He'd gone out to meet with the doctor in person, wanting to be certain that D-Boy and D-Two would have the best care possible, even in such a remote place as Alaska. And even with the Earth's resources so depleted as they were by the Radam's prolonged siege. The sound of twin rotors coming down from above him drew Freeman's attention, and he began making his way to the helipad so that he would be able to meet the doctor's transport when it landed.
As the twin-rotored transport helicopter settled to the tarmac, Heinrich von Freeman breathed a soft sigh of relief; here, now, was at least some hope of aid for D-Boy and D-Two.
Once the pair of them had made their way back into the Headquarters again, Freeman felt at least some of the worry he'd been carrying for D-Boy and D-Two falling away, though admittedly not much, since he still knew what becoming Blaster Tekkamen had cost the twins. Freeman knew how short their remaining time alive would be, he just wished to make sure that those brave, heroic young men would be awake, to make the most of what time they had remaining.
When the pair of them made it to the observation room overlooking the infirmary where D-Boy and D-Two were convalescing, Freeman was hardly surprised to find the rest of his Space Knights all gathered together in the observation room.
"Chief," Aki called, as he and the doctor made their own way inside.
"Any changes?" he asked, sweeping the room with his gaze, taking in the faces of his Space Knights as they, too, waited for news about how D-Boy and D-Two were doing.
"They're both still comatose, but we've seen them trying to contact each other, sometimes," Milly informed him, looking as worried and stressed as the rest of his Space Knights.
Sighing, Freeman turned his attention to the doctor once more.
I
"Doctor, please help them," Aki found herself asking, even though she knew that that was the whole reason the doctor had been brought to the Alaska Headquarters in the first place.
The doctor only nodded silently in response, and so Aki tried to relax as much as she could, even as she continued to watch the various monitors displaying the twins' respective conditions. She didn't really know what to make of all the readings, not being a doctor, but the look on the doctor's face was at least one of concentration rather than worry. It would have been worse if he was worried, Aki knew.
Even the sound of the infirmary door swishing open couldn't draw Aki's attention away from where D-Boy and D-Two were unconscious in the MRI machine that the doctor was using to find out just what it was that had happened to the both of them, after they'd undergone the process that had transformed the twins into "Blaster" Tekkamen.
When Honda and Levin made their own way into the infirmary, Aki turned to look back at the pair of them, along with pretty much every one of the Space Knights all around the room.
"How is he? My sweet D-Two," Levin fussed, making her way over to the large window Aki herself was standing in front of. "Is he okay?"
"Neither of them have shown any signs of waking up," Aki said, wishing she could have given Levin some hope, but not about to offer false hope.
Biting her lower lip as she listened to the doctor that Chief Freeman had brought in to examine the twins, Aki found herself wondering all over again just when the pair of them were going to wake up. She also wondered, herself, just how much of the problems D-Boy and D-Two were having had carried over from what had already been happening to the pair of them, and how much had come from the Space Knights' efforts to upgrade the pair of them into Blaster Tekkamen.
Really, Aki couldn't help wondering just what a "Blaster" Tekkaman really was.
Sure, she'd seen just what a Blaster Tekkaman could do, but she still didn't know quite what they were. Still, as she turned her attention back to the bed where D-Boy and D-Two were convalescing, Aki couldn't help wishing that neither of them had been forced to undergo that secondary transformation at all. But, she'd lived in the world long enough to know that wishing didn't do anything, so Aki pushed those thoughts out of her mind.
They wouldn't do anyone any good.
Still, the fact that Dr. Cohen couldn't find anything wrong with either of the twins was perversely less comforting than Aki had been expecting. He had pointed out how the twins' brainwaves seemed to synch up when they tried to use their telepathy, but other than that… Aki sighed, making her way over to the nearly wall-sized observation window overlooking the infirmary, right next to where Levin was standing.
The doctor had said that the only thing they could do is wait for the pair of them to wake up, so it looked like that was why they were going to have to do.
II
"Hey, Chief," Levin said, gathering herself for the question she was about to ask. "You said that their evolution into Blaster Tekkamen would only let the twins survive for six months, didn't you?"
"That was the conclusion the medical staff came to after all of the data I gave them, yes," Chief Freeman said, and Levin wondered for a moment if anyone but her and Aki were truly sad to be losing those two beautiful boys who'd come down to them from the stars. "It was clear that neither of their bodies would be able to withstand the stress of such a powerful evolution."
"Wait, the moment those boys became Blaster Tekkamen, I thought they were supposed to overcome all of their physical vulnerabilities," Honda said, before Levin herself could say a word in response.
"I can only hope that there was something I missed," Chief Freeman said, looking thoughtful, but not nearly as sad as Aki looked and Levin felt. "Some way they might survive."
"Well, I hope we're all just worrying for nothing," Balzac said, reminding Levin of just how many of her and Aki's fellow Space Knights had come to the infirmary to see how their D-Boys were doing.
"I think we're all hoping for that," Honda said.
Levin wrung her hands, looking back towards the beds where D-Boy and her sweet, gentle D-Two were resting, trying to recover from the very evolution they'd needed to go through, to survive what had already been happening to them. Levin could only hope that it wasn't going to end up killing them anyway. She wanted to have at least a chance to live peacefully beside D-Two, and she knew that Aki wanted the same thing, too.
The pair of them understood each other better than almost anyone else, considering all they had in common.
When Chief Freeman had the pair of them moved to a recovery room, so they'd be more comfortable when the both of them finally did wake up, Levin followed. Stopping in just long enough to press a gentle kiss to her sweet D-Two's soft lips, and then to his forehead, before gathering her composure and leaving the twins to recover. There were still things she had to do, after all.
III
He'd felt it: that terrible moment when Shinji's mental connection to the rest of them had been severed with his death. He'd been aware of it since the moment he'd awakened from the last session of his healing slumber aboard Takkonniku-sama's damaged Deep Scout, and now the only thing Spear could think about was just how far the twins had fallen. Takaya and Shinya… Shinya in particular, since he had been closer than anyone else in their family had been to Mabashi Shinji.
Spear didn't know what those humans could have done to his little brothers, what could have made them so cold and cruel that they would kill not only Goddard-sensei, but Shinji as well.
Still, he could hardly deny what he was going to have to do, in return.
(You're feeling better, I trust?)
(Yes, Takkonniku-sama,) he said, drawing himself again, resisting the urge to sigh as he gathered his composure.
(That's good to hear,) the Warlord said, and Spear could sense his deeper regard. (However, you still seem uneasy.)
(It's… Something I have to deal with on my own,) Spear said, gathering his composure once again.
(A matter of your resolve?) the Warlord asked, his mental voice sounding both curious, and a bit admonishing besides.
Spear supposed that it was only natural that Takkonniku-sama could sense his lingering unease at the prospect of killing his own younger brothers. The way that he still wished to find another solution to this situation of theirs.
(Do you wish for me to accompany you?)
(You're capable of that, Takkonniku-sama?) he asked, finding himself more than a little surprised at the offer.
(Yes, for the time being,) the Warlord said, and Spear wondered for a moment at the qualifier.
It wasn't his place to ask, however, and so Spear put the thought out of his mind.
(Thank you for your consideration, Takkonniku-sama,) Spear said, bowing deeply. (But, I can handle this.)
(Wraith will accompany you.)
Spear stiffened. (Sasuke?)
(The traitors cannot be allowed to continue culling our numbers the way they have been doing,) Takkonniku-sama said, a thread of sternness carried in his mental voice. (And so, if you cannot overcome your hesitance in this matter, then I will force your hand, my soldier.)
(I understand, Takkonniku-sama,) Spear said, bowing deeply, even as he forced himself not to shudder.
Having Sasuke with him, even after his youngest brother had managed to escape from the battle that had taken Goddard-sensei from them, couldn't make Spear anything other than apprehensive about just how he would be able to protect Sasuke. And yes, Spear understood that such had been precisely what Takkonniku-sama had planned, and thus he could not object to it; still, Spear found himself uneasy.
He, Feng Li, and Sasuke were truly the only ones that Takkonniku-sama could count on, after everything that had happened.
IV
Growling deep within his throat, even as he watched the eldest of his remaining soldiers leaving his command chamber behind, Takkonniku turned his attention to the steadily-regenerating Deep Scout he had been placed in charge of ever since he had departed from the Radam's territory. Ever since he had left his clan-brothers Tiraikku and Kouha – along with his clan-sister Kouka – behind on the planet that he had once found so confining, Takkonniku had wondered just what he would find beyond the current borders of the Empire.
These humans of his, however…
Flicking his ears, dismissing the intrusive thought as soon as he had taken a moment to examine it, Takkonniku dismissed his armor once more. The stagnant air within his Deep Scout was hardly an improvement from being within his armor; still, it was something, and as Takkonniku made his way over to the monitoring console he'd used during an earlier briefing that he'd given to Spear, Takkonniku called up the recorded images that had been taken of the three traitors.
Blade, Evil, and Rapier – short-lived as she had been – had all caused the Radam as a whole and him in particular a great deal of setbacks. It was troublesome, since even with Rapier dead, Blade and Evil had caused more than their fair share of difficulties. Truly, Takkonniku would hardly have been surprised to learn that Rapier had been seeking the other traitors out as soon as she had departed from his Deep Scout.
Immersing himself in the records stored within the memory core, Takkonniku decided that he would satisfy his curiosity; while he awaited the results of Spear and Wraith's assignment, he would also find out if this particular situation had ever come up before.
V
Yawning deeply, Shinya blinked as he found himself staring up at a ceiling he didn't quite recognize. Still, the sense of Takaya drew his attention before he could spend too long wondering about just where it was that he and his older twin had woken up. Biting back an amused smirk, Shinya made his way over to the bed where Takaya was. His older twin looked like he was still sleeping, so Shinya allowed this mischievous smirk he'd been biting back to show plainly on his face.
Grabbing the thin blanket that Takaya had wrapped around himself, Shinya gave the white cover a sharp yank, dropping his older twin to the floor.
"Good morning, Ta-kun," he called cheerfully, not bothering to hide the smirk on his face.
"Shinya," his older twin grumbled, grabbing for the pillow that he'd previously been sleeping on, even as Shinya skipped backwards.
He still had the thin blanket in his hands, so even as Takaya lunged at him with the pillow, Shinya flapped the cover at his older twin to distract him, and then threw it at Takaya's feet to tangle them up. Dodging back around to the bed he'd been sleeping in, Shinya grabbed his own pillow, blocking quickly as Takaya swung his own pillow down at Shinya. The pair of them stared at each other for a long moment, his smirk meeting Takaya's annoyed expression.
Then, the both of them started laughing together.
"All right, Shin-chan, you got me," Takaya said, beginning to grin, himself. "Come on, let's get ready to go."
"Of course, Ta-kun," he said, grinning back at his older twin as the both of them headed for their quarters to wash up and get dressed.
VI
She'd headed for the recovery room as soon as she'd had the chance, looking for D-Boy and D-Two. She wanted to make sure the both of them were all right – at least, as all right as they were going to be, considering the kind of situation they were actually in – but all Aki found when she made it to the room where the both of them had been moved once the MRI scanning was done, all she found were the empty beds where the both of them had been sleeping. Feeling a chill of apprehension, Aki turned to head for the quarters that the twins had been sharing.
When she didn't find them there, Aki paused for a long moment, then began making her way to the greenhouse.
It was really the only other place where she thought the twins would be comfortable, even after everything that had been happening to them. Maybe especially after everything that had been happening. When she finally made it to the greenhouse, near enough to the center of the compound to have a steady supply of the heat and power it needed to keep all of the plants inside growing, Aki hurried as quickly as she could to make it inside.
Stopping for a moment to compose herself and catch her breath, not wanting to worry the twins if she did find them here, Aki made her way inside.
Sighing with relief as she caught sight of D-Boy and D-Two making their way through the grasses of the side that was used as a pleasure-garden, rather than the food-garden that had been expanded so much when she and the rest of the Space Knights had come to this place. It looked like D-Boy was holding a bottle of something, and as she made her way over to meet with the twins, Aki found herself wondering about that.
Still, it would be just one more thing for the three of them to talk about, once Aki had managed to get close enough that she wouldn't have to shout over even the silence of the greenhouse.
When D-Boy and D-Two made their way up to the grave that had been dug for Sergeant O'Toole, Aki realized that the bottle in D-Boy's hand was full of the whiskey that O'Toole had enjoyed so much. Making her way closer to the gravestone that had been placed for O'Toole, Aki tried to calm down as best she could. D-Two was watching while D-Boy poured out what looked like a glass's worth of whiskey over the gravestone, and Aki smiled as she made her way over to where the pair of them were standing.
"I was wondering where the both of you had gotten off to," Aki said, feeling her smile widening as she continued on her way up to Bernard O'Toole's gravesite.
"Where did you think we'd be?" D-Two asked, turning to look back at her while D-Boy was still focused on O'Toole's grave.
"I'd hoped you would both still be in bed," she said, feeling a bit strange as D-Boy laughed softly.
She would have expected that from D-Two, but D-Boy had always seemed to be the more serious of the pair.
"Shinya probably would have, since he's so lazy," D-Boy said, grinning in a way that she'd only seen D-Two doing before.
Aki couldn't help but be surprised, even as she watched a smirking D-Two lightly punching his older twin.
"D-Boy, are you all right?" she couldn't help but ask, feeling more than a little off balance from the by-play she'd just seen.
"D-Boy?" he echoed, turning to her with a confused expression on his face. "Who are you talking about? My name is Takaya Aiba. I don't even know where you'd come up with a name like D-Boy, anyway."
"Well, you said that only D-Two called you Takaya," Aki said, feeling shyer than she could really account for; especially when D-Two himself turned an actual amused expression on her.
"Wow, Ta-kun, I thought I was the only one you'd play tricks on," D-Two said, a sly grin emerging on his face as the twins turned to face each other.
"I'm sorry I played a trick on you," D-Boy – or Takaya, since he seemed to be willing to let her call him that, now – said, after grumbling playfully at his younger twin; Aki couldn't help but feel more than a little strange, seeing both twins acting so playful.
D-Boy… Takaya had always seemed to be more serious than Shinya. Or, at least Shinya had been the one who tried to keep Takaya's spirits up, while Takaya gave almost all of his focus to keeping the both of them alive and fighting against the Radam. It was a strange thing to think about, but maybe, after everything they'd all been through, Takaya and Shinya had decided to open their hearts and truly share themselves with her.
Aki felt warm, as she had that thought.
VII
When he returned to the Orbital Ring – freed at last from not only the tekkapod that had been sustaining him, but also Takkonniku-sama's Deep Scout itself – Spear wrapped the sense of Feng Li around himself for what comfort it could give him, particularly in the face of the assignment that Takkonniku-sama had given him. In light of the fact that Sasuke was going to be accompanying him, the next time he descended to Earth to face Takaya and Shinya.
"Feng-chan," he called, once he'd drawn close enough to her that he wouldn't be forced to either shout, or rely upon the telepathy that he had been granted by the transformation process; in this time and place, speaking aloud actually felt more intimate.
"Kengo," Feng said, turning to look at him with the same, gentle kindness he'd seen so many times on her beautiful face. "It's so good to see you again."
"I'm glad to see you again, too," he said, making his way over to the console she was seated in front of, wrapping his arms around Feng Li and gently kissing the top of her head.
"Are we to be working together, from now on?" she asked, as he pulled back slightly, standing up once more.
"No," he said, feeling the warm contentment he'd previously felt in Feng's presence slipping away as Spear recalled what he had truly come to the Orbital Ring at this point in time. "I'm to meet up with Sasuke. Takkonniku-sama has assigned the pair of us together, the next time we go to Earth."
"Takkonniku-sama?" Feng asked, a curious expression on her face.
"Yes," he said, smiling slightly; he could hardly say it, but Spear was glad to have been given even a little more time to spend with the woman he loved. "He told me his name, the last time the pair of us had the chance to speak with each other."
A little more time away from the Earth, and all the upheavals he'd been forced to face down on that little planet.
VIII
When he'd found himself, Takaya, and the rest of the Space Knights all called to a meeting with the Chief, Shinya had found himself wondering just what the Chief had been thinking. He also found himself wondering just when Kengo – Tekkaman Spear – was going to attack them all again. He had to be planning it; there was nothing else that a Radam Tekkaman would have done. It was the only thing that Omega would have allowed them to do.
Squeezing Takaya's left hand, Shinya turned his attention back to the Chief as he continued speaking.
"The Radam took over the Argos, and used the crew members to create Tekkamen. It's likely that the Radam themselves, whatever form they truly take, are unsuited for carrying out this kind of an invasion on their own," Chief Freeman said, taking out a piece of paper and unfolding it to lay flat on the table at the front of the room. "D-Boy, you implied that the leader of the Radam forces in this area was one of these creatures?" he asked, holding up what really did seem to be a page of sketches of Omega.
Or, at least the Nandorian whose body Omega had been wearing, if the Chief was right.
"Yeah, Omega would be a Nandorian, just like that," Takaya said, though Shinya could tell that he wasn't particularly happy to be called by that same, strange nickname that Aki had called him, back in the greenhouse beside O'Toole's grave.
"But, all of those Radam monsters are attacking the Earth," Balzac said, and Shinya found himself almost reflexively glancing over at the man.
He and Noal looked a lot alike, true, but there was still something unsettling about the man; Shinya wasn't going to mention it, of course, but he still wondered about it.
"Yes, but the Radam monsters don't seem to truly be Radam, from what I've been able to determine," Chief Freeman said, glancing down briefly at the drawing of Omega's Nandorian body; Shinya wondered what he was thinking. "They seem to be only low-level creatures, only capable of obeying their master."
"So, you're saying that the Radam monsters are being controlled by the Tekkamen?" Noal asked, and Shinya glanced over at him.
He and Balzac looked more than a bit alike; Shinya wondered if that meant something.
"Yes," Chief Freeman said. "The Tekkamen were created to lead and control the Radam monsters. But," the Chief paused for a moment, tapping the page full of sketches. "Omega seems to have been sent from wherever the Radam originally come from to command the Tekkamen that came from Earth."
"It would have been just the same when his people were taken by the Radam," Shinya found himself saying, eyes narrowed. "The attack would have been made by other Nandorians, but the one leading it would have been a senior Tekkaman. Someone who came before."
"I see," the Chief said, his expression growing more serious.
"So, the Aiba family all fell victim to this plan, and even Omega did, a long time ago," Milly said, and Shinya turned to see a saddened expression on her face.
"Yes, but the real problem goes beyond that," Chief Freeman said, bringing their attention back to the grim situation at hand. "I can't seem to find a true connection between the Radam monsters and the Tekkamen."
"Why is that important?" Takaya asked, and Shinya leaned in closer as he felt his older twin pulling lightly at him.
"The Radam monsters have killed many people on Earth," Chief Freeman said. "However, their true purpose appears to be to create an environment that will allow them to take root in the soil of this planet. As, I suspect, they did on the planet that Omega came from."
"If they're trying to grow Radam trees here, then does that mean they think the invasion is going well for them?" Honda asked, looking more than a little worried.
"Miyuki implied that the Radam trees planted on Earth were designed to absorb humans and create Tekkamen," Chief Freeman said.
"Omega probably ended up in one of those, too," Takaya said, eyes narrowing, and Shinya leaned in closer as he saw his older twin looking back into a past neither of them actually knew.
"Yes, he most likely did," Chief Freeman said, bringing their attention back to the present again. "Unfortunately, I don't know of any way we might be able to save any of the Tekkamen."
"The Radam trees have already spread over the entire planet," Balzac said, clenching his right fist as he stood up from where he'd been leaning against the wall of the room they'd all been called to meet in. "Are they going to turn all the surviving humans into Tekkamen?"
"Oh, I really hope we can stop them," Levin said, and Shinya found himself feeling more than a little strange when the redhead's arms wrapped around his shoulders.
It was the same thing he'd done for Takaya, and as his older twin rose back to his feet – Shinya following his movements, and Levin following his – Shinya wondered if he and Levin had the same kind of reasons for what they were doing.
"None of that really matters," Takaya said, and Shinya felt his older twin taking his right hand as the pair of them stood together. "But, thank you for sharing all of this with us, Chief. It's because of you that Shinya and I were able to become Blaster Tekkamen."
"Yeah," Shinya said, smiling. "It was very kind of you to help us, Chief."
"We still have to find a way to get rid of all the Radam trees," Milly said, sounding worried. "There's no way we'd be able to chop all of them down before they all started blooming."
"Shinya and I can attack the Radam's base on the dark side of the Moon," Takaya said, grinning as Shinya felt a fierce grin of his own stretching his lips.
"Yeah, we'll smash that place to dust!" he said, clenching his left fist, even as he felt Levin's arms tightening around that same arm.
"All of this should be over, once Omega and the last of his Tekkamen are dead," Takaya said, and then paused.
Shinya almost asked what his older twin was thinking, when the same sense of someone approaching washed over him, too: Spear was coming.
IX
Resting his right hand on Sasuke's head, Spear narrowed his eyes as he looked up the road to the new Headquarters that Takaya and Shinya had taken shelter in, after their old Headquarters had been destroyed with Miyuki's death.
(Nii-sama, are you all right?) Sasuke asked telepathically, since neither of them were quite in the mood to try shouting over the howling winds of this snowy place.
(I'm fine, Sasuke-chibi,) he said, sighing softly. (I suppose I'm just… Wishing for things that can never be.)
(Oh,) Sasuke said, clearly not having much of an idea of how to respond to what Spear had just said.
Spear sighed, narrowing his eyes just that much farther, as he and Sasuke began moving through the blowing snow again. Both of them on their way to confront Takaya and Shinya; Spear could only hope that it would be for the last time, one way or the other.
X
Sitting with Shinya in the quarters that the pair of them had chosen to stay in together, Takaya found himself startled by what sounded kind of like a phone ringing. He and Shinya shared a look, before making their way over to the low chair that had been set up in front of the comm. unit set into the wall.
"Takaya, Shinya, I thought I'd find the both of you together," that woman the both of them had met at O'Toole's grave – Aki, Takaya recalled – said, smiling at the both of them. "How are you both doing? You left so suddenly, and I… Well, I was worried about you both."
"You don't really have to worry, Aki-san," Shinya said, smiling, even as Takaya found himself wondering just why Aki in particular looked so concerned.
Really, the three of them didn't know each other that well.
"Oh, I wanted to let you both know that the repairs to the Blue Earth are going well," she said, still smiling in that strangely familiar way she'd always seemed to be doing.
"That's good to hear, Aki-san," Takaya said, deciding that he should contribute at least something to their conversation, even if the way Aki was looking at him made him a bit uneasy. "Is there anything else?"
"Well, the Chief was curious about why the both of you seemed so worried, during the meeting we were all having," Aki said, and Takaya found that he couldn't quite keep himself from wincing. "What is it, Takaya? Did I say something wrong?"
"It's nothing you've done, Aki-san," Shinya said, when Takaya found himself unable to say anything. "It's just… Ta-kun and I could sense Tekkaman Spear somewhere close. He might be coming to attack, soon."
XI
Feeling almost like her heart had frozen in her chest, Aki ran for the Chief's office, hoping that she wouldn't be too late. Hoping that Spear wouldn't decide to attack before she could warn him; hoping that the Chief would be able to alert the rest of the Space Knights, and that all of them would be able to survive the coming battle. Once she'd finally managed to make it to the Chief's office, deep within Headquarters so that it was as well protected as anything could be, against the Radam and their remaining Tekkamen, Aki told Chief Freeman what the twins had told her.
"Takaya and Shinya," the Chief echoed, a thoughtful expression on his face. "How did they react, when you called them D-Boy or D-Two?"
"Well, Shinya thought it was funny, and Takaya apologized for playing a trick on me," Aki said, feeling a little strange to be talking about something so small and personal, when the threat of Tekkaman Spear was not only hanging over them, but steadily approaching this very Headquarters.
"D-Boy thought he played a trick on you?" the Chief asked, a worried expression on his face, even as he typed out some kind of message on the base-wide comm. screen.
"What is it, Chief?" she asked. "Shouldn't we be preparing for when Tekkaman Spear gets here?"
"The transformation into Blaster Tekkamen seems to be having an adverse effect on their memories, now," Chief Freeman said, narrowing his eyes, even as he sent out whatever message he'd been composing.
She could only hope that they'd be able to prepare at least some sort of defense, when Tekkaman Spear came to attack them.
"What do you mean by that, Chief?" Aki asked, feeling more than a little uneasy.
XII
The sense of Kengo – Tekkaman Spear, Shinya reminded himself again – had grown even stronger, once his and Takaya's older brother had forced open the telepathic link between the three of them. And, now that Spear had gotten so much closer, Shinya could sense the other who had been all but hidden in Spear's shadow.
"It looks like he does have Sasuke with him," Shinya muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"Tekkaman Wraith," Takaya said, his tone carrying more of a growl than Shinya had heard from him in a long time.
"Yeah," Shinya muttered, feeling the weight of their coming battle pressing down on him again.
There was no way to avoid it, not after everything that had happened; not with everything that was still happening.
As the pair of them stopped for a long moment, halfway down a corridor that would lead them to the place Spear and Wraith had made their entrance from, Shinya couldn't help his surprise at seeing Aki running down the corridor, up to where he and Takaya had just started moving again.
"What is it, Aki?" he asked, once she'd managed to catch her breath and would actually be capable of talking to him.
"Shinya, are you and Takaya sure you're all right?" she asked, falling into step with the pair of them as they made their way to where Spear and Wraith were, all four of them following the telepathic links that bound them together.
"What do you mean?" Takaya asked, turning the same kind of confused expression on Aki that Shinya could feel on his own face.
"I mean, do either of you remember why you became Blaster Tekkamen in the first place?" Aki asked, the expression on her face hovering between curious and worried, as though she couldn't quite decide which emotion she felt more.
"What are you talking about?" Takaya asked, eyes narrowing as he turned to look at Aki. "Shinya and I needed more power to deal with Spear and the rest of Omega's Tekkamen, so we asked the Chief to help us."
Shinya didn't really know what Aki was getting at, either, nor why she seemed even more worried after Takaya had finished speaking, but neither of them – none of them, really – had the time to wait for Aki to figure out what she wanted to say.
"We've got to go, before Spear and Wraith make it too far," Shinya called back over his right shoulder, having already turned to run with Takaya. "Stay out of trouble, Aki-san!" he called, tossing a wink and a thumbs-up over that same shoulder, even as he and Takaya ran to intercept… their enemies.
That was all the rest of them could be, anymore.
XIII
The sound of a speeding car – of all things – approaching their position drew Spear's attention, but it was the sense of Takaya and Shinya – rather, Tekkaman Blade and Tekkaman Evil – all but slamming into him that truly held it. Gripping Sasuke's right shoulder as tightly as he dared, Spear let out a long breath as he saw the car that the twins had been riding in come to a screeching halt just a handful of meters from where he and Sasuke were standing.
"So, you managed to make it this far, Kengo-nii-san," Shinya – Tekkamen Evil – said, habitual smirk back in its usual place. "You even brought Sasuke."
"We're not going to let you go any farther, Kengo," Tekkaman Blade snapped, hauntingly familiar green eyes – so far from the bright crimson they should have been – fixed on Spear for a long moment, before briefly darting to Sasuke.
Sighing softly, Spear steeled himself for what was coming next; what he – and yes, even Sasuke – was going to have to do.
There was no true signal among the two pairs of them, but he and Sasuke quickly leaped out of the way as the twins charged them in an effort to force them apart. However, Spear wasn't about to allow either of the traitors to harm the last of his family, so he warded Sasuke as best he could.
XIV
Narrowing his eyes as he saw Kengo throwing himself between Shinya and Sasuke, Takaya maneuvered to support his younger twin, even as the pair of them were forced back deeper into the Headquarters. He barely noticed when the four of them ended up in one of the elevators, right up until he heard Shinya yelp, and then the sound of glass shattering.
"Shinya!" he shouted, snap-turning in the direction of his younger twin's shout, then watching in at least some relief as Shinya managed to right himself in mid-air well enough to at least land on his feet.
Allowing himself a brief sigh, Takaya grabbed Kengo's dull brown jacket and launched him out through the broken window, as well. Leaping out after Shinya, Takaya briefly gripped his younger twin's hand, as the pair of them faced Kengo and Sasuke. Or Spear and Wraith, since that was who they really were. Takaya barely had enough time to notice that the four of them had ended up back in the greenhouse, before Kengo attacked him again.
The sound of a meaty thump, combined with Kengo's shout of mingled pain and surprise, actually managed to startle a laugh out of him. It looked like Shinya had picked Sasuke up and bodily slammed the smaller Radam Tekkaman into Kengo's side hard enough to stun the both of them. At least for long enough for Takaya to go on the attack again.
(Ta-kun, I have an idea. Give me a boost.)
(All right, Shin-chan,) he said, shifting so that Shinya would be able to get both of his hands under Shinya's right foot, then launching his younger twin high above all of their heads.
"Teksetta!"
Tekkaman Varis landed on his feet, tekkalance already bared, and Takaya allowed himself a brief moment to catch his breath.
Still, when Kengo transformed, Takaya knew that he couldn't count on the respite Shinya had given him to last for much longer.
"Pegas, Teksetta!"
XV
He'd had a brief thought that throwing his tekkalance at Sasuke would distract Kengo for longer than it had, but Shinya supposed he'd just miscalculated how Kengo – Radam instincts or not – would react to that kind of provocation. Maybe Kengo's Radam instincts had even made it worse, though Shinya would have been hard-pressed to say how. Still, there was probably some way for things to get worse.
There always was.
Dodging out of the way of a searing bolt of lightning that Kengo nearly brought down on his head, Shinya found himself more than a little relieved when Takaya came back onto the field, fully armored and ready to fight at this new level.
(Good to have you back, Ta-kun.)
(It's good to be back, Shin-chan.)