Yippy another update. -

WARNING: Torment (does that count as a warning?) –

' Major!'

' Major!' he called again his tone becoming more frantic with worry. It had only taken him a few minutes to travel from the roof to the area where he first met the man, but it seemed like forever, his emotions running in two separate directions at once. Concern for Mokoto not answering him, combined with fear for her life, and then – him…it had to have been him… There was no way around it, no explanation; he was dead, wasn't he? So.., alike so… could it really be true? .

" Major!"

' Cut it out Batou.' Her weak and dazed voice hailed in a shaky tone over their connection.

He stopped dead in the Westward hallway, relived and sighing quietly.

' I thought you were in that explosion, ' He said a combination of relief and worry in his voice.

' I was.'

' Where are you?' his concern immediately elevated at that simple, weak statement. He advanced quickly towards the end of the hall clearly stained black from the bomb. Looking at what was once the stairwell, all he could see was blackness, thinning blackish brown smoke, and burnt remains of the lower level. An eerie sunlight barley filtered through the smoke haze onto the black, crumbling, and smoking remains.

' The kitchen'

" I am coming down!" He hollered and not giving a second thought to his safety or the stability of the wreckage below jumped down, the charred ruminates of stairwell, ceiling, and floor snapping under his enormous weight. To the left of his position the wall though missing a large section of itself still stood blackened. He could see into the partially burnt living room though it too was a destroyed mess but not from the explosion more like plain neglect and abuse then the bomb itself. Carefully he walked through the hole. In front of him now was the living quarters wall about 15 feet in front of him, it was hazed by the sun and had a faded light orange color to its surface. On his left was a closed door once a dark brown color partially repainted black by the bomb's heat. Stepping over debris he made his way so he stood in front of the half black door, it's existence clearly being smashed by the walls inclosing it. He rapped on it firmly but carefully, he didn't need that falling in and collapsing the complex too.

" You in there Major?" He called out.

' Yeah…' she responded over their net work, voice hadn't improved, ' you know, you could've just come the other way' she tried to joke but her voice still sounded tired and weak.

" You better not be near the door," he said waiting a few seconds before ripping it out of the doorframe. Thankfully the walls still held despite the force he applied. He walked into the kitchen area it still bore a heavy cloud of smoke, but nothing his eyes couldn't handle he switched his eye's viewing mode from normal to infer red searching for her body heat. She wasn't far; she was almost in front of him lying on the floor. He couldn't decide if hearing her voice like he had or seeing how little heat was in her was worse.

He carefully walked towards her, trying to not to catapult the various class shards, pots, and just plain debris her way. As he approached he knelt down beside her body.

" I'm here Major," he said clearly doing nothing to hide his worry, " can you walk?"

She didn't answer him right away, " Did you see who it was?" her voice sounded worse out of neural, " was it Togusa like you believed?"

He didn't want to think about him right now. Not now, " I don't know. Can you walk Major?"

Once again a pause from her, " Where there any computers?"

" Upstairs," he responded. He didn't like the fact she kept not answering him.

" Then get me up stairs," was all she said as she placed a cold hand onto his forearm. At that moment any thoughts of protest left his mind. He couldn't argue with her, he couldn't even make a joke. Feeling strange and numb he began to lift her up. She barley moved in his arms. For some odd reason he felt as though he should apologize to her for picking her up like this. He knew she wouldn't have ever allowed herself to be picked up like a practical baby. As he rose above the smoke and cautiously began to head out the way he'd came he then was able to see her damage, her face. She was looking at him with no pain, no fear, just a bizarre almost lifeless look as if she saw him but not quite. Her hair was disheveled and colored gray from the smoke pieces; small bits debris clung to her hair. Her normally doll like face cut and bruised. Her foram's where badly burned and her out fit was now gray with small cuts perforated her shirt and her pants. She had no knees, both her pants and her legs stopped just above where they should be. Red blood falling out from her soaking the tips of her pants a good inch up.

" Take me upstairs Batou." She said again her voice almost hollow sounding. He looked at her again. He wanted to tell her the computers could wait, that she needed a hospital. Her eyes didn't care. In away she wanted to figure this out…even if it killed her. He wanted to say no, he wanted to just run her to the hospital, but with her eyes on him like that he just couldn't. He tore his eyes away from her and looked up to the Western hall above.

" Hang onto me." Her grip barley tightened around his neck. He held back a pained sigh and leapt up. The landing was not soft as he knew it wouldn't be, he heard her suppressing a pained sound and waited a moment before moving once more.

" Why are you doing this Major?" He finally asked his voice somber almost flat as he moved down the hall.

" Because he's my chase," she responded.

" Is that the only reason?" He didn't look at her, " Tell me did Ishikawa really exchange this trip with you? Or did you plan this all along after I was given leave?"

" Don't tell me that's been knawling at you sense we landed," she laughed slightly.

" Before," he simply said turning the corner. She looked at the computers hearing their soft familiar hum.

" Patch me in," she ordered as sternly as she could given her current state.

He gently set her down near them and looked at her. Looking at her whole body as he did so he noticed how her left hand had only her thumb still attached. He shook his head.

" Major you have no barrier, it could be booby trapped."

She smiled slightly at that warning, " I've already been through one."

" I don't care - " He half shouted cringing slightly at how harsh his voice had sounded.

" I'm the best for this despite my condition. You aren't as fast or as good. I'm sorry, but that's how it is. If there is a barrier I'll break it, if there's a trap I'll just have to get through it, now patch me in." she growled looking at him with her strange eyes. He wondered if she was not partially blind as well…

" Fine. But you better not die on me," he said spinning around and digging through the desk drawers to find connecting wires. He found them in the bottom drawer tossed carelessly under papers.

" Which computer do you want?" He asked. Under different circumstances he'd just plug her into a computer, but he needed to know if she could see.

" How many are there?"

He knew it, " There are two one in front of me and one to my left."

" They should both be interconnected anyway. I doubt a hacker like this would just have two computers with no interconnection. Your pick," She said still staring at the same point on the floor.

He choose the one in front of him. He remembered the man was working at the one to the left.

" They could be booby trapped," He repeated linking the one end of the cord into the back of the computer, " He was working here when I rushed up."

" I'll be fine," She said her voice flat sounding almost as if she was trying to believe it herself.

" Major, you sure you want to do this?"

" Yes. I'd rather know I'm sure you would too."

" No. I mean THIS."

"…I'm better. Now stop it Batou and patch me in."

He had crossed the distance quickly letting wire out slowly from his right hand reaching her devastated form he let all of the wire drop but the plug and slowly reached around her neck.

" Be careful," He whispered to her as he plugged the end into her neck. She was silent, he pulled away from her. Red eyes now even emptier greeted him and he knew she was not with him here in mind. With no way to track her progress and no barrier to protect her all he could do now was wait and hope she'd find what they'd really come looking for.

- Hitting another lovely roadblock! … -
- Maybe you all can help… let's vote, a quick death or drawn out. What would you prefer? Oh and by death I'm not talking about the Major or any of the characters really I just mean in story wise you want it to end swift or slow? (I'm debating) -
- (Ya'know it kind of sounds funny if I think about that ah ah.) -