Perfect Sacrifice (6 page)

Leon began heading down the hallway, eventually reaching the medical room that was serving as a makeshift bedroom for the ace knight. He kicked open the door and walked over to the bed. Gently, he set her down.

Ray just sighed in disappointment, realizing that she wasn't going to be allowed to leave her bed. For some reason, they were really persistent. Didn't they understand that she was fine now? Her body healed differently than most. Someone like Dr. Solaris should be aware of that.

"Now will you please stay here?" Leon asked her. "It's not like it's that hard of a request."

"But I'm…" she began.

"Just fine, I know," he finished for her. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?" She crossed her arms and turned away from him.

"I don't need help from strangers," she insisted. "I'm fine on my own."

"What about Chris?" he asked her, drawing a sideways glance from the girl. "He helped you at the park, didn't he? If he hadn't, you coulda bled to death on the pavement."

"Don't you think I know that?" she asked softly. "I'll admit that I needed his help, but I don't need yours." She shot him a small glare before turning fully away. Leon just shoved his hands in his pockets and went to the door, not wanting to keep arguing with her like this. Neither one of them was going to win on a topic like this anyway.

"Fine," he told her as he paused in the doorway. "However…it's not a sign of weakness to ask for help." Before she could respond to that statement, before she could tell him how wrong he was, he left the room, closing the door soundly behind him.

CHAPTER 3

Heading Home

Dr. Solaris stood outside the base, along with his two sons. Ray was with them, staring off into the desert. Her communicator had been fixed, and only moments ago had she called her base. She had spent two days with the Solaris family, and after her rather embarrassing encounter with Leon, she hadn't once tried to leave her room again.

A car soon appeared in the distance, kicking up dust and sand as it drove along. There was sand as far as the eye could see. Not even a road had been placed out this way. It was nothing but a hot, dusty desert. The bright sun was bearing down on them all, but the planet was nearly one third desert, so most people had gotten used to the rather hot climate.

The car stopped in front of them. The door opened, and a boy with light blond hair and blue eyes got out of the driver's side. Ray smiled as she skated over to him.

"Brian!" she exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"Hey Ray," he greeted with a smile. She released him, and they both turned their attention to the Solaris family. "Thanks for looking after her," Brian said with a small bow.

"It was no problem," assured Dr. Solaris with a bright smile, despite the fact that the ace knight had caused a few problems. Brian just gave him a small nod and then looked down at Ray.

"Shall we get going?" he asked her. She nodded cheerily and walked to the passenger's side of the car.

"Bye!" she waved as she opened the door. "Thanks for everything!"

"You're welcome," called back Dr. Solaris as he waved to her. She disappeared into the car, which took off only moments after.

Dr. Solaris sighed as he removed his glasses, cleaning them with a corner of his jacket. He watched the car disappear into the horizon, the bright sun blocking out its retreating figure.

"Nice girl," he said. "A little stubborn perhaps."

"Very stubborn," corrected Leon.

"Kind of like a certain someone…" began Dr. Solaris, looking to his eldest son. Leon just shoved his hands in his pockets and turned around.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said as he walked back into the base. Chris just snickered and followed after his older brother. Dr. Solaris was left alone, standing in the desert sands. He just smiled as he looked to the horizon once more.
Take care, Ms. Cayden.

* * * *

Ray pushed open a pair of double doors, not caring that they were going to slam shut afterwards. She walked into the room, her skates now gone, along with her backpack. All the surrounding officials looked to her but quickly went back to their work. They had learned by now that this was normal. They needn't pay her any attention.

Ray walked down the aisle, heading towards the main monitor. General Gordan was standing there, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Next to him was a woman with long black hair and deep emerald eyes. Unlike the general, there was a soft smile on her lips.

Ray stopped in front of them, Brian coming up behind her. He looked to the general and then the woman. Both of them knew exactly what was about to happen between the general and the young ace knight. It was the same every time she came back from a mission like this and in such a manner.

"Ray," began Gordan, drawing her full attention. "Why hadn't you contacted us sooner?"

"My communicator was broken, sir," she said softly.

"You broke
another
one?" he asked her in disbelief.

"Yeah, but don't worry. Dr. Solaris fixed it for me." She held out her wrist to show him the communication device. He just sighed and rubbed his temples.

"I swear, Ray. You're gonna be the death of me someday," he told her. "This was a simple mission. You were only supposed to
observe
them."

"I
was
observing them," she defended. "It's not my fault they saw me." He gave her a hard stare, and she faltered under his intense gaze. "Okay, so it was my fault, but nothing happened. I'm fine." Gordan just sighed as he turned around.

"Very well," he told her. "You're dismissed." Ray only smiled and turned around, heading out of the room. She began walking down the hallway, getting a decent distance away when someone called out to her.

"R.C!" shouted a female voice. Ray stopped and turned to see the woman with black hair and green eyes.

"Hey Abby," she greeted with a smile. Abby came up to her, and the two were soon walking side by side down the long, brightly lit hall.

"I heard from Brian that you stayed with Dr. Solaris," began Abby, striking up a conversation.

"Yeah," answered Ray, giving her a sideways glance. She got the feeling there were going to be a string of questions following.

"What's he like?"

"He's really nice and incredibly perceptive," she began, remembering just how much he had known about her and the GRC. "I mean, he knew exactly who I was, and I only gave him my nickname."

"Yeah, he knows a lot about the GRC," explained Abby. "He's been working for us for years, though people don't see much of him anymore." Ray just nodded, taking in the information. Perhaps that was why she hadn't recognized him. She had heard his name numerous times, but never once had she been able to meet with him. "He has two sons, right?"

"Yeah, Chris and Leon," she responded, placing her hands behind her head leisurely.

"What are they like?" asked Abby curiously.

"Well, Chris is kind of quiet and a little shy. He's actually the one that helped me out back in Torran. And Leon is…" She couldn't help remembering her encounter with him in the hanger when he had held her against her will. She scowled and turned away, hiding the small blush on her face.

"Leon is what?" asked Abby.

"Nothing," replied Ray haughtily. Abby put on a smirk and turned her attention to the stretch of hallway before them. By the way she was acting, it was obvious that Ray hadn't had a very pleasant experience with Leon Solaris.

"Come on, at least tell me something," Abby pleaded. "I've heard he's an amazing pilot, one of the top in the ranks. I've also heard he's really easy on the eyes." Ray just crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks, annoyed that Abby was making such a big deal out of the eldest Solaris son. However, she had to admit that he was incredibly easy on the eyes, one of the first things she had noticed about him. He was possibly one of the cutest boys she had ever met.

"Ray! Abby!" shouted Brian as he ran down the hall. They both paused in their walk and turned to him.

"What is it?" asked Ray. He stopped, took a moment to catch his breath, and then straightened himself back out.

"The battle tournament," he began.

"Yeah, what about it?" she questioned, not seeing where he was going.

"Have you forgotten? It's this afternoon." Ray's eyes widened slightly, her arms dropping to her sides.

"It's today?!" she shouted in shock. Brian only nodded his head. Ray took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She gently massaged her temples as she felt a headache coming on. "Okay," she began in a sigh. "Did Gordan remember
not
to enter me as Rayla Cayden?"

"Yes," responded Brian. Well, there was one relief.

"What about my Geno?" she questioned curiously.

"Don't worry. You can still use it, but the armor was replaced with the standard black unit. Is that alright?"

"Fine. I'll manage," she said somewhat disappointedly.

"Manage?" questioned Abby. "Even without armor you'd still win." Ray just smiled at the compliment as she turned around and began heading down the hall.

"Guess I better get ready," she said. "It's been awhile since I've been in a real battle." Abby and Brian just smiled as they followed her down the stretch of hallway.

* * * *

At the Solaris base, Leon was currently just sitting on the couch, flipping through channels. He was waiting for three o'clock to roll around, and it seemed to be taking forever. The minutes seemed to tick by like hours. Didn't they understand that he was bored? He wanted something to do, and at three, he'd finally have something. Why couldn't time speed up just this once for him?

"Hey Leon," greeted Chris as he plopped down onto the couch next to his brother. "Whatcha doing?"

"Waiting for the battle tournament to start," he responded as he flipped through the news channels.

"Weren't you gonna enter in that?" questioned Chris as he opened a bag of potato chips and began munching on them.

"I was, but only five people can participate," he responded lazily. "I'll try to get in next time." Chris nodded and began to focus on the television. The battle tournament was always a big event, and it always took place every six months. Everyone on the continent enjoyed watching it. Any extensive Geno battle was considered a big event by the public and fellow pilots.

Leon flipped to a channel where a news reporter was standing in front of a huge coliseum, spanning for at least five miles. It was one of the largest structures on the planet. It wasn't very high in build though, but it was enough to keep the Genos in and the erotic fans out.

"Hello," began the woman reporter in her plain, reporter like voice. "I'm standing here in front of the GRC coliseum where, in mere minutes, five warriors will take each other on in a battle royal to top all battles."

"What's going on?" questioned Dr. Solaris as he entered the room.

"The battle tournament is starting," explained Chris, sounding excited. Dr. Solaris came over to the couch and sat down next to Chris, reaching his hand into the bag of chips. Leon rolled his eyes at them before turning his attention back to the screen.

"This year's tournament will be better than any other," continued the reporter. "We bring you live to the inside of the stadium where our pilots are all getting pumped for the upcoming battle." The screen switched over to another woman shorter in stature than the first, but her voice was nonetheless reporter like. She did, however, seem much more excited about the event.

"We have a great variety of pilots and Genos here today, ranging from professionals to rookies," she began with a smile. "Amongst us today are pilots Rick Johnson and Dave Strobe with their humanoid base Genos."

The two pilots she had mentioned weren't present, but their Genos were. One was in blue armor while the other was green. The Genos were in the shape of a human being, having a main body and head, along with powerful arms and legs. Their lively yellow eyes gleamed in the bright rays of the sun. It was amazing how a machine could so closely resemble a living being.

"And look over here," said the reporter, motioning to two more Genos. "We have Carry and her ground base Geno, and over there is Justin and his air base." The ground base Geno was shaped like a feline while the air base was a bird, similar in build to an eagle. The feline was red and the bird was a deep blue.

It was a little strange that none of the pilots seemed to be there. Geno pilots were attention hogs by nature. They usually loved being in the limelight. It was possible, however, that they were all inside the cockpits making last minute checks on their mechanical sidekicks. After all, this would be an important battle, not to mention a hard one. They were all fighting one against four. There was no room for error.