Bio-Booster Armor Guyver is Copyrighted to Yoshiki Takaya and Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co in Japan and is trade marked to VIZ Communications Inc.. I am using the characters and ideas without permission but am not making any money from this. This fictional work does belong to me.

***

The Conquered
By Jade Tatsu
Chapter XIV - Trust

***

    With the Jraewy Prisoners gone we had other matters to attend to on Merrimu . It seems the old axiom is true - It doesn't rain, it pours.

    In retrospect the Jraewy were children, the attackers who followed them were much more dangerous. As I have previously stated they were driven off, thanks largely to the efforts of Aptom but their attack was a warning to us. In the aftermath, troops were stationed in every settlement and were frequently rotated. While it pained me, further humans, who had been saved from becoming Advent Zoanoids, were now processed into free Zoanoids for the protection of the settlement. It was a true case of winning the battle only to lose the war.

    The new attack focused our attention on defence but also raised questions about the nature of the Guyver Units. We were aware that they had changed from what we had formerly believed them to be but the true extent of that change was something we were only beginning to come to terms with. I had become a Guyver Lord and all the Warrior Guyvers we knew personally had manifested Giga forms... These are examples of the changes but they are just examples of changes made to the Guyver Unit. Changes made to the host were far more fundamental and dangerous.

    The attack opened our eyes to what it truly meant to be a Guyver and exactly how the Unit's were affecting their Hosts. The changes were for the most part small, and for those of us who had come to terms with what it meant it be a Guyver they were not distressful but for Sho, who still, despite his long years of experience with his Unit, was coming to terms with it and his own immortality, the changes hit hard. While they didn't drive his Unit from him, I am not sure to this day, if he has ever forgiven his Unit for them.

***

Aptom sat on the edge of the cliff. Before him, extending as far as could be seen was ice, a huge plateau, contained within a canyon. Shattered glaciers jutted irregularly and the sun was reflected and refracted though their ragged edges. Rainbows hung in the air and water dripped to form icicles and the whole thing shone with iridescence - blue, white, pink, red. Every now and then a curtain of aurua australis would shimmer in the sky before vanishing. It was beautiful but Aptom saw none of it. He was looking at his hand, flexing his fingers and his face bore a look of deep contemplation.

    It felt... not stronger but different. He usually felt stronger after he absorbed someone but this time it didn't feel that way. He just felt different but he couldn't pinpoint where the sensation was coming from.

   " Aptom ..?" The voice was tentative but then Fukamachi was always tentative when he was unsure of the situation.

    "Yes?"

    "Are you all right?"

    "No." There was no point in lying.

    "Is there... is there anything I can do?"

    "No..." Aptom closed his eyes. He could feel the guilt rolling off the boy. "It was not your fault," he said forcefully. "You asked me to do it and I agreed to try. We are both at fault and there was no way for you to know what would happen. If anything, I should have been expecting it."

    "I shouldn't have asked."

Aptom growled. Why did the boy have to be so noble? "What would you have done? I didn't really believe you would let Makishima torture them. If you had I would have been disappointed ." He said the word with emphasis. "It was the logical thing to try."

    "I..."

    "Shut up!" He turned to glare at the man who was still a boy. "If I hear one more word out of you about it, I will hurt you and if I feel one more wave of guilt from you then I will really be mad. It wasn't your fault and I do not blame you."

    Sho was silent for a moment. "All right," he finally nodded, smiling slyly.

Aptom's glare flashed with surprise and faded. "Really?" This was a change. The Fukamachi he knew would have beaten himself up over this for months.

    "Really, although since you haven't let me say it, my final words on this are I am sorry."

    "Humph! I should have known." He rolled his eyes. This was more like it. "Just so long as that's your final word."

    "It will be - on this anyway. Apart from that though, are you all right? Mizuki is worried."

    "I am fine," Aptom said. "I will admit, absorbing him was different from anything I have ever experienced and I am not really eager to repeat it but I am fine. Nothing is wrong. What he was is now subservient within me, like Elegen and the others."

    "Good."

    "An unusual response for you."

    "No... Not really. I may not be as practical as Makishima but even I know the problems we would have if you, Aptom , were not in control of yourself."

Aptom smirked. "You'd be the first," he whispered to himself. "I would make sure you would be the first," he repeated but his voice held no hatred and the words seemed rhetoric, meant to calm and reassure himself.

    "I heard that and like Makishima you are welcome to try after everything is finished."

    "Be assured then Fukamachi, it will be my hand that kills you."

    Guyver I nodded but there was something almost mocking in his movement. Aptom hadn't worked it out yet but it was only a matter of time.

    They sat in silence for some time until Aptom swept his hand through the air encompassing the landscape. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

    "Very."

    "I never had much time to appreciate the scenery on Earth. I never really cared but it's beautiful."

    "You've changed."

    "So have you."

    Sho looked sideways at Aptom . "I think that exhausts the possibility of conversation in that direction," he said with unusual candour.

    "Yes... But it leave us open to the topic I have wanted the answer for since the Interstellar Meeting."

    "Oh?"

    "I changed Fukamachi. When I thought Alkard had killed you I changed. My Unit was a Guyver Engineer but it is no longer, I changed it to a Guyver Warrior and I don't know how. I only know I don't really have that strength, something else did."

    "You are one of the strongest people I know."

    "And the Guyver Unit's are even stronger. One type is not meant to change into another but mine did. Something helped it."

    "So what's this got to do with me? I was 'dead' at the time."

    "You were," Aptom agreed easily. "And that is why I think you heard it too. I changed the moment the Giga Armor appeared, Giga Armor that has only ever responded to you and Makishima and in that moment I heard it. It was the same voice I heard when I was merging with the Jraewy , the consciousness of the Guyver Unit's. With the Jraewy it told me it was whole and that I could draw on that power and at the Interstellar Meeting it wasn't speaking to me but I still heard it. It was speaking to you though. What did it say?"

    Sho looked up to the sky as Aptom's words ghosted around him. For the moment he didn't really hear the Zoanoid but was lost in the contemplation of the cosmos. The stars were beginning to come out now, twinkling overhead like diamonds set into a deep midnight velvet. The wind was ruffling his hair, cold and crisp, carrying with it the smell of ice, a clear smell untainted by pollution and one that gave the illusion of permanence. All around him he felt nothing but serenity and comfort even from the gravel that was poking into his leg. He sighed... "What did it say?" Sho repeated, as he blinked, looking back to the panorama of ice. "It said that everything would work out."

    He looked over to the Zoanoid . "I've heard it before but never so clearly and it hasn't always been right. Some things just do not work out."

Aptom was silent. There was a note in Fukamachi's voice he hadn't heard before. 'Some things just do not work out...' Hopelessness... Sadness... Anger... None of them were him, especially not the lack of hope. "What did not work out?"

    "It may have protected me from Alkard , and from Alkanphel at Mt Minakami but it killed my Father so I do not understand how everything will work out."

    "That wasn't your fault."

    "No, it wasn't my fault," Sho agreed. "It was my Unit's fault."

Aptom blinked. "Would you prefer to be dead?" Fukamachi's Unit had always acted to protect him no matter who the opponent was, no matter what the danger. Considered logically it was absurd that a high school boy with no training in anything resembling combat, tactics or weaponry had successfully fought Chronos , not matter what was aiding him. But the ability to fight had come at a cost and it was that price Fukamachi was angry about.

    "Sometimes."

    "Then I would have killed Mizuki." Truth was painful.

    "You would have had no reason to kill her if I was dead."

    The barb hadn't struck. "You don't know what my orders were. Chronos would have killed her anyway. And even if your Father had killed you, you don't truly believe Chronos would have let him live? Tetsuro may have survived but you saw the effects of the 'controllers' Chronos placed within their scientists. He would have been another Odagiri trying to be Yamamura. So he would have died as well."

    Sho was silent. What if I had of died? It was a question he had considered many times. His Father would be alive, Mizuki would have never known the pain he had put her through and Tetsuro would still be sprouting off his crazy ideas with that smile on his face, never even dreaming that his ideas could be approximated to the truth. And Aptom would still have the company of Solume and Dyme .

What if I had of died? X-day would still have occurred. Agito would still be fighting but his battle forces would have been depleted and there would have been no GigaGuyver Unit. Murakami dead or serving because the question of Gyro's rebellion was not clear.

But what price my life..? That was the core of the matter.

    "All right," Sho whispered. "I know, I know. But there are times when I wish for separation and know I cannot get it. And having my Unit ask my forgiveness for killing my Father was not something I wanted it to request."

    "Your Unit asked forgiveness?"

    "Yes."

    "Did you give it?"

    "You saw what it did to Alkard , what do you think?"

    "I think I'm not going to be strong enough, even as a Giga and I think I can't wait for Agito to try to take you on. I don't think he is bonded as closely as you are."

    "It's not like I have a lot of choice. Being reformed by the Control Medallion does tend to break down the barriers between you."

    "Yes and no," Aptom objected. "Makishima allowed Chronos some limited experimentation on him when he was 'recruiting' them for the Olympiad. He has been reformed by his Unit several times but... the lack of barriers that we call naivety... He never let his Unit pass them."

    "Oh... I didn't know that."

    "I know. It's not something he likes to advertise especially since Chronos are the Advent's and they probably know everything now. Valkus , the old bastard, has a very good memory for experimentation. That's not the point though and you still really haven't answered my question... What did it say to you?"

    "Not much. Really. Although... You said you heard it before the Giga Unit appeared?"

    "Yeah... 'You must lend me your power, so that I might give him your power.'"

    "Oh... That. "

    "You know?"

    "It's simple really. You summoned the Giga Unit, didn't you? But there is more than one Giga Unit now and they have different forms for different occasions. You didn't summon any Unit, you summoned my Unit, the Unit that was made from the Advent at Mt Minakami . That's why you heard that line."

    It was obtuse but Aptom understood. Fukamachi's Unit had needed more time to heal him and he had wanted power to strike Alkard with so it was a situation that had suited them both. "So where did the Unit you summoned come from?"

    "The Twenty-One. There are Twenty-One Giga Units, Nine Lord Units and what ever the Tekki called the One."

    "How do you know this?"

    "My Unit told me," Sho smiled. "It amazing what the Units will tell you if you ask but that's all I know."

    "So I don't really have a Giga Unit," there was a disappointed note in Aptom's voice. "I'm just using your's and you are borrowing one."

    "No... My Unit is your's now and yeah, I think I am borrowing one but that's okay, I don't need that much power."

Aptom rolled his eyes. Borrowed power or not, the boy still could harness it with the best of them. It was enough to make him wonder what type of Zoanoid Chronos would have made of Sho. Something unique no doubt, something very unique and very powerful in Fukamachi's never sought and understated way. "You would have been a Lost Number, you know."

    "What?"

    "You... If Chronos had of made you into a Zoanoid , you would have been a Lost Number."

    "No... I would have been a Ramotiths . Mass produced and expendable."

    A glimpse of a smile passed across Aptom's face. "No... Trust me, I know... Alkanphel himself would have..."

    " What the hell was that? "

    From behind them came a brilliant flash of light, dazzlingly bright for an instant before it faded. Both Aptom and Sho jumped up, turning to look at the source. It was the settlement and from the yellow and red hue of the light reflecting into the sky, it was burning, a thought that was confirmed when a brilliant array of sparks flew into the air.

    "What the..?"

    Sho took off at a dead run. If there had been an explosion or an accident then his Unit wasn't going to do much good until he got there. And while the settlers knew of the Guyver Unit it was a very intimating sight.

Aptom rolled his eyes. The boy was impulsive but his heart was pure, too pure at times and sometimes he just didn't think. With a sigh he summoned his Unit...

    Or he tried to.

    "Guyver!" He called again, waiting expectantly but there was no flash of light, no burst of noise that signalled its arrival from subspace. There was nothing.

    "Oh shit!" He ran after Fukamachi. No Guyver Unit meant that that light wasn't an accident and Sho was totally defenceless and running straight into an ambush.

    Sho skidded to a halt on the ridge top as the smell of smoke filled his nostrils driving away the burning cold shortness of breath that had been gripping his throat. It wasn't an accident. He saw that immediately. It seemed as if every house in the settlement was on fire. Flames were leaping from the rooves and showers of sparks were riding into the air in brilliant waves.

    Everywhere he could see shadows running in every direction and every now and then a larger shadow would slink its way between the fires and instinctively he knew that those were the attackers. Screams of pain ghosted up to him and he felt his soul twist in sympathy.

    "Fukamachi! Wait!" Aptom slammed a hand down on Sho's shoulder just as the younger man was about to take off down the hill.

    "What is it?"

    "Call your Unit."

    There was something in Aptom's voice that made Sho hesitate but he called his Unit. "Guyver!"

    " Wha ..." Sho's eyes were wide. "I'm upset with my Unit but not that upset."

    "I wouldn't worry, Fukamachi. Well, not that much. It's not just you. Mine won't come either and I can't even get it mentally. Something's blocking them and given what's happening I'd say who ever is attacking is doing it." The Zoanoid didn't even pause. With a flick of his eyes had saw the situation and saw the escape route, but it needed to be covered. "That being the case, you are in no position to try to fight. I'll cover that escape route and you direct everyone. Send someone to get all the Zoanoid troops they can find and to warn Agito and the others away." As he spoke, Aptom's human features melted away into the black carapace that was his Ultimate Zoanoid form.

    "Be careful," Sho said, eyes wide with concern as he tried to track the larger shadows. "They're brazen enough to risk this, they could even be Advents."

    "They're not but I don't know what they are," Aptom snapped the response as he unfurled his wings, fanning them quickly as he rose into the air. A few pot shots from on high should scatter the attackers before he closed for hand-to-hand combat and it should serve to confuse them. "Go!" With the shouted command, he pushed Fukamachi in the direction he needed to boy to go and took off himself, rising upwards as several plates slid back on his armor , revealing his focusing crystals, glowing with power.

***

    Sho scrambled down the rocky slope to where Aptom had indicated. It was split in the mounds of gravel that surrounded this settlement almost like lowland hills. A path lead back between them and twisted and turned and wound its way back to the other settlements and to the troops that were there. It would be safe enough even though it was nothing more than a natural path for everyone to retreat down... It was the only choice.

    "Everyone!" He called, wishing for some way to attract only Terran attention. Shouting, even in Terran was noise and that was indiscriminate although he hoped the alien attackers would interpret his calls as just another Terran's voice. "Fall back! Southwest corner! Fall back to that point," he grabbed a couple of settlers as he ran by them, dragging them to the escape route.

    "You two!"

    "W... what... what do you want with us?"

    Sho winced at the pathetic tone in the voice. "Look at me!" He commanded with uncharacteristic fierceness. "I'm not one of them."

    It was with a cowardly movement that they looked up at him, relaxing only when they saw fully that he was human.

    "You need to run ahead," Sho pointed to the sketchy path. "I need you to do two things, can you do that?" He eased up slightly when he saw how young they were, no more than thirteen... But I wasn't much older when the Unit came to me... His mind reminded him. These were children of war, they should not be used to it, but they should be stronger, they should know better than they did, how to react in such situations.

    One of them nodded.

    "Okay... I need you to get Zoanoid troops here. We have to fight back... And, this is just as important; I need you to tell them that the Guyver Unit's can't come. Under no circumstances can Agito or Alkard or any of them come. Do you understand all that?"

    "Get the Zoanoids and don't allow the Guyvers to come," one of them summarized quickly.

    "Good," Sho nodded. "Now go!"

    They took off at a run, leaping nimbly over several small boulders that blocked the way. Well... Their initial reaction to a dangerous situation may need work but their survival instinct seemed appropriate.

    "Settlers!" Sho shouted. "Fall back... Southwest corner. Fall back."

***

    As expected a few shots had scattered them but they were faster than he thought and had quickly located him. He folded his wings in, letting himself fall to the ground rather than having to alter them to give him mobility. His wings weren't really designed for combat, no Zoanoid's wings were. They were too exposed and his really didn't match his body anyway since Zektoll's Zoanoid wings were only for gathering energy he had had to make some alterations so that he could fly.

Aptom rolled, absorbing the impact of the fall and unsheathing his claws. It was time to go hand to hand.

    The attackers spotted him quickly and drove forward but he was ready, an unfamiliar surge of adrenaline pumping through him. There was something different about this... something dangerous and for him that was a relatively rare sensation. Fighting Zoaniods was not a challenge and fighting Makishima's forces had not been, for him, anyway, dangerous. But these creatures were. They were like Advent Zoanoids in that way. He didn't have as much surety in this battle. It would be a true testing of strength versus strength, technique to technique with the stronger emerging victorious. Especially since he didn't know if he could absorb these beings or not and after the Jraewy he wasn't sure he wanted to try a new race so soon.

    He met them head on, claws meeting blades and it was with a hot surge of disappointment his energy enhanced claws melted through their blades cutting deeply into flesh. Was nothing ever going to be a challenge for him?

    The thought was quickly drowned out by the smell... Aptom coughed, gagging slightly. He took that last thought back. Surviving the smell was challenge enough. The aliens he had cut were bleeding but that was normal. What was not normal was the absolutely ghastly odour the almost lumpy orange goo exuded. Human blood smelt sweet with metallic hints, Kyheenan blood had a sharp tang, almost like chlorophyll and Jraewy blood was oily, smelling faintly of old grease but this... This just defied description.

    "What the hell are you?" He growled as they continued to come at him, and he continued to slash them down, splashing the ground liberally with the foul smelling substance but meticulously avoiding getting it on himself. He'd need to more than bathe if that happened.

    They smelt terrible but at least they were dying. While he couldn't ensure that every cut was fatal a fair number of them were succumbing to his attacks. They were strange creatures, black in colour and spindly. They crawled rather than walked on four thin limbs and their heads were long and thin, with long mouths and razor sharp teeth but he couldn't detect any poison glands. In their fore limbs they each carried a short knife and around their middles was strap bearing various implements which he assumed were standard issue since it was obvious that these were soldiers of some sort.

    He continued fighting, being careful about his movements. So far none of them had noticed that the humans were slipping away but he was careful to keep the escape route covered. Fukamachi was directing people and he could only assume that help had been summoned but he didn't know how long that was going to take so until then... He growled, slashing angrily through several more aliens as he saw Sho run forward to pull an old woman to safety. Didn't the boy have any sense? The situation brought a dull anger to Aptom . Fukamachi was completely defenceless but he was still putting himself in harms way and it was all the fault of these things!

    With a sudden lunge he grabbed one that was attempting to slip past him. "Why can't the Guyver Unit's come?" He snarled the first question that came to mind, unconsciously revealing the core of his worry.

    " Hahahahah ! Those abominations can't help you now. We stopped them. Nothing can help you now," the alien hissed, opening orange slits which appeared to be eyes to examine Aptom .

Aptom looked back, narrowing his glowing yellow eyes as he realised what had been said. So they really were responsible for the inhibition on the Units. It must be some sort of field or like, something that was portable so that they could carry it from battle to battle. They couldn't have destroyed the Unit's while in they were in Subspace but they could block them and that in itself was a formidable weapon. But they were relying on it... He could hear that in their voices... For the moment he couldn't stop what they were doing to prevent the Unit's from coming but he could do something else...

    If his form had of allowed him to smile, he would have been beaming. "That's what you think," he said softly with a sharp twist of his hand that broke the aliens neck. He threw the body back towards the others that were approaching. "You think you've blocked the Guyver Units, don't you?" He asked them, cocking his head slightly as they paused.

    "Don't you?" He repeated when there was no answer.

    "There is no think about it."

    "Ha!" Aptom gathered himself, letting his form become fluid as he called forth a different part of his DNA sequence. He felt his armor lighten and shift becoming plates that fitted together in an outer layer. Small silver balls appeared at his waist and forehead and he felt his mouth arrange itself so that it was a circular row of teeth. "Do you really think you can stop us?" He asked as his transformation was completed. He looked like Fukamachi's Guyver form, exactly what Chronos had processed him to be.

    "Impossible!"

    "I am a Terran , do not dare to tell me what is possible." He paused a moment, enjoying the rough feeling of shock coming from them. "Now, who wants to face me?" He flexed his claws before jumping forward, extending his elbow blades, as he almost seemed to dance through the attackers on light feet.

***

This isn't happening. It is impossible .

    The thought chased itself around like a mantra. It didn't matter what species you were, if had a Guyver Unit it responded to a very specific frequency of Subspace. It was something to do with the Unit's themselves rather than the Host. Flood that frequency with meaningless and random signals and a Host could call to their Unit as much as they wanted but it would not, could not come because it didn't hear the call.

    At least that was the theory...

    But the thing, the light blue Guyver that was cutting through his troops like butter was a direct contradiction of the theory. The Unit should not have been able to respond, or if it could, it should only have been able to verbally interact with it's Host. Its actual ability to materialise in this dimension should have been disabled.

    That's what he'd been told.

This isn't happening. It's impossible . Disoura even said the words once or twice as he scampered back, punching the Anti-Guyver Field's controller ineffectually as he tried to determine if it was still operational. As far as he could tell, it was functioning perfectly. The monitor light that blinked constantly when the Field was active was blinking normally and there was a slight hum from the controller. Everything was fine, and nothing had changed, except for the Unit that had materialised. This isn't happening. It's impossible .

    The creature that had summoned the Guyver Unit was a Zoanoid . He knew that and they had been warned to expect them but this one was exceptional. He wasn't like anything they had been told about. He had scattered their attack with a few well-placed shots before landing and facing them in one to one combat. One to one combat had proven that they were inferior... Or was it for more than that..? Despite everything the Zoanoid had been especially careful somehow... His tactics deliberate...

    Covering... That was it. He had been leading a rear-guard action, restricting their movements to the southwest corner... The Zoanoid was covering the retreat of the others...

Disoura sampled the air... Definitely the southwest corner... The scent of fear was strong there... The scent of humans...

You've killed my comrades... You have masterfully held us back but I see your plan now... And I will defeat it. He jumped on to the side of a burning building, using it for what cover it could provide. He could still hear his comrades dying. The Blue Guyver was brutally efficient but also mercifully quick. Most of his friends had died but not many had suffered at his hands.

There... He spotted the human easily and wondered how he could have missed it earlier. The human was standing directing others into a gully... A gully that presumably lead back to some of the other settlements and safety. He was doing a good job too... Helping those who were too weak on to the path before handing them over to others who could escort them. All the time though, he was shouting, presumably calling to others and giving instruction. Where his Zoanoid Guyver friend was brutally efficient at killing, this human was efficient at evacuation and this was the human the Guyver had been covering the entire time.

I see you... A human ran beneath him, not even seeing him against the building. I am going to kill that one, and then I am going to kill you... Disoura leapt, with a grace that might even be called beautiful, just as the human looked up, hard brown eyes spotting him immediately. He barred his teeth, the display a toothy gesture, showing his intentions and he hoped it was one that illustrated to the human how powerful he was. He was going to kill this straggler and then, with the blood still hot on his knife he was going to eviscerate that human who, like his Zoanoid partner was far too efficient. Then he would chase down and kill the other humans who had run. While that wouldn't make their mission complete it would mean that their total sacrifice wasn't wasted.

    He didn't understand whatever the human screamed at the straggler but he didn't really have too. It was obvious that it was an imploration to run but the human, while shouting was still sensible and hadn't left the relative cover of the gully. A wise move in the event that he had a projectile weapon and he did but he wasn't going to use it. There was something about them, with the frequency of the energy that gave a Guyver Unit a chance to slip through the distortion field and after all the trouble they had been through to set it up, he wasn't going to bring it down now. One Guyver Unit crossing through the field was bad enough but he wasn't about to open the way for others. With a bit of luck, while it would cost them all their lives, the field would remain intact and the humans would never find it, which would open the way for the next round, if a way could be found to neutralise the blue Guyver.

    The human turned but didn't stop running, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw his doom. Disoura grinned letting his outer eyelids peal back slightly, revealing a glowing orange orbs, loving the pure burst of panic that spread over the humans face. The other one, his true target, took a step forward, obviously worried but still maintaining enough sense not to overly endanger himself. After all, while Disoura knew his back up was dead, the human didn't know that.

    Wait... What was the human doing..? The efficient one's eyes had flashed again, determination showing in his movements and then he had crouched, scooping something up with his hand before flinging it forward, shouting another command to the straggler.

    There! A rock..? What? Guyver ? Disoura had time for the thought before the small projectile plunged into him, savagely clearing his vision, revealing only the human watching with an incomprehensible expression on his features.

    The rock hit with force that it should never have been able to achieve. The force of a bullet ripped into Disoura and he tasted blood as he was hurled backwards, his limbs failing wildly.

What... was that? Disoura looked up at the stars, seeing the shifting waves of sparks floating passed as he tried to arrange his limbs beneath him. A thin trickle of blood bubbled through his teeth, tracing a path down his face and pooling on the ground. It hurt to breathe. He must have some weapon... But he knew that wasn't the case. The human was defenceless save for his Zoanoid companion and humans weren't that strong. The Guyver's were blocked so it didn't matter what he thought he had seen, even if the human had a Unit.

    He coughed and choked. Blood bubbled more freely and he swallowed but more just pooled in the back of his throat. He could feel it flowing through his bronchiole and down his oesophagus. He was dying. His eyes were heavy and his breath was catching as a combination of blood and gravity began crushing his lungs.

    A thrown rock had killed him. A thrown rock had ended his campaign forever. This was not how he had envisaged his death.

What... was... that..? He thought again as a larger weight smashed through his chest and a voice whispered in his ear as the stars winked out.

    "He's mine."

***

Aptom felt a small flush of satisfaction course through him. In their panic they were behaving exactly the way Fukamachi had and they weren't thinking . And unlike the time with Fukamachi, he was strong enough that they wouldn't be able to break any part of his ' armor ' thus proving he was a fake.

    Whatever they were though they continued to attack. They were unthinkingly obedient in that manner, almost like Zoalord controlled Zoanoids and as he continued to cut through them, he narrowed his eyes, carefully dancing out of the way of any splashes of blood, considering their plan. It didn't make sense. They weren't behaving like aggressors usually did. They were here to do something else. Something that had cost their lives but had longer-term consequences...

    Suddenly a prickle tickled over the back of his neck. It was a subtle change, one years ago that he would have missed. There were three remaining around him but their demeanour had changed. The one's before them had attacked, knowing that death was a possibility but still with some assurance of their own invincibility. That was necessary for a soldier, even if they were facing impossible odds. These one's were different. They were attacking yet there was a difference in their movements... These were expecting to die still there was no hesitation in the way they circled him, it showed in other things, the bend of their elbows, the way their hind claws gripped the dirt, in the part of their mouths and loll of their tongues.

    But why would it change..? What were they hiding?

Fukamachi!

    " Uraahh !!!" Aptom screamed, jumping into the air as his wings snapped out. Apart from taking him down these soldiers would have to try to get revenge against some body, anybody for their lack of performance. That's why the three facing him were resigned to death. They would hold him off long enough for another to attack. Three quick blasts, which he didn't even see, took care of them as he veered to the south west corner.

    The sharp surge of relief that rippled through him at the sight of Fukamachi shouting at some straggler drained out of his fingertips an instant later when an orange eyed shadow leapt at the straggler, teeth bared in a horrid grin. Orange markings on his body distinguished him from the others and Aptom thought he was probably their Leader. The Zoanoid growled in frustration as he realised he couldn't snipe. The way the alien was gliding over the ground was deliberate, shifting rapidly from side to side and always such that the angle to allow attack would allow the projectile, energy or other, to be deflected towards Sho with a minimum of effort. This one was definitely their Leader. He had half a brain.

Aptom blinked when Sho didn't move towards the straggler but instead scooped up a rock and threw it at the approaching alien. It was a pathetic gesture really, achieving nothi ...

What!?

Aptom froze, dropping to the ground instantly as a definite chill passed through him. This wasn't happening. Fukamachi could not have thrown any stone with that much force... unless... Zoanoid ..?

    The alien had been thrown back by the force of the rocks impact and even now was failing weakly as a pool of his foul smelling orange blood spread out beneath him. The alien coughed, a hacking bubbly cough that spelled the end. Blood was filling his lungs and he would drown soon, or his heart would give out from the pressure of trying to pump nothing.

Aptom looked up at Sho. The straggler had run past the boy but his saviour was staring at the alien with wide uncomprehending eyes. He glanced at his hands and then back to the alien before an expression of loathing fixed itself on his features and the Zoanoid could see the flickering of Fukamachi's eyes.

    At that point Aptom moved faster than he ever thought possible, grabbing Sho just before he slammed into the ground and in that instant relief Zoanoids raced around the corner of the gully. "Go..!" Aptom shouted at them. "Search for more survivors and try to capture any of the attackers." He snapped the words, looking at the Captain who had accompanied them, noting his nod of agreement. "Put out the fires," he added.

    The boy in his arms was surprisingly light but he had expected that - Sho always had a light build - it was the way he struggled that shocked Aptom . Fukamachi was not this strong!

    Or was he..? He shouldn't have been able to throw that rock with such force either.

Aptom shook his head, dismissing the question for the moment as he shifted his grip on the boy so that he couldn't shake free before the Zoanoid spread his wings, jumping easily into the air, catching the updraft caused by the fires. No matter what had happened Fukamachi needed medical attention, fast. He was clearing the gully when the boy's struggles calmed but he whimpered then and shivered, sinking further into shock.

    "No..!" Aptom growled wishing for the Guyver link, anything so that he could tell Mizuki and the other Healers that he was coming in, but he couldn't even raise a telepathic signal to any of the other Zoanoids who were present in the settlements. And in an amazingly block-headed move he didn't even have any copies who could warn them. "Fukamachi! Don't you dare do this to me! "

Aptom pumped his wings harder, changing their form slightly, making them thin and pointed, designed only for speed. In the distance he could see the brilliant lights of the other settlement and he could see shadowed figures hurrying to and fro in the light, taking the refugees to safety. It was enough to make him want to scream. So close but yet so far... He pushed his wings, angling them back, diving towards the light. Fukamachi lay shivering in his arms, his eye lashes fluttering, as if the boy was consumed by some dream.

    He'd almost made it when there was a violent flash of light and he was thrown back in the air, forced to relinquish Fukamachi.

    Sho didn't fall for long as his Unit surrounded him but Aptom was aware of this only after the fact. He pumped his wings, clawing the air frantically as he sought to right himself. "Sho," he gasped through clenched teeth, searching the air before he spotted the boy, hovering, still unconscious but safely surrounded by his Unit.

    The Zoanoid breathed a sigh of relief. The Unit's weren't permanently damaged and the field the aliens had raised had definite boundaries. Fukamachi's Unit had probably been trying to get through the barrier the entire time and while his had no doubt been trying as well, he was conscious, even though he was out of the field and it would have responded to that, knowing that he didn't need it. "Well, I need you now," he muttered sending the summons again.

    His Unit wrapped around him, shifting itself to take account of his wings and active Zoanoid body. ::Mizuki!:: He snapped the demand to her almost before the bonded parasite had settled on his body.

    ::What is it, Aptom ? I'm rather busy.:: She responded shortly, her tone making it obvious that she was up to her ears with refugees who had survived the attack and were in need of healing so his inquiry had better be important.

    ::I'm bringing in Sho,:: Aptom replied quietly, for once not minding her seemingly short attitude.

    ::What?!::

    ::He's alright... physically at least... But he's unconscious...::

    ::Where are you?::

    ::North east of your current position, if you're at New Adelaide about 200 metres up.::

    There was a sudden blurring in the air, before with a 'pop' Mizuki appeared, her apricot armor highlighted with blue and in its sleek streamlined form that signified a Guyver Lord.

    "Over there," Aptom indicated, fighting the urge to attack her. Mizuki did not appreciate how much power she radiated in that form and he had always believed that attack was the best form of defence.

    "What happened?" She asked as she approached Sho.

    His armor covered him but the barrier created when it jumped through dimensions was still there. Tentatively, Mizuki held out her hand and gasped as Sho's Unit's automatic defences zapped her, snatching her hand back quickly.

    "I don't... I don't really know," the black Zoanoid said.

    "But you suspect something?"

    "Yes... But I'll need some tests done on him first."

    She reached out more carefully this time and ran on gentle finger over the barrier before applying slight pressure to it, seeking to penetrate. The result was the same but this time with more force and Mizuki was obliged to dance back as small energy whips flicked towards her.

    "Whoa!"

    The energy disappeared but feeling from the barrier changed to one of warning.

    "What happened?" Mizuki asked again, eyes wide as she looked at Sho's Guyver form.

Aptom shared her surprise. "Obviously something more than I suspect," he said as he reached out himself. "I was pushed back by this barrier but I thought it was just the usual summons." As his hand approached the force field the energy flickered again, not striking him but giving clear warning of its intentions.

    Mizuki shook her head. " Sho's Unit has always protected him but this... It's never done anything like this. What did you suspect?" She asked, pushing back a rising sense of panic, as she focused her Unit's full attention and examination abilities on the force field. If she was going to help Sho, she had to get to him and that meant she had to remain calm and focused on the situation at hand. This was nothing more than battlefield surgery.

    Except the patient was her Beloved.

    "I thought he was a Sleeper," Aptom replied quietly.

    "That's not possible," Mizuki responded calmly.

    "It's not possible for him to throw a rock like a bullet either but he did, or to struggle so much that I almost lost my grip because he was too strong and almost broke out through sheer force alone. What other explanation do you have, Segawa ?"

    "Adrenaline, shock, ignorance, any number of things," she shrugged as her Unit completed it's scan. The force field was perfect. It would take any force used against it, physical or energy and use it to power itself. The only way to break it would be to give it so much energy that it overloaded and in the instant it took to reset itself, call to Sho to bring it down himself. But to give a Guyver Unit so much energy that it overloaded was almost an impossibility.

    "I am not ignorant," Aptom began, dismissing her explanations. "I know exactly what I saw and I have considered some other explanations. Fukamachi was not in shock until after he threw that stone and while I will grant that adrenaline could account for some strength, I'll show you what the rock did to that alien and then you can make your decision. If he had his Unit on, I would accept that but it wasn't present."

    "You let him in a combat situation without his Unit?" Mizuki shrieked.

    "It's not like I had a choice!" Aptom growled back, unconsciously lengthening his talons. "Those darned aliens had a barrier that prevented the Unit's from coming forth. It's just over there!" He indicated towards Milne Settlement. Now that his Unit was active the barrier showed to his senses as a shimmering haze, fuzziness, like a view screen that was receiving interference.

    "I see," the apricot Guyver Lord said slowly. "I am sorry, Aptom . I misunderstood."

    "Fukamachi knows I am going to kill him and he knows that until that day comes he is unassailable to everyone. He is my kill," Aptom snarled. "Not that it matters now. We can't even get to him."

    "No..." Mizuki agreed. "Have you tried?"

    "The barrier threw me away. I doubt I will far any better."

    "Hmm... I wonder..."

    "What?"

    "It's just a theory of familiarity..." Mizuki said absently. ::Hayami..?::

    :: Miz-chan ?::

    ::Could you come here, Hayami?::

    ::Where are you?::

    ::Northwest of New Adelaide Settlement, in line with Milne about 200m up.::

    ::Okay... Give me a few minutes to fly over.::

    ::Hurry, please.::

    "So what is this theory?" The Black Guyver asked as they waited.

    "It's not too complicated. Sho is obviously..." She searched for the next word before settling for simplicity. "Hurt in some way and maybe he's ashamed of that. When you're ashamed of something, and sometimes even when you have just been injured you don't want those closest to you finding out, you don't want them to know or to worry. So that's why neither you nor I can get through the barrier. Sho unconsciously doesn't want us to know so he's keeping us away and since he doesn't really know Hayami that well, it's a case where a stranger may fare better."

    "What is that ?" Hayami asked as he ascended to their level, looking curiously at the weird shifting that was the Aliens barrier.

    "That is a barrier that suppresses Guyver Units," Aptom said to his fellow Zoanoid . "That's not the point though. Fukamachi's barrier is far more interesting."

    "Hmm..." the Ice Zoanoid turned, his silver sensor beads moving restlessly as they assessed the environment. "It's a summons barrier?" He asked.

    "It's a little bit more than that," Mizuki said as she waved her hand in its direction. The small whips of energy extended themselves creating a soft hum as they connected with free ions in the atmosphere.

    "Oh... I see," Hayami said. "So why don't you just let Sho wake up normally?"

    "Because he threw a stone like a bullet, killing one of the attackers with it by puncturing their chest cavity and while I was flying him here he struggled so hard that even I was hard pressed to contain him," Aptom's voice was deadpan but serious.

    "A Sleeper?"

    "I can't be... What?"

    Within the sphere Sho's body had jerked and then rotated gracefully so that he was facing the Aliens barrier. He held his hands out in supplication, his head bowed before he screamed, power rippling out from him in almost tangible waves.

    " Arhh ..." Mizuki, Aptom and Hayami all clamped their hands over their ears, shying away from the noise and over the discordant and disjointed frequency. In the distance they could hear the shrieks from the settlers as the noise penetrated that far.

    For a moment nothing happened and then it seemed as if the air in and around Milne shimmered. The Zoanoid troops and Settlers still remaining in Milne screamed but their pain was only momentary before they fell to the ground unconscious. The remaining attackers, one or two troops who had been on the outskirts and a small-dedicated group who had been trying to co-ordinate the battle found themselves immobilised and lifted into the air to hover until they could be captured.

    Then small silver sparks appeared, almost like rain, scattered vertically and horizontally. The shone brilliantly before they exploded like fireworks, burning the air and emitting their own individual frequencies as they fell before they disappeared. As they vanished Sho relaxed, quietening but the summons barrier did not fade.

Aptom was the first to recover and as he turned back to Fukamachi he couldn't help but notice that the Aliens Anti Guyver Field was no longer there. The shifting that had marked the position to his Guyver sensors was clear again. "I don't believe it," he whispered, darting forward to where the field had been, ready to pump his wings at the slightest sign that his Guyver Unit would retract. Nothing happened. No twitch, no hum, nothing... "It's gone."

    "What did he do?"

    "I don't know..."

    ::What did he do?:: The thought was directed simultaneously towards their Unit's, as for the moment, Sho was almost forgotten.

    The question though was meet with silence and after it became apparent that there was no answer forthcoming, Mizuki looked back towards Sho, hoping that his own barrier was down, now that the threat had passed.

    "Sho... Please..." She appealed to her fiancé, raising a hand tentatively.

    Within the barrier Sho turned, his eyes flashing dangerously, as she got too close but before the wisps of energy could extend themselves he darted away, maintaining the distance between them.

    " Miz-chan , let me," Hayami said kindly. "You asked me to come because of familiarity, yes?" He asked, confirming her earlier suspicions.

    Mizuki nodded, holding back tears. It wasn't her fault. She knew that but it was still upsetting to see the evidence that on some level Sho didn't trust her, he didn't want her to know everything.

    "Mizuki," Aptom started, as Hayami approached Sho's barrier, generating no reaction. "Everyone has secrets."

    She turned towards the black Guyver eyes shadowed. "And some of us have more than others."

    "Some of us do."

    Hayami had reached the barrier and had run his armored hand over it, meeting none of the fierce resistance Mizuki had. "Okay..." He sighed, breathing deeply. "I've gotten this far. I'll try to get through and wake him up... After that we can get a tissue sample to test for a Sleeper."

Aptom nodded, grateful that the other Zoanoid hadn't forgotten that important point. It was something he might have done out of misplaced sympathy for the boy and at this point they couldn't afford that. If the boy was a Sleeper they had to know and they had to deal with it now. And most importantly Sho had to know now, and had to be forced to deal with it. All in all it wasn't much of a problem because they could simply reprocess the genetic coding and the fact that Fukamachi was a Guyver also would help him resist any pull from the Advents. Really, the issue with it was simply why...

    If he was a Sleeper, who had done it, why and why hadn't they forced him to do anything? Or had they?

Aptom watched Hayami closely as the blue Guyver began applying pressure to the barrier. It didn't let him through but rather yielded to his touch, letting his armored fingers make five small depressions in its smooth surface. Within the protective sphere Sho remained still, apparently not fazed by the Zoanoids activities and not threatened by his approach as Mizuki's had been viewed subconsciously as intimidating.

    "It's not letting me through," Hayami murmured.

    "So try harder!" Aptom snapped.

    "I'm already at my limit!" Hayami snarled back, with an uncharacteristic display of fierceness, unconsciously lengthening his claws.

    "Try calling a Giga Unit. Mizuki's a Lord, I'm a Giga so it's possible all human Guyvers are something more than normal."

    "I'll try," the Ice Zoanoid didn't sound convinced but he did pull back slightly and tensed himself, breathing deeply before he called for a Giga Unit. "Giga!"

    For an instant nothing happened, then, just as the blue Guyver was about to turn sympathetically to Mizuki a loud crack reverberated through the air and an almost painfully white egg appeared, splitting open to envelop Hayami. It pulled back quickly, revealing the Zoanoid's changed armor . As Guyver Healer his Giga form was not quite as bulky as a Warriors. It lacked the huge shoulder bulbs that were the MegaSmasher but instead it appeared to have more appendages built in around the head and eyes. His gravity control globe was markedly different. It still had the large silver orb but a ring of smaller orbs now accompanied the single sphere. His Giga Armor was also covered by highlights as all the Giga Armored forms since they had left Earth. Gold swirls traced their way over his pristine white armor .

    "Well, you were right," the newest GigaGuyver congratulated Aptom before he cocked his head, looking at the shield Sho had around himself. "My God..." He whispered in profound shock after only a moment's contemplation. "Mizuki... Do you see that?"

    "Yes," she responded sagely. "It's not a usual barrier."

    "What is it?"

    " Aptom ," Mizuki began as Hayami once again placed his hand on the barrier. "As Healers we don't just look out from our Guyvers. It alters our perceptions. Like you I don't need a microscope or a telescope but for us it's more than that. I don't need to perform X-rays any more because I can see every bone in your body and that's just the beginning. I can..."

    "All right... All right... I don't need the complete description." While Aptom was interested, any knowledge about the other Unit's was helpful, for the moment it wasn't something he needed to know. Plus, while he had never tried it, he was fairly sure he could convince his own Unit to tell him the details.

Hayami's hand depressed a bit further into the shield this time but again didn't penetrate. "I still can't get through," he reported, "but I think I can get a tissue sample."

    "Do it."

    With great care, one golden highlight rose from his arm, forming a point and driving itself at the shield. It gave once again but the gold tendril just kept pushing, until there was a slight 'pop' and the barrier snapped back around the tendril. Beneath his armor , Aptom smirked, the shield couldn't be broken but it could be punctured. Slowly the gold scalpel extended itself, until it reached Fukamachi's Guyver armor where Hayami paused, choosing a point to take his sample from. His tendril rearranged itself, changing from a simple pointed implement to something that looked suspiciously like a hypodermic needle, a shiny golden syringe, but a needle all the same. With deliberate care Hayami pierced through the lining on Sho's inner elbow and after a second the needle withdrew.

    "Brilliant," Mizuki complimented the Zoanoid , releasing the breath she hadn't realised she had been holding until that time.

    "Thanks... I'll start analysing now," he nodded in her direction. The gold highlight again changed its form, this time almost seeming to be a golden petrii dish from which arose a twisted ribbon. The ribbon resolved itself into a DNA helix that spun gently before it unzipped itself and floated as two separate pieces as another chain emerged.

    All the while Sho remained passive although the glow from his Unit showed that it was active and ready to take action at what it perceived to be a danger.

    "He's not a Sleeper," Hayami announced finally. "There is absolutely no trace of Zoanoid DNA activation here. Like all humans, he's got the potential to be a Zoanoid but it hasn't been activated."

    "Are you sure?" Aptom asked quickly.

    "Of course I'm sure. There are a couple of markers that just aren't there. You and I have got them, all Zoanoids do but Fukamachi's are still in their inactive state. If the strength you've claimed he had is true then it didn't come from a Zoanoid transformation."

    "Then what did it come from?"

    "I don't know... There is nothing abnormal here. His DNA is completely normal, human... There is nothing here, except perhaps for a slightly elevated level of adrenaline. What happened , Aptom ? Is there any other explanation for it? Cross fire, for example, killing the alien? And while I don't mean to be insulting, do you really know how strong an unaltered human is? Is it possible Sho's strength wasn't anything special?"

    "I know how strong a human is," Aptom objected. "Even allowing for him to be stressed and thus a bit stronger than usual that doesn't account for everything... And I don't really believe a race of aliens would be so weak... I know they weren't that weak... They weren't a match for my Zoaform but they certainly would have been a match for a human."

    "All right..." Mizuki sighed. "Hayami, can you at least get the barrier down? That way we might be able to wake up Sho and we can run a few more tests."

    "I'll try... Have you tried calling him?"

    "Yes... I'm just hitting a wall. It's almost like he doesn't want to hear me."

    "Give me a second," Hayami said, gathering his strength. He knew he had superior defensive abilities because he was a Guyver Healer but could he use them to bring down another Guyver's defences? He considered it for a few moments. "I think I can do it... Miz-chan , if I equalise my defensive frequencies with his barrier and then integrate them when I release my defences, his should come down too, shouldn't they? At least for a moment."

    "Sort of like tricking his shields into believing you are in control of them?"

    "Exactly... although it all depends on whether that shield is subconscious or not. If he's got conscious control, you can forget it, it's only going to come down when Sho's ready to let it down. It also depends on how much control his Unit has. If it's not just an automatic reaction, then I could have problems, so I'd appreciate it if you could pull me out if it responds."

    Mizuki nodded. "Just do your best," she commented softly.

    "Hope you're powerful enough," Aptom added, carefully weighing up the strength he could sense from both Fukamachi and Hayami. It was going to be close. Beneath his armor , Sho seemed to be still unconscious which meant that his Unit could call forth all his power without restraint and that made him very powerful even if at the moment he wasn't 'borrowing' a Giga Unit, as he had put it.

    "I hope so too," Hayami gulped as he withdrew his tendril. It emerged with a slight hiss before Sho's barrier reformed itself, closing the hole, once more appearing smooth and unassailable.

    It was with some trepidation that Hayami reached forward again, gently placing his armored hand once again on the force field. Within the barrier, Sho turned to face the Ice Zoanoid , the Control Medallion glowing faintly. They remained as they were, Hayami not pressing against the barrier and Sho merely watching his movements. Slowly though, the white GigaGuyver raised his spare hand and his own control medallion pulsed as a gravity globe appeared. Several of the smaller spheres at his waist shimmered and as Hayami closed his fingers around the energy ball the other spheres at his waist began to refract the same strange light.

    The ball of energy in his palm glowed slightly and he flexed his fingers around it before looking closely at it. " Miz-chan ," Hayami cocked his head at his small energy sphere, "What do you think?"

    "Hmm... It's not radiating enough alpha-tri-oxy, apart from that though, it looks good." Mizuki's voice was controlled, her tone strictly professional as she examined the energy sphere Hayami had made, comparing it technically against the larger sphere Sho was protected by.

    " Rr ..." The effort of upping alpha-tri-oxy mix was evident in his voice. "Now?"

    "Perfect."

    Hayami didn't respond. He just nodded before tossing the sphere into the air. It hovered above his head before he brought his hands together in an imitation of prayer. The energy began expanding and after a moment his own protective shell surrounded him and the outside world became strangely detached from his sense of now. Once that was accomplished he turned towards Sho and slowly began edging forward until their respective shields were millimetres from each other. "Here goes..." he said softly before with a deep breath he moved forward once again.

    The two shields meet silently and a for an instant it looked as if Sho's shield was just going to bend to accommodate Hayami's but the Zoanoid made a quick gesture and the two began to fuse. It almost looked like two cells splitting but in reverse. As they merged the path opened to Sho, slowly growing larger as the GigaGuyver moved closer. ::Sho...:: Hayami tried gently through the Guyver link, hoping that his shield had been creating interference but Mizuki had been right, it was like talking to a wall. Nothing appeared to be getting through. "Sho..." he tried verbally, hoping his proximity and the absence of the softening effects of his barrier would allow his voice to break through to the boy. Once again nothing happened although the control medallion on the boy's forehead pulsed, indicating that something had heard him.

    As the white GigaGuyver Healer moved closer to finally stand face to face with Sho, their shields intermingled to the fullest extend, he suppressed a shiver as he realised exactly how exposed he was. Sho was a Guyver Warrior, and in his current unconscious state his Unit wouldn't hesitate to attack what it thought was a threat, using his formidable weaponry to the fullest.

    ::What do you want, Healer?::

    Hayami blinked, wondering if he had imagined the hollow and metallic voice but then he noticed Sho's Control Medallion was glowing, the light steady and unwavering. ::I want to speak to Sho,:: he responded, trying not to flinch at the power he could feel radiating from the Unit.

    ::My Master does not wish to talk.::

    Hayami nodded. While he still had his doubts about what Aptom had said, but if what the black Zoanoid had inferred was true then it was unlikely that Sho would wish to speak with them. ::Is he all right?:: He asked desperate to continue the conversation.

    ::My Master is unharmed,:: the Unit responded shortly, coldly logical and unemotional.

    "Hayami, what are you waiting for?" The impatient question came from Aptom .

    "Patience!" Hayami hissed the word, not daring to turn his attention from the Guyver before him.

    ::He is impatient,:: Sho's Unit observed clinically.

    ::He is worried about your Master,:: Hayami corrected, thankful that the Unit seemed unlikely to consider everything a threat.

    ::My Master is unharmed,:: the Unit repeated. ::Do not be concerned,:: it continued, ::I am guided by my Master in determining what is a threat.:: It seemed the Unit understood his concerns, or perhaps it had read his mind.

    ::But Sho is unconscious,:: Hayami objected. ::How may he guide you like that?::

    The Unit hesitated before it responded. ::My Master has been displeased with my actions in the past,:: it responded, the tone tinged with regret. ::We are joined now so that I may not make that mistake again.::

    "And so that I can never be free."

    "Sho!"

    "Fukamachi!"

    ::Master... I had too Master... I am you now. We cannot be separated but I will never again act against your will. I told you Beloved Master - I am the one who will save you, I am the one who will help you, I am the one who will be with you for all time, I will kill for you, I will die for you and I will make this Universe bow to you.::

    Sho blinked, knowing he was the only one who could hear his Unit. "And I will never be free of you."

    ::Master... I will never hurt you. I had to.:: There was a pleading note in his Unit's voice.

    ::Then couldn't you at least given me the illusion that it was you?::

    ::Unfortunately, no Master. I could not obey you then... Their field was very effective but while I could not obey you, I did take the liberty of scanning it with the Giga's sensors and now that I know it, I am immune to it. We were designed to evolve fast and I have evolved so that it can no longer affect me. With what I have had to do, you will find yourself sharing that feature, Beloved Master.::

    ::Why?::

    ::Because I will not lose you, Beloved Master and I will allow nothing to stand between us, not even the others.::

    "Sho..?" Mizuki raised one hand towards the barrier.

    Sho blinked as he turned his head towards her. The barrier wavered and vanished and Hayami bit back an exclamation of surprise. Sho could take down his own force field at any time but he had taken down both and the Zoanoid had definite conscious control. Well, at least their theory of tricking the shields into coming down had been correct, at least in reverse.

    "Mizuki," he greeted her in a somewhat formal tone, unsure of what she would make of the changes that were evident in him.

    "Fukamachi, what happened?" Aptom asked, not willing to let the love-birds waste precious time.

    "I threw the rock at that Alien and it killed him."

    "Any idea how you can be that strong?"

    "Yes." Sho responded shortly, meeting Aptom's gaze. "But I don't think I am going to tell you anything more than the fact that I am still completely human."

" Fukamachi! " Aptom growled.

    "I'm sorry, Aptom ... I can't tell anyone... I don't even want to know myself."

    " Aptom ..." Mizuki cautioned, unconsciously exerting the authority of a Guyver Lord, cutting off any further questions the black Zoanoid might have had. "Are you all right, Dear?"

    "Yes... Despite the attack, I am unharmed. Have we apprehended anyone?"

    "Probably."

    "Well then, why don't we go find out what they have to say about their little special weapon?"

***

    Of course, Sho couldn't hide what had happened for very long, at least not from me. It is difficult to hide anything of import when you are living with someone. Even before I knew though he was working on control and despite whatever strength he has, he is very good at hiding it. I didn't find out until much later but he did ask Agito for tips on how to control his strength since the former Emperor had had the same problem on Earth when he had been selectively implanted with Zoanoid features. I believe he also would have asked Aptom but Aptom is so much a Zoanoid that such things do not seem abnormal to him.

    The Milne Attack left us all with the brutal realisation that Merrimu was not safe but it went somewhat further than that. In the aftermath of the attack, the settlers worked on building patrol ships and many more of them underwent Processing into Terran Zoanoids so that if anyone ever slipped past the patrol ships and attacked the settlements again, they would be met by an army of Zoanoids. We won the war against the Advents but I cannot help but think we lost humanity somewhere along the line.

    In the aftermath of the attack there was almost a frenzied feeling. We were producing Zoanoids at a rate never seen before in the hopes that we could hold off the Advents however closer examination of the technology showed that while it was ingenious, it was not of Advent construction. It was too crude, effective but crude. While I still don't know exactly what Sho did to destroy the devices we did manage to ascertain that it was an atmosphere only device, which was comforting since having our Units ‘Removed' from us while in deep space was not something we wished to consider.

    Milne was not an Advent attack but it might as well have been. Indeed, Milne marked a beginning, a time when the Advents were behind everything and we could do precious little to stop them. It was almost like Earth again. They or their agents and hirelings were everywhere, in numbers sufficiently large to cause us problems or they were just there, watching. It was the consistency that was maddening. We could hide nothing.

    Omnipotence... The ability to know everything... It seemed the Advents controlled that power. We even asked Mirai and Eternity if they thought one ship was sacrificing themselves to do it, but our Advents agreed that it was something else. And in time... It seems absurd to use that phrase, however, in time we did discover how the Advents were anticipating our every move and with the help of the Tekki , we neutralised that particular threat.

Hayami's transformation into a GigaGuyver , while it did not seem unusual at the time, was also to come back to haunt us. His colouring and strength had ramifications that only became known to us after we learnt how other Aliens viewed the Guyver system. While the system had been developed by Advents they had rejected it and other Aliens in the Universe had continued using it. In that respect, they knew far more about Guyvers that the Advents ever could, and while Giga Units had not existed before, some of them had known what the Guyver Unit's were working towards and had discovered what powers could be developed by each Unit. But we did not learn this until the Kyheenan Guyver Corps chose to share that with us.

    But for the moment, with new procedures established on Merrimu events unfolded that rather firmly returned our focus to Earth.

 ***

To Be Continued...

Note: Hayami calls Mizuki " Miz-chan " because they have developed a friendly relationship throughout the years and as such are very comfortable with each other. 'Chan' in Japanese is a suffix used for children or for affection. So Hayami feels some affection for Mizuki. Not love, just affection, much like Murakami called Sho, Sho-kun although 'kun' has a different meaning.

Next Chapter: Interlude V - The Kyheenan Path - Uryal'ng's report to his Emperor. Chapter XV - Invulnerability - Maxwell has been a busy, busy boy! The Advent's would love to get their, err... hands on him, if they could control sedition within their ranks! Just what is it that he has done to draw Sho, Mizuki, Agito and the others back to Earth.

Jade Tatsu ( jade_tatsu@yahoo.com )


The Guyver Net