Deceit

---------------

 

“...and now I look at how corrupt the human race has become. Sometimes I wonder why the Sacred Goddess even bothers with these people any longer, but she simply reminds me of the past. The great heroes who were born on this very planet, who were born up from the soil of the planet once called ‘-----' to fight and defeat evil. Kai Dochira, slayer of the Demon God. Kuroko Tsuyoi, breaker of the world. Hashira, the Legendary Hero. Miun Strife, lover of Jenova reborn. Arriku Terusuke, self-proclaimed guardian of the Sacred Goddess herself. Chihou and Kaori Hayashibe, whose love conquered the attempts of DaiMaouBaan, Kaze Ga Tsuyoi’s evil soul combined with his little brother’s hate and contempt. This is what she reminds me of, the lives of simple people in the world who had never dreamt of glory.

 

And yet, I look upon that same world today. It is called ----- no longer; it is called Akuji. The human race is filled with greed and those who aren’t are crushed in the race for power. How should I judge the life of one against the lives of many? This is the world I have been assigned to dole out salvation to. But times change, worlds change, and so do people...”

 

---Adam, Guardian of the Sacred Goddess

 

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Lights penetrated the darkness of the excavation sight. A single man dressed in nothing but his pajamas and an overcoat came bustling out of his tent followed by two of his associates. The trio crossed the dusty ground of the sight and began to descend into the man-made abyss that their team had been working on.

 

“This better be good,” muttered the man in the lead. “I had better see something that sparks my interest once I get my ass down there. Waking me up in the middle of the fucking night… I want some results, damnit!!!” His assistant fluttered his arms worriedly but put on a weak smile as the cavern lanterns illuminated his face.

 

“Trust me sir,” he said. “I think this will more than interest you. Our team just found it half an hour ago.” The lead man grumbled something as they descended further into the dark caverns that their archeological expedition had hollowed out. The sloping dirt roadway suddenly leveled off into huge room. A single metal container stood in the middle of the earthen auditorium, workers bustling about the area in an effort to clear away the remaining debris away from their prize. The lead man looked up in awe at the tall metallic tomb. A single glass plate was at the top, revealing, beneath a layer of melting ice, a humanoid face. The container was unmarked.

 

“We estimate its age to be pre-nuke area,” said one of the associates. “Imagine the possibilities that this type of lost technology could bring into our current era, sir.” The lead man barely heard the words. He was staring up at the ice-cold face, a small smile beginning to widen upon his own.

 

“Excellent…this will do nicely.”

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

“President Sagawa, Ms. Koss is here to see you.”

 

Sagawa silently grumbled behind his desk as he considered the message from his personal secretary. His patience had already been tried by the length of time that it had taken Koss’ robotics department to deal with the subjects, but their lack of any reports until now only angered him further. Even Gendou, the genetics director, worked at a higher efficiency than she did. Perhaps it was time to check into job replacement—

 

 

“President Sagawa?”

 

 

Sagawa shook his head as he addressed the private intercom on his desk.

 

“Send her in,” he told his secretary, and reclined back in his chair to relax. Seconds later, a handsome woman with shoulder-length red hair walked into his office and sat in the chair opposite of his desk. Her formal suit gave her a professional air , but the way she strutted denied any thoughts of modesty that one might have had about her. Sagawa leaned forward as she settled in his room.

 

“I’m hoping that you have something important to tell me about the unknowns that we brought back from North Point a couple days ago,” said Sagawa, and Koss curtly nodded her head.

 

“Yes, President Sagawa,” she replied in a melodious voice. “Two of the mecha have a government design, but we could only find traces of our programming in one of them. They both have corazon chips. The older mech is definitely pre-nuke era, but we haven’t been able to decode the old technology yet. The last subject we’re still analyzing.” Sagawa nodded his head in a trance. None of this meant anything to him. These ones were probably just the failed creations of some rebel inventor. Koss continued her speech. “However, we do have something fairly interesting to report about on the girl who came into the ward. It turns out that she’s the same subject that Gendou and I experimented on years ago for the psychic net-link system. She was the sole success of our work, but she escaped.” Gendou raised his eyebrows with interest. They still had not perfected the net-link technology after all these years. The girl would be useful in perfecting it.

 

“Use the girl’s information to finish the net-link project if you can, it will be the one thing we can salvage out of this mess,” said Sagawa, turning to the large glass pane behind him. “As for the mecha, you might as well cut them up for all I care, see what makes them tick. They will add no advantage to our cause.”

 

“Hai, President Sagawa.”

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

‘I can barely remember…

… it was Toy, wasn’t it? I finally saw the Toy… damn… he beat us badly…

And where am I now? Where is Yoshime? Is she okay? I need for her to be okay… I need… something…’

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

Edge’s systems lit up as he opened his eyes. He was lying down on some sort of operating table, bright lights above him and a tray covered with various sharp tools set to the side. At least one was a saw of some type, teeth glistening below the glow behind a powerful, circular motor. His systems check ran, no damages. Nothing, not even a dent. Was this what humans referred to as, ‘Heaven?’ Where all of perfection came together with only the purest of souls?

 

He suddenly detected movement to his right, and turned his head. Kouryuu, Zero and Double were there too, all lying on those same tables. None of them were conscious. Two figures in white were standing over Double. One was bringing down a laser cutting tool on his friend’s chest.

 

“NO!!!” shouted Edge, lashing out with his power instinctively. The laser whipped out of the figure’s hand and smashed to pieces against the wall. The two operators shouted out in surprise as Edge used his gravity to mold bonds of metal from the stands around their limbs, leaving them flailing about wildly in the corner of the room. The young boy leapt up from the table and glanced quickly towards the only door of the room. No guards entered to check up on their colleagues. Good. It meant that he still had some time. Without thinking, Edge released a small energy pulse to each of his friends, bringing their systems out of stasis. Using his powers seemed to be more instinctive as of late...

Kouryuu and Zero sat up groggily as they examined their surroundings. However, Double was immediately on his feet with blades bristling the minute he opened his eyes.

 

“Edge…” said Kouryuu, rubbing her neck. “Where… what happened? How did we get here?” Double was already scouting out their only way of escape, shaking his head all the way.

 

“This is bad… really bad,” he kept saying. Zero cocked her head as she walked in circles around the room, stopping briefly only to playfully kick the operators in the head.

 

“What’s wrong, Double?” she asked. She bounced a colorful sphere the size of her head in her right palm and beamed happily. “Look! Look!!” I still have the Orb, see?” Kouryuu scrutinized Zero with a deep frown. They had the Orb, yes, but what had it cost them?

 

“Toy didn’t take the Orb?” she said softly. “But why not? Its power is supposed to be immeasurable. Surely he could have made use of it, or merely taken it to lure us in again.”

 

Double peeked out the corridor cautiously before turning back to address the group.

“Radars are working fine,” he said. “So is my global positioning indicators, and they’re telling me that we’re in it deep. This is the headquarters of the West Newport Human Republic, the most powerful human government organization in the world.” Kouryuu’s eyes widened. Both of her swords were shining bright with plasma energy and in her hands in seconds.

 

“They brought us here…?” she said. Her head suddenly whipped around, searching the room. The government headquarters, the largest enemy of her rebel alliance. What might they do to her if they found out who she was? Or to the others, for that matter? “We have to get out of here. Where’s Yoshime and Iesu?”

Edge’s eyes were wide with fear. He had forgotten about her, Yoshime, but how could he? How?!

 

 

“***Priority #1: Protect Yoshime.”

 

 

“No…” whispered Edge. “She has to be safe, she has to! I was supposed to---to---” Double put a rough hand on his companion’s shoulder and allowed his normally stone-cold eyes to soften.

 

“It’s not your fault,” he said. “You didn’t bring us here in the first place. None of this is your fault.” Edge held his bowed head in his hands. This was wrong. He needed to find Yoshime, he needed to protect her.

 

“I... I... I have to help her!!!”

 

 A huge crash accompanied Edge’s wild roar as an energy explosion rocked the room. Kouryuu braced herself against the wall as she channeled her plasma out in front of her to shield herself from the blast. When the dust cleared, she saw Double and Zero peering out into the hall by way of the huge hole which Edge had blown through the metal plating of the walls.

 

“Damn!” cursed Double. “He’s too damn rash…” Kouryuu was already up and following the trail of destruction which Edge had left in his wake.

 

“Son of a…” she muttered. “He’s just going to make things worse.”

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

Yoshime couldn’t open her eyes no matter how hard she tried. She could still see them though. The operators with their white suits and shining tools. They were bending over her with large glittering blades. There was blood. Why did this all seem so familiar?

 

‘Don’t do this, don’t pry inside my head! You have no right to see my mind, my pain and suffering! Just because all of you had families that were rich, people who could buy the government’s pity, education, benefits. You still can’t do this to me! I am still a living creature, a human being just like you! You can’t sell me off like…like…

…

… oh God.

They didn’t mean it… they didn’t mean it… that way…

… just like me… right now… they were doing what they needed to do in order to survive…

…I…

……I…

…

…you have no right to see my sorrow… get out of my head… please…’

 

Even though her eyes were welded shut, she could still feel the tears run down her cheeks in rivers.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

Edge was soaring down the corridor, waves of gravity tearing up everything in his path. How was he moving so fast? His powers… yes, that must be it. It made perfect sense. He was propelling himself by creating a space of nullification just ahead of them that pulled him forward. That was why he destroyed everything in his path. How did he learn that? Kouryuu certainly never showed him such skills… nothing… nothing in his files ever taught him that kind of technique. Everything he was doing was coming from a single primal instinct that surged through him. What was happening to that young boy that Yoshime had found so long ago?

 

Edge took a moment to glance at his surroundings as he slowly floated to a halt. The walls were covered with the imploded bodies of government workers, some not even part of the armed forces that had been sent to deal with the threat at hand. He looked down at his hands, and then his armor. Both were stained dark with blood. Why did this seem so familiar?

 

‘Something that I did in the past? Why does this whole scenario seem like I’ve gone through it all before? I… I didn’t mean to kill these people, they were just in my way. Why did they have to get in my way? If those soldiers didn’t try to stop me, they wouldn’t have had to die. I just wanted…. _______…?’

 

Edge clutched his head in confusion. This wasn’t him, it couldn’t be. Why would he have wanted to create so much carnage on such a vast scale? And yet, the entire blood-coated corridor seemed like a picture that was all too familiar. And it did not go away. Slowly, the sides of Edge’s mouth crept up in a confused smile.

 

“Monster…” he whispered. Whether he was referring to himself or something else, he could not tell. The floor erupted violently as Edge crashed down the hall, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

“Geez, that damn kid is going to get us all killed one of these days,” said Double as he dashed down the empty corridors of the building, picking his way over and around debris and death with every second.

 

“I can’t believe he did all this,” said Kouryuu. “How attached is he to Yoshime?” Double’s eyes narrowed as they ran.

 

“The two were already together when Yoshime reprogrammed me. There’s something far different about Edge’s loyalty to her, though. I have a memory chock full of every single thing, loyalty, program, and so on that I’ve ever experienced in my lifetime. But it was as though Edge had none of those. He follows Yoshime as though she’s the universe to him. As for myself, I suppose she’s made enough of a difference in my life so that I would pledge my protection to her, but I do have other priorities in the meantime.”

A slow smile curled on Kouryuu’s lips with the end of Double’s speech.

 

“You?” she said with a raised eyebrow. “And what other ‘priorities’ do you have in mind?” Double scowled angrily and increased his speed.

 

“That’s none of your business,” he grumbling. “My point is that Edge doesn’t ever seem to have anything else on his mind besides Yoshime. It makes me wonder just what is in that cramped up memory chip of his.” Kouryuu nodded when Zero suddenly materialized in front of her. She and Double skidded to a halt beside their companion.

 

“Ne, Kouryuu!” said Zero. “I was scouting ahead, but there’s nobody there! Everybody  is dead!” Kouryuu masked her horror as best as she could while wondering what their next move should be. She checked her radars for Edge’s energy signature, though the trail was faint simply because he was changing so drastically and rapidly.

 

“He’s far ahead of us,” said Kouryuu. “It looks as though he’s headed toward the west wing of the building where--” She stopped as another small blip appeared in her view at the point where she estimated Edge’s destination to be. This signal was different in that it seemed to be coming from a netlink rather than an actual mech or machine. It was faint and appeared to be weakening, but she could identify it immediately.

 

“Yoshime…”

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

‘Here!’ thought Edge as he skidded to a halt in front of a huge pair of metal doors. The alloy ripped apart as he barged in, and a surprised troupe of masked doctors stared at him wildly. On the operating table in front of them lay Yoshime. She looked unharmed, but one of the men was wielding a large knife and looked posed to carve open her cranium. One glimpse at her glistening face showed Edge Yoshime’s tears, all the reason he needed to release his anger as pure force.

 

The energy was easy enough to mold, and Edge was learning how to concentrate it into solid form with ease. A deft swipe of his energy-filled arm was all it took to knock the knife out of he doctor’s hand. Each and every person in the room save the young girl was suddenly plastered up against the wall and struggling for his freedom. Edge moved forward as he watched the man who had wanted to cut open Yoshime flail wildly in a feeble attempt to gain his run. He should make this as painful as possible, he should---

 

Edge suddenly took a moment to glance at Yoshime’s still body. She wasn’t moving. Not even her chest rose with the breath of air. In that moment, Edge forgot all about his supposed prey.

 

“NO!!!” shouted Edge. “No… she can’t die, she can’t!!!” His sensors scanned her still body in seconds. They operators had put her body in stasis, a harmless method of inducing death that had often been used for people who wanted to commit suicide. Her body had simply stopped working.

 

“No…” said Edge. “They can’t just… can’t…” His hands were already channeling the gravitational spectrum into energy as he gently placed one hand behind her head and the other over her heart. Yoshime’s body lifted up as the air crackled with electricity. Her body shook violently as Edge pumped her heart manually and sent the electronic messages to her brain that forced her to intake oxygen. “You have to live…” The seconds passed into a full minute as Edge worked, putting more and more into her body. The doctors simply watched the scene in awe but continued to struggle against their invisible prison. Suddenly Yoshime coughed roughly as she tried to bring her head up. The air was immediately silent as the flows of energy stopped and Edge settled Yoshime back down upon the operating table.

 

“Yoshime,” said Edge, hugging her softly. “Are you all right?” On his shoulder, Yoshime’s head bobbed weakly in a nod.

 

“Yeah,” she whispered, returning his hug. “I’m okay… thanks for doing that.” Edge didn’t let go as Kouryuu, Double and Zero stepped into the room. Kouryuu looked as if she was on the verge of giving him the lecture of a lifetime, but she clamped her mouth shut when she saw what was in the room. Slowly, Edge and Yoshime let each other go, though she stood strayed close to him.

 

“Might I inquire just WHAT THE HELL YOU WERE THINKING?!” shouted Double. Edge cowered a bit under his verbal blow, but managed to keep his defiance.

 

“I had to save Yoshime,” he said plainly.

 

“By killing everybody else in the complex?! The world just doesn’t work that way Edge. You need to take responsibility for your power!” Yoshime looked startled at that and looked up at her savior, who was now fuming vehemently.

 

“That’s a fine thing to say from somebody who used to be an assassin for this damn government,” muttered Edge, and Double bared his teeth as he began to stomp forward.

 

“What was that?!” he growled. “You little... I ought to---”

 

“Don’t start with that,” said Kouryuu as she grabbed Double’s arm to stop his advance. “We need to get out of here. NOW. First, we have to find Iesu and---”

 

 

“I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere.”

 

 

The group turned to face the entrance. A huge mass of soldiers and defense mechs swarmed through the entrance, headed by a middle-aged woman in a black suit with her hair pulled back in a short ponytail. She was aiming a laser rifle at Edge’s head.

 

“You’ve caused more trouble than you’ve ever imagined,” she said with a smirk. “Luckily it’s my job to deal with shit like you.” Double and Edge both turned their dirty looks to the doorway.

 

“You talkin’ to us?” rumbled Double’s deep voice in as menacing a manner as possible, all accompanied by an eruption of blades on his body as trails of electricity bristled over the young boy’s body. More than a few soldiers took a wary step back as if thinking for a retreat, but the woman in front didn’t budge an inch.

 

“Don’t think that your fancy fireworks are going to scare me off,” she said. “Maybe you are capable enough of defending yourselves, but we got the sheer numbers to wear you down to nothing.” Kouryuu bared her blades as she considered the situation. The woman was certainly right about their opponent’s numbers. Even with Edge’s strength, the soldiers might be able to overpower them after his energy levels fell to---

 

 

“GAINSBOROUGH! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

 

 

A tall clean-shaven man with circular glasses and slicked black hair shouldered his way to the front of the crowd. The woman, apparently the ‘Gainsborough’ whom the man was referring to, fell back a step in surprise.

 

“President Sagawa!!!” she said as sweat broke out on her face.

 

…

 

Sagawa wasn’t even listening to the feeble explanation that Gainsborough was shoving in his face. This whole thing had gone terribly wrong. Dozens were dead from that green-haired mech’s assault and he had no doubt that it would be perfectly capable of cutting through the rest of the defenses that Gainsborough had so conveniently lined up for him. He was a stubborn man at times, but he knew when to give up. If he was going to profit from this experience at all, he was going to have to take a couple chances.

 

“That’s enough!” said Sagawa, cutting off Gainsborough. The woman flushed red as her superior continued. “I don’t plan to throw the lives of more good men and women away on account of your orders. Now step aside.” The woman reluctantly lowered her rifle and backed away as Sagawa turned forward to address the group that they had found helpless only days before.

 

…

 

“I apologize for my associate’s behavior,” said the man. “I am President Sagawa of the West Newport Human Republic. I would personally like to apologize for this huge misunderstanding.” Edge marched forward and shook a gauntleted fist at the taller man.

 

“Would you like to explain why Yoshime was put in a ‘death stasis’ and about to be cut open?” growled Edge angrily. Sagawa looked taken aback for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

 

“It’s a perfectly good explanation,” he began. “Your companion received a serious injury back at North Point where we found you, and our doctors were performing the necessary surgery to remedy her wounds. As you know, a ‘death stasis’ is the most harmless method of achieving unconsciousness as well as minimal body activity. Thus, it made it easier for our specialists to get their job done, as well as minimizing pain and discomfort to your friend.” Edge backed down a little as he lowered his hand. Double stepped forward next.

 

“You saved us from North Point?” he asked cautiously, and Sagawa nodded.

 

“Our radars detected a massive energy surge in the area, so I personally assigned our armed forces to check out the situation. Finding your group, we brought you back here for repairs and medical attention.”

 

“Then where’s Iesu?” interrupted Kouryuu, blades still clutched strongly in her hands. Sagawa simply raised an eyebrow at her.

 

“Iesu? The other human?” Sagawa actually seemed to pause for a moment before continuing his speech. “He was also injured and is currently being kept in the recovery room. Are there any other questions you’d like me to answer?” The room was silent, save the sound of scraping metal as Kouryuu’s blades lost their charge and fell back into their scabbards. Sagawa nodded with a smile on his face. “Good, then if you will excuse me, I will be with you after a bit of business that I need to sort out. Gainsborough will be happy to show you out to the main conference lounge for further discussion and we’ll let you visit your friend as well.” Sagawa turned his back to exit, leaving Edge’s group with the bewildered and angry Gainsborough. Clenching her teeth and gripping her rifle until her knuckles turned white, the woman motioned to the group.

 

“This way, please,” forced out Gainsborough as she stomped from the room. Edge followed with more than a little reluctance.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

As soon as Sagawa walked out from his place of diplomacy, he immediately pulled one of the military officers along with him.

 

“Captain, do remember the other kid in their group?” he asked hurriedly.

 

“The one with the cross who we had to subdue?” said the officer, and Sagawa nodded. “Yes sir, but why did you say that he was in---”

 

“Never mind what I said!” retorted Sagawa coldly. Just get him up to the recovery room and make it look like he was actually hurt. And please do hurry. I’m sure that bunch will be wanting to see their downed comrade as soon as possible.”

 

“Sir, what about the men who that short green-haired mech killed?”

 

“What about them?”

 

“…”

 

“Don’t worry, we’ll have royalties paid off to their families or their next of kin. Military personnel really should read their contracts more often.”

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

Edge peered up at the dark clouds that were gathering overhead from his vantage point on the conference room balcony. It would rain soon, he could tell by the shifting activity in the clouds overhead. Of course, it would probably be some form of acidic substance that fell to the ground instead of water, a result of mass pollution. Maybe just once in his life he might get to feel real water run down in his face in falling torrents. He wondered what that kind of exhilaration would be like.

 

 

“Oi, Edge.”

 

 

Edge didn’t even glance back as Double joined him on the balcony rail. He was still mad at Double for not even considering his justifications earlier. Yoshime had reprogrammed him too! Why didn’t he see things the same way he did?

Double coughed roughly and cleared his voice.

 

“Edge,” he started. “I’m... sorry.” Startled with surprise, Edge turned to face his companion. Double simply hung his head and looked down at the city below. “I think maybe I was a bit rash when I said some of those things to you earlier today. I know how much you care for Yoshime… I mean, we all do. But killing all those people… I know you may think I’m a hypocrite because I used to work for this very government as an assassin, but that was back when I didn’t have the kind of independence that I have now.” Double looked up at Edge with an almost mournful smile on his face. “A lot of the people I killed were shit, but there was always the occasional exception. And it made me wonder just what friends and family of those people had I filled with sorrow. But I couldn’t do anything about my job or the power that I used to kill because I had never had a taste of freedom. Don’t you see, Edge? How many other lives are worth the prosperity of a single human being? That;s why we must be different from the government, who uses its power to seek out only more wealth and prestige. We cannot kill and trample on the lives of others so carelessly.” Edge nodded unconsciously.

 

“I think I see what you’re saying,” said Edge. “But…Yoshime…?”

 

“I know how much you care about Yoshime. But every other person has their own ‘Yoshime’ who they care and love for. How many men and women today lost their object of affection today, somebody who would have fought just as hard as you did in order to preserve that Yoshime’s life?”

 

Edge nodded again and Double roughly mused his hair.

“I’m starting to sound like Kouryuu and all her rebel speeches, eh?” he joked. Edge let out a little laugh that was soon accompanied by Double’s loud chuckle. Huge arcs of blue electricity split the air as a soft rain began to poor down.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

Pain stabbed Iesu everywhere as he cracked open his eyes. He was lying in a large bed and covered by thick, white sheets. His right arm felt so sore that he couldn’t lift it, but he soon saw the reason why as he looked down at his side. A large metal cylinder encircled his limb and a small plate of glass allowed him to see the thick blue medicine that swooshed about inside.

 

 

“The doctor said it would be a couple more hours until it’s fully healed, but I’ve seen a lot worse.”

 

 

Startled, Iesu almost jumped out of bed as he looked up to find Yoshime sitting at his bedside. She smiled happily with a small bandage on her left cheek.

 

“You’ve been out for a couple hours, are you okay?” Iesu nodded, still feeling a little dizzy.

 

“I guess so,” he said softly. Glancing over at his side, he noticed that his clothes were there, looking washed and folded, and his wooden cross as well. That seemed to remind him of something. “I... I had a bad dream. Government men were trying to take you away. You weren’t awake though, nobody was but me. I tried to stop them, but they hit me, ganged up on me… they… broke my arm…” Iesu glanced down at his fractured limb again and a thin sweat broke out on his face. Yoshime’s hand was suddenly holding his own.

 

“It was probably just coincidence,” she said in a sweet voice. “Things like that happen. I remember way back when I had gotten sick once and my friends were taking care of me…” She seemed to stumble over that last part a bit, but continued on anyways. “I had these horrible stomach pains and somehow I managed to fall asleep. All night long I was haunted by dreams of some huge monster that wanted to eat my liver.” She made a strange and embarrassed face as she lowered her head. “They all had a good laugh the next morning, but… I guess it was pretty funny, now that I think about it.” Iesu looked at her in a dazed trance, then began to laugh. Softly at first, then a little louder. He was soon joined by Yoshime’s higher pitched voice.

 

“It feels so good to laugh after all this time,” she said. “After all the troubles we go through in the city slums. I mean, Edge, Double and the rest of them wouldn’t know because they’re mecha. Their bodies can take care of themselves. But for people like us, every day is a fight.”

 

Iesu racked his brain for experiences like the ones Yoshime was explaining. He wanted to relate to her, comfort her with the pains of his own life. He found nothing.

 

That was when his head started pounding like jackhammer again.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

The rain was falling faster now, but its acidity was hardly enough to even scratch Kouryuu’s armor. Besides, she had always liked to immerse herself in the middle of nature’s experiences, even if they were tainted with the civilization of mankind.

She walked out onto the empty balcony with one of her single-sided swords in hand. It wasn’t flaring with the blue plasma energy that she used in battle, but it was still dangerous nonetheless. The hilt made a soft ‘whish whish’ as it cut through the air. The sound slowly escalated as the blade danced between her fingers, over her forearm and about her waist, whipping over to the other hand and across her knuckles. Soon the soft sound of the parting air had rose to a high screaming pitch as the blade spun about Kouryuu, leaving afterimages in its wake. She liked doing those kinds of exercises, it helped her think.

 

What was going on here? Toy could have taken Valkair’s Orb behind their backs but didn’t. He wanted it once, why not twice? Even if it was only a trap, they still needed it if Edge ever wanted to enter the Temple of Ordeal. Just what was he planning, and why did he let them live? And that second monster, the Shiken, what did it have to do with this whole picture? They wanted Iesu, she had heard its message clear enough. She'd presume that Edge, Double, and Zero heard the same. But how did it find them? The first one arrived soon after it found Iesu, but they may have been one of the things that he was running from. Now that she thought of it, they hardly knew anything about that kid, maybe even less than they knew about Edge. He cared for Yoshime well enough though. It was probably good for her to have somebody, a fellow human being, to talk to. Still, why were the Shiken following him? She didn’t think this could possibly mean anything good…

 

...middle of enemy territory...

 

She couldn’t believe that she was actually in the WNHR headquarters. Yashiro would probably kill to be in this deep. She could probably do a little subterfuge if she wanted to... no, better not. They were on to them now, and it looked as though they were on their good side for the time being. The government probably didn’t even know who she was… yet. She didn’t want to go off and do something stupid, like endangering everybody else.  Still, just one peek in some of those rooms they guard so closely. They could win the war if they wanted to...

 

“Ne ne, Kou-sama,” shouted out Zero, bouncing out with the Orb in hand. “Whatcha thinking about?” Kouryuu stopped her sword spinning and let the dull side rest in the nook of her right arm.

 

“Nothing,” she said mindlessly. “Just wondering about what those Shiken really are…” Zero’s face contorted a little, almost making her look serious for once.

 

“The Shiken are bad,” she said, her voice still high pitched, but very solemn, and Kouryuu glanced in her direction in surprise. Zero usually didn’t act like this, so incredibly somber. Was she mocking her? “I remember them back in the Nuclear War, before the Cataclysm. I only saw one, but its purpose was the same. They MUST be destroyed, because their only allegiance is to---” Zero’s eyes suddenly brightened again and she shook her head as if in a trance. She blinked and stared up at the sky for a moment, holding Kouryuu in suspense.

 

“Allegiance to...?” questioned Kouryuu, already on the edge of her feet. But Zero only looked blankly at her and gave an embarrassed laugh.

 

“Um…” she said. “What was I talking about again? I forgot.” It took great effort on Kouryuu’s part to not throw Zero over the edge of the balcony. But what was that she had just seen? Zero had always been laid-back… well, perhaps Double was the one who deserved that title. A any rate, Zero had never yet shown a shred of mature seriousness throughout their journey until now. Why? Why so suddenly?

 

“Are you alright?” asked Kouryuu. “You sure your hard drive didn’t get fried by Toy?” Zero shook her head with a huge grin on her face.

 

“Nah! I’m all set and ready to go!”

 

Kouryuu sighed and hung her head over the side railing. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Zero clutching the Orb at full arm’s length and swinging it in full vertical circles.

 

“Oi, oi!!!” exclaimed Kouryuu. “Don’t swing that thing around like that or you’ll end up tossing it into---” She stopped abruptly and stared at the Orb. How was Zero holding it? The thing was huge enough to be hard to palm by any standards, but the surface had no friction. She remembered holding that Orb before. Two hands had been required because she thought that the damn thing was going to slip out of her grasp at any second. So how did Zero manage such a feat?

 

“Huh?” said Zero blankly as she stopped her swinging.

 

“Let me see that,” said Kouryuu, taking the Orb from her. Holding it out in front of her, one hand on top of the sphere and one supporting it from beneath, she gripped the ball as hard as she could with her top and pulled out the lower. Her fingers immediately slipped as though the thing had been coated with a fine oil, and she was barely able to catch it with her free hand before it could smash against the ground.

 

“You can’t do that?” said Zero, taking the Orb from her. Grasping the sphere from the top with her right hand, she palmed it easily and held it up for Kouryuu to see. “See, Kouryuu? It’s really easy to do!!” Kouryuu looked on blankly as Zero happily began swinging the ball about again. Was this some sort of power that Zero had? She had certainly never displayed telekinetic or extraordinary adhesiveness before. Did she have some sort of gravity power like Edge? Or some type of incredible physical strength? No… she had never shown those kinds of powers elsewhere, and Yoshime probably would have been able to detect as much way back when she had done that diagnostics check at the old rebel base.

 

Just how many of her traveling companions did she really know?

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

Sagawa quietly watched the pig-tailed girl as well as the more mature woman beside her. His eyes could barely make out the sphere that they had found firmly gripped by the girl earlier. He remembered considering an incision to detach it from the host, but Gendou said that the damned thing was useless. Just another piece of rock that was of no use to either the government’s research labs or its treasury. And so he had left them with it.

 

Turning away from his office window, Sagawa came to face the two other men lounging in his office. One was a man in his early thirties with blond hair cut short about the top, though the front bangs were left long and slicked back. He was lying back comfortably in his chair, an air of confidence about him. The other man was rough and considerably older. His head was bald, save for long sides sideburns, and a graying beard and mustache adorned his upper lip and chin. Sagawa addressed the younger of the two first.

 

“So, Sander,” said Sagawa. “We’ve already forfeited any profit that we could have reaped from the newly arrived bodies. That green–haired mech with the power to level our headquarters certainly seems attached to the net-link subject, so we won’t be getting anything out of from that. What’s our next move going to be?” Sander crossed his legs and lit a cigarette as he sat up to talk.

 

“I believe we can still profit from this situation, President Sagawa,” he said in a cool voice. “They still don’t know of our original intentions to use them for our own purposes. As far as they know, we’re just the benefactors who came to the rescue. And additional plus on our side is all the damage that they caused. If anything, we can use that against them in order to reach an agreement that would benefit our organization.” Sagawa nodded thoughtfully, but the bearded man leapt up in a fury.

 

“You’re a fool Sander!!!” he roared. “You know as well as I do what that green-haired mech is! That’s the very machine that went haywire a couple months ago at the soldier production plant, the one we never recovered. Today was just a re-enactment of the day it escaped; bloodshed and destruction everywhere! This is certainly not going to do anything for the morale of the armed forces, plus the costs for repairs are going to be staggering. Raw power is certainly on their side, we saw that from the way that mech resisted our restraint programs on the operating table and thrashed our facilities. I say we either eliminate the bastard completely or at least let him go to get him out of our hair.” Sander shot his elder a cold look, but Sagawa spoke first.

 

“Your points are noted, Platt,” he said. “At the time, we had no idea that the Edge unit’s corazon chip would develop his powers to such a high level of strength. We should have removed it long ago. However, today’s experience has shown us the unit’s obvious maturity since that faithful day. Since our gravitational research facility was completely demolished back in the Edge unit’s escape, I believe we might be able to salvage something here.” Sander shook his head in dismay.

 

“President Sagawa, with all due respect, you’re barely scratching the surface of possibilities that are available to us at the moment. Playing back the security tapes of this scenario has shown me that the Edge unit has obviously developed some level of nobility along the line, especially if it was concerned for its master, the girl. I’m sure you know as well I do how easily chivalry can be manipulated.” Sagawa eased himself in his chair and rested his chin behind folded hands propped up on his desk.

 

“Since you obviously have a store of ideas in mind, Sander,” said Sagawa. “Please inform me of them. We’re wasting enough time as it is.”

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

If Double were human, the veins in his head would have been bursting. The whole group, Iesu included, was gathered in the main conference room awaiting President Sagawa’s address. Zero had found a particularly annoying habit of drumming her metal fingertips on the hard surface of the huge marble desk that they were all sitting at. The room also managed to reverberate any and all noise in the room, so Double’s receivers were being continuously bombarded by constant tappings that were alternating and mixing in various 32nd, 64th, and 128th notes. To make matters worse, Kouryuu had begun subconsciously doing the same as well. Double closed his eyes, hoping that the horrible noise would simply go away, but it didn’t. He crossed his arms to restrain his anger. He scrunched up his face to physically signal his annoyance. The sound was still there. Finally, he slammed both of his palms down on the table, tearing a rather large section of the polished stone to the ground.

 

“Will you please stop it?!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. “You’re driving me INSANE!!!”

 

Kouryuu started and looked up embarrassingly, shoving her hands into her lap. Zero just stared at him blankly but stopped her tapping. The others’ looks varied from Edge’s wide eyes of surprise to Yoshime’s ugly scowl that looked like she was ready to eat the piece of rock that he had just dismembered from the furniture. Double let out a long sigh as President Sagawa finally stepped in from the door at the far side of the room. He was followed by a blond-haired man who took the chair to the side of Sagawa’s. “I thank you for your patience,” said Sagawa. “Allow me to introduce Vice President Sander of the West Newport Human Republic.” He said the last words accompanied by a hand gesture to the blond man, and Sander nodded in acknowledgement. Sagawa studied a shrewd stare on the companions at the other end of the table.

“First of all, I’d like to apologize for the misunderstanding that we had earlier on. We have decided not to hold you responsible for the damage caused, for we can always replace that.” Double let out a sigh of relief since Sagawa didn’t mention the lives lost in the situation. He wasn’t completely sure how Edge would take such an accusation after the conversation that they had had. “However, we would like to ask a favor of you in return.” Double tried to hide his dismay, but he knew that he had just visibly winced. He had figured that they would try something like this, the government always did. Always trying to get a profit or favor from their victims. Double put on a fake smile as he leaned forward and rested his palms on the jagged side of the desk he had just broken.

 

“I’m sorry, Mr. President,” he said in as polite a voice as possible. “We really must get going because we have business to attend elsewhere. Your assistance was most helpful, but I assure you, we’ll be able to take care of ourselves from now on.” Out of the corner of his eye, Double spied Kouryuu nodding in agreement. She was a rebel, of course she would know. Both of them were aware of the government’s manipulations, and those alternate goals never had a happy ending for the person who directly achieved them. Sagawa straightened his tie and eyed Double slyly.

 

“Actually, I think that this, ‘deal’ shall we say, is very beneficial to your entire group. We’ve noticed that both you and… Edge, was it? Are both of government design. Legally, we could reclaim you as our property, but we’re willing to let two mecha go free if they’ll hand us over a simple favor.” Double’s eyes were bulging with anger and Edge’s were filled with a meek feeling of passivity. Sagawa smiled cunningly at the desired affect. “Seeing as that the lot of you have obviously become highly developed in your corazon chips and have at least some sense of morality, we can assure you that the mission we have arranged will provide no harm to either you or innocent people.” Kouryuu eyed the man warily.

 

“And just what is this mission that you have in mind?” she asked accusingly. Sander rose from his seat as a huge projection screen scrolled down from the ceiling. A map appeared naming the WNHR as well as its neighboring nation, Shirinkusu.

 

“We have recently received information of a secret discovery in Shirinkusu that has the potential to start yet another war,” said Sander. “Apparently, they have recovered some sort of nuclear relic from the pre-nuke area, something fully capable of creating another Cataclysm if the technology spreads.” Yoshime gasped softly and Double tried desperately not to show his own worry. “Our spies have reported that they are keeping this device here---” Sander suddenly had a pointer in hand and was motioning to a spot on the map in Shirinkusu territory. “We’re not asking that you recover this weapon for us. We at the West Newport Human Republic are all for the welfare of the people, not their destruction.” Double heard Kouryuu stifle a snicker, though it still managed to come through rather clearly. “We are simply asking that you disarm, disable, or destroy this device. After that, your contract to us will be released.” Double suddenly felt a tug on his collar as Yoshime pulled him into a group circle to privately discuss the matter.

 

“I don’t like it,” said Double. “I think they’re trying to get something out of us. That’s the way they work. We can’t trust their claims.”

 

“But a nuclear device!!!” exclaimed Yoshime. “Imagine all the trouble just one of those could cause, the death, the destruction! And if they learn to mass produce them and other nations get a hold of nuclear weapons, we could have a Cataclysm all over again!”

 

“That guy is just putting ideas into your head!” said Double. “Besides, it will involve the lives of others, not-- what?!” The group was giving him a hard stare and Double felt himself caving in.

 

“Well, do we even know where we want to go next?” said Kouryuu. “We got the copy of the map to the buried place of the Orb in the library and we now have the Orb, but… oh crap." She made an ugly face as she covered her eyes with her hand. "We never made a copy of the map for the Temple itself!!!” Double slapped himself on the forehead as the others groaned. Edge was the only one not making gestures of damnation upon himself.

 

“And just what are you so damn happy about?” muttered Double. Edge’s mouth tightened in a small grin.

 

“Well,” said Edge. “I remember Kouryuu saying way back in that library, ‘Legend has it the Temple was where the Legendary Hero, Kai gained his true power, but nobody knows for sure. They also say the land Kai lived in was actually Akuji many eons ago, but know nobody really knows about that either.’ I couldn’t help but copy down the map. Uh... I never told you, but... why are you all looking at me like that?” Kouryuu pulled out a small link wire from her waist belt and held it out to Edge.

 

“Just upload it to me,” she grumbled. Edge shrugged as he plugged the wire into the back of his neck and made the split second transfer of information. “Why didn’t you give me this way back when you knew I was going to accompany you on this journey? ” Edge simply shrugged again.

 

“Well...” said Edge, putting his hand behind his head with a nervous smile. “It... didn’t really... seem necessary at the time...” Kouryuu shook her head but soon became immersed in studying the map that Edge had given her.

 

“Well, overlaying this with a map of modern Akuji,” she started. “It looks as though we’ll have to go all the way through Shin SenShuBaan and Moruku Dana in order to reach our destination. That’s the bad news.” Double let out a low grown and Kouryuu shot him an ugly look to shut him up. “The good news is that we will have to pass through Shirinkusu anyways, so we could afford to stop by and pick up this mission.”

 

“Good news?!” exclaimed Double. “You call that good news?! I don't want to risk my ass for this government! And Kouryuu, I thought you hated them just as much!” Kouryuu’s eyes narrowed in a hard stare.

 

“That very well may be,” said Kouryuu. “But Yoshime is right. I remember watching video disks of the nuclear war during my training, a constant reminder of how brutal killing can really be. I certainly wouldn’t wish for another Cataclysm to occur. Even if this is the same government that my group is fighting against, I’m willing to put that hate aside for now if it means we can eliminate a potential war machine.” Kouryuu faltered a bit on the last words and Double leered close to her face.

 

“Doesn’t seem like you’re too sure of yourself, now doesn’t it?” he said. Kouryuu’s face contorted into rage as she exploded out of her chair.

 

“ENOUGH!!!” she roared, plasma engulfed fist plunging into Double’s head and sending him crashing into the wall right by Sagawa’s chair. Sander jumped in surprise, but the President didn’t move a muscle.

 

“... have you made a decision yet?” said Sagawa, sweat beading on his brow. Yoshime put on a cheery smile, looking towards the other end of the desk where Double was spasmatically twitching with his entire upper torso smashed into the next room. Kouryuu sat down in a huff with her arms crossed, muttering about obnoxiousness.

 

“Yes,” said Yoshime. “We’ll do it.”

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“Well President Sagawa, they bought it all just as we planned.”

 

“Indeed, Sander.”

 

“Now we’ll not only have them getting out of our complex, but they’ll also be trying to eliminate Shirinkusu’s new and possibly only tactical weapon discovery in decades.”

 

“Yes. It’s a shame that we could not recover the nuclear device for ourselves without arousing their suspicion. I was surprised enough that they bought our story as it was. The former Double unit certainly had enough doubt in our goals. He must have retained his memory after his reprogramming. Perhaps we should deal with that one in the future.”

 

“I sincerely doubt that would be necessary, sir. While Shirinkusu may not have the most advanced technology for the art of war, their security scanners have been the considered the most advanced in this star system for years. I have little doubt that they will make short work of the entire lot. After all, that was the plan, wasn’t it?”

 

“Yes, it was.”

 

“As for not being able to capture Shirinkusu’s new weapon, we really shouldn’t worry too much about that. Even without it, WNHR is still the leading weapons manufacturer on Akuji in both terms of production and technology.”

 

“At least, out of the legal companies...”

 

“Hmm? Sir?”

 

“Nevermind. We’ll deal with that Sang Wu criminal later. Right now, we have more pressing matters on our hands.”

 

“Don’t worry sir, I don’t think a total loss came out of this experience. I do think Gendou will have arranged a surprise for you later on, one that I think you’ll enjoy a lot more than a nuclear warhead.”

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“***Sensors online. Nuclear power links at 0.00001%.”

 

“***Require more power for full activation.”

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“Six whole days evading Shirinkusu security just to remain unnoticed,” grumbled Double. “If we had done it my way, we would have already completed the job!”

 

“And most likely alerted the entire nation of our presence before we had even crossed the border,” said Kouryuu. “This isn’t one of your ‘eliminate-anybody-who-gets-in-my-way’ sort of mission. I’d prefer to keep our identities under wraps for this one. I DON’T want the Shirinkusu government tailing our asses all the way to the Temple of Ordeal! We can let them think it was one of their other political rivals.” Double snuffed loudly in the cool night air. Whereas the land of the WNHR had been more desert like in climate, Shirinkusu weather tended to be much cooler with even the occasional rain of snow. However, the air tonight only seemed to bite through Double’s armor straight into his circuitry. He began to pace erratically as he grumbled his contempt.

 

“Shut up, Double!” growled Yoshime, looking away from her binoculars. “It’s bad enough trying to figure out what kind of security system they have from this distance WITHOUT your complaining! You’ll get your chance to be a violent little brute soon enough.” Double’s scowl only deepened but those stinging words had glued his mouth shut. Meanwhile, Edge gathered over by Kouryuu and Zero near the hovercraft. Kouryuu had printed out a small map of the area about them.

 

“From what Yoshime tells me,” she said. “They have laser sensors lined up all around the perimeter of the complex. That’s extremely hard to penetrate for any normal person because of the wire spread. However, I do believe we have a member in our group who will be more than able to slip through their defenses easily enough, that is, if he can hold in his bloodlust long enough to not let the whole complex that we’re party crashing.” She glanced at Double briefly. He saw her look and continued grumbling. Obviously, he had already been convinced of her objective. “Having Double turn off their security entirely would be too much of a tip off. In fact, from what I’ve heard of Shirinkusu technology in the field in terms of being able to keep people out, they’re simply the best. I’m willing to bet that the whole damn place is rigged to go off if even one hinge or screw is knocked loose from its place. So we’re going to have to take the hard way around.” Smiling slyly, Kouryuu turned her attention to the map and pointed to a small x-shaped mark on the east side. “This is probably the LEAST guarded area of the base, the sewer disposal entry/exit section. We should be able to subdue the guards fairly easily without raising too much of a ruckus. After making his way inside, Double will release the security lock on the sewer doors and let us in.” Kouryuu flipped a small disk over her wrist and caught it between thumb and forefinger. “According to these data files, we’ll only have to deal with maintenance on the night shift.”

 

“And how exactly did you get those files, Kouryuu?” questioned Edge. Kouryuu grinned.

 

“I’m a rebel,” she said. “I have my ways.” At that moment Yoshime and Iesu walked over from their brief scouting mission and Double finally decided to let his better judgment take control of his body as he sauntered over to converse.

 

“So what are we going to do about escape?” asked Double.

 

“The object of this mission is to destroy or disable the target, easy enough for Edge’s powers, and get our butts out of there,” said Kouryuu. “Since I have never been inside a Shirinkusu complex, I don’t know how the architecture layout will be beyond outer tunnels. However, a smart leader puts his valuables where they shall be most surrounded by his guards; thus I’m more than willing to bet that the device will be kept somewhere in the center of the base, most likely several stories underground. Since they have to have air shafts running down to those lower rooms, we’ll find one on our way out. I believe Edge can handle de-gravitizing us enough so we can make a quick rise to ground level. After that, we won’t be able to go back the same way we came since they'll probably discover our entrance long before we complete our mission. We’ll make our way to the west side of the base, the side that Yoshime reported to be the least guarded next to the sewers. Most of the guards will be distracted enough with the alarm setoff anyways and be headed for the scene of the crime, so any security placed there will be easy enough to dispose of. With the main alarm set off and the laser tripwires no longer capable of setting off an added warning to Shirinkusu staff, Yoshime and Iesu will then bring around the hovercraft, we’ll pile in, and we’ll be off before they even realize we’re already gone! If the escape goes all as planned, we’ll be able to get out in between three minutes and three minutes and forty-five seconds after we diffuse the danger.” Edge nodded grimly and set his stare on the map. Kouryuu continued talking.

 

“Chances are they’ll probably have silent alarms,” said Kouryuu. “Thus, you won’t be able to hear just when we’ve tipped them off to our presence, Yoshime. You’ll have to keep a close eye on the west side guards for any signs of change before you start driving the hovercraft in. And remember not to stay too close before we do our stuff or else they’ll pick you up on their sensors. The hovercraft’s cloak only works at certain distances.” Yoshime nodded and Iesu seemed to smile grimly in agreement by her side.

 

Kouryuu took the parchment and rolled it up tightly, tossing it into the back of the craft. It felt good to be back in the commander’s spot, just like her place back in the rebels. This didn’t feel that different from the goals she was trying to achieve with Yashiro. Maybe she really didn’t have to be a rebel in order to fight for their cause. Then again, she would always remember the body of another would-be-freedom-fighter who she could have saved if she hadn’t been occupied with protecting someone else’s life. Yes... that was her place in life, wasn’t it? No matter how many times she always thought of doing something else, she always found herself right back at the beginning. Why did she, a mere robot, place so much value on the human life? She had always found that the most important thing for herself was that belief... always. The rebels had been the only home she had ever known. With the family that she had gained, she was also brought into the world of a poor people who fought hard for justice against a rich tyrant. The government. She saw their pain better than any aristocrat ever could, didn’t she? For some reason, she had created a moral obligation within herself to protect the weak, the people who were unjustly treated as a result of the efforts of the wealthy to further their own ambitions. And thus, a bond had linked her to these people through her family, the rebels, Yashiro’s rebels...

 

 

“KOURYUU!!!”

 

 

Double’s voice suddenly jolted Kouryuu back to reality, and she turned to face his annoyed frown.

 

“Oi oi, ‘fearless leader,’ ” said the assassin. “Are we going to get moving or are we going to wait for the next millennium to turn over first?” Double’s face actually lessened its scowl in surprise when Kouryuu grinned instead of smacking him over the head.

 

“All right then!” said Kouryuu. “Let’s go!!!”

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

The large circular tunnel was lit by a single florescent light that had been attached to the ceiling. Every inch of wall and ceiling was covered in a thick layer of slime and mold. Dark, polluted water covered the ground two feet above the bottom of the floor. A huge circle of a door was at this end of the underground sewers, bolted shut by the best technology that money could buy. Only five figures moved here, the two larger ones obviously mecha of battle-class status. The other three were human soldiers, holding cocked rifles with no intentions of letting anybody past their checkpoint.

 

Out of the darkness, two thin strands of light whipped out and grabbed hold of two of the soldier’s weapons. A sudden blur knocked the rifle out of the hands of the third. The mechs whirled about wildly, scanning for their master’s attackers. Both collapsed as their leg supports failed them. It took only seconds to recognize that their li,bs had been cut wide open. Blades of shining plasma danced in front of their visual sensors, and then the world went black.

 

…

 

Kouryuu sheathed her blades with a grin as Zero hung the unconscious soldier on the side of the sewer wall. Edge finally trotted out of the darkness.

 

“How come I couldn’t join in on the attack?” he asked.

 

“They would probably have been able to sense the power surge,” said Kouryuu. “We don’t want to give ourselves off yet. We’ll need your powers to disable the nuke, and by then the whole alarm system will have gone off anyways. Just be patient.” Edge nodded as they all turned towards the metal door and waited. A full five minutes passed before the massive barrier finally creaked loudly and slowly swung open.

Double stood in the opening with an annoyed look on his face.

 

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” muttered Double. “I had at least five chances to knock off Shirinkusu officials, even the high commander of this facility! The man walked right past me on his way to the cafeteria! I could have ended it all right there and then, but instead I had to pass it all up to SLITHER by the guards without being noticed…” Kouryuu clapped a hand on his shoulder as she stepped through the doorway.

 

“Ne,” she said. “You’ll get your chance soon enough. But remember that we’re here to disable a weapon that could destroy the world, not crack open a couple heads.” Double nodded and shut the huge door as the last of the group stepped through.

 

“I took a couple minutes to check out some of the mapping of this base,” said Double, leading the way. We won’t be able to make it back into the main corridors from here without being noticed, there’s simply too many guards. However, we can take the air ducts from here to the restrooms, the main conference room, armory, the commander’s lounge---we’ll have to stop by there anyways in order to find the key card for the elevator down, the air shafts that run there are too well guarded to make the descent unnoticed---and finally the main elevator.” Kouryuu’s face shown of skepticism.

 

“And how did you figure all of this out in the ten minutes that it took you to get in and open that door?” she asked. Double just grinned.

 

“I’m an assassin,” he said. “I have my ways.”

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

Iesu gazed up at the stars dreamily, wooden cross propped over his shoulder. Yoshime was still keeping a sharp eye on the movement in the base. She never stopped worrying about those mechs, did she? It was almost as if she considered them human. Did she? She certainly showed more than enough concern for the one named Edge.

 

The familiar wave of pain washed into Iesu’s head once again, but he was learning how to fight it off. Hate. Hate and anger, thoughts of violence held that pain at bay. He did not know why, but it worked. And yet, he knew not why he ever received that pain in the first place…

 

 

“Ne, Iesu?”

 

 

Iesu turned his head to find Yoshime sitting right beside him. He began to fidget with his cross as he felt a wave of embarrassment fall over him. He never could keep track of where she was, let alone notice her creep up like that.

 

“Yeah, Yoshime?” he said.

 

“Do you think they’ll be okay, Edge and Kouryuu and all of them?”

 

Iesu’s face was blank for a brief moment before breaking out in a smile. Maybe she did consider Edge more than what he might really be, but that was what was important to her, wasn’t it? It that was what made her happy.

 

I’m sure they’ll be okay,” said Iesu. Yoshime smiled in return. Pain swirled through Iesu’s head.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

“I don’t believe this...” muttered Kouryuu as the group patiently waited for the large elevator to reach the lowest basements of the complex. “You say you have a whole damn plan laid out for us, Double, and look what it turned into! I can’t believe I listened to your hair-brained ideas!”

 

“Hey!” shouted Double. “I got us down here without anybody noticing!”

 

“Yeah, but that sure as hell was one of the closest shaves I ever went through when we tried to get that damn key card!” roared Kouryuu. “We almost got caught! I’d say that constitutes a screwed up plan!!!”

 

“DAMNIT!!! We got out of there easily enough!”

 

“Yeah, that was only because Zero’s powers managed to get us all out in time. I don’t think we would have been able to even continue this mission if they found us! If all the guards started moving and Yoshime came after us when we weren't even ready for a pick up, they could’ve taken her and Iesu hostage!!!”

 

“Cut it out!” said Edge, coming between his two fuming friends. “We have a mission to complete first, argue about it afterwards!” Both of them grumbled loudly under their breaths, but they stopped reaching for each other’s throats. Zero simply stared at the entire scene from her place in the corner. The elevator shook and shuddered as it slowly came to a stop. Kouryuu already had her blades out and Edge could feel the charge of a foreign energy in Zero’s body.

 

“Ready?” said Kouryuu, and Edge nodded. Double was arching back in a battle stance at the back of the elevator as the doors swung open.

 

The guards never had a chance. Double shot out from his stance like a rubber band, arms and legs whipping about in a wild yet concentrated flurry of blades. Kouryuu’s blows came in the form of streaks of light that flew from one target to the next, metal plating flying off in every direction, all of it shattered. Edge couldn’t even see Zero, but he could see the victims of her fighting technique, flying through the air and falling to the ground. As for himself, he had to rely on the fighting techniques he had learned from before since they couldn’t afford to give themselves away to the command center with a concentrated gravity source. Edge ripped a six-foot piece of pipe from the wall and began whirling it about him like a sword. He went through all the stances that Kouryuu had taught him in training and added in some of the hand-to-hand combat moves that he had seen Double perform. It suddenly all seemed very primitive and brutal to him, but it worked. The stick twirled faster and faster in his hands, suddenly seeming to become a blur that danced over Edge’s body. All the fighting stances, “Wind over the Rocks,” “Dark One’s Eyes,” “Leia over Dragonwall,” all of it merged together as Edge began to move faster and faster. His offense suddenly increased dramatically as Edge stabbed and thrusted his way through throngs of soldiers. The metal pipe became a shinning blade in his own eyes, something elaborately constructed that danced death for his enemies. And just as suddenly as it started, it ended. Edge found himself crouched in a finishing stance, the pipe in the end of a diagonal slash that had just cut through an entire mech. He twirled the piece of metal upwards as he stood, and shucked it into an invisible scabbard at his side for show. When he turned to face the others, they were all staring at him. Edge let out a small and embarrassed laugh.

 

”Well, are we going to stand around here all day or get that nuke?” said Edge. Double simply shrugged and began marching into the next room, Zero at his heels. Kouryuu stared at Edge in wonder.

 

“How did you learn those moves?” she asked as they began to walk. “I never taught you anything like that, especially a lot of those new stances.” Edge blinked. New stances? What new stances? He specifically remembered being taught every single battle technique he had ever learned by Kouryuu. He let out another embarrassed laugh.

 

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “I guess I just needed a chance to bring out all my fighting practice at once, since I’ve been using my powers a lot lately. Maybe I should try out my hand-to-hand combat more often.” Kouryuu nodded sullenly, but was stuck in thought.

 

‘What’s going on here?' she thought to herself. 'I never knew that Edge knew how to fight like that... certainly a huge change from that first day we met. Does the government train their soldiers like that? In the usage of hand-to-hand weaponry? I think not, usually they only concentrate on utilizing their mechanism’s unique powers to the fullest. Edge was using that pipe in the way I use a sword, albeit with a different handling technique. Since the pipe was of a relatively weak metal and had no cutting edge, he was calculating his strikes to contact not only at the weakest point in the enemy’s armor, but also at the strongest point of the pipe’s material. But at that speed---! Could even I do that? Of course, he was also using the pipe in the style of a single weapon, much different from my own usage of two swords at once. He had the advantage of an extra hand for leverage. But it still looked as if he was fighting with a method that I did not recognize... something foreign, a different style... I wonder if he could do it again...’

 

...

 

“Edge,” said Kouryuu suddenly. “I want to test you for a moment. Attack me.” Edge’s eyes went wide with surprise, but he complied with a raise of the pipe.

 

“Are you sure, Kouryuu?” said Edge. “I mean, I don’t think this is really necessary--”

 

“I just want to test your strength,” said Kouryuu, loosening a single blade from its sheath and into her hand. No charge would be needed for this. “Now, attack me!!!”

Edge shrugged and dashed forward without a sound. Kouryuu’s blade ripped through the air and made contact with the pipe, slicing it neatly in two. As the loose piece of pipe clattered against the far wall from the momentum that Edge had carried, Kouyuu stared in shock at her own cut and Edge just laughed.

 

“I guess you’re still my teacher of the sword, right Kouryuu?” he said.

 

“A... ah,” stammered Kouryuu. What had just happened? One minute Edge was able to swing through legions of soldiers with a simple pipe, the next his form was almost as sloppy as the day he had first began to train under her wing. What was going on here?

 

 

“OI!!! Take a look at this Edge!!!”

 

 

Double’s shout echoed from the next room and Edge dashed in to see. Kouryuu slowly sheathed her sword as she walked in to lay her eyes on a spectacle of which she had never seen before in her life.

 

The chamber was incredibly massive, large machines lining every wall. There were many shapes that were draped in large white sheets, many of them standing away from the computers.  Double was standing near a table in the center of the room that was piled with papers. Zero was helping him sift through each and every one.

 

“Ugh,” muttered Double. “I’m guessing that whatever that nuclear weapon was, they just found it a while ago. These are listings of archeological finds, but this looks like each and every one of their excavations is listed here too! We’ll have to dig through all of them before we can find the one we want!” Kouryuu was already typing away at one of the computers and Double leapt over in a frenzy to stop her.

“You idiot!!! You don’t think they’ll have the computer rigged to set off something when---”

 

“Relax,” said Kouryuu, fixed to the screen. “That key card worked good enough for the access to this system. After all, why would they presume that anybody who already has access down here shouldn’t have access to this information? We could find what we wanted if we went through all of those printouts, but I’m just speeding up the job.” Double scowled but leaned closer to get a closer look. Kouryuu’s search soon led her to find a single project label: 8YE9RY8.

 

“That must be the identification code that they labeled the device with,” said Kouryuu. “The things covered with the white sheets must be the excavations themselves, so start looking for this code!” The four began to examine the clipboards that were hung about the room next to each covered object when Zero suddenly rushed up to Kouryuu in a flurry of dust.

 

“FOUND IT!!!” she yelled happily waving a single paper in the air.

 

“What? Already?!” exclaimed Kouryuu. “How did you---” Kouryuu’s face frowned embarrassingly. “Of course, you can...  nevermind. Where is it?” Zero pointed to large shape that, like the other excavations, was covered by a huge white cloth. Double yanked the fabric off to reveal a huge metallic chamber that stood upright on a metal stand. It looked like a coffin, standing upright with a hatch that was as long as it was tall. Near its top was a glass plate that had been frosted over by ice, the contents inside hidden by a thin veil of nothingness.

 

“It’s all pre-nuke era,” said Zero happily. “Not quite as old as my container was, but it has the same purposes.”

 

“What purpose is that?” asked Kouryuu.

 

“There’s a mech inside of there...” whispered Double. “It’s all just like the container I found Zero in.”

 

“Well, what are we going to do about it?” asked Edge. Kouryuu’s face was grim as she stood there for a moment. She suddenly marched over to the computer to which the container was linked to by a mass of cables.

 

“We’re going to destroy it,” she said stubbornly. “Just like we came here to.” Double nodded in agreement as Kouryuu’s fingers began to fly across the keyboard.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“***Sensors online. Nuclear power links at 0.00001%”

 

“***Energy flow detected, direction for memory depletion.”

 

“***Need more energy for command; reopening nuclear conduits.”

 

“***Nuclear power links at 0.00001%, 0.01%, 1%, 5%, 20%, 60%, 100%”

 

“***Reading commands: self-destruction does not comply: identifying Nefpret units, still in existence, counter does not comply with self-termination conditions.”

 

“***Reactivating Terpfen unit.”

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“What the hell are you doing, Kouryuu?!” shouted Double. The chamber had begun to crack open, steam and small bits of ice spraying everywhere. Edge could feel the charge of energy in Zero’s body, getting ready to attack should the chamber’s host provide a threat.

 

“I don’t know!” yelled Kouryuu. “It’s not reading my command! Just get ready for anything!” Kouryuu’s swords were already out of their casts and Double was forming a huge piercing blade with his right arm. Edge grasped waves of gravitational energy and the air began to shimmer about him. The chamber fully opened and a huge shadowed figure slowly stepped into the dim light of the room.

 

He was much taller than any of the others, at least seven feet in height. His head was covered in short, sharp waves of brown hair that were brushed back and held by a metal plate that acted as a helmet on his forehead and front part of his skull. A targeting sight was affixed over his right eye and he wore an ugly scowl on his handsome face. His entire body was covered with metal plating, a huge gatling gun attached to his left shoulder. Two almost wing-like fixations that were attached to his back poked up over the top of his head, though Edge couldn’t tell what they would possibly be used for. The huge mech stared down at the group with a hard eye.

 

“I am Terpfen,” he said. “Self-elimination program could not be conducted on account that I have not completed the main objective as of yet.” Terpfen took a moment to eye his surroundings. “Where am I? I do not recognize you. I need to get back to the battlefield so I can complete my mission.”

 

“Battlefield?” questioned Kouryuu. “What are you talking about?”

 

“He probably doesn’t know what year he's is,” said Zero. “It took me a while to adjust to my new surroundings too.”

 

“Where am I?” repeated Terpfen, bringing his hard stare down upon Double. Double looked up worriedly before grabbing Kouryuu and shoving her in his place.

 

“HEY!!!” shouted Kouryuu. Double just shrugged.

 

“You’re the rebel!” he said. “You know about diplomacy and stuff, I’m just your friendly neighborhood assassin!” Kouryuu sighed and looked up at the huge mech.

 

“I’m Kouryuu,” she said. “That idiot over there is Double, that’s Edge, and that’s Zero.” She pointed to each person in correspondence with the names. Double flinched slightly with her words. “We were sent here to... um...” Kouryuu looked worriedly at Edge with troubled eyes. They couldn’t just tell Terpfen that they were sent to end his life. How would he react? Edge simply shrugged his shoulders with a confused expression on his face. Kouryuu sighed and turned back to Terpfen. “We were sent here to... recover you from the government!” Terpfen’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

 

“The UN? They managed to catch me?” he said in a hard voice. Kouryuu put on a mangled smile and nodded weakly.

 

‘Just smile and nod, smile and nod,’ she thought wildly. She definitely didn’t want to get this mech violent in this sort of place. If she started a fight here, the Shirinkusu soldiers would be on them faster than---wait. They had already been here long enough, shouldn’t the soldiers be notified of their presence by now? They had to hurry up and escape!

 

Kouryuu coughed and looked back at Terpfen.

“Look,” she said sternly. “Soldiers are going to be here any minute wondering just what we’re doing, so we have to get the hell out of here before they figure out what’s going on.” Terpfen brought his posture back up and nodded.

 

“Yes,” he said. “Escape would be advisable at the moment. Since you are the commanding force of this group, in alliance against the UN, I shall stay with your regiment until I have a chance to carry out my main mission.” Kouryuu nodded blindly as she turned towards Double. She had no idea what Terpfen was talking about, but they needed to leave.

 

“Double!” she shouted. “Can you find out where that damn air shaft is?”

 

“Uh, well...” said Double. “It looks like it’s right above us. I guess they accounted for all the machinery here by giving it the best chance to cool down.” Edge was already glowing brightly with gravitational energy as he reached out with both arms.

 

“Then that makes things easy!” shouted Edge. The mesh cover of the shaft suddenly ripped free from its screws as the group of five rose up from the ground and shot into the darkness

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Yoshime gasped softly as she watched the soldiers on the west side of the base. Somebody from inside had come out and began frantically chattering with his peers. After almost a minute, most of the guards dashed back inside the base, leaving only two personnel to watch over the entrance.

 

Yoshime dashed down from her scouting position and nudged the snoring Iesu in the hovercraft. He looked up in a daze as she jumped in the driver’s seat and started the engine.

 

“What the..?” muttered Iesu sleepily.”What’s going on?”

 

“Wake up!” said Yoshime. “We just got our cue to hit the road!” Whatever sleep Iesu had been wanting to cling to flew out the window as the hovercraft jolted to life and sped down towards the base.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Edge had long since stopped using his powers. He didn’t want the soldiers tracking their position within the base itself. Double was eagerly clearing the way in the front while Kouryuu insisted on bringing up the rear. He couldn’t even tell where Zero had run off to. As for himself, he kept a close eye on their position within the base by way of Kouryuu’s rough map. While they may not have been able to acquire a full map of the base’s corridors and rooms, they could track their own progress and position within the complex with what they had.

 

“We’re almost at the west exit!” shouted Edge to the front of the line. Double laughed roughly.

 

“Well, it looks like they anticipated a run for it,” he shouted back. “We’ve got armor plated doors up ahead. They probably sealed off all the entrances once the alarm went off.” Double dashed straight forward and slashed the metal barriers that had appeared before them. He barely managed to scratch the material, sparks flying in every direction as his blades rebounded off their surface. “Damn! I can’t pierce it!!!”

 

“We don’t have time to cut it!!!” shouted Kouryuu. “Edge, just blow the damn thing away!!!”

 

“But they’ll track the energy surge, Kouryuu!” said Edge.

 

“Damnit! Just---” Kouruu stopped in mid-sentence. Terpfen’s shoulder cannon had suddenly shifted and aimed itself at the door, Double directly in its path of fire.

 

“Move,” said Terpfen plainly, and Double dove down to the floor. The barrels of the gun blazed to life and a shower of sparks fell from the metal barrier as the bullets made contact. The gun stopped firing after several moments, and a huge hole appeared in the door as a large chunk of the metal fell backwards, shot out of place by the nuclear relic. Double glared up angrily but quickly turned his attention back to their path of escape. He could see the night sky already glowing softly with the sun, but the silhouettes of two soldiers quickly filled the light as they ran towards him. He let his legs flow along the ground as he dashed up between the two before they could fire off a shot. Blades shot out in both directions as he pinned each neatly through the head and against the wall.

 

“Damnit, Double,” muttered Kouryuu. “You didn’t need to kill them.”

 

“What?” said Double sarcastically. “And let them live to tell about just who it was that escaped with their prize?”

 

 

“Don’t you two ever stop arguing?!”

 

 

Both Double and Kouryuu turned in the direction of the shout to find the hovercraft coming to a swinging stop at the exit, Yoshime looking at both of them impatiently as she straightened out the craft once more. Iesu was slumped in the backseat and looking like he was about to deposit his lunch anywhere else but his stomach.

 

“Hurry up!” shouted Yoshime. “We haven’t got all day!!!” The entire group piled into the vehicle as Yoshime revved the engine a couple times. Double tried to force his way into the driver’s seat but Yoshime pushed him back.

 

“HEY!!!” said Double. “What’s the big idea---?!”

 

“You’re not getting the driver’s seat this time,” interrupted Yoshime. “This is just too much fun!” Double stood up and looked back to Iesu in the rear.

 

“Yeah, I can see that Iesu here is getting a load of fun...” muttered Double. “Right up his throat...” Double suddenly fell backwards as the hovercraft took off, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.

 

“So who’s the big guy?” said Yoshime. “Some Shirinkusu defect?”

 

“He’s the nuclear device,” said Zero happily, and Yoshime’s eyes went wide with horror. She turned sharply on Double.

 

“What the hell were you thinking?!” she shouted. Double held up his hands in protest.

 

“Damnit, it wasn’t me this time!” he said. “Everybody always thinks it was me. Kouryuu’s the one that agreed to have him come along!” Kouryuu stared down embarrassingly and gave Double a harsh look to the side. A quick glance at Terpfen changed her facial expression. She didn’t want to say anything to offend him.

 

“Don’t worry,” said Kouryuu. “It should be all right. He’s on our side.” Yoshime gave her a skeptical look but turned back to her driving. Edge looked up at Terpfen. The huge mech was standing and staring at the slowly disappearing Shirinkusu complex in the distance. Edge gave the larger man a friendly pat on the arm.

 

“Don’t worry,” said Edge. “They won’t get you out here. You’ll be safe from now on.” Terpfen nodded as he held out his hand. A small shining orb of metal appeared in his palm, covered with small components and wires wrapped in a glow of energy. A soft hum accompanied its floatation as Terpfen continued to stare out across the landscape.

 

“Yes,” said Terpfen plainly. “They won’t bother us anymore.” The Orb suddenly flickered out of view and Edge’s face lit up in surprise. Instinctively, he followed Terpfen’s gaze out in the direction of the base. He thought he saw something but they were too far away for regular sight levels. Edge had to amplify his vision ten times before he was able to look at the departing structure and the land around it. Light suddenly flashed in the distance--- an energy barrier of some sort---around the perimeter of the fortress. Suddenly, an explosion erupted from the ground that was so bright that Edge had to refocus his vision in order to make anything of it. Normal level sight was more than enough to see the entire scene. A huge mushroom cloud of destruction was slowly rising in the distance where the base had once been. Edge had no doubt that every living being there had been vaporized.

 

“But... how.. .why...?” stuttered Edge blindly. “I can’t believe you did that… a nuclear explosion... I thought that nuclear explosions gave off force waves and radiation harmful to humans... and... Yoshime!!!” Edge jumped out of his seat and stared angrily at Terpfen. “If you’ve hurt Yoshime---”

 

“She will be fine,” said Terpfen stolidly. “I erected a protective energy field around the explosion to protect us. The enemy is destroyed and we are safe.” Edge whipped his vision about the craft. Everybody was staring at Terpfen. Yoshime was slowly bringing the craft to a halt as she watched the huge cloud rise. Double’s face was totally unreadable but his mouth hung wide open. Zero’s face was filled with a distant fear. Iesu only looked sicker than before. Kouryuu was the only one moving. She was on her feet and stomping into the back seats, pointing an angry finger up at Terpfen’s face.

 

“What the bloody fuck do you think you’re doing?!” she roared. “You had NO RIGHT to---”

 

“They are the enemy,” said Terpfen plainly. “They must be destroyed.”

 

“Don’t you have any regard for human life? Maybe they were rotten human beings back there but they were still human beings!!!

”

Terpfen’s face never changed from its angry scowl.

“They posed a possible threat to us. They could have tracked us in the future. The UN forces do not take such matters lightly. They would have pursued our escape. Eliminating them was the logical thing to do.”

 

“You cold-hearted bastard!!! I can’t believe you think---” Kouryuu stopped and slowly lowered her finger. A slow realization washed over her like a bucket of cold water. This Terpfen. He never changed his facial expression. He always talked so plainly, or maybe it was formally. He had no regard for human life. He didn’t even flinch when she talked. It felt like talking to a machine. That was it. Terpfen didn't show any personal opinions or thoughts, never had a belief of his own, onlytalking about the ‘logical’ thing to do...

 

...

 

“You...” said Kouryuu slowly, the words slowly forming in her mouth. “You have no corazon chip, do you?” Terpfen’s head shook mechanically in response.

 

“Corazon chips were not invented in my era,” he said. “I do not recognize this device you mention. I do not have one.”

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

End “Deceit”