Fan Fiction ❯ Espoir ❯ Fading Star Sixteen ( Chapter 12 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: Ilze

Title: Espoir

Summary: As Earth enters it's final stage of existance, humanity attempts one last stance to save themselves. An experiement that had been studied since the beginning of Earth's destruction is put into action. Project Espoir 1 has begun...

Rating: PG-13+

Genre: Drama, Action, Post-Apocalyptic.

Chapter Twelve

Fading Star Sixteen

The crowd's chanting filled his ears, blocking out all other distractions. The only things that existed were the field, the ball, and the players. Nothing could steal his attention, nothing could break his stride.

Looking from side to side, Craig noted his receivers, lined up in their designed position and awaiting the snap of the ball. He looked forward, past his facemask and to the five large men that stood in front of him, ready to put their bodies on the line to protect their quarterback. He looked to his right and noted the determined look on the face of his running back. Even though he would not be getting the ball, he was ready to put his all into the play.

Craig swallowed hard and tapped his foot on the ground, signalling his center that everything was ready. Then, he began the cadence.

"Down!" He shouted as his teammates prepared themselves. "Red Nine, Red Nine! Set..." Tension filled the air as Craig narrowed his eyes, peering at the eleven men on the other side of the ball. Eleven men who wanted nothing more than to hurt Craig Stone, to end his beautiful career and his chances at stardom. Sweat beaded Craig's forhead as he looked back to his center and shouted the last words. "Set, Hut!"

The ball was snapped quickly and landed directly in Craig's hands. He grabbed it by the laces and looked back up at the action that was unfolding on the field. Three men sprinted down the field on their designated routes as the running back stepped forward, ready to pick up the man that was rushing from the outside.

Cracking filled the air as pads and helmets collided. The grunts of passionate young men carried all the way past the screaming fans. Craig breathed heavily and dropped back two steps, looking for the open man.

When the quick, large linebacker from the other team broke through the line and came sprinting full blast, Craig was ready. He waited for the male to get within inches of his body before taking a step to the right and spinning. His back brushed the shoulder of the shocked backer just before Craig took off at a sprint for the right sideline. He continued to look down the field as everyone shifted and at least two more men came sprinting to the running quarterback.

That was when something caught the athletes eyes. The normal man would never have noticed the mistake the cornerback made in his coverage. Craig's receiver had cut to a inside route and the cover man had turned to the inside. The receiver saw the mistake as well and immediatly broke to the sideline. The corner's back was turned and never noticed the quick reveiver sprinting to the sideline. Craig winded up and let the football fly.

Everything went quiet as the ball soared through the air in a complete sprial. Time went by slower as the ball arced towards the ground and landed gracefully over the receiver's right shoulder and into his outstretched arms. Cheering once again filled the air as the man jogged into the endzone, scoring the winning touchdown as time clicked off the clock.

Craig muttered a silent praise before turning around to gaze at the cheering crowd. As he turned, things changed. The dark, moist football field changed to a dark, hot stretch of pavement. The crowd was no longer where they were but were replaced with crumbled buildings. The opposing team and Craig's mates were all gone.

Craig stood alone in the darkened street, looking around in confusion and disbeleif.

Pain filled Craig's right arm and he fell to his knees. His scream echoed in the empty streets but was soon answered with a growing noise. It sounded like millions of people whispering at the same time.

Craig held his arm tightly as the pain ignited. He shouted once more then pulled away as he felt a large pulse in his arm. He looked at the limb in shock as it burst into a spray of blood and bone. His eyes widened as he saw a long, glowing white tentacle burst from the shattered limb and Craig screamed again.

That was about the moment Craig woke up only to be greeted by the sad sight of his small hotel room. He sat up in his lumpy futon and ran a hand through his blonde locks. He then looked down to see his arm, still there and still whole.

With a sigh of releif, Craig lay back down and covered his face. A knock on the door caused Craig to grumble, he didn't exactly want any visitors at the moment.

"Mail call!" Shouted the man at the other side of the door.

espoir

"How you feeling?"

Kei looked up with tired eyes at her newest visitor. A small smile crept across her face as she looked into the young eyes of the small, blonde girl.

"Tired." She said with a yawn, "Exhausted, to be completely honest."

Audrey chuckled as she look a seat on Kei's bed, "Everyone's pretty tired. I think I was the first one up."

"What time is it?" Asked Kei as she looked around her small room, in search of the clock. It was useless, she never did bother to set the thing.

"Nearly one." The younger girl said with a smile, "You have cute bed hair."

Kei covered her head with the covers and growled, "Shut up."

Audrey laughed and stood, "It's a nice day out."

"That's nice."

"The sun's shining, birds chirping and the sky's blue as the ocean."

Kei looked over at the girl, "Your point?"

Audrey turned around, a bright smile on her face. "Your so pale." A blue eye winked, "I think someone needs a tan."

Kei sighed and leaned back, "You really expect to go tanning, Audrey?"

"Oh yes." She laughed, "My mom sent me a couple of cute bikinis. One of them looks just perfect for you."

"...Your kidding." Kei looked up into the all-too innocent eyes of the young girl. "You know where we are, right? This is a military base, not a tanning salon."

"You've been way too serious lately, Kei and I'm getting pretty tired of it." The girl's face turned serious as she looked down at her friend, "Now your either coming or I'm dragging you." She winked, "and I'm not a gentle girl."

Kei rolled her eyes and kicked off the covers. There was no way the petite Audrey could drag her out of bed but the thought of tanning was somewhat... intriguing. "Your crazy."

"I think we've all lost some of our sanity, honey." She laughed and thrust an arm into the air, "Yeah! Bronze skin, here we come!"

The older girl sighed and shook her head as she followed her blonde friend out the door and towards Audrey's room. Perhaps a day of tanning was just what Kei needed to unclench.

espoir

The walls somehow seemed duller than usual.

They were kind of a mood killer. At least that was what Kane was thinking as he walked through the halls before coming upon the open door of his friend's room.

Craig sat on his bed, his eyes skimming across a small piece of paper. Kane knocked lightly on the open door as he stood in the frame. His athletic friend looked up and nodded with a light grin as he shoved the paper into his pants pocket.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" Kane demanded with a smile. "Have you seen how nice it is outside?"

The blonde smiler and shook his head, "How's it feel outside?"

"Better than you look." Kane said, shaking his head with a laugh.

Craig looked down at himself. He wore a pair of gray sweat pants and no shirt. His hair was in disaray and his face was unshaven. He laughed, "That doesn't take much."

"No, it doesn't." Kane sighed, "Well get up and get ready."

"What's going on?"

Kane laughed, "A couple of guys are getting together to play a game of basketball." The Vietnamese boy punched his fist into his other hand, "And I'm ready to show you who the real all-star is around here."

Craig chuckled, "I'm kinda tired, bud."

"No excused." Kane said with a frown, "Get a shower, shave your ugly mug, and meet me down at the court."

The blonde looked up at Kane and smiled lightly. They stared at eachother for a long moment before Craig smirked and shook his head, "Go and get some practice in." He stood and flexed his ripped torso, "You'll need it."

Kane laughed and gave his friend a thumbs up, "Bring it." With that, the ex-street fighter left.

Craig sighed and made his way over to his bathroom. Inside, he looked himself over in the mirror and lightly chuckled to himself. He scratched his burly face and looked over his droopy eyes.

Smirking a bit to himself, he turned his shower on and rubbed his arm.

"You'd kill me if ya saw me like this." He said quietly to himself before removing his shirt and preparing for his shower.

espoir

Loko Nogami looked up at the blue sky as he made his way down the paved roads of Centra. He yawned a bit at the boringness of the day beforing turning a corner and continuing down yet another street.

"I wonder where everyone could be." Nogami pondered. The only people the pilot had seen all day were the lads that worked at the hangar and they were most definatly not a interesting bunch.

A few voices caught Nogami's ears and he rushed around another corner to catch sight of two uniform-clad officers standing together, speaking to eachother in loud tones.

Nogami squinted as he silently made his way up behind the duo, trying to decipher what they were talking about.

"It sure doesn't look like much." Stated the smaller, shorter of the two soldiers. His voice was young but bold.

The other heavier man snorted. "Well, it most certaintly is much." He spoke with a British accent. "This nifty little device is the newest in Espoir equipment, it is."

"What's it do?"

"It'll tell ya." The heavy man shifted a bit, giving Nogami a glance at the thing in his hand. It was round and metallic, with some kind of screen in the center. The officer exhaled and spoke once more, "This little piece of technology was created by the highest of the high on the Board. It's got the ability to detect the presence of any Judge within two-hundred yards."

The younger man's eyes widened, "Wow."

"That's right." Said the heavy one. "It just came in today, imported directly from France. I just picked it up and am about to run it into Captain Nottap now."

"How's it work?"

The man laughed, "How's it work? What kind of question is that? Any simpleton would know how this little instrument works."

The younger man frowned, "Well, I don't and I'm no simpleton." The other snorted. "Well, explain it to me then!"

"Ha." The man was about to speak then shut his mouth. "Well, it's very...uh, simple really. It just... uh... uses the... uh..."

Nogami smirked and made his way up behind the heavier man and plucked the device out of his grasp. He held it up to the light as the man lunged for it. Loko simply moved to the side and held the instrument up, causing the man to nearly fall on his large behind.

"Why, you!" Growled the officer, "You hand that over right this instant. That's goverment property."

Nogami smiled, "Come now, I'm just admirering the fine craftsmanship that goes into his fine piece of technology."

"Well you can admire it just as well from the safety of my possession!"

"Safety?" Nogami chuckled. "It certiantly didn't seem too safe when I stole it from you."

The man huffed and was about to run towards Nogami when the pilot tossed it back to him. The male fumbled the device in his hands for a moment before grabbing it just inches from the ground.

"So, tell me what exactly that is." Nogami stated as he leaned against the wall.

The man frowned and brushed the thing off. "This is the device that will allow our soldiers to tell when a enemy is in the vicinity. It just came in from the heads over in France."

"And does this 'device' have a name?"

The man was about to say something then blinked a few times and looked at the instrument. "Well... I don't know."

"Ah." Nogami said with a smile, "Not quite in the know yet, are ya?"

"You shut up!" Growled the man, "I'm sure that only the top know the name of this. I'm more trusted than anyone else on the force, you can tell just by how they asked me to hand deliver this to the captain."

"Oh, excuse me then." Nogami said with a smirk, "Well, don't let me obstruct your journey, good sir. You should be getting on your way then."

The man tighted his belt and nodded, "It just so happens that I should be." He spat and turned on his heel, "Good day."

With that, the man was gone and with a laugh, Nogami too continued on his trek down the road.

It didn't take quite as long for Nogami to find some excitement this time. He'd only gone a few feet down the road when he once again heard voices. Jogging around another corner, Nogami came face to face with the young, blonde girl and her darker haired companion.

"Ah, no need to rush, ladies." Chuckled Nogami, "I am right here."

The blonde Audrey laughed right in his face. She wore a light blue robe and a pair of sandles. "Your a dreamer, Nogami."

"That I am." Smiled Loko as he nodded his greeting to Kei, who wore a identical pink robe. "Now, I wonder where two fine young girls in bath robes could be rushing off to? Got a streaking appointment to make?"

"Not quite." Stated the blonde, "Kei and I have deicided to partake in an afternoon together, something to help us relax." She sighed, "So far, it isn't going well." Her blue eyes pierced into Loko's.

"Now, Audrey." Nogami said, looking hurt. He sighed. "You know I am always available to help you... relax."

Kei took her chance to punch the pilot in the arm. "And we are always available to turn you down."

Nogami shrugged and crossed his arms, "Always worth a shot, eh?"

"Whatever you say, Nogami." Audrey rolled her eyes and grabbed Kei's hand. "But we're currently in a hurry so if you wouldn't mind."

"Oh, be my guest." Nogami stepped a side and outstretched his arms for them to pass. Audrey sighed and hurried past, tugging Kei along with her.

Nogami watched them go and sighed to himself. Curiosity filled his mind as they turned a corner and Loko fell victim to his curiosity. He followed after the two girls, using all the stealth he could muster in the endeavor.

espoir

His room had never before been cleaner.

It was the only thing Kuris could do to pass the time. He didn't exactly feel up tp conversing with friends or even stepping out into the bright sunlight of the day. So, Kuris simply did every little thing he could within his chambers to pass the time.

So far he'd cleaned his room, his closet, his weaponry twice, all of his uniforms, re-arranged his room, read a few magazines, attempted to watch television on his broken set, and listened to just about every record he owned.

Sighing, Kuris fell down onto his bed and looked up at the cieling. He didn't really feel anxious or even active. The only reason he'd done all the chores he had was to keep his mind away from more... depressing thoughts.

Now what else was there to do but let his mind wander? He didn't want to think about Espoir or The Judges. He didn't want to let his mind go through all the things that it usually went through.

Kuris sighed once more and covered up his eyes.

Why couldn't he stop himself from thinking such angsty thoughts? No matter what, if Kuris wasn't doing something that took up all of his consentration then he would immediatly begin to think about the worthlessness of his existence. Of the terrors that he took place in and witnessed every since day of his life. Of the things that simply drifted into his mind as if out of no where.

Every time this happened, Kuris was welcomed with a somewhat familiar feeling. A feeling of being infected, of being overcome, overpowered, and overwhlemed by some being that he didn't know. That same feeling he'd felt that time he was left alone in Kendai, when that Judge had intruded into his mind and spoken to his thoughts as if they were his own.

That monster had taken thoughts and memories that Kuris had long ago kept buried. Things he hadn't thought of in years had been uncovered and thrown at him like darts.

Past thoughts of his cowardly father and his own cowardice as well as more recent thoughts such as his betrayel of Tuni and the time he'd massacred countless human beings because of Yukio's misguidance. All those thoughts cam rushing back, hitting him like a brick in the face and leaing him imobile and hurt.

Commotion from outside broke Kuris from his thoughts. Blinking a few times, Kuris stood and carefully opened the door. He was greeted by the humorous and somewhat confusing sight of Loko Nogami laying over a few fallen barrels of trashing.

The pilot looked up as Kuris came out and sighed. Kuris could only laugh, "Should I even ask?"

"Hey, Kuris." Nogami greeted as he picked himself up and began to pick the barrels up as well. He paused and looked up at Kuris, "These your's?" Kuris shook his head with a grin and Nogami immediatly dropped the cans right back where they were. He wiped some sweat from his forehead, "So, what you up to?"

"I think I should be asking you that."

Nogami nodded with a smile, "I'm simply working on my ninja skills by tracking down a pair of dowes."

Kuris rose a brow at the statement, "Well, I'm not even gonna comment on the lack of your... ninja skills and ask about the dowes."

"I think that would be wiser." Nogami said with a sly grin. "I'll just say this: Two beautiful young women in revealing robes, heaidng that-a-way." Nogami pointed down the street, his eyes dancing with excitement.

Kuris blinked a few times and crossed his arms, "And your... stalking them?"

"Of course not!" The pilot looked appalled, "I'm simply following them to make sure that no creeps try to do anything. Consider it a act of chivalry."

"Your lack of morale understanding always amazes me, Nogami."

Nogami shrugged, "Just doing my duty." He smiled, "How about you come with me? I could use some back up if anything were to happen?"

"Two girls? Revealing robes, eh?" Kuris thought a moment. It would definatly help get his mind off his usual thoughts. "Wait, who are the two girls? I'm pretty sure we know just about every female in Centra."

"Oh, didn't I tell you? Audrey and Kei."

Kei? He hadn't seen her since the mission yesterday. "Sure, I'll go."

"Alrighty then!" Nogami quickly jogged down the street, "Let's get going. We need to make up for lost time!"

Loko took the lead, bringing Kuris through various alleys, streets, and crosswalks. How Nogami knew where the girls had gone was beyond him as he hadn't seen a sight of the two yet.

Finally, Nogami halted him at a corner and turned around with a grin. "They went up there." He said with a chuckle and pointed to a long fire escape that led to the top of a rather large building. Kuris blinked a few times and crossed his arms.

"What are they doing up there?"

Loko shrugged and set off towards the stairs, "Let's find out."

The trek of the stairs was long and tirering. Kuris' legs felt like jelly when Loko held up a hand and signalled for him to stop. The pilot peeked over the top of the building and smiled broadly.

"What is it?" Kuris asked in a whisper, "What do you see?"

"Oh, boy." Nogami said with another grin, "Two beautiful young women in bathing suites, laying out in the hot sun."

Kuris blinked, "They're.... sunbathing?"

"Looks like it."

"Well, let me get a look." Kuris tried to push past Nogami.

"Whoa, partner!" Loko frowned and pushed back, "Wait your turn."

"Just let me see."

"No way, my time ain't up yet!"

"Cmon, get out of the way."

The two went on pushing until eventually, Nogami lost his balance. His arms went up in the air as he tried to regain himself but it only resulted in him tumbling right out onto the roof, right in front of the staring eyes of Kei and Audrey.

Audrey stared at the man for a moment before responding, "N-Nogami?! What the hell do you think your doing?"

The pilot sat up and stared with mouth agap at the women. He fumbled with words for a moment until he just pointed a finger at the still hiding Kuris, "He made me do it!"

Kuris cursed at the cowardly man and stepped out with hands behind his back, chuckling. "Uh, hey."

Audrey stood, anger showing easily on her young face. "Why, you perverts!" She held up a fist only a moment before running towards Nogami, who had just forced himself to his feet. The shocked pilot let out a shout before taking off.

Kuris scratched the back of his head as he looked at Kei, "What... exactly are you two doing?"

"Uh..." Kei stood and quickly fumbled with her discarded robe. Her face a bright shade of pink, "Audrey talked me into sun bathing with her." She smiled akwardly.

Kuris laughed and crossed his arms, "You should have known better."

"What?" She asked timidly.

"It's not safe to wear a two-piece a mile within Nogami."

Kei laughed and looked over to see that Audrey was still chasing the pilot around the rooftop. Kuris also chuckled.

"I guess your right." She said before winking, "But I'm not the only one at fault. You should known better than to hang around with Nogami. He's a bad influence."

"I think I just found that out." He said with a laugh before putting his hands in his pockets, "Well, we should probably try resucing him about now."

"Yeah, I suppose so." She paused a moment and looked at the ground, "Uh, Kuris?"

Kuris pushed a bit of black hair out of his face and looked over to her, "Yeah?"

"I'm free tonight if you want to... get together or something."

A smile spread across his tan features, "Sure thing."

"Get away from me you phsyopath!"

"You perv! When I catch you I'm gonna rip your-"

Kuris' eyes widened, "Whoa! I think it's time to step in!"

Kei laughed and the two of them set out to rescue their ill-mannered friend.

espoir

Clean shaven and bathed, Craig slowly made the trek down the uncrowded streets of Centra towards the office of his commanding officer.

He patted his shirt pocket and smiled as he felt the thing he held inside. He now wore a dark velvet dress shirt and a pair of black pants. Surprisingly, being dressed and clean actually made the blonde feel a little better.

Craig entered the large apartment building that his captain was staying in and made his way up to the fourth floor. He walked a ways down the hall before he came upon the room. Some talking could be heard coming from the open door and Craig paused in the doorway, watching what was enfolding inside.

Captain Nottap stood behind his desk, speaking to a rather heavy officer.

"I appreciate you picking this up for me, Mr..." Nottap faded out.

The heavy officer nodded and spoke in a English accent, "My name is Wilford Davenport, sir."

"Very well." Nottap nodded and saluted the officer, "Welcome to Centra-Tokyo, Mr. Davenport."

"Thank ya a lot, sir." Davenport returned the salute before turning on his feet and marching past Craig on his way out the door.

Nottap took his seat and smiled up at his newest visitor. He motioned for him to enter, "Ah, Craig. What a coincidence, I was just about to send for you."

Craig smiled a took a seat in front of his captain's desk, "Something you need to talk to me about?"

"Actually, yes." Nottap pushed the small, round device on his desk towards Craig. It had a small green screen on it and seemed to be very technological, "Take a look at that."

Craig lifted the small object off the desk and held his tentivily in his hand. He looked it over slowly, "What is it?"

"It's a small radar built to detect the presence of The Judges. It just came in front Paris." The captain smiled and leaned back in his chair, "It can detect any enemies within a two hundred yard radius. Only a few have been manufactured so only one has been issued to each region. I'm giving this one to you."

"Me, sir?" Craig looked up, "Why me?"

"Well, your the Field Commander so I thought it would make sense to give it to you." Nottap shrugged, "I trust that you'd take care of it."

"Of course, sir." Craig smiled and laid it back down, "Thank you."

Nottap nodded and leaned forward, "No problem. Now, you didn't just come down for a idle chat, I imagine. What's up?"

Craig nodded and leaned back, "Yes, I actually have a request, sir."

"What's that?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping." The blonde looked down for a moment then back up, "I was wondering if I could have a pass to leave Tokyo for a day. Just some time off so I can get away from Centra."

Nottap thought a moment as he looked at his soldier. He sighed, "I don't think I can do that, Craig."

Craig frowned and looked the older man in the eye, "But, sir. I haven't been out of Centra in weeks. It seems like the only times I ever get out is when there is a attack."

"I'm sorry, Craig but I can't issue you a pass at the moment."

"Sir, please." The American began, "It would only be for a day. Not even that, a few hours at the most."

Nottap shook his head slowly, "I'm not able to issue any passes right now." Craig began to protest but Nottap cut him off, "It's a order from the top. Apparently, they have reason to beleive that The Judges will be attacking again very soon as that is the case in two other Regions that the moment. I can not afford to have you messing around outside Centra right now."

"Messing around?" Anger was rising in Craig. Anger that had been building up ever since the beginning, "Sir, I can assure you that-"

"No, Craig." Nottap sighed, "I'm very sorry but I just can't do that right now."

Craig clenched his fists. The anger was getting hotter. He'd been keeping it down ever since those two officers had come to his house. Ever since they'd told him he'd been drafted. "Sir..."

Nottap rubbed his forhead, "I understand that it's getting tough but-"

"You don't understand a thing."

The captain looked up at his soldier, "Excuse me?"

"You don't understand a thing, Captain." Craig repeated as he looked at the ground, his face red. "You don't know what it's like."

"Craig, it's not my-"

Craig suddenly looked up furiously, "I don't have anything anymore! You took every single thing I've ever had now your taking this from me." Craig stood angrily, "Your all the same!"

Nottap began to speak again but Craig shouted.

"You took it all!" He walked over to the desk and leaned over, learing at his captain, "I had a future, damnit! I was going somewhere! I wasn't like some worthless little idiot, sitting on the street corner with nothing to do! I had a future!" He knocked a lamp off Nottap's desk, it shattered on the ground, "You took it all! I can't even throw a damn football now because of what you've done!"

"Now your trying to tell me that I can't do the one thing I want to do?! I haven't asked a single thing from this damn organization since you forced me to join it!" Craig slammed a fist into the desk, causing it to crack and splinter. "Your all the same! A bunch of tasteless, selfish, bloodthirsty bastards! Perhaps, Yukio was right to leave."

Nottap leaned back and watched his soldier burst. He listened to his insults, his comments, his inner most thoughts that he'd refused to share and had kept deep down inside ever since the project had started. Nottap said nothing as Craig stormed about the room, breaking things and shouting about his troubles. Finally, the blonde sat down and held his head in his hands.

"Please, sir." He said without looking up, "Give me a pass."

The next words Nottap had to say would feel like someone stabbing him in the chest. He hated to say it but knew that there was no choice. He swallowed hard and began, "I can't do that."

Craig was silent for a long moment before he stood with his face completely calm. The male brought his hand up in a salute and looked the captain in the eyes, "Fuck you, sir."

With that, Craig turned on his heel and left the room. Leaving Nottap to wallow in his guilt and sorrow.

espoir

"Game!"

Sean collapsed onto the curb and sighed heavy. He took out his kerchief and wiped his sweaty forhead with it as his friends took seats around him.

Kane smiled broadly as he sat down, "Well, who wants to play another?"

"You guys have beat us the last three times." Sean said between breaths of air, "I think it's time to take a break."

Kane laughed and looked to his right. He smiled up at the large dark-skinned man that sat next to him, "You up for another game, big man?"

Bray frowned and took a swig of water, "I'll pass."

The smaller man spat and looked at the other men that sat around them, "You guys?" All of them shook their heads and declined, "Wow, you guys are a bunch of sissys."

"Where's Craig?" Questioned Sean, "I'll play if he's on my team."

Kane shrugged and took the water jug from Bray, "I told him to come down but he said he was gonna shower first."

"He's been in the shower for quite awhile then."

"Must have changed his mind." Kane stood and crossed his arms, "You two up for something to eat?"

Sean stood as well, "Sounds good to me." He said, smiling under his beard. "You hungry, Bray?"

The larger man stood as well and scratched his arm, "Could eat a horse."

With that, the three men started off down the road towards the mess hall. They didn't get half way there before the siren went off and they broke off towards their homes to change and head down towards the airport.

Sean was the slowest of the three of them and joined Kane and Bray outside The Chariot. He looked around and noted that mostly everyone was present. Kuris and Kei stood a few feet away, dressed and ready for takeoff. Audrey sat off to the side, seemingly a little upset.

"What's up with her?" Sean asked Kei.

The girl smiled, "She's just pouting about having her day interuppted."

Loko Nogami emerged from the hangar. He seemed to be kind of tired and had a few bandages on his face as if he'd gotten into a fight and lost terribly.

Captain Nottap stood around, speaking with a few officers. Finally, he stepped away and shouted for Kane to come over.

"You'll be in charge for this mission." He told the male when he arrived.

"Me?" He asked strangely, "What about-"

Kane was interuppted as Craig Stone came running up. He walked up to the two speaking and nodded.

Nottap shook his head and pulled Craig away from the crowd. He spoke quietly to the blonde man, "Stone, I can't allow you to go on this mission, not in your state."

Craig shook his head, "I'm fine, Captain. I've cooled down."

"I still can't risk having you go."

"Sir, please let me go." The blonde said pleadingly, "I've heard that the attack is on a small suburb outside Tokyo, right?" Nottap nodded, "Just let me go, sir. Please."

Nottap thought for a long moment before nodding. He took something from his pocket and handed it to Craig. It was the Judge Radar that had arrived earlier.

Craig thanked his captain before running from him and ordering everyone to board The Chariot. Afterwards, they were off and heading towards the suburbian Atai.

espoir

At first, it seemed like the suburb wasn't under that much of an assault. However, that all changed as Espoir made their way through the area. Enemy reinforcments arrived about fifteen minutes into the battle and once again, the soldiers began to be separated.

Craig cursed as he dived for cover behind a large, burning home. He shouldered his rifle and laid down some fire from his coverage.

Kuris took similar actions. He hid behind another home and watched as Craig fired upon the enemy from his position. It took a moment for Craig to notice that he wasn't alone and nodded to Kuris before speaking over the link.

"Pursure Plan Alpha." He ordered. "All soldiers try to stay in small groups. Make your way through the parimeter until the enemy is spread put enough for a final charge."

Craig looked over at Kuris and motioned for him to follow his action. With that, Craig rolled from his cover and started off at a slow crawl down a narrow alleyway. Kuris waited a moment before following him out of the fray and into safer territory.

Kuris sighed as he stood next to Craig, "Where to?"

The larger male thought a moment before motioning to the left, "Follow my lead."

The two traveled down the street slowly and cautiously. Kuris took the time to look over the battle stats and noted that the enemy was not in any large quantity but were simply bunched together and making a stronger force. If the soldiers were able to successfuly spread the enemy apart then it would result in an easy victory.

Craig marched through debris and corpses, only pausing a few times to check a small map. Worry and determination played hand-in-hand on his face and Kuris found himself quietly questioning what was on his mind. The blonde was quieter than the dead as they walked and anytime he was questioned, his responses her short and swift.

The two came across relatively little opposition. Twice they found a few enemies attacking a few survivors but were able to clear the area quickly. However, Craig did something surprising in both of those situations. Usually, he would escort the people saved to a safe location. This time, Craig simply ordered them to stay hidden until help arrives.

That was something Kuris never expected to hear from Craig's mouth.

The two continued for quite awhile. Eventually, Kuris noticed that Craig didn't seem to be just trying to spread the enemy apart as he was checking his map constantly and taking new directions every few times. It was as if he knew where he was going.

Finally, Craig halted and stared forward at the remains of a charred and broken building. He swallowed heavily and made his way towards the broken structure. Kuris could only watch in confusion as Craig dropped his rifle and made his way through the debris.

"Craig?" Kuris asked as he looked around, trying to make sure they weren't snuck up on, "Craig? What are you doing?"

There was no answer and Kuris slowly made his way up to his friend who was now pushing through debris in a mad attempt to do something. Finally, he found something.

Craig stared down with wide eyes at the corspe of the dead woman. She was dirty and bloody but held in her arms something wrapped in a white scarf. Suddenly, the thing moved and Kuris jumped back.

The thing moved once more and Craig reached down. He pulled the scarf away and Kuris looked upon the image of a small, still breathing baby.

It coughed a few times before beginning to wail. Kuris looked around in alarm. The screaming could probably be heard all over the area. They would be noticed in a matter of seconds.

"Craig! Shut it up!"

Craig lifted the child into his arms and stood. Tears stood out in the corners of his eyes and he glanced over at his friend.

"Craig?"

A small beeping went off and Craig reached down to his side and removed the round radar. He looked at it for a moment before turning abruptly and walking over to Kuris. He handed over the radar.

It blinked brightly and showed a small yellow dot in the center, it was them. It also showed multiple other dots approaching from the west, The Judges. Kuris' eyes widened as he looked up at Craig.

"We gotta get out of here." He said quietly, shouldering his rifle.

Craig looked down at the baby for a moment and shook his head, "No."

Kuris' eyes widened, "What? Craig, we gotta go!"

"I'd slow you down." Craig said with the slightest hint of a smile, "You could get a lot farther without me."

"Craig, what are you talking about."

The baby whined in his arms. Craig reached down to his side and removed his sidearm. "Get going, Kuris."

Kuris took a step forward and shook his head, "I can't just leave you alone."

"I'm not alone." Craig said as he motioned to the baby, "I'm fine, Kuris. Just get going back to the extraction point. Meet up with the others and finish the job."

"Craig." Kuris said as he heard the whispering of The Judges. "You won't make it."

"Just go, Kuris." Craig said with a sigh as he cradled the child in one arm and readied his pistol in the other, "Everything will be just fine. Just get going, okay?"

The whispering grew louder and Craig's face grew stressed. Kuris shook his head slowly, "I can't..."

"Go, Kuris." Craig said more determined this time, "Please, do this for me."

The whispering grew even louder and fear grew in Kuris' stomach. He looked between Craig, the baby, and the horizon that The Judges would be swarmly over in a few seconds. The whispering grew louder and Kuris took one last look at his friend before turning and running from the area, heading back the way they'd come.

espoir

The child's screaming was enough to drown out the sound of the whispering. Craig turned around when Kuris left and smiled softly to the baby.

"Well, I guess we should take off now too, eh?"

Craig looked back once more at the small, destroyed building where the child had been found then took off at run towards the east. All he could hear was the child's crying as he ran and saw The Judge's brighty fire shoot past him.

He ran faster than he had in months. Memories of him running on the football field flashed back to him. The baby turned into a football and the approaching enemies turning into opposing enemies of different colors. The child's crying slowly morphed into that of the enthusiatic crowd. He could feel the lights and hear his coach's praise as he continued running. The endzone was in sight as something caught his right shoulder, causing him to break from his dream.

Craig's foot caught something as he snapped back to reality and he tumbled to the ground, nearly dropping the baby. He could hear the enemies appraoching now and felt as another shot hit his left leg.

With all of the rest of his strength, Craig pulled the child under his and held him in a tight, protective ball. He smiled through the tears and pain at the child and whispered quietly to the baby.

"Stay strong, bud. Stay strong."

espoir

The battle had only lasted for another half hour. The espoir soldiers were able to clear the area of all enemies. There were relatively few innocent lives lost. There were two Espoir deaths and four injuries.

The soldiers boarded The Chariot once more and took one last look at the saved city before setting off towards Centra once more. The once bright, beautiful day eventually turned glum and clouds overtook the blue sky. Rain was inevitable.

All of the soldiers mourned the death of the two soldiers. One was a young kid that had been playing basketball with Sean, Bray, and Kane only that day. The other was Craig Stone.

Everyone sat quietly in the lobby of one of the apartment buildings. Captain Nottap had ordered them to come for a quick debriefing. It wasn't long before the captain joined them.

"Everyone here?" No one answered and Nottap knew everyone was present. "I haven't called you here to debrief you about the last mission. I think it was pretty self-explanatory that you all did a good job. However, I want to speak to you about the death of one of your fellow soldiers."

He paused a moment and removed a small, wrinkled piece of paper from his pocket. "The body of Craig Stone was found shortly after the battle, and with it they found quite a few surprises. Laying with him was a still living baby boy. Craig had protected the child with his own body. The child is undergoing medical attention but it seems as though he will be just fine." The captain held up the piece of paper, "This was also found. It's a letter from home, Craig had received it just today. Let me read it."

Dear, Craig.

How's things going? I'm sure your getting along just fine in Tokyo, right? Your mother says hello and said that she would be writing you soon. I've been hearing a lot about you on television. The sports guys say that you'll have your career waiting for you when you get back, I'm sure it will. Don and the guys are all still thinking about you and can't wait for you to get back. They're all still having a lot of fun back here, it's party season after all.

Anyways, what I'm really writing to tell you is that I'm coming out. By the time this letter gets to you, I'll be staying in the Perelux Hotel in Atai, a small suburb outside of Tokyo. I tried to get a place closer but I'm on a budget and everything is pretty expensive. I hope you'll be able to come visit, I'm bringing Brett. He'll be three months old in a few days and I really wanted him to be able to see his father at least once before then. Your mom has been helping me take care of him but I really wish you could have been there for the birth. I'm still very sorry that I didn't tell you that I was expecting until the day before you left for France but I wasn't sure how you'd take it. Well, I guess we can talk about that when you come and visit in person. Rememer, Perelux Hotel in Atai. I hope to be hearing from you soon, baby. Me and your son both.

Love,

Annie.

To Be Continued...

Note: Wrote this entire chapter while listening to the Chiodos album, Alls Well That Ends Well so that had a heavy influence on how this chapter turned out.