Disclaimer: See previous chapter

Chap. 26

"What? What do you mean?"

Diana, Elijah, and Baron were in the local hospital in the now-devastated city. The two male Ravens arrived after the battle after they had heard about what had happened to Koemai and gone to join Diana. It took them some time too, due to the fact that there were so many people that were injured in the battle. Diana seemed panicked as the doctor informed them of the situation. Panicked and upset.

"Don't take it the wrong way." the doctor continued quickly before she got too upset. "All I said was that it was a possibility. He's a Raven so I'm sure he's strong enough to pull through." He paused and his voice tone dropped. "But you have to accept the fact that it may be possible that the damage may be more severe than we can detect now. If that's the case, then his lower body functions will cease."

"He'll be crippled?" Elijah questioned.

"And as I've also said, that's a possibility. It's still to early to tell so you'll have to wait until tomorrow." Glancing down the hall at the other patients. "And he wasn't the only one hurt out there."

The trio became silent, hearing the possibility that their fellow Raven might be crippled because of this. It would have been more understanding if it had happened on a mission or during battle, but not like this. Not by accident.

"I would like to stay here." Diana said finally.

The doctor turned to her. "Well, I'm not sure..."

She cut him off. "Doctor, can you do anything right now?"

"Well, not until morning..."

"So in the meantime, he's safe as long as he stays in bed."

"Well, yes." he stammered. "But..."

"Then my presence here until that time wouldn't be getting in your way."

"Well, no, but..."

"Then I'll grab a seat and see you in the morning."

"But...I..."

Baron laughed as Diana silently entered the room and grabbed a nearby chair. "Forget it, doc. She's not going to take no for an answer."

"Very well." he conceded with a sigh. "I'll inform the orderlies and nurses."

Diana sat down right beside the unconscious form of her... What was he right now? They hadn't gotten back together yet. At least not officially. But she cared for him very much. That much she knew for sure.

'Koemai...' She reached over and held his hand softly in her own. 'We are so close. Please return to me.'

"Our victory is close, dark brother. Eliminating the two clans in their moment of weakness was excellent."

"Well, it should be. It was us that evoked the dread of the Blood Omen against the Majestic Force."

"They are fools. So into rituals and ceremony. They have no true concept of death."

"And Majestic Force was just as easy to manipulate. Their pride and ego were a far easier weapon to use against them."

"All that are left now are our rivals. Nightwatch."

"We should have attacked the ones that were there and reduce their numbers."

"No. They are our rivals for a reason. They can not be manipulated like the others."

"That still doesn't explain anything."

"They are our equals. At the very least, we should crush them when the stakes are right."

"Ah, Silent Line."

"Now you're catching on. Death will be present all around them. They will not stand a chance."

"Yes. Perfect."

"And I have a score to settle. One of their kin have evaded death once too many times. And Death is not one to be cheated."

"The Hand of God, Glaive. The Sword of Nightwatch."

"Yes. And amid Silent Line, he and all of his kin will face his fate at the end of my scythe."

"Death. The only way out."

Leaving Diana alone with Koemai, Baron and Elijah left the hospital. But while Baron seemed impassive, Elijah had a deep scowl on his face. At reaching the outside, Elijah finally released his frustration and pounded his fist in the wall. It obviously hurt, but that only fueled his unknown irritation. Baron stopped short at seeing this.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Where is he?" the young Raven growled. "All this crap going on and Cain is still missing."

Baron shrugged. "Well, he probably has his reasons. What does it matter anyway?"

Elijah blinked and turned to his comrade. "What do you mean?"

"We are all Ravens. Even if we are a clan, we still have to look out for numero uno." He folded his arms. "You don't need a recluse Raven to take care of you like a baby, right?"

Elijah blinked. Come to think of it, he was a Raven before he even met Cain. True, Cain had trained him to be better, but he was still his own man. He did whatever he wanted.

"Right. No, you're absolutely right. I've been thinking about this too hard." He slapped Baron on the shoulder. "I'm going to get a drink. You want to come?"

"Can't. Remember the city is being locked down until the damages are minimized?"

"Damn!"

"Both Majectic Force and Blood Omen are gone. Now only we remain."

Ellie and Charles regrouped after the devestation of the city by the two former clan. During that time, the two had been doing a little recon work to determine their situation as well as the change of the balance of power.

"Nightwatch and the Death Dealers." Ellie said from her terminal. "If anything, this will sure be dramatic."

Charles was standing by a windowsill in the hanger. "We'll meet them at Silent Line."

Ellie looked up. "What makes you say that?"

"Because that's just what they want." he said without turning away. "Otherwise, they would have attacked you and the other out there. Their objective was to take out the two remaining clans and leave us as the last."

Though technically not the two clans, Nightwatch and Death Dealers were the two higest ranked clans. The others below we either clans just forming or groups of Ravens that worked together loosely, but were really considered a true clan.

"A showdown?"

"Yep." Charles grinned thoughtfully. "And what better place and prize that Silent Line?"

"I see." Ellie looked back and her console. "As I said, dramatic."

Charles finally moved away from the window. "We'll have to get everyone prepped and ready."

"That may be a problem." Ellie replied. "Koemai was hospitalized and Cain is still missing. That's two Ravens down."

The lead Raven folded his arms. "We'll just have to hope they come back in time. But if not, we have to be ready to go without them."

Ellie stopped in her work and shot her head up at him. "What? We can't do that."

"Why not?" Charles said passively.

The raven-haired woman narrowed her eyes. "Fighting clan for clan is understandable. But when you're two men short, chances of survival drop a good several degrees below."

Charles turned around until his side was facing her. "If it comes down to that, then we may have to just make a break for it."

Ellie blinked. "Run?"

Charles shook his head. "I'd rather not consider it just yet." He turned around to her. "We still have time. Let's just hope the Hands of God return."

Ellie nodded, but made no reply.

In the hill overlooking the city, a single figure stood alone looking down. His eyes widened as he examined the damage.

'What has happened?'

The sharp eyes of the viewer soon looked over to the wasteland, viewing the rubble and the virtual carcasses of ACs. His eyes widened again at the machine designations. Mobius and Cursed One... 'Those are two top Ravens. What the hell happened here?' The figure's head lowered. 'I was only gone a short time and this happens?' Yet he knows that this...was the just the beginning...of the end.