Galerians: Ash - Alternate Destiny

**DISCLAIMER: This is a short story based on one of my favorite Playstation 2 games, "Galerians: Ash." The characters and original storyline are not mine, except the character later known as Gia (pronounced Guy a.)**

File 16649: Power Based on Love ... Nitro's Invitation

Romero and his troops met Rion and Gia at the open hatch, as Rion carried a weakened Gia in his arms. "Hey! Are they-" Romero begun. "Yes ... they're both dead." Rion replied, as he continued walking past them to take Gia back to rest. Romero ordered his troops to fetch the bodies of Parano and Spider and bring them in for observation and research. Cas stood a few feet away from Romero's troops and started following Rion. "What do you want, Cas?" Rion asked her, still walking. "I'm just amazed at what I saw. Seems like Gia knows just what the hell she's doing after all ... any theory on why?" Cas replied, knowing full well she scratched a surface on Rion's own feelings. Rion stopped in his tracks for a few moments, and then continued walking, avoiding Cas's question.

Rion entered the bedroom and placed Gia down softly and carefully on the bed. Cas waited by the door, crossing her arms. Obviously, she wasn't done talking to Rion. Gia was again asleep, as Rion looked over to Cas again. "What?" Rion suddenly asked. "I was just curious ... when did you and Gia start having a thing for each other?" Cas asked. Rion was taken by her question, and realized his kiss with Gia must of been seen by everyone who witnessed them fight Parano and Spider. "It was nothing." Rion replied, walking past Cas. "Professor Pascalle ... I mean, Lilia doesn't think it was nothing. I swear, men are so dense." Cas replied, as she walked away from Rion, her hands in the air. Rion sighed and knew he had to confront Lilia.

Walking in Lilia's lab, Rion realized Lilia was at her main keyboard trying to keep herself busy. "Lilia ..." Rion spoke out. Lilia immediatly stopped what she was doing, as the typing came to a halt. Rion could feel the akwardness in the room as he kept walking to Lilia. "Is there something I can help you with Rion?" Lilia asked. Rion stopped about a foot behind Lilia and took a deep breath. "Lilia ... I know what you saw."

"I saw quite a fight ... I'm glad to see Gia has achieved control on her powers."

"Lilia ..."

"I have data reading on the fight between you two and Parano and Spider ..."

"Lilia ..."

"It seems that -"

"Lilia, its not what you think."

Lilia stopped and finally turned to face Rion. Her eyes seemed sad and dissapointed as she adn Rion shared a moment of silence. "It isn't what, Rion?" she asked. Rion sighed, sacttering his brain as if searching for an answer. "The kiss. It .. it wasn't what you think. I ... I don't ..."

"Don't lie to me Rion. I care for you very much. I guess ... seeing you with Gia, made me a little jealous and -"

"It doesn't mean anything!" Rion yelled.

Rion's sudden yell made things quiet. Lilia looked as Rion's eyes casted down to the floor, his fists shaking in anger. "She's nothing to me Lilia. You and I are friends ... nothing will ever change that. Gia is nothing but a weapon we can use towards Dorothy ... once Dorothy is destroyed ... There will no longer be a need for Gia. She means ... nothing to me!!" Rion bellowed. Lilia's hands were brought to her mouth in shock, as Rion noticed her facial expression. Rion then felt a presence. Turning slowly around, Rion came face to face with Gia, who stood by the door of the lab, and started crying. Rion's face became upset and sad, as his eyebrows arched upward in sadness. "Gia ..."
Clasping her teddy bear to her heart, Gia eyes had flown a river of tears as she eyed Rion with a pain staking stare that cut Rion deep in his heart. "I'm nothing. Nothing to you ... but a Galerian you can use. I thought ... you were different Rion ... I thought you loved .. you loved ..." Gia trailed off, feeling her tears lodge in her throat. Gia then began to run, as Rion felt the insationable urge to run after her. He took a look to Lilia, who sighed and nodded. "Go ... I know you want to!" she replied, and without another word, Rion dashed after her as quick as a flash.

****

As Rion ran, he ran into Cas. "Cas! Did you see Gia run through here?" he replied. "I figured something was wrong ... she ran off towards the hatch, I told my guards to stop her before she gets there at any cause!" she replied. Rion scoffed angrily. "Your going to make her feel cornered, and with the way she's feeling now, we don't need that!" Rion yelled, running towards the hatch. Cas cocked her gun and began to follow him.

"Stay right where you are, miss ... we can't let you leave!" replied one of the guards under Cas.

"I have no purpose anymore ... I don't have something to protect ... no love ... no anything." Gia replied.

Slowly approaching her, Gia screamed through tears, pushing guards back with her powers. A few guards flew through the air towards Rion, as he stopped them with his shield. The guards backed down as Rion walked closer to Gia. Holding her teddy bear tighter, Gia backed away from Rion and through tears, stared at him angriley. "Keep away! KEEP AWAY!" Gia yelled, making her powers, once again uncontrollable, as her yells became high pitched once again. The guards fell to their knees, covering their ears in pain. Cas fell to the floor behind Rion, yet watched as Rion was able to still walk towards Gia without a problem. Gia kept backing away as Rion tried to slowly reach out for her. "Gia ... Gia please, listen to me ..." he replied softly. Gia covered her ears, still crying hysterically. "I know you don't want to hurt me, Gia."
Hearing this, Gia paused and looked towards Rion, as her crying dwindled a bit, and the guards were able to let there hands free from their ears. "Its like before Gia ... with Parano and Spider. When you screamed, it only effected them, and not me. It didn't effect me because you controlled it to harm anyone of your choice ... but you didn't want to harm me. Same as now. Its the basis ... the basis of your power, why it suddenly became controllable for you ..." Rion replied, inching closer to Gia. "Its like you told me ..." he continued.

"I finally ... found something to protect ..." Gia suddenly cutted in.

Rion smiled. "You want to protect me, isn't that it Gia?" Rion asked, even though sure, still questioning Gia's inner feelings. Gia bowed her head and clutched her teddy tighter with every back step she made. "I felt love ... for the first time in a long time. Since the pain ... of being a Galerian. I found love ... for ... for you, Rion. I ... love you." Gia proclaimed. Rion's face showed a face of surprise, as well as guilt for what he had said prior in Lilia's lab. Rion sighed and attempted towards Gia again. "Gia, listen to me ... what I said back there ... I .. I didn't ..." Rion started trailing off, as Gia became angry again. "YOU HURT ME RION! I thought you were different! But ... your just like him ... like Ash!" Gia yelled, as Rion's eyes showed a look of hurt.

Suddenly, a large crash happened behind Gia, bursting open the hatch of their hiding deck. Smoke surrounded them, as Rion tried his best to search for Gia through the dust and smoke.

"I'd say Ash is so much cuter then Rion, Gia ... he's not like Ash at all!" a sudden voice replied.

Rion finally had his visioned cleared as he stared at yet another Galerian ... Nitro. Her black hair hung in front of one eye, and her face was so expressionless, she had no fabrication of emotion, fear or pain. She held an unconcious Gia under her right arm, and laughed to herself. Rion felt the blood in his veins burn with anger, as he started breathing heavily, reaching his psychic abilities to their full extent. Nitro laughed, as the guards took aim at her with their guns. Cas took command. "FIRE AT WILL!!" Cas yelled, as an array of gunshots aimed for Nitro. Yet none came close. Nitro simply sighed at thier effortless atttempt, as every bullet fired hung in the air at Nitro's command. "A Galerian killed by ammunition? What a boring way to go." Nitro replied, taking a single bullet in her hand. "Well, hate to see such efforts go to waste ..." she replied. Rion sensed what she was to do, as he quickly turned to Cas and her men. "GET DOWN!" he yelled.
Without warning, Nitro mentally turned the bullets around and as fast as lightning shot them back towards the guards. As they attempted to run, many of them were shot through the heart and shoulder, as Rion ran towards them, holding out his shield to protect as many as he could. When Nitro was out of bullets, she simply sighed and looked towards Rion. "Such futile attempts to save them Rion ... I hope you feel as if your really accomplishing something." she snidley replied. Nitro then sweetly, reached over with her free hand and skimmed her fingers through Gia's balck hair. "Poor thing ... so much emotion to deal with. Being rejected by the one she loves. What more could one want then death? Too bad I don't feel. She needs somebody's pity ... perhaps Ash could fufill that very pity." she replied slyly yet maliciously.

Rion released his shield and looked to Nitro, getting angrier by the second. "I WON'T LET YOU HURT GIA! I WON'T LET YOU GIVE HER TO ASH! NEVER!" Rion yelled. Nitro sighed again. "Mother figured you wouldn't let her go so easily ... perhaps you lied when Gia meant nothing to you." Rion's face dropped as he clasped his chest where his heart was. Again he felt guilt, yet it was the guilt in lying to himself about how he felt about Gia. "With that thought in mind, Rion ..." Nitro continued. "I have a parting message for you ..." Rion's attention was immedaitly brought back to Nitro, as he sighed in deeply.

"For the sake of Gia's life, Ash has challenged you. He wishes to meet at Mushroom Tower, the once proud home of our dear mother. There, you will battle to the death ... for Gia. Should Ash win, you will watch helplessly with your last seconds of life, as Gia is killed to resurrect Mother and destroy her weaknesses all at once, and then you ... will perish."

Hearing this, a visual image of what could happen to Gia flooded his mind, making him fearful of Gia's life. "And if I win?" Rion asked. "Then you win. Gia stays alive as do you ..." Nitro answered. "But Dorothy will still be sitting in her backup memory ... waiting to be resurrected again." Rion assured. Nitro smiled. "Heh, did you honestly think it would be so easy for you in the end? Meet Ash at Mushroom Tower at nine tonight. If you don't show up directly on time ... Gia will be killed immediatly. Ta ta." Nitro exclaimed, as smoke appeared, surrounding her and Gia. "NO! GIA!" Rion called out, running towards her.
Reaching out yet touching nothing but air, Rion fell to his knees ... as he lost Gia to the enemy. Rion stayed stationary on his knees as he began to slowly cry. As he laid his head down, he felt something soft rub against his forehead. He looked up ... and saw Gia's teddy bear he had given her. Sitting up, Rion held the bear under his chin, and slowly repeated Gia's name.

Inside, Rion slowly made his way towards the troops. Many of them were injured, some alive and well ... quite a few dead. Rion walked over to Cas, who was shot in her arm. "Cas ..." Rion replied. Cas moaned in pained and laughed. "Don't worry about me Rion ... its nothing but a scratch. So ... we're in trouble aren't we? They've captured our only hope to winning ... and they know our secret location. What now?" Cas asked, looking at Rion, his head bowed in anguish and defeat, and his eyes tearing. Rion held the bear tighter still and breathed in hard as he set his tear streaked eyes towards the ruins of Michelangelo City.

"I end this ...." Rion stated.

***** END OF FILE 16649