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 29 - Purpose

Kneeling down and keeping his right hand on a protruding section from the rocky wall, Hayato continued to silently watch the scene before him. In the background, the battle continued but had begun to slow down; both military and Primary Body forces were thinning as members from both sides fell. The body of annihilated bugger carcasses had crashed to the ground, but scores of soldiers also lay lifeless.

Yet, that did not distract Hayato from the events taking place closer to him. On the ground lay the injured body of Plague, and next to him stood the frozen figure of Tekkaman Vesna. Just behind her stood Wraith, the tip of his lance embedded into the backside of Natasha's armor. It was a superficial cut, but it put the young woman in a precarious situation nonetheless.

Wraith's sudden appearance made the situation very clear in Hayato's mind – Wraith had originally intended to ambush him but was forced to reveal himself upon witnessing Plague's defeat. The boy kept his crystal in a tight grip, knowing that if he impulsively rushed in, there was a good chance that Wraith would further pierce her. Natasha stood perfectly still, keeping her head forward and seeing Wraith's reflection on the flat end of her sword.

"Our man has fallen, and you would murder him in cold blood?" grimly said Noal, nudging his lance a slight amount and causing her to wince. "That's not something characteristic of a Space Knight."

"Who the hell are you?" softly demanded the young woman, feeling herself bleed slightly.

"I am the man whose life was ruined by the one you call your father," he chillingly responded.

"My father ruined the lives of many people," she muttered. "What's so special about yours?"

Wraith grit his teeth, raising his foot and kicking her sharply in the back. Natasha let out a cry as she toppled over Plague's form and landed in the dirt. Catching her breath while trying to ignore the wound in her back, she slowly rose to her feet. She looked straight at Wraith; the only thing separating the two was Plague, still lying on the ground and on the verge of unconsciousness.

"For a female, you've got quite a sharp tongue," smirked Wraith. "Perhaps one I'll have to sever."

Natasha narrowed her eyes, looking down at Wraith's feet and seeing her sword that she dropped.

"Females know what to do with their tongues," she hoped to distract him. "Unlike most men."

"I like that," he nodded. "Maybe one night when we're alone, you can show me how to use it."

Wraith chuckled, studying her and tracing her line of sight. He looked down, seeing her weapon.

"You can choose your words so carefully, yet you leave this lying here so carelessly?" he asked, picking it up. "Did you think that the sharpness of your tongue would overpower the edge of this sword?"

Wraith gripped her weapon firmly in his left hand while holding his lance in his right. Natasha took a step back, cursing to herself for losing her means of defense. She was still recovering from the energy expended in the Voltekker, and generating another sword would cost even more.

"Oh, Natasha…" smiled Noal, stepping over Plague's body. "… The things I can do with you."

"You sick bastard," she muttered, taking a few short steps back while watching him approach.

"People become that when they languish in prison for weeks… months…" he said. "… Years…"

Holding her ground, Vesna crouched in a defensive stance as Wraith loomed in front of her…


Nibbling on some bread, the boy carefully stepped over the bottles on the floor as he inspected the shelves of food. Okita turned his head, noticing that Corpse-Robber was still following him. The boy returned an innocent look before jamming the rest of the bread in his mouth.

"When will this 'young man' come back?" asked the youth, chewing with his mouth open.

"What difference does it make?" Corpse-Robber shrugged, digging his hands in his pockets.
"He might not like me taking his food from him," came the boy's answer. The suspicion on Corpse-Robber's face faded away, and he told the youth not to worry. The boy kept walking down the aisle, and the elder man soon realized where the end of the aisle led. Okita stopped upon seeing the doors of the Cold-Room in front of him; he extended his arm, ready to make his way inside.

"Don't go in there!" Corpse-Robber warned, trying to display firmness in his voice.

"Why not?" Okita turned, giving a questioning look. "The frozen meats should be in there."

"He told me that if he caught anyone in there, he would kill them on the spot," the man warned.

"He probably wants all the meat to himself," the boy laughed, rubbing the back of his head and seeing the other man grimly shake his head. "I guess it means that he's got something in there he doesn't want anyone else to see."


Holding her ground, Vesna crouched in a defensive stance as Wraith loomed in front of her…

"Wraith!" Beast's voice echoed in Noal's mind. "Remember, she is not to be harmed!"

"Delta's orders can go to hell," he spat. "Plague followed them and got fried as a result."

"Suit yourself, then," came Beast's response. "But please try not to make too much of a mess…."

Wraith chuckled underneath his mask as he returned his attention to a wary Vesna.

"I'll make you look like a joke," he gloated. "Just as I once did to that elf … Tekkaman Hiver."

Hayato grit his teeth, telling himself to keep control and not act out of impulse.

Firing the thrusters on his back, Wraith charged forward. Natasha prepared for the worst as her enemy flew straight at her, but he suddenly disappeared from her sight as he breezed right by. Startled, Natasha turned around and saw the Radam fly directly into the waning battle that was taking place in the background. Noal growled as he brandished the lance and sword in his hands, raising them for the kill.

"NO!" Natasha screamed, covering her mouth as the bodies of soldiers fell at the hands of Wraith. The Radam growled, turning towards a row of tanks and digging his weapons into them. Natasha stood frozen, watching the enemy leave the exploding contraptions and approach another set of soldiers.

"And to think you'd come here to protect these soldiers… to save their lives!" laughed Wraith.

"You monster!" cried Natasha, firing her own thrusters and shooting herself towards Noal. As she approached more closely, what she had thought she'd seen from a distance was not the case. Most of the soldiers that Wraith had attacked lay on the ground unconscious and bleeding, but none had been killed.

Seeing her approach, Noal hit some soldiers hard with the side of his lance, knocking them out.

"Did you think I was so merciless that I would skewer them or hack them to pieces?"

"You…" whispered Natasha, realizing how hard her heart was pounding. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to make you look like a joke," he smiled thinly beneath his mask. "And I did just that."

Natasha lowered her eyes in humiliation – she couldn't guard those men from Wraith even though she came with the intention of protecting their lives. If Wraith had chosen to kill them, he could have done so, and she wouldn't have been able to stop him. The young woman cursed to herself, tightening her fist.

"You couldn't even protect a single one of them!" chuckled Wraith, bending down and picking up a limp body, bleeding and half-dazed. The look in the soldier's eyes showed his crushed spirit, his failure.

"Now you're going to take this man as your hostage?" whispered Natasha, disgust in her voice.

"A hostage?" repeated Noal, chuckling. "Against you? No… But he will serve as an example."

The enervated soldier slowly raised his half-shut eyes, peering into the visor of his captor.

"You asked Plague about our purpose," said Wraith in a low tone. "Today, I will tell you mine."


"Why would a kid like you think that he's hiding something in there?" Corpse-Robber frowned.

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" came the response. "Otherwise, what's the big deal?"

"Well, you do have a point," the elder man nodded, chuckling. "I've also thought that too."

"Then, I bet you're dying to know what's in there," smiled the enthused boy. "I certainly am."

The taller man smiled, letting his curiosity about the Cold-Room get in the way of his judgment.

"Alright," nodded Corpse-Robber, trying to contain his excitement. "You go in, and I'll keep a look-out. When you find anything, come out and tell me. Do we have a deal?"

The boy answered with a smirk.


"You asked Plague about our purpose. Today, I will tell you mine," said Wraith, turning his head to face the soldier. "Look at this poor man. How sad an end he'll have after having served so valiantly."

"He risked his life, fighting for a planet he wants to protect and people he wants to save," continued Noal, slowly shaking his head. "But ultimately, look at the result – he's nothing more than a half-dead soldier who will soon be forgotten by the very individuals who've employed his services."

"Every soldier is remembered," Natasha asserted, narrowing her eyes as she straightened her body.

"Don't make me laugh!" Noal chuckled, slightly shaking the man. "He is part of an organization that only cares about his abilities, not his character or person. To them, he's an expendable servant."

"Don't generalize like that," whispered Vesna. "Many in the military do care about their troops."

"Only if they obey and follow orders, regardless of the consequences of those orders," Noal's voice became serious. "And if they happen to disobey those orders with the intention of a greater good, they would be cast aside… labeled as traitors… tortured… imprisoned… and lastly, forgotten…"

Natasha straightened her shoulders, able to hear her breathing as her enemy looked at his captive.

"You are still young, Natasha. You don't know how the military truly works," said Wraith in a low tone. "If you defy orders, you are jailed… If you follow orders, like this man, you end up dead."

Noal pulled his arm back and lashed forward, punching the moaning soldier hard in the back.

"Either fate is the military's way of rewarding you for your services. I view it as utter betrayal."

"Stop it…"

"Every one of these troops will ultimately be betrayed as payment for their courageous duty."

"Stop it…" whispered Natasha, horrified as Wraith struck the soldier. The man coughed blood.

"It's injustice… it's injustice that they suffer!" Noal roared, raising his arm high for a final strike.

"Stop it!" screamed Natasha, and Wraith froze in position. "If you have so much sympathy for these men, why are you hurting them? You should just be going after the higher-ups and…"

Natasha stopped herself, gasping upon realizing what she had just said. Noal began to chuckle.

"Excellent," he said, throwing the injured soldier aside. "What you said was most excellent."

Wraith took a step towards her, causing her to retract. Natasha looked into his excited eyes.

"Even you too agree that these problems begin in the minds of men like your father," he nodded, smiling. "Rest assured – I will go after him… but eventually. Doing so now would defeat my purpose."

"You see, these soldiers don't realize that they are already being betrayed as we speak," Noal softly shook his head. "They don't realize that the military brass views them as nothing more than human shields. As a result, I plan to open their eyes and stop this betrayal – and I do that by taking their lives."

"As more and more soldiers fall to the edge of my lance, the more their surviving comrades will turn to their superiors for aid and direction," the man continued. "But they will soon realize how little the brass can really help them. They will soon realize how much the brass has used them. They will lose faith in their superiors; they will lose faith in the institution. They will be demoralized; they will become weak."

Natasha took another step back upon seeing her adversary come closer. Her skin felt cold.

"As I scrape away at the military from the exterior," he said, "it will deteriorate from its interior."

"And sooner or later, it won't have any choice but to crumble," Noal gloated. "The soldiers will break off into their own groups, where they know they cannot be used or betrayed by the brass any longer. And when they abandon the brass, leaders like your father will realize what it's like to be betrayed – what it's like to be abandoned. Then… only then… will your father feel the betrayal I suffered because of him."

"That is my purpose," declared Wraith. "For him to suffer betrayal at the hands of his own men."


Okita shivered as he made his way around the interior of the chilly room. He could easily see his cloudy breath as he brought his arms in close to his chest. Yet, he had to find out what the 'young man' was hiding in this room, for it could provide some evidence as to the man's identity and, in turn, the identity of the aqua Tekkaman the bugger had reported. The boy turned a corner, stopping as he faced the door to an inner sub-chamber of the Cold-Room. He reached forward and turned the knob.

Okita swung the door open, only to jump back – the human form of Tekkaman Curse hung upside down, its feet bound by a rope that attached to the ceiling and its head stitched crudely back onto its neck.


Although the ruckus of an almost finished battle consumed the area nearby, the air stood still between the glaring eyes of Tekkaman Vesna and the condescending look from Tekkaman Wraith. The young woman still hadn't gotten herself out of her situation; she was weaponless while her opponent held two items of war. She looked hard at her enemy, only to see him chuckle as he tossed her the sword. The weapon clattered at her feet, but she refused to move as she kept her eyes locked on him.

"Go on, pick it up," Noal urged. "I wouldn't like others saying that I had to cheat against you."

Natasha felt a thin smile come to her lips as she narrowed her eyes and kicked the sword away.

"I wouldn't like others saying that I had to receive your pity," she smirked, crouching in a stance.

"You would throw your life away just for your measly pride?" Noal pressed. "Then, so be it."

Wraith lunged for her as he lashed out horizontally with his lance; Vesna ducked underneath the swiping weapon and jumped for his legs. She smashed her shoulder into his kneecaps and used her hand to deliver a strike to the back of his knee-joint. Wraith grunted as he toppled backwards, only to fire his backside thrusters and stabilize himself vertically. Vesna didn't waste time – seeing him in his vulnerable state, she dug the sharp edges of her fingers right through his visor in an attempt to rip open his face.

Noal roared, lashing out with a fist and connecting just underneath her armpit. Natasha cried out as she was knocked away; she took a few moments to catch her breath as Wraith covered his visor with his hand, assessing the damage. He had taken her too lightly, and Natasha had caught him off-guard.

"I'll always have my pride," she spat. "But rotting in jail made you lose every shred of yours."

"Why, you…" rasped Wraith, feeling the blood trickle from the cuts lashed around his eyes.

"You speak about my father with such spite… But you're not so much different from him at all."

"Don't you dare compare us…" Noal grit his teeth, sparks flaring in his eyes.

"You talk about betrayal as if you aren't guilty of it," she accused, steel in her voice. "These forces of Primary Bodies… aren't they being used by you? Aren't they being betrayed by you?"

"Wrong!" Wraith jumped her, bringing his weapon down. Natasha blocked the lance on its side.

"You think your purpose is so great, but your actions make you nothing but a hypocrite!"

"SHUT UP!" he boomed, furiously smashing into her and sending her flying. Natasha spun around, unable to regain control, and Wraith flared his eyes upon seeing the opportunity. With a roar, he pulled back his lance and lashed out, slashing the young woman diagonally across the back.

Vesna let out a sharp cry as she crashed to the dirt and reached for the deep, bleeding cut. Wraith roared, racing down towards her for the fatal strike. He would shut her up for good, regardless of what had been told to him. Natasha painfully looked up, staring at the approaching deadly tip of Wraith's lance…

A bluish comet suddenly raced in from the side, plowing right into Vesna and taking her right along with it. Natasha stared at the aqua-colored Tekkaman that had just scooped her in its arms and was now carrying her away from danger. Wraith immediately made out the shape of the figure at the head of the cyan trail and began his pursuit.

"Don't think you can escape, you red-haired bitch!" hollered Noal, spite in his voice. Tekkaman Nibal turned his head, seeing the Radam warrior hot on his trail. He suddenly felt Natasha's body spasm in his arms, and looked down to see the pain in her eyes.

"Just hang on, Natasha," he whispered, her eyes softly closing as he said her name. Nibal raised his eyes and looked forward, only to see two other trails approach him – one from his right, one from his left. He quickly realized the full extent of this ambush – fighting was out of the question; escape was the only option. As he veered to his left side, the forms of one of the approaching Tekkamen became clear.

"Tekkaman Beast…" he whispered, remembering how she and Curse had helped Raze crucify his beloved. The anger sparked in his mind, but he contained his anger, knowing that he would jeopardize Vesna's life if he decided to do something as foolish as attacking against such odds.

'I only have so much stamina in this form,' he thought desperately. 'I have to get her out of here.'

With three Radam Tekkamen heading straight for him, Hayato had no choice but to shoot upwards. However, Wraith had predicted the move and elevated himself, thus blocking Nibal's route of escape. The boy cursed, only to hear Natasha wince in pain as he jerked downwards. He turned his head, seeing Wraith, Beast, and Bane speeding towards him.

'A distraction… I need to find one,' the desperate boy thought, looking to his left and seeing the unconscious form of Tekkaman Plague lying on the ground. Cutting to his right, he dove downwards, keeping his left arm wrapped around Vesna's body. He stretched his right hand, grabbing Plague's leg and lifting him up with him. The three Radam warriors growled upon seeing the newcomer grab their comrade.

Putting more juice in his thrusters, Hayato fired diagonally upwards and leveled out. He turned his head, seeing the pursuing trio flying in a close formation. Smiling, he allowed himself to slow down a tiny bit, and the three began to catch up. They approached closer… and closer…

"Now!" blurted Nibal, quickly turning his body and hurling Plague hard at the three. Beast and Bane cried out as the heavy, armored body smashed into them, causing them to crash to the ground. An irate Wraith continued to pursue, and Hayato was relieved that he had leveled the odds. Yet, the strongest of the trio was still on his tail, and he kept getting closer. Nibal cursed to himself, wondering how to—

'Oh! I'd almost forgotten about those,' he whispered to himself. His free hand reached towards his waist and grabbed the pouch he had attached to his armor. Turning his head forward, he saw a very small, hole-like opening between adjacent cliffs. In other words, he saw his chance of escape.

Just as he passed through the opening, he turned around again and witnessed Wraith about to come through. He swung the pouch, hurling its contents straight at the Radam. With no chance to evade the oncoming objects due to the size of the opening, Wraith cried out in surprise as the paint-filled balloons smacked into his broken visor. The acidic combination of bugger plasma and rubbing-alcohol penetrated his breached mask, and Noal screamed as the mixture burned his facial skin and aggravated his wounds.

Observing the shrieking Wraith halt in mid-air, Nibal took to the sky and completed his escape.