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 (Second Saga)

Chapter 28 - Intervention

Several days pass…

The young woman gritted her teeth as she extended her legs forward. With sweat rolling down her back, she gripped the handles at the edges of her seat as she struggled with the fifth repetition of her leg-press exercise. Despite her father's pleas for her to rest, it was next to impossible for her to oblige. Yes, her abdominal wound did pain somewhat, but she would have to overcome it and strengthen herself again. Ever since she'd learned of the fate of her friends, she could think about only one thing…

"You've just woken up," said her father, shaking his head. "Your body isn't strong enough to…"

"I'm a grown lady," she returned, her tone sharp. "If I want to train, I will train."

"Buy why now, when it's especially dangerous for you? It's not necessary for you to do this."

"My friends died out there," she argued back. "What do you expect me to do? Sit around?"

"Natasha, I'm horrified by what happened to your friends. I'm so sorry for what they suffered," he whispered. "But you're the only family I have left. If something happens to you while…"

"The Space Knights are my family," she interrupted. "And I slept while they were slaughtered…"

Natasha grunted, her quadriceps aching as she pushed out her eight repetition. Her father had also told her that Blade had disappeared and was nowhere to be found. At first, she didn't believe him and accused him of lying, but she then remembered how Blade had taken off with Yumi for a full month once.

Going for a ninth rep, the young woman thought about what she had told her father…

"The Space Knights are my family…"

Of course she felt that way about them; they had been through so much together. But were they indeed the only people she considered family? After all, her father was still alive and breathing. Natasha shut her eyes, grabbing the handles firmly as she slowly pushed out on the leg-press.

'He still loves me,' she thought, letting out a breath of relief upon completing her final repetition.


"I'm surprised you haven't run away yet," said the youth, keeping a wire-tie between his teeth as he knotted the end of the small balloon. He reached into his mouth and pulled out the tie, wrapping it around the knot before placing the filled balloon into a bag containing other balloons.

"That Tekkaman almost made you piss in your jeans," continued Hayato. "Yet you're still here."

"Yeah, well," Corpse-Robber said. "A pair of wet pants can't keep me away from all this food."

"Food, food, food – can't you think about anything else for once? Man, you're such a bum."

"Maybe, but this bum happened to save your skinny ass," Corpse-Robber shrugged, remembering how Hayato ordered him to distract Curse before dashing off into the Cold Room. He wanted to give the boy a piece of his mind for that, but Hayato probably wouldn't care anyway. Corpse-Robber bit into a stick of beef jerky and watched Hayato finish off another balloon.

"Heh, you're weird," Corpse-Robber muttered. "What the heck are you making?"

"Oh, they're called paint-balls," Hayato shrugged. "I used to play with them as a kid."

"What you're putting in them sure doesn't look like paint to me. What the hell is that stuff?"

Hayato raised his head and smiled innocently.


Surrounded on all sides by cliffs, the medium-sized military base stood in the flat valley. It was one of the few bases that had remained untouched by the enemy, for it rested in a relatively safe location. The ground around it stretched for several thousand feet until it reached the bottom edges of the precipices, whose rocky walls contained many nooks and crannies. In those small openings hid the human forms of Wraith, Beast, Bane, and Plague.

Waiting patiently, the former three carefully reviewed the strategy they planned to use. It was Plague who remained impatient; he paced back and forth, slightly annoying his comrades. They told him to settle himself down, but he was incurably agitated – yet excited.

"Calm the hell down," frowned Noal, shaking his head. "It'll just be a few more minutes."

"When that bastard Tekkaman shows up, I'll tear out its throat," rasped Plague, tightening his fist.

Several minutes later, Plague's eyes lightened up as a swarm of a dozen buggers appeared overhead in the sky. The creatures lowered to the flat valley ground, and out from their special abdominal pockets emerged a small number of Primary Bodies. The buggers then rose into the sky and waited for their combat leader. Plague smirked, his crystal appearing in his hand as he jumped off the ledge.

Noal watched on as Plague rounded up his forces and commenced the attack on the base.


"You again," rasped D-boy, looking down at the foyer from the stairwell above. Minutes ago, he had heard a sound coming from the front door, and he had two guesses as to who it could have been. As he gripped the railing, he saw the boy's form standing below.

"Still here… cooped up in this house, I see," Okita smirked innocently.

D-boy straightened his body, giving the boy an icy look and refusing to answer.

"So, did that picture of my mother jog your memory?" the boy asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Get out," grunted the man, pointing towards the doorway. "You can't barge in here like this."

"You can answer the question, father," the boy shrugged, stepping towards the stairwell.

"You better not call me that again," rasped Takaya, seeing Okita stop at the base of the stairs.

"Then I guess my question is answered," the boy muttered, stopping. "It's pathetic, really…"

D-boy narrowed his eyes.

"Pathetic… that places around the world are up in flames…" sneered Okita, digging his hands in his pockets. The elder man's nostrils flared as he released his grip on the railing and began to walk down the steps. The sound of each step echoed in the silent house as his eyes locked on the youth's.

"… And you're hiding here like a coward," the boy finished.


General Duque was fed up. As the head of the European Region Military, he had failed to defend many of the military bases within his region, allowing them to be overrun and overtaken by Radam and Primary Bodies alike. He was frustrated by the fact the enemy was doing as they pleased, and he was pushed to the limit. In his mind, the aliens had to be stopped at last, and he had a plan to do it.

"Men, as you know," he said, addressing the group of armed soldiers standing at attention before him, "the aliens have captured many of our bases, thereby allowing them access to the artillery, including long-range missiles, in those strongholds. They took full advantage of the situation and fired these missiles at military and non-military targets with no mercy. Now, it is our turn to retaliate without clemency."

At the forefront of the group of soldiers stood one middle-aged, decorated soldier – their leader.

"Sergeant Kroch, you and your special task force will be the key to this retaliation," Duque said to the man, who returned a salute. "Although they have been deactivated for world security, it is high time that we use them – the lethal lasers aligned along the Orbital Ring."


"A coward?" D-boy almost laughed. "You're calling me a coward, after what your mother did?"

"If you weren't a coward, you would have come to rescue Shinya already... Why haven't you?"

"That's none of your business," answered Takaya, now standing just in front of the youth.

"It's very much so my business. You're getting into a bad habit of abandoning your children."

"You think you're funny, don't you?" whispered the man. "I will save my son… my only son."

"Still in denial, aren't we?" Okita sighed non-chalantly. "In any case, you better hurry up or else my mother might begin experimenting on the little guy."

"Experimenting?" blurted Takaya, his forehead furrowing. "What sort of experimenting?"

"Hell if I knew," the boy gave a slight shrug. "I only hope she doesn't screw him up."

Takaya growled, grabbing Okita's collar and pulling him close, face to face.

"You're getting a big kick out of this, aren't you?" grumbled the man. "You rotten bastard."

"Yes…" he gave a soft smile. "… I am a bastard – in every sense of the word. Aren't I, father?"

D-boy frowned, jerking his arms forward and pushing the youth away.


Plague continued to wreak havoc on the military forces that had emerged from the complex. The area surrounding the base had become a battleground in which the opposing forces fired incessantly on one another. The soldiers struggled against the angered Tekkaman, who slashed at artillery, buildings, and breathing bodies that tried to fight back. Blood flew from Plague's scythe as he hacked away.

'When will that imbecile finally come?' wondered Noal, watching the chaos from a distance.


Corpse-Robber looked up as he heard the boy let out a grunt. Hayato turned around, his hand covering the blue glow on his forehead. It could only mean that Tekkamen were somewhere nearby – most likely Radam. Hayato chose not to waste a minute; another chance to deal with the enemy had just presented itself. Corpse-Robber questioningly watched on as the boy scrambled to get his things together.

"You know how to use a gun?" Hayato asked suddenly, startling the constantly eating man.

"Well, I… um," Corpse-Robber stammered, clumsily catching the weapon the boy tossed to him.

"Keep this place protected," the boy gave the order before rushing out of the store.


"Did you hear? Radam is attacking Kuman Base. It doesn't look good," said a soldier, walking down the corridor with his friend. Natasha, walking in the opposite direction, stopped short as she heard them. The girl turned around and caught up with one of the men, asking him to repeat what he had said.

"Some of our units should be heading out there right now," he nodded. "They need help."

"Thank you," nodded Natasha, turning around and quickly making her way down the corridor.


The youth stepped towards the front door, turning around first before making his exit.

"Oh, I almost forgot," said Okita in a softer tone, facing the man standing sternly on the stairwell nearby. "There's another Tekkaman out there… one who is fighting against us."

"Fighting against you?" D-boy straightened his body while taking in a breath. "Who is it?"

"We're about to find that out today," said the youth. "When my friends ambush the rascal."

"What…" whispered Takaya suspiciously. "Why would you tell me about this ambush?"

"Why keep secrets within the family?" Okita replied, a small smile forming. Takaya kept his sight locked on the boy, trying to read through the expression on the youth's face. The boy only widened his smile as he pulled out his yellow-colored crystal. Takaya narrowed his eyes, ready to pull out his own.

"Well, I better get going," said the boy. "If you decide to show up, leave your guilt behind."

With those words, the boy activated his crystal and flew away in a golden trail.


Quietly standing within a breach in the side of the cliff, Hayato looked down at the battle being waged below. True, he had arrived in his Tekkaman form, but he had needed a breather. Besides, blindly rushing into battle didn't seem like a good idea in his opinion. The day Yumi died, he had been used as bait for Blade; there was no way Radam would be any less calculating now. They were up to something.

'They're attacking so close to my hideout,' the boy thought. 'So close to where I killed Curse…'

Hayato kept his guard up as he quickly scanned the cliffs nearby. He couldn't see the forms of any enemy Tekkamen hiding out, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the Tekkaman leading the attack on the base wasn't alone. He then turned his attention back to the stomach-sickening scene taking place before him – military troops, choosing against running away from duty, continued to fight with all their abilities but fell by the dozens. Tekkaman Plague showed no mercy.

'All those men… but I can't just rush in…' he whispered in his mind. 'I need to plan this out.'

The shrill cries of the slaughtered soldiers pierced the air, and the boy gritted his teeth. He kicked himself for waiting around while Earth's soldiers were being slaughtered, but did he have a choice? What good would it do to him and Yumi if he were to be taken captive or killed by a surprise attack? Hayato gritted his teeth, keeping a tight grip on his aqua colored crystal in his palm. He had to think quickly—

At that moment, a pink-red trail in the sky suddenly approached from the distance.

'What!' thought Hayato, his eyes fixated on the object that arrived over the valley and curved downwards sharply. It was like a comet, its head covered by a dark-pink glow as it hurtled towards the battlefield. Wraith, watching from the crevice in one of the other cliffs, watched in surprise as the object headed straight for the figure of Plague. Beast and Bane watched on as dumbfounded as Hayato did.

"WHAT!" Plague boomed, turning around and seeing it hurtle towards him. He raised his scythe in defense, hearing it clang shrilly with the metallic sword revealed by the newcomer. The pink glow soon faded, revealing the angry figure of an armored warrior, one possessing the shape of a well-bodied female.

'Vesna!' whispered Hayato, frozen as he watched the battle begin. 'She's recovered already?!'

Natasha growled as she put more force in her sword; the two weapons screeched as they grated with vicious force. The young woman jumped back, and Plague took the time to regain his bearings.

'What the hell is this?' thought Plague, breathing hard. 'This isn't that aqua Tekkaman at all!'

"My God," Natasha whispered, her heart racing as she looked at the battleground around her. The troops that had sacrificed their existences now lay in pieces on the scarlet-colored dirt as their comrades continued to struggle for survival against the attacking buggers and Primary Bodies. The horror of the situation continued to sink into her mind, her body feeling a mixture of weakness and growing anger.

"You devil…" she whispered, turning her attention back to her enemy. "I won't forgive you…"

Her eyes flaring, Natasha charged the Radam warrior.


The sergeant gave the General a surprised look, but Duque only nodded before looking stern.

"They will be the key to our victory over the enemy," General Duque continued. "Once we obtain control of these lasers, we will be able to combat them much more effectively. Your mission is to enter the control room that houses the central computer. Use this computer to activate the lasers."

Duque paused for a moment, studying the stoic expressions on the soldiers' faces.

"The area is heavily guarded by troops from the last remnants of the old United Government," the General said in a low tone. "Try your best to minimize casualties."


The man and woman, both in their armored forms, growled as they exchanged blows. Natasha let out a soft cry as she was hit with the side of the scythe, and Plague groaned as her sword nicked his shoulder. The two backed away, only to charge each other once again and engage in another round of combat. Vesna lashed out with her weapon, but Plague evaded and returned a strike, which was parried.

"Hold on, Natasha…" whispered Hayato, his body tense as the grip on his crystal tightened.

In another section of the cliffs, three Radam warriors – Beast, Bane, and Wraith, watched on.

"This is rather unexpected," said Noal, eyeing the Tekkaman battling Plague. "We set a trap up for a swordfish, and all we caught was a salmon."

"A salmon? Hardly," chuckled Beast under her breath, earning a curious look from the man.

"What do you mean?" Noal raised an eyebrow, and the female human shrugged.

"Have you forgotten so quickly, Lord Wraith?" smirked Beast. "That Tekkaman fighting down there is none other than Tekkaman Vesna. Or should I say… Natasha… Pavlocheva."

Noal widened his eyes.


'So, if that bugger was right,' he thought, observing his surroundings, 'this should be the place.'

The boy surveyed the debris around him; it was clear that he was standing in the middle of a parking lot. Surrounding the lot were several buildings, obviously damaged, but the structure least damaged was the modestly sized store in front of him. Focusing his eyes on the place, the rag-tag clothed youth slowly stepped towards the supermarket, casually entering through its doors. Inside, he stared at the litter of cans and bottles lying in a mess on the floor, and he stepped further inside.

"Stop!" a gruff voice ordered from his right, and the boy turned to see a man aiming a gun at him. A frightened look on his face, the boy raised his arms up, quickly giving an indication of surrender. He kept his eyes locked on the man, who studied the boy as he continued to point the gun at him.

"What're you doing here, kid?" muttered the middle-aged man, narrowing his eyes.

"I've run out of food," stammered the youth, his arms raised. "Please, don't shoot me! Please!"

Staring for a few seconds at the boy's tattered clothes, the man sighed before lowering his gun.

"Heh, you're hungry, just like I was," Corpse-Robber mumbled. "Alright, take what you need."

"Th… thank you, sir!" the boy let out a breath of relief, lowering his arms. "Are you the owner?"

"No, no," chuckled the man. "A young man was here first. He's the one who brought me here."

'A 'young man?'' Okita raised his eyebrows.


Plague jumped upward, coming out of a cloud of dust as he saw his opponent pursue him. Vesna pulled her arm back and swung out forward, scratching her enemy's chest. The Radam growled, retracting before charging forward and smashing his shoulder into her chest. Natasha was knocked backwards, only to see Plague appear above her and smash his foot into her face. The girl cried out in pain as she crashed to the ground. Her sword lay several dozen meters away, and Plague appeared before her. Hayato watched in frozen silence as the Radam warrior pointed the tip of his deadly scythe just above her neck.

"So you're up and about so soon, Tekkaman Vesna?" asked Plague, keeping his weapon steady.

"How… how did you know my name?" demanded Natasha, only to hear her opponent chuckle.

"For somebody who was out of it for weeks, you sure are a rowdy bitch."

"It's one of my better qualities," she retorted, her eyes locking on the deadly scythe. "And you…"

"What about me?" Plague frowned as he saw the steadfastness in her eyes beneath her visor.

"You can speak our language; you're from Earth… Why are you doing this? For what purpose?"

"In your final moments, you would like to know, wouldn't you?" purred her enemy, raising his eyes and scanning the cliffs for any signs of his intended target. "We only have one purpose – hers."

Hayato strained his ears to hear what Plague and Natasha were talking about; the sounds of the battle still taking place nearby muffled their words. All he saw was Natasha on her back and Plague holding his weapon above her throat. If anything, Plague was keeping her alive in order to lure him out.

"Hers?" whispered Natasha, taking the time to gather her strength. She needed to act quickly.

"Our master," he raised his scythe for the final blow. "And her purpose… is your eradication…"

With a roar, Plague pulled his scythe back, ready to swing it downwards and take off her head…


The beads of sweat gathering on his forehead, the man stared at the emerald crystal being tightly held in the palm of his right hand. It flickered for a moment, its light only to fade away as its owner wavered in his thoughts. Had the time arrived to accept a murderer's words and rush off into battle? Even if that murderer was less than half his age and claimed to be his elder child?

"It… it could be another trick," said D-boy, continuing to look at his crystal. He had already been deceived twice; could this be a potential third? Even if it wasn't, did he have the strength to face his enemies, especially after the crushing blow received over a week prior? The man closed his eyes, the lack of confidence swiftly taking over the waning amount of fortitude his psyche possessed.

"What if I can't do it?" whispered the man, his hand trembling. "What if… I fail again?"


With a roar, Plague pulled his scythe back, ready to swing it downwards and take off her head…

"Plague!" Beast's voice echoed in his head, causing him to freeze. "She is not to be harmed!"

"Now," smirked Natasha, knowing she had waited for the right moment. "Vol-Tekka!"

Plague roared as a blast of green, crystalline energy burst forth from Vesna's Voltekker cells and smashed into his body. His scythe dropped to the dirt as he was sent dozens of meters into the air, his skin feeling the burns of the potent energy. Hayato let out a cry of victory, only to suppress his voice a second later. Plague crashed into the ground, his body in severe pain and his armor heavily charred.

"If your comrades are as careless as you were against me," sneered Natasha, breathing hard as she rose to her feet, "there soon won't be any of them left to carry out your master's divine purpose."

"You… lousy…" rasped Plague as he struggled to get up, only to collapse once again on the dirt.

"… Bitch?" Natasha purred, retrieving her weapon. "Sad, isn't it? Moments ago, you had no trouble completing the lives of these men. Now, you can't even manage to complete your own last words."

Hayato watched on, his mouth open as he saw the angry Vesna step towards the fallen Radam.

Raising her sword, the young woman paused as she glared at the injured, struggling warrior lying helplessly. Yes, he had a human body, but was he human inside? He was one of them – he had taken part in destroying her friends, her newfound family. He was a beastly murderer. Why should she show any mercy? Long ago, Aki had instructed them to slay the enemy without hesitation – that it was hesitation that would get them killed.

'Then why am I hesitating?' she wavered. 'He's a monster… killing him is justice, isn't it?'

The young lady tightened her grip on the sword, only to freeze upon feeling the sting in her back.

"I'd advise against it, Tekkaman Vesna," warned Wraith, standing behind her and piercing her armor with the tip of his lance. "Or should I say, Natasha Pavlocheva… the daughter… of my jailer…"