"SERGE!!!" Mirei screamed the exact split second Jouichirou yelled out, "RAVEN!!!"

Within the tiny remote area of cockpit space, Kim found herself temporarily deaf in both ears. "We have to remain calm," she urged, using her voice to slice between her commanding officers’ distraught swearing.

"I have to get down there. Take us down, Mirei," Jouichirou ordered, flinging his arm in the direction of Captain Raven’s office. Nearly knocking off his comrade’s head in the process.

"Jouichirou, I’m scanning for life signs."

He paid no attention to Kim, punching in commands that would automatically override whatever access Mirei had. This was where his absolute control was required. Only he could foresee the inevitable and react swiftly enough to prevent it. These associates of his were nearsighted, could not anticipate such a dismal outcome. Jouichirou could. If he didn’t join the fight by Raven’s side, his beloved captain would not stand a chance.

"What are you doing?" Mirei demanded to know. She dug her nails into the backing of the man’s chair, yanking it around to face her. "You’re going to kill us all." The frightened little girl from before had vanished to be replaced by a young woman full of determination. She would remain level headed while her superior officer took off on an emotional rampage. Kim was not in a very high position to pull rank on Jouichirou but Mirei did have certain leverage. Her expertise ranged in the technical and scientific fields, separating the method of determining rank between Jouichirou and herself. Debating who would pull the reigns of this operation might occupy the better half of a full hour. But she knew that Jouichirou was not foolish enough to do that. He cared too dearly for his fellow officers, mainly the captain for some unknown reason.

"Get out of my way, girl!"

"Your behavior will jeopardize this entire mission. If it comes down to that, I’ll have you relieved of duty where you can argue your position with Captain Raven himself later on. And don’t think for one minute that just because you’re older than me it entitles you to special privileges. Endangering Kim and myself is a definite part of your qualifications but I won’t stand for it. Our objective is all too clear now; to leave this battle zone and attempt to contact any survivors. Our monitors are registering a blank field of nothingness surrounding this area. We can’t get any life sign readings, no thermal indications, not even a fraction of movement down there. It is unwise to leap head first into an unknown situation with potentially fatal consequences. Don’t sit there like an idiot and tell me that the alternative hasn’t occurred to you."

Jouichirou gaped at her, shutting his mouth quickly to avoid looking any more irrational than he already did. For a brief moment, his mind went to work, setting out the possibilities that failed repeatedly. She was right. They only had one alternative and it just happened to be running like whipped pups. "It has." He closed his eyes tightly, wincing against a tightening in the corners of his eyes. *Not now.* What would losing his emotional barricade do for Raven? It would hinder his performance and that could not be tolerated.

"So…?"

"You’re right," he sighed, moving his chair around to face the view screen once more. He became aware of Kim observing him, scrutinizing what she might have perceived as a failing on his behalf. To be sensible never got anything harsh accomplished. If he listened to his heart and ignored his brain, then Raven would not be struggling alone. It might mean him losing his life but he didn’t need others questioning his motives. Mirei obviously would not stand for it. *What if I leave the Razorback?* But that was not an option for it meant abandoning his friends. He couldn’t do that under any circumstances. "What do you want me to do?"

"Hold your personal feelings aside…for now. Don’t let them consume you. Jouichirou…please, we need you." Her hands clasped together on top of her console, tangling the sensation out of her fingers. She was nervous, afraid, disappointed; anything and everything that could possibly be experienced at once. But she had faith and that would see her through.

"And I need you both ASAP," Kim hollered, forgetting the background noise temporarily. Her eyes were following a path of words streaming over the screen in jumbled bits and pieces. A news report. Confidentially encoded for only the upper levels of Tsaihe to receive. She had always wondered why Captain Raven insisted they tap into Tsaihe’s lines of communication. Now there could be no mistaking the reasoning behind it. "They’re after us." It came out as a gasp more than anything else, causing Jouichirou and Mirei to hover behind her chair.

"Why?" Jouichirou backed away, fear evident in his expression. He gazed over at Mirei, wanting her to explain. She had always been closest to their captain in terms of STAND’s inner workings. There had to be an explanation.

"I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense."

The monitor continued to give out information until the nature of the transmission altered. No longer was it passing on details of STAND’s virus infestation, now it gave out orders.

[Tsaihe level 1 security access: ATTENTION all Tsaihe operatives!!! STAND has been compromised internally, defective employees suspected, all equipment contaminated.]

[Secure perimeter and move in. Detain all members of STAND. Confiscate any and all vehicles, equipment, databases…remove all prior knowledge pertaining to STAND’s existence.]

[They are to be wiped out. Failed, defunct extension of Tsaihe must be eliminated.]

[Following officers under immediate arrest: Captain Raven, Macus Alexander Bogard, Erika Tinen, Serge (error undefined parameter), Jouichirou (error undefined parameter)…]

"Shut it off!" Jouichirou tried to rip his chair from its very foundation to hurl it at the screen but Mirei stopped him.

"Calm down. We’ll figure this out. I promise." But she knew that keeping that promise would be harder than figuring out what was going on.

"Error undefined parameter," muttered Jouichirou. He had chosen not to reveal his last name to STAND because of his past history. Every member that had been hand picked by Raven had a jaded past that needed covering up. They all claimed special talents that had not been acquired or honed in any school or institution. Everyone had his or her own guarded secrets. For Jouichirou, his run-ins with the law taught him how to evade security systems and learn the tedious process of how criminals were prosecuted. Not a valuable asset when it came to applying for a job in the real world. Who would hire a mechanic that had more violations on his permanent record than achievements? But that was why Raven had been attracted to him, for his starling personality. He did what needed to be done regardless of what price he had to pay. Sometimes, it was just too damn high.

"I’m reversing our direction, taking us back to the central section of the base," Mirei informed them as she piloted.

*Get with it, Jouichirou. You can’t fail them.* He grit his teeth and sat back down in a semi-coiled position, ready to strike at any instant. "Scanning for life signs," his voice announced dully. *Raven…*

"Internal sensors are back online," Kim proclaimed breathlessly. "Picking up numerous thermal readings from the variable gear maintenance location. Identifying… hold on… narrowing the search…"

*Hurry up.* Mirei tried to be patient but it was near impossible in their current predicament. Her best friend was lost somewhere below and all they could do was turn on some flimsy scanners to pretend it was useful. To lie to themselves by saying at least they were doing something. What good would it do if they located a pile of dead bodies? "God…," she whispered, stricken with ghastly images.

"One female…six males identified…all in random patterns circling the room."

What was that supposed to mean? "What are they searching for?"

Kim glanced back at Jouichirou and shrugged. "I’m not sure but it looks like they’re fighting."

"Already? Tsaihe has infiltrated our base this soon? They must have been planning this all along." Mirei couldn’t believe how her superiors had betrayed her. "All our hard work and dedication…they repay us like this."

"Wait!" Kim became excited at this new reading. "Unidentified power source charging up on the northwest corner of the room. It’s a variable gear! Painkiller White!"

"Erika!" Mirei squealed, delighted that her best friend was intact and not letting herself be taken in quietly.

"Raven…" Jouichirou honed his targeting sensor in on the location, needing to find any other life signs. That’s when he saw it. "Oh… no, it can’t be." His denial sounded more like a moan, relieving him of any oxygen in his lungs. "NO! NO! NO! DAMMIT, NO!!!"

[Final analysis: Captain Raven. Status - deceased.]

He barely heard Kim edge towards him from one side, didn’t hear a telltale hiss alert him of the sedative launched into his bloodstream. But when he slumped over onto his console, he did feel his forehead strike with surprising intensity. Then he could only participate by listening, fully incapacitated.

"I had to."

"I know," Mirei agreed. "I think…" It hurt to admit it but she forced it out anyway. "…Raven and Jouichirou are more than teacher - protégé."

Before she could acknowledge that presumption, the screen lit up. "Another reading coming in…" Kim’s eyes went wide with shock. "Second variable gear; Halycion Scarlet!"

"SERGE!!"

**

Erika could hardly believe her good fortune when Mirei’s voice boomed over the Razorback’s intercom. They were going to be rescued. Her situation had seemed pretty bleak to begin with, waking up from the virus’ attack to find everything in disarray. Captain Raven presumed to be dead, her friends and colleagues warranted for arrest, STAND torn down piece by piece. Then for a bunch of Tsaihe military agents to burst into the variable gear maintenance room and demand she surrender. It was too much for anyone to handle.

"Serge!" The battle nearly reversed on her if it hadn’t been for his timely appearance, saving the day as always. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him as if it would be their last time. Who was to say that it wouldn’t be? Things were very uncertain and choppy at the moment where it could only get worse before it got better.

"The Razorback is waiting. Yuri, Erika, we have to go."

The blond woman in charge of personnel combat training nodded in assent. Her underlings volunteered to distract the military agents to give them a chance of escaping.

"We won’t die, Yuri," one man vowed boldly. His partner assented to that by picking up a rifle.

"I’m counting on you two. Good luck." Yuri bade her final farewells to these brave men before rushing out into the corridors, shielded by the crossfire that they initiated. On her heels were Serge and Erika, being led to the lower levels where unmarked vehicles awaited them.

They hopped into the nearest armored car, Yuri driving with her two friends riding shotgun in the rear. Getting out of the compound happened to be relatively easy with all military personnel scouring within. They hadn’t expected their plans to be foiled by simple STAND operatives, lowly constructs of Tsaihe. It was to be a simple seize and destroy mission, formulated in the event of a crisis. Losing to the Incubator was such an event which demanded picking apart STAND as a result of its infinite failure. STAND had been deemed ineffective and useless, no need to support worthless particles unable to defend their own.

"Incoming transmission from the Razorback, we’re almost at the reconvening location."

Erika hardly acknowledged Yuri, instead letting her legs dangle out of the back of their transportation vehicle. Gazing back and into the clouds hanging high overhead like looming balls of fluff. Whitish light pierced through her almond eyes, causing them to waver ever so slightly. She tilted her head further towards that light, recalling a distant life she had once led. Back then, her life had been full of misery, dauntingly close to desperation. Those had been tough times, impossible odds for one young woman to deal with alone. Not very wealthy, lacking any substantial amount of talent to kick her heels back in a corporate career. Goals and aspirations far from any realization. So she had resorted to doing whatever was required to survive.

One fateful day, Erika had been arrested for her actions which were not tolerable by the state and especially not Tsaihe. Charged with promiscuous behavior, of leading loyal representatives of her government into her bed. Sapping both morals and paychecks from them, taking more if it was offered. There had been no other way and she felt no pity or remorse for them while waiting for her judgment. Left to rot in a cell all alone in her kinky red leather ensemble and high heeled boots. A whore, that was what they called her, designated her as cheap street trash not capable of utilizing her brain cells for a better living. But it had never been her fault. No one could easily pull themselves out of the gutter with no basis for success. The government knew it, she admitted it, Raven had scorned it.

She could hear his words now:

"You have much potential Erika Tinen. Why waste it with the life you live, the habits you partake in? There is so much more you can offer."

But she had responded as a creature with nowhere left to hide would have, vehemently and with plenty of guile. "What you propose is too dangerous. Why should I help you? I know what you really want, old man."

"Do you?"

"I’ve had enough of your crap!" Back then, every sound that originated from her throat had been full of sour bitterness. To cover up the hurt and pain others had inflicted on her with their unkind summations spoken as if she didn’t exist. Erika couldn’t take it anymore, she lashed out and hard. But, when she looked up to see if that smug pretty- boy was nursing a bruise to his face and ego, she was shocked. Raven had blocked her kick but didn’t retaliate. He had gently let her boot down then held her carefully by the shoulders as a father would.

"You will help me, Erika. I no longer have what it takes to stop the Incubator, you do. Will you help me?"

Erika looked back to Serge who was staring straight ahead. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, thinking hastily to how her mentor might never be seen again. *Papa Raven.* She bowed her head, biting into her lower lip before meeting the gaze of her boyfriend. He understood, allowing her the privacy of those intimate thoughts. "Are we there yet?"

"Soon," he answered.

"There they are!" Yuri slowed the vehicle to match the Razorback as it flew above them, preparing to land. She could see Mirei and Kim through the view screen and a very pissed off Jouichirou in the background. He might have been drinking had his expression not been very somber. She had yet to find out how loosely he was holding onto his emotions and how ready his friends were to shoot him up with more relaxants.

"MIREI," Erika shouted despite herself. She was always happy to see a friendly face.

"What the…?!!"

The Razorback came to an abrupt halt at relatively the same time as Yuri slammed on the brakes. Blocking a vast expanse of the highway they were traveling on was a battle vehicle of immense size and power. Spotlights flashed onto them, bathing the entire road beneath them.

"What the fuck is that?" Jouichirou leaned over in his seat to get a better look, not like he needed to get too close to see something so enormous. The cannons alone were incredibly large and proportioned to absorb a great deal of impact. If this was going to turn into a fight, they were seriously outgunned.

"Registration number 1…3…" Mirei kept broadcasting numbers over the airwaves for Yuri to hear before she could fully identify the monstrosity. "STAND Diamondback! It’s supposed to be in the design stages, only experimental."

"You call that experimental?" Shivering, Kim began to type commands into her station. "Who’s piloting it."

"Attention STAND operatives; you are being ordered to power down and surrender immediately. As of this moment, you will be reprimanded into my custody to be dealt with for this altercation." The voice sounded all too familiar and their worst suspicions proved to be accurate when a spotlight clicked into place above the pilot’s head. He was standing on the outer hull, framed by several men armed with rifles and optical headgear. When his hand strayed to one side, it came away holding the black cap which let loose a wave of long blonde hair. He smiled just a little, imagining the shock on their faces.

"No way," Mirei gasped.

But Jouichirou had already jumped from being confused to downright raging fury. He grabbed the microphone from Mirei’s quivering hands, slapped the meter to maximum and let his voice rip into the air.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU BETRAYED US! COME OVER HERE SO I CAN KICK YOUR DECEIVING ASS! MACUS!!!"

Macus showed no signs of stress or being affected by the level of animosity directed towards him. "Turn down the volume on your speakers, Jouichirou. Or do you want us all going deaf?"

So calm. So fucking calm. "FUCK OFF, YOU BACKSTABBING SON OF A BITCH!!!"

"Jouichirou!" Mirei covered her ears with both hands, glaring at the man for him to shut up.

"FUCK OFF!" He repeated to her, on a roll, using his emotional turmoil to blast at a solid entity at last. Someone to blame for all the bad things that had occurred so far. And was he really wrong in dishing out what Macus no doubt planned to give to them?

"Tsaihe has reassessed its goals and methods of achieving them. STAND is no longer necessary as it has proved to be futile when pitted against the Incubator. We will be building a new army to combat this threat, the accelerated attacks of these viruses. STAND will be replaced with a technologically superior unit using its predecessor as the prototype."

Unfortunately, Serge knew the truth and it was far from what Macus was telling them. "You’re lying." He climbed out of the vehicle to look up at the man he had fought alongside for so many months. This traitor, whether intentionally or not, was spouting hypocritical bullshit. "Tsaihe has no intention of reviving STAND or creating a new one. They’re going to dismantle everything we’ve worked so hard to accomplish and evacuate Neo Hong Kong. You’ve given up. You’re just going to let all these people die."

Macus remained undeterred by this outburst on the outside but inwardly, he questioned this bit of information. It couldn’t be true, Serge was only disillusioned and a man acting in his own interests. "The government does not abandon its people."

"Macus, you must let us go." Serge still remained impassive, speaking with his head and not his heart. He had yet to determine if he had one in his possession. "My variable gear has a hidden attack which only I may utilize." He brushed one hand over his chest, protected by state-of-the-art armor. Good thing neither he nor Erika had removed their gear after escaping from STAND’s base. "Transcendence mode allows me to activate a power unlike anything you have ever come into contact with. Only I may use it. This variable gear, Halycion Scarlet, is programmed with all of my brain waves and accepts me as being one Miran Treyn. Who knows…maybe a part of him lives on in me. The fact remains that I own this power, it is mine to command. And with it, I intend to destroy the Incubator once and for all."

That piqued Macus’ interest several degrees out of the frigid domain he had locked it into. "Are you serious?"

"I have what it takes, of that I am certain. A week from now, a shuttle craft will be heading out of Neo Hong Kong’s main space station. I intend to be piloting it to take out the Incubator."

*Why is that idiot giving away our game plan? He wants to sacrifice his life to save everyone else but can’t he see that Macus can’t welcome it? By giving away all that blasted information, Serge is just offering himself up for a sacrifice not worth making.* Jouichirou made a face at the view screen before noticing something odd, a distortion in the sky above the Diamondback. Several of them, milling about like flies. *I suppose Macus has alternative methods of forcing us to surrender.* He left his post and hurried to the back of the Razorback where his recovered variable gear awaited.

"Jouichirou?"

He gazed at Kim for a second before sneering. "This is what we get for believing in the government. We risk our lives and at the first fork in the road, they set us up like cowards."

Once Jouichirou had stepped into the gear chamber, he took a deep breath to prepare himself as a containment field was formed. It would eliminate any interference from the outside, ensuring that the process be a complete success. Sinking back into the molded cast of his body form, he felt a tingle along his limbs as he was scanned.

"Identification confirmed," the computer chirped after doing a retinal scan and full x-ray probe of him. "Awaiting orders."

"Stand-by linkage for variable gear: Speeding Blue." Whirring of machinery came to life all around Jouichirou, vibrating against the fine hairs on his arms and legs. "MARK!" Liquid fluid immediately coalesced with his body structure, coating him from neck to toe, leaving only his face visible. The secondary armor encased the first one with impenetrable plates shielding his chest, arms and legs. Before the computer could even register a complete transformation, he was running for the airlock.

Disengaging the locking mechanism, Jouichirou leapt upwards and into midair where he whipped out his gun-blade, not pausing for a second. Automatically, he began to fire off warning shots in a circular pattern over the Diamondback.

"Jouichirou, have you gone insane?" Erika hollered, readying her helmet to secure her gear again. She gasped when a long line of mechanical probes shimmered into sight with each blast they absorbed. Somehow Jouichirou had been able to see the masked array of fighter beacons. This was anything but a friendly mission of collecting their little party to bring back to Tsaihe. "Serge! Look out!"

The warning came too late but Serge had already known of this eventuality. He disappeared as a leveled ray shot took out the top of their transport vehicle. Erika clicked her helmet into place and swung up a cable wire that was attached to a wrist device. It sliced through one beacon, taking out the mini cannons within.

Serge kept going, smashing one beacon with a heavy kick, crunching two more together with his fists. He accepted return fire, brushed it off and kept going much to Jouichirou’s amazement.

I am with you.

Jouichirou shuddered, lost his concentration for a brief second and nearly wound up flat as a pancake on the pavement below. But Serge took another blast meant for his comrade and kept going until all of the devices had been pummeled. *What was that.*

Jouichirou.

*Raven! You’re alive.* Jouichirou wanted to scream, to alert the others but his common sense betrayed him. He retreated back to the Razorback, attempting to receive another transmission from Raven. What kind of communication system penetrated the mind in order to relay information? Was this telepathy?

I will contact you when the time is right.

"Yuri, get up here!" Mirei glared at Jouichirou when he returned to the cockpit. "Idiot." Then back to the comm-link, "Erika. Serge. We’re leaving." She waited until her friends were safely aboard before firing numerous lengthy shots precariously close to the Diamondback. They struck the ocean water and imploded, splashing upwards to temporarily blind their enemies. Then the Razorback raced across the sky, escaping by mere milliseconds before its more advanced partner had a chance to fire back.

"Were you serious about what you said back there?" Jouichirou dropped his helmet on the floor and leaned back against some boxes. "Are you really going to stop the Incubator?" His voice was full of awe but he did a splendid job of appearing to be barely interested.

However, the sentiment did not pass over Serge so easily. "Yes. I think I can."

"Then why did you tell Macus all that stuff? Why give him the chance to stop us?"

"Because I did not tell him the entire truth. It is imperative that we dismantle the Incubator now, not a week from now. I want to be on the next shuttle out of the earth’s atmosphere tomorrow morning. Nothing, not even Tsaihe itself can stop me."

"Serge…that’s very brave of you," Erika commented quietly. "I’ll help you and…"

"I’m going alone. There is no need to risk any further casualties."

**

*It must have been my imagination.* The smell of exhaust fumes and chemical waste made Jouichirou nauseous but he set that emotion aside. It wouldn’t do his friends any good if he became ill to his stomach. They had a mission ahead of them, a very dangerous one at that. *Why haven’t we heard from him? Where is he?"

"A penny for your thoughts, luv?" Yuri smiled at Jouichirou and tapped the brim of his sandy cap. They were both dressed as mechanics to blend into the background and infiltrate the air base. Dull brown undertones were commonly accepted as suitable uniforms. Neither liked the style much.

"I was just thinking."

"You can’t be doing a lot of that. Maybe later…but we need you to stay focused for now." She realized that this man was still young and impetuous, even pitied him for it. All of them were too innocent to be risking their lives this way. Erika and Jouichirou had a good future awaiting them, Mirei had barely escaped adolescence. What would happen if one of them were to be caught by a drastic fate? *I’ve lived a good life, experienced so many things as Serge has done with Miran’s memories. But what about these…children? What happens to them in the end?*

"Raven." It came out as a long, extended sigh followed by bent shoulders and a deep frown.

"Don’t fret, he’s our captain and dying is something that has never occurred to him. I was working alongside him when you were just a little boy. Those were hectic times let me tell you."

"I’m sure they were." He grinned, wondering what kind of nuisance Captain Raven had been at his age.

"Erika, are you ready to go?" Yuri whispered into her communicator. "We’re all set on this end."

"Yes…Serge is in position."

"Mirei, we’re ready to…wait…" She stared at her computer, bewildered at its readouts. Jouichirou was looking over her shoulder and appeared to be just as unhinged as she.

[Unidentified presence - identified - searching parameters - person known as -]

And then it scrolled down the screen before typing out one name.

[Raven]

All parties looked towards the horizon where a lone figure was blocking the runway. Black, metallic armor, shining brightly under the morning sun. He stood there, helmet in hand, the armor appearing to be ominous and threatening. Raven kept his ground, seeming to know just where they were.

"Serge. You must call off your mission. It is not time to go just yet. There are too many things left undone."

"No," Erika thought, shaking her head in dismay. Raven had just given away their locations to the authorities by way of an open transmission. He was turning them in. Their captain, leader, friend; he had just betrayed them. Like Macus only worse this time because he meant the world to each of them. "Captain…no."

"Leave Neo Hong Kong and begin a new battle. What is left of STAND will prevail. You do not need to sacrifice so much in order to win so little." He shifted, took a step closer and scanned the vicinity. So far, he could not locate Jouichirou and that bothered him the most.

"I’m going to do this and you can’t stop me!" Serge vacated his hiding spot, breathing hard from the rage churning inside of him.

Serge. Miran. Kill him.

Serge heard the female voice, oh so familiar as a woman named Donna but he ignored it. "You won’t tell me what to do. Get out of the way."

Kill Raven, Serge. Do it. Do it now.

"If you want to fight me, then come on and show me how you’ve improved, Serge." Raven snapped on his helmet, ready to go to hyper mode.

"39 seconds, I give this match 39 seconds," Serge shouted. He clenched both fists, hoping that Mirei understood the sign. The launch was to take place in less than sixty seconds but it would take thirty-nine seconds to warm up the engines.

Kill him Serge.

Serge flew towards Raven, taking charge of the fight and not holding back as he began to go all out on his former leader. They traded blows, fierce crashes of armor striking same material, sparks raining over the runway.

"Stand-by hyper mode. MARK!" Serge tore at Raven as a screaming menace, blocking, punching, kicking. His attacks were counter-blocked and swung round to leave him wide open as Raven responded in like terms. Beating his former pupil into a stray flight craft to come at him for more.

"My gawd," Yuri gasped. "We have to stop them." She ran in the direction of the bunks, hoping to find Erika hiding there. An armed guard stopped her but she quickly taught him a lesson. "You guys aren’t dealing with any normal terrorist," she bragged. That was when a hollow barrel jammed into her neck from behind.

"Then I won’t be taking any chances." The guard pulled the trigged but found himself with a weapon. He was quickly subdued by a very overeager Jouichirou.

"Jouichirou! I thought you ran off by yourself," she joked.

"What kind of man would I be if I did that?"

Up in the air, the fight progressed with Serge losing. He was thrown back towards the ground, vulnerable to another attack when Erika joined in. She whipped her coiled wire between the two warriors, moving upwards to stop Raven.

"Captain, please. You have to let Serge do this. He can save us if you believe in him. Why won’t you let us do what you trained us to do?"

Raven grunted at the pathetic way Erika had chosen to appeal to his humanity. Didn’t she understand that he was doing this to protect them? To prevent his students from going off to fight a war they didn’t have a chance of winning. Without warning, Raven punched Erika in a lethal uppercut when she continued to obstruct him. His fist caught her underneath the ribcage and crunched into several ribs there. Even her variable gear could not withstand the blow from a gear far more powerful than her own. She didn’t have enough time to express her pain before she was sent plummeting for the earth.

In the nick of time, Serge caught her, letting her down next to the shuttle craft before going back up to combat Raven. They struggled some more but Serge was hammered into the pavement with a very angry captain speeding downwards, fist pointed at the man’s helmet.

"Why?" Mirei buried her head in her arms on the console of the Razorback where she was hacking into the shuttle craft’s controls. "Why must we, as allies, fight amongst ourselves? It isn’t right. It just isn’t right." She moaned and began to cry harder.

"SERGE!" Jouichirou rushed for his friend, forgetting his helmet as he pushed himself to the limit.

"JOUCHIROU! BE CAREFUL!" Yuri shouted, then literally jumped back as the next scene unfolded before her.

In Raven’s hurry to incapacitate his adversary, he had not kept his senses honed as they should have been. Otherwise he might have noticed another onlooker joining in on the fray. He might have stopped himself, lessened the blow but nothing could have been done at that last split second. Instead of coming into contact with Serge’s hard helmet, Raven encountered flesh and bone. He saw a blur of chestnut colored hair, gleaming auburn red in the sunlight. Eyes as gentle as a doe’s, but full of unsheathed terror. Raven didn’t know what to think when he struck Jouichirou, violently throwing him to the ground from the force of his punch.

*My God! Where is his helmet?* Raven lurched forward, on the verge of taking Jouichirou into his arms when the young man belted his hands away.

"Are you…happy now?" Those brown eyes filled with a sheen of anger, resentment, fear and sympathy. He was to be Raven’s downfall. "We aren’t your enemy. Tsaihe is…and Serge…he’s the only one who can stop this. Where is your faith, Captain?"

"Jouichirou, are you against me too? Can’t you see the error of your ways?"

"You can’t…stop him." Blinking back the flow of blood which rushed over his left eye, Jouichirou started to feel very dizzy. All of his strength had been sapped out of him. He had no more left to lose. Then, coughing up blood from hell knows what internal organs, Jouichirou collapsed.

"Jouichirou!" *This can’t be. How could I be so ruthless…so uncaring? I never meant to hurt you, Jouichirou.* This turn of events proved to be too much for Raven and distracted him from his goal.

From nowhere, Serge got back to his feet and kicked Raven harder than was theoretically possible. Armor cracked, shattered, leaving the former captain staring in disbelief. His variable gear had been destroyed as if it were nothing more than paper to Serge. Metallic components and fragments of the armor clattered to the asphalt. But the man did not take the opportunity to kill Raven. He rushed over to the shuttle craft, helped Erika into it and took off down the runway.

Serge. Well done but you have to kill him. Kill Raven.

"Shut the hell up!" For the first time in ages, the voice remained silenced.

Meanwhile, Raven was left to his lonely thoughts as he cradled a near-comatose Jouichirou in his arms. It felt peculiar kneeling there in his black spandex bottoms, naked from the waist up. Bare feet getting blisters off of the hot surface which boiled beneath him.

*What have I done?*

"R…Raven."

The captain gently lifted Jouichirou from the ground to be supported in his arms. He gathered up enough courage to respond, to let his love know that everything would be okay. "Macus has called some medics for you, Jouichirou. They’re almost here. Please hang on."

"Macus…" Jouichirou had trouble getting his lips to form the name but he did with contempt. "You and Macus…"

"No. Please believe me. I never would have intentionally injured you, either emotionally or physically. Above all else, do not forget what you mean to me."

So much blood stained Jouichirou’s clothing, seeped out of his open wound to be uncomfortably swallowed. The man choked before Raven could get him into a better position to breathe comfortably. To allow his air passages to remain unclogged and free to function.

"I won’t. But…I stopped you. Serge will not…fail."

Despite the situation, Raven smiled at Jouichirou’s obvious insolence. "No, he will not. This faith you and the others have in him is remarkable. I wish that I could share it with you."

"But you can’t…because of the…guilt."

"Guilt?" That hardened Raven’s face some.

"Of Miran…you killed him."

Again, Raven smiled. "I see that our earlier communication was mutually enriching. We will talk about this later. Please conserve your energy and remain still."

A team of medics pulled Raven away to attend to Jouichirou while someone else had a word with the captain. Macus stormed on over, ignoring his former teammate’s pain and started in on his lecturing.

Raven shook his head, pleaded with Macus not to bring it up in front of Jouichirou but the man continued regardless. "I am placing you under arrest for being in direct violation of Tsaihe’s orders. You will be confined to the brig on the Diamondback until variable gears Painkiller White and Halycion Scarlet are recovered. Are you satisfied now, niisan?"

If the pain from losing blood and dignity had been awful for Jouichirou, hearing that one word broke him entirely. "He’s your brother?" The medics refused to stop their route to the Diamondback with Jouichirou in tow on a stretcher.

For once, Raven had nothing to say. He let his love be carted off, saddened by the thought that his life was about to unravel. As the wrist cuffs snapped shut to lock his arms together, he began to realize that there was nothing he could do to protect Jouichirou. It was over and Tsaihe had won.

*It’s all up to you, Serge.* Raven bowed his head as the officers dragged him along like a common criminal.

*We’re counting on you.* Mirei slowly backed the Razorback out of the area and set a course for a destiny that she had no inclination of.

*You owe me.* That was the last comical thought that Jouichirou had when his sense cut out on him. A dark cloak hung over his eyes, draping them shut as the last of his worldly visions disappeared.

The fate of the world rested on one man’s shoulders. Only time would tell if he had what was required to become their savior.

End of Part 3