"What the hell?" he muttered, looking up at the strange, unearthly apparition that had just appeared.
It wasn't a Tekkaman; he would have sensed it even with Levin kissing him if it had been, but he wondered all the same what it actually was. He was so absorbed in attempting to figure out just who and what this newcomer could possibly be, that he barely noticed Honda coming up to where he and Levin were sitting.
"D-Two," the Space Knights' head mechanic said, jolting Shinya out of his contemplation by the simple expedient of grabbing his right shoulder and giving it a good, firm shake. "Do you know if that's a Tekkaman?"
"That isn't a Tekkaman," he said, as he and Levin were helped back to their feet – Levin still holding his vest, Shinya noted vaguely – and he let Levin lean on him for extra support. "Levin, are you all right?"
Honda gave him sort of a strange look after he'd said that, but it was the truth and Shinya wasn't about to take it back. He sensed Tekkaman Blade coming up behind them, just before he heard the subtle thunder of his older twin's armored footsteps.
(Are you all right, Shin-chan?)
(Yeah,) he said, most of his attention still taken up by the strange figure standing in front of him. (You?)
(I am,) Tekkaman Blade said, and Shinya could tell that his older twin would have shaken his head if the two of them had been facing each other.
All they – Shinya didn't really know whether it was a man or a woman inside that thing, so he wasn't going to make any assumptions – did was raise the oversized rifle they had been carrying. Most of the others, even Tekkaman Blade himself, tensed up. Whipping around, the sense of hostility coming more from behind him than from the front, Shinya saw a Radam monster descending to attack.
The blast of bright, green-blue light enveloped the Radam monster, wiping it out of the sky with the same ease as one of his or Tekkaman Blade's Voltekkas. It was kind of a strange thing to see: someone else being able to destroy the Radam monsters with the same ease that he and Tekkaman Blade displayed; at least someone who wasn't in a gunship or the Blue Earth. Still, it was only a Radam monster in the end; for all their strength and ferocity, they were really only the Radam's basic cannon-fodder.
It wasn't like this new guy had destroyed a Tekkaman with that gun, or anything.
The armored figure leapt from the building where it had been standing, shooting down several more Radam monsters with what Shinya decided he was going to call a death-ray blaster even if he did end up learning what the thing was really called. It was kind of interesting to see that he could fly, but then again if this thing really was meant to take on the Radam's monsters, then it would have been pretty stupid not to have flight capability; the armor would have made one hell of an easy target if it was stuck on the ground all the time.
(What do you think, Ta-kun?) he asked, having turned with the other Space Knights to watch as the newcomer blasted the remaining airborne Radam monsters with its death-ray blaster.
(It's all right,) Tekkaman Blade responded, clearly trying to sound nonchalant about the whole thing; Shinya wasn't quite buying it. (Nothing we can't do.)
(I wonder who else is coming,) he said, hearing the high whine of the Blue Earth's engines as the rest of their fellow Space Knights joined up with them.
(Yeah,) was Tekkaman Blade's only response.
The remaining Radam monsters, the ones on the ground who hadn't faced Tekkaman Varis, Tekkaman Blade, or that new guy's death-ray blaster, started to burrow away. Shinya considered going after them, but quickly dismissed the idea; transforming and fighting on an empty stomach was really not the best idea in the world, and he probably wouldn't get to them in time to make much of a difference, anyway. Instead, he and Tekkaman Blade both watched as the newcomer finished off the remaining Radam monsters and then landed.
Aki and Noal came out of the Blue Earth then, Shinya heard them walking up behind him, and turned to look over his right shoulder at them.
"So, who the hell is he?" Noal began, looking from him to the armored figure now standing in front of them. "D-Boys?"
"Why would you think we know?" Shinya queried, though he had an idea of what Noal might have been getting at; he was probably going to have to correct a few misconceptions before the conversation was over.
"Well, you're always looking to make new friends, D-Two," Noal said, smirking and tilting his head towards the armored newcomer; Shinya really would have liked to know their name, come to think of it. Noal slanted a glance at Tekkaman Blade. "And you're a lot nicer than our D-Boy."
"How would I even talk to him?" he asked, turning some of his attention to the transports that were beginning to settle to the ground in a neat semi-circle in front of them. "I don't have a radio, Noal-kun."
"You haven't used your telepathy?" Noal asked, his eyebrows both raised slightly.
"Our telepathy only works with other Tekkamen," Tekkaman Blade said, speaking aloud for the first time in awhile.
"He's not a Tekkaman?" Aki asked, coming over to stand beside them; though she was closer to Tekkaman Blade than to him, Shinya noted with a bit of amusement.
"Right," he nodded. "Who are those people?"
"ADF fighters," Noal said, after studying the transports for a bit; Shinya didn't know just what he'd been looking at, since this group of transports didn't have any distinguishing markings that he could see, but Noal had been working with the ADF for longer than he had, so Shinya was willing to trust his judgment.
When the transports had landed, disgorging uniformed Military personnel, Shinya sighed; at least they'd be able to get back to OSDG Headquarters soon. That armored thing was good enough to take on Radam's monsters, though he wasn't willing to give it very good odds against an actual Tekkaman, and the thought of being able to have some actual food, not to mention sleep, was far more appealing to him then just flying around in the Blue Earth trying to deal with the Radam's cannon-fodder. He was willing to bet that Takaya felt just the same.
"Good job," said an old man. "The mission was a resounding success, Sol-Tekkaman no. 1! Your work is complete, Dr. Malraux," he said over his shoulder; there was someone with dark skin, and black hair in a pageboy cut, standing behind him and just to his left.
"Yes," the other man, clearly named Malraux, said, ducking his head slightly.
"Sol-Tekkaman?" Aki asked, sounding startled.
"What's that all about?" Noal added.
"I've never seen anything like it before, either," Levin said.
"I don't think anyone was expecting this," Honda said, sounding interested.
(It's a bit flashy,) Tekkaman Blade added, and Shinya snickered softly.
(So are we, Ta-kun.)
This new guy might have the power to deal with the Radam monsters, but anyone with a good enough gun and enough maneuverability not to get caught up in their crossfire could do the same. It was just like he'd told O'Toole when they'd met up with him: the Radam's monsters were just dumb, mutant space insects. They were only really dangerous when they swarmed you.
It was the Tekkamen that you really had to watch out for.
"No malfunctions caused by the recoil from the fermion gun. It's better than I expected," Malraux said, opening up a panel on the front of the armored figure's death-ray blaster so that he could get a look inside.
"Right, Malraux, but since you're the one who designed it, it's no wonder!" said a voice from inside the armor; for a moment Shinya thought, in spite of the slight, filtered-sounding distortion of the voice, he could almost tell who it was.
Once the pilot had finished talking, the armor itself – clearly an armored suit of some kind – began to open up: the armor over the arms split down the middle with a brief crackle of electrical energy; then both legs opened at once, and Shinya saw that, whoever it was inside that thing, they were wearing a dull gray bodysuit. The front of the armor rose upward with a soft, mechanical whirr. The man inside was particularly familiar; one might say unpleasantly familiar.
"Hey, long time no see! Boys and girls of the Space Knights!" Balzac, of all people, said with a smirk. "Though, actually I only see one girl here now. Of course, there might be a boy who thinks he's a girl."
"Balzac," he said, Levin still leaning against his side; he didn't exactly snap, but no one with half a working brain would have thought that he was honestly happy about the situation.
"I don't look half bad without the beard, do I?" Balzac said, not seeming to care in the slightest that no one was particularly pleased to see him. "Oi, Varis boy, you want to take a closer look at my Sol-Tekkaman?" Balzac continued, now smirking directly at him.
"What exactly is going on here?" Aki demanded, before Shinya could come up with a particularly crushing retort to what Balzac had just said.
"Right," Noal said. "What are you doing inside that oversized tin-can, anyway?"
"Tin-can? Such disrespect!" Balzac echoed with obviously fake surprise, removing his helmet, tossing it aside, and making his way slowly, deliberately over to where Shinya, Tekkaman Blade, Levin, Honda, Aki, and Noal were all standing. "I'll show you who's a tin-can!" Balzac finished, pointing dramatically at Tekkaman Blade.
Sharing a semi-amused glance with his still-armored brother, Shinya smirked slightly. "Who, me?" he heard Tekkaman Blade ask, as they both turned to look back at Balzac.
"Who was it that kept bragging that he was one of the only ones who could fight the Radam?" Balzac said, still grinning. "And then, who just stood there like a statue? At least Varis was still trying to do something," Balzac called back over his left shoulder.
"Really?" Malraux said, sounding like he was either playing along with Balzac or he was somehow interested in something that wasn't any of his business; whatever it was, Shinya didn't like it. "What was that?"
"Unlike that useless Blade, Varis was down on the ground tending to the walking wounded," Balzac continued, dramatically pointing at him with his right finger. "Nothing ever seems to keep him down; Tekkaman Blade might be useless, but Varis…" Malraux didn't say anything, but that didn't make Shinya's desire to clock Balzac even one iota less powerful. "Well, you'd do a lot better in the ADF than with these losers," Balzac continued, now looking directly at him and obviously having dismissed Tekkaman Blade from his mind entirely. "Eh, Varis boy?"
"I'll think about it," he said, deliberately making his voice sound light and cheerful; Shinya wasn't going to give that asshole the satisfaction of knowing he'd pissed him off.
"So, why don't you turn back into D-Boy before you start rampaging again?" Balzac asked as he walked over to them, after giving Shinya a sort of considering look; if he was planning to bring that bullshit up again, though, Shinya was going to punch him. ADF soldiers or no ADF soldiers. "Huh, you monster?" Balzac asked, after only a short pause.
(What the hell?) Shinya asked, hovering indecisively between anger and sheer annoyance.
Tekkaman Blade didn't say anything.
"What was that?" Having let go of Levin's waist when Honda had moved to support the smaller man more completely, Shinya moved to stand closer to his brother. Balzac looked over at him, and then edged slightly back, smirking all the while. That was the last straw. "I asked you a question," he growled.
"Oh?" Balzac smirked at him in a way that made Shinya long to pound on the arrogant little bastard until he'd be lucky if he had unbroken bones. "You're have to be more clear, Varis boy."
"Oh, really?" he snarled, stalking forward even as Balzac continued to give ground, smirking all the way.
"Yeah?" Balzac grinned. "I mean, I didn't understand."
Shinya paused, then smiled; he smiled in a way that would have let anyone who knew him, anyone who actually remembered his various smiles, that he wasn't happy at all. "All right, Balzac-kun, I'll make it clear for you," he said, sounding light and cheerful as could be.
Balzac folded like an empty sack around the front snap-kick that Shinya slammed into his crotch, and Shinya smirked slightly as he curled defensively around the injured area. That had probably been a stupid thing to do, provoking Balzac when there were so many of the ADF's personnel in the area, but damn if it hadn't been satisfying. When Balzac started laughing, still curled up on the tarmac and sounding a bit higher-pitched than he had before, Shinya found himself slightly confused.
He'd known that Balzac had personality problems – no one who'd ever known the man for more than half a day could fail to notice that – but he hadn't quite suspected that the man was that crazy.
"Oi, oi, Varis boy," Balzac said, wheezing a bit as he clearly struggled to get his wind back. "Nice kick."
In no mood to deal with Balzac and his obviously myriad psychoses, and having just noticed that Tekkaman Blade had turned his back to them and was walking back over to Pegas, Shinya hurried after his older twin without a look back.
I
(Ta-kun, you shouldn't listen to idiots,) Shinya said, in a tone that suggested that his younger twin was going to be annoyed with him if he was.
Takaya knew that he shouldn't, he knew that Shinya would have shaken it off just as quickly as he had the things that Balzac had been saying to him, but then Shinya always had been the stronger one. And hearing that, beingcalled… that, remembering what he'd nearly done to Shinya after Tekkaman Spear had twisted him around so badly that he couldn't even remember who he was now, much less be able to tell friend from foe… he couldn't deal with it the way Shinya could.
Takaya knew he wasn't that strong.
II
As Malraux helped him back to his feet, a small, secretly-amused smile on his oldest and best friend's face, Balzac concentrated on his breathing. He was still a bit sore from where a certain blue-eyed freak brother had kicked him, but he'd taken worse hits back in the slums.
"So, that was your Varis," Malraux said, smirking contemplatively over at the blue-eyed freak.
"Yeah. He's coming along nicely, right?" he returned, smiling back at his old friend; there were still a few things they had to take care of, things the General wanted them to do, before he'd be able to make more than a cursory effort to get Varis to come to his senses. He was sure if he worked on the freak enough, he could grind down his resistance; it would take time, sure, but it wasn't like he had any pressing deadlines at the moment.
"Malraux, this is great," he said, putting aside his tentative plans for dealing with Varis. "You and I once crawled around the slums of New York, but now all the fame and glory in the world is ours for the taking!" Smiling up at the Sol-Tekkaman that Malraux and his Sci-Division had worked so hard to perfect, Balzac felt a supreme sense of vindication.
"That's right," Malraux added, and Balzac smiled.
"Thanks to Sol-Tekkaman!"
He didn't believe that he'd seen the last of Varis; oh no, that freak was mentally resilient enough to shrug anything said by a person he didn't like right off. And anyone with eyes and a functioning brain could see that Varis plainly hated him. No, Blade was clearly going to be the one most affected by what he'd been saying; which, while predictable, was a good thing considering that the harsh rigors of life in the ADF weren't for the faint of heart.
"I'll bring you in soon enough, Varis boy."
As he continued to admire Malraux's handiwork in the low light, Balzac considered what his goals were going to be; sure, this new suit of his wasn't going to be the only one in existence for very long, especially considering the fact that Malraux and his Sci-Division had so much data to work with, but the suit was still his. To someone who hadn't had much that they could honestly call their own for most of their lifetime, that counted for a hell of a lot.
III
Standing at ease inside Comm. One, Heinrich von Freeman, Chief of the Space Knights, continued to observe the goings-on out in the field. These new developments, while good for the war-effort as a whole, would obviously not be beneficial to D-Boy's mental health. To say nothing of the obvious antagonism that Balzac had displayed toward both D-Boy and Tekkaman Blade – Freeman wondered for a moment if his attitude toward D-Two was merely a front, or if he did feel a genuine sense of kinship with the young man, before dismissing his musings as both unlikely to be answered and unimportant in the grand scheme of things – Colbert would obviously be rushing to produce as many of those "Sol-Tekkamen" as he could.
D-Boy's need to feel useful, combined with the mental anguish that he had been put through by the Tekkaman named Spear, was bound to have an adverse effect on the young man's psyche under these circumstances. However, he could at least find solace in the fact that –D-Two was with him, and that D-Boy's brother would do whatever he thought was necessary to ensure that D-Boy remained mentally healthy.
"I though Balzac was just a war correspondent! So, how can he-?" Milly said, clearly shocked by what she'd seen.
"He wasn't just a correspondent," he said. "He was a spy sent by the ADF to steal data on the Tek Set System."
"What?" Milly gasped.
"Using the info on the Voltekka, gathered from both of our Tekkamen, they built that new weapon."
"But, that's… Our Tekkamen…"
It was amazing that Malraux had been able to produce such a thing so quickly even with the data that Freeman himself had chosen to provide for him. Freeman didn't like the implications of such a weapons-system in Colbert's hands, but he also knew that the alternative was not particularly favorable to his Space Knights. If he had denied Balzac the data that he had sought at the end of his mission, it was entirely too likely that Colbert would demand that both Tekkaman Blade and Tekkaman Varis be turned over to him for study.
He would have had a great deal of leverage, considering the state of their war against the Radam, and Freeman had not been about to trust the wellbeing of even one of his Space Knights – particularly a mentally delicate person such as D-Boy had proven himself to be – to a committee who would likely not take either of the twins' mental health into consideration in light of the power that they offered. The Space Knights were under his command, thus that meant that they were his responsibility. He would not see any of them taken advantage of, even under such trying circumstances as these.
IV
He'd grabbed Shinya's hand more out of impulse than any real thought, not wanting to be alone with Balzac's words still echoing in his head. Shinya had tried to lighten the mood a bit while the two of them were walking, and while he hadn't responded out loud to any of his younger twin's jibes or puns, Takaya was glad to have him there. He didn't know what he'd do if he didn't have Shinya with him, and no matter what Takaya didn't want to find out.
When he finally made it back to the quarters that he'd been assigned while they were all staying in Texas, Shinya had quieted down and was clearly either waiting on him to say something, or planning to yell at Takaya for dragging him around the way he'd been doing. Takaya wasn't quite sure which, since for the moment he was more focused on getting to his bed so that he could lay down and just not think for awhile, but he would face whatever it was when the time came. It was the least he could do after dragging his younger twin around like he was.
Making his way over to his bed, still clutching Shinya's right hand as tightly as he could without hurting his younger twin, Takaya flopped down on it and sighed. Hearing the dull thunk of Shinya's boots as his brother kicked them off, Takaya looked up for a moment. Shinya was leaning back against the wall, and after the two of them had shared a knowing look, Takaya waited while Shinya shifted so he was sitting closer to the head of the bed, then put his head in his younger twin's lap and tried to relax as Shinya stroked his hair.
It felt nice, especially after everything that had happened today.
Just as he was starting to relax, the feel of his younger twin's fingers combing through his hair letting Takaya begin to forget the things that Balzac had been saying to him, Takaya heard the door of his quarters opening. He wondered for a moment just why someone would be coming to see him right now, before deciding that it wasn't really important. It wasn't as if he was really in the mood to talk, and Shinya would get rid of whoever it was if they got too noisy.
Forcing himself to relax as Shinya's fingers resumed their motion through his hair, Takaya tried not to think about the fact that there were four more people in his personal quarters besides Shinya; people he hadn't implicitly invited when he'd left the Blue Earth's temporary hangar.
"Comfy now, D-Boys?" he heard Noal say, with a soft chuckle.
"Noal," there was a slight warning in Aki's tone, and Takaya was glad for it; with everything that had gone on today, he didn't think he could deal with Noal's teasing, good-natured as it was.
"The Chief might have known about it from the start," Noal groused.
"Yeah; he already seems to know everything else that goes on," he heard Shinya say, and he could both hear and sense his younger twin's amusement.
"Balzac's identity, what he was after," Aki said, obviously trying to bring the conversation back on track.
"Right," Noal said, sounding serious again.
"It's possible, don't you think?" It looked like Levin was the third person in his room, Takaya noted dully.
"So, it almost looks like the Chief deliberately handed over our data," Shinya said; Takaya wondered for a moment just what his brother might have been thinking, and then decided to wait. Shinya was probably going to explain his reasoning on his own, even without one of the others prompting him "He's probably planning something."
"You really think so?" Aki asked.
"It doesn't seem like the kind of thing the Chief would do without a plan," Shinya said, and Takaya could practically hear the smug little smirk on his younger twin's face.
"You really think he has a plan?" he heard Noal ask. "That he's not just letting the ADF mass-produce Sol-Tekkamen?"
"He has a reason, Noal-kun, just don't ask me what it is."
"Ah," Noal said, sounding like he was wearing one of his more amused grins. "Well, I'm glad you can still have faith after all this."
"Pull yourself together, D-Boy. No matter how many Sol-Tekkamen are mass-produced, you two are still the only real Tekkamen Earth has," he heard Aki say, and he was touched by the sincerity in her tone.
"Isn't it nice, though?" Takaya couldn't quite place Noal's tone, though he thought there might have been his usual element of teasing to it. "From not on, you boys aren't going to be alone anymore!"
Sighing, trying to recollect himself after he'd fallen apart a bit, Takaya realized that he needed a bit more space. Even Shinya's fingers combing through his hair, as nice and relaxing as it felt, wasn't quite enough to settle him down anymore. He couldn't stay here, at least not right now.
Grabbing Shinya's hand as he levered himself up and out of the bed, ignoring the questioning stares and inquiries from the other Space Knights, Takaya made for the door of his temporary quarters.
"I just…"
He felt Shinya's right shoulder gently bump against his, and Takaya smiled softly enough that he didn't think anyone would see it. No matter what else happened, no matter what else went wrong in his life as it was now, Shinya would always be with him. Takaya knew that, now; he knew that he could trust his younger brother to stand beside him through anything.
It was a good feeling: having someone to trust so completely. And, as the two of them made their way to the bunker where Pegas had been stored while they were all staying here in Texas, Takaya decided to take it easy for a bit; Shinya was right, it would be nice not to have to go out and fight Radam monsters all the time.
V
Standing behind Malraux as his old friend monitored the production of the fermion that would give the Sol-Tekkamen that the rest of his Sci-Division were going to construct for them, Balzac couldn't help but smile. Sure, this was just the first step toward taking back their planet from the Radam and all of their pet freaks, but it was an important one for all of that. After all, everything had to start somewhere.
"At this rate, we'll be able to extract the necessary fermion particles for our Sol-Tekkaman within an hour," Malraux said, clearly more absorbed in the workings of the particle accelerator than in what he was saying.
"Well, Colonel Bogard? How's the plan coming along?" the General asked, appearing on the comm. screen off to their left.
"Everything's going just as anticipated," the Colonel reported, as Balzac composed himself and Malraux rose to his feet as they all turned to fully face the screen.
"Good," the General said. "Then I want you to bring it to New York, along with Dr. Malraux," he ordered.
"Yes, sir," the Colonel said.
"Is Major Balzac there with you?" the General asked, pausing for a moment while Balzac acknowledged him.
"Yes, sir, I'm here," he said, inclining his head slightly.
"You did an outstanding job. I'd like to thank you for volunteering to become the first sol-Tekkaman. I immediately reported to the President, and he was pleased," the General said, examining a pipe that he held in his hands.
"Thank you, sir," he said, squaring his shoulders slightly.
"And so, we've decided to promote you to Lieutenant Colonel," the General said, glancing briefly at him – Balzac squared his shoulders further as he felt his new rank settle around them like an intangible mantle – before turning his attention back to the pipe in his hands. "We're also promoting Dr. Malraux to Chief of the laboratory. You'll both be receiving your official documents later, but for now, congratulations!"
"Thank you, sir!"
"You've made me very happy, sir," Malraux said.
"All right, good day!" General Colbert said, before signing off.
"Soon, I'll be the head of the Science and Technology Ministry," Malraux said, after taking a moment to recompose himself.
He hummed softly in agreement, reaching out to firmly clasp hands with the oldest, best, and really the only friend he'd really had in his life.
"This is the best day of my life," Malraux said softly; Balzac swallowed a chuckle.
"Hang on, from today forward, every day will be better and better!" he reassured.
He smiled, then, his eyes narrowing in pleasure; there would still be things to do before they could take some time to get used to their new roles, and with the invasion still in full swing there would likely always be things they needed to do, but for here and now Balzac felt that he could just let himself enjoy what had just happened to them. He'd known that he'd done one hell of a number on those Radam monsters, but even he hadn't expected the General himself to take notice of it beyond giving him a commendation or something.
For once, Balzac could honestly say that he was glad to have miscalculated.
VI
Standing in the storage bunker where Pegas had been placed when Aki and Noal had landed the Blue Earth, close enough to be loaded up at least relatively quickly if he and Shinya needed to fight in the air, or just to use if he ended up needing to transform today at all, Takaya leaned against Shinya.
"What do you think of it, Shin-chan?" he said, more to hear his own voice than anything else.
"It'll be nice not to have to go out and fight Radam's monsters so much," he heard Shinya say, with a soft chuckle. "Still, it's too flashy."
"You said we were flashy, too," he said, playfully punching Shinya on the shoulder. "Shin-chan."
"We look much better than that, Ta-kun," Shinya retorted, punching him back.
Takaya chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them to take in Pegas again. He didn't know just what he and Shinya were going to end up facing today, just what he and his younger twin would end up doing for the rest of the day, but there would probably be another Radam attack today. He didn't know just yet if he'd leave all of the fighting to Balzac, since fighting Radam monsters had become almost as routine to him as washing up in the morning, but-
The high, harsh whine of twin turbojet engines disturbed Takaya from his thoughts. The sound hurt his ears a bit, even through the hangar's walls and, not for the first time, Takaya found himself wishing that he could have just been a normal human. He could see Shinya wincing from the corner of his left eye, but before he could say even a single word to his younger twin, the sudden, unpleasant sensation of danger forced the breath from his lungs.
Whatever he was sensing, it was close; what he and Shinya were both sensing, since the expression on his younger twin's face made it clear that Shinya was sensing this new threat just as much as he was. Just a few seconds after he'd begun to sense this new danger – Takaya thought it was probably Radam's monsters, both since it usually was Radam's monsters and because Spear hadn't tried to contact him in any way – the door behind them opened and someone else came into the hangar. From the sound of their hurried footsteps, Takaya knew that they were aware of whatever new danger there was out there. That was good; he suspected he knew what they wanted, too.
That could be either good or bad, depending on how you looked at it.
"You two should hurry, the Radam are attacking!" Aki said, and as he turned around to face her, he saw the relieved smile on her face.
"Why? What's wrong with Balzac?" he asked.
(Everything?) Shinya interjected.
(Funny, Shin-chan,) he retorted, knowing he'd pretty much walked right into that one.
"What are you talking about?" Aki asked, shaking her head. "If the two of you run away now, you'll ruin everything you've done so far," Aki continued, walking right up to where he and Shinya were standing and laying her hands on his right shoulder and Shinya's left. "Please, just one more time, transform! For your own sakes, as well," Aki said.
"Who's running?" Shinya asked; Takaya was glad that he had his brother with him, since he wanted to know what she was talking about, too, but didn't really want to look like an idiot by asking.
"You haven't come out yet," Aki said, then gave Shinya a mildly reproving look. "If you both transform, then you'll be able to find your answers."
He and Shinya traded semi-amused smiles. "We are," he said.
"Just remember to tell Balzac that he owes us dinner for this," Shinya said, smiling widely. "Okay?" As his irrepressible younger twin winked at Aki, Takaya quickly stifled a laugh.
Now wasn't really the time for humor, though; the Radam monsters, dumb as they were individually, were extremely dangerous when they attacked in swarms. And they always attacked in swarms, swamping anyone trying to fight them under sheer weight of numbers. Coupled with the fact that their shells could resist bombardment from most conventional weapons, it meant that the people still out there in the airfield needed all the help they could get.
Out of the corner of his eye, Takaya could see Shinya's sky-blue tekkaset appearing in his younger twin's hand, and as he called on Pegas to transform him again, Takaya heard Shinya's familiar shout.
"Pegas-Teksetta!"
"Teksetta!"
Smiling softly as he leapt into Pegas' interlock-chamber and felt the energies of his transformation rush through him, Takaya sensed Shinya all the more clearly as his younger twin engaged his own transformation.
Flipping in midair as his transformation completed itself, Tekkaman Blade was confronted with the sight of the vast swarm of Radam monsters that had been sent to attack the airfield. They were the ground-types, each and every one of them, so they must have come up from underground since none of them were coming down from the sky in their transit forms. For about a second or two, Blade was annoyed with himself for not going after the Radam monsters that had obviously burrowed underground after the battle last night.
But that was in the past, and there was nothing he could do about that now; best to focus on what he could do.
(Looks like Balzac's friend is in trouble,) Tekkaman Varis commented, and Blade looked down at where his younger twin's attention was clearly focused.
Then he cursed softly under his breath. (Those Radam monsters will kill him if they get the chance,) he paused, sighing. (I know we usually fight together against these kinds of odds, but do you think you could go help him?)
(Yeah,) Varis said, and Blade looked over his shoulder to see Varis take a flying leap off of Pegas' back and boost himself into the air. (Just stay out of trouble, Ta-kun.)
He smiled. (I will; good luck, Shin-chan.)
As Tekkaman Varis flew off, aimed for the spot where Balzac's friend – the man whose name Blade couldn't remember at the moment – was being chased by a small knot of Radam monsters, Blade guided Pegas forward. He didn't know just how well Balzac was doing, since he'd only seen that suit of his in action once, but Blade was going to at least make a flyover of his position to make sure that he wasn't getting into more trouble than he could handle.
Directing Pegas to the thickest cluster of Radam monsters, having just seen the tell-tale bursts of light that meant Balzac was making good use of that oversized rifle of his, Blade was just in time to see yet another Radam monster erupt from the ground. This one, however, was behind Balzac, far enough out of his line-of-sight – and consequently his line-of-fire – that Blade didn't think he'd have been able to react in time to kill the thing. Throwing his tekkalance through the head of the attacking Radam monster, he quickly retrieved his lancer and leapt from Pegas' back.
The Radam monsters were clustered tightly enough that Blade didn't think he'd be needing the extra mobility that Pegas provided for him, and having an ally in the air against these particular Radam monsters made him feel at least a bit better about the situation.
VII
When the pilot of the jet that he and Colonel Bogard had been taking off in had been slaughtered by Radam monsters before they could even get off the ground, bathing his clothes and splattering his face with fresh, warm blood, that had been bad. When the Colonel himself had been killed by that same exact Radam monster, that had been worse. When the Radam monster had turned its attention on him, Malraux had finally managed to shake off the blind, mindless panic that had seized hold of him, grab his seat's ejection-lever, and free himself from the grounded remains of the jet.
However, one of the few flying Radam monsters that had been a part of this particular swarm had ripped through the cables connecting the parachute to the chair he'd been sitting in, sending him falling down toward the unyielding, rocky ground with a speed that would have shattered both his legs if he hadn't kicked them out straight just before impact. Thrown free from the ejection-seat, Malraux clutched the case of fermion as close as he could.
The Colonel had told him to guard it with his life, and even with Bogard dead he was going to do his best to carry the Colonel's last orders out. After all, getting this new creation of his to Washington was his and Balzac's best chance of gaining the fame, the recognition that they had been working for ever since their lives had begun. He wasn't about to let all of his hard work, all of their planning for all those years, just go to waste like this.
Even though he was surrounded by Radam monsters. He'd seen Balzac in the prototype Sol-Tekkaman flying into the thick of the swarm descending on them all, but when he'd called out to his old friend he'd gotten no answer. However, given the size of the Radam monster swarm that was attacking this place, he honestly hadn't been that surprised; in retrospect at least, he mused with a sigh.
The shriek of a Radam monster, entirely too close for comfort, distracted Malraux from his efforts to check himself over for injuries. Looking up into the creature's face, Malraux wondered if this would be the last thing he'd ever see; this alien monster, the very thing that his Sol-Tekkaman had been designed to kill. It would really be the worst kind of irony if he was killed by one of these things, Malraux noted, feeling an odd sense of detachment as the Radam monster continued to loom over him.
Then, as the bisected, bloody halves of the creature fell apart and exploded, Malraux quickly covered his mouth and nose so he wouldn't end up breathing any of it in. After all, who knew what kind of damage vaporized Radam monster would do to a human body. Even before the Radam monster had been destroyed, however, Malraux knew that it hadn't been Balzac who had destroyed it.
The fermion rifle that was going to be standard-equipment on all of his Sol-Tekkamen had a very distinctive energy-pulse when they were fired. He would have known instantly if Balzac had been the one to come to his rescue. That meant that it had to have been either Blade or Varis that had just showed up.
Sure enough, when the smoke from the Radam monster's exploded corpse cleared, Malraux saw the red-on-black form of one of the Earth's only two Tekkamen standing there. He'd clearly come to help, judging from the way that he quickly covered the ground between where he'd first been standing and the place where Malraux had landed.
"Are you all right?" the red-on-black Tekkaman asked, after he'd finished scanning the immediate area for any other Radam monsters near enough to threaten them; for the moment, things were clear.
"Better now that I have someone with me," he admitted, cautiously raising himself into a sitting position so he could check on the case containing the fermion.
"Yeah? You've covered in blood."
Looking up at the worried tone of the Tekkaman's voice, Malraux saw that Varis was staring down at his clothes. And, when he glanced down, Malraux was reminded of just why that was. "Oh, that. You shouldn't worry about that," he said, as Varis helped him to his feet. "Most of that came from the Colonel." He picked at a spot of dried blood. "The rest came from the pilot."
"Right," Varis said, sounding like he would have said something else, if it hadn't been for the Radam monsters descending on them at that moment. "Damn it," the Tekkaman muttered, sounding more annoyed than anything; Malraux figured that fit, since Radam monsters weren't really a danger to someone like him.
When Varis looked back down at him, the Tekkaman's head tilted slightly in an obvious expression of consideration, Malraux wasn't quite sure what to think. "What is it?"
"I don't know how fast you are," he said, and then he turned and impaled a descending Radam monster.
Malraux, however, was watching Varis as he attacked the Radam monsters. He wasn't shooting at them, he was actually using that oversized, bladed weapon that he and Blade both seemed to possess. Still, the way he was using it was also odd: the tip of the weapon was tearing through the descending Radam monsters on its own. The thing was connected to the shaft of Varis' lance by a ribbon of crackling, sparking, yellow energy; only from the way Varis' arm was moving, it was obvious that he wasn't controlling the thing through the momentum of his swings.
Then, is he- is it possible that he's controlling that thing with his mind? Malraux didn't know how something like that could even be accomplished, but it became obvious the more he watched that that was indeed the case. Psychotronic controls had been dismissed as something out of science fiction for some time; sure, there were some scientists who believed it was only a matter of time before a working prototype was developed, but he hadn't been one of them.
Still, all of that had been before the invasion; before this war against the Radam had consumed so much of their resources, and killed off so many of their people.
"Would you mind?" Varis asked, just as another group of Radam monsters began to descend toward them.
"I don't know," he said, wondering for a moment just what had brought that kind of question up.
"Hold on, all right?"
Before Malraux could think of any way to respond to such an unexpected request, Varis wrapped his left arm around his midsection and hefted him up like so much luggage. Finding the case holding the fermion jammed into his gut as Varis ran over the broken train, slashing at descending Radam monsters with that energy-ribbon attached to the tip of his lance, Malraux tried not to think too much about how badly he was being bounced around by each of the Tekkaman's steps. It was far better than the alternative, he knew.
As Varis continued running, bouncing him harshly with every step he took, Malraux clutched the case of fermion so it wouldn't end up smashing him in the gut any worse than it already was. Well, I can safely say that I never expected this to happen, he mused, with a slightly ironic smile. Still, I guess there really is a first time for everything.
Even for being slung under a Tekkaman's arm like a piece of luggage while said Tekkaman dodged a seemingly-endless number of Radam monsters.
VIII
He couldn't exactly keep track of time like this, not while he was in the middle of a knot of Radam monsters that were all doing all they could to kill him, but since he wasn't feeling any disorientation as he fought, Blade figured that he was at least reasonably safe. As safe as anyone can be, I guess, he thought, chuckling in morbid amusement as he continued to whittle down the numbers of his attackers.
He'd gotten a message from Varis just a couple minutes ago; apparently, his brother was getting Balzac's friend Malraux off the battlefield as fast as he could. That was good to hear. It meant that he didn't have too many things to worry about anymore.
Moving and slashing in almost the same motion, Blade continued to carve his way through the attacking ranks. He wasn't quite feeling in perfect condition anymore; starting to feel more than a little disoriented as he continued tearing and carving his way through the ranks of enemies descending on him, so Blade knew that his time in Tekkaman form was starting to run low. He didn't know what he was going to be able to do about that, especially considering the fact that if he was having these problems, then Varis was obviously worse off.
(Shinya, are you all right?)
(I'm fine,) his younger twin responded, and Blade listened closely for any signs of fatigue that Varis might be trying to hide; it was hard to lie through a mental link, but he'd done it himself when he hadn't wanted his younger twin to worry about him. (Balzac's friend is a lot nicer than him,) Varis chuckled briefly. (Still, he's at least helping.)
(Oh,) he said, pausing for a moment to deal with another Radam monster. (I'm glad you're both all right, then.)
He could pretty much understand why that was, though: Varis was risking his life to protect one of Balzac's friends, and no matter how much of a bastard he was, he'd never seemed like the kind of person who was stupid enough to reject help when he obviously needed it. Turning his attention back to the Radam monsters, Blade caught himself just as he was about to stumble. It seemed like he was farther-gone than he'd thought.
Breathing deeply to regain his bearings, Blade cursed under his breath as he noticed that his vision had started to blur. And not just that, either; he was starting to see double, hallucinating that there were more Radam monsters out there than there actually were. What was worse, though, was that his hallucinations weren't just limited to the Radam monsters around him; no, his mind was playing tricks on him again.
Blade was beginning to see the faces of his friends in place of the attacking Radam monsters.
He knew that if he concentrated hard enough that he would be able to push past it, to keep fighting, but with the pain starting to throb in his head, that was harder than it would have been otherwise. Raising his tekkalance again, shaking off the illusion of Aki that had appeared in front of him, Blade continued hacking his way through the swarming Radam monsters closing in all around him. Righting himself after he'd just stumbled, shoulders heaving as he fought to regain the breath that had just been knocked out of him, Blade shook off the illusions surrounding him and tried to focus on the Radam monsters that were actually there.
All the while, he wondered just how Varis was managing; he hoped his younger twin was still doing all right.
IX
When Varis had set him back on his feet, Malraux had wondered for a moment just what the Tekkaman could have been thinking. Varis had said that he was going to take him back to the airfield's hangar, a place that he had said was the safest that he could think of at the moment, and there was still a substantial distance between the two of them and the Tekkaman's intended destination. Just as he was about to ask Varis what he was thinking, however, Malraux heard a low, pained moan.
A moan that seemed to come from the red-on-black Tekkaman beside him, odd as something like that was to think about.
"Sorry," Varis said, and Malraux was stunned by the sheer weariness in the Tekkaman's voice.
Before Malraux could ask just what Varis meant by that, ominous as it had sounded, the Tekkaman's entire form was enveloped in bright, pale-blue light, shrouded in an odd, geometric structure, and gone in the time it took Malraux to blink three times. Catching Varis around the waist before the un-armored – and clearly unconscious – Tekkaman could collapse to the rocky ground, Malraux was almost annoyed that he didn't have the time to examine the Tekkaman in more detail.
Balzac had mentioned a thirty-minute time-limit, but he'd only mentioned it in reference to Blade. Now, however, with all of the Radam monsters descending on him, and his last, best means of defense against them gone, Malraux knew that the only thing he could do right now was to keep running. He took Varis along with him, of course, both since the Tekkaman was still one of the Earth's best weapons in this war, and also because he wanted to get a closer look at the Tekkaman and he knew that he wasn't going to find a much better chance than this to do just that.
After all, Varis really hadn't seemed like the type to cooperate with the ADF; Blade hadn't either, but Varis also seemed like the type to retaliate when something bothered him too much. That much had been obvious from the way he had handled Balzac. Painfully obvious, one might say.
So, with Varis slung under his own arm in an ironic reversal of how the Tekkaman had once been carrying him, Malraux ran for the hangar. He knew that it couldn't stand up to a dedicated assault from the Radam monsters, but then again there weren't many buildings that could do something like that; he'd have never been naïve enough to suggest that a civilian installation like that could do what an ADF facility could barely manage. His heart seeming to pound in time with his heavy footsteps, made all the heavier by the deadweight he was lugging under his right arm, Malraux looked back as a shadow fell over him.
The Radam monster looked substantially larger than any of the others that he'd seen up till today, but Malraux knew that that was only his mind playing tricks on him. Running all the faster as he heard the shrieks of a hunting Radam monster behind him, Malraux made for the hangar's main administration building. He was already starting to tire, the strain of lugging Varis' unconscious body combined with the sheer terror he felt at the thought of being defenseless in the presence of so many Radam monsters combining to wear him down much faster than he ever had in the past.
He'd been subject to nearly the same set of physical challenges that Balzac had, and while he'd sometimes been forced to stay in his Sci-Division working, he'd always made a point of getting at least a reasonable amount of exercise. Still, it didn't seem like he'd be able to make it; that Radam monster was closing fast, and it sounded like more of them were landing behind him. He was also hampered by lugging so much deadweight.
Looking back at Varis, since there wasn't a chance in hell that he would give up the fermion that he had already risked so much for, the fermion that he was going to use to drastically improve his and Balzac's position in the world. Even though he still wanted to know what was going on with Varis, there were times that a man had to choose his priorities. And, no matter what else happened, Malraux was determined to preserve his own life.
Throwing Varis' still-unconscious body at the Radam monsters, hoping to distract them with someone who up until a few minutes ago had been killing scores of them without hesitation, Malraux gripped the case of fermion with both arms and ran. Freed of the Tekkaman's weight, Malraux stumbled slightly then quickly righted himself. Even in his human form, the Tekkaman probably weighed over a hundred pounds or so, though granted it was obviously muscle and bone for the most part. Without Varis tucked under his arm, slowing him down, Malraux was relieved to note that he was making much better progress toward the administration building.
The shriek of hunting Radam monsters drew his attention back to the swarm behind him. Apparently, they hadn't been diverted from him when he'd pretty much given them Varis; either that or the Tekkaman was already dead and they were just moving on to the next living target. Malraux didn't know, and for the moment he really didn't care; there might have been only three Radam monsters after him, but with no weapons and no one left to defend him, that was three too many.
As the shadow of a Radam monster fell over him, the high, ear-piercing shriek rending the air as the thing and its cohorts closed in on him, Malraux pushed his tiring body for every last iota of speed it could give him. It wasn't enough. With barely even enough time to throw the case as far as he could away from himself, and hence away from the pursuing Radam monsters, Malraux felt the oversized claw punch through his midsection from behind.
It wasn't enough to kill him instantly, but in some ways that was even worse. Struggling to turn himself over, Malraux finally managed to lay on his back. He wondered where Balzac was; he hoped that someone would come and rescue him soon.
X
When he'd saved Tekkaman Blade's sorry bacon from those Radam monsters, after the Tekkaman had started to go haywire like he'd always known would happen, he'd lost sight of Varis and Malraux. Still, he knew that he could at least trust Blade's brother not to screw up, even if the man himself couldn't be trusted to do anything but that. And hell, it'd been pretty damned hilarious to watch Malraux being carted off like a duffel-bag; he was going to have a great time bringing that up at opportune moments.
Once he'd dealt with the last of the Radam monsters in this area, after making sure that Blade knew just what he thought about him and his myriad failings, Balzac went to find Malraux and Varis. Might as well get an early start on all that ribbing he was going to do. When he saw the three Radam monsters bearing down on someone, he fired on them without hesitation.
"You're not slacking off on me now, are you Varis boy?" he called, watching with a definite sense of satisfaction as the last three Radam monsters were wiped from existence.
It was kind of funny, though; he'd have expected Varis to have one of his smart-mouth answers ready to fire off even before he'd finished speaking. It wasn't like the kid to be so quiet. It was kind of startling, really; Varis might've clammed up just as tight as Blade when it came to what he and his brother were, or just how they had gotten their powers, but talking in general? There was no way that that particular Tekkaman would miss the opportunity for a good verbal-spar.
Hell, given how good the kid seemed to be at fighting, Balzac highly doubted that he'd be one to pass up any kind of sparring.
When the light obscuring the battlefield had finally died down enough for him to be able to see anything, the first thing that drew his attention was the slumped form of Malraux lying on the ground a good distance in front of him. Calling his friend's name, forgetting about Varis in light of someone that was a hell of a lot more important, Balzac raced over to his friend's side.
Removing the Sol-Tekka, not needing it since all of the Radam monsters were already dead, Balzac hurried to Malraux's side; and that was mostly thanks to his efforts, and he was going to have words with Varis about keeping his useless brother in line. The first thing Balzac's eyes landed on, as he took stock of Malraux's condition so he'd have an idea of just what he'd need to demand from the medicos so that Malraux could get back on his feet as quickly as possible.
He also wasn't particularly happy with Varis at the moment, and he was going to let the Tekkaman know that in no uncertain terms when he finally managed to get Malraux settled.
"Malraux! Malraux!" he pleaded; a weakness he would only show to the oldest and best of his friends.
Malraux's eyes fluttered briefly, and then opened; Balzac let himself relax a bit, sighing in profound relief. "What about the fermion?"
"Don't worry, it's safe!" he said, having seen some of the ADF's personnel securing it and taking it into their protection; he hadn't paid much attention beyond that, of course.
"Thanks goodness, now they'll have to promote you again," Malraux said, smiling weakly up at him. "You're going to be Commander!" he said haltingly, and Balzac thought that he could detect a slight note of amusement in his old friend's failing voice. "You can have my share of power and fame."
"I'll get to the top no matter what, you hear me?" he promised; Malraux smiled weakly up at him, and for a moment Balzac thought that everything would be all right. "No matter what!"
It was a stupid thought, really; he'd seen that abdominal wound that Malraux had suffered, all of the blood that had been spilling out of Malraux's body as his old friend struggled to stay conscious. As he held Malraux's dying body in his arms, saying goodbye in the only real way that he could, Balzac felt a deep, seething rage for the one who'd let this happen. Not Blade; everyone knew that Blade was useless, even with every one of the Space Knights coddling him the way they did, but Varis... it pissed him off that he'd actually been fooled by the kid's act.
Storming over to where he'd seen the distinctive red of a Space Knight uniform, he found Varis sprawled out on the ground. For a moment, as he checked the ground for bloodstains, Balzac felt slightly mollified. If Varis had been wounded in his efforts to protect Malraux, then he'd be willing to cut the Tekkaman some slack. Hell, if the wound was bad enough, he'd carry the kid to the medicos himself.
Finding nothing on the kid's body when he checked Varis over for wounds, and no bloodstains on the ground where he'd been laying, all the fury that he'd been holding at bay came roaring back with a vengeance. Yanking Varis up off the ground by that red vest of his, Balzac shook him.
"You worthless freak!" he snarled, shaking Varis' body harshly. "Malraux died because of you!" There was still no response from the Tekkaman; Balzac didn't know why he insisted on playing 'possum like this, but he wasn't about to let that stand. Slapping the blue-eyed freak as hard as he could, Balzac watched in mild satisfaction as his head was knocked sideways from the blow.
His satisfaction was short-lived, however: Varis didn't react even the slightest bit to the pain he must have been feeling. "Wake up, damn you!" Balzac growled, slapping the freak again.
After he'd done it four times, however, and the only thing that happened was Varis' pale cheeks turning pink from the increased blood-flow, Balzac stopped. The only thing he really felt was a stinging sensation in his right hand, and he was all the more furious that he hadn't managed to make any meaningful impact on Varis. He wanted that particular freak to suffer for what had happened to Malraux.
Throwing the freak's body to the rocky ground, not even wanting to touch it anymore, Balzac drove his boot into Varis' stomach. "Worthless," he hissed, feeling some small sense of vindication as the blue-eyed freak's body crumpled slightly under the impact. Shifting his weight slight, Balzac kicked the freak's flank, his side, stomped him in the gut once more for good measure, then fired a tranq dart into the blue-eyed freak's neck when it looked like he might be starting to revive.
Then, remembering that he'd been ordered by the General to bring him in and realizing that this was probably his best chance to do so, Balzac yanked the blue-eyed freak back up by the front of his red vest. Replacing his sidearm, Balzac dragged the unconscious blue-eyed freak over to the lines that the ADF were beginning to establish. Ignoring the sounds of running footsteps coming his way, Balzac waved to the nearest soldier to salute him, hefting the blue-eyed freak he was still lugging and tilting his head slightly toward the burden in his right hand.
The soldier nodded, then his gaze shifted to something slightly behind him, and the man's eye's widened. That was nearly the only warning that Balzac had, before he was nearly tackled from behind by a hurtling body. Dodging out of the way at nearly the last second, Balzac turned around to see the one man he didn't particularly want to deal with at the moment.
"Get away from my brother," the other freak all but snarled.
Balzac smiled coldly. "Your brother's going to have to come with us now." He looked back down at the blue-eyed freak that he was still lugging, then decided to dig the needle in a little deeper. After all, the General had said that he wanted to build a case against Blade, and what better way to start than with attempted assault on a Military officer? "You know, he actually had me convinced that the two of you were different," he gave the blue-eyed freak's body a rough shake as he said that last word. "You're both monsters."
That seemed to be just the thing he needed to get under Blade's skin.
"Give him back!" the freak screamed, looking like he was just a few words away from going completely off the deep end.
"No," he said, jerking the blue-eyed freak up so he could wrap his right arm around the freak's torso. "Orders from the General; you don't get a say in this, monster."
Turning away slightly, all but daring the freak to try something else, Balzac wasn't disappointed in the least. Firing his tranq-pistol into the other freak's neck, Balzac wasn't surprised to see his fellow soldiers gathering the other freak up and setting him on a stretcher. Tossing the blue-eyed freak down on another offered stretcher, Balzac turned at the sound of footsteps coming from behind him.
There were a lot of them, and he suspected he knew who they were, too. So, as the freak-brothers were loaded onto their respective stretchers, and he heard the soft clicking of handcuffs being fastened around their wrists, Balzac turned to confront the rest of the Space Knights. He wasn't particularly looking forward to dealing with them, but knowing that this would be the last time he would ever have to took some of the edges off of his annoyance.
"What?" Aki demanded.
Dealing with her was a hell of a lot easier than any of the others. "It's a tranquillizer gun," he said, turning a sidelong look on her. "Don't worry, they'll live."
"Those boys are our comrades!" the fat Space Knight snarled. "I won't let you get away with that!"
"It's an order from Brigadier General Colbert," he snapped, ignoring the man's next words. "If you try to rebel, you'll end up the same way. Arrest them!"
As he fell in with his fellow soldiers, people who might be assigned as his subordinates in the new corps that the General was going to form around him, Balzac carefully kept his eyes away from Varis. If he looked at that little blue-eyed freak for any longer than he absolutely had to, after what had happened because of him, there was no telling what he might be tempted to do. The General had stated that he wanted the blue-eyed freak intact, so the ADF's medicos would be able to examine him for any clues about how he'd gotten his power.
He was pointedly not thinking about the fact that there were two of them now; he wasn't going to think about the fact that the General probably didn't need the pair of them for anything in particular, because if he did he was going to end up doing something permanent to that little blue-eyed freak on the stretcher.
XI
As she watched D-Boy and D-Two get taken away, helpless to do anything about it since she was so far away and not knowing what she could have done even if she had been there, Milly turned to look at the Chief. Chief Freeman would know what to do; he always had the answers that the Space Knights needed. Even when no one else knew what to do, the Chief would always find a way.
"Chief?" she asked.
"There's nothing we can do," the Chief said, and then he turned and started to leave.
The Chief vanished behind the closing doors, and Milly wondered just what he was planning to do. He had to have something in mind; something that would save both D-Boy and D-Two from whatever General Colbert and the rest of the ADF were planning to do to them. He just had to.
But, all she could do was wait, hoping that the Chief would find some way to get D-Boy and D-Two away from General Colbert and all of the ADF. She still couldn't believe how much of a jerk Balzac had been, kicking D-Two around like that after he'd used up all of his energy trying to get Malraux back to safe ground! It wasn't his fault that he always lost consciousness when he was transformed for twenty-five minutes!
That was something the Radam had done to him.
Sighing, knowing that she wasn't going to be of much use to anyone with the way she was currently feeling and happy that her shift was over in any case, Milly set down the comm. equipment she'd been using. She waved to her replacement, a boy named Joseph, and someone who she'd gotten to know at least as far as going out for coco with him when both of their schedules allowed it, and made her way out of Comm. One.
She didn't really want to think about what General Colbert was planning to do to them, and she really hoped that the Chief would figure out something quickly, but just sitting around brooding about it wasn't going to help anyone. She knew that better than most people her age, especially since she'd been the Space Knights' comm. tech through the entire invasion. With all the things she had heard about, and more recently seen, during the Radam invasion, Milly knew that just brooding over problems never really solved them.
It was important to think before you acted, but you still had to act to get anything done.