Disclaimer; by now you all know what I own and I don't. Anyway, I must appolagize because I just realized that the bloody computer has been taking my italics off when I upload, making Harpuia's thoughts a bit hard to follow. I have gone back and fixed that in previous chapters. Again, thanks to my reviewers. You're all great, and (hopefully) so honest, too. If anyone has a problem with what I write, tell me. Maybe we can meet on equal ground. Anyway, this is a small aside that is really kind of irrelevant, but I have officially decided that "Crawling in the Dark" by Hoobastank is Harpuia's theme. It just fits him so well for this fic. The orange reploid, who's name is revealed later in this chapter, has "My December" by Linkin Park for a theme. If anyone is too lazy to look up lyrics online, them e-mail me and I'll send 'em. Later!

Chapter 3

I picked the girl up and threw her over my shoulder. She weighed very little for a reploid, and did not encumber my flight back to the base in the least. I planned to interrogate her, since she and the demons always seemed to turn up at the same time. I was beginning to think that one had a vendetta against the other. I also would have rather liked to know precisely what she had against me. If it was true that she was for both sides, I had trouble understanding what was so gravely wrong with what I had done. It was nothing worse than what the Resistance had done to us. I wondered belatedly if that was the point.

By the time I had put her in a holding cell, she was beginning to stir, but I thought it best to let her recover completely before I attempted to force information from her. I thought I caught a glimpse of her angry glare right before I shut the metal door. I turned, only to nearly collide with Fairy Leviathan. I made a strange sound in the back of my throat.

"Can I help you?" I particularly did not feel up to a conversation with her at the moment.

"So that was the skirt you've been chasing," she sniffed rather self-righteously.

"Get over it, Leviathan, she has information we need. I'll kill her myself when I'm done." I attempted to step around her.

"Like I'm gonna believe that." She planted herself in front of me yet again. "Don't walk away from me. I thought that you wanted the analysis results of that robot?"

I sighed and nodded. So much for keeping her busy for a few days. "What did you find?"

"They have a hive mind."

"Well," I mused out loud. "That would explain why they seem to hold a grudge against the orange reploid." I paused. "Anything else?"

"No, not really. I'm gonna go work on it some more."

Yes. Another day of peace.

My "peace" was rather short-lived when I went back to the holding cell to check on the occupant. The door was open, but a strange, amber-colored force-field was in place. Leviathan sat sullenly on the other side.

"...Wha?" I stared mutely for a moment. "Okay, I don't even want to know what happened," I decided aloud. "Let's just get you out of there."

I tapped the force-field with one finger. An electrical charge shot through my body and dropped me to my knees. I heard Fefnir's low chuckle behind me.

"Well, isn't this an interesting picture."

"Fefnir, if you don't shut up, I swear I'll retire you when I get out of here," Leviathan yelled, pacing like a caged tiger.

I noticed a small disc on the floor from which the shield was coming. Unfortunately, the shield covered that, too. Fefnir and I examined this for awhile, and then Fefnir stood up.

"Stand back, I'm gonna body-slam it!"

"You're what?!" Leviathan and I cried in unison.

Fefnir crashed into the glimmering wall and was thrown across the hall with a yell.

"Great idea, Fefnir. And if you had gone through, then what?" I commented dryly, trying my very hardest not to laugh at my friend's misfortune.

"All right, I'm gettin' my flame thrower..." Fefnir aimed the massive gun at the barrier.

"Uh..." I began.

"No, don't!" Leviathan wailed pathetically.

"Well, what do you suggest?" he grumbled.

"I dunno, get a maintenance crew down here or something," I shrugged. "I've gotta go after the escapee."

"What?" You're leaving me here?" The distraught blue reploid cried.

"Hey, I tried. There's nothing I can do." I crept away as I spoke.

"SAGE!" Leviathan roared. Oh, crap, not the first name...

"Fine," I said, defeated.

"Get me out of here," she whined. The force-field flickered and went out. "Urk..." Leviathan stepped through the doorway cautiously. "What... wha...?"

I pointed at the disc on the floor. "Examine that. I'm leaving." Without another word, I sprinted away from Leviathan's protests.

When I was completely away from the base, I had to laugh. The whole situation was so preposterous and unrealistic that it was amusing. I decided that I would have to ask my escaped prisoner exactly what had transpired in my absence. I had a feeling that somehow Leviathan had gotten what was coming to her. Good ol' Fairy, I thought to myself. It's a good thing she's good with electronics, or I'm not sure what I'd do with her.

It was not that I disliked her or Fefnir. Fighting Fefnir, I corrected myself. I had never taken to calling him by his first name. It just sounded a bit... odd. It was just that I had so much on my mind, and their usual antics seemed so shallow and unimportant. With the brief reprieve in the fighting between the Resistance and New-Arcadia, they were like children on summer vacation, possessed with all the time in the world and nothing to do with it.

The words of the orange reploid haunted me. "...They weren't maverick and you knew it!" The disturbing thought was that she was right. The Neo-Arcadian government had labeled reploids as "inferior citizens" and had then sent them to concentration camps to be "retired." I cannot deny that the thought had crossed my mind that a similar fate may await me and my companions once complete victory had been achieved for Neo-Arcadia. I had not had much hand in the concentration camps, but when the Resistance grew and rose against us I led my armies against them for a devastating victory. I had killed hundreds myself and I knew their blood was on my hands

What were they supposed to do? I reflected. Just roll over and die? I had had silent reservations against my orders when copy X had given them to me, but had decided, as I told the reploid woman in the fiery armor, sacrifices must be made in the name of peace. Is that really peace? I wondered. Not for the reploids, that's for sure.

 I was so deep in thought as I flew that I did not notice the ambush until I was shot from the sky. The Resistance- The energy weapon struck my right booster and sent me careening to the ground. I blacked out for a brief moment, but I could still hear voices around me.

"...Thought we'd catch someone with this ambush, but I never thought we'd get Harpuia." There was a hint of fear in his voice. "Retire him now, before he wakes up. This could score a huge victory for the Resistance."

This isn't like them, I mused, trying to open my eyes. My head hurt so much. They've become much more aggressive. I attempted to get up, but only managed to move my arm and my head. I must have fallen almost two-hundred feet... I groaned. My carelessness was about to get me killed.

"I'd leave 'em be if I were you, boys." It was a female voice, and even though I was not thinking all too clearly at the moment, I knew who it belonged to. Well, at least I caught up with her...

"A- are you with him?" one said shakily. "You'd better not try to stop us. We're one of the Resistance's finest regiments!"

"Charmed." I could easily picture the look of disdain on her face. "And for the record, I'm not with this genocidal maniac."

Genocidal maniac? Well, she has an interesting idea of me. That would explain the angst.

I heard the shuffle of feet around me. "Well... than why shouldn't we kill him?" So nice to be included in this pivotal conversation. I decided that hearing about one's impending doom while lying immobile on the ground was not an experience that I cared to repeat, not that I would evidently have the chance.

"You know," my unlikely savior mused in a thoughtful voice, "there are two other guardians. I'm sure that they would be a bit... unhappy at the death of their commander. They may want revenge..."

At this point, I was not sure what was going on, but I thought I heard the woman tell the reploids that she would take care of me herself. I finally forced my eyes open and looked around. Everything looked hazy, but I could see that I was now alone with the orange reploid.

"Just how far did you fall, anyway?" she questioned, siting cross-legged next to me.

"About two-hundred feet," I mumbled. I was glad that I was incapable of being ill, since I had nothing in my stomach to disgorge. My head pounded.

She whistled through her teeth. "Well, I'll say this for ya- your well-made."

"Uh, thanks... I think." I sat up and blew my breath out in a long sigh which became a hiss of pain. I put a hand on my forehead, not that it helped. "I have what will probably amount to a stupid question," I managed.

I thought I heard her laugh. "Let me guess; why did I save you?"

"Yeah, that- that's pretty much it." My self-repair systems were beginning to kick in, but I did not feel much better.

She stood up. "You saved me so we could finish this with a fair dual. Now I'm waiting for you to recover yourself so that I may honor your request."

I stood and tested out my leaden limbs. "Oh, by the way..."

"Yes?"

"Genocidal maniac?" I shrugged, a gesture that caused pain to shoot up my spine. I cringed. "A little harsh, don't you think?"

"I suppose it would be," she said, arms crossed, "if it weren't true."

"You have quite the ...uh... impression of me," I said, trying to think clearly. I wondered if a reploid could suffer a concussion. "Do you actually think I call all the shots around here? My orders were from X, and not that it's your business, but I did have reservations about them."

"Sure, blame it on the deceased." She rolled her eyes, but I thought she seemed to relax a bit. "Who gives your orders now?"

"Why should I volunteer any information to the likes of you?" I stumbled a bit and decided to sit back down. "Here's a thought; go away. To put it bluntly, I don't particularly feel up to a tactical discussion at the moment."

She chuckled. "I'm just making conversation. I'm only waiting around to finish our match. But, I suppose, if you're really not feeling up to it, I could just leave you to the metal scavengers..."

She would put it that way. "You're a cold one," I muttered. "I just fell two-hundred feet, and you expect me to fight you."

Sitting down again, she leaned her chin on her knee, letting her arms drape at her sides. She smiled brightly. "Oh, there's no rush. I can wait all day."

I suddenly found myself wishing for Leviathan's company over this present annoyance. "All right. I said this would be a fair fight. In that case, I'll get rid of my upper body armor to even the odds." I phased out half of my armor.

"H- how is that fair?" she puzzled.

"First of all, you can't fly, so neither will I. Second, you have glaring open spots in your defense."

"Such as..."

"Your leg, arm, and stomach." A warm breeze blew through my hair and across my bare skin, and for a moment I wished that I could simply enjoy it. "I'm just giving you a chance, since you wouldn't have one otherwise." I grinned, knowing that she realized that I was insulting her.

"We'll see," she growled. I was treating her the same way I treated Fairy, and although the outward reaction was different, I was still gaining guilty amusement from it.

"Anyway, if this is an 'honorable' fight, than you really should consider giving me your name."

"The name's Mayu. Can we get on with it?"

I was enjoying irritating her as much as she had me. I stuck out my hand. "Sage. Nice to meet you."

She ignored my outstretched hand and looked at me, confused. "Sage? I thought..."

"Yeah, Sage Harpuia. What, you didn't know that?"

"No, can't say I ever did. Or cared, for that matter." She shook her head. "I get it, though. Your screwing with me now because I was harassing you before."

"Very perceptive," I nodded. "Now, shall we get on with it?"

"Hm." She smiled, activating her sabers as I pulled out my own. We did not bother to wait for pleasantries after that. I charged at her and to the left, delivering a glancing blow as I slid by. She blocked, turning to follow my movement, and thrust a blade at my exposed back. I dodged away and slapped the weapon down with an overhead swing. She ducked under it and slide-tackled me, then attempted to roll over and stand up. I pulled a Fefnir and held her foot in an iron grip. She kicked at me vainly.

"Bloody- let go of me!"

I yanked her leg as she attempted to get up again, and she fell back. She struck out with a powerful kick to my nether-regions.

I lost my grip on her ankle. "Hey, that was a pretty low blow."

"Don't whine. You're wearing armor."

And how grateful I am for that. I sprung off the ground, ignoring my throbbing head. This was probably a bad idea on my part. Mayu brought a back-hand swing around toward my head and I pulled back just in time. I was beginning to feel dizzy.

I kicked out behind me and connected with her exposed stomach. She flew back onto the ground and gasped for breath. I must've kicked her harder than I thought. It takes quite a bit to knock the wind out of a reploid. I knew that most reploids did breath, but were not very reliant on it.

I turned to find my adversary, but my vision whited out and I fell to my knees. ...I over did it... I felt, rather than heard the hum of a blade next to my throat. Always goes for the neck... I opened my eyes to see her dark gaze locked on me. She stood for a moment, glaring.

"What, can't do it?" I said hoarsely.

She dropped her blade from my neck. "Who am I to decide who's life to take in exchange for who's."

I stood unsteadily. "Well, there's a change. What brought that on?"

She looked at me from the corner of her eye. "You're not exactly what I thought you were."

"What, a genocidal maniac?"

She laughed, looking away. "Something like that."

I shook my head slightly. "Why don't you join the Neo-Arcadian forces? Maybe you'll find something for yourself there."

She stepped back and looked at me angrily. "And help you slaughter innocent reploids? Forget it."

"I told you," I said earnestly, "those orders came from X, not me."

"Tell me, Sage, would you do anything if it were an order?" she accused.

I looked away solemnly. "I used to."

"Well, admitting it's a start," she shrugged.

"Look, you asked before who was calling the shots now. Well, I am, and I don't do things the same way as X." I phased the rest of my armor back on. "Consider it."

She shrugged. "I'll think about it until next time. If there is one."

"Do I need to throw you in a cell again?" I commented dryly.

"Don't even think about it," she said scornfully. "I don't need your little girlfriend harassing me to quote, 'stay away from you.'"

I choked. "She what?" Swallowing, I bit my lower lip- I do that a lot. "Never mind. And please don't refer to her as my girl-friend." I looked her in the eye. "Now I'm begging you to come back with me; just keep her away!"

Mayu laughed. "So, the great Harpuia has girl trouble. Until next time, 'Sage.'"

Well, that went a bit better than last time, I thought to myself as we parted ways. At least she apparently no longer wishes to behead me. I smiled. That's always a plus.

I decided to stay on the ground for awhile. Getting dizzy while flying was not on my to-do list. I did not particularly want to go back to the base, considering what Mayu had said about Leviathan. A childish reason such as that alone would not have kept me from any duties that I need to perform, but it also disturbed me that the ambush squad was still out and about somewhere, lying in wait for my men. I had a feeling that the short reprieve of the fighting was merely the calm before the storm.

As I walked, my head began to feel better and I could think more clearly. I was left wondering why, precisely, I had asked my rival to join me. I doubted that she would; she seemed too much of a free spirit to take orders from a washed up general such as myself.

While I thought, I also kept a sharp eye out for the group of ambushing Resistance soldiers. Since I was only half-conscious when they ran off, I had no idea which direction they may have taken. I was beginning to think that I felt well enough to fly again when one of my own soldiers came running over the next rise. He saluted me quickly, and I noted that his eyes were fearful.

"Sir. The number eight wasteland patrol squad have been attacked by Resistance guerrillas." He gasped, and I realized that he was wounded.

"Stay here and try to save your energy. I'll send a transport to you." I narrowed my eyes at the horizon. "Give me the coordinates of the attack. I'll end this myself."

"Yes sir, here are the coordinates." He displayed them for me on a small computer screen on his wrist.

I nodded to the soldier and leapt into the air, soaring at full speed to the given location. I arrived in the middle of a pitched battle, and it appeared that my squad was on the receiving end of much of the punishment. Swooping in, I cleaved a soldier's head in two, saving the reploid who's face he was about to shoot. Spurting blood, the Resistance troop slid to the ground never to rise again.

At least half of my squad was down, a good share dead, I realized upon a quick survey of the situation. A shot glanced off of my armored back, fortunately doing little damage through the strong metal. I'd better not take too many shots like that, though. If enough got through, it would weaken the armor enough to do real damage. I sliced through a soldier's gun-arm and kicked him in the chin. He hit the ground with a pained scream and clutched at the useless, bloodied stump of his right shoulder. One of my men went down next to me to a shot in the neck.

The Resistance forces had been retrained and re-organized, I realized, and I wondered if a new general had been appointed. With Zero's leaving, it would make sense that they want to make up for lost strength, but it seems that whoever's in charge now has gone from simple defense to more aggressive tactics. I brought my arm up and blocked a shot that was aimed for my face. Pain lanced from my elbow to my hand, but it did not hurt as much as if it had hit me in the eye. I cut the offending reploid from crotch to nose, and he fell to let his own blood mingle with the rest of the fallen. Their numbers were beginning to dwindle, but my side had suffered heavy casualties as well. I stabbed another reploid, and then beheaded him to save him from a long, agonizing death.

I stood for a moment, pulling air into my artificial lungs. The fighting seemed to be dying down. Suddenly, I noticed the reploid, who's arm I had relieved him of, lying on the ground talking quickly into his wrist-com. He's sending for reinforcements. I made my way over the body-littered battle-field. The soldier jumped when he saw me approaching.

"D-don't kill me," he pleaded, his terror widening his visored eyes. He lay there trembling, utterly defenseless, and I saw the same fear in his eyes that had been in my own men's eyes as they fought a hopeless battle, and was all too often reflected in my own heart. I lowered my beam-sabers and knelt.

"Have you called reinforcements?"

"I h-haven't had the chance to give them the coordinates yet," he said shakily.

"You are now a prisoner of war," I told him. "You will receive medical treatment and then be held until such a time as a cease-fire has been attained, or your release is negotiated."

I motioned over two of my men who had remained in relatively good health through the fray. "You," I called gesturing to one. "I assign you to guard the prisoner. Do not treat him too harshly, and see that his arm is found so that it can possibly be repaired."

"Yes sir." The soldier ran to the wounded reploid's side.

I nodded to the other man I had called over. "Does your transmitter work?"

He checked his wrist-com. "Yes sir, it does."

"Good. Radio the base and tell them to send a couple of transports and to be prepared to treat the wounded. Also, have them pick up the wounded soldier approximately four-point-eight miles north and two-point-three miles east of here."

The fighter saluted. "Yes, sir."

I moved through the remaining soldiers one by one, giving them each orders to help fallen allies or guard enemies if they were capable. I was about to instruct another of my men to begin clean-up of the surrounding area and to scout the territory to be sure that no Resistance soldiers escaped, but a flash of light briefly shined into my eyes and I looked to my right to see an enemy troop pointing a high-energy gun at the soldier. I had been blinded by the sunlight glinting from the silvery barrel of the weapon.

"Watch out," I called, and shielded the soldier with my own body. The shot caught me directly in the chest and knocked me backward onto the surprised reploid. I heard yelling and a couple more shots, but it seemed so distant from my reality. My vision turned glaring white and then slowly faded to black. All the wounds I had suffered in the past two days that I had never completely let heal had caught up with me. I slipped to the ground and embraced the darkness, knowing no more.