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.

            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.

“General Gordan!” he called, but their eyes all quickly found the man.  He was sitting at one of the computers, his eyes currently on the floor.  However, he quickly snapped his attention to the knights as they ran over to him to make sure he was alright.

“General, what happened?” asked Jace, noticing that a few of the computers had been knocked over onto the floor, their monitors in pieces.

“Are you alright?” asked Abby, concern flooding her eyes.

“I’m fine,” he stated with a sigh, one that gave away how stressed he was.  What leader wouldn’t be in a situation like this?  “Listen,” he began.  “You need to find Aaron.”

“Aaron?” questioned Brian, finally realizing that the ex-commander wasn’t in the room anymore.  Hadn’t that been where they had told him to stay?

“He went out to lead them away from here,” explained Gordan.  “However, he isn’t armed.  I’m worried about what might happen if they catch him.”  Just then, a few gunshots were heard in the distance.  They all turned to face the doorway, but no other sounds followed.  For a gunshot to be heard like that, whatever had fired it had to be nearby.  However, there were no other sounds.  They couldn’t hear the shuffling of feet across the hallway floor, nor did any more gunshots echo in the hallway.  That meant one of two things.  Either whatever they had shot at was now leading them away, or the thing they had shot at had been taken down.  Either way, their uneasiness wouldn’t be subdued.

“Gordan,” began Brian, drawing his general’s attention.  “I just have one question before we leave to find Aaron.”  Gordan nodded to him, signally for Brian to continue.  “What is going on?  Why are the Genos gathering here?”  Gordan lowered his head a little.  Perhaps he should tell them.  It’s not like they could do anything now.

“Well, you see…” he began, but a soft beeping from the communicator on his wrist quickly cut his sentence short.  He flipped the small lid up and came face to face with one of his officers still located outside of the building.

“Sir,” began the man, a smile on his face.  “Our Genos are working again.  We’re now proceeding to push back the remainder of the enemy units.”  A smile spread across Gordan’s face as he heard those words.  If they could control their Genos again, then perhaps the ones approaching the base had stopped as well.  If so, then Ramirez’s plan had failed.  However, this didn’t quell the unease of the situation.  If the Genos had stopped advancing, then what did that mean for Ray?  Had she been killed, or had she and Leon come up with a way to get out?  There were so many questions in his mind, but another explosion near the base quickly drew his attention back to the problem at hand.  They had a missing ex-commander to find.

            Gordan closed the communicator and then turned back to his knights.  They all seemed relatively pleased with the good news.  This meant they’d have no problem winning the battle now.  Perhaps they wouldn’t need Ray’s help after all.  However, none of them were aware that even in her absence she was playing a big part in this battle.

“Listen  ,” began Gordan.  “Go find Aaron.  Make sure he’s alright.  It’d be a shame if he died now.”  The knights all nodded and left the room without a word.  They then began to run down the hallway in search of their missing friend.  They heard a few more gunshots, deciding to follow.  They just hoped they wouldn’t find Aaron as a victim of them.

Ray and Leon finally reached the hallway that led into the hanger.  Ray peered around the corner, only to see that the enemy Genos were still there.  All except for the raptor.  She had been hoping against all odds that Ramirez would have had her send his Geno as well.  Now he was probably waiting outside for her to come.  He could very easily kill her if she didn’t get to her Geno in time.  He was probably thinking that she had sent it away, so she was hoping she’d have the upper hand for a while.

“Hey Leon,” began Ray, drawing his attention.  “I want you to stay here, alright?”  Ray reached around the corner and moved a few of the small crates.  Her hand soon found the strap of her backpack, and she pulled it out.

“What are you going to do?” he asked her, watching as she unzipped the bag and began taking things out.  Her father’s handgun was one of them.  A pair of her skates was another.  She quickly put the handgun in a holster at her side, hidden partially by her blue jean jacket.

“What do you think I’m going to do?” she asked as she began putting the skates on.  “I’m going to make a break for my Geno.  Ramirez is out there waiting, after all.  I can’t disappoint him.”  There was a small smirk on her face, as if she really thought that this was it, that this was the day she’d finally be rid of the silver haired devil.  However, Ramirez wasn’t an easy target, and in no way was he predictably.  This battle would be anything but easy for her.

“Ray, I’ll come with,” he told her.  “I can borrow a Geno.  Let me help you.”  Ray stood up, now on her skates, and turned to glare at him.

“Are you insane?” she asked him.  “I just went through all this trouble to get you back, and now you want to get yourself killed?  No way, nah uh, you’re not coming.”

“But I can…” he began to protest, but she placed a finger on his lips to silence him.  She took a few steps towards him and removed her finger, but before he could say anything, she silenced him with a kiss.

            Leon was shocked to say the least.  His mind didn’t register exactly what was happening until she released his mouth, leaving him a little dumbfounded.  Ray just smiled at him, her eyes gleaming with a new found confidence.

“I love you, Leon,” she told him, snapping him away from his small trance.  “That’s why you have to stay here.  This is my battle.  In case you’ve forgotten, I’m the ace knight.  I can handle this.  Ramirez is mine.”  She turned around and prepared to leave, but she glanced back one last time, her smile still as bright as ever.  “I’ll come back, don’t worry.  Just stay here.”  Leon nodded once to her, and with that, she took off.

            Ray dashed across the large hanger, knowing that she had to time this just right.  When she was just about to reach the large, open hanger doors, she pushed in a few buttons on her communicator, and the sands before her began to shift.  She began to stake harder, determined to reach her rising Geno before it was too far up.  She managed to position herself on the head just as it broke through the sand barrier, and just before she got into the cockpit, her eyes caught the sight of Ramirez and his blue raptor.  They were just standing there, waiting for her.  Ray already knew that this wouldn’t just be some battle.  It was time for her to bring out everything.  She had to win this.  People’s lives were on the line this time.  She wasn’t just fighting for herself and Leon.  She was doing this for the future of the GRC, for the survival of her fellow knights.  She was going to win, no matter what.  She had to.

“We meet again,” said Ramirez, his face appearing in her cockpit.  He wore a rather confident smirk on his face, one that Ray desperately wanted to wipe off.  He wouldn’t be so confident in a few minutes.  She was going to get the upper hand on him.

“Just shut up and fight,” she told him as her Geno let off a low growl.

“You know,” he began, “your skill really isn’t even yours.  The sacrum in your blood is the only reason you’re an exceptional pilot.  If it weren’t for that blood, you’d be common, just like the rest of them.”

“I hate to break if to you, Ramirez,” she said with a rather cocky looking smirk.  “I’ve never once fought with sacrum.  I didn’t even know I could until a year ago, and still I never have.  My skill is my own.  Sure, maybe my eyes and ears have been a little enhanced, but it’s the responsibility of the pilot to use every ability they have when fighting.  I’m not going to hold back at all this time.  I’ll show you what a Geno is capable of when it has the right pilot.”

            Ray reached over and shut off her communications device so that he currently couldn’t respond.  He’d override it eventually, but she didn’t need him interrupting her or trying to shoot her down.  She finally had the confidence she needed to win against him.  This would be the end.  One of them was going to die today, and despite what she had said, the game was tied.  She had just as good a chance at winning as she did losing.  She and Ramirez were both skilled, but this battle was going to prove to them which one was better.

            Ray pushed her controls forward, and her Geno broke off into a sprint towards Ramirez.  He began firing his guns at her, but she managed to dodge everything he threw.  Her feline Geno moved gracefully, kicking up the sand as it approached the raptor.  The second she was close enough, she lunged for him, but he stepped out of the way just in time.  He turned his guns on her as she was passing by and fired, but they never connected.  Her Geno had broken through the sound barrier at the last second, and the sonic boom was just enough to send Ramirez and his raptor into the air.  However, he managed to land on his feet, his mighty Geno releasing a rather threatening roar from its mechanical throat.

“Nice trick,” he told her, his cocky smirk still intact.  “I have a few of my own, however.”  The boosters on his Geno’s back flared, and he was soon lifted into the air.  He rose high enough so that she couldn’t reach him.

            Ray stopped her high speed attack and began firing on him with a few of her guns.  However, he managed to dodge all of her bullets.  In the process of doing so, a chest compartment opened, revealing his rather large cannon that he had used on her quite a few times.  However, she wouldn’t be able to stop him from doing so this time.

            As he began to charge the cannon, she fired more at him.  However, he managed to maneuver his raptor around most of the ammo.  An arm or leg was hit every so often, but as long as the boosters remained intact, he would still have the upper hand on her.  He would hover over her and fire his cannon as many times as he could.  He had made some drastic changes to his Geno’s core, so now it could probably last through at least twenty firings of his cannon.  He wouldn’t even need half of that if he timed everything right.

            The cannon fired, and Ray quickly withdrew her weapons and made a run for it.  However, the cannon beam followed her, tearing into the ground behind her.  She was honestly considering changing to the aerial form, but she decided against it.  If Ramirez was going to fight in one form, then so would she, and she preferred the ground.  So in a last ditch effort to escape the beam, she broke the sound barrier.  She managed to get away, but Ramirez was now charging up another.  He was also firing at her with the guns located on the head of his Geno.  He had obviously made some changes to the machine, seeing as how it was outfitted with a lot more weapons, and the boosters were much more powerful.

            Ray stopped her high speed retreat and began firing at him again.  She had to keep him distracted for a while until she could come up with a plan to take him out of the sky.  He was too much of a risk at that height.  She was currently timing him to see how long his cannon took to charge.  If she could avoid one more firing of it, she could clip his wings for good.  All she had to do was take out the boosters on his back or at least one of the ones on his side. 

            The cannon fired, and she once again had to turn tail and run from the laser beam.  She wasn’t going to break the sound barrier just yet though.  She had to time everything just right, and she would need her boosters at full power to do what she wanted to.  She would take him out of the sky no matter what.

            The second the beam ended, she turned around and made a dash for his hovering Geno.  He began firing at her as his cannon charged up again, but she dodged every shot, making sure to keep on her set path.  She’d only get one shot at this, so she had to do it right.  Ramirez would catch onto her plan if she failed.  There were no second chances with him.

            Ray threw her boosters into overdrive, sprinting towards the raptor.  At the last second, she leapt into the air, heading right for Ramirez.  It looked as if she was going to ram into him head on, but she quickly used her boosters to lift her Geno above the raptor.  She then opened fire on the midnight blue Geno.  Bullets rained down on it, but she wasn’t interested in hitting the arms or legs or even the head.  All of her attention was currently aimed at his boosters.

            The shots connected, and the boosters began to short out.  Ray heard a curse come from Ramirez, increasing the smirk plastered across her face.  She flipped in mid air and landed on her feet.  She watched as the raptor slowly came back down to the desert floor.  Its red eyes gleamed in the sun, giving it a rather sinister look.  It probably matched the glare that Ramirez had on his face after that little trick.

            Ray retracted all of her guns, and her Geno roared a challenge to Ramirez.  He also retracted his weapons, and the raptor shrieked in response.  Both Genos charged at the same time, meeting directly in the middle.  It was then that the real battle began as they came to a silent agreement.  This would be decided the old fashioned way.  No weapons, just claws and teeth.

            The battle raged on, each one biting and slashing at the other machine.  It was down to raw power and the attributes of their armor.  Whoever had the best defense and offense would triumph.  Occasionally one would pull away and try to charge the other, but usually those attacks were dodged.  Ramirez was sporadically caught in the backlash of a sonic boom, but he always recovered very quickly.  It was the same with Ray if he managed to use his tail to toss her across the desert.  They were both powerful in their own ways, but the only way for them to figure out who was the best pilot on the planet was for one to completely destroy the other.  This was a life or death battle, and they both knew it.

            Ray jumped back a little, preparing to charge at him.  However, before she could, Ramirez broke their unspoken truce.  He opened fire on her, blanketing her Geno in gun shells.  When the constant hard rain stopped falling, Ray’s silver Geno had quite a few dents in it.  Otherwise, it was alright.  Currently it was slowly getting back to its feet.

“Damn you Ramirez,” she began lowly.  “I should have known you’d try something like this.”  As her Geno slowly got back up, Ramirez opened the chest panel on his Geno, preparing to charge his cannon again.

“It’s time we ended this,” he told her with a smirk.  “With you out of the way, the GRC is nothing.”  Ramirez was just about to release the beam he had charged up when his whole Geno suddenly froze.  The charged beam completely disappeared and all of his systems began flashing.  He tried in vain to work the controls.  Nothing would respond to him.  He quickly picked up the soft sound of laughter coming from Ray, and he glared in her direction.

“I’m afraid it won’t be that easy,” she told him with a smirk.  “I guess you forgot about what I can do.”

“Release my Geno,” he demanded.  “Using your sacrum is nothing more than a cheap trick.”

“Spare me,” she told him as her Geno got fully to its feet.  “You’re one to talk.  You broke the cease fire first, not me.  However, I do agree with you that it’s time to end this.  This battle has gone on long enough.”  Ray’s Geno quickly braced itself, and the tail rose up, the end now pointing towards Ramirez.  It quickly began to change shape, and a cannon nozzle quickly replaced it.  Not only that, but two panels flipped from the sides, revealing two rather big cannons stationed on them.  Ray just smirked as she pictured Ramirez’s face right now.

“What are you doing?” he asked her angrily.

“You know,” she began, ignoring his question.  “It’s been so many years, and I’m really tired of these encounters.  I’m sick of this war, and I’m sure as hell sick of you.”

“Release me!  This is unfair!” he demanded, fighting with the controls of his Geno.

“No, unfair is what you did,” she told him.  “You used Leon to lure me here in order to keep me away from the battle at the base.  Then you tried to use my sacrum to control your army.  You never fight your own battles.  You’re always trying to use someone else.  The final battle is taking place at headquarters, and you weren’t even going to be there to see it through.  Just what kind of general are you?”

            Ray’s Geno suddenly opened its mouth, and another cannon nozzle could be seen inside.  As soon as it had extended far enough, all four cannons began to gather light, now glowing a soft red color.  The light bounced off of Ray’s Geno, making it gleam a blood red.  It was almost as demonic as the eyes of the raptor before her.  She smirked as she heard Ramirez mutter a few angry curses.  He was apparently kicking at the controls, trying to get something to work.

“You know Ramirez,” she began, knowing full well that he was listening to her.  “Maybe if you hadn’t killed my parents, maybe if you hadn’t shot my brother, and maybe if you hadn’t left this hideous scar on my face, I would let you go, and we’d fight this out to the very end.”  The cannons were now done charging, and Ray just smirked as her finger hovered over one small red button.  “However…to me, this seems fair.”  She pressed the button.  “Don’t you think?”

            The four point cannon fired, one beam from each part.  The white hot light raced towards the unmoving Geno, and it was enveloped before the beams even hit it.  The four waves of energy slammed head on into the mighty Geno, and it shrieked in either annoyance or pain.  It was hard to tell with these machines.  However, a rather large explosion erupted in the torrent of light, sending it everywhere.  Ray had to shield her eyes from its intensity, even though she’d much rather watch as the nightmarish Geno and its hell bent pilot were completely destroyed.

            After what felt like forever, the light finally cleared, and what Ray saw pleased her so.  All that was left of the once mighty Geno was a pile of scrap metal and red glass.  The core had been completely destroyed, along with most of the body.  Half of its severed head was left, but the eyes had been completely blown out.  However, when Ray saw the inside of the raptors head, the cockpit itself, she couldn’t help but smile.  The chair was gone.  He got away then, did he?  I guess not even I can override the emergency systems.  She spotted the chair and a discarded parachute a few yards away.  It didn’t matter though.  There really weren’t that many places he could run to.  His base was the only place in the area.

            Ray just sighed and did a quick system check on her Geno.  Never before had she fired the four point cannon using all of its points.  A lot of the armor on her Geno had been burned away, and it was only at half power now.  It was enough to get both her and Leon back to Torran at least.

            She began to head back to the base, her Geno moving rather slowly.  It could go faster, but she needed to conserve its remaining energy.  There wasn’t a lot left, and the trip to Torran would be a little difficult to make.  If they were attacked during it, there would be no hope in surviving.  They would have to be exceptionally careful.

            Ray stationed her Geno just outside of the hanger.  The cockpit opened and she jumped out, landing on the soft desert sands.  She then skated into the hanger, gliding gracefully on the metallic floor.  She didn’t even have to call out for Leon, because he came to meet her halfway.  She thought he’d be relieved, but he wasn’t.  He obviously knew that Ramirez had gotten away.

“Ray, that was amazing,” he complimented, plastering a smile on her face.  “But you know…he survived.”

“I know,” she told him.  “And he’s still here, isn’t he.”  Leon only nodded and then pointed towards an open door to their right.

“He went in there,” he told her.  He hesitated before asking, “So what now?”

“It’s it obvious?” she asked as she took her backpack from him.  “We go after him.”  Her smile quickly slipped into an expression of extreme severity.  “We have to end this now.  We can’t walk away until we know he’s dead.”  She reached into her backpack and pulled out a gun.  She quickly handed it to Leon and then tossed the bag to her side.  She gave him a small smile.  “Let’s go.”  He only nodded in response and followed after her as she skated towards the door.  This was really it.  This was going to be the last battle.  Only one side would walk away alive.  Either Ray or Ramirez would be victorious, and right now, it was anybody’s game.

Aaron ran down the dimly lit hallways of the GRC base, doing his best to keep the men behind him away from the control room that Gordan was staying in.  However, it was starting to get difficult.  He was currently trying to run while nursing his arm, which had been graced with a bullet.  It was really starting to hurt from all of his constant movement, but he didn’t have a choice.  He had to keep moving, especially now that he was leaving a small trail of blood behind him.

            Aaron turned a corner and continued running, dodging the few bullets that were fired at him.  If he just kept swerving and kept his distance, he’d be alright.  As long as nothing hit his legs, he’d always be able to keep running.  He was once a commander, after all.  He was physically fit, especially when it came to things like this.  Eventually the men behind him would get tired, and then they’d have to fall back.  That’s what he was counting on anyway.

            He ran into one of the larger rooms they had in the base, one of their storage rooms that was currently empty.  He was going to make a dash for the door at the other end.  However, to his dismay, he’d never make it in time.  One of the men fired at him, and the bullet bore itself deep into his upper leg.  He winced as he came crashing down to the floor, a small pained gasp escaping his lips as he fell on his already wounded arm.  He quickly rolled himself over onto his back, shooting a small glare at the men advancing on him.  He was trying so hard not to show any fear.  He couldn’t.  If he was going to die, at least he’d keep his dignity.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” asked a rather cocky voice, one that Aaron knew all too well.  One man stepped out from the group, a pistol in his hand and a smirk on his face.  He brushed a hand through his mahogany hair, his dark blue eyes gleaming in the dim lighting of the room.

“Damn you Nathan,” Aaron cursed, earning him a bullet hole in his right shoulder and one that just grazed his size.  He bit his lip to hold back the cry that wanted to escape.

“This certainly has been fun, hasn’t it?” Nathan asked as his smirk only widened.  “I wonder if Ramirez is having this much fun.”

“What do you mean?” Aaron managed to ask through clenched teeth.

“There’s a reason why no one could reach the ace knight,” began Nathan as he twirled his gun carelessly on his trigger finger.  “Ramirez is probably having so much fun with Leon Solaris and Ms. Cayden.  It’s a shame though.  I was at least hoping to see her once more before she died.”

            Aaron ground his teeth together, trying to get to his feet, but his injuries were really hurting.  He was forced back into his sitting position, his eyes never once leaving Nathan.  After all, it was a stupid idea to get distracted when facing an enemy.  Maybe he could manage to get out of this.  If he just kept Nathan talking, maybe someone would show up in time to help him.  Who am I kidding?  Who would be looking for me right now anyway?

“You really should stay still,” said Nathan as he watched the ex-commander attempt once more to get to his feet.  “It’ll only hurt more if you try to move.”

“Shut up,” he rasped out.  “I don’t need you telling me that.”  He fell back to the floor once more, groaning a little as pain shot through his leg and shoulder.  How could Ray put up with pain like this regularly?  From what he had been told, she was always walking around after being shot in the leg, or she’d carelessly use an arm that had nearly been broken.  He almost wanted to laugh at the very thought.  Almost.

“Well Aaron, it’s been fun, but I’m afraid this has to end,” Nathan said as he aimed his pistol right at Aaron’s head.  “Normally the punishment for traitors is a painful end, but since you were such a good commander, I’ll make it quick.”  Aaron closed his eyes, and then he heard a gun fire.  However, he didn’t feel anything.  Nothing had happened to him.  He opened his eyes and noticed that Nathan’s gun was now lying a few feet away on the floor.  The men standing near him were all putting their hands up, and as they parted, he could see three very familiar people.

            Jace, Abby, and Brian all walked into the room, each one holding a gun in front of them.  The men they were aiming at didn’t seem to have any weapons.  It looked like Nathan was the only one.  Or perhaps the others had already discarded them, realizing that if they even tried to shoot a knight, they’d instantly get killed by another.

            All three knights quickly noticed Aaron, his arms and his leg dripping with blood along with a decent amount coming from his side.  He obviously hadn’t had an easy time.  They had already known that, however.  They had followed a trail of blood, and it had led them here.  There was no mistaking that it had been Aaron’s.  Hopefully he wasn’t too badly injured.

            Abby and Brian quickly went over to him, putting their guns back in their holsters.  Jace stayed by the men, watching each one of them.  He kept most of his attention on Nathan, however.  After all, he had encountered this man before.  According to Ray, he wasn’t someone to mess around with.  Despite his lax appearance, he was a very tough person to beat.  He always had a trick up his sleeve.

“Are you alright?” Abby asked, noticing the four bullet wounds he had.  At least he wasn’t too badly injured.  However, any wound left unattended for too long could be deadly.  He needed to be treated quickly.

“I’ll be fine,” he stated, trying to keep the pain out of his voice.

“We should get out of here,” suggested Brian.

“What about them?” asked Abby, looking to the men that had accompanied Nathan.

“We’ll figure that out after the battle is done outside,” he told her as he began to reach for his gun.  He might as well help Jace keep an eye on all of them.  He was just a little late, however.  A gun was fired, and he heard his fellow knight cry out, now gripping his gun arm.

“Damn you,” Jace cursed as he focused his attention on the man who had shot him, which turned out to be a mistake.  In that one moment, Nathan had made a dash for his gun, swiping it off the floor and quickly aiming it in Aaron’s general direction.  However, the knights were too close to him.  At this rate, any one of them could get shot, and Aaron knew it.

“Get down!” he shouted as he reached over and shoved Brian to the ground.  Just as the gun was fired he shoved Abby away and ducked down, the bullet just missing his head.  However, that was the only shot Nathan would be able to fire.  One bullet was all it took.  One bullet that caught him in the back took him down to his knees, his gun slipping from his grasp and sliding away.  Behind him stood Jace, who had managed to use his wounded arm to fire his gun.  He now returned his attention to the man who had shot him, the man whose gun was now lying in front of him on the ground.  This was a message to all of them.  The knights weren’t to be messed around with.

            Aaron sat up, followed by Abby and Brian.  However, neither one of them was in pain.  Aaron was another matter.  His wounds all hurt, and he was starting to feel sick.  He had never had this many holes in his body before.  Sure, he had been shot once or twice in his lifetime, but this was four times in only a matter of minutes.  His luck had never been quite this bad before.

“Aaron, don’t move,” commanded Abby as she stood up.  “I’ll go get some medical supplies, alright?”  Unfortunately, she didn’t even get to take a step or turn around.  Nathan had gotten back on his feet, and he rushed her.  Before Jace could shoot him again, he had already grabbed Abby.  He locked his arm around her neck, squeezing just a little.

“Damn it!  That should have killed you!” shouted Jace angrily as he aimed his gun at Nathan’s back.

“I’d advise you not to fire that gun,” said Nathan, glancing back at Jace.  “I’ll snap her neck if you do.”  Jace cursed under his breath and just held Nathan at gunpoint, not having any intention of firing while he was holding onto Abby.

“Nathan!” shouted Aaron angrily, earning him the attention of his former coworker.  He tried to move, but his side quickly began hurting.  “Let her go.  I’m the one you want.”

“My, how heroic of you,” said Nathan, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.  It was obvious that he was in pain.  With a bullet wound in his back, no one could blame him.

“Just let her go,” he repeated.  “Please.  She’s done nothing to you.”

“The knights all have to die,” he stated.  “It’s a direct order from Ramirez.  It’s a shame though.  I would hate to have to kill such a pretty girl.”

“Damn you,” cursed Brian as he clenched his fists.  He was powerless to do anything against this madman.  How were they going to get out of this?

“Don’t you dare touch her,” snarled Aaron.  He had never been one for Nathan and his sick mind.  He hated the former lieutenant and his “ways” of torturing his victims.  For men, he’d simply fill them full of holes.  The women suffered so much more.

“You have no right to order me around,” stated Nathan, a smirk forming on his face. 

Aaron hated that look.  He was wishing he had something, just anything that he could throw at the commander.  He found just that as he moved his hand a little.  He glanced down and noticed that it was Nathan’s gun.  That would do nicely.  Now all he had to do was time this.  If he messed up, Nathan would kill Abby.  However, she’d probably rather die now than face what Nathan had in store for her.

“You might as well just give up,” stated Nathan.  “You can’t win.”

“Think again,” stated Aaron as he threw the gun at Nathan, straining his arm in doing so.  The weapon flew so fast and so hard that Nathan couldn’t get out of the way.  It slammed into his chest, and he lurched forward, his arm slackening enough so that Abby could escape.  She quickly ran over to Brian, who nodded to Jace.  The redhead got the signal and quickly pulled the trigger on his gun, shooting Nathan in the back once again.  This time the commander fell to the floor completely, and in a matter of moments, he showed no signs of getting back up.

“Is he…dead?” asked Abby hesitantly.

“I hope so,” whispered Aaron as he cringed once again at the pain his wounds were causing him.

“Let’s get out of here,” suggested Brian as he helped Aaron to his feet, having to support the wounded pilot.  “You did a good job, Aaron.  Not a single one got to General Gordan.”  A smile crossed Aaron’s face when he heard that.  That had been his goal all along.  It was nice to know he hadn’t failed.

“That’s a relief,” he stated with a rather large sigh.  “It’s nice to know these bullet holes weren’t for nothing.”  Abby quickly got on his other side, and the three of them began to make their way out of the room, following after Jace.  After he had shot Nathan again, he had made sure all of the other men were unarmed.  Afterwards he had knocked them all out.  It’s not like there had been too many of them in the first place.  Now they were all locked in the empty storage room, and there was no way they’d get out without a weapon.  The tides of the battle were finally shifting.  Now it all depended on Ray and her battle with Ramirez.  Hopefully she’d return to them alive.  However, Ramirez was a hard foe, off and on the battlefield.  This would be anything but easy, even if she was the ace knight.  After all, unlike Ramirez, she had one major weakness, and he’d exploit it to no end.

Ray and Leon ran down a long stretch of hallway.  It was like the end was never going to come.  This was the same hallway that the door had led to.  They had already been running for at least three minutes.  Just how long could one hallway be?  If they didn’t reach the end soon, they’d be too tired to fight Ramirez.  Also, he probably wasn’t alone.  Some of his men had to still be at the base just incase things went wrong.  Well, for him, things were really going wrong.

“We’re almost there,” said Ray as her eyes landed on a doorway, the door already open.  However, the room, like the hallway, was dark.  In fact, it was hard to see anything from where they were.  A lot of the rooms in his base were dark though.  That’s just how he liked it.

            They reached the room in a matter of seconds, but there wasn’t a lot of time to look around.  The only thing they saw before their battle began was Ramirez standing by what looked like a desk.  It was then that Ramirez’s men rushed them.  None of them seemed to be armed with a gun.  If they were, they weren’t using them.  Therefore, Ray and Leon decided not to use them either.  This would be an old fashioned fist fight, and Ray preferred it that way.

            The battle raged on between the twenty men and the two Geno pilots.  Ramirez simply stood by his desk, watching them.  His ice blue eyes were mainly focused on Ray as he watched her punch and kick his men.  Even on skates, she always managed to keep her balance.  If anything, they enhanced her fighting skill.  She had obviously trained hard and long to be able to maneuver that good while on wheels, especially since she was in no way at a disadvantage right now.  The skates made an excellent weapon when kicking someone, and they also helped her move away faster.  She never once lost her footing.  She was perfect at this art form.

            Leon was having just as easy a time.  He was throwing punches and kicks at whoever came his way.  He had to give these men their props.  They were indeed tough, since most of them would get right back up after an attack.  However, their fighting was sloppy.  Their moves were easy to evade, and they had horrible reaction times.  They couldn’t even connect a hit with him or Ray.  This battle would be over before they knew it.

            Ray was fighting off the men that approached her with ease, but she kept her eyes on Ramirez.  She had to watch him.  She didn’t trust the smirk on his face.  She knew he was watching both her and Leon as they fought.  The question was why?  Was he waiting for something?  He could very easily flee the base in one of the Genos, and yet he remained.  He just stood by his desk, smirking to himself.  It was then that Ray saw why.  In his hand he now had a pistol, one that gleamed even in the dark lighting of the room.  There was no way she’d have time to get out her own.  However, he wasn’t looking towards her anymore.  His eyes were on Leon.

            Ramirez slowly raised his gun, moving it towards the unsuspecting Solaris boy.  Leon was far too caught up in his own fight to notice Ramirez aiming a gun at him.  At this rate, there would be no way for him to counterattack it.  Ramirez smirked as he slowly began to pull the trigger.

“Leon!” called Ray, but there wasn’t time.  He would never be able to dodge it, let alone return fire.  If she didn’t do something now, he was going to die.  Everything she had just done would be for nothing.  There was no way she was going to let that happen.  A promise is a promise.

She knocked the last man to the ground and then made a dash for Leon.  He was just finishing up with his side as well.  He punched out the last guy and then turned towards Ray.  She had called out to him earlier, but he had been busy.

“Look out!” shouted Ray, praying he’d notice in time, that he would be able to avoid the bullet, but there just wasn’t.  She would have to do something drastic.  She wasn’t going to let him die.

            Leon’s eyes went from Ray to Ramirez.  They fell on him just as he pulled the trigger, releasing one silver bullet from his pistol.  Leon wasn’t completely sure what was going on, but the next thing he knew, something had hit him from the side.  Ray had thrown herself into him, shoving him out of the way.  Please let this work.  Please don’t let it hit him.

The sky was beautiful as the sun was nearly gone from the sky, disappearing behind the horizon.  It was at the point where half the sky was still painted in red and purple and the other half in a midnight blue.  Some of the stars were even present, shining down on the world below.  They were the only light being provided, since the moon was nothing more than a sliver hanging in the sky.

            On a cliff edge, high above a vast green forest, sat two Geno pilots.  They were just sitting there, staring at the scene before them.  If ever there was anything that could be considered beautiful, this was it.  This place was the most amazing place on their entire desert planet.  It was breathtaking.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” asked Ray, her cherry eyes shining in the fading light of the sun.

“Yeah,” said Leon softly as he pulled her closer, his arm resting around her shoulders.  His voice had been so soft, as if perhaps his mind wasn’t even on the scene.  He seemed to be thinking about something else.  It was easy to tell.  He didn’t hide it very well.  His dark lavender eyes seemed to give away everything about him.

“Is something wrong?” Ray asked gently, resting her head against his shoulder as she leaned into him a little more.

“Can I ask you something?” he whispered, drawing her attention.

“Sure,” she answered, wanting to know just why he had gotten so serious so suddenly.  Of course, it’s not like their evening hadn’t been serious enough the way it was.  He had drawn out her last story, and reluctantly, she had let him see her cry.  She still felt a little ashamed of doing that, but if there was one person who had to see, she’d pick Leon.

“When this is all over,” he began.  “When Ramirez is dead…what will you do?”

            Ray bit her bottom lip.  This was the one question she had been dreading for the longest time now.  What was she supposed to do?  She was the ace knight.  Her loyalty rested with the GRC, with General Gordan and her fellow knights.  However, it also rested with Leon.  There was no way she could have both.  Her life as a knight was time consuming and involved her full attention.  However, there was no way she could give up this life, the one she had started with the Solaris family.  She wanted to stay with them too.  What kind of answer was she supposed to give?

“Ray,” began Leon again as he tightened his hold on her.  “I…this may seem a bit selfish…but I don’t want you to leave the base.”  She wanted to tell him that she didn’t want to either, but once Ramirez was really gone, there’d be no reason for her to stay.  She would no longer be bound by her promise to Dr. Solaris.  Leon would no longer need protection.

“Leon, I…” she began, unsure as to how to continue that.  “I don’t…I don’t know what I’ll do.”

“Well,” said Leon, a small smile spreading across his face.  “How about you stay with us?  Not as the ace knight but as a registered pilot for our team?  What do you say?”

“Leon…” she said sadly, but he only held her tightly against him, resting his head atop hers.

“Please Ray?” he asked, wanting her to at least consider his offer.  “You’re the only girl I’ve been around since my mom died.  You’re the only person other than my family that knows me so well.  At least consider it.”

            Ray closed her eyes and sighed mentally.  She would definitely consider it, but she knew he wanted an answer now.  He wanted to hear that she’d be there no matter what.  He needed her there, and she could say the same about him.  He was the only person who knew her so well, and he was the first boy to ever kiss her.  She would definitely consider his offer.

“I can’t promise you that I won’t go back to headquarters,” she began softly, and she felt him flinch as she said this.  “But I can promise you…that I’ll never leave you.  You have my word.  I promise.”  And a promise is a promise.

The next thing Ray felt was white hot pain shoot through her abdomen.  She was quickly thrown back, and thanks to her skates, she ended up slamming into the far wall.  She slid down to the floor, her face twisted in pain, but she quickly got back to her feet, all the while covering the bullet hole in her stomach.

“Ray!” Leon called in concern as he pushed himself into a half sitting half lying position.

            Ramirez smirked widely, not seeming phased at all by the interruption that Ray had caused.  In fact, this worked to his favor.  He would kill her before she had the chance to draw out her gun.  Then he’d deal with Leon.  He was going to thoroughly enjoy himself.  His finger tightened on the trigger again, and before Ray could even react, he pulled it.

            Ray bit her lip to keep from screaming as another bullet hit her, this time passing through her left shoulder.  She began to reach for her father’s handgun, the one she had finally found bullets for.  However, before she could get it, Ramirez shot her again in her left arm.  Three more bullets soon came at her.  Two hit her legs, and another hit her other shoulder.  However, she fought back the pain and grabbed the handle of her gun.  She raised it quickly, and just as Ramirez let off another shot, Ray fired off her own.

            The two bullets raced through the air.  Ray was hit first, the bullet penetrating deep into her upper body.  The pain was just too great, and she couldn’t stay standing anymore.  She began to fall, going down in a bloody heap of torn clothing and bullet holes.  However, she was able to watch as her bullet hit its mark…right between Ramirez’s cold blue eyes.  He had been killed instantly, his gun falling from his hand as he hit his desk and slid to the floor.  It was then that Ray felt her shoulder come in contact with the cold metal, and it hurt beyond words.

“Ray!” called Leon as he ran to her.  His heart was pounding in his ears, and the sight he found before him didn’t quell it.  If anything, his fear heightened.  Ray was a bloody mess, full of bullet holes.  Every limb had at least one, and her left arm and her chest had two.  Neither had been very close to the heart, but that didn’t matter.  These wounds could easily claim her life, even if there was sacrum in her veins.  There was just so much blood.

            Ray slowly rolled herself over onto her back, but she cringed as her wounds were stretched.  It was starting to get hard to keep her eyes open.  However, she could just make out the sight of Leon, his face full of concern.  He was worried about her, and it’s not like she could blame him.  She had just been shot seven times.  That was definitely a record for her.  If she lived through this, she’d have quite a legend behind her.

“Ray, hang on,” said Leon as he gently slid his arms under her, holding her limp body in his arms.  “You have to hold on.  We’re going to head back to Torran, alright?  Your Geno can get us there.”

“I’m sorry…” she managed to rasp out as she forced a smile for him.  “I guess…I should have been a bit more careful.”  She coughed a few times, her body trembling in Leon’s arms.

“Look, don’t say that,” he demanded, his voice almost starting to crack as a few tears formed in the corners of his eyes.  “You can’t give up yet.  You have to make it.  You promised me, remember?”  Ray’s eyes widened just a little as she stared at him, his image starting to blur before her.  She was starting to lose control on her sight.

“I promised?” she questioned weakly.

“On the cliff during the sunset,” he reminded her.  “You promised you’d always be there.  You gave me your word.  A promise is a promise, Ray.”

“A promise…is a promise,” she repeated with a small trace of her smile still left.  It was then that her whole world went black, and she could have sworn she heard Leon call out to her, but his voice quickly faded.  Only one thing seemed to echo in the darkness.  I never break a promise.  I won’t die, Leon.  Not yet.  I promise…

Torran hospital was starting to become like a second home to the Solaris family, but in no way was that a good thing.  Only hours ago had Leon returned, piloting Ray’s battered Geno.  It was an honest to God miracle that the thing still worked after the damage it had sustained.  However, the miracle had been short lived.  Leon and Ray had indeed returned, and although Leon had made it out okay, Ray indeed hadn’t.  The second they had arrived at the hospital, the doctors had taken her.  They were currently trying to save her life, which seemed like a losing battle.  She had lost so much blood.

            Leon was a little surprised to see General Gordan and the knights there.  He, along with his father, brother, and Andy, had learned about the battle that had taken place.  Apparently they were there for Jace and Aaron.  Jace had suffered only from a shoulder injury, but Aaron had been shot four times.  That was only three less than Ray, and one of his had been nothing more than a graze to his side.  He would live, according to the doctors.

            Currently the Solaris family, along with Gordan, Andy, Abby, and Brian, were waiting for any news concerning Ray.  They wouldn’t leave until they knew what was going to happen.  They had to know if she’d live through this.  After all, the sacrum in her blood was both a blessing and a curse.  It had saved her life so many times before, but now wouldn’t be one of those times.  She had lost way too much blood.  There was nothing that could be done for her.  She was completely on her own.

            The second the nurse approached them, they all snapped their heads up.  She looked a little nervous as a doctor by the name of Grey walked up behind her, a solemn expression on his face.  It seemed that this would take both of them to explain.

“We have the report,” began the nurse sadly, “but I’m afraid it’s not good.”

“Just tell us,” said Gordan, trying to keep his voice soft.  He didn’t want to make the nurse any more nervous than she already was.

“She was shot…seven times,” she began, going over what they already knew from Leon’s report.  “We managed to remove all of the bullets, but…the holes are all very deep.  All we could do was patch them up and try to stop the bleeding.”

“To be honest,” began Dr. Grey as he crossed his arms.  “I’m surprised she even made it this far.  Two of those bullets were in her chest, but luckily they both missed her vital organs.  Whoever was shooting at her had obviously planned to get in a few more shots.  Alone, not a single one would be life threatening for her, but because there are so many…”  He lowered his head, continuing in a very soft tone.  “Usually in cases like these, we’d do a blood transfusion.  However, you all know that’s impossible.”

“Are you saying there’s nothing that can be done?” asked Brian, seeming both a little angry and concerned.

“I’m afraid so,” Dr. Grey told them.

“So…is she going to die?” asked Chris, his soft eyes filling up with tears as he asked the one question on all of their minds.

“At this point, we can’t tell,” he said, glancing towards the room Ray was in, which happened to be right next to the waiting area.  “She’s on her own.  It all depends on how strong she is.  If she survives, it’ll be nothing short of a miracle.”

            None of them said anything as they all turned to their thoughts for comfort.  Not a single one of them was ready to lose the bubbly ace knight.  They’d miss her confidence, her carefree smile.  They’d even miss her arrogance and somewhat conceited attitude.  She just couldn’t die.  Even if it was just for the sake of Leon’s mental stability, she couldn’t leave them.

            Leon lowered his head, staring at the tiled floor.  Oh how he hated this hospital, how he hated what was happening.  However, something inside of him wouldn’t let this rest.  He knew that Ray would do her absolute best to pull through.  She had once told him that she would never break a promise, and so far she hadn’t.  Would she finally break one, the one promise that meant more to him than anything?  Would she survive this, even just to keep her promise to him?  You can make it Ray.  You have to.  You promised.  You gave me your word.  Ray…you promised.

“Newsflash,” he read aloud from the paper he held in his hand.  He had to keep a firm grip on it as the strong desert winds threatened to rip the parchment from his grasp.  There was a smile on his soft face as his dark eyes read over the paper.  Just yesterday, ace knight Rayla Cayden mysteriously disappeared from her hospital room.  The doctors and nurses are baffled at her disappearance and are unable to explain it.  No one knows exactly where she is right now, but according to the medical reports, her injuries are still new, resulting from a battle four days ago.  If anyone knows where she has disappeared to, please contact the hospital immediately.

            A small laugh escaped his throat as he read over the article again, a picture provided at the bottom.  Ray’s hospital room looked almost completely normal.  It was almost as if she had never been in there, minus the sheets being strewn across the floor.  There obviously hadn’t been any kind of struggle since she had probably escaped at night.

“Why am I not surprised?” he asked the article as the wind suddenly tore the paper from his hands.  He just shoved them in his pockets and watched as the newspaper danced in the wind.

            He stood there for awhile, watching as the wind carried the paper out of his view.  There was still a smirk plastered on his face as he stood there, as if he was waiting for something.  He could hear someone approaching from behind, their feet shuffling through the desert sands.  His smile only widened.

“You know,” he began.  “You never cease to amaze me.”  He turned around, his dark lavender eyes meeting a lone cherry one belonging to none other than the missing ace knight.

“Well Leon, if you’re bored with me already, I can always go back,” she responded with a playful smirk on her face.  He just laughed a little and walked over to her.  She was dressed in her normal attire, her white shirt, jean jacket and shorts combo.  The clothing did a good job of hiding all of her bandages, minus the still visible ones on her upper legs.  Leon was a little surprised to see that she had come out on her skates.  Skating through the sand wasn’t exactly easy.  Then again, this was Ray.  After all she had been through, he was sure there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do.

“Let’s head back, alright?” he said as he walked up next to her.  She turned around and began to glide after him as he headed towards their base in the distance.  Their base.  That had a nice ring to it.  “Have you told Gordan yet?” he asked her.

“About what?” she asked.  He already knew she was missing from the hospital thanks to the reporters.  “About my decision?”

“Yeah,” said Leon.  Ray just shrugged, signifying that she hadn’t.

“He doesn’t need to know right now,” she said with a smile.  “I’ll tell him later.”  Ray was a little surprised when Leon suddenly put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards him.  She didn’t fight him though.  How could she?  First off, she didn’t really have the required strength.  Second, she didn’t want to.  She couldn’t.  After all, she had promised to stay with him, no matter what.  She would stay by his side for as long as he wanted, for as long as he’d allow her.  She couldn’t help but hope that her time with him would never run out.  Unfortunately everything good would eventually have to come to an end.  However, none of that mattered.  Until her promise was fulfilled, she was bound by it, even if a few sacrifices had to be made along the way.  After all, a promise is a promise.  And I always keep my promises.

Well, considering the fact that this is the last chapter, I thought I’d write an author’s note.  First off, I thank everyone who has been reading this, and since this is the last chapter, I’d very much appreciate your reviews.  But basically, I’d like to say that I hope you enjoyed the story.

What will I do now?  Well, was anyone reading this who was reading Legend?  Cause I’m really sorry about where I left it.  I’m actually thinking of going back and rewriting some of it…okay, a lot of it.  So please just wait another month or so, and then there will be new chapters, I promise.

Well…I’m also gonna start another story pretty soon, by request of a friend of mine.  And one more thing.  I have a little side story to My Sacrifice written out, but I don’t plan on posting it.  If you wanna read it, you’ll have to email me and I’ll send it to you.  It’s not too big.  It’s about Ray and Leon’s wedding.  In case you’re interested.  It was a story for a friend of mine.

Well, at the closing to this story, I say farewell.  Until we meet again!

See you later!