Chapter 5

Kito's unit rushed toward the damaged hand. The room in which they had been awaiting orders was positioned close to Kang's right shoulder, so all they had to do was make their way through his right arm, to the impaired appendage.

The arm could be positioned at all angles, and was currently moving, so the mecha made use of artificial gravity to keep the soldiers walking on the floor, instead of on the walls or ceiling. However, it wasn't perfected, and every time the arm moved, there was a sickening lurch that caused Kito's gorge to rise. He tried to concentrate on the task at hand, rather than the movement of the corridor around him.

Finally, they reached the elbow junction, where the main control mechanisms resided. Pulling off the covering panels, Kito inspected the data readouts from the hand. The rest of the men sat back, content to let someone else take charge.

"The primary gross motor functions are inoperable, due to fusing of the energy grid." Kito reported glancing over at the Sergeant. "We have to re-route main power through another junction, away from the area."

Kyle was looking a little green (and not just because of his uniform), and made no protest that Kito had stepped up to take charge.

"I… I can do that." Steungart volunteered, and Kito nodded at him.

"Okay, you and Pantillo take that job." he said. "Everyone else needs to work on preventative measures, to protect the rest of the mecha, in case this gets worse."

Randomly, Kito divided the remaining men into three groups.

"You, men, make sure the bulkheads are in place, and ready to go, in case we lose the entire hand. Second group, ensure that the appropriate fire suppression and coolant systems are active. That ship is emitting close to three thousand degrees, and it could fry us in a second. The rest of you, work on re-routing command and power functions for the rest of the hand's functions, in case they are compromised as well."

The men stared blankly at Kito for a moment, not sure what to make of his sudden leadership.

"Well?" Kito asked. "Does anyone else have any suggestions?"

Lowering their heads, the men quickly dispersed to their assigned tasks. Sergeant Kyle lay slumped in the hallway, barely registering what was happening around him, as his unit stepped over his body to complete their work.

Kito let out a long breath. What in hell had possessed him to give orders like that? He had just looked at the readouts, and had immediately known what to do. He guessed that his nervousness, at being in the middle of a live battle against the Science Ninja Team, had added a sense of urgency to his actions.

But now was not the time for psychological analysis. They had a job to do.

Looking back at the main informational systems, Kito noticed something new.

All functions in the right wrist had just failed. It was beginning to weaken, under the intense pressure of the Firebird attack. If it broke off, the hand would become effectively useless.

The only way to strengthen it would be to physically reinforce the wrist from the inside. There were plenty of materials available for the job, and it could be done within a minute, if someone sufficiently experienced were to take on the task.

"Finished, Abbott!" Steungart said, appearing at Kito's shoulder. "I guess we dodged that bullet…" his voice trailed off as he saw what Kito discovered, on the readouts.

"Who's going to take care of that?" he asked nervously.

"We can't send anyone in there!" Pantillo objected, glancing over and seeing the situation for himself. "It's suicide! Abbott already told us that it's close to three thousand degrees!"

"Only right at the fingertips." Kito said quietly. "The heat levels at the wrist should be bearable… if that shielding is still holding."

"You're not seriously considering this!" Steungart said.

"Who else will do it?" Kito asked.

Suddenly, Kito's knees began trembling. It didn't help that there was a sudden lurch as the gravitational system re-adjusted itself.

Seeing the queasy look on Kito's face, Pantillo protested.

"Abbott, you can't do that, and Steungart, we shouldn't ask him to!"

"Yes, he will!" said Kyle.

The three soldiers turned to look at the Sergeant, who was still lying on the floor. He looked weak, but had apparently realized what was going on.

"If Abbott can save our asses, then he's gonna do it!" Kyle sputtered. "Get in there, now, Abbott!" he ordered.

"Yes, Sir." Kito nodded, his heart sinking. There was no turning back now.

Without looking at his comrades, he opened the hatch to the maintenance shaft that led to the lower part of Kang's arm, and crawled inside. Kito heard them shut and seal the door behind him, the loud clang echoing around him.

He was alone.

In order to make the repair, he needed additional materials to reinforce the wrist. Fortunately there was a materials storage locker about halfway between the elbow and the hand.

Exiting the other side of the shaft, Kito found himself in a corridor similar to the one he had just left, only this one seemed to be moving more frequently (and therefore requiring more frequent adjustments to the artificial gravity).

Nervously, Kito gulped. He knew what he had to do, but the very idea that he was walking toward the fiery warship of the Science Ninja Team terrified him beyond anything he had ever known. Even the momentary feeling of panic he had had back when the Bird Missiles had been fired at the mecha, had been nothing, compared to this.

He moved slowly down the corridor, each step taking longer than the one before. Why was he doing this? Why was he risking his life to make this repair? Did Galactor deserve this loyalty from him?

If Kito didn't make the repair, the mecha would probably be destroyed, and he would likely die. But if he did make the repair, he could easily die performing the task.

It was a no-win situation either way.

Kito thought of his comrades, Steungart and Pantillo. They weren't close, but they were the nearest thing Kito had had to friends, since Jun. If he made this repair, they had a much better chance of surviving.

Still, Kito found himself reluctant to move. Even only twenty percent of the way down the forearm, he could feel the searing heat from the God Phoenix's Firebird. He began to sweat inside of his uniform, although it was not entirely because of the soaring temperatures.

He had to do it. He had to.

Gasping for air, Kito sunk to the ground. He was fooling himself. He wasn't a hero. How the hell had he really expected to be able to pull this off? He was a coward: someone who was too afraid of dying, to grasp the only chance they had.

He was just grateful that no one else was here to witness his cowardice.

His head in his hands, Kito searched deep inside of him, for the strength to go on.

But there was none to be found.

Without warning, Kang's arm jerked, throwing Kito up against the ceiling. The artificial gravity was unable to compensate, and he found himself battered and bruised, rolling around the empty corridor as the arm flailed. Frantically, Kito grasped at an emergency ladder embedded into the wall, sighing with relief when he was able to grab hold of the solid rungs.

A loud crack, and the sound of metal scraping against metal, rang through the hallway.

In the blink of an eye, a bright flash filled the end of the corridor. Despite himself, Kito looked, only to see that Kang's entire right hand had been ripped away. He was staring straight down the end of the mecha's forearm, out to the blue sky beyond. A streak of flames passed by, seconds before the entire mecha shook violently.

A horrible screeching sound, like nails on a chalkboard, filled the air, and Kito realized that King Kang was being torn apart.

He had failed.

There was a horrible lurch, and Kito literally felt like his stomach had flown up into his throat, as the mecha dropped like a stone toward the ground. There were a few seconds where he knew that this was the end… that everything in his life had come down to this… that there was nothing more for him.

It only took a few seconds before Kang's arm hit the ground, and Kito's body was whipped around in the air, even as he continued to hang onto the ladder. His head crashed against the wall, and Kito blacked out.