Resurrection and Reconciliation

by SarikOstheim

The Second Bloody Valentine War has been raging for months. Traveling through the world's wastes, the mysterious Sarik Ostheim searches for a friend long lost. But what will happen when he finds her, and at what expense to himself?

17. Chapter 16

CE 63

He woke up, laying awkwardly on a bed. Bed. Was that what it was called? He wasn't sure. He didn't even know how he knew the words that he was thinking in.

After pushing the sheets off of his body, he sat up and carefully surveyed his surroundings. He was in some sort of a...room. At least, he thought that's what it was called. Again, he didn't know how or why he knew this.

He swept his legs off the side of the bed and let himself fall the remaining centimeters to the ground. As he fell, he realized something.

HE didn't have a name. He didn't know anything, yet for some reason, he felt that he should. Who was he? Where was he? What WAS a name?

After a moment's contemplation, he decided to walk towards a large, metal rectangle set in the wall. A door, he believed it was called. Protruding from it was a small knob located about halfway up the frame. A memory suddenly flashed in his mind, and he fell to his knees, holding his head. That single flashback caused him a great deal of pain, though for what reason, he could not fathom.

After the headache subsided, he walked up to the door and, just as he had done in the memory, twisted the knob. Something clicked, and the door creaked ajar. He pushed the loosened door open and cautiously stepped through.

He nearly fell into some sort of a defensive position out of habit when he spotted a man that he felt he should have known. A tall, older man. The man looked down at him and smiled slightly. Smile? How did he know what that was?

"Hello, young one," the man said. "How was your rest?"

The boy stood there, silent, trying to come up with the proper response. This was some sort of a...test.

"Fine," he replied without knowing the actual meaning of the word. It just seemed the most appropriate answer.

"Do you remember anything that happened yesterday?" the man questioned.

The boy stared back at him, not understanding. Yesterday? What was a yesterday? Was it like a day?

"Yesterday?" the boy asked.

The man's smile grew.

"Do you remember anything?" the man inquired.

Remember. He knew what that word meant. It meant...

Remember, a voice said in his head.

The boy nearly yelped as an image another man's face appeared in his mind, startling him. He was a little younger, but he was also better, more good. However, the boy managed to control himself enough to keep from expressing his fear outwardly.

The boy looked up at the man above him, and for the first time, realized why he reacted negtively to his presence. For some reason, he knew this man wasn't good. He was the complete opposite.

"No," the boy responded, lying.

Lie...to tell something as it wasn't. Was this the first time he had "lied"?

"Come, then," the man told him. "We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

Doctor Spence sat in the security room, waiting, watching, observing. He was trying to get a read on Sarik's, Stella's, and many other choice Extended's body language, searching for any indication that they were conscious of themselves. So far, they showed almost nothing, though Sarik's first actions might have had some level of hesitation in them; however, it was just too subtle to make a judgment on.

Spence had worked for days without rest trying to implement the safeguards into the Extended's memories, especially Sarik and Stella's, as they were the most vital part of this plan. He had risked detection the entire time, and was still unsure if his actions had remained secret, or if the block had even been successful. William's personal questioning of Sarik was a troubling revelation. It would be a shame for all of this to be for naught.

Spence continued to watch as William had Sarik sit down in a lavish chair in a well decorated lobby-like room situated immediately outside of the testing area.

"Your name is Sarik," William informed the boy as he sat in a seat opposite of him. "Your parents treated you as an animal, keeping you caged up in your home for the entirety of your life. I rescued you from them, and brought you here to test you."

William remained silent for a moment, most likely to give Sarik time to interpret his words.

"If you pass, would you be willing to follow me?" William asked. "There are great things in store for those who succeed, especially you."

Spence watched the boy intently. His body language was showing a great amount of confusion. Apparently, the safeguard he had placed in the boy's mind had yet to fully crack, but fragments of memories were still seeping through. Sarik had yet to be stressed enough to remember. He probably needed to break the physical as well as the mental aspects of the mental defense in order to begin recovery.

"Maybe," Sarik replied in an unsure tone.

"Think about it," William almost ordered. "Meanwhile, have you something to eat."

As if on cue, a guard walked into the room carrying lavish silver tray with a large dome covering the food. After setting it on the short table in front of Sarik, the man pulled the top off, revealing a meal truly fit for royalty.

Sarik stared at it for a minute, puzzled. After a moment, he snatched up a piece of fruit, sniffed, then bit into it. He looked like he was actually struggling as he closed his jaw and broke off a part the plant. His mouth stopped, then he struggled again to move his mouth in order to chew. After a few attempts, he figured out how to keep chewing, then struggled to swallow. Once he had relearned these motions, he scarfed down the fruit down in seconds.

Sarik was reaching for a slice of meat when William stopped him.

"Why don't you try using the fork?" William suggested as he motioned at the silverware located on the side of the tray.

Sarik stared at it in a confused manner, but he picked it up anyway. He turned it end over end in his hands, examining it. He curiously pushed a finger on the teeth, jumping back in his seat as they poked him. The experience couldn't have been all that painful, but for one who had never experienced pain, it was probably agonizing.

Spence leaned forward in his seat, watching for any sign of recovery from Sarik. Perhaps pain would be sufficient to stimulate his brain enough to start the process?

* * *

Sarik continued to scarf down his meal, having discovered that by stabbing his food with the "fork", he could pick it up more efficiently than if he were to use his hands, also keeping himself clean in the process.

As he ate, Sarik began to realize that the way he held the metal object felt awkward. He couldn't figure out why, but after using the fork in several different positions, he discovered a method that gave him the maximum amount of flexibility. It was just like when he...wrote.

Writing...thats when one made objects on a piece of paper. Sarik was about to try to "write" in his food when he was stopped.

William can't know, the voice told him.

As the voice spoke, the image of the other man came to mind again. He was a...doctor.

Sarik looked down at his food and decided he wasn't hungry anymore. Hungry...when you wanted food. He was now amused by the fact that he was thinking with these words without even realizing their meanings.

"Done," Sarik informed the man, using the word that sounded most correct.

"So, have you decided?" the man asked him.

"No," Sarik answered.

"No, you have not decided?" William questioned.

"Yes," Sarik replied.

"Very well," William sighed. "Think about it some more. In the mean time, you're to begin testing."

* * *

"It looks like my methods worked," Magner said, startling Spence. Somehow, the old hag had slipped into the security room without his notice. "Complete removal of all personal memories, yet the subject has retained his many of his physical skills."

"It appears so," Spence agreed darkly.

"You almost sound disappointed," Magner remarked.

"I don't think it's right," Spence admitted. "Taking the one and only thing they had left."

"They are merely equipment, now," Magner observed. "Memories, especially those of a frivolous nature, will simply get in the way, and create...undesirable personalities. It is mine, and many other's, opinion that developed, independent personalities make individuals harder to control."

"However, developed, independent personalities are what allow us to develop effective and rational judgment skills," Spence contradicted. "By removing them, you WILL be reducing maximum combat potential of your 'equipment'."

"Well, you're not the head psychologist around here, so what you think in this matter is of little consequence," Magner reminded him.

"No, I'm merely the one who performs all of the operations and modifications that you request," Spence replied arrogantly.

"Which you do a very fine job at, I will admit," Magner complemented.

Spence remained silent in fury as he watched the guard's prepare the boy for his testing, providing him with a brand new combat knife. The custom forged weapons were derived from an oriental design, with a fourteen centimeter long, inwardly curved blade, and a diamond reinforced edge. They could be deadly tools in the most even the most novice of hands.

"The last thing we did to them was...monstrous," Spence confessed in a disgusted tone.

"How is it any different than the other procedures that you have performed?" Magner questioned.

"I don't think that cutting a child's brain out of his head and mutilating it ranks very high on the morale scale," Spence replied. "Ten years ago, that operation would have killed him. Permanently, that is."

"I believe that's exactly what you did," Magner remarked.

"But we were able to bring him back," Spence retorted. "Unlike others"

"I wasn't regarding to his physical well-being," Magner said.

Spence fell silent as he observed, watching as Sarik was verbally relayed a set of instructions and left in a cramped, dark room. He hated how, right now, Sarik could be told anything, and he would believe it. This ignorance was worse than any sort of conditioning or brainwashing.

* * *

Sarik stood erect in the dark room, waiting. He had been provided with an item that these people had called a "knife". The guard had told him that there were other children in the next room who wanted to hurt him, and that he would have to use the knife in order to protect himself. He didn't really understand what a knife was, much less how to use it. But, since he had little choice, went along with it. If he passed the tests, he might later be able to figure out what was going on.

A few minutes later, as impatience began to catch up with Sarik, light flooded into the small room. A door immediately in front of him had slid open, revealing a very large room with white walls and a large, black rectangle on one side. He stepped into the room slowly, cautious of his surroundings.

Once he had completely crossed through, the door closed behind him and locked itself, blending in with the wall. Sarik glanced around and noticed there were seven other children in the room, two at each of the three other corners, and one at his.

"All right, children, listen, because I'm not going to repeat myself," an unrecognizable voice said from invisible speakers. "Only one person in here will pass this test. When all of the other children are down on the ground, the one left standing will be allowed to continue to the next test."

Everyone remained still for a moment, clueless of what they had to do. Then, in his boredom, Sarik's few thoughts began to drift, and a random memory flashed into his head, in which he was pushing a faceless child by the arm to the ground. He decided to try that first.

Sarik walked towards the boy a few meters away from him and pushed him in the arm. The child, a head shorter than him with hair that was a bright shade of gray, stepped back once to maintain his balance, but didn't fall. Sarik pushed him again, this time much harder and in the chest. The boy fell to the floor, rubbing his chest where Sarik had contacted him.

This is going to be easy, Sarik thought arrogantly.

But then, the boy climbed back to his feet and stood there, giving Sarik a confused look. Sarik pushed him again, but the boy braced himself this time, and he didn't fall. Sarik pushed again, harder, but the boy retaliated by pushing back with his own arms, defending himself. Sarik was surprised by this and stumbled backwards. His face grew hot and he became...angry.

Sarik ran up to the boy and pushed him as hard as he physically could, forcing the boy against the wall, but the smaller child STILL refused to go down. Sarik stepped back a couple paces, then ran at him with his arms extended, putting his entire bodyweight behind the blow. The boy let out a gasp as the wind was knocked out of him. However, he merely hunched over in pain, and soon began to rise again. In his frustration, Sarik grabbed the boy by the shoulders and forced him to the ground, face first. He heard a distinct cracking sound as the boy began yelling in pain.

Out of curiosity of his newfound skill, Sarik decided to experiment. He grabbed the boy's head by the hair, pulled it back, then smashed it into the floor. He stopped crying, at least.

Sarik was about to move on to another child when he noticed a tiny pool of thick, red liquid forming underneath the boy's nose. He put his finger into it and brought up it to his face. The coppery smell overwhelmed him for a moment, and suddenly, he remembered.

Blood.

Sarik remained deathly still as a memory played itself out inside of his head. As he stabbed a boy in the chest without even looking. As he tackled a larger boy who was so intent on killing...someone, and choked him to death. When he looked over to see people with blank faces fighting, and as he watched one sneak up behind another and twist his head, causing the victim to collapse to the floor, unmoving.

Sarik came to, and realized what he had to do.

He unsheathed his knife and rushed towards his next victims.

* * *

Sarah was amazed by the quality of the equipment that SSI had at its disposal. She was sitting over ten kilometers away from the base on the other end of the island, yet with this tiny scope, she could spot individual personnel scurrying about as if she were only a few meters away with absolute clarity.

"It's just like our unanimous informant said," Lee observed. "They seem to be packing the place up pretty quick, which means security is probably lax in all of the confusion. If we move in today, we'll have the highest chance for success."

"William is expecting us to come, sooner or later," Sarah replied. "The security inside is always much tighter than it is outside. If we go about this the wrong way, we WILL be wiped out, and we'll probably never locate the children again."

Sarah put her scope down and stared at the ground.

"However, this would be the best, and probably only chance we have," she agreed. "If they're moving the children in multiple trips, then Sarik will be one of the first they'll want to evacuate."

"The only one I'm particularly interested in," Lee reminded her.

"He'll be the easy part," Sarah told him. "It's getting to him that will be a little tricky."

"We have six Linear Tanks and three APCs," Lee told her. "I don't think firepower is a problem."

"No, but if I know the Director, he'd rather destroy everything than let it fall into another's hands," Sarah informed him. "Stealth is far more prudent than overall force."

Lee looked away in thought as he nodded his head slightly in agreement.

"What's that?" he asked a few minutes later, having returned to watching the base. "About thirty degrees to our left."

Sarah turned, and spotted a line of aged military trucks being loaded with personnel. Extremely short and very young looking personnel.

"He's already transporting them to the marina," Sarah stated.

"That's it, then," he told her. "We're moving in before they can launch any of their submarines. I think one tank and twenty men should be enough to cover the marina, don't you?"

"More than enough," Sarah replied as she donned her diver's mask.

After issuing several commands into his radio, Lee did the same. As he and Sarah walked into the water to join the rest of the vanguard team, several landing craft dropped their ramps, and heavy vehicles began roaring onto the beach.

* * *

Sarik stood deathly still as the hot water ran over his body. He had been told this was device was called a "shower", and that he needed to use it in order to clean himself before the testing continued. He truly appreciated it, because the blood got sticky after setting on his skin for a little while, becoming both an irritant and an encumbrance.

After about fifteen minutes of relaxing, he walked out of the shower and squirmed into the fresh clothes that he had been provided. He didn't know how he knew how to dress himself, just that he did.

After finishing, Sarik returned through the one and only door, leading back to the lobby where that man that not-good man had met him. Waiting was another large meal sitting in the same elaborate dish as had his previous meal. Sarik sat down and carefully consumed the food, as he was ravenous with hunger.

When he had finished his meal, a guard entered and escorted him back to the testing chamber. This was the fourth time he had to go back in there, and he was starting to grow tired of it. There was no challenge to what he was doing. Absolutely none.

However, this time, something had changed. As Sarik strolled into the white chamber, he noticed a platform of some sort was now located in the center of room. Setting on it was a long, metal object with protrusions of various sizes at various locations.

Sarik froze once more as several memories overwhelmed him at once. This time, he remembered using such an object, and loading it, and even cleaning it. A gun, he believed it was called, or more specifically, a pistol. Apparently, he had become quite accurate with them, and received several comments for his marksmanship.

But Sarik was not interested in the weapon. He was interested in the other children waiting for him. If he took care of them quickly, he wouldn't need to worry about it being used against him.

Sarik charged after the child nearest to him, a girl about his size with brown hair. She was caught totally unaware as Sarik unsheathed his knife and plunged it into her neck in one swift, smooth movement. She collapsed to the floor, blood spraying from her fatal wound.

Too easy, Sarik thought. He didn't understand why it was this way. Was he good at this, or was everyone else just bad?

His wandering thoughts were quickly replaced with constant calculations. He moved in on his next two victims, two boys stabbing at each other with their knives, both too skilled to allow the other to cause any real damage to himself. Sarik moved up behind one and dug his blade into the child's back, then twirled around and slashed the other through the chest with the spin's full force.

Sarik was about to move on to the next weakest opponent he could find when he noticed one child began to dash for the gun in the center of the room. Sarik bolted after him, but the boy was already there, and he had already prepared the weapon.

Sarik dodged to the side as the boy turned on him and fired. For some reason, he found something familiar about this boy, especially the black hair and amber eyes.

Sarik cringed as something hit him. He glanced down and noticed a splotch of blood forming on his side. He didn't understand what had just happened, but a sudden jolt caused him to lose all feeling for a moment, and he collapsed to the ground. He had just felt pain again.

Sarik fell flat on the floor, his body going into shock. This one had fought back and succeeded. This one had beat him. This one was skilled enough.

Sarik, through will alone, rose to his feet, trembling as his body began to enter into shock, while the other boy's attention was turned elsewhere. He grabbed up his knife, then stalked his newly-found rival.

The boy had just finished the rest of the children with his gun when Sarik let out a yell as he brought his knife in for the kill. But the boy still had his own knife unsheathed in one hand, and he was able to block the blow with ease. Sarik moved in again to cut into his opponent's flesh, but was beaten back again.

Sarik let out a howl in pain as the boy stabbed his knife into Sarik's right arm. Sarik did not release his weapon, but the pain was excruciating, and extremely distracting. Enough that darkness instantly formed at the edge of his eyes. Sarik could barely perceive that his opponent was pointing the gun at his face.

Beaten? Sarik questioned as time froze, his will faltering. He almost gave into the darkness, ready to rest.

No! he told himself. He won't beat me. No one can beat me!

"No one can beat me!" Sarik yelled psychotically as he slashed up with his knife at the boy and dodged to the left, knocking the gun out of the boy's hand and setting off the round in the chamber. The bullet missed Sarik by several centimeters.

Sarik cut in again, and again, and again, despite the fact that he was blocked every time. He loosed flurry after flurry upon his opponent, slowly wearing him down. Sarik finally cut down on the boy's hand, and that was it.

Two of his rival's fingers joined his knife on the ground as Sarik moved his own blade to the boy's throat. He was on his knees now, gazing up at Sarik, as if he were begging. He said nothing, made no motion, as if to be defiant, but his eyes exposed his true desires. He had no wish to cease.

Sarik was amused for a moment, but as amusement faded, he remembered what he had to do in order to pass.

Sarik swept his knife back over his left arm, then let loose the final blow. The blade cut through the boy's throat like tissue paper, and blood spattered the entirety of Sarik's torso.

Sarik stood there for a moment, unsure of what he had just done. The memory from which he learned to fight replayed itself, this time more complete. Among those who were fighting was this boy he had just defeated.

As Sarik sheathed his blade, he felt a tear streak down his face, though he did not understand why.

* * *

Spence watched quietly as Sarik executed his foe in an extremely exaggerated manner. It would have been easier to end it the instant the other child was incapacitated.

However, Spence was still somewhat amused. Sarik was either redeveloping a sense of humanity, or he was getting sloppy, because he had left a total of nine children alive from his personal engagements. They were the only failing children to survive any of the testing, as the other succeeding contestants were more than thorough in ensuring that their victims would "stay on the floor".

Spence stretched his hands and stood to leave the surveillance room. He had much work to do in preparation for the events about to take place.

* * *

William was impressed. His brother had been ever so hesitant to even harm a child before he had the memory wipe. Now, he was an emotionless killing machine.

Perhaps he could finally make up for all of his failures. The success of this project would gain him much prestige within Logos and Blue Cosmos, much less amnesty for past mistakes. The Coordinators would finally be destroyed by these new, living weapons, and he would be among the elite who truly controlled the new world.

William glanced over the assignment sheets for the next battle. So far, the rest of Blue Team had survived, though the boy named Alex wasn't faring too well. It didn't matter. Sarik would have crushed him easily in a fair fight, even with his injuries. The only potential threat was the girl.

But they would have to see. William knew THAT would be an even and drawn out battle. He couldn't wait to watch it.

* * *

Sarah surfaced from the water. Her two oxygen tanks were nearly empty, and she was exhausted. She swam up to where she could sit and took a moment to rest.

During those two hours underwater, the vanguard team had to bypass mines, sentry nets, and heat sensors. It had been extremely difficult, and there were several close calls, though every one eventually made it safely through. She just hoped that they hadn't been detected, because if they had, then the facility was probably empty by now.

But she put the thought out of her head. Most of the mercenaries were waiting in a perimeter a few kilometers from base with the linear tanks and APCs. It would take an army to bypass them.

After a few moments of rest, Sarah stripped her gear and waded onto the shore. There, the spearhead team was finishing up their sweep, disabling any sensors that they came across. By now, they were beginning to scale the cliff up towards the base. Apparently, it was a barrier twofold. Not only was it thirty meters to the top, but there was a ten meter wall blocking out the base, which was built on the cliff's edge. In addition to that, she heard someone mention something about a minefield that was built into the cliff face. It was going to be a while before they would be able to infiltrate the facility.

Sarah hoped that this would work out. Sarik's parents were waiting on one of the freighters offshore, and they wanted to be there the moment that their son was liberated. If this mission failed, Sarah knew there was going to be big time trouble for her and the other defecties.

She continued to ponder the potential outcomes as she strolled over to the large container that had been floated in by the rear guard. She waited patiently as a technician unlocked the case, revealing a small arsenal consisting of assault rifles, submachine guns, RPGs, and even a pair of light laser guided mortars. This was all the support the vanguard team had until the signal was sent for the main force to attack. And by then, Sarah would be inside the facility. Hopefully.

Sarah grabbed up the submachine gun that she had been assigned, then went about preparing for battle.

* * *

Sarik was slumped forward in the chair, a solemn look on his face, as he had just been through another test, and, despite his recently dressed injuries, had single handedly finished all of the other children. The last one, a boy with brown hair and blue eyes, had been his latest victim.

The reason he was depressed was because he felt that he had known the boy. He couldn't remember anything about him, but something had screamed inside of Sarik to not harm him. He had ignored it and finished the test, but he still felt bad about it.

No, not bad. That was a huge under statement. He felt HORRIBLE. He couldn't understand why, though. It was completely irrational.

Sarik looked up as one of the guards walked into the lobby, followed by that man Sarik had first met. However, the man no longer looked confident or cold. In fact, he almost looked scared. But again, Sarik didn't know why he knew these things. He just did.

"You've done well," the man told him. "Have you decided whether or not to join me?"

Sarik fidgeted. He hadn't thought about it at all. But he thought about how he felt now. After all of this, he didn't feel happy, or confident, or successful. He felt...empty.

"I'm still thinking," Sarik replied.

William scowled when he heard this.

"Well, we're going to have to finish up your testing quickly," he told Sarik irritably. "You have until then to decide."

Sarik sighed. The last test was only twenty minutes ago. But, obediently, he dropped out of the chair and walked over to the guard, who led him to the waiting room. There, Sarik found his knife, cleaned and well polished.

He sat on the floor cross-legged and closed his eyes, waiting.

* * *

William watched intently as the battle finished up. The girl was like a predatory cat. By now, the only children left to test were the best fighters, yet Stella surpassed them all. Within sixty seconds from the start of an engagement, she was able to eliminate her individual foes.

Except this one. She was fighting another girl, a little older in age, but of about the same size, with a shoulder length mane of light blond hair, and cold, gray eyes. She was successfully holding Stella at bay, though she was unable to gain any ground. Stella had yet to lay any blows on her, though the other girl's attacks were becoming desperate. It wouldn't be long.

What the other girl seemed intent on doing was to keep herself between Stella and the pistol that lay in the center of the room. If Stella got a hold of it, the battle would be set.

And Stella knew this. She continued to push the girl back, her blows growing quicker and more ferocious. Every now and then, Stella would hit with all of her might, forcing the girl to stumble closer towards the center of the room. By now, they were only two meters away from the platform.

Stella lashed out with her blade, then let loose a flurry of kicks. The other girl was knocked backwards a whole meter. The child obviously was good at gaging distances, because she ran backwards, then jumped up onto the platform like a master gymnast and kicked the gun away.

From then on, things got a lot more interesting.

Stella sprinted after the weapon even before it was kicked, apparently hoping to catch it before it flew too far. But the other girl leaped off of the platform, twirling through the air. She came down and kicked at Stella, then landed on her hands and flipped herself back to her feet.

Stella moved fluidly with the blows, allowing herself to be knocked back a little. As the other girl hit the ground, she was already sprinting towards the pistol.

The other girl was running only centimeters behind Stella as she noticed her legs starting to coil. She reacted in time, and was able to dive under Stella as she leaped at the pistol.

The girls arrived at the weapon at about the same time, and as a result, they grabbed it at the same exact moment, Stella flipping back onto her feet, and the other girl still flying through the air. When the combatants were distanced from each other, the resulting force caused them to loose their grips on the weapon, and it flew in a direction between and opposite of the girls.

However, Stella was on her feet earlier this time, and she once again sprinted after the weapon, the other girl on her heels, half a meter away.

Stella dove after the pistol, and began skidding on the floor as she grabbed it. She rolled herself onto her back in mid-skid and fired.

Time almost seemed to slow for William as the bullet traveled through the air. He could almost determine the slight arc it flew in through the air, the sonic wake it produced as it traveled nearly twice the speed of sound. But he knew these things were only figments of his imagination, the results of an overly informed mind.

Time returned to normal as the round pierced the girl's chest, leaving a small, gaping hole in the lower center of her sternum. The girl collapsed, and Stella sat there, panting.

William left the observation chamber. Watching this fight in the front row seats was enough to convince him. The last battle would would definitely be interesting. The berserker versus the wild cat. He wondered which would win.

* * *

Sarah continued to scale the wall, panting heavily as she did. She was only halfway up, yet she'd been climbing for nearly fifteen minutes. The flak vest she wore and the equipment strapped over it on her back made the task especially difficult.

But she kept on climbing. She had to. She had to prove her strength to these people, and she had to prove to herself that she could do this. Sarik would not be the same when they found him. She knew that. She would have to be able to endure in the times to come if she was to help him.

But what if he blamed her? As far as he knew, she simply left. And as soon as she left, things probably got worse. She had her degree in psychology, and a child his age did not think in the same manner as an adult, who would still put blame in her at this point. By now, he could very well think she was the reason for all of this.

Before she realized it, Sarah was already to the top. Apparently, she moved faster when she wasn't concentrating on mundane actions.

"What's going on?" she asked Lee, who had been waiting at the top for about ten minutes by now.

"Nothing," he told her. "Absolutely nothing. They loaded a couple more trucks a few minutes ago, but nothing since."

"Do you think he knows we were coming?" Sarah questioned. "He might be putting on this display to lure us into a sense of false security."

"It's an unfortunate possibility," he told her. "He does own a portion of the corporation. He could have informants all over the place."

Sarah pursed her lips in disdain, then proceeded to locking herself onto the wall. Once she was secure, she pulled out a pair of binoculars and joined the other infiltrators in observing the base's non-existent activities.

* * *

Sarik felt like he had been sitting forever. He was trying to keep patient, but it was so hard, and becoming more so the longer he waited.

However, as if someone had read his thoughts, the door in front of him opened. He strolled inside of the monotonous white room to discover several significant changes.

Located in each of the corners were platforms supporting some sort of short bladed weapon longer and broader than a knife. Swords, if he remembered correctly. In the center of the room were three platforms, rather than the normal single platform. The pistols on top had been replaced by guns slightly larger and much more sleek in design.

Sarik was about to move onto the offensive when he was forced to his knees as pain overwhelmed him.

"You must protect the weapons," the good man told him. "I will arrange for them to be loaded with armor piercing rounds. They will penetrate flak vests, doors, and bullet-proof glass with ease. However, you must not waste them in the fight, as they are to be an integral part of your escape."

Escape. He knew what that meant. He had to run. He had to get away from here. Get away from...

William, he thought in hatred.

That man. The one who had told Sarik that he was his savior. Asked him to join him. Told him these were only tests. Lied to him. These weren't tests. This was...

Elimination.

"You will be participating in a series of tests and competitions against the other teams," William had told them. "There will be no rewards for successful completion of your tasks. However, there will be punishment for lack of performance, and failure will be rewarded with elimination, which will result in the ultimate punishment."

The ultimate punishment. Death.

Sarik glanced down at the sheathed knife in his hand. How many had he killed? How many had he doomed to know nothing else but oblivion?

Sarik snapped to when he realized that someone was rushing towards him, letting out savage battle cry. He realized that he had to kill more. He knew that when he had agreed to this.

Sarik moved to his feet, and in one, graceful motion, unsheathed his weapon and slashed into the child's chest. Sarik cringed as blood sprayed all over his body. However, he realized something as the dead child collapsed backwards.

He felt nothing of it. No pain, no remorse, no respect, not even disdain for his enemy. Nothing good, nothing bad. Absolute nothingness.

Then perhaps I will feel nothing when I kill William, he thought.

That's what he was going to do when he escaped. Kill William. William was the one who had forced this burden on him. He was going to know what he had created. It was going to be his last memory of this life. An understanding of the power that he had unleashed.

Sarik sprinted forward, covering the ground between him and the guns in seconds. His adrenaline was pumping in mad amounts, but unlike that first time, he had experience, and absolute control over his power.

Sarik circled around the platforms slowly, his posture almost saying, "Come on, I dare you."

One child was stupid enough to try. Sarik stood his ground, waiting for the enraged boy, covered in blood and armed with a sword, to come into range. Before the child, no, the infant, realized what had happened, he was dead, Sarik crouching down below him, a diamond edged blade embedded in his heart.

That's all they really were, wasn't it? Infants. They had no memories, like him. But also, they had no understanding of their power, their potential. It showed. In the way they fought. In the way they moved. Only the strongest, most skilled, had survived these fights. And he was going to be the victor to the end.

Sarik continued his patrol, waiting for another challenger to approach him. But one never came. The remaining four children had been or were being engaged by a single girl.

He was mystified by how she fought, how she moved. The thin girl with long, golden blond hair moved so perfectly, so fluidly. There was no indication of exertion in her attacks. It seemed as if every one of her moves was a part of a single, giant motion. She never stopped, never hesitated, never flinched.

Within minutes, there was only the two of them. Sarik prepared himself, as she had just set her sights on him.

She simply stood there, staring at him. Assessing him. The arrogant, cold expression she formed as she gazed at Sarik. It was as if he were some annoying insect, and she was looking for the best way to squash him without being stung.

After a few minutes of standing motionless, the girl suddenly and without warning charged towards him, making absolutely no noise at all. She was completely silent. Only when she was within a couple meters of Sarik could her soft steps be heard.

It was then that he sprung into action, completely surprising the girl. She must have thought he wasn't any good if he was just hanging around the center waiting everything out.

In that instant, he proved her wrong. He moved in on the smaller child, ready to destroy her. But by the time he had reached her location, she was gone.

Sarik locked onto her with his senses, then turned to his left as she attempted to stab him in the side. He tossed his knife to his left hand and deflected her knife with his own, then he pushed her away from him with his forearm. As he tossed his knife back into his right hand, he charged after her, forcing the small girl slowly towards the wall.

But she continued to hold on to her weapon, despite his powerful blows, and she defended against every single one with unparalleled precision.

The girl suddenly moved on the offensive, attacking Sarik with the ferocity of a seasoned warrior, nearly penetrating his defenses several times. But he held his grond, and soon, his opportunity came.

Sarik noticed that the girl loosened her grip just ever so slightly whenever she changed her grasp on the weapon in order to attack Sarik in the constantly varying positions that she did. The next time she moved in, Sarik deflected the attack with the most powerful blow he could muster, followed by a kick with his left leg, hitting her in the hand and sending the knife flying meters away from them. Then, all in one motion, he spun around completely, as if he were a part of some twisted ballet of death. As he swung back around, he extended his weapon, cutting into the girl's chest.

But he was dissatisfied at himself and his miscalculation. He had felt the knife scrape just barely along the bones of her rib cage, not penetrating deep enough to do any real damage.

The girl stumbled the remaining meter to the wall, then slid down in defeat. Sarik walked after her a few seconds later to finish it, when she seemed to no longer be a threat. He grasped his knife like an infant grasping a piece of silverware, then brought it down towards her chest.

And he dropped the blade as his body froze. The girl had started crying, and for that reason alone, he had let go of his lifeline. His guaranteed ticket out of here.

And, as if he had never forgot, he remembered. Remembered the day when he had come to this place and met his friends. The first day of training. The failed escape. The months that he had spent bonding with them. The first time he was taken. And when he was offered a second chance by that doctor. Spence.

Sarik fell down onto Stella, sobbing. He grabbed her up in a tight hug, and let a seeming lifetime's worth of sorrows loose.

He released her some when she relaxed in his grip and looked into her eyes. They were no longer cold and piercing. She remembered. Him, their friends, and everything else. Even more tears welled up in his eyes out of horror.

"I'm sorry," he cried loudly as he pulled her back into a hug. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Stella sobbed with him, and they simply lay there, crying the entire time.

But then, Sarik remembered his mission. They had to get out of here. And now, he had every means by which to do that.

Keeping out of sight as best as he could, Sarik braced Stella up against the wall a few meters away from the one-way mirror, which conveniently was built into the same wall that he had injured her at. After she assured him with a gesture that she could stay up by herself, Sarik rose to his feet and strolled towards the center of the room. He picked up one of the submachine guns and walked back towards Stella, pulling the charge pin as he went.

* * *

Spence had almost jumped for joy when he watched Sarik drop the knife and grab up Stella. It was almost like one of those cheap love movies his wife used to make him watch.

He looked over at the portrait of his wife and infant son, which sat on his desk to the right of his computer. He wondered what they thought of him, now. It had been nearly five years. How had he let himself become so bitter during that time?

But he snapped out of his thoughts and walked about his office, preparing for the events about to take place. He had a job to do, for now. When those children were away, he would then be free to rest.

* * *

The security officer watched the events unfold in complete curiosity from his position in the security control center. One moment, the boy was slicing and dicing that girl, the next, he was on the floor crying with her. The officer didn't understand it one bit.

He was about to call for a security team when the boy began to move her towards on of the corners, as if he expected something was about to happen. But the guard relaxed when the boy grabbed up one of the weapons which he had seemed so reluctant to use earlier and prowled back towards her.

This was interesting. Perhaps he was going to execute her. This was definitely going to be worth watching.

But when the child was within a meter of the glass, he pointed the gun directly at the guard.

The officer began to snicker, soon imitated by the junior guard beside him. This glass was completely bullet proof. Any weapon that had been placed in there would never be able to break the barrier.

Then, the boy fired. The officer looked down at his chest in horror as something hit him. He noticed a single, bloody hole, suddenly joined by another, and another, and soon, there were at least ten wounds.

The sadist's last thoughts as he fell down dead were, How the hell did he manage that?

* * *

Sarik dropped the empty gun and sprinted back to the center of the room, grabbing up another of the machine guns. He sprayed fire at the remainder of the bullet-proof glass, clearing out as much of the lower half of the window as he possibly could. After emptying another weapon, he ran up to the hole and jumped into the security room beyond the portal, nicking his right hand on the broken glass lining the bottom of the frame.

Located in the control center was an entire array consoles that controlled various security measures throughout the entire level. Following Spence's instructions, Sarik unlocked all of the exits between him and the elevators. Before he left, he manually hacked the security cameras and sent an overload throughout the entire network on that level. Seconds later, the camera in the security center burst into sparks and shrapnel. Satisfied, Sarik pulled one of the dead guard's batons from his belt and used it to clear the remaining glass from the bottom edge of the window, so he could get back out without cutting himself.

Sarik smirked with satisfaction as he leaped back through the window and sprinted towards the center of the arena. He wrapped his hand in a strip of cloth from his sleeve, grabbed the remaining submachine gun, and ran towards the spot where Stella's knife had flown off to. After retrieving it, he sprinted back to Stella, who was breathing heavily.

"We have to go," he told her, forcing her to her feet and pulling her towards the window.

She propped herself against the wall, and Sarik leaped back through the destroyed barrier. After setting his small arsenal down, he helped Stella climb through the shattered window, careful to keep her from getting cut on the remaining glass shards.

"Take this," he told her as he forced her knife into her hand.

After she had herself situated, Sarik had Stella wrap one of her arms around his waist and began walking her out of the horrid place.

They didn't get far before they ran into trouble. As soon as they left the security center, two men came running down the hallway. Luckily, the facility's staff was in the process of packing everything for transport, so containers lined the walls in layers. By the time the security guards spotted Sarik and Stella, it was too late for them to react.

Sarik opened fire with his weapon, the armor piercing rounds cutting through their meager body armor. He only used eight rounds, and both men were most definitely dead, slumped against the many boxes and containers.

"Stay here," Sarik told Stella, handing her the submachine gun.

Now he had to find the rest of his equipment. Spence had informed him it would be stored in a metal footlocker not far from the security center. He said the only way he would be able to identify it from among the rest of the boxes was by a small red sticker on the side that said 'Fragile'.

Sarik started to despair as he paced up and down the hallway. Spence had estimated that he and Stella would have between ten and fifteen minutes before all hell would break loose, and Sarik estimated he had wasted two searching for the container. He was about to give up and move on without the equipment when he noticed one footlocker out of place among several plastic crates. He inched it out a few centimeters, then peeked around to the other side. Just as Spence had said, there was a red sticker with 'Fragile' printed on it.

Sarik thought about how ironic the label was as he rummaged through the contents, removing two custom made flak vests. After slipping into the larger of the two, he began to load the pockets on it with ammunition clips and other necessities.

Sarik almost whistled when he pulled out a small gun case and opened it. Inside was a brand new submachine gun, polished and gleaming. It was larger than the pistol-like weapons from the arena, with a stock and a longer barrel, yet, for some reason, it remained just as light and balanced as the other guns when he held it.

After grabbing Stella's equipment and the medical kit, Sarik ran back down the hallway.

"Stella?!" he yelled when he spotted her.

She lay on her side, slumped up against one of the boxes. Sarik ran over to her and pulled her bloodied shirt up. She was bleeding badly from the wound he gave her.

Sarik tore open the medical kit, sending some of its contents flying. He managed to catch two of the escapees in mid-air. He rummaged through the various drugs and compounds Spence had provided, the syringes labeled in very simple terms. Sarik finally found one that said "Antiseptic", and soon after located another that was labeled "Blood Clotter".

Sarik squirted the antiseptic into her wound, then wiped it dry with a gauze pad from the kit. He then carefully and evenly applied the clotter into her wound. Amazingly, she stopped bleeding almost immediately, and a large, black scab soon formed over the cut.

Sarik dropped the syringes and went back to rummaging through the kit. He had learned basic first aid from...somewhere, but he wasn't ready for this. However, after analyzing everything he could remember, he formulated an idea. Or maybe it wasn't an idea, but unrealized experience.

Sarik retrieved the entire gauze roll and pulled Stella's shirt up a little more as he started wrapping the bandaging material around her body. He noticed that her wound had started bleeding lightly, but the gauze would keep it from becoming deadly, in theory.

Sarik let her shirt fall back down as he searched through the remaining drugs. Spence had told him that his body was redesigned, or at least that was the easiest way to describe it, and that it would react differently to many substances than Naturals, including certain drugs intended for combat applications. Sarik was told these drugs were highly addictive, and that the withdrawal was horrible, but supposedly, they would enhance his combat capabilities several times over, and he would have at least an hour before it began breaking down in his system. If he only used it once, it wouldn't kill him. Again, in theory.

Sarik broke the cap off of one of the containers and gulped the liquid inside down in as few sips as possible. It tasted like all of the liquid medicines in the world combined with a hint of iodine into one, sick fluid.

He instantly began feeling its effects, the strength flowing to his limbs and his senses enhancing, but he knew he had to get Stella ready to move before he entered any sort of battle mindset. He quickly popped the cap off of the other container and forced it to her lips. Some of the liquid entered her mouth, and Stella regained consciousness, coughing. She almost knocked the drugs out of Sarik's hand when she brought her hand to her mouth.

"Drink it," he ordered her in a no-nonsense tone.

She grabbed it from him and sipped at it, then grimaced. Sarik gave her a stern look, and she gulped the rest down.

"Now get this on," he told her as he slipped her flak jacket over her head. She squirmed into it without protest.

"And here's your new gun," he told her, handing her a .44 magnum semi-automatic pistol with a recoil suppressor attached to the barrel's end. Spence had been also kind enough to provide four ten round clips for the powerful weapon, which Sarik had already placed in Stella's vest.

"Let's go," she said as she cocked the weapon, her voice no longer that of a young child, but that of someone much more ancient.

Sarik pulled the pin back on his submachine gun, then grabbed Stella around the shoulders to support her.

* * *

Spence continued to watch the monitor array that he had erected a few moments ago in his office. Each screen was constantly shifting through the backup cameras on every one of the facility's sub-levels, of which only Spence had access to at the moment. After Sarik lowered the sub-levels' security protocols, it only took Spence a few prompt commands and a click to isolate the various devices and place them under his undisputed control.

As Sarik and Stella neared the elevators, he hit a key, causing one of the lift's doors to slide open. He was relieved, but not surprised, when Sarik took the hint and carried Stella towards it.

Spence changed the monitor array's view to the next level, which was little more than a one hundred meter long corridor that served as a security checkpoint. It appeared that no one on this level was aware of the children's escape. The four men stationed at each elevator were standing idly, off in their own thoughts or chatting away. The security blackout was having a better effect than Spence had originally estimated.

Spence returned his view to the laboratories. Sarik and Stella had just boarded the one elevator and engaged it to move up to the next level. The doors locked shut as four heavily armed guards came running around the corner, intent on stopping the escapees. When the guards realized it was too late, they boarded another elevator leading to another security corridor. Apparently, they intended to catch the children when they reached the surface.

But Spence could not allow this. He loaded up the elevator's mechanical systems, and in ten seconds, was asked by the computer whether to execute or not. After a moment's hesitation, he told the program to engage.

Spence watched through one of his monitors as the elevator stopped. The men were puzzled and began pressing various buttons on the command console, trying to get it to move again. Suddenly, the elevator lurched, and began falling. They started yelling and scrambling around in panic as the metal deathtrap plunged downward.

But, as Spence expected, the emergency brakes engaged. However, the men would stop for nothing, and one jumped up and knocked away a panel in the elevator's roof. The emergency exit.

Spence shook his head at their persistence. A few seconds later, he had another abort/execute option dominating his computer's main monitor. He engaged again, and the emergency brakes on the elevator gave way. He continued to watch until, seconds later, the elevator's camera showed nothing but static.

William truly concerned him. Did he really trust his underlings so little that he felt it necessary to be able to disable even emergency systems?

Spence returned his attention to Sarik, whose elevator was about twenty seconds from his destination.

* * *

Sarik was resting on one knee near the elevator's door. He had made sure Stella was situated in the front left corner of the transport before they arrived, behind the control panel. He was not going get her into a fight unless there was no other alternative. She wouldn't be much help in this state, anyway.

Sarik continued to wait, growing somewhat impatient. The sooner he got this over with, the better. Just sitting was agonizing.

He snapped back to reality as the elevator chimed and the doors slid open. Standing with their backs to it were four of those seasoned soldiers armed with assault rifles and light machine guns. They had just started turning when Sarik opened fire.

Four seconds and eight bullets later, all four men lay face first on the floor, a pair of machine gun rounds embedded into each of their skulls.

Sarik was about to charge forward when he came under fire from the four other guards across the room. He dove to the console on the left to avoid the hail of lead, then crouched down, thinking. These men had every advantage, in both numbers and equipment. He needed something that could take them out quickly.

He dared to peek around the edge of the elevator, and was quickly forced back by another wave of bullets, several ricochets catching him in the chest. As he regained his breath, he began formulating an attack, as he had just located what he was looking for. On the guards' tactical vests were grenades of some sort. That meant that his victims were probably similarly equipped.

Sarik dropped his gun, took one last deep breath, and charged out of the elevator. His battle trance had taken full effect, and combined with the combat stimulant, he was untouchable. Time was nearly at a standstill as he slowly advanced towards his objective. He could SEE the individual flames from each of the gun's barrels as they fired, he could SEE where the rounds were destined to fly, he could SEE perspiration dripping down the guard's faces. In mere seconds, he saw things that no normal human could perceive.

* * *

The guards opened fire relentlessly on Sarik as he left the elevator, but not once had they come close to hitting him. Every time a round left each of their weapons, he seemed to be able to predict where it would go before the bullet reached him and avoid it by several centimeters.

They continued to fire at him, still to no avail, especially after he had hid himself behind a makeshift barricade made with one of the bodies. One turned and ran when the boy reached underneath the dead guard's body and ripped something away from his vest. The others were completely oblivious as the boy tossed it with what seemed like a quick flick of the wrist.

No one had even perceived what was about to happen until they realized the boy was holding a pin of some sort. Suddenly, their vision was filled with red, followed by utter blackness.

* * *

Sarik grabbed up one of the assault rifles and mowed down the last of his antagonists. Eight kills, eight of his bullets, and no injuries. He was getting good at this.

Sarik dropped the rifle and ran back to the elevator, pulling Stella to her feet. After he grabbed up his submachine gun, Sarik and Stella began the slow process of crossing the bloodied corridor.

* * *

Sarah was beginning to grow bored from watching the base when suddenly, alarms began going off everywhere.

"Time to move!" Lee yelled.

"Wait!" Sarah said.

"If we don't attack now, they'll be all over us," Lee told her.

"Then why are they running INTO the facility?" Sarah asked.

Lee quickly surveyed the entire base, and as Sarah had stated, most of the guards were running in. Frantically.

"They're digging in," Lee suggested.

"I don't think so," Sarah replied. "They would be taking the children with them if that was the case. There's something going on inside."

Lee looked away for a moment, thinking.

"Do you your contact might be causing this?" he asked her.

"Possibly," she informed him. "But, there is also the possibility that it's Sarik."

"I thought William took care of that," Lee remarked.

Sarah was skeptical about the notion, too. She had no idea what happened, but after Blue Team's escape attempt, William had personally spoken with Sarik and Stella. All she knew about the incident was that Sarik had become very protective of the girl afterwards, and that they never attempted any such escape ever again.

"Then the rest of Blue Team would be with him," Sarah told Lee. "For some reason, they would feel that they had a great chance for success, or else they wouldn't bother. Perhaps the result of the same contact?"

"Well, if they're not reinforcing their guard, then we must move with all due haste," Lee told her. "Crush them while they're still confused."

After taking a deep breath, Lee yelled, "Grapples!"

Every soldier along the wall pulled a small, black crossbow from his equipment and aimed it towards the ground. Attached to the bolts were high-density cables, capable of sustaining nearly five hundred kilograms in weight.

"Fire!" Lee ordered.

Every mercenary fired his crossbow simultaneously, hitting one of the buildings about fifty meters away. After securing their end of the zip lines, they all grabbed a handled pulley and began their descent.

After everyone was on the ground, Sarah positioned her own pulley and zipped down, crashing lightly into the building and falling the remaining centimeters to the ground.

* * *

Spence watched the entire scene in utter amazement. Until now, he had no idea how truly deadly his creations were. Now that he knew, he had all the more reason to regret going through with his experiments in the first place, and why he had to put an end everything now.

But it's already done, he admitted to himself. There is no more time for self-pity.

Spence shifted his monitor to the next level, observing what Sarik was about to encounter. By now, the upper levels were alerted, and Spence could hear men running all over the place from his office. He had been hacking away at the security network, trying to make it as difficult as possible for the security forces to move through this labyrinth of a facility, but every minute Sarik wasted was another minute closer to failure.

Spence was glancing through the monitors when he noticed an entire team of guards in riot gear loading onto the elevator Sarik was aiming to board. This wasn't good. Sarik would be about halfway down the corridor when they arrived, and there would be nothing he could do to fight them. These men carried titanium combat shields rather than the simple glass riot shields that they had sported earlier in the summer. They were expecting armor-piercing weaponry.

But then, he remembered that one security measure that had cost a careless guard his life earlier on in the facility's existence. That would behis trump card.

Suddenly, a small alarm of his own went off, and one of the monitors shifted to a view outside of the facility. He spotted several armed men grappling down into the base's perimeter before the camera he had placed went dead.

So my timing was correct, he mused himself.

* * *

Sarik continued to support Stella, trying to get to the elevator as quickly as possible. He had taken the time to check her bandages after the fight was over, and her predicament wasn't good. Her wound had completely reopened, and she had lost a lot of blood. Stella was already in a somewhat dreamy state. If they got into a tight situation, she wouldn't be able to defend herself.

They had to get out fast. If Stella bled to death, all of the work that Spence had invested into this would be wasted, because Sarik refused to leave her behind. They were both leaving together, dead or alive.

The two were about halfway down the corridor when the elevator doors slid open, and lines of glimmering shields began marching forward.

* * *

Sarah fired her submachine gun around the corner at an unsuspecting guard. Three bullets cut into his body, and he collapsed to the ground.

Fifty meters away were the trucks filled with children. All of the commandos in Lee's group were ordered not to damage them under any circumstances. The guards had apparently assumed this, and had already begun using the vehicles for cover.

However, they were soon running for better cover when the sniper team finally took up position on a building that flanked all of the guard's positions. Sarah thought it would end quickly from there.

But it didn't. The cowards began equipping the children with their fallen comrade's weapons and sending them charging into the fight. Sarah cringed as a sniper's bullet cut through a young boy who was sprinting towards her position.

Sarah's brooding ended when she ducked behind cover as several bullets flew by. Lee ran between buildings towards her, under fire from three different sources, though he seemed to move just fast enough to avoid their shots.

"They're using the children," she observed as he approached.

"It won't look good if we end up killing everyone we came to rescue," Lee agreed. "Do you still have that designator I gave you?"

Sarah began grabbing around her utility belt, looking for the device. It was a laser pointer used to provide a firing solution for the mortars that were set up on the beachhead. She hoped he didn't plan on using them on the children directly. It would become a massacre.

She eventually located the device, strapped to her pack, and handed it to Lee.

"Mortar team, load the gas shells," he yelled into his headset.

He quickly changed the channel on his radio.

"Everyone, gas masks on," Lee ordered. "If you have shock rounds, this is the time to start using them.

Lee slipped his mask on, then leaped out into the open and crouched low. Sarah heard two 'thud's in the distance. The mortar rounds had just been launched a few seconds ago. She peeked around the corner and provided Lee with covering fire.

Lee aimed the laser at one of the trucks. Seconds later, two rounds impacted on it and began releasing a mild nerve agent. Everyone who breathed it fell to the ground and began convulsing instantly. All except for the children.

They continued to advance relentlessly, even though they were hacking and coughing horribly. Two commandos were mowed down as they tried to move in on the seemingly encumbered children and disable them with tasers.

Sarah dropped the huge pack on her back, fished out her gas mask, slammed a magazine full of stun rounds into her gun, charged around the corner towards the facility, Lee quickly running past her.

* * *

Spence watched as the rows of security officers slowly marched forward, unhindered by the wall of bullets that Sarik was throwing up with the weapons he had procured from the dead guards. Even the light machine guns, which Sarik could barely lift, had no effect.

After emptying every one of the weapons, Sarik finally gave up using guns. Instead, he grabbed all of the grenades he could carry and began lobbing them one by one. However, the advancing officers simply planted their shields on the ground, and the grenades bounced harmlessly off of the metal. When they exploded, they didn't do as much as to cause the men to flinch.

As this took place, Spence was busy hacking away at the incinerator trap's firewall. He would have thought that other parts of the facility would be better protected, but this was by far the hardest single program he had to infiltrate in his entire life. Apparently, William also felt it was a trump card.

Spence let out a sigh when the manual controls finally showed up on his computer. Without delay, he activated it.

Spence was almost surprised that the cameras were still sending feed. Apparently, they must have been designed to withstand such an environment.

The guards, on the other hand, were not. They all began to panic when the vault doors slammed down at the elevator and ten meters ahead of it. They did not have much time to despair, however, as panels opened in the walls and flaming magnesium-based liquid saturated the chamber. The men were only screaming for about a second or so, as within seconds, the fire had burned down to their bones. By the end of the first minute, almost no trace was left of the men or their equipment. When the fire had died down and the doors raised, there was nothing but a light layer of dust and metal bumps located here and there on the floor.

Spence activated the cargo elevator's doors, making way for Sarik and Stella. He was concerned for the girl, though. Sarik was now walking briskly with Stella cradled in his arms, his weapon slung over his shoulder by its strap. The poor child wasn't faring well.

If only I could get there to help, Spence thought.

Suddenly, someone started banging on his office door.

"Doctor Spence, open up!" yelled a guard's gruff voice.

But my fate is already sealed.

Spence opened one of his desk drawers and fished out an old-fashioned revolver. He loaded one round and set the pistol on the desk.

Suddenly, alarms started going off on the first level of the facility. Spence maneuvered his way through the camera banks, eventually tapping into one near the entrance. Storming into the facility were dozens of men suited up like a top-class special forces unit.

Spence smiled, and was about to grab his pistol, when someone that had rushed in struck a cord within him. He zoomed in on her, and confirmed his suspicion.

It was Sarah Raahl, the former instructor of Blue Team.

* * *

"Miss Raahl," Sarah heard someone say over the facility's speakers.

She lifted her gun up, surveying her surroundings. She spotted a camera and shot it out with her remaining shock rounds.

"Now Miss Raahl, that was unnecessary," the unknown man remarked. "I am on your side. Have your team follow my directions, and you will find what you're looking for."

Lee glanced at her, a puzzled expression on his face.

"It's something to go one," she stated.

"Good," the voice in the speakers said. "Now, take the hallway to your right."

Sarah ejected the empty clip in her submachine gun, then replaced it with one loaded with full metal jacketed rounds, darting towards the corridor as she did.

* * *

Sarik knelt down next to Stella, who was panting heavily. Blood already stained her clothing in vast amounts, and it was starting to seep into her flak vest. This wasn't good at all. Sarik had even taken time to apply more clotter, but the scab broke open almost instantly, and was bleeding heavily until he wrapped the wound tightly in fresh gauze.

A tone chimed through the elevator. Sarik looked up at the level display. They were nearly to the top.

Sarik picked Stella up and carried her over by the console. She would be less exposed this way.

* * *

William primed his assault pistol as he charged out of his office. He had barely got back to the surface before the blackout, and now somehow had to get to the underground marina. There, a submarine waited to take him and whatever Extendeds that his men could round up to the new facilities.

This was ridiculous. How could his informant on the Board have been wrong? William knew how the company and his parents worked, how indecisive they were, so why was it any different this time? Why would his parents have any valid reason to doubt him THAT much?

But his brooding went out the window as he forced himself into a doorway and froze. Running down a corridor opposite to his was Blue Team's former instructor and several of his parents' mercenaries.

After he was sure they were past, he pulled out his radio and began to pursue.

"This is the Director," he said into the radio. "All forces are to fall back to the laboratories. Round up what of the children you can, and use them, if necessary."

William replaced the radio into his jacket and broke into a full run.

* * *

Spence flinched as an explosion wracked his office. Apparently, the guards had decided to use a battering ram to breach the door. Shaped explosives set to a pressure trigger caused their plan to backfire on them. Literally.

The door made little difference to Spence, however. Every bit furniture he could move was now braced against the office's entrance. The only thing that remained in its proper place was his desk and the monitor array.

"One last turn to your left and you'll come up on an elevator," he informed Sarah through the speakers as she ran into an office space located in a bulge along the corridor. "Sarik should be up momentarily."

Spence the shut off all of his equipment and initiated a pre-programmed memory wipe of every security system in the facility. All doors would be unlocked, all traps disabled. Nothing would encumber these saviors' progress.

He picked up his pistol as the guards outside of his office began breaking down the furnishings. He spotted a hand burst through the maple-wood bookcase that he had set up as one of the outer barricades.

I guess I'll be joining you soon, he thought to himself as he glanced at his family's portrait one last time. He put the pistol to his temple and fired.

* * *

The elevator doors slid open, and immediately, the guards opened fire into the transportation device, riddling it with bullet holes. But no one was there. They finished unloading their weapons, then reached down to replace their empty magazines.

Sarik slid around the corner and opened fire with his submachine gun. He unloaded the entire clip on the four men, tearing them to shreds as he charged into the corridor and took shelter behind a stack of crates. Apparently, they were in the process of packing everything else in the facility, too. In addition to the cover of the equipment, the facility's primary lighting seemed to be out. Everything was either black or tinted with the dark red of emergency lighting.

Sarik ducked as several guards down the hallway blindly opened fire, filling the small space with several kilograms of lead. When they finished unloading their weapons, they advanced slowly as they reloaded. Sarik remained hidden, waiting for them to make the costly mistake of assuming him dead, reloading as he did.

Sarik listened, waiting. When they were within five meters of him, he slowly peeked over the crates with his gun, lined the sights up, and pulled the trigger.

The closest three guards fell down, dead or incapacitated, Sarik couldn't tell. The others dove for cover among the various pieces of equipment lying around.

Sarik ducked back down, pondering on what to do. If he stayed in any one place for too long, he would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. But if he got shot, well, he would still be overwhelmed.

Sarik charged from his cover and sprayed the locations of his remaining foes. He caught one as he tried to rise from cover. That man would never get up again.

Sarik ejected the near-empty clip, then loaded a fresh one into his small gun. He had a single magazine left after this. He had to get Stella out of here quickly.

Sarik sprinted back to the elevator, ducked behind the cover of the console, and sprayed at another guard foolish enough to try to gun him down in his retreat. The guard fell back with a single bullet hole in the side of his forehead.

Sarik snatched up the medical kit and knelt in front of Stella as he rummaged through it. He pulled out one syringe that was labeled "Stimulant". Spence had said that in this syringe was the maximum safe dose of adrenaline for someone their age, the most powerful of bodily produced hormones. He popped the cap off and injected the clear substance into Stella's arm.

Within a few seconds, her breathing accelerated, and her eyes shot open. She was in definite pain.

"We have to go," Sarik told her as he removed his flak vest. "Can you hold onto me?"

She nodded with a grimace on her face.

Sarik turned around and bent down, then helped Stella onto his back. He was strained by her weight, but he could carry it. Four months of intense physical conditioning coupled with combat-induced adrenaline did that to a person.

After he was sure Stella had a good grip on him, he grabbed up his flak vest and pulled the remaining clip from it.

"Hold this over your head," he told Stella as he threw his flak vest on top of her. She would be higher up than him, so even if a bullet missed him, it could easily hit her. And there was no saving someone from a head shot.

Sarik picked up his weapon, then charged out of the elevator, firing.

Every time one of the guards moved up to fire at him, Sarik lined up a perfect shot and dropped him. Never once did he stop running, and each fool was eliminated in almost perfect order.

Sarik skidded to a stop at one of the crossways. He stood there for a moment as he let himself remember which way was out.

Seconds later, he was running again, having darted down the corridor to the right. He continued to run, stop, and skirmish for the next five minutes.

Suddenly, he ran up on an intense firefight in what appeared to be an office of some sort. Two groups of adults were combating each other, the young Extendeds fighting for whichever side they fancied. Sarik smirked as he ran into the fray. Apparently, he was not the only one Spence had freed, and that pleased him for some reason.

Sarik figured that the side fighting against the guards were on his side, but he knew that if he just ran up on them with weapon in hand, he would probably be mowed down in the heat of the moment. So after dispatching a guard near him, Sarik sneaked around, trying to find a safe place to hide Stella while he helped the not-guards clear things out. Eventually, he found a desk made out of what appeared to be solid wood, as it had several intentions in it, but no penetration holes. Sarik slid Stella underneath, then left his submachine gun in her hands, as she was returning to her semi-conscious state. She would need quantity, not accuracy, in order to defend herself.

After taking Stella's .44 pistol and two of the spare magazines, Sarik placed his flak vest over her and charged into the fray.

* * *

William observed the firefight in frustration from a distance. He had followed Sarah all the way here, but he was unable to intervene and expect to survive. If he only had a flak vest, he would probably be able to effectively assist his men.

As he watched the melee, he noticed a heavily armed child dart underneath a desk with something large on his back. A moment later, he crawled back out, this time lacking his load and armed with a mere pistol.

Sarik, William deduced.

Sarik soon joined into the fight, and William grew extremely angry when he sneaked up behind two of his guards and dispatched them with almost execution-style shots to the head. Now that Sarik was fighting, things would go downhill for his side. He was sure of it.

William pulled out his radio, then charged into the fray.

"Forces in office section zero nine, there is an incapacitated child underneath the reception desk," he yelled into the device. "Retrieve her, then have the children cover your retreat."

William found himself in a desirable position behind one of his parents' mercenaries, the man concentrating on the battle before him. William almost laughed as he put a three round burst into the back of the man's head.

* * *

Sarik jumped onto the large boy's back and, with the deft movement of a single hand, snapped his neck.

Sarik was about to move on to his next target when he heard his submachine gun go off. He snapped his head in the direction of the desk, then began working his way back towards it. One guard was falling backwards, dead, while two others were diving underneath it. Seconds later, one pulled Stella out, who was struggling futilely.

"Stay away from her!" Sarik yelled, firing a round from his pistol at the antagonist. The round flew straight and true, but, by horrible coincidence, a guard moving to cover from the firefight walked straight into its path and was sent sprawling, the bullet somehow not penetrating his vest.

Sarik was about to shoot again when the guards began retreating, multiple attackers spraying his position with rifle fire. Sarik dove for cover behind another, more cheaply built desk as the enemy line moved past him. When he was no longer the sole item of attention of the guards, Sarik moved out from behind his hiding place, a now-ruined pile of rubble.

Sarik was about to sprint after them when he felt a hand settle lightly on his shoulder. He whipped his pistol around, finger on the trigger, then froze. Kneeling in front of him was Sarah, his old instructor.

"You need to come with me," she told him.

Sarik stood absolutely still for a few seconds, debating. He used to trust her, maybe even like her. But she worked for these people, didn't she? That made her the enemy. And then, to make things worst, she had left them, left them to be made into monsters.

But Sarik couldn't bring himself to shoot her, no more than he could Stella. Instead, he kicked Sarah in the chest with his right knee, then darted off.

Because of wasted time, there were now six armed children standing between him and Stella, protecting sadistic masters who had absolutely no care or respect for their lives.

Sarik let out a cry of sorrow as he charged forward and fired.

* * *

Sarah lifted herself back onto her feet, dazed. Sarik had hit her straight in the heart, knocking her flat on her back and leaving every sense groggy.

Suddenly, Lee was in her face, holding her shoulders.

"Are you all right?" he yelled over the dying battle, his voice barely registering in her ringing ears.

"I'm fine," she replied. "It was Sarik."

"He was that kid?" Lee asked.

Sarah brushed Lee away and glanced down the corridor. Six children of various ages lay sprawled around. She heard a yell, and one of the young girls who had joined the infiltration team just now ran to the side of one of the body's, that of a boy who appeared a year or two her senior, and began crying.

Then, Sarah snapped back to reality.

"We have to go!" she yelled.

Sarik didn't run because of her. He ran because they took Stella.

* * *

William sprinted desperately down the hallways. Bodies littered the corridor, all Sarik's victims. He now knew his brother would have no reserves about killing him.

They were nearly there. It was just another minute or so before they reached the elevator.

Then, he heard a yell. And not a child's yell.

* * *

"William!" Lee roared as he proceeded down the corridors.

He could hear footsteps ahead. He was gaining ground on them.

He continued to sprint up the hallway, and soon ran up on Sarik, who was moving as fast as his young body could run, and then some.

As Lee moved up beside Sarik, he sensed nothing but coldness emanating from the child. The boy glanced over at Lee, and he realized that Sarik was deciding whether or not he was a threat. If Sarik decided that he was, there was nothing Lee could do about the actions that would follow.

An eternity later, Sarik turned his gaze forward and ran even faster. Lee nearly grunted. So he wasn't considered a threat. He was almost insulted.

Lee darted forward at his fastest pace, passing the child quickly and gaining ground on the retreating guards. As Lee turned the corner, he found himself three meters away from the barrels of two guard's guns. The men fired, and all should have ended.

But Lee noticed them in time to allow his momentum to carry him further in the direction he was already traveling, avoiding the hail of bullets, and to counterattack with two well-placed rounds from his rifle in mid-run, dropping each of the men instantly.

He charged forward, killing one guard after the other. At the end of the corridor, the two doors to a freight elevator slowly slid open. Between him and William were half a dozen guards. Piece of cake, for a Coordinator.

Thirty seconds later, all six guards were dead or incapacitated, but the elevator doors were closing. Lee ran up to the elevator's doors and opened fire with his rifle at William and his two guards, careful to avoid shooting the girl who was braced against the back wall.

Nothing left the barrel but clicks. A jam.

Lee froze as the two guards pointed their weapons at him.

"Hold," William ordered calmly.

Both men moved their fingers off of their rifle's triggers, but kept the weapons pointed at Lee, nonetheless.

William slowly and exaggeratedly walked to the cargo lift's doors, which were about halfway closed.

"The moment I met you, I knew there was something wrong," Lee taunted. "I didn't want to think I was right, nor did I think I ever would be."

"I never did like my parents' meddlesome caretakers," William admitted. "At least now I can relieve my brother of that curse."

And with that, William pointed his pistol at Lee and fired.

* * *

Sarik and Sarah skidded around the corner to find Lee just standing in front of the elevator.

All of these adults are idiots, Sarik thought as he charged forward, slamming a new magazine into his pistol.

When Sarik was halfway down the corridor, a series of gun shots rang out, and Lee collapsed backwards.

Standing in his place was William.

This was Sarik's chance. His chance to kill the man, and to save Stella.

"I'll save you, Stella!" Sarik yelled as he raised his pistol and fired.

The round flew forward. Sarik continued running as he watched the bullet travel in slow motion towards the closing doors, towards the unsuspecting William.

Then, the doors locked closed as the round was mere centimeters from them. A small spark was the only indication that the bullet ever made contact with anything.

Sarik continued running forward, tears falling from his eyes, pain wracking his body. He was hurting two-fold, as his body was entering withdrawal from the drugs, and simultaneously, he knew that he had just lost Stella.

Sarik jumped over Lee's body and rammed futilely into the elevator doors. He smashed his fists against the metal, then, when that didn't work, he stood back a meter and fired his gun. And fired. And fired. And several more times, fired, completely disregarding the fact that the armor-piercing rounds were ricocheting all over the place.

Sarik collapsed to the ground and began convulsing, his nervous system collapsing in on itself. Or it would be, if this had been any time but his first use of that drug.

* * *

Sarah ran over and knelt beside Sarik. He was sprawled out on the floor, writhing in an uncontrolled fashion.

She attempted to grab him to keep him from hurting himself, but he batted her away.

"No!" he yelled. "No, no, no!"

"What is it Sarik?" Sarah yelled as she got a grip on him.

"No!" he cried, trying to bash the back of his head into the floor.

Something was wrong. They had done something to him, and it was going wrong.

"Stella!" Sarik screamed loudly as he began loosing his strength. "I'll save you. I promise!"

Sarik continued to cry her name out for another minute, then fell unconscious.

* * *

Stella listened as something smashed into the elevator doors, followed by several ringing sounds. They all echoed through her head, the result of blood loss and exhaustion equivalent to that of several days.

"Stella!" a muffled voice rang out. "I'll save you! I promise!"

And then, the elevator began descending, muffling any other outside sounds. Stella allowed herself to fall unconscious, as she knew everything would be all right. He had just said so.

* * *

William situated himself in his seat, anxiously waiting for the launch. The sooner they left, the better.

He was growing extremely annoyed at the children. They just couldn't sit still, could they? They always had to express the interest or excitement with yells and shrieks, even after all of the memory wipes, didn't they?

Then, he felt the submarine lurch forward. They were safe, at least for the moment.

William suddenly realized he was tired. Odd that he hadn't noticed that before. He decided to lean back in his seat and rest his eyes for a little while. Moments later, he was snoring loudly in a slumber, and children were pointing and gawking at him obnoxiously.

* * *

Laura stepped out of the APC onto the ruined base. She was very disturbed. All of this, the men, the buildings, the equipment, had been financed with the corporation's money. How could William have deceived them for so long?

Beside Laura, Derick, her husband, followed, though with a far more delicate and proud posture. He had always emphasized his outward appearance, believing that it brought inspiration to those he worked with.

Laura was wary of advancing any further, as gunshots could still be heard from all over the place. But, as if to quell her fears, she and Derick were assured by one of the mercenaries that this area was completely secure.

Laura stared in amazement at the wrecks of the vehicles that littered the immediate vicinity. Four tanks, lined up perfectly, ready to fight off the advance force. In each was a single, perfectly placed hole bored through the cockpit. A testament to the power and accuracy of the new railguns that the world's military's had dubbed "linear cannons". There was no doubt in her mind that Derick had used this incident as an opportunity to test them for himself.

Laura found herself standing still and alone in thought, and she had to run forward in order to catch up with her husband. Long ago, he had come to tolerate her bad habit of drifting off, and unless the situation was perilous, he respected her enough to not disturb her.

They neared the facility, where children were being escorted or carried out by the dozens. Some of them, she noted, weren't even breathing.

Then one person caught her eye. Laura hadn't recognized her at first. Sarah, the former Blue Cosmos member, walked out of the facility, carrying Sarik. Both were covered in sweat and blood, cuts and bruises.

Laura ran forward to see her son. As she got closer, she almost screamed.

This was not the boy that she had left with Lee at the beginning of the summer. He was different. Battered, scarred, weathered. And he was bigger. At the beginning of the summer, he stood about one hundred twenty centimeters tall. Now, he had to be a quarter of that height taller. Whatever William had done to him was terrible and intrusive, and in no way could be good for Sarik's long-term health.

But she was less concerned about his physical well-being, and more of his mind. How had it affected him? Was he even the same person?

No, not after this. His mind going to be as scarred and battered as his body.

Sarah walked up to Laura and sat Sarik on the ground in front of her. Laura knelt down and began cradle her son.

Derick seemed to almost completely ignore his child as he walked over to join the two women.

"Where is William?" he asked Sarah coldly as she stood back up.

"He got away," she replied with a hint of contempt on her voice.

* * *

"And Lee?" Derick inquired.

"William killed him," Sarah informed him, the sorrow obvious in her voice, even to herself.

"Very well," Derick sighed before strolling towards the facility. "A shame, really."

And as he left, everything was suddenly brought to light. It was no longer a mystery to her why William turned out the way he did. Though he and his father did not share a hatred of Coordinators, they did share one thing.

They were both cold and uncaring bastards.

*******

Author's Notes

I would like to take this time to thank the dedicated readers who have continued to support me as I have authored this title. I am truly honored to be able to write for such supportive, and sometimes critical, individuals, who have helped me become a better writer, and through those writings, a better person, by revealing to myself what kind of person I am. I hope you all continue to read, and keep bringing on the reviews.

I have taken the time to compile a playlist for this fiction, basically consisting of the same setup as the GS and GSD series music. I don't think that it will be hard to figure out which are the opening, closing and filler songs, though if you need clarification, please state such in your review, and I will make adjustments to the playlist's description. Remove the spaces in the link.

http: / /w w w . im eem. com /people/ 2Ar_gBx /playlist/ W_2bNEUV /ressurection_and_reconciliation_music_playlist/

I do not own Mobile Suit Gundam, Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny, Gundam SEED Astray, or any of the characters within the before-mentioned fictions. I do claim ownership of the original characters within this story, and request that others not use them.

I do not own the songs within the playlist in above link(s), nor do I own the website on which they are posted.