Free Perfect Sacrifice by Jack Parker Page A

struck the question as to why she would accept the challenge. Sprains and dislocations didn't heal that quickly. Piloting a Geno with one arm was anything but easy.
    "I'm going to sleep," announced Leon as he removed himself from the couch, heading to his room down the hallway. "I'll be heading out early in the morning, so don't bother cooking me anything."
    "Alright," responded his father. Chris followed after him, heading to his own room. It really was late, and they all needed some sleep.
    Dr. Solaris sighed to himself as he went towards his work room. She's such a stubborn girl, accepting a battle challenge in her condition. He realized that it couldn't be helped. The decision had been made, and all he could do was sit back and watch as the battle took place within the next few days.
    * * * *
    Ray walked down the long hallways of the GRC base. Almost everyone was still asleep since it was incredibly early to be awake. She didn't seem to care, however. She had things she wanted to do. Staying inside the base all day would cause an extreme case of boredom, not to mention the fact that everyone would be nagging her about the decision she had made. No one was going to change her mind, so she didn't even want to put up with it.
    Casually, she walked through the doors to the main room where Gordan was currently sitting at a computer. He appeared to be working on something, most likely an update for their system. Ray walked up behind him, a smile on her face.
    "Hey Gordan," she greeted. He stopped typing and sighed before turning around to face her.
    "Good morning, Ray," he responded. There was a moment of silence as Ray rocked back and forth on her feet, a question on her mind. It's not like it was that hard of a question to ask, but she was really hoping that the answer would be yes. If he said no, she didn't know what she'd do.
    "So…" she began, staring at the ceiling. "Did you…?"
    "Yes," he cut in, placing an elbow on his desk, his chin resting on his palm. "It took all night, but we finished it." He ran a hand through his short hair and sighed deeply. "Ray, this isn't a good idea."
    "Don't chide me," she told him with a smile. "Abby and Brian did enough of that last night."
    "Look, battling is difficult with only one arm," he began anyway. "Even though we modified your Geno to compensate for it, you'll have to pull much harder on the controls to make it move how you want." Ray mockingly flexed her arm, her smirk still intact.
    "I'm strong, Gordan, remember?" she told him with an overabundance of confidence. "I can do it, no problem." Gordan sighed as he placed his head in his hands. There was no arguing with Ray. When she wanted to do something, she did it. No one would ever be able to persuade her otherwise, not even him.
    "Damn it, Ray," he whispered, knowing that she could hear him. "I know I'm not your father or anything, but despite what you think, I do worry about you. You can go into battle, I don't care, but if you get hurt, mark my words that you will be put on probation. You won't be allowed to battle for a long time."
    "Understood," she said with a nod. "I won't get hurt, so there's no need to worry." She turned around and began to walk away. "I'm going to Torran for the day, alright? Call if you need me. Oh, and my report is in your office."
    "Alright," he responded in a sigh as he turned back around in his chair to finish his work. However, his mind was currently floating somewhere else. He couldn't help but worry about the ace knight. There was no way she'd be ready for a battle in three days. Even for someone like her, a dislocated shoulder would take awhile to heal. Stupid girl. Why can't she listen for a change?
    * * * *
    Ray walked through one of the few unpopulated areas of Torran, one of the largest cities on the planet. She was currently heading to a place that not many people went to anymore. They either didn't have time to visit or they found it too hard to relive the memories that it held.