It's only been what? Two months short of a year?

I really do apologize to those of you who have read this story from its shaky start to the dragging end. I want to do this story justice and give it the end it needs… But… with my senior year of high school, working, college stuff, and my parent's divorce this last year has really sucked for my writing. I refused to rush this ending to make up for it.. So I guess I'll continue dragging these ending out until then. Later I'll go back and join chapters 18 through 20 when I am done… or just 19 and 20 which ever I feel like doing.

But I figured after waiting so long I owed you guys something…. So enjoy what I have gotten down.

Chpt. 18 For the Strength You Gave Us

"Dragonslayers! Advance!" Dilandau shouted over the intercom as he gripped down on the controls of the Alseides. He could hear the other generals as orders were being shouted off. They had surrounded the Celtic army, giving them no chance of an escape. Over head, long range crima claws flew through the air as the archer units stayed behind the moving main force. Over the open com, Dilandau could hear Celena rambling out coordinates were the next wave would fly over. Now he was sort of glad the Ocuswind was a long ranged melef. His sister would be out of most of the danger as long as Celtic didn't break the lines. Not much time passed since orders were given to move out when the clashed with Celtic's first wave of left over guymelefs. The king of Celtic had kept most of them, only giving the late prince an eighth of the units. However most of the ground soldiers were gone. This was why this battle would be done with guymelefs mostly. This was actually a saver of all the ground units that sometimes got crushed under the feet of their giant comrades.

"Miguel, Viole take the left flack along with third string! Dallet, Guimel the right with second!" Shesta yelled over the intercom as Dilandau braced his unit as an enemy guymelef took a swipe at him. The lower ranked slayers followed the orders without hesitation, their designated leaders taking full command as they engaged. A few minutes later the Skylar's voice came on yelling at someone for there stupidly and not paying attention. Jyle's and Deamor's voices followed shouting orders, the chaos of the open com was always a nuisances. Dilandau ignored them as he concentrated on the battle unrolling before him. The Celtic soldiers kept on coming at him no matter how many he destroyed. It was idiotic to fight blindly and not have some tactic. At the rate they kept coming, this battle would be over before anyone really had a chance to think. Hopefully, that meant he would get a chance to find 009 before they could use her. Dilandau gripped down harder on the controls. The cold water around him rippled from the after shock of a crima claw being released. Yes, he would make sure that didn't happen, he had to make sure to keep Skylar from doing what he said. The man would keep his word, Dilandau knew that all two well.

"What the fuck!" Deamor's voice pulled the silver haired commander out of his trail of thought and back to the world around him. "When did Celtic get a hold of Zaibach melefs!"

"What?" Dilandau flicked on his com link to allow him to partake in the conversation on the open link. Though, it seemed that he did it at the same time as the others giving him a large amount of feed back.

"T-there's a gray melef over here! Its got a stealth cloak and everything but I don't recognize the model!" Deamor's voice came again, but it seemed rasp as if the boy was having troubles. "Damn this kid is-" The com link went silent.

"Deamor?" Skylar's voice came on.

"Hey, Demon Clan! Respond!" Jyle's voice followed. "Can any of you pick them up?"

"No, the only ones I can hear are our units..." Dilandau said as he played with the intercom trying to get a signal while at the same time pay attention to the battle in front of him. "Did they get wiped?"

"Couldn't have-"

"Dilandau!" Celena's voice shouted suddenly, cutting off Skylar. "I can see them, Deamor is engaged with the gray unit. Their com system must be getting interference. There are two other units like that one. A black one in sector six and there's a white one still in the base camp."

"Where the hell did they come from...?" Jyle cursed.

"That's not all, Dilly..."

"What else is there-" Celena didn't need to answer. The loud roar of an anger dragon was enough. Dilandau looked in the direction of the enemy's base camp to see the black Isponal dragon rise up into the air. Fire seemed to be blazing out among the tents. Several expositions followed the dragon's call of death as it circled the camp once before taking higher into the air. "Rei..."

xXxXxXxXx

It was amazing how fast the peaceful rocky plains could become the center of a bloody battle. Over the horizon, the losing battle raged on. Flames moved a crossed the battling guymelefs as they danced their dance of death. A smile graced her face as she watched from what was still a safe distance away from it all. Soldiers ran about behind where she sat on her wooden throne. They were what was left of Celtic's once proud foot soldiers. Now all they could do was stand back and watch the guymelef units. That and protect their old king. She laughed slightly as her now white eyes looked to the man standing next to her. There was no emotion on the empty, dead face. Not that any of them knew that. O no, now the king was a perfect puppet. She had complete control over him. Though even with the heat of high noon cooling off, the dead flesh was going to start to smell. Hopefully by then the Zaibach army would be invading the base camp. Yes, they would come into the trap laid out for them; she smiled as she looked to the burning horizon. The other two should be engaged now, 003 would be returning before to long. If 004 followed she would deal with him. The fool was being to rash, but he had been corporative. She shifted her eyes to the only guymelef that remained here. The sun light danced over the white exterior. It stood up gracefully, which scared some of the soldiers who stood guard around it. Moving it had become so natural now, she barely had to concentrate on it and it would move at her will. Yes, this was what Zaibach had wanted back then, the ability to control a metal creature without a pilot inside. This way the lost of life was less and there could be more melefs made. Except, she no longer had much movement in her own body, this was the price she had to pay. Blue hair fell over her face as she watched the deadly machine move. Claws slid out with ease, and retracted. The melef had never been designed to hold a pilot, so it was over equip since there was no need of room cockpit. A gray cannon slipped out from underneath the "lips" of the melef and retracted as she continued a weapons check. Shame she couldn't test them out, but that would mean killing a few Celtic soldiers. She couldn't have them figuring out what was happening like their king had. They had to keep up this little play just for some time more.

"Stop her! Don't let her near-" There was a scream. Voices were yelling, shouting orders along with voices of panic and death. Vickie snapped her head to the side to see a few soldiers running away, fear written in their faces before a blur of white and red engulfed them. She moved so quickly, not sparing a moment to make an art of what she was doing. The she-demon tore at the limps and bodies of the soldiers with a long sword of hers and a small dagger. Feathered wings fluttered slightly to keep the she-demon some what in the air in case she had to take off if needed. Blood dripped steadily from were the wings came out of her back. A few minutes later, there was an explosion behind her. The force almost knocked Vickie out of her chair. Wood flew about, fire had spread into the tents that had been behind her that held supplies of black powder that was going to be used in the cannons that were set up.

"The fool..." the words left her mouth as she watched the she-demon. The dead king moved around to the opposite side of where he had been, drawing his sword. She could not fight but that didn't means he had no defense. The puppet would work fine for this. A head went flying throw the air as the she-demon ripped it off of one the soldiers before turning around to face the dead king. There was a rapturous outcry as it sent the dagger flying through the air and struck its target in the neck. The dead king's body wavered slightly from the force but it did not fall. The blood red eyes of the she-demon blinked as if confused before it screeched and ran forward. The two swords clashed again and again. Though, Vickie would soon find it hard to control the dead puppet of hers. Joints in the dead king's body had stiffened, which made the dead thing not very agile. She missed the block, and the she-demon sliced off the Celtic's king's head. It jumped back to watch it's prey fall, but when it just rose it's sword again the she-demon growled. The growl sounded so much like a dragon or some sort of beast lusting for blood. The growl continued as the she-demon ran in again, cutting away at the rest of the limps until the dead body fell to the ground. The she-demon kicked at the body and snorted. There was no pleasure in killing something that was already gone. Picking up its dagger, the she-demon tuned its attention to the only living thing left. Vickie didn't flinch away as the she-demon walked slowly towards her. There was a grim look on its face; blood lingered in the long locks of white hair. The wings of the she-demon rippled slightly as they were folded down. "It was not our wish to do it here. Your wrath should be on the one's who created us. 004 was a fool to do it here."

"..." There was no response form the she-demon as she stopped a ways away from her. The sword in its hand wavered a bit as it pointed it down. The deep throated growl returned as the red-eyes settled on her.

"But, if it must be here. I will not let your wrath be wasted..." The she-demon lunged forward, nut didn't make it very far as an invisible force knocked her back. The dagger flew through the air and smacked into the wood of her throne not to far from her head. The she-demon spate as it fell to its knees, thrashing about. The sword chattered to the ground when the she-demon let go to it, hands flying to its neck to tare at the invisible force that held onto it. Bloody wings flapped as the she-demon tried to take to the air. Another invisible force knocked it back down onto the ground. It was then the she-demon stopped, wings halted half spread again to take to the air. One hand rested on its neck, blood dripping slowly from the scratch marks. The she-demon's eyes lay focused on the blue haired woman. Turmoil raged in the still form. Vickie smiled slightly; the beast was under her control for the time being. "I never truly thought I would have the honor of seeing you again, demon of nightmares. We all thought for the longest time, that you have been lost. Buried to far underneath that fake shell to resurface. Though, I do not know whether this meeting should be counted as a blessing or a curse." She turned away from the she-demon to look out onto the raging battle field.

"For someone who's about to die, you're awfully calm about it..." Her head snapped back around to look at the she-demon. Nothing had changed, the beast had not moved. It didn't even look as if the creature had just spoken. She must have been hearing things, a reflection of her own thoughts. The she-demon couldn't have been the one, the ability to vertically communicate; any type communication was not possible in this state. Doom's Day brought out the creature trapped in its human shell to the fullest. Simple human abilities were lost to it; all the beast could understand was its own instincts. And yet... "Surprised are we, white eyes?"

"How?"

"Will fear take you as well?" The she-demon mocked, a crude smiled appeared on its face. Struggling again to stand, the red eyes did not move from her. "Why do you keep me trapped? You can not deny your fate. Death is a glories thing that only I can bring." There was an odd chuckle as the she-demon was knocked back down to the rocky ground. "Temper... You wish my wrath upon others. And yet you do not seem to understand. All will feel it, I lust for it. Blood... Death... Fire... All will stain these grounds until my hunger is feed."

"You will stay put..." The grip she held on the she-demon tightened. There was a sharp growl as the beast scratched at its neck. "The fool must have under dosed the drug. Moron can't even do that right." The beast stopped after a few minutes gasping for air. "There is no point, you can't break free."

"A..." There was another chuckle, the cruel smiled returned on the she-demon's face. "I remember this... There is a smell that lingers on you. So old, so faded... but still lingering...Madoushi..." The chuckle came again as the red eyes shifted away from her upon her wooden throne to the battle field and then back to her again. With what little control she had over her dying body, Vickie tightened her hands on the arm rest that the sound of that name. Where was 003?

"I am like you... You were the one who freed me..." Calmly she spoke maybe some remembrance would keep the she-demon still. "Will your blood lust have you kill something you freed?"

"All will fell my wrath..." The she-demon repeated. The cruel smiled that once graced its blood covered lips faded away. The sounds of battle seemed to be forgotten as the world around them was set aside. There were no more words as one projected studied the other. The steady hot wind ruffled the blood stained wings that were partially folded. The chest of the she-demon rose and fell, the sounds of the struggled breathes were the only thing that really stood out against the sounds of battle. Vickie frowned as she watched the she-demon. For something that was supposed to be a perfect weapon, it was easy to contain. Maybe the reports had been a lot more exaggerated then they had thought. The calm look on the she-demon started to slide into a look of boredom. As if it was in control here, that it matter not that in a single second, a single thought its neck could be snapped in half. There was a look of calculation in the blood red eyes. A berserker was not supposed to be like this. Berserkers went into battle head on, without a plan. There was no well done thought into their movements, no planning, nothing. And yet something here was... Vickie narrowed her white eyes on the bored face of the she-demon that was slowly becoming empty and emotionless. This berserker was planning, over more calculative. The only thing that seemed to bring this creature in line with other berserkers was its strength. Could this project, then, truly be called a berserker? There as a twitch of movement as the she-demon tried to move. The invisible hold tightened even more.

"You WILL not move..."

"I can see that..." There was a growl in its throat as it spoke. "I won't get close enough... But there are more then on way..."

"To do what, she-demon?" The cruel smile appeared again, Vickie was really starting to wish she could just snap the damn things neck. She was becoming unease by the look on the creature's face. How long was it going to take you, Will?

"Many ways..." the she-demon said again, not answering the question. The breeze that had been forgotten blew a crossed the rocks, the heat burned at her cold skin. Vickie watched, not realizing what was happening as the wind tossed about the she-demons braid. The white hair tainted with locks covered in blood tossed about in the breeze that slowly fainted away only to return again. Each time the breeze died it came back faster, and stronger. Like the beating... of wings. The realization of what the she-demon was doing had come too late. The calm look, the empty expressions were all signs of it and Vickie hadn't seen it happening. The beast was calling to her dragon, which was now responding. All of her attention then turned away from the calm, silent she-demon to her guymelef. The large, white armor turned too slowly at its puppet master's call. A thunderous roar burned in the air as the sleek black dragon fell through the sky down upon her white guymelef. Pain shot up through her shoulder as the dragon sank its teeth into the armor plate of the guymelef's shoulder.

"N-no!" Vickie cried out she released all control over anything around her. Focusing her mind upon the white giant as it thrashed about trying to knock the dragon off. Her body thrashed about as well, pain shot up along the limps she had no control over. The shoulder cracked as the bone within was crushed to pieces, blood poured down soaking into her shirt as the skin was shredded by an invisible force. The black Isponal dragon tore at the white guymelef, ripping up the plated armors. The guymelef was unable to shake the dragon off and thus could not attack it. Soft foot steps moved over the rocky ground towards the wooden throne in which Vickie was thrashing about in until the useless body of hers was pinned up against it. The white Guymelef lay broken and pinned on the ground. The dagger that had been embedded into the wood was yanked out by a bloodied tan hand. Gasping for breath through the pain that coursed through her body, she turned her head slightly to see the she-demon standing there. With the dagger turning in her hand, it looked out over to the white guymelef and the black dragon then out to the fires of the other battle that played out before them.

"So many..." The blade of the dagger cut into the she-demons hand as it turned, for the beast was holding it wrong. "All will feel my wrath... For those who seek me for a tool do not understand. I am the beast, untouched, untamed. There is nothing I fear, death is a blessing I will seek." The dagger was tossed into her bleeding left hand. The right dropped to the she-demon's side as she spoke again. "But, death is also the curse...that is rendered by me. "The she-demon's hand flexed as it slammed the dagger back into the wood.

xXxXxXx

"Damn it!" Deamor gripped down on the guymelef control. This was crazy, since when did Celtic ever have these kinds of melefs? The guymelef moved so quickly it seemed impossible. There was no way that someone could pilot a large machine like that. The pilot had to know all the moves his enemy was going to make before they knew themselves. It didn't help him that none of his men could hear his orders. They were all fighting blindly without any strategy. Whatever was blocking their intercom link was strong. Even the short distance radio wasn't working. The only times that there was a good signal was if he was right on top of his men. But even then it wasn't strong enough to get more then a muffled word or static. The damn radar was on the fritzes as well. There was no way to tell how many were around them, and if the other units were coming to their aid. Liquid metal dripped from his melef's right arm. The bastard had sliced the damn thing in half. So all he had left was the left arm, which was just great, Deamor was right handed not left. At the rate this was going, he was on the loosing end of the whole thing. He was loosing to much liquid metal, and without that, there was no way to form a weapon. "Bastard! Stop moving!"

xVxVxVxVx

"Piece of cake... Zaibach, you're embarrassing yourself with these kinds of soldiers..." He laughed mockingly as he sliced away at the poor Zaibach units. Silver hair fell in front of his eyes as they darted about from one melef to the next. They were all in disarray. With all the Celtic units gone they should be able to handle one enemy unit without breaking a sweat. They out numbered him by seven or well, now it was by four. He smiled as he quickly retracted the long crima claws from the three units he just rammed through. They must be making the shells of these melefs with a lighter metal now in days. How much he had missed the battle field. For to long had they been hiding from the eyes of the madoushi, from the cursed Zaibach Empire, but now, now Zaibach would reap the rewards it had sown. They would see why they should not have missed with the natural course of nature. They will experience first hand the destruction, the raw power of their creations as it is released among them. His eyes glanced at the small timer that sat by his head, the numbers counted down steadily. It was getting close to the time that he would have to abandon the battle field. The low douse that he had given the she-demon would take slightly more time to work but the ending effect should be the same.

"Kaji..." A cool, annoyed voice came on his intercom. The only one that would work through his jammers. He did not respond to the call as he sliced off the arm of the Zaibach commander's unit. There was a slight crackle from the com. "I know you can hear me..." Silence continued to be his answer to Will, as he rammed a claw through another unit. Three left. "Don't think your silence will help you. Vickie is dead..."

"001 was going to die anyways... So what?"

"We were all in this together, 004."

" Together? Ha!" He laughed as he slowly tore another melef unit to pieces. "Only in the ending result..."

"You won't be leaving this battle alive, 004. No one will be..."

"Well then..." Kaji launched a single claw into one of the two units that were left before turning to the commander's unit. "We will just have to see about that then..." A claw sank unto the units chest, water poured down along the claw. He had enough time to withdraw both of them as the warning systems' began to go off. "Yes, we'll just have to see..."

xXxXxXx

Why were they all coming at him? Didn't they get it already? Dilandau slammed his controls down hard as he maneuvered around the enemy unit's attack before lodging a claw in its side. The black dragon had fallen out of his view for some time now, but he could still hear its chilling roar. He had to find her, to stop her, to... Lords, there were so many things running through his mind all at once that he couldn't concentrate on what he was doing! There was a chaos of orders being shouted over the intercom. Dilandau could hear Dallet ordering withdraw of the second string. Celena's voice was calling out coordinate orders, in which the area was then showered in a blanket of crima arrows. If seemed the blunt of all of Celtic's forces were focused here. Deamor was in need of assistance, but at the moment no one could get away to help him. Another melef charged forward at him. The impacted forced Dilandau to take a few steps back. His body was starting to feel worn out. The long ride here had taken more out of him then he thought it would and with the lack of sleep hanging over his head it wasn't helping much. Shesta's unit knocked the enemy guymelef off of him. Sometimes Dilandau was glad heis slayers were over protective of him.

"Dilandau-sama?"

"Ya, I'm fine..." He answered the worried voice. The blond's unit wavered for a moment before moving on. Dilandau remained still for a while longer scanning the field. At least this wave was dying down but it wouldn't take long for the enemy troops to gather again and begin a new strike. The alarm systems around him started to go off, warning of an incoming unit. Dilandau jolted his melef to the side just before a blue fire stormed across the ground. "What the?" That was a first. Any other time Dilandau had seen fire do that was when a Zaibach unit leaked raw, unrefined liquid metal. Did someone get hit? The com system went on the fritzes before he could call out, ask if everyone was still in one piece. In a rush to duck out of the blue fires way, Dilandau took to temporary flight. The crackling of the intercoms broke slightly.

"He- can anyo- me?" Viole's voice came on, clearly annoyed.

"Second stri – withdr-" voices tried to scattered commands but by the way Dilandau could see his men acting, it was likely no one could hear. What in Gaea was happening? Did Celtic have jammers? No, that was to unlikely unless the jammers were stolen from a Zaibach factory, but none of those had been hit. Dilandau gripped down on his controls, aggravated. What the fuck!

"And fear sets in... as chaos begins." A voice, unknown to Dilandau came onto the intercom clear as day just before something slammed into the Alseides. The red eyed general fought to regain control of his melef as if hurled down onto the ground.

"What the! What hit me!" Dilandau cursed as he regained control just in time to keep his melef from crashing into the ground. Something touched down not to far from him. Turning the Alseides to face it, Dilandau was taken back in surprise. Its design was old, and it looked a lot larger then he ever thought it would have been but it had to be in that class. It was an Alsa 6 design, but Zaibach had stopped producing those things decades ago. There could be no mistaking it, even if there were only seventeen Alsa 6 units ever mad, Dilandau could recognize that thing anywhere. He had after all based all of the Dragonslayer units after its design. Alsa 6 had stopped being made due to the fact they were to hard to pilot. The G's created while flying that thing were enough to snap its pilot to pieces. Alsa 6 also created to much of a "down pull" on the pilot's arms and legs, which had to be inserted into the control panels. The Olney series (which Celena piloted) was like that slightly, that was way Celena had to wear bracers on her arms, but the "down pull" was only created after she released too much liquid metal in the form of a crima arrow without letting her melef's arm liquid chambers to refill and release the air. There was also another thing about the Alsa 6 units that made them hard to use was its weapon selection. That could explain where the blue fire had come from though. Alsa 6 could release a large amount of raw, unrefined liquid metal over its targets, reducing them to nothing but piles of melted components. Good thing Dilandau moved when he had or he wouldn't be standing were he was at the moment. When designing the Dragonslayer's units Dilandau had removed that "liquid cannon" with an acid cannon. Even though dumping hot liquid on your enemy's proved useful, it also depleted your reserves. But, Alsa 6 units didn't use crima claws, so there was no point in worrying about it. No, instead Alsa 6 unit's main weapons were two crima swords. Only a certain amount of liquid had to remain to make those. The Dragonslayer's units used both cream claws and the swords that was why he head removed the crima cannon. There was another thing also that made a bigger difference between the two, Alsa 6 was larger. It was over loaded and thus had to be larger to hold the large liquid chambers. The Dragonslayer's compared to it was like sizing a human to a full frown land dragon.

The enemy unit stood still in front of him, as if waiting for something. Static roared over the intercoms, signaling that they were being blocked. Dilandau gripped down on his controls, the cold water around him splashed up a bit into his face as he moved. Exhaust escaped from the arm pieces of the Alsa 6 as the silver liquid dripped down the open sections on the arms. The crima liquid slowly created the wicked looking twin swords. Pushing the button under his ring finger, Dilandau snapped the Alseides right arm up as the crima chambers took in air to push out the stored liquid. If this was going to be a sword fight, then he had better be prepared for it. The static roared in his ears, the radar to the left of his vision flickered. The blue bots wavered and disappeared. Now Dilandau was a sitting duck with no ears or eyes. In the far distance a dragon's rumbling roar a crossed the field to his ears.

"Rei..." In wouldn't be to long now, he didn't have time for this. Skylar would keep his word; she would cause more damage then anything else here, even this freaky ass guymelef. Lifting the Alseides' arm to take a stances pose he flicked the intercom system. It opened up the system to receive only static, but he didn't care. "Alright, asshole. I don't know how you did it, or give a fuck who you are. But, you're in my way so move it or lose it!" Dilandau gripped down hard on the controls.

"Are those your only fighting words?" The cool male voice came over the intercom just before something slammed into the Alseides. All the warning systems located in his melef that could make noise, made it. How the hell? Outside of the Alseides Dilandau could see an uncomfortably close up of the Alsa 6's sword as it pushed down on him. It was a good thing he took that stand before or he wouldn't have been able to block him. Thus, their dance started. Dilandau knocked the black guymelef off, ignoring the noises around him of the malfunctioning equipment and moved to strike the towering machine. Step for step, move for move, everything he did was matched and turned against him. Frustrated and aggravated, Dilandau continued on, forcing the controls to move in quick jolting movements going against all the formal melef training he had been in. Jolting movements wore out the controls, and ruined joints. He felt the first breach in the Alseides outer armor. Having failed to move quickly enough, the Alsa 6 dug its right sword down into the side of Dilandau's melef. All the noises stopped allowing him to hear the sound of the compressed air slowly escaping. Panic. His mind so fatigued with stress and frustration did the only seeming thing that seemed to be normal in this situation. As long as the Alseides continued to compromise for such a blow, it was immovable. The air was being released to reset the balance to take weight off the damaged side. The controls would not respond to movement until that was done.

Dilandau was a sitting duck in the middle of a raging fire.

Frantically, he pulled on the control's as the Alseides fell to its knees while the Alsa 6 started to retract its sword. Lights whirled around him, reflecting off the water in the cockpit. This was not happening, it could not be happening. He was better then this! Dilandau yanked harder on the controls, cursing in all the tongues the madoushi had ever bothered to let him studied and some he didn't even know he knew. This was not his destiny; he would not allow this to happen. He was the best, perfect, unbeatable. How could he have allowed this to happen! Looking out to the enemy nit that looked over him, he could see its black, bulky armor barely standing out against the rising smoke behind it. The half risen sword glimmered as the sun rays danced a crossed its deadly tip. No, he could not die like this. Not now, not until he saw her one last time.

"Do you feel it now?" Dilandau snapped up, looking away from his controls that he had been frantically trying to get to work. The voice came on clear over the static on the intercom. It was cold, mocking tone that seemed to fit the cold giant in front of him. "I do not see how they could have called you their ultimate weapon...006."

"What?" Widened eyes stared in disbelieve. No one should know that. The madoushi were to well kept on his and Celena's records... unless...

XoX

"You want me to tell you what?" Folken looked at him, slightly crossed. Papers were scattered all over the table in his study. A familiar red head was crashed and out of it on the other side of the table. She had managed to knock a lot of the papers on the floor. Neither of the two had been sleeping much, not since he and Rei had been recovered. Dilandau stood by the door, arms crossed. He shouldn't really be up, Celena had made a firm note that he was to stay in bed for a few days. Yeah, if she really wanted that to happen she should have been the one guarding his door, not Viole. Sighing, Folken leaned back in his chair looking out to the open balcony doors. The night breeze moved slowly through the open doors. There wasn't enough to disturb any of the loose papers.

"I am just curious... I know there were more projects then just me and Celena. My memory before my "birth" maybe a little fucked up, but I do recall them. I just wanted to know if any of the others survived..." Dilandau leaned against the door slightly. It was still a little hard to stand on his own, whatever they had pumped him full of had a nasty after effect.

"And...?"

"If Rei helped any of the others, like she tired to for me and Cel..." The silence continued again, as Folken looked out at the still mountains side. The Vione was stationary for the time and wouldn't move until some work of the fourth engine was completed. Dilandau didn't think he was going to get anything really. Folken hadn't been very lenient with information. There wasn't much in the way of hoping he would say anything. Whatever he did say the demon boy would have to except as the truth until he found something else that contradict it or Folken finally said the real truth. There was a ruff of papers. Dilandau's eyes dashed to the red haired woman. Her head hung up slightly while she looked a crossed at Folken.

"Two...no... There were five..." Sighing she laid her head against her hand. "She tried helping five, but only two survived getting outside the towers. Whether they lived or not is unknown."

XoX

"Weak... All you are is weak..." The voice said, the emotion of anger came across the load static. The Alsa 6 shifted its weight to raise its other sword to bring it straight down through the top of the Alseides. This was it, with the Alseides unable to move away or even to block the assault he was dead. Cold sweat fell down his face as he looked up at his pending doom. Dilandau had always imagined that his death would be on the battle field. Kill doing the only action in life that provided some sort of release, but he could not let this happen now. He could not let her down. "So weak... Why did she even try to save something so pitiful?"

His hands seemed to freeze by the sound of those words. Was he truly weak? He could do nothing here but wait for his own pending death. There was no way he could ever posses the will like the she-demon to go on even though it was heavily inquired.

Blood dripped steadily down the cross bow's arrow as it stood outside of her chest. White hair fell over her face so that they could not see her demon red eyes. Her small hands curled slightly around the evil thing that now was claming her life. The man she had trusted before her with the weapon in his hands. His voice called out her name as someone grabbed him from behind. The she-demon fell to her knees, and then to the ground. Breathing only one word:

"Why?"

Why? Dilandau tore his eyes up from the cockpit he had been looking at. What was the point of that sacrifice? She had given them a chance at hope, would he repay her kindness by letting this damn man kill him! Then he could do nothing but stand back and watch in horror. Now, the he had grown his own claws, he had the will. For years after that damn nightmare, he vowed never to be so weak again. Dilandau was no longer that fragile child. The warning signals in his melef stopped suddenly as if to answer his call. The Alsa in front of him began to bring down its swords to slice through him.

"Time to DIE!"

"NOT JUST YET!" Dilandau screamed as he slammed the controls forward bring up the crima sword. With the Alsa putting its weight into its weapons, it had not time to move to get away from his sudden move. The only fault in that great melef. His crima sword went through the cockpit. The enemy unit's weapons missed their mark as the melef collapsed. There was a gasping sound that came over the white noise of the com. "I don't care what it is you think you can accomplish by what you have done. But let this thought be with you as you cross into the lines of the walking dead. I will save Rei, I will pay back the beast my debt!" With those words Dilandau rammed a crima claw into the other side of the cockpit.

xXxXxXxXx

Celena watched in horror from were she was. She no longer had contacted to her beloved brother, and everything was going to chaotic. Skylar had stopped responding to her as well, she wasn't sure because of the interference or because of Rei. Heaven help them now, someone had let the demon out of its shell. The blond man was going to keep his word, and she would never get to see her friend again. Even though there was a history behind them she couldn't remember as well as Dilandau, she did know this: the woman had oddly enough won the affections of her brother even if he was too stubborn to admit it just like when they were kids. It would tare him apart if she slipped through their fingers like she had then. For so long she continued to suffer, when they had been set free of that pain. The archer units were no longer firing because there was anyway to warn the other units in the field. Only thing they could do was sit back and wait until the link worked again. Celena had lost sight of Rei; the dragon had disappeared from her radar. How? Well there could be lots of reasons how that could be; the simple thing was that Rei didn't want to be found which would mean hell for them all.

What am I supposed to do? I can't keep sitting back and do nothing! Celena banged her controls with her fists as she fought back the tears of frustration.

"...Cele...can yo...read...me?" Folken?

"What?" Celena flicked on her long range intercom. "Vione, repeat!"

"Celena?" His voice came on strong them. O, how she welcomed his voice of reason! "Celena! Listen to me! I need you to return to the Vione now!"

"What? Why? The battle is still going on!"

"Celena, the drug in Rei's chest it's a counter drug for Doom's Day! If it can be administrated into her system there won't be a need to-"

"I am on my way now!"

I won't let you down, 009! I will pay you back for the strength you gave me.

Bet you all just went WTF and had to go reread the perverse chapter huh? Gomen.

I graduate in a few days so most of my problems will easy up so I can get some writing down. This isn't my only story that has been suffering these pasted few months. In June I hope to get this story to its end… no promises.. I am hoping though….. Thanks for you patients.

Feed the writers, review.