Perfect Sacrifice (74 page)

Ray was silent as she stood in the doorway.  All of them were awaiting an answer from her.  However, she didn't say anything.  Her hand tightened for a minute as she held the doorframe, and before any of them could do anything, she ran.

"Ray!" shouted Dr. Solaris, but it was too late.  She was already down the hall and now heading out of the hospital.  She had a lot of preparations to make, after all.

The three boys sat silently in the hospital room, their eyes on the doorway that Ray had been standing in only moments ago.  She had seemed so determined, yet any fool could see the sheer fear and apprehension playing in her eyes.  She was terrified, and she had every right to be.  All three of them began wondering if perhaps that would be their last memory of Ray.  After all, she had refused to promise her return.  What would happen next was anybody's guess.

* * * *

The sun had risen only a few hours ago, now hanging brightly in the morning sky.  The light was reflecting softly off of the desert sands, but it glinted rather brightly off of the armor of one lone Geno at the edge of Torran.  There in the sands stood a beautiful silver Geno with red and black streaks on the sides and legs.  Its white glass eyes seemed alive with the light of the dear sun.  The feline was almost real.  Almost.

"Are you sure you fixed everything?" Ray called down from atop the massive machine.  A short old man stood below near the feline's feet, an accomplished smile on his face.

"Everything should be in perfect working order," he called out to her.  In just one night, he had managed to change the armor and update all of the weapons.  Everything about the Geno was perfect now, and hopefully it would be enough for the ace knight and her mission.  Once explaining her reasoning for the late night visit, the repair shop owners had all decided to help her.  They had pulled the entire job off in just a few hours, and then they did a few touch ups in some areas.  If there was ever a Geno close to perfection, this one was it.

"Thanks," said Ray as she jumped into the cockpit.  "I appreciate it."

"It was no problem," he assured her.  "Just win the battle, that's all we ask."  Ray gave him one silent nod and then closed the cockpit cover.  Her Geno let out one mighty roar before turning and sprinting off into the desert.  Both machine and pilot had a long trip ahead of them, giving Ray the time she needed to think this all through.  Her thoughts ended up going back to Dr. Solaris, and she bit her lip out of shame.  She hadn't promised him she'd come back.  Not once in her entire life had she ever broken a promise.  She didn't want to start now, so she couldn't promise him her safe return.  If everything went awry and it came down to a battle between her and Ramirez, she wasn't sure if she'd make it out alive.  She'd make sure Leon got out alright though, and then she'd do whatever Ramirez asked of her.

"I'm so sorry Dr. Solaris," she said aloud.  "I just can't make a promise I'm not sure I can keep." 
However, I will get Leon back to you in one piece.  That's a promise I will keep, no matter what.  My life is my own, and I can do with it what I please…even if it means a sacrifice is in order.

Ray pushed the controls on her Geno, speeding up a bit.  She wouldn't dare break the sound barrier.  If a battle took place, she'd need all of the strength she had if she hoped to win.  Then again, was she really planning on coming out alive?  It all seemed rather hopeless. 
As long as Leon survives, that's all that matters.  My life…
  She decided not to continue that thought, seeing as how it would only make the matter more troubling than it already was.  She didn't need to contemplate her future right now.  She had to stay focused.  Leon was counting on her, and she wasn't going to let him down.  She couldn't imagine her life without him there, not anymore.  Not after everything they had gone through.  She needed him, and she was no longer afraid to admit it. 
If things go wrong, and Ramirez decides to kill me…then I just want to see you…just one…last…time…

* * * *

Ray's Geno stopped in front of a large building, one of the largest she had ever seen.  It wasn't just tall, but it was long, spanning out in every direction.  It was an amazing piece of work, but it could never compare to the GRC headquarters.  That was by far the largest building on the planet.  It had to be, considering that all Geno based actions were regulated and controlled from there.  Besides, it housed over half of the men in the organization.

Ray began to walk towards the hanger doors, her Geno going rather slowly.  As she looked around, she was surprised to find that there weren't that many people around.  In fact, she didn't even see any guards by the hanger door.  If Leon's life wasn't currently in danger, she could easily just destroy the building.  If she were under the rule of a real general, one who was ruthless and put the safety of the GRC before everything else, she would be told to destroy the base.  She would be told that one life couldn't account for the thousands that could be lost.  However, Gordan wasn't like that, and neither was she.  One life meant everything, especially if that one life was the only boy she ever really cared about.

Ray stopped at the hanger doors, wondering just how to go about doing this.  She wasn't sure if she wanted to leave her Geno outside the base.  Then again, she really didn't want to leave it inside either.  She could perhaps hide it like she had that time in Torran.

The cockpit opened, and Ray jumped out of her Geno.  She took her communicator and pushed in a few buttons.  She could control her Geno through that, but only with simple commands.  It's not like she could program it to destroy something.  She could have it burry itself underground though, so she quickly set the command and decided to head on in.  There was a door close by, one that didn't appear to be locked.  Without hesitation, she opened it.

Ray walked into a huge hanger, and she was shocked to see that there were only five Genos, one being the blue raptor owned by Ramirez.  Wasn't his whole army supposed to be at this one base?  Why were only five Genos there now?  Perhaps he had sent them all to his excavation sites.  That seemed logical in a way.  He needed them guarded, after all.  There were so many of the ancient ruins still around from the past.  Perhaps studying them was a hobby of his, or maybe he just used them for finding weapons, ones like the four point cannon.  Even if he did find one, he couldn't use it.  After all, he didn't have sacrum flowing through his veins.

Ray walked through the hanger, feeling just a little uneasy in the silence of the room.  Wasn't Ramirez expecting her?  If so, then why hadn't he come to the front door to greet her?  Perhaps he wanted her to find him.  Ramirez had always been a strange one.  Nothing he did really made that much sense.  Or perhaps everything he did made perfect sense, and only someone smart enough to read between the lines could possibly understand the way his mind worked.  Everything he did was formulated properly.  He was prepared for every situation.  It was rare that he was ever caught off guard.  However, she would have to find a way to do so if she wanted to escape alive.  She'd have to best him, something that had never been done.  That didn't mean she couldn't try though.

Ray opened up another door and found a set of stairs.  With little hesitation, she began to walk up them, her mind counting each one subconsciously as she headed towards the light at the top.  She wasn't sure what she'd see when she got there.  She wasn't sure if Ramirez would be standing there, waiting.  Perhaps she'd have to go in even further.  The second happened to be the answer.  What she found at the top was a long hallway, one that seemed to turn in so many different directions.  She'd have to try and remember which way she had come from.

This base was just like a maze.  Every time Ray thought she had finally found the silver haired devil, she discovered herself in another room.  She had to hurry up and find Ramirez.  She was wasting time just walking around aimlessly.  She broke into a sprint, heading down yet another long hallway and then climbing another long set of stairs.  She'd be exhausted soon if this took much longer.  This was the sixth staircase she had found, and each one seemed to get longer.  This time, however, she was rewarded with a door at the top.  She knew this was it.  This was the room.  She could feel it.  She placed her hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it.  A small click was heard as she pushed the door, letting it slowly swing open.

Within the few seconds of the door opening, she prepared herself physically and mentally for what was about to happen, for the confrontation that was about to take place.  As the door revealed the room, her eyes quickly went to the one figure in it.  He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture unflawed.  His silver hair hung straight, a single piece hanging between his cold blue eyes.  A smirk quickly crossed his face as he caught her undivided attention.

"Welcome Ms. Cayden," he greeted, his voice displaying how amused he was.  For a man who was usually so emotionless, he seemed pretty good at imitating his pleasure in seeing her there.  The final piece to his puzzle was coming into place, and soon he would get to see the full picture.  "It's good to see you again.  I welcome you to my humble adobe."

"Cut the crap, Ramirez," she snapped angrily.  "Where's Leon?"  Ramirez only chuckled a bit out of pure amusement.

"Not wasting any time, are you?" he asked her with a smirk.  The doors on the other side of the large room opened, and in walked two men.  They were dragging Leon with them, holding tightly to his arms.  He looked anything but happy as he pulled against them.  Unfortunately, his struggles were getting him nowhere as they walked towards the center of the room, staying along the walls.  The room they were in was indeed huge, and the lighting was just a tad bit dim.  In the absolute center stood Ramirez.  Behind him was a rather large and dangerous looking machine.  Ray had no clue what it was, but at the moment she didn't care.  Her main concern was Leon.

"Okay Ramirez," she told him.  "What do you want from me?"  He only smirked slyly at her, catching a glare from Leon before answering.

"I want you, of course," he answered.  "There's sacrum flowing through your veins.  I need it to power this machine.  What do you say?"  Ray thought this over a bit.  If what Andy had told her was true, then he wanted her to control his army for him using the sacrum in her body.  He wouldn't kill her, since that would defeat the whole purpose.  However, there was no guarantee that he'd let Leon go if she agreed.

"I want you to promise me something," she told him, her eyes never once leaving his.  "If I agree, you have to let Leon go.  You have to let him leave here alive."

"I don't think you're in any position to make demands," he told her.

"Just promise," she snarled angrily.  "Give me your word and I'll do it."  Ramirez just smirked, knowing that he had finally won.  He would finally overwhelm the GRC, and their own dear ace knight would be the cause of it.  Their most powerful fighter would destroy them all.

"Very well," he told her.  "I'll let him go…after I make sure this works.  If you don't cooperate, I'll kill him myself.  Now let's get going, shall we?"

"One more question," she told him as she glanced around the room a bit.  There was just something that felt a little out of place here.  "Something's been bothering me," she began as she looked around a bit more.  "Where are all your men?  I haven't seen anyone until just now."  A cold smirk spread across Ramirez's face, one that sent a chill down Ray's spine.  She began to dread the response he would give.

"I sent them on a little errand," he told her with a great deal of delight in his voice, something she hated to hear.  He was thoroughly enjoying himself.  "It seems that there is a traitor hiding out at your headquarters.  I sent my army on a little extermination mission."  Ray's initial reaction was shock.  Ramirez had sent his whole army to the GRC headquarters for the soul purpose of getting rid of Aaron.  Was he mad?  That was self explanatory.  He wasn't just mad, he was downright insane.  One army to destroy one person…then again, he would need that kind of force to accomplish anything.  After all, the entire brunt of the GRC army was there.  This would be a major battle, and now she couldn't participate in it.

"You…damn you," she cursed as she realized just how well planned this had been.  "You did this…just to make sure I wouldn't interfere."

"Precisely," he said with a smirk.  "Now there's no way they can win, and as soon as you call forth my new army, they'll be completely crushed.  The GRC will cease to exist, and I will take over this world."  Ray quickly found herself overwhelmed with anger, and she glanced to the two men holding Leon.  She couldn't see a single weapon on them, and Ramirez didn't seem to be armed right now either.

In one quick motion, Ray ran towards Ramirez, her fist pulled back into a punch.  She would take him out and then make a dash for Leon.  She had to get out of here.  Screw the plan, screw the deal.  There were people who were in desperate need of her help.  She had to save Gordan, the knights, the base itself.  She couldn't let everything they had worked so hard for fall to the hands of Ramirez.

However, in his hand was a remote control, and all it took was one push of a button.  Ray froze in place as a familiar sound soon echoed through the room.  Her eyes shot over to the far corner where a large probe stood.  It was a high energy pulse laser, something she had come in contact with only once before.  That memory of pain was still crystal clear in her mind, and now it was resurfacing.

Ray grabbed her head, a scream forcing its way from her throat.  She quickly collapsed to the floor, and Ramirez just stared down at her, a smirk on his face.  She was writhing in pain, her small body trembling uncontrollably.  He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain he was causing her.  She was the only one on the planet that could hear the sound it made.  Her body was the only one affected by such a thing.