Across the room, X1 made clucking sounds as he poked on Wiendigo's old head, shaking it a few times, then waving it rapidly under a scanner. Any other scientist would have been bothered by such noises, but Slasher's brain only registered as background static as his eyes stayed glued on the screen.
Throughout the night X2 had been working desperately on Katrina's wound, but the damage was looking more extensive than previously believed. He had finished around seven in the morning in his attempts to help her, saying only that she was in critical condition with a less than 50% chance of recovery at this point.
Ariel had been sitting at Katrina's side ever since she got out of the initial surgery, always holding her hand. John McCormick and Strife had both stayed in the room with her until around eight in the morning when each of them decided to get a little rest in case events became more critical in the morning.
Silouette had taken guard duty in the sewer tunnels, having decided she didn't need any rest for the time being. She had been standing out there all night long and long into the morning hours, never moving from her spot. Lunar Girl had gone out there a few times, but each time she had come back disappointed from the lack of conversation and had finally settled into an uneasy sleep with her mask still on.
Gravedigger and Wiendigo had both been recharging their energy, along with talking to their various troops. So far the general consensus was to wait and see what mystery solution Slasher could come up with and how Wind would apply it to the situation at hand. The reploids were getting restless, though, despite this decision.
Terra had watched over Cole throughout the night, since no one else wanted to be around him after learning what part Blue had in the stabbing of Katrina. She quietly slept in her chair next to him, her head tilted forward while she watched her own eyelids instead of Colephantus.
Colephantus had been repaired after X2 was finished working on Katrina. The cheek had been repaired with only a slight scar visible on the flesh until such a time they could remove it. His long-range weapons were still offline and would be until further time could be devoted to them, but mobility had been returned to his arm and his leg had been patched up. However, he continued to sleep.
President McCabe had spent most of the night sleeping after Gravedigger returned with the supplies. Despite not being molested by Death Star's men, his body was physically tired and worn down from being kept in a cage. Once he went to sleep, he remained that way.
And Wind had been sitting in his wheelchair, having spent the majority of the night with Katrina, but had finally moved out into the main room where Slasher and X1 worked on their respective problems. His eyes were closed to slits, but it was obvious by his breathing that he was not asleep. He hadn't moved in over an hour since he retired to the main room and occassionally his fingers would rub the sides of his wheelchair.
"Eureka!" X1 shouted, shattering the silence. Neither Slasher nor Wind stirred from their respective places as X1 began to dance around in a circle. "I found the cure to the maverick virus!" he said in pride. Then he paused and looked closer at his findings. "No, wait, this is just the cure to cancer," X1 said disappointedly and tossed the vial over his head into the trash can. This had been a ritual from X1 for the past two hours and by now neither of them reacted to his apparant breakthroughs.
As X1 cleared away his mess and began on the process again, Wind finally lifted his head for the first time in ages and opened his eyes. He rolled over behind Slasher, who was hunched over a microscope to further study the data he was looking at. "I think I need a break," Slasher finally admitted to Wind, pulling away from the microscope. "The cells are beginning to look like X1's face."
"Maybe that's the missing link," Wind said dryly as he sat there, leaning forward. "I think you need to sleep, Slasher. It's been days."
"I just need some coffee," Slasher told him as he stood up.
"I made some," X1 shouted as he dissected pieces of Wiendigo's old body.
"I'll go make some," Slasher said, eyeing X1 as he walked out of the room. He walked through the hallways to one of the rooms and walked in announced. Sleeping on the bed was President McCabe.
Walking over to the bed, Slasher jumped on top of it and caused McCabe to bounce up in the air. Startled out of his sleep, McCabe fell onto the floor and looked up at Slasher in annoyance. "What...are you doing?" he asked.
"I wanted some coffee," Slasher said, cupping his hands together.
McCabe stood up, adjusting his wrinkled suit. "You wanted coffee, so you woke me up?" he asked Slasher incredulously.
"Uh huh," Slasher answered. McCabe shook his head and walked out of the room toward the coffee maker, when he began to switch out the filter and make preparations. Slasher stood behind him with a big smile.
As McCabe was working, he began to speak. "What do you really want, Slasher?" he asked him. "I know this is more than just coffee."
"I just really like your coffee," Slasher told him as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Oh, and I want to know what you plan to do about this conflict."
McCabe turned around to look at him. "What can I do about it? When you were President, you allowed the reploids to return to the planet despite knowing what a bad history there was on this planet. Now every human on the planet is pissed and what's the reploids gone," he said.
"I know what I did," Slasher told him. He pointed at McCabe. "I want to know what you're going to do to fix it."
McCabe gave him a glare, then turned back to the coffee maker. "If this is going to be another speech about General Cran, forget it. I already know that he was this bad general in the old days who made it his life's goal to wipe out the reploids," McCabe told him, finishing with the coffee machine. He turned back to Slasher. "And I know that in the end, he decided to sacrifice his own life to help save not only you, but the reploids after seeing the light." He crossed his arms. "Look, Slasher, I'm not Cran. I don't hate reploids that much. But I think having them here is a bad idea. And quite frankly I don't see how I can change public opinion about hating them."
"Why not?" Slasher asked. "If you could get your government to stand behind the idea of peace, then you could try to change the public opinion."
"You know better than I do that it's not that easy. After all these years of heartache and that huge war last year, people want someone to blame. And since the reploids are as foreign as you can get, that's who they picked to unleash their anger. This anger has been brewing for decades," McCabe said.
"Anger fades if you find the right means of letting it go," Slasher told him. He leaned forward. "And reploids and humans are more alike than I think you want to admit. That's why I think humans and reploisd hate each other."
"You think they see their own weaknesses in each other?" McCabe asked. "Or perhaps themselves in each other?"
Slasher stood up, reaching out to grab the coffee and pouring himself a cup. He took a long sip, then smacked his lips. "You said it, not me," Slasher told him, then walked back toward his work station.
McCabe shook his head and sighed. "You're so ... annoying," he said outloud. Slasher stopped and glanced back at him, sipping his coffee loudly again. "See? There you go. You like to push people's buttons to get the responses you want out of them."
"I don't push buttons, McCabe. You know that," Slasher chided. "I only nudge people and let them see what's already there."
McCabe threw up his hand. "What's already there? Slasher, you're nudging people in the direction you want them to be going. There's more to this picture than just black and white. Good and evil. Humans don't want reploids here. I know that humans killing innocent reploids was wrong, but now Death Star's people have pushed the humans to the brink of genocide. And what am I suppose to do? Get the people to suddenly have this revelation that reploids aren't so bad?"
"He couldn't have pushed if he wasn't pushed first," Slasher pointed out.
"That doesn't change the fact. You can't force people to accept other people," McCabe said.
"The reploids have every right to be here, also. They were created by humans. This is this home," Slasher told him. The two of them stood there in an eerie silence, until Slasher brought up his coffee to his lips and made a loud smacking sound as he drank some more. "And I have every bit of faith in you."
"What?" McCabe asked, squinting at him.
"Some people wondered why I left you as a my Vice President after you tried to betray me. Others wondered why I backed you up when you ran for President," Slasher answered. "I did it because I know you have a great potiential in you to do what is right. Even if it means losing all that you've worked for politically."
"So you have faith I'll commit political suicide," McCabe retorted. Slasher held up his coffee mug to him in a salute, then walked off.
Wind glanced at Slasher idly as he sat back down at his work station. Slasher set his coffee mug on the table and leaned forward, studying the specs once again. Tilting his head down back into his fake sleep, Wind closed his eyes to slits again while Slasher and X1 worked on their respected projects.
"Eureka!" X1 shouted out again. "I found the cure to the maverick virus!" He began to dance around in circles, then paused, leaning in close to the vial. "No, wait ... this is the formula to get an instant tan without any annoying side-effects," he said disappointedly. He tossed the vial over his shoulder into the trashcan where it shattered.
Reaching up, Ariel took the coffee from Cheryl's hands and let her arm sag to her side where the cup of coffee didn't move again. Cheryl seemingly didn't pay attention, bringing her own cup of coffee to her lips to take a big drink of it. "She's a strong woman," Cheryl told her as she looked at Katrina.
Ariel shifted, her eyes never leaving Katrina's face. The two of them sat there in silence while the monitors hooked up to Katrina beeped occassionally, checking her lifesigns. Occassionally, Ariel's gaze would flicker up to the monitor, then back to Katrina's pale face. "She's getting weaker," Ariel whispered finally.
Cheryl looked at Ariel and reached out to her, wrapping her arm around Ariel's shoulders and drawing her twin in closer to her. "She'll make it. She's a fighter," Cheryl told her. "Just like you."
Ariel said nothing, not even noting the comforting that Cheryl was giving her. She just continued to look at Katrina and the monitor telling her that Katrina was slipping away from her slowly. Despite the burning sensation at her eyes, she couldn't even blink them once.
So the two of them sat there in silence, looking at Katrina lay there on the table. Only the occassional beep from the monitor would break the silence in an eerie pattern that would not stop until either Katrina recovered or died.
Terra stirred and opened her eyes, glancing at Cole. She gave a faint smile. "You're awake, finally," she said, stretching in her seat.
"Yeah ... you've been watching me all this time?" Cole asked her as he planted his big feet on the ground.
"Yes," Terra told him. "I was just making sure your repairs worked." She stood up as Cole got to his feet.
"They worked fine. I have full mobility back in my arm," Cole informed her, tilting his hand. He paused, then glanced at Terra. "How is Katrina?" he asked her.
Terra shook her head. "No change, I'm afraid," she told him. "X2 says it's about a fifty percent chance that she'll recover."
Cole paused, recalling what happened after he told Wind and Ariel who it was that stabbed Katrina in the stomach. He looked up at Terra. "Has Wind or Ariel done anything yet?"
"Done what?" Terra asked, looking confused. "They've both been here the entire time."
Cole let out his breath. They haven't gone after Blue yet... he thought quietly to himself. He began to walk toward the door, then glanced back at Terra. "Thanks again for watching out for me," he told her, then hurried out the door and down the hallway into the main room.
Pausing in the hallway, Cole glanced into the main room and saw Slasher running some tests on a computer. Tilting his head some, he saw that X1 was on the other side of the room, doing some sort of test involving a hammer against an ugly head. Seeing no one else, however, he began to make his way over to the exit when he heard a throat being cleared. Turning around, he saw Wind sitting there in his wheelchair.
"You're awake," Wind said cooly, crossing his hands on his lap. "Going somewhere so soon?" he asked.
"Yeah ... I'm stepping out for a minute," Cole told him, thumbing toward the door. "Getting some fresh air."
Wind nodded his head calmly. "Fresh air... of course," he said neutrally. "I suppose it would do you good, right?"
"Right," Cole agreed. "Mind if I go?"
Wind gestured at the door. "Go ahead," he said politely. Cole waited a moment, then turned and stepped out into the sewer tunnels. He glanced at Silouette, then hurried on down the tunnel as the door closed behind him. Wind waited a moment after he left, then turned to look at Gravedigger who had stepped out from a side hallway. "Follow him," he ordered.
As Cole worked his way down the sewer tunnel, he paused to glance back the way he had come. Seeing no one there, he shrugged and moved onward through the series of tunnels until he reached the nearest exit. Climbing up the ladder, he pushed the manhole cover aside and pulled himself out onto the street. Glancing around, he reached over and grabbed the cover, slamming it back down.
Walking down an alley, Cole stopped when he came to a fire escape on a two story building. Paushing, he jumped up and grabbed the bottom rung of the ladder. As he lifted himself up onto the fire escape, he began to climb up it until he was on the top. Upon reaching the roof, Cole walked across it until he was at the middle of the roof and pulled out his comm. link. Fiddling with the frequency, Cole directed it toward the location of the base where Death Star's forces were hiding out.
Taking a deep breath, he pressed the button in hopes of sending a clear message. "Blue... if you're there... please ... answer me..." he said outloud.
She opened her eyes when she heard footsteps walking up behind her. Death Star's voice broke the silence haunting the room. "You're thinking about him," he noted outloud.
Blue turned to look at him. "What makes you say that?" she asked him defiantly, tilting her head back.
"Don't bother to lie to me," Death Star told her. "I know what you're feeling. Your pain is fluxating through this room in waves."
"Yes, I'm thinking about him," Blue answered.
Death Star glanced at her with his one eye. "What exactly are you thinking about? Your feelings for him? How you betrayed him? How you stabbed the girl in the stomach and killed her? How you murdered those children?" he asked her.
Blue crossed her arms and looked away. "Leave me alone," she snapped at him.
Death Star stepped up toward Blue. He reached out and grabbed her chin, tilting her face back toward his own. "Well, you better be thinking about it, Blue. Because your chances with him are burning up in front of you the further you go."
Slapping his hand around, Blue glared at him. "This is coming from you, the person who plans to kill all the humans tomorrow. How hypocritical," she said in disgust.
"I don't hold any illusions of making connections with my friends or loved ones," Death Star told her. "If you have nothing left to love, then you have nothing left to lose." He stepped away. "You do."
"I believe in the cause, not a single man," Blue responded, watching him as he stepped away. "And so do you. If you felt differently, you would have tried to get that woman back. Instead, you gave up - you even hurt her in a fight."
"Yes, I did," Death Star noted. He stopped, glancing up at the roof. "You just have to ask what you're willing to lose for a cause, Blue. Are you willing to risk losing that boy for what I'm about to do?" When Blue said nothing, he nodded his head slowly, as if expecting that. "The troops are almost ready to move again. You should get prepared yourself."
Just as he was about to walk off, a reploid came running into the room. "Sir! We have a transmission coming in," he told him.
Death Star paused, glancing at him in confusion. "Someone's transmitting to us?" he repeated.
"Yes, sir. It's addressed to Miss Blue. Someone's asking for her to meet with him," the reploid told them.
Blue lifted her head up. "Cole," she whispered.
Death Star shook his head. "A fool in love. He's going to get himself traced by the humans if he keep this up," he said. He paused, then looked back. "Go to him."
"What?" Blue asked. "But I'm needed here."
"No you're not," Death Star told her. "We'll be ready tomorrow with or without you. You go to him now. It might be your last chance before the end."
Blue hesitated, then nodded. She looked at the reploid. "What is his location?" she asked. After getting it from the reploid, she turned and began to move through the tunnels of the base.
Placing his comm. link back up in his jacket, Cole quickly moved off of the roof in case the military forces were on their way. He began to make his way across the city toward the Mega City Police District, never noticing that he had someone following him.
By the time he made it across the city to the police district, he had to carefully inflitrate his way into the police district by jumping over the fence in one of the empty areas and working his way across the buildings by hiding in their shadows. When he finally reached Building 38, enough time had passed that he reasoned he had lost an hour.
Cole pushed open the front door to the building and stepped into the lobby. There was no one guarding the empty building, probably having figured that no one would dare return here after joining the reploids. He closed it behind him and stepped into the lobby, glancing around the room. "Blue?" he called out gently.
Hearing some movement upstairs, Cole quietly began to walk up the stairs toward the second floor when he noticed the door to his old room was open. As he walked down the hallway, Cole peered into the room, seeing no one there.
Stopping outside the room, Cole took a deep breath and stepped into the room, glancing around and finding it empty except for a bed and dresser. "Blue?" he asked again, turning around to see her standing behind him with a gun aimed at his head. "Blue!" he said in surprise.
Blue paused a moment, then dropped the gun to her side. She looked at him warily, as if trying to decide if she wanted to run out of there and leave him before they even had a chance to talk. "What do you want, Cole?" she asked him quietly.
Cole stepped forward, but stopped when he saw her arm shift slightly to get the gun ready again. "I wanted to see you, Blue," he told her. "You have to stop this."
"Stop what, Cole?" she asked him angerily. "Stop doing what I think is right?"
"This isn't the way to do things," Cole began, gesturing at her with his hands. "You don't have to kill every human to solve things."
"So you think we should..." Blue started in anger, but then stopped, closed her eyes and let out a breath. "No. I'm not having this discussion with you again. I shouldn't have come," she told him, turning around to go.
Cole quickly darted forward and grabbed her arm. "Wait," he begged. Blue turned around to glare at him, but didn't move to dislodge him. "They're going to kill you, Blue. Ariel and Wind are furious at you and they're going to kill you if they find you."
"So what?" Blue asked him. "Why should I care if they want to kill me? It's going to come down between us sooner or later anyway."
"You should care because I love you," Cole stressed. Blue looked up at him defiantly, as if his loved meant nothing to her, but the longer she stared at his eyes, which reflected back his love and sadness at everything that happened, her stance began to melt some. They leaned toward each other, their lips locking as they kissed. She brought her empty hand up to his cheek as they embraced.
Blue pulled away to look at him. "So ... what, should we do it right here again?" she asked him lustfully.
"No," Cole said, shaking his head. "Now isn't the time. Just tell me you'll leave and get out of here. Please."
Pushing him away, Blue shook her head ruefully. "No, I'm not leaving," she told him coldly.
"But, Blue...I don't want you to die," Cole stressed, stepping forward to reach out to her. He stopped when he felt the gun being pressed against his stomach. Glancing down, he sighed in resignment. "So that's it, then? I can't convince you to leave?"
"'fraid not, Cole. I'm seeing this thing through to the end," Blue told him. "If it helps any ... I love you, too." She stepped out, then vanished down the hallway, leaving Cole alone in his room. He sighed, falling back against the wall, never noticing Gravedigger standing outside the rooms, having heard anything. Gravedigger silently turned and left.
Cole raised his hand to his face, trying to hold back the feelings of pain. The feelings that threatened to overtake him. Everything bad that had happened to him since the Human/Reploid War came flooding over him. He turned and smashed his hand through the wall, sending a large crack running through it. "It's not fair!" he shouted out loud.
Blue stood on the roof of Building 38, leaning down against it. She tilted her head toward the roof, letting the tears run down her face. The building shook underneath her, causing her to wipe at her eyes. "I'm sorry..." she whispered outloud, knowing he wouldn't hear her.
"Hello, Cole," Wind said, his voice a few degrees colder than normal. His head was propped up with one hand.
"Wind..." Cole began, glancing over him at the door. "I came to see Katrina."
"Have you now?" Wind asked eerily. "Decided to come see the person your woman stabbed?"
"She's not my woman. Not anymore," Cole said coldly.
"Oh really? I should ask why you decided to see her first, then, before coming to see Katrina if she's not your woman," Wind said dangerously.
Cole paused, unsure of what to say. He shifted nervously in the hallway, glancing at Wind. "I had to try to get her to give up her path," he told him.
Wind chuckled. "The path of stabbing my daughter?" he asked darkly.
Cole stepped back. "I just want to see how Katrina is doing," he said, eyeing Wind carefully. Wind wheeled his chair toward him. "I care about Katrina a lot..." he continued.
Sitting there, Wind eyed him. He then planted his foot on the ground and stood up, slamming Cole against the side of the wall hard enough to crack it. "You fucking stay away from my daughter! You hear me!? If you come near my daughter again with your sick fucking twisted ways I'll kill you myself! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, COLE!" he shouted into Cole's face, slamming him against the wall.
Cole winced, then his eyes widened. "W-Wind.." he struggled to say as Wind shoved his his arm against Cole's throat.
"Don't you DARE tell me you care about my daughter, you sick bastard," Wind shouted at him. "My little girl is dying and you're MEETING WITH THE GODDAMN BITCH WHO PUT HER THERE!" He shoved his arm harder against Cole's throat.
Suddenly a pair of arms grabbed Wind and shoved him away from Cole. Wiendigo and Slasher stood there, holding Wind back. "Star! Calm down!" Slasher told him.
"Calm down before I put you down," Wiendigo ordered him. Wind struggled, then his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground.
Cole rubbed his throat, stepping away. "Jesus," he managed to say. "I didn't have anything to do with Kat being stabbed!"
"Get out," came a cold voice. Cole glanced over and saw Ariel standing there in front of the door to Katrina's room.
Cole paused, then dropped his hands to his sides. "Fine. I'll go," he told them, walking off toward the door. He stepped out and left the lab.
Slasher lifted Wind up into his chair. "You shouldn't have done that, Star..." he told him.
Wind glared at him, but said nothing. He grabbed his wheelchair and wheeled himself into Katrina's room. Ariel looked at all of them, then followed after her husband.
Shaking his head, Slasher glanced at Wiendigo. "And it's a scary day when you're the only one with a cool head," he told him.
Wiendigo gave him a look.
Wind sat there in his chair sullenly. "What do you mean?" he asked X2.
"It's like she doesn't have the will to keep on living. Her body took severe damage and it has basically retreated into itself to repair the damage. The body is designed to heal and fight anything that's wrong. However, if a person experiences so much pain and heartache, they might not have the will to allow the body to heal itself," X2 explained.
"So you're basically saying my daughter has no reason to live right now and she's given up?" Wind asked flatly.
"It might not be she has no reason to live, but she can't find her way back from the pain anymore," X2 answered.
Wind's head dropped to face his lap. "Oh, Kat..." he said softly. He reached out and took Ariel's hand into his own.
Ariel glanced at him, her eyes blank. She had begun to withdraw the more Katrina faded away. Wind glanced up at her. "I'm so sorry, baby," he told her.
X2 sighed, adjusting his glasses. "I'm just sorry I don't have better news to give you two. I wish there was something more I could do, but it's all up to her now."
Wind nodded his head. "Thank you, X2. Could you leave us alone for a while?" he asked him.
"Of course," X2 said respectfully. He set down some charts and walked out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.
Wind turned his chair around to face Ariel. "I wish I could do something to make it all better," he told Ariel.
Ariel shook her head. "But there's nothing we can do..." she said, her voice withdrawn of life.
"No, I don't think there is anything we can do now," Wind agreed. "But I promise you that I will make the people who did this pay. It's the only thing I can offer you now. Death Star is going to move his army against the city soon and I have to get McCabe ready to fight it."
Ariel looked down at him. "You do what you have to do," she told him quietly.
Wind leaned his head against her stomach. "I'm so sorry," he repeated.
Now, there was nothing left. It was like a dream that had faded away. Death Star had been right. There was nothing left for those who were going to fight for a cause such as this one.
Stepping into the main office, she saw Death Star smashing his fist into a reploid's face and causing him to drop. The reploid, she recognized, was one of the rowdier ones who enjoyed using his blades. She walked over to them, wondering if the maverick virus in Death Star had come out again.
"Death Star...?" she asked quietly. Death Star whipped around, his one eye flaring purple. He struggled, as if fighting some unseen force, then the purple aura faded.
"Blue. I should say I'm sorry," he said under strain. He turned back to some of his other people, then waved his hand in dismissal at the beaten reploid. "Take him away and let him rethink about disobeying my orders," he ordered. The other reploids dragged the beaten reploid from the room, leaving Blue and Death Star alone.
"Sorry for what?" Blue asked him after they were alone.
"I just learned that this man just killed those kids. I had thought you did it," Death Star told her. "Why didn't you correct me?"
"... because I thought about doing it ... and thinking it is just as bad as doing it," Blue confessed, sitting down.
"But you didn't do it," Death Star corrected.
"I ... hate the humans so much for what they've done. We have every right to be here, yet they killed us, rejected us, and did everything they could to get rid of us. And I can't stop hating them for it," Blue said, hanging her head.
"So much hate that you want to assist me in killing them all?" Death Star asked.
"Yes..." Blue answered. "I think so. Yet, you do the strangest things. You don't kill the humans when you have the chance. The Ragnorak has been ready for a week now and you don't use it - you opt for a battle instead of using it. You spare the lives of the children and you only seem to kill the human soldiers. Why?"
Death Star planted her hand on Blue's shoulder. "We're innocent, aren't we?" he asked her.
"Yes...we were," Blue agreed.
"Because the innocent deserve to remain that way. And when I'm done, innocence will be the only thing left for people to cling to," Death Star said quietly. Blue looked up at him, obviously confused. He smiled at her. "You'll see soon," he promised.
A few people passed him by on the street, paying him little attention. He closed his eyes once, then reopened them. He turned and walked down an alley until he was sure that he was far enough from the street and leaned against the wall.
"Why are you sad?" came voice. Cole glanced up and saw Lunar Girl perched on a fire escape above him.
Cole shook his head. "Hello, Michiru," he said outloud. Lunar Girl jumped off the fire escape and landed on the ground, sliding her mask off.
"I heard that you got into a fight with Wind today," Michiru told him.
"Yeah. I think he's a little angry at me," Cole responded, glancing down at the ground. "He blames me for what happened to Katrina."
"Are you to blame?" Michiru asked him.
"No," Cole said, glancing up. "I'm not."
"Then why aren't you with her right now?" Michiru questioned.
"Because they don't want me to be near her," Cole explained, shifting against the wall. "He said he would kill me if I went near her again."
"So?" Michiru asked. "You should still go see her. I bet she could feel it if you did. She felt you before."
"That was different," Cole said, shaking his head. He refused to meet Michiru's gaze, instead dropping it to focus on a can in the alley.
"Oh," Michiru said, sounding a bit disappointed. She leaned against the wall next to him. "So what are you going to do now?"
"I don't know," Cole confessed. "I hadn't really thought about it."
"I heard Wind say there's going to be a big battle coming soon. Are you going to be in it?" Michiru asked him.
"Probably," Cole said thoughtfully. "I might as well see how it ends," he said, repeating the words Blue had spoken earlier.
Michiru nodded her head. "I want to see how it ends, too," she told him. "But I should get back home before my mom worries."
"You're a brave kid," Cole said, glancing down at her. "You know that?"
Michiru smiled. "Thanks, Cole," she said. She patted him on the arm. "I know you'll do the right thing." She put her mask back on and with that Lunar Girl jumped up onto the fire escape and left.
Cole watched her go, then sighed outloud. "I hope so," he muttered.
One of the men in the room shook his head in disbelief. "You're going to bring out those ancient weapons? The destruction to our city and surrounding area would be unacceptable," he protested.
Abbot leaned forward. "If we send our forces into battle with the reploids, they will not live to tell the tale. Our military here is weakened and untrained after all the civil wars last year. We cannot stand up to the reploids if they push forward. And I have reason to believe they will do so tomorrow. We have to act now," he insisted.
"But such weapons ... isn't there another way?" another one of the men spoke up.
"Indeed there is," came a voice from the room. Everyone looked over across the room at President McCabe standing there with two women on either side of him. One of them held a sword in one hand while the other held a gun. "My way," McCabe told them.
"Pr-President McCabe?" General Abbot said in surprise. He glanced at a few of his armed soldiers. "Quickly, shoot the imposter! The reploids have sent him here to kill us!" As the armed men began to reach for their weapons, Terra raised her gun and fired at their hands. Each of the soldiers cried out in pain as their weapons fell to the ground and they fell to their knees.
General Abbot stood there a moment, then made a dive for his weapon behind the podium. As he was about to reach it, he felt the tip of a sword pressed against his neck and glanced up at Silouette. "I would advise against it," the woman said cooly.
McCabe smiled at Abbot. "The slightest twitch of her hand will slice your jugular, General. I advise you stand down. After all, what you're doing here is treason and I can have you killed for that."
Abbot paused, then shifted away from the weapon. "Of course, Mr. President," he said stiffly.
"Good. I'm glad you see it my way," McCabe said pleasantly. "It's been a while since I've been here, but it's time we got down to business." He clapped his hands together. "We have a war to end, gentlemen."
One of the men at the table looked at McCabe, then nervously addressed him. "But how do you plan to do that, sir?" he asked him.
McCabe stepped to the side and gestured at Wind as he wheeled himself into the room. "This man here is going to be our new military leader," he announced.
Abbot scowled. "He's a cripple!" he protested.
Wind's lip curled into a sinister smile and pressed his feet to the ground, standing up before the men. Abbot shrinked back and looked away. "Listen up. Tomorrow the reploids will launch the final battle against this city and you can either follow what I have to say, or you can die a painful death. Either way, you need to make up your minds right now, because I'm going to move with or without you."
The men glanced around the table, then nodded their heads in agreement. Wind nodded cooly, turning to look at McCabe. "Then get ready, because here's what we're going to do..." he began
"You're a genius, honey," Cheryl said in a patronizing way.
"You're damn straight," Slasher told her. "I just need to get these results over to Star right now."
Suddenly, the entire area seemed to shake. Wiendigo came rushing into the room. "We have a problem," he told Slasher.
Slasher ran over to the computer and brought it online. The cameras outside showed a huge wave of sewage flooding down the sewer at high speeds, directly for the lab. "We need to evacuate now," he ordered.
Wiendigo quickly moved back to round up the rest of the people while Slasher began to download his results to his desk. He ran over to another wall, opening it up and typing in a passcode.
Cheryl hurried back into the other room where X2 and Ariel were at. "We need to go," she told them.
X2 looked around. "What is it? My patient needs rest," he said in alarm.
"Just move it," Cheryl said, bending down to move Katrina to a moveable bed. Ariel quickly grabbed the machines hooked up to her, bringing it up beside her. Then the three of them worked their way back out to the main room where Slasher had opened a secret passage.
"I made an escape route in case of an emergency," Slasher told them. He waved them on and everyone began to escape down the tunnel. As soon as everyone was clear, he turned to look at X1. "Come on!"
"But I'm not done with my experiment," X1 snapped back.
"Sewage is not the cure to the maverick virus," Slasher said, grabbing his shoulder and jerked him toward the escape route. Suddenly the sound of sewage hitting the wall outside at high speeds could be heard and the wall began to buckle. Before either of them could react, the wall gave in and a flood of sewage poured in toward them.