Lexi tried and failed to stand. After a couple of attempts, however, she managed to stand upright. Pain shot through her like a knife and sent a cold chill down her body.

As she stumbled clumsily into the main room of HQ, she felt herself become light-headed. She leaned up against the wall and saw Rev zipping around the kitchen area of the building. Within seconds he was gone again.

If it was anything to go by, Lexi was rather happy about being alone. At this point in time especially. She saw something in the corner, a trick of the light perhaps, she wasn't sure. Still she held her chest and walked slowly over to the sofas in HQ, under which lay the source of her confusion.

Lexi bent down and felt yet again the pain in her chest. This time she let her body flop down onto the cold floor, no longer caring about staying upright. She reached her hand under the sofa and felt something cold. The temperatures of the object making her gasp slightly.

When she retracted her hand, she saw the source of the glint of light she had seen. She held the guardian strike sword up into the light, staring at one thing on the weapon in particular.

Blood.

Lexi dropped the weapon and sat back away from it. Confusion lined her face as the full horror of her predicament came into light.

She thought of Ace, if Matthew was strong enough to make him do this, then perhaps he was strong enough to take down her friend, her leader. Tears came to her eyes as she picked up the sword, letting her blood seep into her fur. This was all her fault.

If she had just ran and got Ace away in time, he might still be here, with her. That was the one place she wanted her leader to be right now. Lexi wanted to see him smile again, she wanted him to wrap his arms around her and never let go. But those images and hopes were fading, as was her friend's strength in the hands of one so much more powerful. Lexi didn't want to think of Matthew as being more powerful than Ace, but the truth remained. In a straight battle, Ace would have won hands down. But this was a lot more difficult.

Lexi had been beginning to think that the team was invincible; this only proved she was wrong.

Lexi leaned back, looking out of the large window in HQ, like she was expecting to find the answer she needed hidden in the clouds. No ideas came to her. Depression seemed to overloud her senses, dragging all pure thought away from her. She cried and didn't care who listened. But someone was listening to her sobs.

Tech sighed heavily. His head banging like a clock tower. He'd had an increasing headache since Lexi had got him back to HQ, a side effect of Matthews mind control perhaps? But Tech knew better than to complain. Lexi was sat in the next room with a hole in her chest and she didn't complain.

Tech pondered, did Lexi's scars go only as deep as the wound, of did it stab at her heart as well. Tech could see from only looking that Lexi was spiralling downwards mentally. Her emotions were over-whelmed, and Tech was now sure he knew why. But he knew it was probably best not to question the female, if only to keep her embarrassment and stress at bay.

Ace was a friend to all of the team, they trusted him, and now it seemed that Ace needed them as much as ever. Tech looked over at Lexi once more before retreating into his lab.

That one glimmer of hope Tech once had seemed to have faded. The team were drained, Tech wasn't sure if he could lead the rest of the team into their last battle, but he needed to get Ace back. But how? That was the only question that ran through his head at that moment.

Tech heard movement behind him and turned slowly. He saw Lexi stood in the doorway, tears lining her face.

"Hey Tech." She smiled sadly. Tech saw the worry and sorrow in her face.

"Hey Lexi, how you feelin'." That was all he could think of at that moment.

Lexi looked down at the floor, "I'm alright I guess."

Tech's heart sank, Lexi was always so lively, so full of life, but now Lexi looked like she could burst into tears.

Lexi looked up again "I guess I miss him."

Tech knew who she was talking about; you'd have to be dumb to think otherwise. Tech saw no way of comforting her, he walked towards her and pulled her into a hug, and she hugged him back and cried softly.

"What are we gonna do Tech?" She muttered.

That question grabbed at Tech's heart, making his emotions drop into a pit of despair.

He'd been dreading that question.

Tech didn't know what to say. "I don't know Lexi," Tech pushed Lexi away and looked her in the eyes. "But were going to get him back."

Lexi wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "What if there's no-one left to save?"

Tech's eyes widened, he never thought he'd hear Lexi be so pessimistic. "Wha-, Lexi if we all lose hope now, how do you ever expect we're gonna get Ace back. I've never seen you be like this Lexi, come on, what's up?"

Lexi looked back into Techs amber eyes, a glint of anger making her eyes glitter. "What's up? Tech what do you thinks up? I'm the second in command and I feel like I've not done anything right. It was my fault Slam got taken cos' I wasn't careful enough, and then I tripped and forced Ace into getting captured. And then, just to top it all off, I get stabbed by my best friend and fail once again to save the only person I ever..." Lexi looked away.

"Well," Tech said after a moment's silence.

Lexi stared out of the window. "Loved. Okay, I admit it. I love him. But that only makes everything ten times harder than before. So you wanted to know what was up, now you know."

Tech smiled, "If you really loved him Lexi, you'd find a way to help him."

"Do you think I'm not already trying to do that Tech? It's hard, I don't want to get anyone hurt, but I know that if Ace is there much longer, he's gonna get hurt too."

Tech nodded "This is more difficult than we've ever faced."

Lexi sighed. She walked out of the lab and into the main room. She smiled lightly out of the window. So she didn't want anyone to get hurt, but yet she needed to get Ace back. So her options were clear. She'd go alone. That way she'd be harder to detect and not have to worry about the guys.

Her goal seemed simple now. She'd just have to ditch the others first...

Okay sorry for not updating earlier but this was a haarrrddd chapter.

So Lexi has admitted her feelings for her leader. So what's gonna happen?

I don't even know what I'm gonna write next! ARGH THE CONFUSION :O