Authors: Jack Parker
* * * *
Leon and Chris sat in silence, having nothing to really say or do. The prison cell was rather boring, and the scenery was dull and routine. Everything looked the same. It was just your average prison. It was a place to lock up prisoners, but they were the only ones in the area.
Leon yawned a little as he let his mind wander. He couldn't remember how long it had been now. Maybe four hours, perhaps five? Either way, it was too long of a wait, and he was starving. They hadn't been given any food yet. If a guard were to come with food, then there was a possibility that they could get out.
"Hey Chris," he began, catching his brother's attention. The younger boy seemed just as bored as he was. "I have a plan."
"What?" Chris questioned softly.
"When a guard comes," he began, "I'm going to grab him through the bars and take the keys. We're going to break out of here and find Ray."
"But how are we going to get out of the base?" asked Chris, his expression falling a little when he had seemed quite relieved with the idea. "This base has so many people in it. There's no way we could get away in time." Leon considered this for a moment. What Chris had said was true. There really wasn't much hope in them escaping unscathed, but there was no other way. They were running out of options.
"We have no choice," stated Leon as he stood up and walked to the bars. "Anything is better than just sitting here." He grabbed the bars and stuck his head between them, peering down the hallway. "I'd rather die trying." He clenched his fists tightly, squeezing the metal bars. "I'm going to show Ramirez that I'm not weak. I'm just as good as any pilot…as any knight."
"Leon…" began Chris, but he quickly silenced himself as the sound of footsteps began echoing down the hallway. Leon quickly got away from the bars, pressing himself against the wall. It was now or never. He had to get out of the cell. He was being driven mad with all of this waiting. They were going to escape, and they were going to find Ray, no matter what the cost.
The footsteps got closer, and the person was soon by the bars. Without bothering to look, Leon made his move. However, he stopped the second his eyes fell on the person before him. He was now peering into the face of a fifteen year old boy, a familiar one at that.
"Andy?" he questioned as he straightened himself out. Andy just blinked a few times, staring at the older boy.
"Just what were you doing?" he questioned Leon, earning him a nervous smile from the older boy and a small chuckle from the other.
"Well…" began Leon. "I was trying to…" Before he could finish, Andy fished a set of keys out of his pocket. He held them up towards Leon, a smile on his face.
"I assume this is what you were after," he said, picking his way through the keys towards the one that would unlock the cell.
"Yeah," said Leon, still seeming a little nervous. Being in Andy's presence was confusing. Just how was he supposed to act, and what was he supposed to say? Was the boy his friend or foe? It was hard to tell.
"Are you going to let us out?" questioned Chris, coming to stand next to his brother.
"Under one condition," Andy stated as he placed the key into the hole on the lock. "You have to promise me something."
"Anything," said Leon, and Andy just sighed, his expression falling a little.
"You have to save Ray, no matter what," he stated. "You two have to promise me that you'll get her out of here, okay?"
"Sure," responded Leon with a smirk. "That's what we were planning on doing anyway." Andy just smiled in response. He should have been expecting that. The two Solaris brothers would never leave her behind. Besides, Ray was the only one who had a Geno in the base that they could use.
"Okay then," said Andy. "Listen up. In about five minutes or so, I'll be out of the base. Please wait until then to break out, okay? I don't need to be caught after all of this. Once you break out, head for the end of this hallway. Go down the stairs and you'll reach the second floor. Ray should be in the cell at the other end of the hallway, so you'll have to move fast. There'll be another set of stairs after that, and they'll lead you to the hanger. From there, you should be able to get out. Just be careful. You don't need to get caught."
Andy pulled the key out of the hole and tucked all of them safely back in his pocket. He gave a small smile to both boys before turning around to leave.
"Five minutes, okay?" he reminded them. "I'll make sure to run, alright?"
"Good luck," said Chris.
"That's my line," he said playfully as he began walking away. He quickly stopped, however, and ran back to them. "One more thing." He reached towards his other pocket and pulled out a handgun from the inside of his lab coat. He handed it to Leon, who just stared at it a little before tucking it safely away in the large pocket of his jacket.
"Thanks Andy," he said, earning him a small nod from the boy.
"And just another thing I should warn you about," he began. "Everyone in this base is armed with at least one handgun and a grenade or two. Watch out, alright?"
"We'll be careful," Leon assured him with a thumbs up. "Now get out of here." Andy just nodded and then sprinted down the hallways. Leon and Chris watched until he completely disappeared around the corner.
Five minutes and counting.
They waited patiently for what they assumed was five minutes before Leon kicked the door open. He and Chris began sprinting down the hallway, heading for the stairs at the end of it. They had to move quickly but carefully. There was no telling when a guard would appear, and since there was only one staircase, they could easily be seen on it. This wouldn't be easy at all. There was no place for them to hide if one of Ramirez's men came. They would just have to be fast enough to get this done.
They ran down the stairs, praying that there weren't any guards. Luck was apparently on their side, since not a single official was on the stairway. Now they had to make it across the next hallway. Leon peered into it to make sure the coast was clear before they began sprinting again. They had to reach the end. They had to save Ray.
* * * *
Nathan watched as Ray crumpled to the cell floor, completely knocked unconscious. He smirked as he crouched down next to her, examining her still form. She really was a beautiful girl, her silvery blue locks falling over her face. Her tight clothing hugged the curves of her body, highlighting everything.
He examined her further, his eyes scanning each inch of her. Her jacket was now hanging off her shoulders enough that he could see part of her back. Her halter top didn't do any good in hiding it. He became curious when he saw what looked like part of a tattoo. He quickly relieved her of the denim jacket, now able to see the marking near her left shoulder blade. His eyes widened in shock as they fell upon the whole tattoo, if you could really call it that. This looked more like it had been burned into her skin. It was in the shape of a sun, a circle for the body and different sized triangles for the points.
"Now where have I seen that before?" he questioned aloud. He didn't have anytime to ponder it though. The sound of the barred door swinging open soon caught his ears, and he realized that he had forgotten to lock it. He slowly turned to face the door, but all he could see was the angry expression on Leon Solaris's face as his fist connected with Nathan's head. The commander was quickly knocked into the wall, his head hitting the concrete. Strangely enough, he was still conscious, but he didn't have the strength left to fight back or move for that matter.
Chris and Leon got down by Ray, and Leon gently rolled her over enough to see part of her face. Her eyes were closed, a bruise placed near her temple. Other than that, she was fine.
"Hey Chris," began Leon as he took out the handgun. He handed it to his younger brother. "Take this and go on ahead, but be careful."
Suddenly, the halls lit up with flashing red lights. Sirens started going off, echoing down the hallways. The red lights danced along the walls, seeming to be just about everywhere. The sound of footsteps soon accompanied these other occurrences, and Leon glanced down the hallway. There were guards coming down it, and quite a few of them at that.
"Let's go," he said. Chris began running down the stairway to their right. Leon watched as he disappeared down it before picking up Ray. He then began running down the stairs as well.
Nathan watched as he disappeared with Ray, a smirk appearing on his face. He wasn't able to chase after them, but that didn't mean he was going to let them escape. He wouldn't disappoint his general. At his side was a handgun and a grenade, but only one was useful right now. He took the grenade and pulled the pin, quickly tossing it through the bars. He watched it fly down the stairwell. Hopefully it would be enough to kill them both. Now he just had to find a way to get out of the building. If Ray managed to survive, which was a high possibility, she would use her Geno to tear the base apart. He had to find Ramirez and get out of there. He had to survive. He was the only one who knew about the symbol on Ray's back.
* * * *
Leon ran down the long stairway. He was getting to the last ten stairs that would lead him into the hanger. Chris was probably waiting there for them. From there, they'd take Ray's Geno and flee the facility. It was all they really could do. They weren't stupid enough to try and take on the entire enemy force by themselves. Perhaps Ray would succeed, but she was currently unconscious.
Just when Leon thought he was in the clear, the stairway exploded behind him. He was thrown off his feet into the hanger. Before he hit the ground, he pulled Ray tightly against him, trying to keep her from getting hurt as they collided with the metal floor. His head cracked against it, and he blacked out, praying that his brother and Ray would be alright.
As Ray's head hit the floor a little, she was suddenly brought back to reality. She opened her eyes slowly, trying to focus them in the red flashing room. She blinked a few times before they finally did, and she realized that she was no longer in the prison cell. In fact, this room was at least fifty times its size. There were Genos everywhere, leading her to the conclusion that she was in the base's hanger. Now the only question was how she had gotten there.
Ray tried to move, only to find that something was holding her down. She glanced next to her and saw Leon, his eyes currently closed in a gentle unconscious state. Other than that, he appeared to be fine, but his weight was against her. He had collapsed while still shielding her.
Ray slowly pulled herself out from under him, seeming just a little embarrassed. However, she quickly realized that he wasn't waking up. She could now see that the clothing on his back had been singed a little, and there was debris all over him.
"Leon?" she questioned while placing a hand on his back. He didn't stir, so she placed her other hand on his back as well and began shaking him. "Hey Leon? Wake up." She received no response, so she shook him harder. "Leon!" There was still nothing. No matter what she did or how loud she yelled, he wouldn't wake up.
Ray stopped her attempts, realizing that they were indeed futile. He was out cold, and she wouldn't be able to wake him up. She was quickly overwhelmed with fury. She was mad at Nathan, at the people of the base. She was angry about their predicament, about what had happened to Leon. Most of all, she was furious with Ramirez. If he was still in the base, she'd make sure to kill him too. It was at that moment that the officials from the building entered the hanger.
They ran towards Ray, but gunfire quickly halted their assault. Their eyes widened as they saw what had shot those bullets. More quickly followed, along with a threatening roar from a jet black Geno: Ray's Geno. It began walking towards them, letting out another roar. The men all began backing away from the Geno, scared to death of it. Not only was it larger than any of them, but it had no pilot. There was no weak point to it anymore.
Ray watched her Geno, not seeming surprised in the least that this was happening. After all, she had wanted it to. Her Geno would keep them busy for a while until she could come up with a plan that would work. She had to get out of the base, and she had to get Leon out as well, and what had ever happened to Chris? Hadn't he been with his brother?
"Ray!" called a familiar voice from behind her. She looked back and saw Chris approaching, a relieved smile on his face. "I'm glad you made it out."
Ray stood up to face him, giving him a soft smile in return. She had to stay calm in this situation. She wasn't about to let Chris panic over something like this. After all, she was the ace knight. She could handle it. There wasn't any predicament in the world that she couldn't get herself out of.
"Listen up Chris," she began, drawing his attention. "I want you to take Leon and get out of here." Chris looked to where his brother was lying, realizing that he had been knocked unconscious. He then returned his eyes to Ray, curious about what she was going to do.
"What about you?" he asked her, and a confident smirk spread across her face.
"I'm going to destroy this base," she told him, her eyes staring out the open hanger doors. She could see the blue sky and the golden desert sands. "Now go."
"Alright," he said as he bent down near his brother, lifting him up as best he could. After all, Leon wasn't light, especially not to someone like Chris. He looped his arm around his brother's waist and got Leon's arm to rest around his shoulders. Slowly, he began walking across the hanger, heading towards the wide open desert before them.