Perfect Sacrifice (33 page)

It was nearly an hour later before one of the nurses came out.  She had a clipboard with her, and she flipped through the pages carefully, wanting to make sure she had all the information.

"You're Rayla Cayden, right?" she asked Ray as she stopped in front of her.  All six of their heads snapped up as Ray's name escaped the nurse's lips.

"Yes," responded Ray as she realized what this was about.  "How is he?  Will he be alright?"  The nurse flipped through her papers, not wanting to get any of this wrong.

"Well," she began, "we managed to remove the bullet, and luckily it didn't puncture any vital organs.  He lost a lot of blood, but…we think he's going to be okay."  Everyone's face brightened at the sound of those words.

"Thank God," whispered Abby, relief echoing in her voice.

"You can see him if you'd like," she said.  "I guess I could let all of you into the room if you make sure to be careful."  They all stood up and followed the nurse down the hallways.  They passed so many rooms, each one with an occupant.  Some had family members and friends with them.

They soon reached Brian's room, and the nurse opened the door for them.  They walked in quietly, cautiously, and surveyed the area.  Ray instantly went over to Brian's bed, pulling up a chair so she could sit near him.  He was hooked to a respirator and a heart monitor, the steady pulse of it indicating that he was very much alive.  The gentle rise and fall of his chest only gave them more evidence to the fact.

A smile developed on Ray's face as she realized that he really was going to pull through.  She wasn't about to lose yet another person that she cared about.  She laid her head down on his bed, resting it on her arms.

"Thank God you're alright," she whispered happily as she just watched him.

Abby and Gordan walked over, monitoring their fellow friend and coworker who had just had an encounter with death.  He really had gotten lucky.  Ramirez rarely left anyone alive.

The members of the Solaris family simply watched the GRC officials, having nothing to really add to this.  They were there to comfort Ray and to pray for Brian.  If he was going to be okay, then they really didn't have any reason to be there.  That didn't mean they were going to leave, however.

"Let's give them some privacy," whispered Dr. Solaris as he walked out the door.  Leon and Chris followed him silently.  Neither brother knew what to say.  However, it's not like there was anything that needed to be said in the first place.

When they reached the waiting room, Dr. Solaris sat back down in one of the chairs.  Leon and Chris followed suit.  They were all silent until Dr. Solaris spoke up.

"Do you understand now?" he asked, looking to Leon.  He only gave his father a confused glance.  "Do you understand why Ramirez is so dangerous?"  Leon nodded, lowering his gaze to the floor.  It's not like he didn't feel bad enough the way it was.  In a way, all of this was his fault.  If he hadn't made Ray angry, if he had just kept his mouth shut…

"Sorry," he whispered, keeping his focus on the white tiled floor.  Everything was white for that matter.  The walls, the ceilings, the hospital rooms, everything was that unnerving, clean color.  For some reason, it made him nervous.

"It's not your fault," stated Dr. Solaris.  "However, you should still apologize to Ray."  Leon sighed, knowing that his father was right.  He stood up and began to head back down the hallway.  He was heading towards Brian's room to see if he could talk to Ray.  The sooner he apologized, the better he'd feel.  For some reason, this was really killing him.

He was so zoned out at the moment that he nearly missed Ray, who was now walking down the hall.

"Ray," he called as he spun around, stopping her as well.  She turned to face him.

"Hey Leon," she greeted softly.  Leon shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling a little nervous right now.

"I…I just wanted to say…that I'm sorry about yesterday," he said, earning him a confused stare from the ace knight.

"Yesterday?" she questioned, but she quickly remembered what had happened.  Her eyes narrowed a little.  "Oh, that."

"I'm sorry," he repeated.  "I didn't mean it.  I…I guess I should have kept my mouth shut."  Ray crossed her arms and arrogantly turned away.

"Yeah, I guess you should have," she said, now angry after being reminded of the incident.  "Ramirez is dangerous, Leon.  Having an encounter with him isn't
nothing
."

"Yeah, I know," said Leon as he looked away from her.  "At least now I know what he looks like so I can avoid him next time."  Ray turned around to face him, now curious about what he had just said.

"What do you mean?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I…met him in the alley," he replied, rubbing his neck at the memory.  He cringed when he pressed against one of the many bruises he now had there. 

Ray dropped her arms to her sides and walked over to him.  She looked to his neck, noticing the many black and blue spots surfacing on his skin.  Her eyes softened quite a bit.

"He came after you," she stated sadly.  Before he could say anything, she hung her head and whispered, "I'm sorry."  With that said, she spun around and ran down the hall.

"Ray, wait!" he called out, but it was too late.  She was already gone.

* * * *

Ray walked into the GRC base, her shoulders slouched and her head down.  She was exhausted after an exhilarating yet horrible day.  Abby and Gordan had returned quite a while ago, but she had wanted to stay a little longer to see if Brian would wake up.  He hadn't.

The doctors said that they would have to keep him there for a week or two, depending on how quickly his body healed.  Each person healed differently, or so that's what they had told her.

It was late by now, but she had something important left to do.  She needed to speak to Gordan.  After talking with Leon earlier in the afternoon, she wanted to ask her general about something.  The older Solaris brother had had another encounter with Ramirez.  These meetings weren't going to stop, this she already knew.  She would just have to intervene.  After all, she had made a promise.  She was going to keep it.

Ray pushed open the door to Gordan's office, startling him from his stack of paper work.  He sighed when he saw that it was just Ray.

"Hello Ray," he greeted as she sat down.  "What is it?"

"I," she began while fumbling with her fingers, "I was wondering…if you needed me here right now."  He quirked an eyebrow, taking note of her posture and the nervous air about her.

"What?" he questioned, wanting to know what this was about.

"I've just been…thinking," she began.  "I mean, Ramirez is targeting Leon Solaris.  He encountered him today in Torran."  Gordan leaned forward, now interested in what Ray had to say.

"Go on," he instructed.

"I made a promise to Dr. Solaris," she explained.  "I said that I wouldn't let Ramirez get to Leon, but I…"  She dropped her head more, the shadows on her face concealing her expression.  "I can't keep it…if I stay here."  She finally looked up at Gordan, meeting his curious gaze with her fierce eyes.  "I need to leave.  I have to go back to the Solaris base."  Gordan just closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms out of habit.  He was contemplating the suggestion.  It was true that Ray wouldn't be able to help from headquarters, but he felt better having her at this base.  This was a tough decision for him to make.

"Ray, I don't know," he told her.  "We have a lot of work to do here."

"I know, and I'm sorry," she explained, "but Leon needs help.  I don't want…I don't want what happened to Brian to happen to him."  Gordan sighed deeply.  He knew he wasn't going to win this.  He never won a debate against Ray.  He just couldn't.  In the end, she always seemed to know what was best.  It was true that the knights of the GRC were supposed to protect people, and Leon needed protecting from Ramirez.  Only Ray stood a chance against the silver haired devil.

Gordan leaned forward in his chair and stared her straight in the eyes.  Ray awaited his response, a nervous heat flooding her body.  She needed to know what his decision would be.

"Go ahead," he told her, bringing a smile to her face.  "If they'll let you stay with them, then I don't mind, but if we need your help, you have to promise to respond."

"Of course," she told him with a mock salute.  "You can count on me."

"I'm serious Ray," he stated in a deep voice, and Ray dropped her arm.

"I know," she said, her smile still in play.  "I won't let you down, I promise."  Gordan leaned back in his chair again, turning his attention to the ceiling.

"You're dismissed," he said.  Ray stood up without a word and walked to the door, making sure not to slam it behind her.  She had a lot of packing to do…again.

* * * *

Ramirez stormed into his office, quickly slamming the door behind him.  He was in one of the worst moods he had ever been in before.  The ace knight was always getting on his nerves, but this was even worse.  He had had a perfectly good open shot at her, and because of his temper, he had pulled his trigger on Brian.  It was true that Brian was a knight for the GRC, but he wasn't that big of a threat.  His last bullet had been wasted.

The silver haired devil sat down heavily in his chair and sighed, trying to calm himself.  He couldn't remember the last time his pulse had pounded this rapidly.  Blood coursed through his veins at what felt like a hundred miles an hour.  He just couldn't make it stop.  The very thought of both Ray and Leon still being alive was driving him crazy.  Why hadn't he just killed Leon when he had had the chance?  He easily could have snapped his neck.  For a normal pilot, the boy was exceptionally skilled.  Perhaps he was even knight material.  The last thing Ramirez needed to deal with was more knights.  He scowled deeply at the very thought.

A knock at his door quickly drew his attention away from the events of the day.  He was both thankful and furious at the interruption.

"Who is it?" he snarled, obviously annoyed right now.  Despite his tone, the door opened without caution.  In the doorway stood a young man dressed in a gray military uniform.  He stood tall and proud, a stern look upon his handsome face.  He didn't seem to be disturbed at all by Ramirez's harsh way of answering his knock.  Instead, he walked forward into the room.

"General Ramirez," he began, his voice quite soft yet carrying a tone of high demand.  His dark hazel eyes never once left Ramirez.  Atop his head was a commander's hat, showing the world his high status amongst the other officials.  It hid a good amount of his spiked auburn hair, some pieces escaping it towards the front and back.

Ramirez sighed, finally calming down enough to speak normally to the young commander before him.

"What is it Aaron?" he asked in his usual icy voice.  Aaron only saluted in response.

"Sir," he began.  "I came to report that we're working on the new Genos you asked for.  We're using the high energy sacri crystals to power them."

"Good," said Ramirez as a cold smile spread across his pale face.  "When the first one is completed, commander, you can have it."

"Thank you sir," he said as he dropped his arm back to his side.  "What are my next orders?"  Ramirez smirked, his blue eyes flaring at his newest idea.  A devious look crossed his cruel face as he stared straight at the man before him.

"I want you to go to each continent," he began, "and kill the knights."  To his pleasure, Aaron nodded.

"Yes sir," he replied as he turned around and began to head back to the door.  "I won't let you down."  He left the room, closing the door behind him. 

Ramirez sat in the darkness, reclining in his desk chair.  He began to tap his fingers together out of sheer enjoyment.  This was all so entertaining to him. 
If I can't harm you physically, Ms. Cayden, then I'll simply destroy everything you care about.
  The thought brought out a vicious smile, and he began to imagine the look on Ray's face when she found out that all of her fellow knights were dead.  It would become even more entertaining when he would tell her that it was all her fault.

"The stage has been set," he said to himself.  "Let's see how this plays out."

* * * *

Dr. Solaris was sitting alone in his study, surrounded by books.  He was currently reading one in particular about sacri crystals.  He had a few things he wanted to find out.  He recalled the time when Ray had told him about the device that Ramirez was supposedly creating.  He wanted to know more about it.  It was able to emit a high pitched sound, one that could easily cause someone a headache.  If they could hear it, that is.  He had reason to believe that Ray was one of those people.  He needed to know why.

Dr. Solaris was so engrossed in the book that he jumped when his video caller began beeping, indicating that he had an incoming call.  He quickly got up to answer it, and Ray appeared on the screen.

"Hey Dr. Solaris," she greeted with a smile.  "I have a question for you."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Can I come stay with you guys again?  At least for a while?" she questioned, earning her a confused stare.

"Why?" he asked, not fully understanding her request.

"I was thinking about this Ramirez thing," she began, "and I think the best way for me to keep my promise would be to stay with you guys."  Dr. Solaris looked like he was about to say something, but Ray quickly cut him off.  "And Gordan already said it was alright, so I just need an okay from you."