TWELVE
THERE'S SACRIFICE FOR EVERYTHING
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jdoug4118: It is depressing, isn't it? To read something interesting, only to find out that the story had been abandoned. Well, I can assure you, this story will be finished. If you look at my other stories, you'll see that most of them are finished, and the ones that haven't are the ones that are still ongoing.
As for updates, I try to update once a month. If I get lucky, I'll update twice a month. Thanks for watching.
Abzan City,
Eastern Continent, Planet Zi,
February 8, 2128
Cassiopeia didn't remember how she arrived at Abzan City. Last time she recalled she was escaping Owl City when everything when blurry. Next time she remembered she was in this white bed, in some kind of a hospital, with acrid smell of disinfectant lingering in the air, and steady beeps of monitors all around her body. She vaguely remembered fighting Royce, then received a murderous hit from the Command Wolf. Slowly that moment came to life at the back of her mind, and she didn't know how she survived that hit. She should've died in that fight.
"You fell hard," Maia explained the nature of her injuries to her. "Broken ribs, half a dozen of them. Punctured lung. Crushed spleens. Light concussion. Perforated eadrums. Bless fate for intact spine. Lose it and you walk in wheels forever."
Cassiopeia replied with a smirk. Her torso was wrapped by plastic shell, preventing her to move in excess. Even breathing was not easy. Her ears were still ringing. Somehow she argued if she was lucky at all, for she might not return to her old condition. She had seen a few Rottiger agents sustaining injuries like this, and although they recovered, their performance suffered. Perhaps she was better off dead on the field.
"Why did you save me?" she asked Maia. "Your deed denied me from fate. And now I'm but half a woman I was."
Maia gave her a quizzical look. "Your tongue betrays common sense. Of course I would save a friend! Anybody would."
"Friend?" Cassiopeia looked at Maia in the earnest. "I treat you anything but." She looked around the room and found Kenny and Roxy standing in the distance. Kenny was indifferent, but Roxy shot a malicious stare at her, and for good reasons. After she tortured Roxy, there was no room for forgiveness in the teen's heart. "I treat you all anything but."
"Be still presently, and worry for nothing," Maia chimed as she pulled the blanket up Cassiopeia's shoulder. "Abzan City PD provided medical treatment for you as food and shelter for Kenny, Roxy, and myself. We are in good hands until you return to form."
"And what of zoid?" Cassiopeia winced. She recalled her Arosaurer sustained critical damages too.
"Repaired by police mechanics," Lieutenant Sahar and her daughter Leila entered the room. "I am Lieutenant Sahar of Abzan City Police. I extend hands for anti Neo Zenebas groups to honor my husband, cut short from life by fiends of Neo Zenebas. When your entourage gave word that you are of Rottiger Special Force, I thought I did myself a deed by taking care of you."
"A deed presently valued, and shall be repaid in the future," Cassiopeia forced a nod. "But there is a more pressing matter. Royce DesGagne, the man I am after, is gaining ground. He is one step closer to Wolff Muroa while I am confined in bed. You must let me go."
"The medic gives you two weeks to heal," Leila tuned in. "If we grant your wish, you will die."
"Two weeks is too long," Cassiopeia moaned. "Royce could have gotten his hands on the Gilvader."
"And why should it concern you?" Sahar moved closer to the bed. "Wolff Muroa is building an army based off Gilvader. Barring Wolff Muroa's, who should care whose hands lay upon zoid?"
"Not his hands," Cassiopeia hissed. "Not Royce's."
"How so?"
"Royce is on a quest to fuse with the Ultimate Zoid, a zoid of unequaled strength," Cassiopeia explained. "His intent is not to own the Ultimate Zoid. He wishes to be the Ultimate Zoid. He may not believe that Gilvader is the Ultimate Zoid, but he is heading towards it. He is going after Wolff Muroa, and pairing with Saskia van Leewenhoek is proof that he is trying to fuse with the Gilvader."
"It is but a myth, told for ages to amuse children," Sahar scoffed. "No one can fuse with zoid!"
"No, but take note of Hiltz many years ago," Cassiopeia pulled herself up on the bed. "The Death Saurer broke into a rampage, stopped only by Van Flyheight unfathomable bravery. Royce attempted similar action with a Liger Zero, believed to be the Ultimate Zoid. The Liger Zero went berserk and killed many good agents. What does mind perceive when Royce attempts such fuse with the Gilvader?"
"It will go berserk…" Leila muttered.
"… and take more lives than the Death Saurer and Liger Zero ever did," Cassiopeia continued. "The Gilvader is capable of exo-atmospheric flight and it is the fastest flying zoid ever lived in the history of Zi. No one - and I mean it - no one can stop its rampage."
"So that spurs your intent," Sahar exhaled sharply. "Well, purpose duly noted, but you have no choice. See yourself rested for two weeks, or die where you stand."
"A solution, perhaps?" Maia suddenly chimed in. "Royce DesGagne was within grasps yet we failed to seize him. Some extra hands may seal victory next time we catch up with him."
"Your meaning?" Sahar and Leila gave her a puzzled stare.
"My boyfriend is a mercenary, stations at Blue City," Maia's eyes twinkled with delight. "I shall ask for his hands while you nurture Cassiopeia to well being."
"I hate mercenaries!" Cassiopeia blurted. "Action spurred by wealth, not rectitude!"
"Yet we need more firepower," Maia argued. "You couldn't beat Royce alone, and none of us can give aid. My boyfriend can. He is a man of virtue, forged in zoid battles. His skill will compliment yours at a mere cost of food. When you return to zoid, we will be ready for Royce."
Cassiopeia didn't like this idea. Mercenaries were unpredictable, and their loyalty was to the highest bidder. She didn't want to gamble with her mission. But she could see Maia's reasoning. She couldn't beat Royce when she was healthy. How could she expect to beat him in her current condition? Mercenaries, though not the perfect solution, could swing the course of battle in her favor. Besides, Maia had been apart from her boyfriend for some time, and quite possibly horny at the moment. Cassiopeia hadn't say thank you for Maia for saving her life, so satisfying her sexual need might suffice.
"Fine. Fetch him, but hold your tongue. I will have words with him before he joins rank."
"Understood," Maia nodded. "I shall leave presently."
"I will come with you," Kenny added.
"So will I," Roxy tuned in.
"And I," Leila unexpectedly joined in.
"You? To what end?" Sahar turned to her daughter.
"They will walk absent zoid. It will take them weeks before they reach Blue City. I merely provide transportation."
"Very well," Sahar said. "Travel safe."
Blue City,|
Eastern Continent, Planet Zi,
February 10, 2128
Kenny couldn't believe how much he missed Blue City. He had left the metropolitan short of 2 months but it felt like 2 years already. The soft blue light that radiated from every corner of the city enveloped him with warmth, as if welcoming him home after weeks of savagery and uncertainty in the desert. The busy klaxons of vehicles trapped in traffic sounded like music to his ears. He came close to kneel and kiss the ground, but such derp would've been too much for the ladies. Roxy, he wouldn't mind. The others, he didn't know anything about.
"A marvelous exposition!" Leila muttered as she looked at the tall buildings with no top in sight. "A pleasure to just be present among titans of steel and concrete! Abzan City is but a pale shadow compared to this."
"Blue City is the heart of Eastern Continent's civilization," Maia said, smiling at the awed Leila. "It is the sun and the moon, the morning and the evening, the alpha and the omega. Come here often; there is not enough time to observe every spectacle in this city in one day."
"I will take your word," Leila replied as she regained composure. "But presently we have a matter at hand. Find your mercenary lover and take him back to Abzan City."
"Yes, let's!" Maia answered giddily. The rosy flush in her cheeks leaked proof that she couldn't wait any longer. "His quarter is but a league from here. Come! Let's not forfeit another second! My eyes ache for the sight of him."
"To business, then," Roxy chimed. "As would we. Kenny and I have our own to attend."
"We do?" Kenny shot a quizzical stare at Roxy. "Has it slipped from mind?"
"We are home," Roxy said as she dragged Kenny's hand to get some distance from Maia and Leila. "We stay, never to go back."
"Never? What meaning your tongue suggests?" Kenny huffed.
"What other meaning do you take from it?" Roxy replied huskily. "Our life was ripped from us by Cassiopeia. Now she lied half dead, probably never to rise again, far removed from this city. We can start again, both of us, together. Forget every ill we had outside this city, for it was but a dark time."
"But we gave word to go back with reinforcement," Kenny bemoaned. "Is that why you tag along? To escape from oath sworn?"
"We swore to no such thing!" Roxy pulled Kennys' shirt.
"Not in words, but we are in this together. All of us, bound by deed to stop a wandering menace."
"That is Cassiopeia's deed," Roxy huffed sharply. "Not mine. I would not see myself dragged through savagery for the purpose of justice!"
"I care not for Cassiopeia's means of enforcing laws," Kenny scoffed. "I care for but one."
"Saskia again?" Roxy's face turned sour. "Is she the one that spurs your intent to go back?"
"She is a very important person to me," Kenny stood his ground. "She gave me work, with ample reward."
"She needed labor of small cost."
"She needed someone she could trust," Kenny growled. "She trusted but me. Trust worths more than money. Your tongue never flapped with bile when I worked for her. Now, when she needed help, you speak ill of her."
"Oh, I am the villain now?" Roxy raised her voice. "Is that how your eyes lay upon me? Money-sucking whore?"
"You twist my words!" Kenny grimaced with exasperation. "Roxy, you are my strength. I need you. I never needed you more."
"Yet you ignore me," Roxy hissed. "I have words that you are doing this for my sake, to protect me from malice like Cassiopeia. We have been set free from her. We are home once more, released from obligations to each other. The fact that you yet choose to return is a mockery of my measure."
"Kenny, we are going!" Leila shouted as she and Maia started to walk away. "Regroup tomorrow?"
"One moment!" Kenny yelled his reply. He turned to Roxy, "Roxy, my heart is set upon you. I will not love another woman. But I gave them words. I am to return with reinforcement to put an end to Royce's demented plan. A lot of lives depend on this deed. Saskia depends on this deed."
"She doesn't need you," Roxy snuffed. "She needs zoids, laden with firepower. You can't even pilot one."
"You make this difficult for both of us," Kenny sighed exasperatedly. "If heart set on staying, then stay. You are safe inside these walls. But I cannot stay. I have to go back."
"Why are you doing this?" Roxy said, her eyes were heavy with tears.
"Why?" Kenny let out a heavy sigh. Honestly he didn't know what got him obsessed in this quest. If Saskia didn't get in the middle of it, it was not his concern. And even when she was involved, even when her life was in danger, there was nothing he could do for her. As Roxy pointed out, Kenny was not a zoid pilot. His skillset was far removed from those of a zoid pilot. He could easily go back to his job as a courier, or find a different job in a different city altogether.
However, he just had to return to Abzan City as planned. "I don't know," he sighed. "Once Saskia made note of my life not lived to the fullest. Presently fate favors me to help a friend, to fufill an oath sworn, to keep innocent lives away from tragedy. I just want my life to have worth."
"A choice, then."
"Choice? What is your meaning?" Kenny was taken aback by Roxy's sudden inquiry.
"I extend hands," Roxy stammered. "See your hands in mine, or leave and lose me forever."
"Roxy, you can't….."
"It is done," Roxy looked into his eyes in the earnest. "Choose well, Kenny."
Kenny never thought that it would come to this. He always thought that Roxy would go with him anywhere, and support him through any hardship they went through. He understood that Cassiopeia's treatment of them left a bad taste in Roxy's mouth, and it changed her perspective toward everything. But he wouldn't suspect that Roxy would make him choose between her and his life. This was as nerve-breaking as it could be.
"Roxy, we had a good life together," Kenny said, half pleading. "Don't throw it away."
"I didn't. You did," Roxy sniffed. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "You threw it away. Hence you have one chance to get it back, or forfeit it forever."
And it was then when Kenny realized that he couldn't have everything. He could only get his old life with Roxy, or stop a lunatic and save a lot of lives from another zoid rampage. He froze; he wanted both, but he knew he had to make a sacrifice and he didn't know which one to pick.
Nevertheless, Saskia's words about his life made up his mind.
"Apologies, Roxy," he stammered. "I just have to return to Abzan City."
Roxy closed her eyes, turned around and whispered, "Goodbye, Kenny."
Kenny could only stand like a statue as he watched Roxy walked slowly away into the crowd of Blue City. He knew once she disappeared into the crowd, he would never see her again. He had a chance to stop her, to claim his life once lost, but he remained still. As painful as it could be, Roxy didn't need him at this moment. Saskia did, and so did thousands of Zi inhabitants, if there was even a truth in Cassiopeia's quest.
"Kenny! What just happened?" Maia and Leila watched the intense conversation between Kenny and Roxy then decided to interfere, but it was too late since Roxy already walked away. "I shall fetch her…"
"No, let her go," Kenny caught Maia's hand before she could get to Roxy. "I have lost her. No effort is needed to keep her in our fellowship."
"Aw, man, what happened?" Leila said. "Did our tongues offend her?"
"She just…" Kenny took a brief pause to compose himself. "She just didn't want this anymore."
"Why don't you go with her?" Maia suggested.
"It matters for nothing," Kenny shook his head weakly. "I wish to assist Cassiopeia's deed. I wish, for once, to go sleep absent question What is my life's purpose? I wish to be like Saskia, never to doubt her life's worth again. But Roxy favors different direction. She craves old life robbed by Cassiopeia. She wants but to stay, far removed from zoids and responsibilities that come with them."
"I feel for you," Maia gave Kenny a light hug. "You need a moment?"
"No, I'll be myself again," Kenny forced a smile. "Resume course briefly ceased. Let's fetch the mercenary."
"As you wish," Maia nodded and led the rest through a maze of alleys and passages between buildings, cutting corners of main streets until they arrived in an apartment complex. Giddy as a little girl waiting for a new doll, Maia rushed into a building and punched the elevator button. She couldn't stay still, shifting from one leg to another, playing with the edge of her skirt, and drumming on the elevator wall as the creaky car took them up to the highest floor.
As soon as the elevator door opened, Maia stormed out and rushed to a door. She punched in the codes then barged in, only to freeze like an ice sculpture. Her face turned white as ghost and her eyes bugged out so far they seemed to pop out of the socket. Kenny and Leila burst in, and choked themselves watching a young man, presumably Maia's boyfriend, sitting naked on the bed while a naked woman crouched in between his legs with her head bobbing up and down, obviously giving the man a pleasurable favor.
"Maia?" the young man shot up from the bed, kicking the woman down the bed. "I can explain…."
"Oh my god!" Maia closed her eyes and sprinted out of the room. The man scrambled his clothes and tried to give chase, but Kenny and Leila blocked the door.
"Forget it!" Leila growled. "Your worth had just been measured. She would not have it anymore."
"She would not?" the man sneered. "Do you forget place? What does your brain perceive your self is? This matter does not concern you! It is between me and her! Now give way, I have important proceedings with Maia…"
The young man tried to push Kenny and Leila but Leila cocked her arm and launched her club-like fist at the man's face. Expecting nothing close to violence, the man's head twisted as far as it could go, and his body jerked, consumed the force of Leila's punch. The man fell backward and writhed on the ground, while the woman screamed and scrambled the floor to help him.
"If my eyes lay upon you, I will rip heart from breast!" Leila hissed, then stormed out of the room. Kenny quickly followed Leila to the elevator, and when they got out on the first floor, they found Maia kneeling on a corner, sobbing and wailing uncontrollably.
"He is not worthy of tears," Kenny tried to console her while Leila stood in the distance. "I would cry with you over many things lost, but that jackass was not among them. You lost nothing. In fact, you'd won freedom from burden of an ass. Bless fate for seeing the end of your partnership. You are better off without him."
"All this time," Maia lamented in Kenny's shoulder. "All this time, my heart ached to come back to him. His name was but my strength through the ordeal of servitude. Oh, I am a fool. I am a fool! I felt pity for you over love lost. Yet you should be the one who pity me. You lost love over integrity. I lost love over naivete."
"I pity no one," Kenny helped her to get up. "We all lose something. It's called life. Now come on, gather yourself. We have more pressing matter. Cassiopeia will not get mercenary help. What do we do now?"
"Our mission is not yet lost," Leila puffed an exasperating breath. "I can join your rank."
"You?" Kenny snuffed. "But what of job as police officer of Abzan City?"
"One I should discuss with my mother, as soon as we come back," Leila flashed a small smile. "But my intent is born of goodwill. Mother will be pleased."
"And your mother? She would be shorthanded."
"She is of a strata above my station. She can handle Abzan City absent daughter."
"Well then," Kenny shrugged. "Our trip to Blue City is nothing but a waste of time."
"Oh, no, on the contrary," Leila's smile broadened. "You said it yourself: now you are free from burden."
Kenny and Maia traded looks, and as painful as it felt, Leila's words rang the truth. They didn't have anything to worry about anymore, and they could focus on their future and things they wanted to do in their lives.
"I have enough broken hearts for one day," Leila surmised. "Let's go home."