A/N: Heeey, did'ja miss me? Yup, you guessed it, it's another boycott fic. I just felt like killing somebody, or nearly killing somebody, and what could be better than a mysterious disease? Of course as I've mentioned before, I'm not too great at dramatic tension, so I thought I'd work on it a little. Tell me what you think-- the only way to do that is to REVIEW!! (Hint,Hint)
The sun rose as it always did, not betraying that this day would be different from the rest. But of course, the sun didn't know any better. How could it know that this day would plunge Exo-Force into a panic far worse than the time Takeshi had attempted to make lasagna? Also unaware of the imminent calamity, Ryo woke up and, like any other day, went about the first order of business-- eating.
Grimacing, the engineer shoved a spoonful of slop into his mouth and swallowed, trying not to taste the watery, plastic-flavored meal. A shudder ran down his spine and the techie shook his head, making a face.
Hikaru plopped his tray down beside him, sat down and shoveled several bites into his mouth, swallowing and chewing like it was nothing. "Hey Ryo," he said after a moment, "What's up?"
"The ceiling," Ryo mumbled miserably, stirring his slop and trying to work up the courage to take another bite.
"No, I mean--"
"I know what you mean," Ryo said, glancing up and grinning. "I'm not too bad today. I've got a few Battle Machines to work on, but other than that, I think I'll be free to play around with Uplink a little today."
"And by play you mean…"
"Upgrade it, of course," Ryo said, annoyed. Why do they always assume we techies 'love' or 'playwith' our inventions like they're our children or something? You only really get emotional if they're totally destroyed or something. That's when life gets miserable. Shaking his head, the Battle Machine engineer shoved another spoonful of slop into his mouth and swallowed quickly. After choking yet another spoonful past his gag reflex, he scooped up another bite before pouring it back into the bowl and turning to Hikaru. "What do you have in mind to do today?" he asked.
Hikaru shrugged. "I think I'll practice some maneuvers with the Stealth Hunter," he said. "And maybe take a little nap."
Ryo grinned. "Still tired after your week of nightmares?"
Hikaru glared at him. "That's not funny. Just because you could rationalize everything that happened in that horror movie…"
Ryo shrugged. "It's a talent of mine. So sorry it bothers you."
"Not half as much as that movie did," Hikaru muttered before shoving the last few bites of slop into his mouth and standing up. "Well, you better get eating," he suggested. "If you're going to finish that before it's time for lunch, that is."
Ryo frowned at the brownish-green slop with little lumps floating on the top and pushed it away. Shaking his head, the engineer took the slop and scraped it into the waste bucket. He wasn't hungry anymore…
Ryo stared at the screen, biting his lip. The dull throb of a headache was not making this repair any easier, and he'd hoped to be working on Uplink by now. Shaking his head slightly, the Battle Machine technician stared intently at the computer screen for a moment, then bent down to pick a tool up off the floor. As he straightened, Ryo frowned as a wave of dizziness forced him to sit down for a moment. Weird, he thought, cradling his head. I guess I probably should have actually eaten my breakfast.
With a sigh, the Engineer turned and began to repair the armor on a Stealth Hunter, wishing it was Uplink instead.
Ryo's eyes flickered open, and he stared at the roof in confusion. what am I doing lying on the hangar floor? he wondered, glancing at the tools lying beside him. Rolling his eyes, the engineer stood. "You'd think I would have at least gone to my room for a nap," Ryo said. "Ah well, guess I better head there anyway…" Ryo glanced down at the Battle Machine component lying on the ground near where he'd been only moments ago. "I mean, that power converter needs fixed, and I brought those tools into my room last week… haven't needed 'em since." With a shrug, the engineer left the hangar, not bothering to think twice about what he'd been doing on the floor…
Ryo's head jerked up as the obnoxious shriek of the Red Alert klaxons woke him instantly. Ryo frowned at the power converter sitting on his desk with a sigh, then stood. "I better make sure no one uses that Stealth Hunter," he muttered, jogging down the hall towards the Battle Machine hangar.
When he'd arrived, he made sure Sensei Keiken would watch to be sure that no one tried to take off in the Stealth Hunter lacking a power converter, then hopped into Uplink. He turned and took it out of the hangar with a smile. Time to kick some robot backsides! Ryo thought, a grin spreading across his face.
Hikaru piloted the Stealth Hunter overhead, taking down Robots wherever he felt like looking. Then he noticed that Ryo was in a bit of a predicament. Falling back to help out, he tried to contact Exo-Force's newest pilot. "Hey!" he shouted into the communicator, "Why aren't you moving?! Those Devastators are going to tear you to shreds!" Frowning, Hikaru waited for a reply. Nothing.
Grumbling to himself, Hikaru flew in a sweep, chasing off some of the robots with a few well-aimed shots. Unfortunately, most of them were so close to Ryo he was afraid that if he tried to shoot them he'd accidentally hit Uplink. "Ryo, what are you, crazy?! Get out of there!" Hikaru shouted.
"Something's wrong with Ryo?" Ha-Ya-To piped up from across the bridge, piloting the Gate Guardian. "Ha! Gotcha, tinhead!" Ha-Ya-To addressed a Fire Vulture. "Going down?" he chirped.
Hikaru sighed. "Ryo!" He shouted, trying his hardest to sound intimidating. What was Ryo trying to do anyway? Play dead? If that was the case, he was definitely going to be more than just playing if he didn't move it.
"What's up with Ryo?" Takeshi asked, turning the Grand Titan in Uplink's direction. "Did he fall asleep at the wheel?"
"I certainly hope not," Hikaru muttered, zooming down. "Come on, idiot! Get out of there!" he yelled, seeing about seven Thunder Furies take aim simultaneously. Gritting his teeth, Hikaru threw the Stealth Hunter into a steep dive, smashing into Uplink and sending both Battle Machines flying.
Though tumbling across the ground, Hikaru managed to catch a glimpse of the Thunder Furies' attacks practically destroy the very ground they were standing on, knocking most of them down and leaving them open for the Exo-Force pilots to take them down. Then the scene was swept away as Stealth Hunter and Uplink finally stopped tumbling and settled at abnormal angles.
Frowning, Hikaru realized both Battle Machines were now quite useless. Grumbling to himself, he jumped out of the Stealth Hunter, running over to Ryo's Cockpit and pulled it open, intending to give the Pilot the loudest, longest chewing out he could think of. But when he opened the Cockpit, any words of scolding withered and died before leaving his mouth.
"What the… Ryo!" Hikaru pulled the unconscious pilot from his Cockpit and looked for any signs of injury. Nothing. Frowning, Hikaru carefully examined Ryo's entire head for any signs of… well, he didn't know what he was looking for, honestly. Carefully Hikaru stepped into Uplink's cockpit and grabbed the portable communicator. He brought it back onto the ground where he'd left Ryo and flicked it on. "Sensei Keiken!" Hikaru said urgently, "I need some medics out here right away."
"Where?" the Exo-Force leader asked, instantly paying full attention to whatever Hikaru had to say.
"Just track the coordinates of this communicator," Hikaru replied. "Hurry."
"What's wrong?" Keiken asked, ready to inform the medics what to be prepared for.
"I… I don't know!" Hikaru replied. "It's Ryo, and he's unconscious. I don't see any external signs of injury…" Hikaru broke off, staring at Ryo's head, resting on his knees. "Wait, I think he's waking up," Hikaru said.
Ryo's eyes flickered open. "Stop it," He whispered hoarsely.
Hikaru frowned. "Stop what?"