Authors: Jack Parker
Ray's eyes narrowed a little as she saw the desert sands part a bit. Something was heading towards them, but she had no idea what it was. It was too small to be a Geno, and it definitely wasn't Leon or Dr. Solaris. They would have their headlights on. Whatever was heading towards their base probably wasn't friendly.
Even the desert bandits aren't stupid enough to attack a base. Just who is that?
The thing soon stopped a few meters away from the base, and Ray watched as four doors opened. She could now see that it was a military vehicle, but the people coming out of it weren't from the GRC. Their uniforms were dark, and each one of them was armed with a rifle. There was only one explanation for this, and Ray knew it. Besides, she had seen those uniforms before. Those men belonged to Ramirez.
Damn it, how did they find this place? I guess I stayed here too long. Damn you Ramirez.
Ray walked away from the window, realizing that she wouldn't have a lot of time to react. Her eyes quickly went to Chris as he watched the movie, completely unaware of the danger that lurked just outside.
"Chris," she began seriously, earning her his full attention. "We have company."
"Company?" he questioned, noticing the cold expression on her face. However, a great amount of fear played through her eyes.
"It's Ramirez," she told him. "He found this place. Some of his men are just outside, and it'll only be a matter of time before they find a way in." She cringed when she saw how afraid he looked. It's not like she could blame him. This was no laughing matter, and nothing like this had probably ever happened to him before. Their base was supposed to be hidden.
"What should we do?" he asked her, his voice shaking.
"I need you to tell me where the circuit breaker is," she told him. "We can use the darkness to our advantage. They don't know this place like we do."
"It's in the hanger near the far door," he told her. "But be careful. That's the door they'll probably come through."
"Don't worry," she told him as she glided across the floor on her skates. "I have a serious speed advantage over them."
"What should I do?" he asked her nervously. Ray put on a small smile, not wanting to scare him too much. True, this was a frightening situation, even for her, but she had to try and keep him calm, along with herself.
"I want you to stay here and hide behind that stand over there," she told him, pointing to a large wooden stand that was more like a mini table. It was thick and made of metal. There had once been a vase on it, but during a small remote control battle, she and Leon had shattered it. Needless to say, Dr. Solaris hadn't been too happy with the two of them.
"Alright," Chris said as he went to hide behind it. It would provide a decent hiding spot, especially once the whole base was pitch black.
Ray skated down the stairs, being careful not to trip. She took off the second she touched the smooth hanger floor. She had to get to the switchbox on the other end of the hanger. Then she'd have to make it all the way back into the kitchen and to her bedroom to get a few weapons. The hardest part would be doing it before the men broke in through the very door she was heading towards.
Ray quickly found the switchbox and pried it open. She then realized that she couldn't just turn everything off. If their attackers were to find the box, they'd be able to turn everything back on again. The thing had to be completely destroyed. The problem would be doing it without electrocuting herself. If she had brought a gun with, she'd have no problem, but the only weapon she had was a short sword from when she had been teaching Chris how to use one.
I suppose it's the only option I have.
Ray drew the sword from its sheath and prepared to jab it into the circuit breaker. This was her only option. She would only get one chance at this, so she had to hope that the spot she picked would disable it. She'd have to be quick not to get electrocuted.
In one swift motion, Ray jammed her short sword into the switchbox, and a stream of electricity instantly traveled through the metal weapon into her body. She fought back a scream and quickly pulled away, nursing her now burnt hand. She'd just have to put up with it though. It wasn't just her life on the line this time. She had to take care of Chris as well. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him.
The lights in the room buzzed, dimming slightly and then brightening up. However, they then went completely out, and it was as if she could hear the base shutting down.
Mission accomplished.
Ray made a mad dash across the hanger and then fumbled up the stairs, trying not to make too much of a racket while on her skates. She had to keep them on. She needed to have at least one advantage over the attackers, and speed had always been something she enjoyed. However, this still wouldn't be easy. There were probably about twenty to thirty of them, and she was the only one who could defend the base. She wouldn't give up though. It wasn't her style. She was the ace knight, and no one beat her, even without her Geno. Besides, even if she was going to go down, she'd go down fighting.
Ray threw open the door, happy to be greeted by darkness. Her eyes were slowly adjusting, but she still couldn't make out exactly what was in the room. It didn't matter though. She had lived in the base long enough to know the location of every object. She would have no problem moving around.
"Hey Chris?" she whispered.
"What?" came the soft reply.
"Just making sure you're still here," she told him. "Stay quiet, okay? They'll be coming soon. I'm going to get a few weapons. I'll bring one back to you just incase you have to use it." With that said, she took off towards her room, and just as she disappeared inside it, a loud crash echoed through the hanger. That was it. The battle had begun.
* * * *
It was about nine thirty by the time Dr. Solaris and Leon arrived back at the Solaris base. They were a little surprised to see that all of the lights were off, evident by the fact that they could see the living room window from outside the base. Everything appeared to be just the way they had left it though. They didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
Dr. Solaris walked over to the side of the base and found the small box shaped device that would open the hanger doors for them. However, when he flipped up the lid, he wasn't greeted by the glowing keypad. In fact, the small red flashing light wasn't alit either.
"Hey Leon," he called to his son, who was waiting by his brand new car. "Grab a flashlight and get over here." Leon obeyed, making sure to grab two while he was at it. He walked over to his dad and handed one to him.
Dr. Solaris quickly turned it on and flashed it over the control box. Just as he had suspected, there wasn't any power coming from it. It looked drained, as if the battery had died. There was only one problem though. It didn't run on batteries.
"Strange," he said mainly to himself. "If this thing is out, then the whole base must be shut down."
"Well, let's just use the door on the side then," suggested Leon. "We'll just ask Chris and Ray what happened later." Dr. Solaris nodded, but the solution didn't quell the uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. He had been around the GRC for far too long to be able to just brush this off as something like a power failure.
They walked in through the side entrance, which had already been opened. Dr. Solaris quickly went to the switchbox, only to find that he couldn't get near it. There were sparks coming from it, but they didn't provide enough light for him to see just what had happened.
As Leon walked across the hanger with his flashlight in check, Dr. Solaris turned his back on and shined it on the switchbox. His eyes widened as he saw what appeared to be one of Ray's short swords. It had been jammed into the middle of the controls. What disturbed him a little was the sight of blood specks on the hilt. Someone had jammed it in there, and whoever had had paid the price. He knew for a fact that it had been Ray. She was the only one who was fast enough to avoid a lethal electrical shock like that.
Dr. Solaris turned and ran across the hanger, passing up Leon. However, his son quickly began to run after him, curious as to why his father was in such a hurry. He hadn't seen, however, what his father had. He didn't think that this was anything out of the ordinary, just a power failure. He soon realized how wrong he was when he realized that the door to the kitchen had been completely removed, now lying on the tiled floor.
The two of them stood in complete shock at what they saw before them. Their kitchen was a mess. Chairs had been knocked over, two had gotten broken, and a few of the cupboard doors had bullet holes in them. Their shock only got worse as they stepped into the living room, not bothering to use their flashlights to show them what had happened. They could see clear enough in just the lighting of the stars and moon shining through the window.
The first thing they noticed were the bodies on the floor, all of them being men dressed in black uniforms. Some of them were still clutching their rifles, only getting out one shot before being taken down. Some probably hadn't gotten to use any.
"My God," whispered Dr. Solaris in utter shock and horror.
"Chris!" called Leon as he walked further into the room. "Ray! Answer me!"
"Leon?" questioned a soft voice from behind their couch. Leon and Dr. Solaris quickly walked over to it, and there was Chris, leaning against the side closest to the window. He was holding his right shoulder, a small stream of blood running down his arm. His sandy blond hair had a few flecks of blood on it, and by the looks of it, he had gotten pretty beaten up. There was a small pistol sitting next to him, still partially loaded with ammo.
"Chris, what happened?" his father quickly asked him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he answered before looking up at the worried expressions on the faces of his two remaining family members. "We were attacked," he began, answering his father's first question. "Some of Ramirez's men came, so Ray smashed the circuit breaker with her sword. She decided it would be easier to fight in the dark. She had me hide in here, but I was discovered after a while. They only got in one shot at my arm before Ray took out five of them. I didn't see her after that." A rather sad expression crossed his face as he realized that he really hadn't seen or heard from Ray yet. He began to wonder what had happened to her.
"Chris, where's Ray?" asked Leon, noticing the worried expression on his brother's face.
"I don't know," he said. "She ran down the hall towards the weight room. You should go find her. I heard a lot of gun shots, and I haven't seen her since. It's been nearly a half an hour since they got here."
Leon and Dr. Solaris got up and began to head down the hallway. Leon continuously called out for Ray, but he never received an answer. As they walked, they'd occasionally stumble upon a bullet ridden body, but it was after they turned the corner that their hearts stopped.
The walls of their hallway were now painted red with blood. There were handprints on the walls and tracks on the floor. It was obvious that Ray had come through. There were wheel tracks in the blood that now stained their carpets. It was hard to believe that this all happened in the course of a half an hour. Everything was happening too fast for them. Their home had been attacked. It was then that they realized they were no longer safe. Ramirez knew where they were, and now he wouldn't hesitate to send more men after them. Everything was falling apart.
"Ray?" called Leon as he carefully stepped over the bodies that littered their hallway. They didn't bother counting to see just how many had been taken down. They only hoped that Ray wouldn't be among them.
They eventually stepped into the weight room, which was indeed the bloodiest of them all. There were at least ten men in there, some strewn over the exercise equipment. The walls were stained in blood, as was the thin carpeted floor. Their eyes quickly wandered through the room, their eyesight now far adjusted to the darkness. In a matter of seconds, they spotted the still form of Ray. She was slumped against the far all, her head down and a pistol still clutched tightly in her hands. She was soaked with blood, and it was hard to tell how much of it was hers.
"Ray!" called Leon in worry, hoping to get her attention as he made his way hastily across the room. Dr. Solaris followed after him, but he walked a little slower. As soon as he was sure if Ray was alright, he was going to return to the living room and check up on Chris again. He had to know first, however, if the ace knight was even still alive. It was hard to believe that she could be taken down, but if that blood was indeed all hers, then it was a possibility.
Leon reached Ray quickly, and he tried to get a look at her face. Her silvery blue hair hid most of it, but he could tell that her eyes were closed. She was as still as death. When he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, the pistol she had been holding slipped from her hands. Just by moving her a little, she began to fall towards the floor sideways. Leon was quick to catch her though, now cradling her gently in his arms.
"Ray," he called, shaking her a little. "Ray, wake up." He tried again, still receiving no answer. "Ray, please," he begged, the worry hanging heavy in his voice. "Open your eyes. Please Ray." He shook her just a little more, and her eyes slowly opened. She turned to face him, looking up into his worried face.