Ch. 2: An Impossible Test
"So you fought them all?" the Chief asked.
Marcia nodded. "They were very strong commanders, and all of them use illegal parts. It was difficult and we would've lost if not for Mike."
The 3 bounty hunters had been talking with the Chief, Roy, and Mira in the Chief's office. Sergei was off on duty and Linda was on her way to headquarters. Harry was partially disappointed when he found Linda wasn't there already, but he still gave his view of the report.
Mira spoke after. "Well, this would probably prove that there were survivors after Rahu's first attack."
"Wait one sec', Harry said, couldn't they be a separate group from "Z"?"
Everyone looked at him. "A separate group? Mira asked, but "Z" was defeated and Rahu is gone. I don't see how it fits."
"Mira, we didn't truly destroy Rahu," Mike said.
"That's right, Marcia cut in, Rahu was only defeated. It's still out there. Mike's watch was the one thing that kept it from attacking us for now since it erased its memory."
"This makes me suspicious, Roy said, it took hundreds of years for Rahu to return last time. Could it have gotten too strong for the device to wipe it memory completely?"
"And consider how only "Z" began the making of illegal parts, Harry reminded.
"No Harry, Mike intervened, the Ray Legend was illegal and was already build in the dome sometime when Custom Robos were first built."
The talk of Rahu and the group the hunters encountered went on for ages, posting theories and possibilities, each one more unlikely than the last. Afternoon turned to evening and they were still going at it. Linda had joined them as well, and Harry was all over her with questions and comments. She took it rather well, but Mike and Marcia only sighed for most of it, and Roy had to keep telling him off.
Finally, it all ended; at least, the talk. "Well, you can go home for now, the Chief said, but Mike, could I ask you to spare some extra time with us?"
He nodded and Harry grunted. Why is it always Mike? He thought, why not me for once?
"Harry, let's go," Marcia said.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming." They both left, leaving Mike with the rest of the Class-S commanders behind him.
"Follow us Mike," Linda said. Mike didn't know about where to follow. He knew the station as well as any officer since he became Class-S; he didn't think he would need direction from anyone.
They led him to the testing room in the back, where he faced the simulation of Rahu to attain his Class-S license. The Chief faced him.
"We've prepare another test for you here, he said, go inside and take it. I don't expect you to pass, but do the best you can."
Don't expect me to pass? Mike thought, What's he talking about? I've been able to pass any test so far, so I'm sure I can take this one. "What is the test?"
"You'll see once you take it," Mira said.
Mike expressed his confusion, but he walked into the room and the door shut behind him.
When he walked up to the computer, he turned it on and it presented its test. Mike dived, ready to face whatever was coming.
Ray 01 burst open from the cube, and Mike suddenly felt dread. He knew this holosseum: the Lost World, where he and his friends defeated Rahu's final form. Now he understood what the Chief meant. He must be facing Rahu, alone.
He looked at his weaponry, the Rayfall Gun, the Freeze Bomb, the Reflection Pod, and Stabilizer Legs. This was probably one of his best formations, but he doubted that he could win.
Then he saw it. In the center of the arena, a Robo that seemed to appear like a dinosaur; it was red and silver in color, and very clean looking. Rahu! He thought, And in it's final form! How does can everyone expect me to win this test?
He didn't have time for an answer because Rahu had spotted him and fired his Grand Cross Bomb. Ray 01 jumped forward, knowing that it was a spread out bomb. Then he aimed his Rayfall and shot at Rahu with a rapid fire gatling effect, but Rahu jumped up and flew away. Ray 01 continued firing, and when Rahu was about to land, he launched his Freeze Bomb and it hit dead on.
The blow wasn't strong enough, and Rahu jumped out of the dust cloud, firing his gun. Ray 01 knew this would be tough to dodge, but he managed it pretty well. Rahu fired a second round, but again Ray 01 evaded. Rahu roared out and launched its Penumbra Pods which started moving towards Mike.
Ray 01 countered with 2 Reflection Pods and fired his gun at one of the Penumbras. They all exploded as the shots and Pods connected, but he noticed that Rahu was speeding up to him. He changed the blast for the Freeze into a power blast and shot Rahu 4 times with 4 purple obstructions from the nozzle. None of them seemed to really affect Rahu and it again fired its gun. Being too close, Mike got hit by 3 of the many shots and was knocked down. As he tried to get up, Rahu closed in and charged him. Ray 01 was blown back far and took a heavy amount of damage. Since Rahu couldn't control itself from its charge, Mike tried to use this as an opportunity. His Robo fell back down, but his willpower brought him back up in time.
Rahu's charge was finished and Ray 01 jumped, firing the Rayfall and the Freeze Power Bomb simultaneously. Rahu was finally showing signs of weakness, but they were barely slim. Countering with the Grand Cross and its gun, Rahu took to the air. Ray 01 got hit again by the gunshots and fell. The Grand Cross missed again, but it didn't matter. Mike was about to run out of power and he couldn't keep fighting.
Darn, this isn't good, he thought, I'm finished, but I'm not giving up yet! He gathered his power for one more futile attempt to bring Rahu down, but Rahu was already charging at him. Ray 01 ran to the side, avoiding the charge, and fired his last Reflection Pod at Rahu. As soon as it hit, he blasted away with his bomb and gun, using every bit of power he had left.
At last the strain became too much for him and he fell flat on the true grass, tired. When he looked up, Rahu was standing there, still almost perfect.
No, it can't be. Mike's eyes closed and Rahu blasted him directly with the gun, destroying the Robo.
Mike was back and on one knee, panting in numerous quantities. He couldn't believe it. He finally lost a battle for the first time in his life, and it was against the most powerful Robo in existence.
What kind of test was that, he thought, I'd have to endure hell itself before Rahu would ever bow down to my feet.
He tried getting up, but the strain was too great for him and he couldn't rise. It was just a test, and yet, it seemed to have been so real. The pain was real; his exhaustion was passed average of a normal fight; the facts could not be avoided after this.
If the chief and the others were so sure that he couldn't pass the test, why did they give it to him like this? Mike knew well enough that even an insane man would know not to fight Rahu in one of its greatest forms like the 3rd.
After a few minutes, Mike finally regained the strength to stand, and was only able to limp to the automatic door. As it opened, he saw the chief standing there. Everyone else was gone.
"W-what happened to the others?" Mike asked.
"They've left so I could talk with you about this personally. First and foremost, did you pass?"
Mike glared at him as if he were mad. "Well what would you think? Of course I didn't pass that test! I mean, who can alone? You know well enough that Rahu's evolutionary forms can't be defeated alone! Why did you make me take such a cursed impossible task? I want some decent answers this time chief! I was nearly beaten to death by that test! Now I'm just lucky to be alive with only being tired!" Every bit of his voice was flowing with anger and fury, and his face was gruesome.
The chief only sighed. "If you weren't put to such an oblivious event, I would never have tolerated that kind of foul tone. Now, as for the reasons on the test: considering how you are still the greatest commander alive, we believed that you could be trained to overcome feats which are thought to be impossible. The first was the tournament as you recall, and you were able to secure every gold trophy from every challenge we presented to you. As you know, it forced us to create the brand new tournament battle for you exclusively."
"You mean where you all used the power in Rahu's chamber," said Mike.
The chief nodded. "That was the second of our tests that we presented to you, and even that couldn't push you back. So we decided to provide you with the greatest challenge of all: and that is to defeat Rahu and destroy it completely."
Mike was listening intently for his next speech. It came after a short pause. "Rahu as I told you is not gone. It still lives, and we must find a way to keep it at bay if not destroy it. That's why we held the tournament, but I told you of this already. However, Rahu could possibly grow too strong for us if we give it the time. So we gave you the test in hopes that you could provide us a way to finish Rahu once and for all."
Mike was bewildered. "Me? Just me? What about Harry and Marcia?"
The chief shook his head. "Both of them are strong commanders, but neither can match or even rival your natural talent and skill. No other commander has been able to do so either. You are the only one who had a chance to stop Rahu forever.
"The reason I have you take the test alone is because you are the only one who could possibly endure Rahu's wrath, he continued, Rahu's power is too much for any other commander to handle. Harry and Marcia are the only ones who might still have a chance to stand up to it, but we don't want to take any risks. If we didn't know that you could Mike we wouldn't have dared to attempt this."
Mike was astounded by how special he was becoming, but he still didn't believe it was possible. "How could you tell that I could?"
"Linda's research. Because of your great mental focus and physical stand-point, you alone can face Rahu without the fear of death. I must say though that when Roy heard the news, he was very jealous." He laughed at the memory and Mike chuckled. He knew how much Roy envied his skill and hated Harry.
The chief continued. "Marcia and Harry are also very strong in each, but their mental focus is not strong enough to sustain the strain they would have to endure if they would face Rahu alone. Because you all fought together in the last battle, Rahu could not do anything passed knocking you all out if you had lost. I don't know how it would turn out if they fought without you against Rahu I'm afraid."
Mike regained a calm composure. "So chief, will I have to take this test again?"
"No, not unless you wish it. After all, I can only ask you to do it; I can't force you."
Mike was about to speak again when the chief raised his hand to stop him. "If you want any technical details on Rahu, Linda is the one to ask, not me. Today, she is at work again, so it may be difficult to set an appointment. Actually, it's nearly impossible to set an appointment considering how busy she is."
"Well I'll try at least, and I guess I'll go and get some rest now."
"Yes, after what just happened you should."
Mike bowed and walked to the door before the chief spoke again. "Hold for a moment. I don't want you to tell anyone else about this test, alright?"
Mike looked surprised. "Not even Harry and Marcia?"
"They can be told, but no one else. Not Ernest either Mike. I'll tell him when he's ready. If you speak of this, people will start demanding to take the test for themselves, and likely won't care if it causes them death. We can't let this happen."
"Does Sergei know about this?"
"Yes he does. All the Class-S commanders except for Ernest should know. Now go on home and get some rest."
"Yes sir." Mike walked out of the room to the hall and left the building. He passed by the Hub Park to see how it was, and observed the normal life that always transpired. Mary was having another date with a boy; both of them sitting on the bench. He recalled how she had set up 2 dates at the same time and then the 2 boys fought for it. Well, hopefully she doesn't try something like that again.
"You're still out at this hour Mike?"
He whipped around to see that Marcia had snuck up behind him. Her hair was still in the 2 long pigtails, and because there was never a breeze, it never swayed in the dome. Her clothes didn't show any change either; she was the same old Marcia he'd always known.
Mike walked up to her. "Yeah, I had to go through something that took awhile. It wasn't very fun and barely helpful."
Marcia eyed him. "What is it you're not telling me?"
She received a long sigh from him as he turned to the sky. "I had to fight in a simulation against Rahu."
Marcia blinked. "So? We all fought in that simulation."
"No, this one is different. The chief and the others managed to create a computer test against Rahu in its last form; the form all 3 of us had to fight. This time, I took it on by myself."
It didn't surprise Mike when Marcia took a step back. "Did you win?"
"No, of course not. They didn't even expect me to win either."
"Then why would they make you do it?"
To find out a way to finish Rahu once and for all. The chief told me that I could stand against Rahu without dying if I were by myself. The test I took was true proof of that. After I was finished, I was out of energy and couldn't stand."
"Are you sure you should be saying this?"
"The chief told me you and Harry can know. Ernest can't however, and no one else either."
Marcia began to think. "Why couldn't we all take it?"
"According to the chief, Linda's research shows that you and Harry still don't have the proper mental strength to withstand Rahu to prevent death. So if either of you took the test, you would not likely live to tell about it. Of all the commanders out there, I'm the only one who has a chance."
He could do nothing more than watch Marcia frown in disappointment. Then he changed the subject. "Well, I'm going to check in with Ernest and head home. I'm still tired."
Marcia looked up at him. "Okay then, just get enough sleep so you're ready for tomorrow."
Mike nodded and ran off to the office, as Marcia watched him go and frowned. Oh Mike. Even now, you still seem so far.
Mike didn't even bother to talk to Lucy as he returned, except a small "hi, I'm back" that was moderate. He entered his room and slumped on the bed.
From the strange men from the Park and the simulation test with Rahu III, everything was clumping into his conscious. "Who where they?" he wondered out loud. Using illegal parts was quite a surprise for a bunch who would have no problems. Illegal parts, the Z Syndicate, Ray Legend and Ray Warrior, Rahu...Rahu! They must be after Rahu! Then they must be the Z Syndicate! I'd better tell everyone tomorrow.
He was too excited to sleep and it gave him some time to think. He recalled his father and his goals. Marcia told me I should be thinking more of him, but what is there to know now? All I know is that he was betrayed by the new "Z" leaders. Could there have been more? Father...
He fell asleep at last, and didn't stir throughout the night.
Volk was wandering the corridor; it seemed to be the most interesting thing for him to do. But it wasn't just for a casual walk. He was still thinking about his battle with Marcia and marveled at her great abilities.
She knew how to fight in a true battle; she knew what to do in times of danger. Everything about her seemed to impress him. He remembered her blue, long hair and the outfit. It suits her well for someone of her ability and beauty, he thought, and now that I think about it, she does pose a striking resemblance to someone else. Who was it?
I suppose I'll just have to find out myself. He went over to a horizontally bolted steel door and nodded to the guard. "I'm leaving. Give this to the leader."
"Of course sir Volk," the guard answered and allowed him passage. Volk turned the knob to the right of the door and the bolts retracted. He then pushed a button next to it and the door opened to reveal the ruin of the outside world. He glanced at the amusement park in the distance and grinned while stepping out into the cold breeze that caught his long silver hair. I'm coming my dear.
Marcia was sitting on her bed. Since Sergei had returned, they had been sleeping in the same room, but on separate beds next to each other. Normally, Marcia would sleep with him in the past, but she had grown stronger over time and finally got use to sleeping by herself.
Sergei entered with Marcia glancing at him. Even when he returned to work, he still wore his mask over his head, even when getting home. He only took it off to eat and sleep, and not at others' homes. She didn't like how he continued to hide from everyone, but he thought it would be better. "So how was work?"
"Nothing to problematic. Simple business in truth. When I got back to headquarters I learned about what happened to you guys."
Marcia smiled. "It was not an easy job this time. Sergei, do you know if there is another group from "Z" that we haven't encountered?"
Sergei thought for a moment. "I believe so. I'm not very sure if that could be the case."
"Do you know anyone by the name of Volk?"
At the sound of the word, Sergei brightened. "Yes I did. He was a good friend of mine back in the day of "Z" when our leader, Mike's father, was still alive. Like me, he had great loyalty to him. When our leader fell ill, another man left "Z" with a group of loyalists to him, including Volk. I remained behind to thwart Oboro's and Eliza's plans to gain Rahu. They knew that they couldn't defeat them because of their level, so they left to grow stronger. They refused to bow down to either of them after our leader died."
"But, if you knew about them, why didn't you tell us?"
"I had forgotten over time, I'm afraid. But now that we know, we should tell the others tomorrow."
Marcia nodded and Sergei walked over to his bed. Then he turned around. "Did something happen Marcia?"
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't try me. I didn't forget that face when something happened to you."
Marcia blushed. Her brother could still read her like an open book without any problems. At least he never forgot. "I don't really know right now."
Sergei examined her expressions, but to no avail. "Well, get some sleep for now. We still have things to do tomorrow."
He rolled to the side on the bed and removed his mask, but his face was facing the wall. Marcia didn't need to see it. She was sure she knew what it looked like; he was her brother. She went to sleep and dreamt. They were likely good, because she smiled.
So I'll end this chapter here. Yeah, nothing very major, and the next will likely give our heroes a small break, or rather, a completely different case to go through. I don't plan on going into the main problem too quickly, otherwise this story would be only a few chapters. Oh right, and in the next chapter, there will be a new model of a Robo that I created. Watch out for it. So please read and review, and don't forget to send me your favorite formations you would like me to add!