," said Leon, still seeming a little nervous. Being in Andy's presence was confusing. Just how was he supposed to act, and what was he supposed to say? Was the boy his friend or foe? It was hard to tell.

  "Are you going to let us out?" questioned Chris, coming to stand next to his brother.

  "Under one condition," Andy stated as he placed the key into the hole on the lock. "You have to promise me something."

  "Anything," said Leon, and Andy just sighed, his expression falling a little.