"What in the hell?" he muttered, looking up at the strange, unearthly apparition that had just appeared.

It wasn't a Teknoman; he would have sensed it even with Maggie 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 Mac coming up to where he and Maggie were sitting.

"Saber," the Space Knights' head mechanic said, jolting Saber out of his contemplation by the simple expedient of grabbing his right shoulder and giving it a good, firm shake. "Have you ever seen a Teknoman like that one before, lad?"

"It's not a Teknoman," he said, as he and Maggie were helped back to their feet - Maggie still holding his vest, Saber noted vaguely - and he let Maggie lean on him for extra support. "I don't know exactly what it is, but if it was a Teknoman, I would have sensed it before it got here."

Mac gave him sort of a strange look after he'd said that, but it was the truth and Saber wasn't about to take it back. He sensed Slade coming up behind them, just before he heard the subtle thunder of his older twin's armored footsteps.

(Saber, are you all right?)

(Fine, brother,) he said, most of his attention still taken up by the strange figure standing in front of him. (Do you have any idea just who or what this might be?)

(No,) Slade said, and Saber could tell that his older twin would have shaken his head if the two of them had been facing each other. "Identify yourself!"

Slade's shout was obviously directed at the guy in the armor, but all they - Saber 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 Slade, tensed up. Whipping around, the sense of hostility coming more from behind him than from the front, Saber saw a Spider-crab descending to attack.

The blast of bright, green-blue light enveloped the Spider-crab, wiping it out of the sky with the same ease as one of his or Slade's Tekno-bolts. It was kind of a strange thing to see: someone else being able to destroy Spider-crabs with the same ease that he and Slade displayed; at least someone who wasn't in a gunship or the Blue Earth. Still, it was only a Spider-crab 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 Teknoman with that gun, or anything.

The armored figure leapt from the building where it had been standing, shooting down several more Spider-crabs with what Saber 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 Spider-crabs, 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.

(Pretty interesting weapons-system, eh brother?) he asked, having turned with the other Space Knights to watch as the newcomer blasted the remaining airborne Spider-crabs with its death-ray blaster.

(Eh, I'll give it a seven,) Slade responded, clearly trying to sound nonchalant about the whole thing; Saber wasn't quite buying it. (It's all brute-force; no finesse at all.)

(I suppose you would know best, Mr. Hulk Smash,) he said, hearing the high whine of the Blue Earth's engines as the rest of their fellow Space Knights joined up with them.

(Wiseass,) was Slade's only response.

The remaining Spider-crabs, the ones on the ground who hadn't faced him, Slade, or that new guy's death-ray blaster, started to burrow away. Saber 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 Slade both watched as the newcomer finished off the remaining Spider-crabs and then landed.

Star and Ringo came out of the Blue Earth then, Saber heard them walking up behind him, and turned to look over his right shoulder at them.

"So," Ringo began, looking from him to the armored figure now standing in front of them. "Who's the new guy? Either of you asked him his name, yet?"

"Asked him how?" Saber queried, though he had an idea of what Ringo might have been getting at; he was probably going to have to correct a few misconceptions before the conversation was over. "He's been jumping around in the air, shooting down Spider-crabs all this time."

"C'mon, Saber," Ringo said, smirking and tilting his head towards the armored newcomer; Saber really would have liked to know their name, come to think of it. "The Commander told me all about that "selective telepathy" of yours. He said that it works on every Teknoman out there. I figured you at least would have been chatting with the new guy," Ringo slanted a glance at Slade. "Unlike certain unsociable people I could mention."

"Did the Commander happen to mention that our telepathy only works on other Teknomen?" 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. "Or that we can all sense each other when we're close by?"

"You're telling me that you can't do that with this guy?" Ringo asked, his eyebrows both raised slightly.

"No," Slade said, speaking aloud for the first time in awhile. "If this really had been a Teknoman, Saber and I would both have sensed him before he got this close. Even if he was trying to shield his thoughts, like we do sometimes, we still would have known he was there."

"So that's how your telepathy works?" Star asked, coming over to stand beside them; though she was closer to Slade than to him, Saber noted with a bit of amusement.

"It is," he nodded. "Does anyone know just who those transports belong to?"

"It looks like Colonel Bogard's squad," Ringo said, after studying the transports for a bit; Saber 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 Ringo had been working with the AEM for longer than he had, so Saber was willing to trust his judgment.

When the transports had landed, disgorging uniformed Military personnel, Saber sighed; at least they'd be able to get back to the Command Center soon. That armored thing was good enough to take on Spider-crabs, though he wasn't willing to give it very good odds against an actual Teknoman, 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 Slade felt just the same.

"An excellent demonstration," said an old man; probably the Colonel Bogard that Ringo had mentioned. "I'm quite pleased. Your creation is a complete success, Marlowe," 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.

"Thanks, Colonel," the other man, clearly named Marlowe, said, ducking his head slightly.

"He made that thing?" Star asked, sounding startled.

"That's pretty incredible," Ringo added.

"I heard Marlowe was working on some top-secret project," Maggie said; he looked over at her, vaguely interested. He hadn't known she'd even known that guy.

"Well, from what I've seen, I'd say this is it," Mac said, sounding interested. "It's almost like having a third Teknoman on our side."

(Almost, but not quite,) Slade added, and Saber snickered softly.

(True.)

This new guy might have the power to deal with Spider-crabs, but anyone with a good enough gun and enough maneuverability not to get caught up in their crossfire could do the same. It was like he'd told O'Roarke when they'd met up with him: Spider-crabs were just dumb, mutant space insects. They were only really dangerous when they swarmed you.

It was the Teknomen that you really had to watch out for.

"There's no Z-tron breakdown, despite near-continuous firing of your weapon," Marlowe said, opening up a panel on the front of the armored figure's death-ray blaster so that he could get a look inside. "It's even better than I'd hoped for."

"You're too modest, Marlowe," said a voice from inside the armor; for a moment Saber thought, in spite of the slight, filtered-sounding distortion of the voice, he could almost tell who it was. "It's a brilliant invention."

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 Saber 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.

"Ah, how nice of you Space Knights to come," Balzac, of all people, said with a smirk. "You all look stunning; or is that "stunned"? Don't you recognize me without a camera?"

"Balzac, how nice to see you again," he said, Maggie 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.

"Well, Maggie, I'd ask if you liked me better without the beard, but it looks like you're already spoken for," Balzac said, not seeming to care in the slightest that no one was particularly pleased to see him. "Nice work getting yourself some action out there, Casanova," Balzac continued, now smirking directly at him.

"Balzac, would you mind telling us what's actually going on here?" Star demanded, before Saber could come up with a particularly crushing retort to what Balzac had just said.

"I always suspected you were more than just some reporter," Ringo said. "But, how come you're piloting that mechanical monster?"

"Monster?" Balzac echoed with obviously fake surprise, removing his helmet, tossing it aside, and making his way slowly, deliberately over to where Saber, Slade, Maggie, Mac, Star, and Ringo were all standing. "I'd say, the only monster around here is right there!" Balzac finished, pointing dramatically at Slade.

Sharing a semi-amused glance with his still-armored brother, Saber smirked slightly. "You mind repeating that?" he heard Slade ask, as they both turned to look back at Balzac.

"You heard me, freak," Balzac said, still grinning. "You know what this freak tried to do, Marlowe?" Balzac called back over his left shoulder.

"No," Marlowe 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, Saber didn't like it. "What did he do, Balzac?"

"Three days ago, Slade here tried to strangle Saber to death," Balzac continued, pointing at him with his right thumb. "And, what makes it even worse is that Saber's actually his twin brother." Marlowe didn't say anything, but that didn't make Saber's desire to clock Balzac even one iota less powerful. "So, I've been meaning to ask you this, Saber," Balzac continued, now looking directly at him and obviously having dismissed Slade from his mind entirely. "Why are you still hanging around with him? We all know how unstable he is, so why don't you come back to Headquarters with me? I know the General would be really happy to have you."

"You know, it really amazes me how you think I'm going to do anything with that offer of yours besides tell you to shove it up your ass," he said, deliberately making his voice sound light and cheerful; Saber wasn't going to give that asshole the satisfaction of knowing he'd pissed him off.

"So, Slade, what does the big hero think of Marlowe's new Tek-armor suit?" Balzac asked as he walked over to them, after giving Saber a sort of considering look; if he was planning to bring that bullshit up again, though, Saber was going to punch him. AEM soldiers or no AEM soldiers. "Come on, tell us. You saw it: I destroyed twenty Spider-crabs while you just stood there and watched me. Nothing to say?" Balzac asked, after only a short pause. "I'm sure you're bright enough to have realized by now you're obsolete; what good's a Teknoman who goes haywire after a thirty-minute time limit?"

(He's not actually stupid enough to suggest that his little tin-suit is good for anything besides destroying Spider-crabs without hard evidence, is he?) Saber asked, hovering indecisively between amusement and sheer annoyance. On the one hand, this was Balzac they were dealing with here, but on the other hand, what he was actually saying was so stupid it really couldn't be anything but funny.

Slade didn't say anything.

"So, why don't you do us all a favor and just deactivate yourself, before you lose control again, and end up hurting someone who won't keep taking your side in defiance of all common sense?" Having let go of Maggie's waist when Mac had moved to support her more completely, Saber moved to stand closer to his brother. Balzac looked over at him, and then edged slightly back, smirking all the while. "Someone who'd see you for what you really are. Monster."

That was the last straw. "Why don't you just do everyone a favor and shut the hell up?" he demanded.

"Still looking out for him?" Balzac smirked at him in a way that made Saber long to pound on the arrogant little bastard until he'd be lucky if he had unbroken bones. "You know, Saber, there is such a thing as too much loyalty. Though, if you wanted to come work for the General, I'm sure he'd be able to appreciate you. I'm sure he wouldn't try to kill you, either."

"You talk too much," he snarled, stalking forward even as Balzac continued to give ground, smirking all the way.

"Saber, please; you don't think I'm actually stupid enough to stay in your punching-range, do you?" Balzac grinned. "Especially after what happened the day before yesterday."

Saber 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. "You know, you're absolutely right," he said, sounding light and cheerful as could be.

Balzac folded like an empty sack around the front snap-kick that Saber slammed into his crotch, and Saber 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 AEM'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, Saber was 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.

"You know," Balzac said, wheezing a bit as he clearly struggled to get his wind back. "I really should have expected you to do something like that. You smiled just like that before you punched me in the face, too."

In no mood to deal with Balzac and his obviously myriad psychosis's, and having just noticed that Slade had turned his back and was walking back over to Pegas, Saber hurried after his older twin without a look back.

010010001

(I know you're not stupid enough to be taking what that asshole said seriously, big brother,) Saber said, in a tone that suggested that his younger twin was going to be annoyed with him if he was.

He knew he shouldn't, he knew that Saber would have shaken it off just as quickly as he had the things that Balzac had been saying to him, but then Saber always had been the stronger one. And hearing that, beingcalled... that, remembering what he'd nearly done to Saber after 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 like Saber could.

He just wasn't that strong.

1001001001

As Marlowe helped him back to his feet, a smile, 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.

"Well, he was certainly interesting," Marlowe said, smirking contemplatively over at the blue-eyed freak.

"Didn't I tell you he would be?" 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 Saber 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.

"Well, Marlowe, our dream is about to come true," he said, putting aside his tentative plans for dealing with Saber. "All these years, ever since we were growing up in that horrible slum, this is the day we've been waiting for. Now that you've perfected the Tek-armor, it's all within our grasp: fame, fortune, power." Smiling up at the Tekno-suit that Marlowe and his Sci-Division had worked so hard to perfect, Balzac felt a supreme sense of vindication.

"I'm starting to believe it, myself," Marlowe added, and Balzac smiled.

"And, if all that wasn't enough to make us happy, a certain pair of freak-brothers are on their way out."

He didn't believe that he'd seen the last of Saber; 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 Saber plainly hated him. No, Slade was clearly going to be the one most effected by what he'd been saying; which, while predictable, was a good thing considering that the harsh rigors of life in the AEM weren't for the faint of heart.

As he continued to admire Marlowe'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 Marlowe 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.

10010010100

Standing at ease inside Comm. One, Hamilton Jamison, Commander 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 Slade's mental health. To say nothing of the obvious antagonism that Balzac had displayed toward Slade - Jamison wondered for a moment if his attitude toward Saber 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 - Gault would obviously be rushing to produce as many of those "Tekno-suits" as he could.

Slade's need to feel useful, combined with the mental anguish that he had been put through by the Teknoman 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 Saber was with him, and that Slade's brother would do whatever he thought was necessary to ensure that Slade remained mentally healthy.

"Balzac is just a reporter, Commander," Tina said, clearly shocked by what she'd seen "Why is he piloting that-?"

"I'm afraid he was never "just a reporter", Tina," he said. "He's one of Gault's spies. Sent here to steal data on the Tekno-power System; it would appear that he's succeeded. And now Marlowe, Gault's top scientist, has used that information to construct an armored Tekno-suit, with weaponry that can almost match that of either Slade or Saber individually."

"That's amazing," Tina said.

He agreed with her, it was amazing that Marlowe had been able to produce such a thing so quickly even with the data that Jamison himself had chosen to provide for him. Jamison didn't like the implications of such a weapons-system in Gault'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 Gault would demand that both Slade and Saber 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 Jamison had not been about to trust the wellbeing of even one of his Space Knights - particularly a mentally delicate person such as Slade 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.

01001001010

He'd grabbed Saber's hand more out of impulse than any real thought, not wanting to be alone with Balzac's words still echoing in his head. Saber 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, Slade was glad to have him there. He didn't know what he'd do if he didn't have Saber with him, and no matter what Slade 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, Saber had quieted down and was clearly either waiting on him to say something, or planning to yell at Slade for dragging him around the way he'd been doing. Slade 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 Saber's right hand as tightly as he could without hurting his younger twin, Slade flopped down on it and sighed. Hearing the dull thunk of Saber's boots as his brother kicked them off, Slade looked up for a moment. Saber was leaning back against the wall, and after the two of them had shared a knowing look, Slade waited while Saber 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 Saber 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 Slade begin to forget the things that Balzac had been saying to him, Slade 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 Saber would get rid of whoever it was if they got too noisy.

Forcing himself to relax as Saber's fingers resumed their motion through his hair, Slade tried not to think about the fact that there were four more people in his personal quarters besides Saber; people he hadn't implicitly invited when he'd left the Blue Earth's temporary hangar.

"Well, don't you two look cozy," he heard Ringo say, with a soft chuckle.

"Ringo, that's not what we're here to discuss." There was a slight warning in Star's tone, and Slade was glad for in; with everything that had gone on today, he didn't think he could deal with Ringo's teasing, good-natured as it was.

"Right," he heard Mac say, so he at least knew three of the four people that had decided to come into his quarters. "What did Tina say to you, Star?"

"She said that the Commander knew Balzac was a spy," Star said.

"Right," Ringo groused. "And he just decided to keep Balzac around because he enjoyed his wonderful personality. I'd like to wring Balzac's scrawny little neck," Ringo's voice sounded more like a growl at that point, but then he chuckled. "Nice kick, though, Saber; wish I could have gotten a picture of the look on his face when you connected.

"That makes two of us," he heard Saber say, and he could both hear and sense his younger twin's amusement.

"If the Commander did know Balzac was a spy, he must have been hoping to feed him phony information," Mac said, obviously trying to bring the conversation back on track.

"Doesn't make much sense to me," Ringo said, sounding serious again. "But, it looks like whatever information he got was the real thing. Marlowe's new Tek-armor uses Z-Tron weaponry, just like our boys here, and you all know what that means."

"Gault will build Tekno-suits by the thousands," Star said; Slade tried not to think about that, about what it meant.

"But if that's true, there would be nothing left for either of the twins to do." It looked like Maggie was the fourth person in his room, Slade noted dully.

"That might actually be a good thing," Saber said; Slade wondered for a moment just what his brother might have been thinking, and then decided to wait. Saber was probably going to explain his reasoning on his own, even without one of the others prompting him "It'll be nice not to have to go out and fight Spider-crabs all the time."

"What do you mean, Saber?" Star asked. "You don't actually think that Gault would limit those Tekno-suits of his to just fighting the Spider-crabs, do you?"

"No," Saber said, and Slade could practically hear the smug little smirk on his younger twin's face. "But I'm pretty sure that's what's going to going to end up happening. Good as those suits of theirs seem right now, they've never been tested against a real Teknoman."

"Why didn't you say that to Balzac, then?" he heard Ringo ask. "It might've knocked him off that high-horse of his."

"Ringo, if I'd laughed in his face and told him to get back to me when he'd fought a real Teknoman, the way I would have probably done if we'd stayed any longer, Balzac would have thought I was challenging him."

"Yeah," Ringo said, sounding like he was wearing one of his more amused grins. "He probably would have; he's kinda stupid like that."

"Well, I say it doesn't matter how many of those Tekno-suits Gault makes," he heard Star say, and he was touched by the sincerity in her tone. "No one can just replace you, either of you. You and Slade are the best things that ever happened for Earth."

Sighing, trying to recollect himself after he'd fallen apart a bit, Slade realized that he needed a bit more space. Even Saber'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 Saber's hand as he levered himself up and out of the bed, ignoring the questioning stares and inquiries from the other Space Knights, Slade made for the door of his temporary quarters.

"I just... I need to think," he said, in response to Star calling to him.

He felt Saber's right shoulder gently bump against his, and Slade 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, Saber would always be with him. Slade 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, Slade decided to take it easy for a bit; Saber was right, it would be nice not to have to go out and fight Spider-crabs all the time.

110101001001

Standing behind Marlowe as his old friend monitored the production of the Z-tron that would give the Tekno-suits 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.

"If the Accelerator maintains this rate of synthesis, our estimates indicate that we should have enough Z-tron for another test in about an hour," Marlowe said, clearly more absorbed in the workings of the particle accelerator than in what he was saying.

"Report, Colonel Bogard," the General ordered, appearing on the comm. screen off to their left. "Tell me how our little project is proceeding."

"Extremely well, General," the Colonel reported, as Balzac composed himself and Marlowe rose to his feet as they all turned to fully face the screen.

"I'm glad to hear it," the General said. "We're still on schedule, then. You will shift the plant to full production of Tekno-armor as soon as possible," he ordered.

"As you wish, sir," the Colonel said.

"And, as for you, Lieutenant Balzac." the General said, pausing for a moment while Balzac acknowledged him. "I watched the recording of your battle with the Spider-crabs yesterday with great interest. A most impressive display; in fact, I'm promoting you to Major, effective immediately."

"Thank you, sir," he said, inclining his head slightly.

"You will be in charge of training all Tekno-armored personnel," the General said, examining a pipe that he held in his hands. "Marlowe, you are hereby named head of this laboratory: I want you to bring the Z-tron to Washington for an official demonstration. Well, any questions?"

"Consider it done, General," he said, squaring his shoulders slightly as he felt his new rank settle on them like an intangible mantle.

"You can count on us, sir," Marlowe said.

"Keep up the good work, men," General Gault said, before signing off.

"You know," Marlowe said, after taking a moment to recompose himself. "I could end up the head of the entire Space Science Agency."

He hummed softly in agreement. "We're on our way," he said, reaching out to firmly clasp hands with the oldest, best, and really the only friend he'd really had in his life.

"Wake me up if I'm dreaming, Balzac," Marlowe said softly; Balzac swallowed a chuckle.

"You're awake," he reassured. "And this is only the beginning, believe me."

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 Spider-crabs, 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.

0100101001

Standing in the storage bunker where Pegas had been placed when Star and Ringo had landed the Blue Earth, close enough to be loaded up at least relatively quickly if he and Saber needed to fight in the air, or just to use if he ended up needing to transform today at all, Slade leaned against Saber.

"It seems kind of strange," he said, more to hear his own voice than anything else. "You know?"

"Yeah," he heard Saber say, with a soft chuckle. "To be honest, even I didn't think we were ever going to get a break from fighting Spider-crabs all the time. It'll be nice to have some actual time off, though."

"You would think that," he said, playfully punching Saber on the shoulder. "Slacker."

"Better that than a spaz," Saber retorted, punching him back.

Slade chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them to take in Pegas again. He didn't know just what he and Saber were going to end up facing today, just what he and Saber 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 Spider-crabs had become almost as routine to him as washing up in the morning, but-

The high, harsh whine of twin turbojet engines disturbed Slade from his thoughts. The sound hurt his ears a bit, even through the hangar's walls and, not for the first time, Slade found himself wishing that he could have just been a normal human. He could see Saber wincing from the corner of his 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 Saber were both sensing, since the expression on his younger twin's face made it clear that Saber was sensing this new threat just as much as he was. Just a few seconds after he'd begun to sense this new danger - Slade thought it was probably Spider-crabs, both since it usually was Spider-crabs 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, Slade 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.

"Here you two are," Star said, and as he turned around to face her, he saw the relieved smile on her face. "Spider-crabs are attacking the airfield, we need you and Saber to help drive them off."

"What's wrong with Balzac?" he asked.

(You mean aside from the obvious?) Saber interjected.

(Wiseass,) he retorted, knowing he'd pretty much walked right into that one.

"Balzac isn't the one we really need," Star said, shaking her head. "If the two of you just stay here and leave the whole thing to Balzac, then there's no telling what might happen. You're Teknomen; the only real hope that any of us have in this war, and we all still believe in you," Star continued, walking right up to where he and Saber were standing and laying her hands on his right shoulder and Saber's left. "Slade, you're the only one who can command the power of the Emerald Crystal; just like Saber is the only one who can command the power of the Lapis Crystal," Star said.

"Star, not that I don't appreciate the moral support, but what the heck are you talking about?" Saber asked; Slade 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.

"Those are the names that Maggie and I came up with," Star said, then gave Saber a mildly reproving look. "And you're stalling."

He and Saber traded semi-amused smiles. "Yeah, a bit," he said.

"All right," Saber said, smiling widely. "We'll go save Balzac's sorry butt; but he owes us dinner for this. Make sure you tell him that, okay?" As his irrepressible younger twin winked at Star, Slade quickly stifled a laugh.

Now wasn't really the time for humor, though; the Spider-crabs, 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, Slade could see Saber's sky-blue teknocrystal appearing in his younger twin's hand, and as he called on Pegas to transform him again, Slade heard Saber's familiar shout. Smiling softly as he leapt into Pegas' interlock-chamber and felt the energies of his transformation rush through him, Slade sensed Saber all the more clearly as his younger twin engaged his own transformation.

Flipping in midair as his transformation completed itself, Slade was confronted with the sight of the vast swarm of Spider-crabs 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, Slade was annoyed with himself for not going after the Spider-crabs 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 having some problems,) Saber commented, and Slade looked down at where his younger twin's attention was clearly focused.

Then he cursed softly under his breath. (Those Spider-crabs 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?)

(I think I could do that,) Saber said, and Slade looked over his shoulder to see Saber take a flying leap off of Pegas' back and boost himself into the air. (Just don't get yourself in trouble without me, spaz.)

He smiled. (I'll try to keep that in mind. Slacker.)

As Saber flew off, aimed for the spot where Balzac's friend - the man who's name Slade couldn't remember at the moment - was being chased by a small knot of Spider-crabs, Slade 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 Slade 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 Spider-crabs, having just seen the tell-tale bursts of light that meant Balzac was making good use of that oversized rifle of his, Slade was just in time to see yet another Spider-crab 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 Slade didn't think he'd have been able to react in time to kill the thing. Throwing his teknolance through the head of the attacking Spider-crab, he quickly retrieved his lancer and leapt from Pegas' back.

The Spider-crabs were clustered tightly enough that Slade 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 Spider-crabs made him feel at least a bit better about the situation.

101001001

When the pilot of the jet that he and Colonel Bogard had been taking off in had been slaughtered by Spider-crabs 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 Spider-crab, that had been worse. When the Spider-crab had turned its attention on him, Marlowe 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 Spider-crabs 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, Marlowe clutched the case of Ztronic-antimatter 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 Spider-crabs. He'd seen Balzac in the prototype Tekno-suit 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 Spider-crab 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 Spider-crab, entirely too close for comfort, distracted Marlowe from his efforts to check himself over for injuries. Looking up into the creature's face, Marlowe wondered if this would be the last thing he'd ever see; this alien monster, the very thing that his Tekno-suit had been designed to kill. It would really be the worst kind of irony if he was killed by one of these things, Marlowe noted, feeling an odd sense of detachment as the Spider-crab continued to loom over him.

Then, as the bisected, bloody halves of the creature fell apart and exploded, Marlowe 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 Spider-crab would do to a human body. Even before the Spider-crab had been destroyed, however, Marlowe knew that it hadn't been Balzac who had destroyed it.

The Z-tron rifle that was going to be standard-equipment on all of his Tekno-suits 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 Slade or Saber that had just showed up.

Sure enough, when the smoke from the Spider-crab's exploded corpse cleared, Marlowe saw the red-on-black form of one of the Earth's only two Teknomen 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 Marlowe had landed.

"You all right?" the red-on-black Teknoman asked, after he'd finished scanning the immediate area for any other Spider-crabs 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 Z-tron.

"You sure? You've got blood all over you."

Looking up at the worried tone of the Teknoman's voice, Marlowe saw that Saber was staring down at his clothes. And, when he glanced down, Marlowe was reminded of just why that was. "Oh, that. You shouldn't worry so much about that," he said, as Saber 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."

"I guess that makes sense," Saber said, sounding like he would have said something else, if it hadn't been for the Spider-crabs descending on them at that moment. "Damn it," the Teknoman muttered, sounding more annoyed than anything; Marlowe figured that fit, since Spider-crabs weren't really a danger to someone like him.

When Saber looked back down at him, the Teknoman's head tilted slightly in an obvious expression of consideration, Marlowe wasn't quite sure what to think. "What is it?"

"I don't know if you'll be able to keep up with me," he said, and then he turned and impaled a descending Spider-crab.

Marlowe, however, was watching Saber as he attacked the Spider-crabs. He wasn't shooting at them, he was actually using that oversized, bladed weapon that he and Slade both seemed to possess. Still, the way he was using it was also odd: the tip of the weapon was tearing through the descending Spider-crabs on its own. The thing was connected to the shaft of Saber's lance by a ribbon of crackling, sparking, yellow energy; only from the way Saber's 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? Marlowe 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.

"You don't have a weak stomach, do you?" Saber asked, just as another group of Spider-crabs began to descend toward them.

"No, I don't think I do," he said, wondering for a moment just what had brought that kind of question up.

"Well, just don't barf on me, alright?"

Before Marlowe could think of any way to respond to such an unexpected request, Saber wrapped his left arm around his midsection and hefted him up like so much luggage. Finding the case holding the Z-tron jammed into his gut as Saber ran over the broken train, slashing at descending Spider-crabs with that energy-ribbon attached to the tip of his lance, Marlowe tried not to think too much about how badly he was being bounced around by each of the Teknoman's steps. It was far better than the alternative, he knew.

As Saber continued running, bouncing him harshly with every step he took, Marlowe clutched the case of Z-tron 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 Teknoman's arm like a piece of luggage while said Teknoman dodged a seemingly-endless number of Spider-crabs.

010010010

He couldn't exactly keep track of time like this, not while he was in the middle of a knot of Spider-crabs that were all doing all they could to kill him, but since he wasn't feeling any disorientation as he fought, Slade figured that he was at least reasonably safe. For a certain skewed definition of "safe", anyway, he thought, chuckling in morbid amusement as he continued to whittle down the numbers of his attackers.

He'd gotten a message from Saber just a couple minutes ago; apparently, his brother was getting Balzac's friend Marlowe 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, Slade 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 Slade knew that his time in Teknoman 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 Saber was obviously worse off.

(Saber, are you doing all right?)

(I'm fine,) his younger twin responded, and Slade listened closely for any signs of fatigue that Saber 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. (I'm pretty sure Marlowe'll be safe once I get him back to the hangar,) Saber chuckled briefly. (I've even got Balzac covering my back, if you'll believe it.)

(You're right,) he said, pausing for a moment to deal with another Spider-crab. (That is weird.)

He could pretty much understand why that was, though: Saber 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 Spider-crabs, Slade 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, Slade 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 Spider-crabs out there than there actually were. What was worse, though, was that his hallucinations weren't just limited to the Spider-crabs around him; no, his mind was playing tricks on him again.

Slade was beginning to see the faces of his friends in place of the attacking Spider-crabs.

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 teknolance again, shaking off the illusion of Star that had appeared in front of him, Slade continued hacking his way through the swarming Spider-crabs 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, Slade shook off the illusions surrounding him and tried to focus on the Spider-crabs that were actually there.

All the while, he wondered just how Saber was managing; he hoped his younger twin was still doing all right.

1101010001

When Saber had set him back on his feet, Marlowe had wondered for a moment just what the Teknoman could have been thinking. Saber 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 Teknoman's intended destination. Just as he was about to ask Saber what he was thinking, however, Marlowe heard a low, pained moan.

A moan that seemed to come from the red-on-black Teknoman beside him, odd as something like that was to think about.

"Sorry," Saber said, and Marlowe was stunned by the sheer weariness in the Teknoman's voice. "I guess you're on your own."

Before Marlowe could ask just what Saber meant by that, ominous as it had sounded, the Teknoman's entire form was enveloped in bright, pale-blue light, shrouded in an odd, geometric structure, and gone in the time it took Marlowe to blink three times. Catching Saber around the waist before the un-armored - and clearly unconscious - Teknoman could collapse to the rocky ground, Marlowe was almost annoyed that he didn't have the time to examine the Teknoman in more detail.

Balzac had mentioned a thirty-minute time-limit, but he'd only mentioned it in reference to Slade. Now, however, with all of the Spider-crabs descending on him, and his last, best means of defense against them gone, Marlowe knew that the only thing he could do right now was to keep running. He took Saber along with him, of course, both since the Teknoman was still one of the Earth's best weapons in this war, and also because he wanted to get a closer look at the Teknoman and he knew that he wasn't going to find a much better chance than this to do just that.

After all, Saber really hadn't seemed like the type to cooperate with the AEM; Slade hadn't either, but Saber 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 Saber slung under his own arm in an ironic reversal of how the Teknoman had once been carrying him, Marlowe ran for the hangar. He knew that it couldn't stand up to a dedicated assault from the Spider-crabs, 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 AEM 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, Marlowe looked back as a shadow fell over him.

The Spider-crab looked substantially larger than any of the others that he'd seen up till today, but Marlowe knew that that was only his mind playing tricks on him. Running all the faster as he heard the shrieks of a hunting Spider-crab behind him, Marlowe made for the hangar's main administration building. He was already starting to tire, the strain of lugging Saber's unconscious body combined with the sheer terror he felt at the thought of being defenseless in the presence of so many Spider-crabs 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 Spider-crab 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 Saber, since there wasn't a chance in hell that he would give up the Z-tron that he had already risked so much for, the Z-tron 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 Saber, there were times that a man had to choose his priorities. And, no matter what else happened, Marlowe was determined to preserve his own life.

Throwing Saber's still-unconscious body at the Spider-crabs, hoping to distract them with someone who up until a few minutes ago had been killing scores of them without hesitation, Marlowe gripped the case of Z-tron with both arms and ran. Freed of Saber's weight, Marlowe stumbled slightly then quickly righted himself. Even in his human form, the Teknoman probably weighed over a hundred pounds or so, though granted it was obviously muscle and bone for the most part. Without Saber tucked under his arm, slowing him down, Marlowe was relieved to note that he was making much better progress toward the administration building.

The shriek of hunting Spider-crabs drew his attention back to the swarm behind him. Apparently, they hadn't been diverted from him when he'd pretty much given them Saber; either that or the Teknoman was already dead and they were just moving on to the next living target. Marlowe didn't know, and for the moment he really didn't care; there might have been only three Spider-crabs after him, but with no weapons and no one left to defend him, that was three too many.

As the shadow of a Spider-crab fell over him, the high, ear-piercing shriek rending the air as the thing and its cohorts closed in on him, Marlowe 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 Spider-crabs, Marlowe 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, Marlowe finally managed to lay on his back. He wondered where Balzac was; he hoped that someone would come and rescue him soon.

0001010011

When he'd saved Slade's sorry bacon from those Spider-crabs, after the Teknoman had started to go haywire like he'd always known would happen, he'd lost sight of Saber and Marlowe. Still, he knew that he could at least trust Slade'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 Marlowe 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 Spider-crabs in this area, after making sure that Slade knew just what he thought about him and his myriad failings, Balzac went to find Marlowe and Saber. Might as well get an early start on all that ribbing he was going to do. When he saw the three Spider-crabs bearing down on someone, he fired on them without hesitation.

"You're not slacking off on me now, are you Saber?" he called, watching with a definite sense of satisfaction as the last three Spider-crabs were wiped from existence.

It was kind of funny, though; he'd have expected Saber 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; Saber might've clammed up just as tight as Slade 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 Teknoman 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 Marlowe lying on the ground a good distance in front of him. Calling his friend's name, forgetting about Saber in light of someone that was a hell of a lot more important, Balzac raced over to his friend's side.

Removing the Tekno-suit, not needing it since all of the Spider-crabs were already dead, Balzac hurried to Marlowe's side; and that was mostly thanks to his efforts, and he was going to have words with Saber about keeping his useless brother in line. The first thing Balzac's eyes landed on, as he took stock of Marlowe's condition so he'd have an idea of just what he'd need to demand from the medicos so that Marlowe could get back on his feet as quickly as possible.

He also wasn't particularly happy with Saber at the moment, and he was going to let the Teknoman know that in no uncertain terms when he finally managed to get Marlowe settled.

"Marlowe, open your eyes," he pleaded; a weakness he would only show to the oldest and best of his friends.

Marlowe's eyes fluttered briefly, and then opened; Balzac let himself relax a bit, sighing in profound relief. "What happened to the Z-tron?"

"It's safe," he said, having seen some of the AEM's personnel securing it and taking it into their protection; he hadn't paid much attention beyond that, of course.

"Good," Marlowe said, smiling weakly up at him. "You think they'll still want me as head of the Science Agency?" he asked haltingly. "Think we could still be rich and famous?"

"I don't care about any of that," he said, gripping Marlowe's bloodstained right hand tightly.

"What?" Marlowe asked, and Balzac thought that he could detect a slight note of amusement in his old friend's failing voice; he didn't really blame him, under any other circumstances, he would have laughed at someone saying that, too. "You mean the great Balzac isn't concerned with fame and fortune?"

"No; I'm just glad to see that you're all right. All those things we talked about? All our plans? What are they to me without you to share them with?" Marlowe smiled weakly up at him, and for a moment Balzac thought that everything would be all right.

It was a stupid thought, really; he'd seen that abdominal wound that Marlowe had suffered, all of the blood that had been spilling out of Marlowe's body as his old friend struggled to stay conscious. As he held Marlowe'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 Slade; everyone knew that Slade was useless, even with every one of the Space Knights coddling him the way they did, but Saber... 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 Saber sprawled out on the ground. For a moment, as he checked the ground for bloodstains, Balzac felt slightly mollified. If Saber had been wounded in his efforts to protect Marlowe, then he'd be willing to cut the Teknoman 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 Saber 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 Saber up off the ground by that red vest of his, Balzac shook him.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, you worthless freak?!" he demanded, shaking Saber's body harshly. "Marlowe died because of you!" There was still no response from the Teknoman; 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: Saber 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 Saber's 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 Saber. He wanted that particular freak to suffer for what had happened to Marlowe.

Throwing the freak's body to the rocky ground, not even wanting to touch it anymore, Balzac drove his boot into Saber's stomach. "You're 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 AEM 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. "I'm afraid 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 Slade, 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. "But I realize now that he's just a stinking monster. Just like you."

That seemed to be just the thing he needed to get under Slade's skin.

"We are not monsters!" the freak screamed, looking like he was just a few words away from going completely off the deep end. "We're human beings! And I'm not letting you, or anyone else, take my brother away from me. Now put him down."

"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 have you done?" Star demanded.

Dealing with her was a hell of a lot easier than any of the others. "Don't worry, it's just a tranquilizer," he said, turning a sidelong look on her. "They'll both come to in an hour."

"Listen! If you want to arrest those boys, you'll have to arrest me first!" the fat Space Knight snarled. "Understand?!"

"It's a direct order from General Gault. Keep your nose out of it, grease monkey," he snapped, ignoring the man's next words. "Take them away."

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 Saber. 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 AEM'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.

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As she watched Slade and Saber 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, Tina turned to look at the Commander. Commander Jamison 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 Commander would always find a way.

"Did you hear, sir?" she asked. "Slade and Saber-"

"Yes. I heard, Tina," the Commander said, and then he turned and started to leave. "Unfortunately, there's little I can do. For now, Gault's orders will have to stand."

The Commander vanished behind the closing doors, and Tina wondered just what he was planning to do. He had to have something in mind; something that would save both Slade and Saber from whatever General Gault and the rest of the AEM were planning to do to them. He just had to.

But, all she could do was wait, hoping that the Commander would find some way to get Slade and Saber away from General Gault and all of the AEM. She still couldn't believe how much of a jerk Balzac had been, kicking Saber around like that after he'd used up all of his energy trying to get Marlowe 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, Tina 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 Gault was planning to do to them, and she really hoped that the Commander 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, Tina 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.