Author: Nadz
Email: vegitto02 at yahoo dot com
Disclaimer:
The title "Nightmare", as well as its storyline, is owned by the author.
All Tekkaman Blade characters are the property of Tatsunoko.
Any original characters are strictly owned by the author of this fan fiction.
This story may not be distributed to anybody without the author's permission due to version control. However, the author does encourage you to welcome your friends to read Nightmare on FanFiction dot net. Much thanks...
Tekkaman Blade III: Nightmare (First Saga)
Chapter 10 - Xyla
The next morning…
The elderly man moaned as he stretched his arms and legs. His skull was throbbing, and he placed his hand on his forehead. What had happened last night? He shut his eyes tightly, trying to remember; yet, only faint images passed through his mind. It just seemed so muddled. However, Honda could not shake the feeling that something was wrong… that something was in fact very, very wrong.
Letting out a sigh, he realized the necessity for brushing one's teeth in the morning. The foul stench from his mouth rebounded off the sheets above and entered his nostrils. Throwing off the covers, Honda climbed out of bed, his breathing slow but steady. He trudged into the bathroom and observed the tired, wrinkled face in the mirror. Then, he noticed the bits of dried blood that were stuck on his forehead.
"What the…" he whispered, looking more closely. He stopped, the fuzzy images reappearing.
"Oh no …" he said to himself, quickly opening the medicine cabinet and rummaging through the vials. He finally grabbed the translucent orange bottle and noticed that it was empty. His face lost color.
"Please, no…" he pleaded, widening his eyes. "What did I… do last night? The last thing I recall was that boy ridiculing my weight. I came upstairs after that and tried to forget about it… but after that?"
Honda placed his palms against the sink. So, the boy had made fun of his size and weight. Had that triggered something within him? The old man could not help but feel he had done something horrible.
He turned on the faucet and splashed water on his face several times. He peered in the mirror.
"No, I must be imaging things… I couldn't have done anything," he said nervously, looking again at the empty medicine bottle. "And I better get this thing refilled before something really does happen."
Honda proceeded to perform his morning duties. Afterwards, he slowly fitted on his uniform and headed towards the Command Room. Seline was already working away at a console, waiting for him. The old man smiled warily as he approached her. Yet, he almost jumped upon seeing her turn her head towards him. The grin on her face slowly turned into a frown while her eyebrows contorted.
"Good morning, Seline," he nodded, clearing his throat.
"What were you doing last night?" she startled him with the question. His heart skipped a beat.
"Why do you want to know?" the man asked nervously.
"Why won't you tell me?" one of her eyes narrowed. The man began to feel sweat on his palms.
'Does she know something?' he thought, rubbing his hands together. 'Did I…? No, I couldn't…'
"Personal matters," answered Honda, breaking the silence. "I could not be bothered."
"Well, then at least check your voice messages," she shook her head in annoyance.
"Now, wait a second," the man said, raising his voice. "You shouldn't talk to me in that tone."
"Oh?"
"I deserve some respect, especially from youngsters like you," he asserted, tightening his jaw.
"Even when…" the girl blurted, only to stop herself. Honda tightened his jaw.
"Even when what?" he said tensely, his heart beating anxiously.
"Even when youngsters like me have exactly what you're looking for?"
"What do you mean?" he eyed her as he rubbed his fingers together.
"I thought you wanted to know about a little project called Xyla," she smirked.
"I do… You're kidding me," he exhaled in relief, relaxing his hands. "You know about it?"
"A lot more than I knew before," she said. "Care to know what it really is?"
"This has gone too far!" the man stated angrily over the view screen. "It's gone out of control."
"I couldn't agree more, General Duque," General Glieff Pavlocheva replied to the Region General of Europe. "It's a blessing that they haven't attacked our headquarters yet, but they have secured far too many bases and have begun the crossfire. Our computer systems are causing missiles to be fired in return for those approaching us, and more and more is slipping through our fingers by the day."
"Your missiles have struck our lands as well, Pavlocheva," Duque glared. "This is an outrage!"
"We're working as best as we can," Pavlocheva muttered. "We will fix the systems soon."
"I hope so, General, for your sake," Duque said. "But yes, our first priority is defeating Radam."
"Those Primary Bodies could be destroyed if it weren't for those Tekkamen that lead them."
"The use of conventional weapons is not affecting them in the least bit," Duque nodded, his facial features even more tense. "Those Tekkamen destroy our missiles and bombs before they can do damage to the Primary Body forces. If our conventional weapons are being rendered useless, I suggest that we use—"
"No," Glieff shook his head. "We can't do that. The use of nukes won't be effective!"
"I can hardly believe my ears, Pavlocheva," Duque raised his eyebrow. "You were always a proponent of nuclear weapons, and now you back down in the direst of circumstances?"
"There will be much more destruction than we can estimate, and nukes don't affect Tekkamen."
"Unfortunate, General Pavlocheva," Duque cleared his throat. "I thought you would approve."
"Have patience, Duque," Pavlocheva stated. "Xyla will be ready soon… very soon."
"Are you sure that this Xyla will be effective?" the European General narrowed his eyes.
"Effective enough that you can keep your nukes at rest," Glieff assured. "Just give us due time."
"My God," whispered the engineer, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he sat down.
"It's nearing completion," Seline said gravely, looking at him seriously. "They may use it soon."
"You said there's only one working sample of it so far, right?"
"Yes, but once that sample is polished, they can make much more if it," she explained.
"I can't believe the military would actually go through with this!"
"They won't, once I steal it," she said with a thin smile.
"Steal?" he blurted in surprise, his face red. "Are you out of your mind? The security will be—"
"I know," she nodded, interrupting him. "But I've come up with a plan that will work."
"I think it's a bad idea," a new voice interrupted. "You'll get us all into deep trouble."
The two turned towards the man as he stepped into the room from the hallway outside.
"Sorry for eavesdropping," Neilus O'Toole said sheepishly. "But it's a good thing I listened in."
"You're worried about yourself?" Seline frowned. "How it'll make you look bad if I'm caught?"
"Don't you think that's important for me to consider? After all, I did get you the job," he raised his eyebrows. "Besides, your only job was to find out what it was, not take the thing."
"I'll be saving millions of lives, if not more," she scowled. "Or don't you care about that?"
"I care, but I don't like such impulsive behavior," he said in a low tone. "Stealing top-secret projects isn't exactly easy, especially not for an amateur like yourself. You're not even a trained spy."
"Maybe," she said, tightening her jaw. "But I've already made my decision. I'm doing it."
"No way, lady," Neilus said sternly, crossing his arms. "You better not go."
"There's a perfect distraction heading their way," she said back, standing up. "I'm not going to pass up this opportunity, regardless of what you say."
Seline turned around and walked several steps towards the door, away from a vexed Neilus.
"Then tell me one thing," Neilus grated. "What will you do if they catch you?"
"Give them a surprise," she fired back, walking out of the Command Room. Neilus turned to look at Honda, and the man only returned a shrug. Neilus only shook his head in disbelief; the girl had crossed the line. He would not allow himself or the Space Knights to get into trouble for her impulsiveness.
Later that day…
Seline continued to work on her tissue cultures in the research lab. Dr. Fuchida had visited her an hour prior, saying that he appreciated the date and that he would like to do it again. He had not mentioned the night or the events after the restaurant, for that matter. He seemed to be in good spirits, and that was good news for Seline. The girl focused her thoughts back on the present as she checked her watch.
'Any time now,' she told herself.
The Primary Bodies marched towards the hidden building. Their leader hovered several meters away, leading them towards the facility. As if they had no conscience of their own, the armored humans trudged forward, content with obeying the warrior they called "Master." It was not long before tanks and a legion of troops amassed in front of the base. The stage had been set for another battle, but this time, the fate of a top-secret project, the last trump card of the military, was at stake. Over a dozen buggers that circled above waited patiently for the order from their commanding Tekkaman. Within moments, laser fire erupted, and the battle had begun.
Seline remained hidden in her room, waiting for the other frenzied scientists to execute their emergency escape procedures. So far, everything was going according to plan. Researchers and other personnel were running through the hallways. Some were heading to man their positions; others were fleeing for their safety. Her lab coat making her relatively indistinguishable from the rest, the girl quickly disappeared into a crowd of hurrying researchers that passed by.
As the battle outside raged on, the girl inside quickly broke off from the group and headed down another hallway. Several personnel gave her questioning glances, but they paused for mere seconds before again heading off to their intended destinations. The young woman continued through the corridors, inwardly smiling. How ironic it was, she thought, that people were so calm and collected when working on their deadly weapons, but when it came to Radam attacks, they had become so frenzied. Her mind shifted to her task at hand as she turned a corner.
'If I remember what Fuchida said correctly, the sample is kept in a secure vault,' she thought to herself. 'The vault is kept on a secret basement floor. For low-level personnel like me, the elevator won't let me stop on that floor. I'll have to get into the elevator shaft and break into the floor myself, with force.'
"Primary Bodies have begun to attack there," Honda commented, looking at the view screen.
"So that was the distraction she couldn't pass up," Neilus sneered. "Well, it doesn't matter now."
"I can't believe you did what you did," Honda shook his head in disbelief. "Why did you do it?"
"You'll thank me," the man turned towards Honda. "Both you and I are now off the hook."
Seline grunted as she pried open the doors to the elevator. Looking down at the dark, empty shaft below her, she leaned forward, dropping into the abyss. The orange crystal in her hand flashed for a brief moment before radiating a bright luminance, and Seline burst forth once again from her crystal casing as Tekkaman Tyara. Turning her head to her right, she witnessed the doors of a floor pass by her.
'Seven more to go,' she smiled to herself.
Raze remained hidden as he watched his loyal servants do battle with the facility's defense forces. Slaughter on both sides had again proceeded, with laser fire and explosives being exchanged. The stench of battle urged the Tekkaman to intervene, but the conditions of the situation forced him to restrain himself.
The being continued to watch silently, ready to strike at the right moment.
'This is it,' Tyara lodged her lance between the sliding doors, trying to pry them open with her gnarled, armored fingers. The doors were of an unexpected weight, but that would in no way stop her from achieving her mission. With a grunt, she pushed them apart, enough for her body to get through. Her lance clattered to the floor, only to tilt backwards and fall down the elevator shaft. She could hear the clanging sound it made as it knocked against the walls.
'Wait, this is too quiet,' she realized, looking at the empty corridor ahead. 'Nobody's here.'
The girl silently took a step into the hallway, stopping as she saw a bluish ceiling light flash.
'This armor is making too much noise,' she shook her head. Quietly de-transforming, she slipped down the deserted corridor and headed towards the supposed location of the vault.
Pavlocheva stepped into the hidden room, getting the attention of the man sitting behind the desk.
"Sir, about Xyla," the General said. "Someone is attempting to steal it."
The man only nodded.
'Finally,' she came to the end of the blue-lit, twisted corridor. 'I think this is the place.'
Keeping her backside up against the wall, she observed the large, steel door that loomed in front of her. Unsure about whether she would have enough strength to open it herself, she kept her crystal wrapped in her fingers. The hallway was dead silent, and the only noise came from the humming behind the vault door. Seline quietly tiptoed towards it, making sure that she could hear even the slightest of possible noises. Inching forward, she reached out and touched the key-panel next to the door.
'I can't believe he gave me the highest clearance code,' she thought. 'How careless.'
Entering the code, she pressed a green button to finalize it. The girl held her breath. The small screen on the panel began to flash several colors, and Seline looked on anxiously. Finally, a green light appeared, and she relaxed her shoulders.
'Oh no,' she thought, grimacing as the vault door made a grinding noise as it slid, culminating in a thunderous sound upon opening completely. Seline quickly placed her backside up against the nearby wall. Making sure that she heard no footsteps, she stepped into the unlit room.
"I can't believe it," she whispered. As soon as she set foot into the darkness, the green light immediately activated. The verdant luminance revealed everything – the chamber was shaped like an octagon. Its walls were lined with test tubes, some filled with clear fluids and others with colored liquids.
At the center lay a cylindrical platform that stood at four feet.
'This… This is Xyla,' she looked in curiosity. A modest-sized, transparent cylinder stood vertically embedded in the top of the center platform. It was filled with a purplish fluid that continued to slightly bubble within its confinement. The ends of Xyla's container were made of metal, and the top of the cylinder possessed a Biohazard label. Seline slowly bent down, her eyes staring in awe at the active fluid sloshing around inside.
Returning her attention to the task at hand, the girl observed several notches at the bottom of the cylinder, which were used in clamping the item to the platform. Moving her eyes around the platform, she searched for the release mechanism. Within seconds, she found it. She watched, pleased, as the clamps slowly moved away from the cylinder, freeing it from its bindings. A thin smile spread across her lips as she touched the item with her bare hands, and she slowly lifted it out of its resting spot. The girl carefully held the one-foot long cylinder with her left hand, admiring its contents one more time.
"It does look amazing, doesn't it?" a voice chuckled from behind her. Seline's head snapped up.
"So what happens to her when she's caught?" Honda asked, raising his eyebrows.
"They'll give her a surprise," the man smirked, and the mechanic shook his head in disapproval.
"Just turn around now," the masculine voice instructed. "Slowly… there you go… slowly."
"You…" Seline spat as the man's face came into view. "I should have known."
"Did you think you could get away with it so easily, Seline?" he chuckled, raising his gun. Surrounding the man were four guards, all dressed in black and aiming their laser rifles directly at the young woman's body. The man stepped forward, keeping his weapon aimed at her forehead.
"The only reason it seemed so easy," he flashed a smirk, "was because we made it easy."
"You set me up, Fuchida," she said, holding the cylinder close to her.
"Why, naturally," he said, narrowing his eyes. "I've had my sight on you all along. Why a cabinet member from the old government would send somebody so eagerly was beyond me. I was suspicious from the start, and now I've got you with your pants down – just as I did that night."
"You remembered…" she whispered, taking a step backwards. "I thought you were…"
"… Drugged?" he completed the sentence. "Unaware? Hallucinating? Totally out of it?"
Seline narrowed her eyes, her heart beating rapidly. What the hell was going on?
"Oh, yes, I was drugged," he confessed, nodding. "But not enough so that I wasn't cognizant."
"You told me all that confidential information about Xyla to see if I would actually break in…"
"And voila, you did!" he tightened his grip on his pistol. "My suspicions proved to be correct."
"How did you know that I was going to break in today?" she asked, keeping her crystal hidden.
"Aside from the dozen silent alarms you triggered," he explained, "we received a tip-off."
"You knew everything," she grated, giving him a menacing look.
"As always," he gloated. "Now, I want you to put down the cylinder and then raise your hands."
"You're not going to have it," she returned. "I won't let you take it back."
"Oh?" he asked amusedly. "And how are you possibly going to do that, my sweet Seline?"
The girl stood silent, thinking furiously hard as she stared at the barrels of the rifles aimed at her.
"I'll release Xyla…" a sly smile spread across her lips. "… Right here."
'How long is this going to take?' thought Raze, growing impatient as the battle raged on.
"My God," whispered Neilus, observing the battle being televised on the view screen. Honda looked up and swallowed hard before wiping the sweat from his forehead. The man felt slightly light-headed, not to mention uneasy. It was not the battle itself that was bothering him; rather, it was another feeling. Along with the added stress of Seline's mission, the portly engineer could not control his anxiety.
"I'll be back shortly," Honda said, getting up and leaving the room.
"What?" Fuchida blurted, taken aback. "Have you gone mad? You know what will happen!"
"You think I'm mad?" she shot back. "You're the one that created this thing!"
"It's in the best interest of our planet!" Fuchida returned, his hand trembling slightly.
"You're only interested because it may get you a promotion in the military," she grated.
"How dare you," the head scientist rasped, tightening his jaw. "Insulting me as if you are—"
"Stop stalling," she cut him off as she smirked. "Tell your men to lower their weapons. Don't oblige, and I'll break this thing open myself. It won't be long before the flesh-eating microbes inside this jar spread through this entire facility."
Fuchida gave her a menacing scowl before signaling the guards. The men lowered their weapons.
"Gullible idiot," she muttered, activating the power of her crystal. The men dove to the floor as the orange comet shot past over their heads. Fuchida cursed upon seeing the form of Tekkaman Tyara race down the hallway and turn into another corridor. The men quickly got to their feet and attempted to follow the thief. Fuchida grunted as he stood up, his eyebrows knotted in a glare.
'Why wasn't I told that she could Tek-Set? Damn her, now I have no other choice!' he whispered, activating the small gray crystal embedded in the chain around his neck.
Tyara burst forth from the facility, pausing in the air to witness the bloody conflict taking place just outside. The two armies had already mixed, their members engaged in the most brutal of combat. Primary Bodies viciously swung their variegated lances while their human opponents retaliated with plasma fire. Seline could not help but watch as an eye was continually exchanged for an eye, as blood was exchanged for blood. The death of a fallen comrade only inspired others to seek revenge. Such was the bloodlust of battle… and the hearts of men.
"Seline!" a voice called out from behind her. The girl turned, only to witness an armored being hovering several meters behind her. It was of a grayish color, and its body was slim. Although it was definitely more evolved than a Primary Body, it didn't seem to have the physique of a full Tekkaman.
Tyara gave it a hard look, recognizing the voice that had spoken from behind its mask.
"Fuchida?" she blurted in disbelief, holding Xyla close to her. "You can Tek-Set?"
"You'll find I'm full of surprises," he gloated, firing himself towards her. "Give it to me."
"Like hell I will!" she returned, avoiding him. "How did you get the ability to transform?"
"Maybe if you drug me, I'll actually tell you," he chuckled. "Now hand it over!"
"I'm not giving you the bio-terror you created in this jar," she grated. "It will kill humans!"
"It will kill Radam as well," his voice boomed. "Seline, this is our last hope! This is our trump card, our only way to defeat the enemy! Why can't you see that? Don't deny humanity its survival!"
"Survival?" she hollered in surprise. "You'll only bring about its extinction!"
Before Fuchida could respond, Seline fired the thrusters on her back, only to stop immediately.
"It's you," she whispered, looking hard at the Tekkaman that had appeared in her path.
"My dear, dear Seline," Raze snorted, flashing his eye. "You should be ashamed of yourself. Didn't your mother tell you that stealing was bad… and a crime?"
"Tekkaman Raze," her voice spat as she slowly backed away. "Why the hell are you here?"
"You're right," he chuckled. "What poor manners I have – I should have known better."
"You always amaze me with your—" Seline grunted as she felt someone knock harshly into her back. The girl let out a cry as the cylinder slipped from her hands and headed for the ground. Fuchida congratulated himself for his strategy and dove downwards, catching Xyla in his hands. Raze looked on in interest and watched as Tyara turned towards the gray being that resembled a Tekkaman.
"Now I've got it!" Fuchida gloated, wrapping his arms around the cylinder. "I win in the end."
"You idiot!" Seline barked, lunging for him, but the man got out of the way. "You're going to…"
"… Use it, and the human race will be victorious!" the scientist grinned from behind his mask.
"I didn't know that they were having a bargain sale," Raze chuckled, gripping his lance, "where they were selling discount Tekkamen."
"You're calling me a 'discount Tekkaman'?" Fuchida narrowed his eyes, holding Xyla closely.
"You see anyone else around here that fits the description?" Raze returned, moving closer to him. "Now, you're going to give me that little toy you have in your hands. Maybe Seline here wasn't competent enough to secure it from the military, but believe me, I am more than qualified."
"You better wake up if you think I'm going to hand it to you," Fuchida returned, backing away. "Seline, please… distract him!"
"Now suddenly I'm your best friend?" Seline spat, getting ready to intervene. "Why should I?"
"If it gets into their hands, the effects could be disastrous," he returned. "You know that!"
'Come on, Seline,' Fuchida pleaded in his mind. 'You know those mechanical microbes can be reprogrammed to target only humans. If they do that, we're finished. Please, Seline, help me here.'
"You think that Seline will buy you enough time so that you can hide your little potion?" Raze chuckled, gliding slowly towards the hovering gray half-Tekkaman. "She's nothing but a failure, and an idiot like you is putting all of your faith in her lacking abilities."
"You bastard," whispered Seline, blasting towards the Tekkaman. Raze chuckled as he appeared above her and smashed his foot onto her backside. Tyara grunted from the impact, only to notice Raze speedily push her towards the ground. Seline screamed as she hit the dirt, spraying dust around, and she lay unmoving. A stunned Fuchida looked on, not utilizing the time to escape. Raze fired upwards and appeared before the frightened, gray armored being.
"You see what I was saying?" Raze said, extending his hand. "Give it, and I won't hurt you."
"No… no way… you'll never have it," Fuchida protested, starting to charge the cells on his arms.
"A Voltekker?" Raze said bemusedly. "From a discount like you? Don't get me started!"
With a growl, Raze plowed into the gray Tekkaman. The energy the scientist had been gathering quickly faded away. Fuchida yelped as the cylinder containing the deadly microbes plummeted towards the ground, and Raze looked on in satisfaction. Before allowing it to shatter open on the dirt, Raze dove and caught the fluorescent cylinder in his hands.
"NO!" Fuchida yelled, blasting himself towards the Radam. Raze turned to see the approaching insect, and the Tekkaman quickly re-gripped his lance. Fuchida cried out shrilly as Raze drove his weapon through the scientist's leg, unable to have previously imagined the level of pain he was suffering.
"Now, to finally get you off my back," Raze grated, revealing the blaster cells on his body.
A red beam burst out and enveloped its shrieking victim in a vice of fire. Raze chuckled as the smoking body of the half-Tekkaman crashed to the dirt. The scientist cried in pain, unable to bear his burns.
Moments later, Raze ordered his followers to retreat. The buggers circling overhead gently landed on the ground, allowing the remaining Primary Bodies to climb inside. The military soldiers watched helplessly as their comrades' murderers took off for the sky, unscathed and unpunished. The shroud of darkness had once again spread over humanity's eyes – it would take a true savior to restore its sight.
"No… Xyla… is now theirs… Damn you… Seline…" Fuchida whispered before passing out.
His face flushed, Honda leaned forward as he gripped the metal bars of the cell. Peering inside, he saw the defiant, yet frightened look of the young occupant. Neither exchanged a word. Sweat appeared on the man's forehead as the fleeting, fuzzy images of the previous night once again flashed through his mind. Faint moaning sounds of pain and humiliation softly echoed in his ears. The mechanic tightened his jaw.
'No, I couldn't have…' thought Honda, turning away and slowly walking. 'I didn't…'
The guard gave the old man a curious look. Honda pulled several bills out from his pocket and handed them to the guard, who at first hesitated, then accepted them with a nod. He would keep quiet now.
'If I don't control myself, it'll happen again,' Honda shook his head, 'and I'll be caught for sure.'
"Old man… I'll kill you…" were the last rasping words he heard before making his exit.