Stepping up to a dead carcass, he knelt down before it and saw that it was Blackjack's, his eyes twisted up to the red sky in agony...as if accusing someone for not being there to save him....for allowing him to die.....
Jerking back in horror, Death Star turned his head and saw the rest of the Maverick Hunters, all dead. Laying on the ground, gutted, torn, or shredded, but all meeting one ultimate conclusion....death. He walked past the dead bodies, spying Garland, his throat torn and his eyes ripped from their sockets, the blood already dried around the edges. The dark holes stared at Death Star, accusing him....and briefly Death Star remembered Ultra Omega....Garland's father.
Turning away from the horror, he stumbled across some carcass's hand and tripped, landing on the metal. Looking down he saw Wiendigo, dead, but...grinning. Suddenly Wiendigo's head moved to stare at Death Star and he grabbed his arm. "Welcome to the party, bootlicker...." he said and began to twist Death Star's arm. Screaming in pain, Death Star jerked back, surprised that Wiendigo's arm ripped off with ease, but was still crushing his.
Throwing the arm off, he turned and saw the rest of the Maverick Hunters rising to their feet. Slash and Dominator to his right, battery fluid leaking everywhere on them, both looking at Death Star. "You let us die...now you will die..." they chanted all together. By then Wiendigo was on his feet, lumbering towards Death Star with an insane grin on his face. Justin and Ariel were coming up behind him with Garland coming up front. "NO!!! NOO!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" he screamed and ran past Dominator and Slash, shoving them both down as he tore away from the blood soaked ground...from the death....
Climbing up a hill, Death Star leaned against a dead tree...dead....dead...all dead...."Except me, lover." Death Star turned around and looked at Iceheart, standing there, alive. She smiled warmly and embraced him, their lips locking together. He took her arms and pushed her back, motioning behind him.
"W-What happened?!" he asked.
Iceheart laughed lightly. "To save my life...you sacrificed theirs’...showing how much you truly love me...willing to let everyone die but me....oh, lover....you sacrificed it all for me..." he told him.
"What!? NOOOOOOOOOO--" Death Star shouted in horror at what he had done.
Jerking out of his sleep from the rock, Death Star landed on the ground, hitting his sore arm. Again....again he had the same nightmare....Looking around the camp, he saw the others were already up, and staring down at him...ready to make the last few hours of the trip....and where he could learn what was up with Iceheart. And did it have something to do with the dream?
Death Star walked silently, next to Iceheart. X1 was somewhere else, bugging the leader of the group that was walking along the caverns that all seemed to be leading around in some damn circle. He turned to her and hugged her warmly. "Anything you like to tell me?" he asked.
Iceheart looked confused for a moment. "Hm? No. Why?" she asked.
"Oh, no reason," he lied and took her hand as they continued on for the better part of two hours before they arrived at some large cavern, much larger than the rest, and in the middle of it was a camp. Reploids walked around down there, all part of the group leading them. They were led down into the middle of the camp where they all sat around a fire, though no one really needed it, except for light. "So, when can we leave?" he asked.
"Tomorrow morning. Tonight, you will be our guest....at least we think it's night. But anyway, tomorrow we'll have Shella lead you up to the surface," he told them and pointed at the blonde Reploid that had talked to Death Star later on. "But first, let's relax...and I can tell you what me and Shella mentioned earlier." X1 and Iceheart looked confused, but were all too happy to relax. The hours passed and Death Star forgot about the entire matter until the leader of the group cleared his throat.
"Now, I will tell you....about the traitor among you...." he said, looking at
the three Hunters. X1 dropped his bowl. "Benedict Arnold is here?!" he asked but
the leader ignored him. "Forgive me, a traitor they are not in that sense, but a
traitor of the heart." He pointed out Iceheart, whose eyes widened.
"Death Star, she never really loved you in the first place. All her life, she
has used people, manlipuiated them into doing what she wanted. When you and your
Hunters landed in on her base*, she got close to you...became your lover...so
that she could use the Hunter's technology to her advantage and rebuild REBEL.
She had no love interest in you, because we know...Shella worked for REBEL and
Iceheart told her the plan...." the leader stated.
* - Mission 39
"WHAT!?" shouted Death Star, his voice echoing throughout the halls.
Iceheart leaped to her feet, guilt written on her face. "Death Star, don't listen to them!!!! I didn't mean it...." she began and swallowed, looking for a choice of words. Death Star's gaze hardened at her and in the background Shella smiled triumphantly. "Listen...that was my original plan, DS...it was...but then I really fell in love with you....and I would never do anything to hurt you!!!"
Death Star blinked. "You came with me original to gip me blind!?" Iceheart looked down at her feet and almost whimpered. "Y-Yes." Death Star shook his head in disbelief and felt himself grabbing his head. "All your life you've done this?! What ELSE in your life have you done, Iceheart?!" he asked her. The leader took that moment to speak up.
"Her background is long, and a heartbreaking one. All her life she used her...beauty to achieve what she wanted. One day, she used it on the wrong person, and when she tried to pull this stunt on him, he caught her. She claimed she fell in love with him, too. He didn't fall for it and took his blade and slashed her down the face, thus resulting in the scar on it now," the leader said.
"You said you got it in a battle...another lie?" he asked. She nodded. X1 just watched on silently as his bowl sat on his head like a little hat. "I-I need some fresh air..." he said meekly and stood up, realizing they were in a cave. Sighing, he walked off into the darkness and sat down on a rock, staring at a wall. Suddenly he felt two delicate hands on his shoulder and he turned around to see Shella there. Before he could say anything, she pushed her lips against him. He could feel her tongue push up against his. 'Th-This is wrong.....I-Iceheart....' he thought to himself, and while he felt himself pulling the pretty Reploid closer, he mentally got a hold of himself. He pushed her back some. "Wh-what are you doing!?" he asked.
"Going with instinct. I always admired you, Death Star...had this passion for you...ever since I saw you in the REBEL base those months ago...risking your life for that slut, and how does SHE repay you? Turns against you like a viper...c'mon, you need some cheering up..." Shella said and reached for him again, but Death Star stopped her.
"No. She was being honest when she said she fell in love with me. And I will not break my trust, or my love for her, with someone like you," he stated and turned to see Iceheart there, smiling. She ran and hugged him tightly. "Iceheart, lets get ready to get OUT of this hellhole....and start a new future...where we can both get rid of our pasts..." he told her and they walked off together, leaving Shella shaking...with fury.
"The group WORKS for me....Death Star is now surrounded by my men in my caverns with my agents....I will drive a wedge into his love life with my girl, Shella....though it sickens me to think of her with him....But she is the key. She was part of REBEL and knows about Iceheart. That will work so handy...divided they will FALL...and as the for bomb, it was a fake and only dented the generator a little. Death Star thinks this base is gone. It isn't. But we are going to evacuate it. Prepare that now. Get the weapons moving. I will launch my attack on the HQ VERY soon," he told him.
"Why leave the base?" he asked.
"Because he was here...I don't think I could stand working in here any longer...best to go to another hideout...Crucifixtion can kiss me butt if he's got a problem with it..." North Star hissed. Suddenly his comm. beeped as the Lieutenant walked away. Answering it, he looked down. "Hello?"
It was Shella. "It didn't work. They're together even closer now. He saw past it, even if it was true. Yuck. And I almost had him. Now what?" asked Shella.
"Kill them all."