"NDS: Book 12—Neon: Chapter 88: Promise"

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Good. I've got you guessing now. That's always good, because then I know that the ending will be unexpected. If you have no idea what I'm doing then it's either a good thing or a bad one. Typical of me, all I've been doing is placing all of the characters and setting them up for the end, as well as overall making sure none of them will be able to be where I don't want them to be, and only two characters are.

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Hollow steps taken on the metal and concrete roof echo for some time. Clive stood on the roof with the Hammer Fist equipped to his right arm as he looked to the roof to the north of him that had a skyway ramp coming from the floor below that stretched all the way up to the Hawthorne roof which was nearly fifteen floors higher. Looking back on the path to the Concord Medical Building that Ken had forced him on, it seemed to lead there.

Looking skyward he scratched his head. "That was all Ken had?" He wondered. It was too easy, but, Clive knew Ken Ninomara well, and "He was always so ill-prepared."

"But I was not this time around." Ken voices said as a new body landed on the roof shattering the roof and sending pieces aside as it landed. It had come from the Hawthorne building. The man's body was a beige or tan armor body, with a human head. It was Ken once more with an all-human face and a bush of brown hair on his head.

Clive watched him suspiciously as he stood. "Are you Ken, or a robot?"

"It was the Ken that you defeated that was the robot. I controlled his inferior body through my mind from Hawthorne Tower.

Clive scoff. "I had a feeling he wasn't real."

"Yes, well, let's pick right back up where we left off." Ken's left hand separates from his body and moved aside so that he could fire off an automatic weapon. The shots send Clive running once more as he dodges the attacks and lands on the near roof with the skyway ramp attached to it. Ken was quick to jump ahead and cut-off Clive. His left hand returned to normal. "Tell me how man is strong when he is reduced to fleeing? How strong is man when he falls right into my trap?" Ken let off a cackle as Clive stood tall with a stern face. "I will see you atop Hawthorne." With that Ken launched his body to the top of the nearby skyway ramp's glass roof. He paused before jumping up the fifteen-floor slope. Clive stood there for a moment before moving to find the entrance to the ramp.

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Within that building however there were only dark halls, but in one it was not silent. Adven had found a new place to settle as the tank drone threw his battered body to the ground once more. But just as his back had touched the floor Adven had already sprung back and flung his body at the automaton. "Surging Blitz!" He declared as he threw the double-fisted Surging Punch attack, knocking the tank drone backwards with a dent, but it still turns once more to attack him.

"Lion's Rage Punch!" Jet's attack shattered the same spot Adven had hit, breaking the drone's chest and causing it to erupt in flames as it backed away and exploded. Jet landed on the floor as Adven took a knee.

"About time you showed up." Adven scoffed.

"Well, I had ten other damsels in distress to save before you." Jet joked.

Sakura came to Adven to make sure he was fine, "Adven?"

"I'm okay," He replied as he kept her away from him with an outstretched hand. "But I ain't going to be able to find your father."

"And I'm too weak." Sakura replied as she thought over the situation. As much as she wanted to fight, she knew she couldn't or someone would die, and she did not want this person above all else to die. "Jet." She looked over to the gray-haired man. "Jet! You have to save my father. Please, Jet, promise me that you will."

"Okay, I promise." He nodded with a smile. "You two should get out of here and go to the SAND."

"The SAND?" Sakura wondered.

"That's Emilia's better name for the Second." Jet mused. It was in that moment that the halls shook with a moan that cried out into the darkness. Some of the emergency lights flickered and broke. "What was that?" He wondered.

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Floor below the three there was Virginia who tried her best to hold Samu up as the tremor fell away. Samu presses a button on the manual console, and then pulls back. "I've…set it…so…the building…will self-destruct…in…forty…minutes." He stated. "My…j-job…is done."

"No, don't say that." Virginia cried. "You still have my wedding to come to."

"V-Vi-Virginia…whatever…m-man you…have chosen…I know…I…would have…liked him."

"Save you-" She was cut off as she felt his body grow limp. "Oh, Samu." She whimpered as she let out her tears onto the fallen man in her arms.

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Well, I got rid of Samu. Don't worry about him again. That at least lowers the amount of characters to be looking after. Too many characters to pay attention to and I lose track of what's going on in stories. Of course, there aren't so many in this story, but whatever.

Plus, you should have realized that Ken wouldn't be dead. Like I would let the main villain to Book 12 die off so easily like that and have the whole thing go our hero's way.

Next Time: Rufus Riber and Emilia face off to the death.