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 38 - War
The next mid-morning (Day Six)…
Milly felt crushed. D-boy held her gently in his arms as she wept on his shoulder, tears of shock and anger spilling from her eyes. He didn't know how to comfort her as she trembled, and all he could do was pat her awkwardly on her back. Just an hour ago, Milly had learned about her fiancé from doctors.
"Last night… he didn't come back… to the room," she choked. "I… I didn't think much of it because… for the past few weeks, he'd been keeping late hours, and… he often fell asleep at his desk in his office… I never thought he… was sleeping… with another woman all this time instead… He lied to me…"
When Milly had awoken that morning, she saw a doctor's message requesting her to come right away to the medical wing. There she found her fiancé, asleep in bed with the nurse next to a bottle of pills. The doctors suggested that they had overdosed on the painkillers, and although their lives didn't seem to be in jeopardy, they would not wake up for a few days. The other nurse who had been napping that night confessed her habit and said she would not be surprised if the new nurse behaved lewdly while she slept.
Milly had then run back to his office, fighting tears as she read his event log on the computer. She even consulted the guard who manned the security cameras – he confirmed that although the picture was fuzzy, he remembered seeing Neilus walking around sluggishly and drunk-like with an equally tipsy nurse.
It seemed as if the scenario worked out well for Seline. By making Neilus appear adulterous and suicidal via drugs with the new nurse, she covered her tracks. Nobody suspected her of any involvement.
"He couldn't do this to me, D-boy… how could he… how could he…" Milly cried. D-boy tried to comfort her as best he could, and he couldn't help feel that there was something else fishy about this story.
"Milly, I want you to take the day off, or even more time if you need it," he said. "Get some rest."
The young lady pulled her head back, nodding slowly as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.
Corpse-Robber milled through the remote corridors, bored out of his mind. Hayato was undergoing some strange treatment he couldn't understand, and Dead End was off limits. He had spent some time hanging around outside the base, but there was nobody he could really talk to. The only thing that kept him company now was his right hand, used for pilfering random items he found lying around.
"Hm, what's this?" he muttered, picking up a peculiar pill resting in the middle of the floor.
Shrugging, he dropped it in the pocket of his trench coat and resumed his wandering.
That night…
They were all assembled before her. Aboard her flagship, Delta towered on the raised central platform in the throne room, looking down at her subjects. To her right knelt Bane and Beast; on her left were Plague and Wraith. And finally, in the very center, stood the armored form of Tekkaman Knives.
"Tomorrow's deeds will commence the days of bloodshed…" Delta's voice echoed. "… Upon your demolishing the Headquarters of the first four Region Militaries. Beast, let Africa be yours. Plague, Australia will fall at your feet. Bane, take out North America, and Wraith… completely destroy Europe."
"We will not fail!" said Wraith, joined by Plague and Bane. "The military bastards will crumble!"
"And I have a special assignment for you, Knives," she bore into her son's eyes. "Just for you."
The Radam Tekkamen grew in their excitement, waiting to begin the siege the next day…
D-boy stood patiently in the Command Room, hitting the keys on the console and watching the images on the large view screen. At present, the scanners weren't detecting Primary Bodies near any of the military headquarters. If they weren't close by now, how would they get there quickly tomorrow? And if he couldn't detect them, how could he prevent them from attacking and starting another war? His train of thought was paused as the doors slid open, allowing Natasha to enter in time for the meeting. In the corner of her eye, she noticed another person sitting near the back of the room – the jacketed figure of Hayato.
"I called you two here tonight to discuss tomorrow's plan," said D-boy. "At noon, we will take the Blue Earth fighter craft to the Europe Military Headquarters, where we will face Tekkaman Wraith."
This took Natasha by surprise, for she thought an assault on Delta's flagship was what he originally had in mind. However, that was not supposed to take place for yet another few days. D-boy described the tip-off they received from Lela, and he said that he altered his plan for two reasons. First, they were Space Knights, and it was their duty to protect soldiers, civilians, and Primary Bodies. Second, he would need to capture a Tekkaman who could reveal the way to Delta's ship. Hayato cleared his throat.
"I had another destination in mind for myself," said the boy. "The Headquarters in Africa."
"It won't be good to spread our power. We need to ensure Wraith is captured," said D-boy.
"You and Natasha should be enough to cover him. My purpose lies with Tekkaman Beast."
D-boy studied the young man's expression, noticing the excitement building up behind his eyes.
"No, you can't do that," suddenly protested Natasha. "Your body still needs time to rest."
"Let me do this, D-boy," urged Hayato. "It's the path I've chosen and the reason for my choice."
D-boy gave a soft nod of approval, remembering the boy's kind of attitude seemed all too familiar.
'I can hardly wait, Beast…' thought Hayato. '…To make you regret ever laying hands on Yumi.'
The Day of Blood (Day Seven)…
The Space Knight Command Center buzzed furiously in action. Personnel hurried through the corridors, making preparations for the counter-assault. Goliate had returned, and the Blue Earth, equipped with more potent laser cannons, was being prepared and fueled for the mission. In the hanger bay waited Natasha, standing tensely but alert. Today was the day the Space Knights would finally make their move.
Within minutes, D-boy entered the hangar area with Milly and a surprised Seline. He had avoided telling Seline about their mission last night, and he told her this morning that he intended to attack Wraith in Europe. Seline stammered in response, saying she would take on Plague in Australia in parallel. She didn't mention Beast, for she didn't want to raise any suspicion. Besides, she still had to carry out her plan.
After being wished luck, Seline departed from the base as Tyara, heading south towards Australia.
Milly was still deeply disturbed from the previous day, but she had regained her composure after some rest. Now, she again watched nervously as D-boy and Natasha boarded the Blue Earth. Goliate fired up the engines and performed the final maintenance checks. At the same time, another smaller plane was warming up – the personal fighter jet Windbird. In its pilot seat rested the enthused person of Hayato.
Milly watched on, praying that all of them would stay safe. Within minutes, the jets set off.
As they raced through the sky, D-boy reiterated his strategy in his mind. He too was anxious, but he was confident about his preparation and the state of his body. He had spent time strengthening and training with Natasha as well as on his own, thus overcoming the destabilization his body experienced following his Blastor transformation. He prayed that he wouldn't need to use its power again.
It had been a while since he laid hands on these controls. Windbird was one of the first jets Hayato had used, well before he started using Gamma craft. It was his personal favorite, and it made him feel comfortable. Now, he decided to take it with him on the mission that could very well be his end.
The human form of Okita waited patiently in the forest on the green hillside, watching in awe at the assembly gathering around the south end of the European Headquarters. The Headquarters itself was in the form of a large castle of the Middle Ages, but its walls were made of solid rock reinforced with steel. At each of its four corners rose a thick tower, mounted with all sorts of laser cannons and other arms.
At the front of the fortress amassed an entire assortment of troops, tanks, and other weaponry. The heavy artillery was being placed in strategic locations, as were the soldiers and any snipers being used.
'How could they be preparing so diligently, if our attack is…' thought Okita. '… A surprise…?'
Within minutes, a new noise sounded, and the military soldiers turned towards the source. Shrill cries from the buggers sounded in the air before landing on the vast ground before the castle. The soldiers gasped – there were one hundred buggers at minimum, and at least a dozen Primary Bodies emerged from each of the bugger's bellies. The soldiers murmured nervously, only to see even more buggers arrive – when would they stop coming? Yet, Okita wasn't surprised, for most of the Primary Bodies in Europe were to gather and attack here. Before long, six thousand Primary Bodies lined up in formation.
Minutes passed as the two sides glared at each other with silent tension. The Primary Bodies held their assortment of laser rifles and stabbing weapons, and the military soldiers did the same. The air was still, and not one side made a move. Suddenly, a spark appeared in the distance, and a bolt approached.
It was the figure of Tekkaman Wraith, swooping in and ordering his forces to attack. A roar of excitement spread across the Primary Bodies as they raised their weapons and cursed their enemies. Wraith let out a battle cry as he blazed forward, and his troops did the same as they viciously charged the soldiers.
The ground rumbled, and the grass was crushed as the Primary Bodies charged forward with fury, intending to make their oppressors pay once and for all. The men of the military dripped with sweat, for many of them knew this day would be their last. They charged their weapons, ready to defend their base.
The first laser cannon was shot, and the battle had begun. The buggers sailed over the running Primary Bodies, swooping down in front of them and charging the tanks shooting laser fire. They released their acidic saliva, destroying the artillery and disintegrating any soldiers that stood in the way. The front line of both sides readied their weapons and exchanged laser blasts, and dozens fell within both parties.
From behind the buggers appeared Wraith, landing on top of a large laser cannon and slicing it in half. The weapon exploded, taking out any troops that were near by. He felt his energy pulse in his veins, and he could feel his excitement swell. Wraith turned and ripped through a line of tanks and laser cannons.
A group of snipers in the tower fired their best weapons at Wraith, yet that was their largest and last mistake. Wraith angrily charged and slammed into them, reducing them into nothing more than smoldering bodies. Unsatisfied, he attacked the surrounding men, maiming and mutilating them at whim.
The Primary Bodies did not possess any more mercy. The gap between them and the soldiers vanished, and the two sides clashed with the most brutal intentions. Blood sprayed into the air as troops from both sides were disfigured, sliced, gutted, and dismembered to horrid death. Laser blasts burned holes through Primary Bodies while it blew off the heads of their human opponents. The cry of battle roared even louder from both sides, and the once green earth began to know again the tarnish of crimson red.
Okita clearly saw that this battle was more vicious than ever before. Both sides possessed massive amounts of anger for the bitter losses each endured during the past two months, and they held nothing back as they punished the other side to the fullest extent. It was too violent, and his stomach began to feel sick.
The scenario in Africa was no less intense. Knowing that he arrived too late, Hayato slowed down Windbird and peered out the cockpit. The first thing that caught his eye was the splendor of the African Headquarters – it was shaped like a giant pyramid with a tall obelisk at each of its four corners. The building itself was largely made of thickened glass and possessed a golden-brown color, as did the stretch of dried desert surrounding it. Yet, the battle was raging on that very desert, and blood was flying.
'The Primary Bodies… the soldiers…' lamented Hayato, only to notice in the corner of his eye another object flying around above the troops below; he could clearly make out its form. 'Beast…'
The rage began to fill in his mind – images of Yumi being killed… and him being forced to dig her grave. The world turned silent for him; all he could hear was the beat of his heart and the flashes of anger buzzing in his mind. He was going to make her pay for what she did to him. Pulling out his crystal, he opened the cockpit and shot outwards as a bluish bolt. Windbird landed gently on the dirt via autopilot.
The battle at Europe was underway, and it was his turn to act. Holding his yellow crystal, the boy quickly transformed into the shape of Tekkaman Knives and bolted over the heads of the attacking Primary Bodies. Soldiers that saw him coming returned fire, but he was too quick for them. Snapping to the right, he evaded all attacks and landed next to a fortified door. Several guards aimed their laser rifles at him, but he grabbed the men and threw them aside. Firing his thrusters, he smashed his way through the entrance.
"There's an intruder!" the men inside yelled, firing away, but the shots had no effect on his armor.
Okita turned and moved down the corridor, not noticing the strange sensation growing in his head.
'We should have come earlier,' wished D-boy, tightening his fist. As the Blue Earth approached, they could see thick trails of dark smoke rising from below. More fireballs exploded on the ground, and the sea of cries could be heard from above. They didn't even have time to marvel the beauty of the European castle, for its walls were already being charred by the flames of battle and reddened by the thick of blood.
On the small view-screen on the control console, they saw the figure of Wraith wreaking havoc.
"That's… that's the one!" gasped Goliate, his teeth clenched. "That bastard… killed Anita."
Natasha gasped in shock and covered her mouth with her hand. She felt a stream of anger pass through her – she didn't know he had taken one of her comrades, one of her friends. It tore her up even more, for she had become sympathetic towards him. Now, it had become a notch more personal.
"Keep your focus," reminded D-boy. "Emotions can help, but they can distract you too."
Inside, D-boy too felt torn, but he couldn't show it. He needed to keep a steady and balanced mind because he was the one in command. However, Natasha couldn't control her emotion – she could think of nothing but facing Wraith at that very moment, and she quickly unstrapped herself from the seat.
"Natasha, wait!" D-boy yelled, but she had already disappeared into the airlock. Within seconds, a pink bolt shot out from the Blue Earth and raced towards the unsuspecting form of the Radam Tekkaman.
Beast swiped her sword, deflecting a laser blast that would have otherwise blown a Primary Body away. Although she was reluctant to lead them to battle, she had to. None of the bloodshed appealed to her. Yet, there was no turning back at this point, and she did what she could to protect the Primary Bodies from being killed in battle. She headed for the next laser turret, intending to injure the men operating it…
… Only to hear a furious battle cry and see a fiery blue comet smash right into her.
Beast screamed as she was knocked hard in the air, chips of her armor breaking away due to the force. As she spun around, a fist plowed into her belly, and her jaw dropped in pain. The snarling form of Nibal appeared before her, reaching out and grabbing her throat with his gnarled fingers in a pincer grip.
"You dismantled my life, Beast," he rasped. "So as a courtesy, I'll return the favor with interest."
Lisa gasped for air underneath her facemask, unable to believe it – how could he possibly be back?
"First, I'll cut off your hands…" his voice full of spite. "… Those hands that pinned her down…"
Hayato pulled his free arm back, only to send a hard punch into her paining abdomen.
"Next, I'll tear off your ears…" he grew more excited. "… Those ears that heard her scream…"
"N…" Beast choked, reaching up to his fist and struggling to free herself. "No…"
"And finally, I'll rip out your breasts…" he said crazily. "…Just to make you a complete mess…"
Flashing his eyes and firing the thrusters on his back, he blasted downwards and drilled her head first into the ground. Snarling, he dragged her a hundred meters through the stone laden dirt before pulling her up and slugging her in the face, sending her flying ten meters away and crashing her hard into the soil.
Lisa lay unmoving, her mind stunned and her body shaking from the pain.
Another machine gun turret exploded as his lance cut straight through it and jerked upwards. The lieutenants manning it began to flee, but he buried his weapon in their persons so deep that he caught both at once. Retracting his lance, he whipped off the blood and turned to his right, seeing a large armored tank rolling out towards the fighting-front. Firing his thrusters, Wraith growled as he raced towards his target…
… And saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned to his left, only to gasp as a reddish-pink comet bulleted towards him. Natasha let out a shrill cry as she slammed her sword into his lance, and the two Tekkaman blasted downwards as their weapons interlocked with shaking intensity. The woman growled, harshly scraping her sword against his lance, and Noal grunted before pushing her away.
The two headed for each other again, their weapons meeting with a sharp clang as they glared.
"I can't believe you, especially after what you told me last time," she said caustically. "I even felt sympathy for you, but you didn't change. You still have nerve to use Primary Bodies for your purpose!"
"You know nothing," he returned. "They want to fight! They want to carry out their revolution!"
"Liar!" she spat. "You've manipulated them so much they think you're leading this war for them!"
Wraith flashed his eye in anger, knocking her backwards and circling back around for another attack. Vesna turned her body sideways, steadying her sword and preparing herself. Wraith headed straight for her, holding his lance out like a stinger from a swordfish, and Natasha clenched her jaw.
Noal roared as he flew in. The girl quickly dropped downward and spun around, slicing her blade in an upward arc and catching his lance right in its side. Noal grumbled as his weapon cleaved in two.
"You remember what else got cut in half?" she seethed. "My comrade Anita – you killed her."
A fierce Vesna stood before a boiling Wraith, ready to punish him for his extensive list of sins.