Authors: Jack Parker
"Yeah, I heard about that from Gordan," he said. "I was kind of wondering why."
"I'll tell you everything later," she said. "We have a lot of catching up to do." She then grabbed his arm and began pulling him further into the hanger. "Come on. Why don't you stay for lunch? We can talk afterwards, alright?"
"Sure," he said, but quickly looked back at Dr. Solaris. "As long as it's alright with you sir." Dr. Solaris just smiled.
"It's fine by me," he said as he began to follow after them. Leon and Chris began to follow as well. It was getting close to lunch time, and they were starting to get hungry.
Dr. Solaris glanced back at Leon and couldn't help but notice the very small scowl present on his face. He didn't blame the boy. The way Ray was hanging off Jace was probably a little irritating for him. Jace's very presence was probably starting to irritate him. However, Dr. Solaris wasn't going to deny Ray anything. Jace was a friend of hers, a knight she had thought was dead. In fact, He'd probably tell Jace he could stay at the base if he was asked. It's not like it mattered much to him. It would agitate Leon though.
He noticed how Leon turned away, not wanting to look at Ray and Jace anymore. Dr. Solaris smirked as he turned back around and began heading up the stairs. This was going to be interesting. Maybe he'd invite Jace to stay himself. He wouldn't even give him a chance to ask. Leon would hate him for it, but it would be good for the boy. He needed to get used to things like this.
I wonder Leon…are you perhaps just a bit…jealous?
Jealousy
At the kitchen table, the Solaris family along with Ray and Jace were eating a somewhat quiet lunch. It was quiet at least until Dr. Solaris had a question to ask Jace.
"So Jace," he began, drawing the young man's attention. "I'm curious as to how you managed to escape from that Geno."
"Well," began Jace, setting his sandwich down, "as you may already know, I was inside the base during the attack. My Geno was having a few problems, and I was trying to fix them before the battle ended. By the time my Geno was working again, one of the officials told me to just forget it." Jace's expression fell a little as he remembered this. It was all so vivid in his mind. "He told me…that they were already dead, and that if I went out there, I'd just be killed as well. So instead of going outside, I used my Geno's water form to burrow under the ground. I was going to make my way to the ocean. I remember hearing the explosion, and I knew then that I couldn't stop. I had to keep going."
"Don't worry," said Ray softly with a small smile. "You won't have to worry about it anymore. We took care of that monster." Jace snapped his attention to Ray, obviously shocked at her rather blunt statement.
"You what?" he asked.
"We took care of it," she repeated. "You don't have to worry about it anymore." Jace just smiled. Why had he even been surprised? That was Ray for you. Nothing really fazed her. The ace knight could handle anything, although he was sure she hadn't done it on her own. Even she needed a little help after all.
They all continued eating, and afterwards, Ray and Jace went to the hanger to bring his Geno in. He began to get into the cockpit when he remembered what Ray had said earlier.
"So," he began, "exactly why are you staying here?" Ray's expression fell, and she almost looked a little ashamed of something.
"I," she began, letting the word hang for a moment before continuing, "kind of got Leon in trouble with Ramirez." Jace's eyes widened a little as he looked to her.
"Kind of?" he questioned skeptically.
"It's not my fault," she contradicted. "Well…not really, I guess. It's not like I knew that Leon was following me that day. I ended up letting him stay to help out with a battle, and that's when Ramirez showed up. Right before he left, he vowed he'd kill us the next time…including Leon."
Jace couldn't help but notice the rather sad and guilty tone to her voice. He began to wonder why she cared so much.
"I made a promise to Dr. Solaris," she continued, "that I wouldn't let Ramirez hurt Leon, and I intend to keep it no matter what." Well, that was starting to become less and less of a reason. It worked pretty well as an excuse, but she knew there was more to it than that. The elder Solaris son was really starting to grow on her. She liked his company and would do whatever she could to guarantee that she'd keep it. She'd never admit it, but she wanted to protect him because of that, not because of the promise. It worked well for an explanation though.
"I see," said Jace as he began moving his Geno into the hanger, going rather slowly. He began thinking this over and realized that Ray wouldn't be returning to the GRC base anytime soon. Ray never broke a promise. As long as Ramirez was alive, Leon was in danger.
An idea quickly formed on his mind, something he had thought of before. He might as well ask. What harm could it cause?
"Hey Ray?" he asked drawing her attention. "Do you think Dr. Solaris would let me stay here?" Ray smiled, her eyes dancing with excitement.
"I don't see why not," she said. "Let's go ask." Jace nodded, jumping down from his Geno. They walked up the stairs and through the door into the kitchen, finding Dr. Solaris in the living room on the couch, the TV remote in his hand. They both approached him quietly, figuring out how they'd ask him.
"Dr. Solaris?" began Ray, catching his attention. "We were wondering…would it be alright if Jace stayed here with us?" Dr. Solaris smiled. He had been planning to invite Jace himself, actually. It was a good thing Leon wasn't there, because he'd be quick to object.
"I don't see why not," he said to them, and both knights broke out into smiles and silent cheers.
"Thanks sir," said Jace as he turned back towards the door that led to the hanger. "I guess I should head back to the base and tell Gordan. I have some stuff to pick up too."
"Alright," she said. "I'll get your room ready for you."
"Thanks," he said as he walked towards the door. "I'll see you later."
"Bye!" she called as he disappeared into the hanger. Ray looked back to Dr. Solaris, a large smile on her face. "Thank you so much. This really means a lot to me."
"I know," he responded with a similar smile. With that taken care of, Ray went down the hall. She had a room to prepare.
* * * *
It had been a full week since Jace began living with them, and the more time Leon spent around the two the knights, the more he began to dislike Jace. He didn't hate him of course, but he wouldn't mind one bit if he just left and never came back. There were sufficient reasons for this, of course. Jace spent all of his time with Ray, and she didn't seem to mind one bit. This, for some reason, really infuriated Leon. He rarely got a moment alone with the ace knight anymore. The two knights would do everything together, including battle in the hanger. They would spar with short swords, and he and Chris loved watching the battles. Leon couldn't help but hope that she injured Jace in some form or way. He wasn't sure why, but the idea was appealing. He didn't want the other man to die though. Just a small injury, one that require him to spend a long time at the hospital, away from their base and away from Ray.
Currently Leon was walking down the empty hallways, looking for the knights. However, he couldn't find either one. They weren't anywhere. He eventually just walked into the living room, his eyes going to his younger brother. Chris was just sitting on the couch, watching television while eating a bag of chips. How could he stay so thin when he ate more than any of them?
"Hey Chris," he began, drawing his brother's attention. "Do you know where Ray and Jace are?" Chris swallowed a mouth full of food before responding.
"They went to Torran for the day," he explained while changing the channel again. Leon felt a small twitch of annoyance strike him. "They said they'd be back later. Oh, and your Geno is ready. You can go pick it up if you want. Dad said he'd give you a ride into the city."
"Yeah, alright," he said as he walked towards the hanger. If he had to go into Torran, then why hadn't Ray just waited for him? He had waited for her before. Couldn't she at least return the favor? The more he thought about it, the less he liked Jace. He began to wish that the man would just leave, maybe get into an accident or something…
Leon shook his head. He would never wish death upon anyone, even someone who annoyed him so like Jace. Exactly why did he dislike the man so much? Did it have something to do with Ray? He could tell that Jace liked her, but he wasn't sure about how Ray felt. He couldn't help but hope that they were just friends.
What the hell? Why do I even care? It's not like I care about her or anything.
Despite what he thought, there was a sneaking suspicion in the pit of his stomach that completely contradicted his thoughts. The thought of Ray and Jace being together really disturbed him, but the thought of him actually liking Ray anymore than as a friend was equally as strange. This was all so confusing.
* * * *
Jace and Ray were walking down the streets of Torran, not having too much to really do. They had stopped by to visit Sam, and he had given them both something to eat, much to his dismay. It was bad enough that she got food off him, and now she was getting it for other people too. It was never going to end.
"Where to now?" Jace asked.
"Shopping!" Ray exclaimed happily. She knew that Jace would buy her something, unlike Leon. Every time they went shopping, she would beg and beg for something, and he would always refuse to buy it for her. Jace would easily give in. As far as she knew, he liked buying her things.
They were just about to the large chain of stores when Ray stopped dead in her tracks. Jace stopped and turned to her, watching as she looked around.
"What?" he asked her. Her eyes quickly landed on a group of men, all dressed in black. They were standing across the street near an old warehouse. They did indeed look suspicious, and Ray quickly recognized one of them. Her eyes narrowed in disgust as she saw Nathan standing there with a group of men, probably all working under Ramirez. Why was she always in Torran whenever they were? Was her luck just bad? Maybe she had a knack for finding trouble like Leon had suggested a while back.
"Those men," she said, pointing to the ones near the warehouse, "they work for Ramirez. That one there attacked me the last time I was here." Jace looked to Ray and then to the men. His eyes narrowed. He hated Ramirez. He also now hated those men. He wouldn't stand for anyone hurting Ray. He'd teach them all a lesson.
Before he could say anything, she reached to her side and whipped out a gun. She was well equipped this time. She was always going to be from now. There would never be a repeat of the last time. She'd make sure of that.
The men all walked into the warehouse, which was one of the largest buildings in the area. What they were doing there was beyond her comprehension. However, she didn't really care that much. She was going to get rid of them. That was her only objective.
"Stay here," she ordered Jace. "I'm taking care of this myself." Before he could protest, she ran off, heading towards the warehouse. Jace was left standing there, contemplating exactly what to do. He wanted to follow her, but there was no way he was going to disobey her wishes.
What to do…
* * * *
Leon sighed as he walked aimlessly down the streets. He had forgotten how boring Torran could be without someone to talk to…someone like Ray. Why was it that he hated going to Torran with her, in fact, he tried to avoid doing so, but the second she was gone, he found that he was lonely? The streets were so cold and boring, and he began missing the ace knight's company, despite how much she begged and pleaded for him to buy her something. Hell, he'd give in this time if she would just come and walk with him for a while.
He turned a few corners, deciding not to pick up his Geno right now. He wanted to look for Ray and Jace for a while longer. It wasn't until he began walking through the shopping district that he stopped, his eyes going towards a familiar figure standing in the street. Luckily no cars were passing by. In fact, the area seemed almost deserted. Where was everyone?
The man in the middle of the street seemed to be waiting impatiently. He looked almost like he was trying to decide something. He was standing near an abandoned warehouse. Curiosity quickly got the best of Leon, and he walked over.
"Hey Jace," he greeted, trying to be friendly towards the man. Jace turned to him, but then looked back to the warehouse.
"Hey Leon," he greeted, his eyes never straying from the huge building. They both heard a few gun shots, and Jace clenched his fists, grinding his teeth together. "Damn it, I can't take this anymore!"
"What's going on?" Leon asked, wondering just why he was standing there. More importantly, where was Ray?
"I don't have time to explain," Jace snapped angrily. "Ray is in there with some men from Ramirez. Stay here and don't get in our way." With that said, he ran into the building, drawing his short sword.
Leon stood there, a little confused still as to what exactly was happening. All he could comprehend was Ray, Ramirez, and the warehouse. If someone was trying to hurt Ray, there was no way he was going to stand for it. It's not like he had a weapon, but perhaps determination was enough.