Throwing himself into a thruster-aided charge once he saw the situation his older twin had gotten himself into, Saber grabbed Slade under his armored shoulders and pulled. The thick, viscous sludge was stuck fast to Slade's armor, and clearly strong enough to restrain a Teknoman that couldn't use his thrusters, but Saber managed to tear the both of them loose before any more of the stuff could wrap around them.
(Thanks, I owe you one.)
(I'll put it on your tab,) he said lightly.
There was a moment of silence, and then. (You suck.)
Saber allowed himself a brief chuckle, before firmly returning his attention to Axe. It seemed that Rapier had joined the other Teknoman while he'd been unsticking Slade from their little trap. That had both good and bad implications, really. Still, it was what they had to deal with, so he'd deal; really, it was the only thing he could do, considering their circumstances.
(So, who takes who?) he asked.
He didn't get any kind of answer from Slade, but that was only because Rapier charged him before either of them could get even one more word in.
(Are you boys really sure that this is what you want?) Axe asked, and Saber would have rolled his eyes if he'd still had the facial features for it; seemed stupidity sprang eternal in some parts.
The only answer either of them gave was the slash and thrust of their respective lancers, driving Rapier to jump backwards. However, when Axe used the haft of his own lancer to knock Slade's free, Saber threw himself forward into the same kind of shoulder-barge that the oldest of Darkon's Teknomen seemed to favor using. Finding himself picked up bodily and unceremoniously hurled into the ground at Axe's feet, Saber grinned slightly as his older twin took the opportunity he'd been given, quickly retrieving his lancer and forcing Axe to block with his own as Saber hauled himself back up.
The only problem they were really having in this situation was Rapier, since he was much faster and more agile than the lumbering brute he'd been partnered with – which was probably one more of the reasons that the two of them were working together, really – and could strike them multiple times from multiple directions while the pair of them were trying to concentrate their blows on Axe. Sure, he was smaller and more lightly-armored than any of the other evil Teknomen that Darkon had enslaved, but his lancer was just as sharp as any of theirs, and the lighter armor he wore only meant something if they could actually hit him.
It was annoying and dangerous, since dealing with the both of them at once meant that they couldn't really concentrate their attacks on either one of their targets without all but inviting the other one to attack them in turn.
(So, got any ideas how we might be able to deal with them?)
While he wished he had an answer for his younger twin, Slade knew that he couldn't lie in a situation like this; and he wouldn't lie to Saber in any case. Bracing himself as Axe slammed his halberd down into his own lancer, Slade let himself crouch slightly so he could throw Axe back and away from the pair of them. Turning slightly, he caught sight of Rapier, with his small, swordlike lancer out, poised to ram into Saber where he stood.
Forced to jump away from his younger twin as Axe leaped forward with the aid of his own thrusters, Slade turned to see Saber swatting Rapier aside with his own lancer. Breathing a bit more easily for the fact that his younger twin was as safe as anyone could be in a situation like this, Slade turned his attention back to Axe. He had a brief moment to wonder what was happening to Ringo and Balzac, before Slade found himself forced to focus on Axe's halberd so he wouldn't end up with the thing imbedded in his skull.
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Being forced to sit on the sidelines and just watch, as Slade and Saber were forced into another fight by Axe and his little crony was the worst kind of situation he'd ever been stuck in. He was just glad that he wasn't literally stuck like Balzac; that Radam goop was no laughing matter.
"Ringo, Balzac, come on!" Maggie shouted, and he saw her head whipping from one of them to the other and then back again; she didn't look happy. "You've got to get up and help them! I've just powered up your Tekno-suits; they should be fine. Now get out there and help!"
"Don't you think I would if I could?" Balzac groused, and Ringo could practically hear him grimacing. "This stuff is all over me like a cheap suit!"
He didn't have anything to add, really; anyone who looked could see that he wasn't exactly in fighting-shape.
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It wasn't something that he would have ever wanted, and he couldn't honestly say that he was pleased with the situation as it stood, but Axe had always been someone who could accept the world as it was. It was a lesson that he had tried to teach all of his students, but it'd become all too clear during his and Sam's various clashes with Ness and Cain that those two hadn't learned the lesson nearly as well as he would have wished.
(You know, I really never expected it to come down to a fight between the four of us, Ness,) he said, taking care to include Sam and Cain in their conversation, just in case there was something that they truly wished to say. (I remember, back when I was training you boys, how Sam would always come to watch; learning what he could while I worked with you.)
(Getting sentimental, Axe? Don't make me laugh,) Cain snapped, and Axe could feel the sharp edges of his younger-middle student's sarcasm projected clearly in his tone.
(You boys,) he sighed, raising his lancer to block a heavy blow from Ness' own. (I kept hoping it wouldn't come down to this, but if you force my hand-)
(Neither of us are forcing you into anything, Axe,) Ness snapped, cutting him off before he could even complete his sentence.
Knowing that his wayward students wouldn't listen to anything more, that they were far too determined for their own good, or that of anyone else in their family. It was yet one more reminder of what he needed to do; no matter how he might have wished that things could have been different, Axe knew his duty.
(It looks like it's going to be just us heading back to the others, Sam.)
(Yeah,) the youngest of Lord Darkon's Teknomen said, his dejection projected along with his words.
(I know,) he said, projecting reassurance to the youngest of their Teknomen. (It hurts me, too. But, Sam, I want you to retreat. Conrad is going to need to know what went on here, and more than that, he's going to need your support after this. Once I raise the walls, I want you to run.)
(I… Yes, sensei.)
(Good boy,) he said, grabbing Cain and pivoting to throw the younger Teknoman into the ground. (You're getting reckless, Cain.)
(Shut up.)
Sighing, knowing that he wasn't going to come out of this without blood on his hands, Axe shook his head sadly. Farewell, my students, he mused, holding the thought within his mind, so that he wouldn't distract Sam from what he had asked of him, and also so that Ness and Cain wouldn't be able to overhear. Now, more than ever, secrecy was key.
(Are you going to be raising them soon, Goddard-sensei?)
(You'll know when I do, Sam,) he said, wanting for a moment to stop and comfort the youngest of his students – Sam sounded so bereft, even at this early stage – but knowing that that wasn't going to be possible. (And I'll warn you, besides.)
(I guess that's all I can ask,) Sam said, as he and Ness clashed again; Ness seemed to be hesitating, and while he was pleased to know that none of his students had fallen so far that they would casually attempt to murder one of their own, it was more than obvious that the stubborn determination he'd observed in every member of the Carter family wasn't going to let either of the twins give up on this self-destructive endeavor of theirs. (Thank you, Mr. Goddard.)
(Of course,) he said, locking his and Ness' lancers together, so he could kick Ness far enough away to hurl an energy-scythe at him. (You can always trust me, Sam.)
Bracing himself as Ness split his lancer and threw both halves at him, Axe shifted his feet and caught Sam with his left arm as the youngest Teknoman went stumbling from Cain's throw.
(Steady, Sam,) he said gently, setting the smaller Teknoman back on his armored feet. (Why don't you deal with those armored suits we've been having trouble with? I can handle things here.)
(Are you sure, Goddard-sensei?)
(Yes; I've got more experience in combat than you do, and I'll be able to take more punishment than you can,) he said, gently nudging the young Teknoman in the direction of their second and more feeble pair of opponents. (Go on, Sam. I can handle things here.)
(Yes, sensei.)
(Good boy,) he said, smiling softly as Sam jetted off to deal with those two persistent annoyances.
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When he and Balzac had both started to make some actual progress in getting that damned Radam-goop off of their respective Tekno-suits was, of course, when that little Tekno-thug showed up again. Their first warning that he'd come down on them was the sound of those engines that all Teknomen seemed to have on their backs, roaring almost like the Blue Earth's as they drove him through the sky. The next was one of those damned energy blasts from his little sword.
"Get out of here!" he and Balzac shouted to their fellow Space Knights, as Ringo took aim at the little Tekno-thug and tried to drive him off long enough for Balzac to get himself out of the goop still encasing his suit.
He didn't manage quite as well as he would have liked, what with the fact that Teknomen could fly and all, but he'd kept the little Tekno-thug off them long enough for Balzac to get back to his feet and take up harassment duty. Shooting his own way out of the goop that'd encased his Tekno-suit from the pauldrons down, Ringo forced his bulky Tekno-suit back to its armored feet and joined in on Balzac's efforts.
"Ringo!"
His fellow Tekno-suit pilot barely managed to get the word out, before Ringo found himself on the wrong end of a pile-driver from that little Tekno-thug. He was lucky his neck hadn't snapped from the impact, and as Ringo forced himself back to his feet again – this time under the dubious protection of another withering barrage from Balzac's Tekno-suit – Ringo could only hope that his and Balzac's fellow Space Knights had managed to get somewhere safe while the two of them handled Rapier.
He'd hate himself if anything happened to his friends while he was trying to protect them.
Feeling the impact as one of that little Tekno-thug's limbs slammed into his back just a bit too hard to be a punch, Ringo whipped around and fired to ward him off. He didn't know just how long he and Balzac were going to keep this up, though with Slade and Saber both occupied with Axe, so he and Balzac were clearly going to be on their own for quite a while. And, while that wasn't a thought he was particularly fond of, Ringo knew that the two of them were going to stand their ground until they were either able to drive of the little Tekno-thug harrying them, or Slade and Saber met back up with them and drove him off for them.
Those were the only two outcomes Ringo was going to let himself think of.
When the little Tekno-thug came back around for another pass, though, Ringo managed to shoot him dead-center in the chest with a burst of Z-tron. It knocked the little thug dizzy, sending him crashing to the ground in an ankle-deep crater, but that turned out not to be the best thing in the world. The next thing Ringo knew, he'd been slammed with a literal flying-tackle from the Tekno-thug who'd already been giving them so much trouble.
Rolling clumsily out of the way of a stab that would have gone right through his head if he'd been slow enough to let it connect, Ringo managed to catch himself a breather while the little Tekno-thug was looking away. He didn't know just what it was that'd drawn Rapier's attention, but from the way he'd frozen while looking back at that huge clump of Radam foliage that'd just sprung up, he almost thought that one of the other Teknomen was using that selective-telepathy that Slade and Saber had mentioned.
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(Sam, I've raised the walls.)
(Goddard-sensei…)
(Listen to me, Sam,) Goddard-sensei said, his telepathic voice horribly gentle; it felt like he was wrapping Rapier up in all his courage and strength, just so he would be able to go on after what was going to happen. It was nice, but Goddard-sensei was going to be gone… Rapier would have traded all his courage and more if it just meant that he could have his sensei back. (Run away now, Sam. Find a ride back to the Moon with the Spider-crabs, and report this to Conrad.)
(I… Yes, sensei.)
(That's a good boy. No tears now, Sammy; I'm counting on you.)
Jetting away from the human in the stupid-looking Teknoman costume before he could get any stupid ideas, Rapier turned his flightpath toward the large clump of Radam vines that Axe had raised around his battleground so that he'd be able to take on… the traitors without anyone else getting in his way. He knew that Axe- that Goddard-sensei wouldn't be happy with him for staying so close for so long like this, but he wasn't just going to let Goddard-sensei die alone.
He wanted Goddard-sensei to know that he wasn't alone, even though he'd insisted on fighting that way.
(Sam, why are you still here?)
He heard, just as he was coming to land on top of the tangle of Radam vines and other plants that Goddard-sensei had raised up around his battlefield.
(Sensei, I just-)
(Sam, when I give you an order, I expect you to obey it,) Goddard-sensei said, sounding more stern than he had the last time Sam had spoken to him; he wasn't surprised. (Still, I understand. I'll arrange transport for you.)
(Goddard-sensei…)
When he sensed the Spider-crab coming up from behind him, wrapping its tendrils around his torso and waist and then almost gently tugging him back to lay against its belly as it flew away, Sam wished more than anything that he could have cried. He knew that it wasn't what Mr. Goddard would have wanted at all, he knew that Mr. Goddard had told him not to, but… Either way, he couldn't have done it; his face, under the outer-armor that concealed his identity, was had been changed into a thinner kind of armor to better protect him.
He couldn't cry, through the transparent crystal that shielded his eyes.
Shifting enough within the Spider-crab's grip so that he could wrap his arms around himself, Sam felt his body wracked with the closest to sobs that a Teknoman could manage. Goodbye, Goddard-sensei…
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Knowing that the last of his loyal students was on his way back to Lord Darkon's base, somewhere he would be protected from what was coming, provided Axe at least some comfort in his present situation. Still, the fact that he was aiming to murder two of his remaining students almost completely canceled out what little comfort he could draw from the fact of Sam's survival. He knew that the younger Teknoman would be devastated to lose him, but Axe knew better than most just what kind of sacrifices loyalty demanded.
He certainly knew better than Ness and Cain.
(So, it looks like it's going to be two-on-one now, Axe,) Cain said, the defiance in the younger of his former students' voice transmitted along with that same feeling. It was going to get them both killed, but then that was their choice; it was the wrong one, but Axe couldn't deny the twins their determination. (Sure you don't want to call for reinforcements now?)
(I raised this barrier so I could finish this on my own, Cain,) he said, knowing the younger Teknoman was simply trying to needle him, and so disregarding both his tone and his words. (This is the last time I'm going to allow you boys to interfere with our work.)
(Oh, do tell,) Ness drawled; Axe held his silence.
Ness and Cain looked to one another briefly, and whether they communicated without words or not, Axe could clearly see that they'd planned something in the short time they'd taken to confer. The pair of them split from one another, leaping to opposite sides of their isolated battleground with the aid of their thrusters. Axe had a reasonable idea of what their next tactic would be, and as he looked over his left shoulder to where Cain had positioned himself, Axe found his suspicions confirmed.
The twins had moved themselves so that they were both directly opposite the other, and as the pair of them both reactivated their thrusters, Axe braced himself for the harassing attacks that the twins were about to begin launching on him. Sure enough, Axe was forced to raise his halberd to deflect a slash to his head from Ness' lancer, and then to hop forward to escape a stab from Cain's. The pair of them were orbiting him almost like satellites, each launching their own attack in concert with the other, and if he hadn't been on the receiving end of them, Axe would have commended their strategy.
He was still tempted to, in any case.
0001001001000
As they finally managed to begin making some openings in Axe's defenses – even if they'd ended up having to make them, in the end – Slade let himself breathe a little easier. Sure, there was no way in hell that this fight they were both in was going to end so simply just because he and Saber had managed to make a little headway, but it was a first step all the same.
So, Slade was going to be grateful for the opening, and he was going to ruthlessly exploit it at the same time.
Hammering against Axe's remaining defenses, forcing him to focus on protecting his front so that Saber could strike him from behind more easily, Slade smiled grimly. With every step he managed to take, Axe was driven two steps back and took a blow from Saber's lancer besides. He wouldn't know if his younger twin had actually managed to wound Axe until the pair of them had driven him into a corner, but it was nice to see that his and Saber's strategy was paying off again.
There were so many ways this fight could have turned against them, after all.
(You know, it's strange: Ness, you asked me to look after Cain, all those years ago. And then Cain asked me to look after Sam, in turn.)
(Than was then, Axe!) he snapped, driving forward with a slice from his lancer.
(Only the names have changed. Axe, Slade, Saber, Rapier; the fact remains that I remember my duty, and you boys have forgotten yours!)
Slade had known that there would be no reasoning with Axe from the moment he and Saber had first engaged him in combat, so he didn't let himself think about the evil Teknoman's words; they weren't true in anything but the most distorted way, just like everything the Radam had touched.
0100111011011
When the Jeep's radio had gone off, Star hadn't known quite what she'd expected; the Commander was waiting for contact from them, and she didn't know of anyone else who would have had access to the frequency they were using. So, finding out that it was a small contingent of AEM forces being led by O'Roarke of all people was a welcome surprise, though no less shocking for all that. She'd been a bit more concerned with how Slade and Saber were doing than just why it was that O'Roarke and his people had come out to meet them they way they had.
Especially now, when they were trapped in there with him.
Still, knowing that O'Roarke and his people were going to be coming soon – even though she didn't know just how soon – was some form of comfort in the face of everything that seemed to be going wrong. Once Ringo and Balzac had returned to the Jeep, since they couldn't really do anything about the wall of Radam vines and other plants that Axe had raised around himself and the twins, Star told them about the transmission from O'Roarke and his people.
"Well, that's one less thing we have to worry about," Ringo said, turning to look back at the high, imposing wall of teknoplants that towered over them all. "Still, that's not going to be much help to our boys."
"I know," she said, biting the inside of her lower lip as she looked up at the dome of teknoplants herself.
Every one of them, having worked so closely with Slade and Saber for as long as they had, knew just what spending too long in their respective Teknoman forms would do to the twins. Even Saber was in more danger than usual, since losing his armor around Axe could easily end up being fatal.
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No, no, no. No. No! Pushing his thrusters for all the speed he could wring out of them, just as Saber's armor began to shine bright blue and the crystal-cage that surrounded them when either of them transformed reappeared, Slade caught sight of Axe, just beside him but out of arm's reach. The evil Teknoman was moving just as fast as he was, and as Saber's armor dissolved under the bright blue light to leave his younger twin's unconscious human form behind, Slade ground his teeth and pushed his thrusters all the harder. He was in a race for Saber's life, and Slade was determined to win.
Finding himself slammed aside by Axe at the last moment, Slade shoved himself back to his feet as Axe grabbed the back of Saber's Space Knight vest just as his younger twin was beginning to collapse to the ground.
(The both of you keep insisting that this little planet is where you're going to make your stand, but you still don't understand what you're sacrificing!) Slade tensed almost to the breaking point, as Axe laid the cutting edge of his halberd against the base of Saber's neck. (So, Ness, are you prepared to sacrifice Cain to this insane ambition of yours?)
For a breathless, horrible moment – as the keen edge of Axe's halberd bit just enough into Saber's neck to draw a thin line of blood – Slade found himself frozen where he stood. Then, gathering himself and blocking out whatever else Axe might try to say, Slade resolved himself to his next course of action. Launching all four of his bladed boomerangs from both ends of his lancer, forcing Axe to move his halberd away from Saber's throat just long enough for Slade to grab his younger twin's vulnerable, human body and carry it to the other side of the enclosed battlefield.
"So, it seems you managed another miracle." Slade ground his teeth as Axe chuckled. "I really have to hand it to you. But how many more do you think you have left?"
"As many as I need," he snarled, holding Saber as tightly as he dared with his enhanced strength.
Axe scoffed in response, but the evil Teknoman didn't seem like he was going to say anything else. That was the best thing he could have hoped for, since with Saber having reverted back to his human form, Slade knew that he only had five more minutes to end this fight before he lost control completely. He'd have to do it one-handed, too, since with all the Radam foliage around him and Axe inside with him, there was no safe place that he could lay Saber down and fight unencumbered.
Nowhere but in Slade's own arms.
Axe's sudden charge nearly threw him off balance, and as he curled his armored form around Saber to give his younger twin what little protection he could while he was still in open combat, Slade spun up and threw his lancer to drive the evil Teknoman back far enough that he could actually breathe for a moment, the sight of a large explosion off to his immediate right drew both his and Axe's attention. However, while Slade could trust in the fact that he had people who were ready and willing to pull him out of trouble when he needed it, Axe's situation was just the opposite.
Collapsing his right hand into the sharply-compressed form that the appendage always took when he entered his Tekno Battle Mode, Slade drove forward and into the evil Teknoman's gut. He took a heavy blow to the right shoulder for his trouble, but that was a small price to pay as far as he was concerned. Saber was safe, and there wasn't so much of a chance of him losing control if he managed to get to Pegas quickly.
"Well, Ness, looks like you did manage another miracle," Axe said, laughing softly. "You and Cain, you've both shown extraordinary valor and determination, to come so far against the odds you've been facing for so long. It makes me proud, to have been able to train the pair of you."
Slade didn't quite know what to say to that; even the sentiment had been twisted by the Radam's efforts, but even knowing that didn't quite stop him from wishing that it could have been true.
"Still, I'm afraid I can't just let you boys get to the Moon," Axe said, struggling back to his feet even in spite of the wound that Slade had inflicted on him.
Slade barely had time to brace himself before Axe charged straight at him and he was forced to leap backwards with the aid of his thrusters. He could see Axe's chest armor beginning to reconfigure in preparation to fire off a Tekno-bolt, and even as his changed eyes widened at the implications of that kind of thing, Slade curled his armored body around Saber as tightly as he could manage without the risk of crushing his younger twin's vulnerable body with his larger, bulky form.
As Axe's Tekno-bolt washed over him, Slade heard the sound of another distant explosion. He wondered briefly what it was, then he lifted his head from its curled-over position so that he could actually see what might have been going on. Axe's Tekno-bolt had scorched the ground around him, and while Slade had expected something just like that, the hole straight through the foliage wall that Axe had raised around them was something entirely new.
He didn't have much more than a few seconds to think about it, with Axe rising back to his feet and clearly preparing to charge again, but this time Slade found himself surprised: a bolt of what looked like the same kind of Z-tron that Ringo and Balzac used when they were in their respective Tekno-suits smashed into Axe's face. What was even more surprising, though, was that the shell tore right through the evil Teknoman's armor, exposing his and Saber's old sensei's face.
The shell also seemed to have sheered off the underlying layer of armor as well, since Slade could see Axe's human face as opposed to the thinner layer of crystalline armor Slade could feel encasing his own.
Rushing forward with a driving stab, Slade turned and ran quickly away from the dying form of Axe; it was really too much to hope that their former instructor wouldn't try to kamikaze them both even while in his death throes, and Slade wasn't about to risk both their lives by sticking around longer than he absolutely had to. Throwing himself out through the hole that'd been burned through the Radam's encircling foliage, his eyesight already starting to blur with the strain he was feeling, Slade briefly caught sight of someone he could swear was familiar…
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When the lad came dashing out of the dome of Radam's clump of weeds, still in full armor and carrying his young brother in his arms, O'Roarke was quick to take Saber from him before the lad himself fell straight down on his armored face. He'd made sure to keep the Space Knights appraised about where he was headed, so the sound of their Jeep coming his way wasn't much of a surprise. When those lads wearing the Tekno-suits gathered Slade up, he followed them back to their Jeep, Saber still slumbering in his arms.
Setting the lad down in the back of the Jeep, O'Roarke noticed two things: there was a small trail of dried blood on the lad's collar, and the red-headed Space Knight seemed particularly enamored with him, if the way she was curling up with him was any indication.
Turning at the sound of Pegas snapping itself open so that Slade could shed his armor, O'Roarke smiled softly. These people almost reminded him of his own crew, at times; just as loyal and dedicated to their fellows, and not easily cowed by the danger they were all facing. With a last look at Saber, happy that the lad seemed to have found someone to share his life with, O'Roarke made his way over to the group of Space Knights who were all gathered around Slade.
The lad himself seemed a bit unsteady on his feet, but none the worse for wear considering what had gone on.
"Hey, we saw Rapier go flying off, but did you at least manage to get Axe's crystal?" that blond Space Knight Ringo asked.
"No," the lad said, his gaze fixed solidly on the ground, fists clenched in either anger or worry; O'Roarke could fully understand both reactions. "I couldn't get my hands on it. Axe self-destructed before I could manage."
The lad's deep, bright green eyes locked on him as O'Roarke made his way over.
"You're lucky to be alive, son," he said, smiling slightly; sure, Saber was the one with more of a taste for gallows-humor, but he and Slade wouldn't have been nearly as close as they were if the lad himself couldn't appreciate it. "Just like our last little get-together; you boys were lucky then, too."
"O'Roarke," the lad said, sighing softly. "I didn't know quite who it was, but thank you. I didn't know how I was going to get Saber out of there before… Something happened."
"Somethin' irreversible, ya mean," he said gently. "I'm glad I managed to find you lads again," he said, raising his bottle in a sort of salute to the pair of them. "We've got a lot of things to talk about."
"Can we do that later, you think?"
"'Course we can," he said, smiling softly. "You go check on your brother, Slade."
"Thank you," the lad said, as that lady Space Knight that seemed enamored with him in the same way that other one had taken to his brother helped him to make his way over to their Jeep.
Smiling as he watched the four of them – three of whom were conscious to participate in the process – arranged themselves together in the back seat, O'Roarke turned and made his way back over to his people to start getting them organized again. Sure, seeing them all together was a nice thing, but there was a reason that he'd come to these people, and it wasn't to watch those two pairs of lovebirds at play.
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He'd heard the sounds of sniffling from the door, and with the sense of Sam's presence in his mind – hesitant, but recognizable for all that – and so Spear had made his way over to the door of his quarters aboard the remains of the Argos, where he'd taken to staying when he wasn't recovering from combat with Ness and Cain in one of the teknopods. Looking down at the trembling form of his youngest brother, Spear reached out to gently touch Sam's narrow shoulders.
(Conrad,) the sheer misery in his youngest brother's mental voice struck right to Spear's heart. (I'm sorry… I couldn't…)
(I understand,) he said, crouching slightly to pick up his youngest brother's small form.
As Sam curled up against him, clearly trying to stifle the sobs that still wracked his small body, Spear made his way over to the bed that he'd been using on and off ever since he had recovered enough of his strength that he could do so with some assurance of safety. Sitting at the head of his bed, leaning his and Sam's weight against the wall, Spear gently stroked his youngest brother's soft hair.
(Calm down, Sam, I'm here with you now,) he said gently, even as his eyes narrowed in thought. (It'll be all right, I won't leave you. You won't be alone again, Sammy.)
Sitting on his bed, with the youngest of his brothers sobbing in his arms, Spear continued to stroke Sam's hair while he himself reflected on everything that had happened lately. Everything seemed to come down to Ness and Cain; those two were the lynchpin of Earth's defenses, and it was becoming increasingly clear that the pair of them hand no intention of returning to their proper place. So, it's come to this…
