by Parker, Jack
"Very well," began Gordan with a small smile on his face. "I'll let her handle this on her own. We'll be fine here." This response startled both Andy and Dr. Solaris, who was still listening in on the conversation.
"If I may ask, sir, why the change?" questioned Andy curiously.
"Ray has lost her entire family," he began. "She's been alone for so long, and now that she's finally happy again, Ramirez is trying to take that away. If this is what she wants to do, I'm not going to interfere. Ray's life is hers to do with as she pleases. I won't deny her anything." Andy only nodded to his general before an explosion shook the headquarters, knocking the system out. The screen was blank once again, leaving Gordan completely alone with only his thoughts for comfort.
* * * *
Ramirez smirked in amusement as Ray cried out from the pain in her head. He still hadn't shut off the probe, allowing its ring to continue echoing throughout the room. He loved the sound, even though he couldn't hear it. It was causing his rival to suffer, and he so enjoyed watching her writhe in pain on the floor before him.
"Stop it!" demanded Leon. "Leave her alone!" Ramirez turned bemusedly to the boy, his smirk flashing even in his eyes.
"I really don't think you're in the position to be giving me commands," he told Leon as he returned his attention to Ray. "Well, are you willing to cooperate now? I could always just kill the boy instead…"
"I'll do it," she choked out, her voice barely even a whisper. She swallowed hard as her head felt like it was splitting. "I'll do…whatever you say." Ramirez smirked and used his remote control to shut the machine off. He watched as Ray unsteadily got to her feet, nearly collapsing again. He was rather amused to see the ace knight like this. It was fun knowing that he had control over her now. She was his puppet, a marionette for him to play with as he pleased. He knew exactly how to pull her strings.
"Very well then, Ms. Cayden," he told her as he looked to the large machine behind him. A very cold and sinister look crossed his face as he looked back to her. His eyes gleamed with an evil light that could even strike fear into the devil himself. Ramirez was a man to be feared by all, and Ray was really beginning to understand why.
Without a word, Ray walked over to the machine, and Ramirez pushed another button. The device in the middle of the room began moving. It was a rather strange thing, the sacrum amplifier. It was made out of different forms of metal, most of it looking like the armor you'd find on a Geno. There were four mechanical arm like structures, and they were currently moving outwards simultaneously. Something in the middle seemed to be rising up from floor level. It was a platform, and it stopped moving after a short while. The mechanical arms eventually quit as well.
"Now then," began Ramirez. "Step onto the platform." Ray hesitated, but she eventually did what she was told. She got onto the platform, and Ramirez hit another button. The machine began moving again, but the platform remained stationary. Instead, the mechanical arms began to move again, adjusting a bit. She wasn't sure just what they were for. It probably had something to do with controlling the amplified sacrum.
Ray looked up and watched as a thin metal circlet lowered towards her. She soon found that it was on her head, and it automatically adjusted to fit her. It was then that she felt something. It was like a small current of electricity that suddenly ran through her, sparking every nerve in her body. She cried out a little as she felt something prick her wrist. She looked down to see that a needle was now in it, connected directly to her vein.
"Ramirez!" she called out, catching his attention. "Just how does this thing work?"
"I'm glad you asked," he said, rather proud of his invention that Andy had so willingly built. "Since you're the only one who can use the sacrum to control a Geno, I decided to give the sacrum within you a boost of sorts. That's what the needle is for. It won't draw blood and it won't inject anything. It's simply a tube to connect your sacrum with the amplifier. The circlet will send your thoughts out across the entire continent through a probe that I hooked up on the top of this building. That way, you can control thousands of Genos at once." He smirked, his eyes narrowing a bit. "You better do exactly what I say, or you'll have to face the consequences."
"Don't worry," she told him, glancing over at Leon, at the concerned and scared expression on his face. "I will."
With that one simple statement, the process began. The mechanical arms shifted once more before locking into place. The entire machine suddenly began to give off a blue light. It was the same blue light that sacri crystals could emanate. Perhaps that was the secret to the machine. Wasn't it dangerous, however, to build a machine made with sacri crystals in order to harness the power of someone who could control them? That was the only reason she could control the Genos, after all. She could probably control the machine as well. However, she wasn't about to risk it. One wrong move and Leon would end up dead.
Something suddenly flowed through Ray, and her eyes widened in shock. It felt as if every fiber of her being was flowing with an immense power. She could feel her head pounding, her heart beat echoing in her ears. It was an amazing feeling that only lasted for about a second before the process truly began. However, in that one second, she had been more aware than anything, as if all of her senses had been heightened. She could have sworn she had heard five separate heartbeats, one from each person in the room. She had felt one second of absolutely perfection, but now pain quickly replaced that. There was something boring down on her mind.
"Let's get started, shall we?" said Ramirez. "I want you to summon all of the Genos on this continent. Have them remove whatever pilot is in them, and then send them to the headquarters of the GRC. Once every single Geno is there, I want the building destroyed."
"I…" she began, wanting so badly to protest. However, she stole one glance at Leon and realized she had no choice. She swallowed her pride and forced her mind to open up. It was then that the amplifier took control of the situation. As she gave out one simple thought, the one Ramirez had told her, she felt the machine send out a single pulse. Never before had she felt anything when controlling a Geno, but this was different. The machine was taking that one mind wave and was transferring it. Her demands were soon being transferred to every Geno on the entire continent. As she thought about what was going to happen, about all the lives she was about to end, a single tear rolled down her cheek, followed by many more.
* * * *
"This just in," said a reporter as he stacked the papers on his desk, a stern expression on his face. "We have a serious problem on our hands." Everywhere the people in Torran walked, they could see a television with the lone reporter on it. In fact, every station across the entire continent was now being interrupted by this one man in his plaid suit and a stack of papers in his hands.
"What is going on?" murmured some as they stood in crowds surrounding the television systems.
"We have just received word of complaints by Geno pilots. An unknown phenomenon is occurring. The Genos, the mechanical creations made by the GRC, are ejecting their pilots. These machines are now all heading in one direction, going towards one set point. We aren't exactly sure what is going on, but we advise people to take extreme caution. This is believed to be some kind of terrorist act. All of these Genos are now heading towards the GRC headquarters where a battle that was being waged between the GRC and an unknown force has finally come to a stop. Again, I advise people to take extreme caution. If these Genos are going there for the reasons we think, then we may end up with a war on our hands."
CHAPTER 36
One Last Time
Gordan stood in utter shock as the radio he had been clutching so tightly slipped from his hand. It hit the floor, the clattering being the only sound heard. The explosions from the battle outside had finally ceased, but not for any good reasons. There were still enemy units out there along with his own men. However, their Genos wouldn't respond. Not one of them would move an inch.
Outside on the battlefield, all of the GRC pilots were fight
ing with their controls, begging their Genos to move so that they could return to the battle. Suddenly, every single Geno on the field opened their cockpit. The emergency release was activated, and every single pilot was ejected from the mechanical beasts. Afterwards, the machines stood as still as death, as if they were frozen in time.
The pilots all landed safely on the ground via parachutes. Some were a little lost as to what was going on, in fact, most of them were. Only a few of the men from Ramirez understood the situation. Those were the men that charged the headquarters, heading for a hole that had been blown into the wall.
"We have to stop them!" shouted Brian as he and a lot of the GRC pilots ran for the hole. When they got there, a battle began. Most of the pilots from both sides were unarmed. Only a select few carried daggers or a handgun with them. The knights happened to be unfortunate enough not to have any weapons on them. They honestly hadn't been expecting to need them.
"What now?" asked Abby, looking to Brian for an answer as they hung in the background of the battle before them.
"Exactly what's going on anyway?" asked Jace as he looked over the unwavering mass of Genos behind them.
"You didn't hear?" asked Brian, earning him the attention of his fellow knights. "There was a news broadcast. I managed to pick it up when I was trying to get through to Gordan. It mentioned that every Geno in the world is on its way here. However, not one of them is being piloted."
"But that's…" began Jace.
"Impossible, I know," interrupted Brian. "However, we all know that Ray is capable of moving a Geno without being inside. Perhaps Ramirez has found out how to."
"So then this battle was just a distraction to keep us busy?" questioned Abby
"Don't let them get into the base!" shouted one of the men, causing all three knights to turn and watch as quite a few of Ramirez's men made it into the base. Without thinking, the three of them began heading into the cluster of men. They pushed and shoved their way through, trying to get by without having to engage in the battle. They had to get into the base. They had to protect their general.
* * * *
Gordan slumped down into a chair, his head in his hands. He didn't know what to do anymore. This had all suddenly become so complicated. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the entire population of Genos made it to his base. When they arrived, they would undoubtedly destroy the entire base, and there would be nothing he could do to stop it. This was the end of the GRC.
The door suddenly was thrown open, and Gordan had realized that he had completely forgotten about his companion. He turned to watch as Aaron stood in the doorway, his back to the general. He had been in the room for some time due to a direct order from Gordan himself. If Ramirez wanted the ex-commander dead, there was no way they would allow it to be so.
"Aaron, what are you doing?" he asked the boy, his voice demanding an answer. However, Aaron didn't respond. He only lowered his head, his hand still against the door he had so forcefully thrown open.
"I'm sorry," he said honestly, still not turning to face the general. "They're here because of me." He began to walk out the door, but Gordan was quick to stop him.
"You're not leaving," he demanded, watching how Aaron flinched and then stopped in the doorway. "If you go out there, they'll kill you."
"Yeah, well," he began, his fist now clenched out of slight frustration. "If I stay here, then they'll kill both of us. At least this way I can lead them away from you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get going."
"Aaron!" demanded Gordan, but he wasn't paying attention.
"Bye Gordan," he said softly as he closed the door behind him. He began to head down the hallway towards the entrance of the base, or at least the hole that was being used as an entrance.
When he turned the corner, he saw a herd of men running down it. However, these men weren't of the GRC. They belonged to Ramirez, and he knew that they had seen him already. Their eyes all fell on him, so he turned and began to run. He wasn't only trying to save his skin, however. He needed to keep them away from General Gordan as well.
He turned a few random corners, and to his delight, they followed. He was slowly leading them away from the main room. He had to get them as far away as he could. He then had to find a safe place to hide. Hard to believe Ramirez would go through so much trouble…just to finish me off. Aaron hung his head in despair, realizing that he probably wasn't going to get away from them. He didn't have any weapons on him, and he was outnumbered one to ten. He didn't stand a chance against that many men. Ray was probably the only person who did, other than Ramirez. I have to stay alive. I don't want to die just yet.
* * * *
Ramirez smirked in utter delight as he kept all of his attention on the ace knight. She was actually obeying him, doing exactly as he had said. She was calling every Geno and sending them to finish off the GRC. His smirk only widened when he thought of joining them. He had made sure to keep his base out of the range of the transmitter. He didn't need his Geno walking off without him, after all.
Ramirez stole a quick glance at Leon before returning his eyes to Ray. He loved the look on the boy's face. He was beyond angered, and it pleased Ramirez so to see that. He also took great pleasure in watching the way Ray suffered. In the end, this would probably kill her. No one's body was strong enough to withstand what she was going through. After his commands had all been issued, she'd most likely give out. Then he'd kill Leon. He had never had any intension of letting the boy go. Why should he? He had vowed to kill him, and he would, no matter what. After Ray was gone, no one would be able to get in his way.
On the other side of the room, Leon was watching Ray. She was surrounded in blue light from the sacri crystals that were inside Ramirez's machine. It was hard to see her anymore at all. However, he had been watching long enough to know what her predicament was. She had a tube in her wrist and a circlet on her head. It would be hard to get her out, even if he could. He still wasn't sure if the men that were holding him were armed. Ramirez, however, wasn't. He obviously wasn't expecting anything to go wrong.
Leon glanced at both the guards that were holding him. He felt their grips slack as they focused their attention on Ray. If he planned this just right, he could pull away. However, both moves would have to be quick and rather powerful. He'd only get one chance. If he screwed up now, the men would never let their guard down again. And so Leon put his plan into motion.
In one quick movement, he shoved his elbow into the man on the right, connecting with his stomach. He made a gasping sound and released Leon's arm. Before the other could retaliate and silence the boy, Leon used his free fist to punch the guy in the face. He released Leon and fell to the floor next to her friend. It was then that Leon made a mad dash towards Ramirez's machine. He wasn't too far away, and if he ran fast enough, he'd get there before Ramirez had time to stop him.
Leon was soon only a few meters from the machine, and just as Ramirez was about to reach it first, Leon threw himself towards it, the blue lights blinding him. However, he was able to make out the rather faded figure of Ray. She was still standing there, her eyes closed as she focused on the task at hand. Leon was still in mid jump, however, and there wasn't time for him to really think about what he should do. So in a last ditch effort, he wrapped his arms around her waist and began pulling her with him.
The tube was pulled from her wrist, a small trail of blood now leaking from the cut. The wires on the circlet snapped, leaving her with only the metal ring around her forehead. Before she could fully comprehend what was happening, the blue light disappeared, and she found herself on the ground next to Leon. He had his arms around her protectively, but his face was currently twisted in pain. He had hit the floor first, shielding her from the impact.
It only took Ray a second to realize that they were both in danger. Ramirez wouldn't let this slip. However, when Ray looked to the machine, she noticed two things. First off, the machine was suffering from some kind of overload. Sparks were flying from
it in every direction, and the blue light began fading in and out, growing brighter each time. They were no longer safe in the room. However, the second thing worried her even more. Ramirez was gone.
"Are you alright?" Leon asked as he sat up, one of his arms still around her waist. Ray only nodded, drawing out a small smile from the boy as he helped her remove the circlet from her head.
"We have to get out of here," she stated as she stood up, holding her bleeding wrist. It would stop soon though. It never took long for her to heal. It was perhaps one of the few good things about the sacrum in her veins.
"Where's Ramirez?" Leon asked as he stood up and glanced around the room. He had also noticed by now that the silver haired devil had disappeared.
"I'm not sure, but we need to get out of here," she told him, grabbing his arm. "Come on." She began to pull him across the room, running at a pace she knew he could keep up with. Hopefully she'd be able to remember the way she came, and hopefully she'd remember where she left her bag. She had put it somewhere in the hanger just in case she would need it. This definitely called for a few weapons. After all, when it came to raw power, Ramirez was indeed stronger. Hand to hand combat was a definite no. If she fought him with weapons or a Geno though, then that was a completely different story.
* * * *
Abby, Brian, and Jace ran down the hallway, finding it empty. They were obviously a great distance behind their enemies. They only prayed that they wouldn't be too late to help Gordan. After all, the GRC wouldn't be the same without Gordan there. True, the knights were the power behind the commission, but Gordan was their general. They couldn't lose him. He was too important.
The three knights soon came upon the closed doors of their main room, the place that Gordan was most likely at. He spent most of his time there or in his office, after all. There really weren't too many places he would go at a time like this. Brian reached the doors first and quickly threw them open.
