Chapter 9

The Moment Of Truth

The only few minutes of silence in the hallways following Bit, Brad, Kiano and Jamie's exit were suddenly interrupted by the sound of an alarm and the flashing red warning lights.

'Hey!! A disco!!' Bit chirped, beginning to dance oddly.

Brad growled and seized him by his collar, stopping him from dancing.

'BIT!! YOU LUNATIC!! IT'S THE ALARM SYSTEM!!'

'…Oh…' Bit replied.

'I bet Eli put it on! He ran off when Jack dragged me into the room!' Kiano explained.

Brad looked around and sighed.

'Just great. We haven't even found the centre yet!'

Without warning, a number of soldiers turned the corner and opened fire on them. Brad, Bit, Kiano and Jamie fell to the floor behind one of the long rifle crates along the side of the room.

'Where is it?!' Jamie yelped.

'Where is what?!' Kiano replied.

'The centre?! Where is it?'

'How am I supposed to remember?! I crashed in a spaceship on Earth!'

Brad seized her by the arm and motioned for the rest to follow. They crawled around the corner behind them, got up and ran as fast as they could. Both Bit and Brad flipped the rifles on their shoulders down and mowed down another group of soldiers that were bunched together at the end of a long corridor.

'Then where on earth are we supposed to go!?' Jamie cried.

'The centre vault!' Bit replied,

'It's not as if we have a map, Bit!' Brad snapped.

They stumbled down the corridor, the deafening sound of laser guns going off and soldiers bodies falling to the floor. Kiano stopped at a corner and straightened herself up. She cautiously poked her head around.

'An elevator! I remember going up in an elevator!' She whispered, pointing across the room to the doors she was referring to.

'But where were you locked up?' Brad asked.

'I'm pretty sure that the cells were further towards the base of the Commission, though I still can't remember where and how I found the Gyrosnipe. I just kinda……stumbled across it'

Brad sighed again, and snuck around the corner. There was one single guard in the middle of the corridor.

'Let's just get inside there. To get away from those damn soldiers'

They all nodded to each other and walked very coolly toward the elevator. The guard that was there turned and pointed the rifle directly at each of them.

'FREEZE!' He yelled, as Brad crept toward the button, behind Kiano, Bit and Jamie, 'I SAID FREEZE!' He yelled once more, now aiming on Brad in the background.

He stood up straight quickly, slowly reaching out and pushing the up button for the elevator.

They raised their hands in the air, just as the doors slid open beside them. Kiano looked to Bit, Bit looked to Jamie as Brad took a small and brave step into the elevator.

Kiano swiftly shoved both Bit and Jamie in, hitting the close doors button. To soldier outside attempted to open the doors, but Brad raised the rifle and shot the man's hand. He stumbled backwards into the wall behind him as the doors sealed shut.

'You wanna hope that we're going the right way' Jamie insisted.

'Don't even say that!' Kiano snapped and they all fell silent.

All that could be heard was the sound of the alarm.

The elevator shuddered and came to a stop, the doors opening wide. Brad pushed Kiano back and stuck his head around the corner. He looked left and right before motioning to the other three.

'Let's go'

One by one they stepped out into the corridor, even though it looked exactly the same as the last one.

Cautiously, they began to creep their way around. Kiano started to panic.

'There has to be some kind of a reason why there aren't any soldiers patrolling this area' She said quickly and nervously.

'Calm down' Brad smiled at her.

They all came to a stop at a random door. Bit stepped forward, slowly opening it, and he peeked inside.

He whistled and the door swung open. It was a giant room with what looked like it seemed to be 5000 ton generators humming, submerged in an odd looking pinkish goo. Bit and Brad searched the room and found no one. Kiano leant over the railing, staring down into the deep hole that one of the generators was submerged in.

'What is this stuff?' She said, the rapid rotating fan belt. blowing her hair from her face.

'Wait a minute…I agree with Kiano' Jamie started, 'Why aren't there any soldiers commanding the controls and stations in here?'

'He's right. There has to someone working everything here' Bit said afterwards.

Kiano shook her head.

'Not necessarily. You're all forgetting. This is the Space Military Commission, not Earth. Everything here is run and controlled by machines'

'Everything?' Brad asked curiously.

'Everything. Except the people themselves of course'

Brad approached the edge of one of the pits and got down on his hands and knees. He ducked under the lowest railing bar, and reached down and far as he could to touch the pink glob. Holding tightly onto the bar beside him, he scooped some of it up in his hand and lifted himself back up.

'That was brave' Kiano said, walking over to him.

He began playing with it.

'What on earth is it for?' He said, and Kiano shrugged.

'I think it's an energy converter'

'A what?' Jamie asked.

'Converts chemicals to power'

Brad stared at her oddly.

'Not that stuff. The machines. It uses the chemical in the goo to provide energy I think'

The pink goo that was sitting in Brad's hand began to change colour. He looked up.

'What if we set the device here?' He questioned, and Kiano shook her head hard.

'That will only destroy the half of the Commission. They will live on, and we don't want that to happen'

Brad sighed and looked around.

'BIT! COME HERE! I WANT TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING!'

Brad, Kiano and Jamie looked across the room at the door that they entered. Bit was there looking out.

'BIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR!' Brad demanded.

Bit turned around and shrugged.

'WHY?!' He yelled back.

At that sudden moment, a single soldier shoved Bit to the floor and scrambled inside, wielding his and picking up Bit's rifle to point at them all.

'HOLD IT RIGHT THERE THE FOUR OF YOU!' The man ordered, and they reluctantly put their hands up into the air.

The soldier walked forwards slowly, not realising that he left Bit lying on the ground behind him. Bit heaved himself to his feet as quietly as he could, and wiped his forehead. He watched as the man walked closer, and closer to Kiano, Brad and Jamie standing beside the generator. He shook his head, and rubbed his hands together. He ran as fast as he could and kicked the man in the back, as he and both of the rifles fell to the floor. Bit got down and headlocked the man as he tried to crawl away. Kiano, Brad and Jamie lowered their hands and came over.

'Well done Bit! That's the bravest thing you've done yet!' Jamie applauded him.

Brad knelt down beside the man and took one of the rifles by his side.

'Well, well. What have we got here?' He said, holding the gun to the man's head.

He tried to struggle, but Bit kept a tight grip on him.

'Can you hear me soldier?' Bit asked.

The man hesitantly kept his words to himself, and looked up to Kiano. Brad cocked the rifle as the man shuddered.

'Yes…' He trembled.

'Can you answer me a few questions before I let you go?' Bit continued.

The man nodded sluggishly.

Bit looked up to Kiano.

'Do you know where the centre vault is?' Kiano said, kneeling down also.

His eyes paced her a few times, and Brad cocked the gun again.

'Ye…yes!' He cried.

'Is it on this floor?'

The man nodded again.

'Just…just go as far into the centre as you can…'

Kiano and Brad glanced at each other.

'How far is that from here?' Brad asked her, and she shrugged. They looked to the man, as Bit squeezed his grip around his neck.

'I don't know…precisely!'

'Give us an estimate then!' Kiano snapped, getting anxious.

The man paused and took a breath.

'About two hundred and ninety eight kilometres from where we are'

Brad ripped the gun from his head, and stood up.

'Shit!' He snapped, and threw the rifle to the floor.

'That's impossible!' Jamie insisted, 'We'll never get there without being caught'

Bit squeezed the man's neck harder and he tried desperately to breathe.

'Are you telling the truth!!?' He barked and the man nodded slightly.

Bit tossed his head, and threw the man aside, getting up quickly and kicking him in the back.

They all stood in silence, and Kiano stared at Brad.

'What are we supposed to do?'

'The only thing we can do' Brad replied, 'Go to the centre'

They all looked at each other, turning to leave the room. Kiano collected up the second rifle on the floor and held both her own and that one out in front of her. Brad and Bit cocked their guns and they followed each other out slowly into the hallway, which by their surprise was completely empty.

'We should have asked him for a map' Bit explained, and Brad shook his head.

'He wouldn't have had one, Bit. They go probably go through a lot of training to get here. They'd have to know this place like the back of their hand'

'…Man, that's a big hand' Bit snuffed, 'Hate to get squashed by that'

Brad, Jamie and Kiano slapped their foreheads, and continued on down the corridor.

'I still don't understand why there are so few soldiers on this level, compared to the one above us' Jamie insisted.

'Yes, there has to be a reason why' Kiano said,

'Either that of they'll be waiting to ambush us outside the vault, just like that time in Romeo City' Brad replied, and Kiano glanced up at him.
'You're kidding right?'

'Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on how desperate they are to find us'

Bit sighed and began to wring his wrists.

'We're screwed' He mumbled and Kiano gasped slightly.

The group stopped and perched against a wall, close to the inside corner of the next hallway. Kiano raised both the rifles, Bit rubbed his hands and cocked the gun. Jamie just stood there, thinking about what will be waiting for them around the corner.

There was a short silence, and Brad lowered his head to whisper, the rifle leaning against the side of his face.

'Think, if we can get in and out of the vault, set the Gyrosnipe, get away from this goddamn place and detonate it away from here, we'll be good, but…

'How will we do that?' Kiano questioned, and Brad glared at her.

'What do you mean?'

'You're saying as if the Gyrosnipe had a remote, a device to detonate it'

'And it doesn't?' Jamie concluded.

'Do you see one?' Kiano exclaimed, holding out the rifles.

Brad, Jamie and Bit looked around for a second.

'Then how does it work?' Brad asked.

'Well the Gundams and I believed that the Gyrosnipe has a set amount of time before detonation rather than having a device to do the job'

'And how long would that be? A minute? Two minutes?'

'I'm thinking that Commission wouldn't want the person setting it to live either, so I'd say…. about forty to fifty seconds at the tops'

In the background, Jamie and Bit took deep gulps. Brad glared at her.

'Fifty seconds?'

Kiano nodded. Brad looked around, trying to think of what to do next.

'We cannot, and I repeat can not get in and out in fifty seconds' He explained harshly.

Jamie and Bit glanced at each other.

'He's right. It's about two hundred or so kilometres into the centre from here. We'll never get out alive' Jamie told him, and Bit looked around, as everyone was staring at him.

'What am I supposed to do?!' He shrugged.

Brad lowered the gun and sighed.

'If we all went into set it, neither of us would get out'

Kiano looked up at him, a worried expression on her face.

'So…'

Brad looked back down at her and hung rifle over his shoulder by the strap, and took Kiano by the shoulders.

'Listen, there are some things that we have to do. Some of them can be stupid, and some, smart. But there is no way in hell I'm letting you go in there when you have a son, waiting for you back on Earth'

'What are you going on about?' Bit snapped.

Brad sighed again and closed his eyes.

'Don't hate me for doing this, Kiano' He said, looking back at her.

He let her go and pushed her towards Bit and Jamie. He flung the rifle back off his shoulder and turned around to point it in the other direction. He turned and looked over to the rest of them.

'Bit, Jamie, I want you to take Kiano back home, now!'

Kiano jumped forward.

'What!? NO! You can't be thinking what I think you are?' She squealed, now looking very upset.

Brad turned back around.

'I cannot let you abandon your son. I won't let that happen, I can't'

'What are you talking about?' She continued, looking as if she'd cry any minute.

'I'm going in - By myself. I have the Gyrosnipe, I can do it'

A tear streaked down Kiano's cheek and she shook her head.

'No!'

'Don't try and stop me' He continued, turning back around and walking down the corridor, 'Bit, look after her, and Jamie don't be too pushy, just get her outta here!'

'No, you can't!' Kiano ordered, running up and throwing her arms around him, 'I won't let you!'

Brad forced himself to turn around, as he pushed her arms off him.

'Don't do this Kiano. We didn't know this was coming'

She buried her face in his chest, silencing her crying.

'Neither did Duo!' She blubbered.

He sighed, and strained Kiano to look him in the eyes.

'Listen, I know how stupid this sounds, and I know that you don't want me to go, but deep down you know that this is going to happen'

She shook her head hard.

'It doesn't have to be this way'

They fell silent. All that Kiano could do was stare at him and cry. Brad felt horrible, because he knew that he couldn't leave her at this point in her life even though he had to.

'It's the only way' He whispered.

He raised his hand to brush her cheek lightly, and caught a tear that ran down her face.

Bit and Jamie could just stand and stare as they both leant in to kiss. Bit cocked his head to one side.

'Awwww….and just when it was getting so good' He said, sounding rather serious about the situation.

Brad and Kiano pulled away and he once more stroked her cheek, she threw her arms around him once more and gave him a big hug.

Brad cocked the gun and pulled her off, he turned and began to walk down the corridor. Kiano stood there, not knowing what to do. He looked back and waved his hand to Bit and Jamie.

'WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? YOU HAVE A MINUTE TO GET OUTTA HERE! GO!'

Bit and Jamie flinched and ran the opposite way down the corridor, waving Kiano along. She followed, occasionally looking back, before she made the run for it.

Brad continued to run in the direction that the soldier had pointed. Even though he really had no idea where it was exactly. The only chance he had was remembering the description of the vault that Kiano gave him.

The instant that he managed to get a fair way in, the soldiers jumped out at him and opened fire. He dodged and rebounded with own laser rifle, as many shots as he could, while attempting to barge his way through them all.

Bit, Jamie, and Kiano were also met by dozens and dozens of angry soldiers. Never the less, they had no problem gunning the attackers down, two by two. Kiano was a crack shot, hitting every target head on, the two rifles hot in her hands. Bit and Jamie were ahead, acting as bodyguards against her, whilst shooting down a collection of soldiers for themselves. Just like Brad, they dodged the bullets immaculately, trying desperately to get back to the hangar bay.

Brad stopped, leaning up against a wall when in the following corridor, a group of soldiers clambered down and ran around, not noticing him there. He looked around and continued on, running as fast as he could. A number of guards surprised him at the very end of the next corridor. He did nothing but run and fire, the barrage slowly beginning to die down.

'Are you sure that you passed the rifle exams?!' Bit squealed, the rifle in his hand still rumbling, as soldiers were dropping to the floor in every corridor. They finally spotted the elevator and slammed the button, as the doors flew open revealing more soldiers. The group turned and continued to run down the same corridor. Kiano pointed to some stairs, on their far left, in another room. They bolted towards them, still mowing down enemies, and made their way up the stairs, which were completely clear of soldiers.

'Where'd they all go?!' Kiano yelled, puffing and panting.

'Who knows! Just keep running!' Jamie ordered, sliding to a halt on the smooth black marble floor, directly in front of a closed door. Kiano and Bit stopped after him, and Bit ran and opened the door quickly without haste. The moment that they entered the corridor, a few soldiers turned and ran after them. They passed the elevator doors and continued on until they could go no further.

Brad puffed and panted. By his standards, this was the best work out that he had had in years, considering he was with the Blitz Team, but was going to be wasted in less than a minute. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued on. Directly ahead of him the corridors fell darker, and the lights on the walls were fading. He assumed he was getting close to the centre. What he found so odd was the absence of soldiers.

'If this is the vault, then where are all the guards?' He mumbled quietly, and continued walking.

He cocked the gun and crept through the darkness. At what seemed to be the other end, there was a white light, and he walked in to be looking directly into the vault. He was standing in a curved corridor, on either side of him were dark shadows where no lights were present, and there was a thick glass sliding door in front of him into the small vault.

'This must be it' He whispered, looking down at the side of the door and touching the blue button that was there. The doors hissed loudly and slid open in front of him.

The minute that Brad entered the vault, six lights above him flickered on one by one, illuminating the room.

There was a fair empty space in the room, and the only thing that was there was a small, black pillar that reached his waist. He looked around and took a deep breath, reaching into his jacket again and pulling out the Gyrosnipe.

Before placing it on the column, he looked the device over once more. He placed his fingers around the yellow and black ring around the centre and twisted it anti-clockwise. The Gyrosnipe whizzed and clicked lightly, spinning clockwise as the black panels opened outwards. There was a tiny red light in the very centre, flashing brightly. He carefully placed it onto the top of the pillar.

'See ya Bit, see ya Jamie, see ya Doc & Leena, see ya Shadowfox, and ……..goodbye Kiano' He murmured quietly to himself, pushing in the first panel of the device to begin the detonation countdown. He closed his eyes and pushed the rest of them in, only hearing the funny clicking noise it made when he did. When he opened them again, he saw that the red light in the centre had stopped flashing and was glowing brightly.

He looked around quickly and spotted a fire map on the wall beside the door.

'Maybe I can save myself' He said, bolting out the door, rifle in hand.

'Don't make me angry!!' Kiano bellowed, barging a soldier at the door to the hangar, and he went coasting across the smooth floor.

The three of them raced in, crossfire radiating from all areas of the hangar, occasionally ricocheting off the smooth outer coating of the transport ship.

Bit ran head on, jamming the end of his laser rifle into the stomach of the soldier standing before the ship's door. He kicked him off the ramp and motioned for everyone to get in. Jamie and Kiano took their seats and Bit leaped into the pilot seat. He looked around and grasped the y-shaped controls in front of him.

Kiano jumped up behind him and turned a mechanism, as the engines roared, starting up.

'Go Bit!' Kiano snapped, and Bit nodded, pulling backwards on the controls.

The ship zoomed forward instead and plowed directly into the wall in front of them.

'Oooops!'

'No, no! No ooops! Just go!' Kiano replied.

'What!?' Bit yelped,

'Push forward!'

Bit shoved the controls forward and the ship shot backwards out of the hangar bay. Bit fiddled with the controls and turned, stepping on the acceleration.

Brad was still running, as more and more soldiers chased after him. He didn't bother trying to fight them off, he was just too busy trying to save himself. Running as fast as he could, he managed to discover the largest and most used hangar bay, filled with ships.

Starting along the walkway above it all, he took the side of the top rail and leapt down to the lower floor. He got up quickly and turned around, only to run into someone coming his way. They both fell backwards onto to the floor, and Brad rubbed his head, picking himself up.

Kiano was yelling instructions at Bit, as he was being chased by a swarm of what seemed to be newer ship models.

'I can't shake them!' Bit cried.

'Just get outta here!' Jamie ordered, and Bit forced the ship back in the direction of the Earth.

It shot out of the surrounding shield, dodging the occasional barrage of shots from the laser cannons in the netting. The minute they were free, Bit stepped on the accelerator once more as the ship zoomed away from the Commission. Kiano jumped up and pressed her face to the glass near the back of the ship. The Commission was getting smaller and smaller, as the ship travelled further away from it. They all looked at each other as the headquarters erupted in a violent supernova like blast, causing the spaceship to shudder fiercely. The blue wave burst forth from the centre, as Kiano raced back to sit down. Still grasping the controls, now that the ship stopped shaking, Bit sprung up from his seat.

'OOOOOH YEAH!! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!! BOYS AND GIRLS!! BIT CLOUD HAS DESTROYED THE BUILDING!! HHHHOOOOO YEAH!!' He sang, giving Jamie next to him a high-fiver.

'I cannot believe he did it!' Jamie said, looking around, 'I mean….Brad!'

'EARTH - 1, SPACE MILITARY COMMISSION - 0!!!' Bit smiled, and turned to Jamie.

They all fell silent, and Jamie looked back over to Kiano. She was staring up at the front screen , her eyes beginning to turn red. He got up and approached her.

'Sorry Kiano' He said, kneeling beside her. A tear ran down her cheek and she turned away, 'He did it for you'

Kiano broke out immediately in tears.

Bit at the front sighed. He didn't look happy, and neither did either of them, but it was finally over for them.