Perfect Sacrifice (75 page)

"Ray!" called Leon as he tried to pull away from the men that were holding him.  His attempts were in vain, however, since the two men didn't seem to be willing to let him go just yet.  He hung his head in defeat, realizing that no matter how badly he wanted to help her, he was helpless to stop Ramirez.  He was being used as a hostage, as a way to make Ray do what the general wanted.  All this time, all he had wanted to do was repay her for all the times she had protected him, all the times she had risked her life to save his…but now it was all over.  He was nothing but a burden.  If it hadn't been for him, she could have just destroyed the base.  This was his fault and he knew it.  There was nothing he could do.  The wheels were already turning.  It was too late to go back now.

* * * *

A battle raged in the desert, one that didn't even seem much like a battle.  It was more like a massacre, bullets flying everywhere, kicking up sand and debris.  Metal clashed with metal as multicolored pieces of armor went flying off the mechanical creatures that were battling it out near a rather large building.  The Genos were constantly at each other's throats, clawing and blasting away at their enemies.  Both sides were losing men and fast.  There didn't appear to be an end to the fight anytime soon.

"This is insane," stated Jace as he backed away a little, dodging fire from an enemy unit.  His golden Geno had already sustained quite a bit of damage.  "How are we supposed to win this?"

"Don't give up," encouraged Brian as he forced his Geno to get back up.  "We have to hold out.  Gordan is counting on all of us."

Inside the base, the sirens were flaring, but no one really cared anymore.  They had been going off for the last half an hour ever since the battle for the survival of their headquarters began.  The general, Gordan Striker, was sitting in the main room, staring at the huge monitor before him.  He suddenly slammed his hand down on the console before him.

"Damn, it's no good," he said to himself.  The screen soon lit up, and Jace appeared on the monitor.  Along with his image came the sounds of explosions that seemed to shake the foundation his Geno stood on.

"Sir," he began.  "Were you able to contact Ray?"

"No," he began.  "Her communicator's signal is being jammed, and no one is picking up at the Solaris base.  It looks like you guys are on your own for now."  Jace just gave a solemn nod and went back to fighting the enemy, leaving Gordan completely alone.  By now, news had probably gotten out about the battle that was taking place.  Hopefully wherever Dr. Solaris was, he would contact the base soon.  Gordan needed to know where Ray was. They really needed her help right now.

The screen suddenly buzzed, and an image popped up.  Gordan was greeted by the serious expression upon the face of Dr. Solaris.  He could also see that the man appeared to have gotten injured.  There were bandages on his shoulder and halfway down his chest.

"Gordan, is the base really under attack?" David asked, wasting no time in getting straight to the point of the call.

"Afraid so," he told his longtime friend.  "Exactly where are you?  What's going on?"

"I'm in Torran at the hospital," he explained.  "Long story.  Anyway, how are things going?"

"Not good," Gordan responded as his expression fell greatly.  "We need Ray's help.  Tell me where she is."  He was a little surprised when Dr. Solaris didn't say anything.  The injured man only lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with the general.  He really didn't want to mention what had happened.  He couldn't.  He wasn't going to endanger his son incase Gordan decided to send someone after Ramirez.

"Excuse me," began a soft, familiar voice.  "I'll take this one."  Dr. Solaris was a little surprised as he was lightly shoved out of the way by Andy, who now took center screen.  He faced his old general, a very stern expression upon his young face.  Gordan looked surprised to see him standing there.  Didn't he work for Ramirez?  Just what was going on here?

"Andy?" he questioned, and the boy nodded to him.

"It's been a long time, General Gordan," he began.  "I'm sorry, but Ray isn't here, nor is she at the Solaris base."

"Then where is she?" Gordan asked, starting to grow impatient.

"She's with Ramirez," Andy answered through pursed lips.  His mouth was a thin line now as he tried not to show too much worry in front of Gordan.  They all had to believe in Ray right now.  They had to believe that she could make it back alive.

"She's what?" Gordan shouted out of half concern and half anger.  "What the hell is she thinking?  She should have said something!"

"She couldn't," stated Andy, still keeping calm even when Gordan was ranting profusely.  "Ramirez has Leon, so she went to get him back.  He told her that if she didn't come alone, he'd kill him."  Gordan was silent for a moment as he absorbed the information he had just been given.  This all made sense now.  He was finally coming to a conclusion that Dr. Solaris had discovered awhile ago.  Ray was bound to the promise she had made.  She had promised to keep Leon safe, no matter what.  A knight never broke a promise, and Ray probably wasn't about to start now.  Besides, they were bound by so much more.  He knew for a fact that Ray loved the Solaris boy perhaps more than her own life.

"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 fighting 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.