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Culmination	By : Croik Category: +G through L > Guilty Gear Views: 2646 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Guilty Gear, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
- 22
Guilty
Gear, its characters and settings are property of Sammy Studios, and are being
used in this fanfiction without permission.
This fic is rated R for violence and sexual content, and it contains
yaoi material.

Culmination
Chapter
20

By
the time the group of four had found themselves a motel room it was just past
three in the morning, and they were all exhausted. None could rest, though; as soon as they were
settled Bridget began tugging folded papers out of his pockets and spreading
them out over the room�s small table.
�I�m not one hundred percent positive,� he confessed, �but everything I
was able to find points here�to a factory just outside Benevento, in the
mountains.�

He
indicated the position on a map he�d printed out, and they all leaned forward,
looking it over critically. Ky frowned. �That is
close,� he murmured thoughtfully.
�Awfully close to the only police power in Italy. Why would they risk something like that?�

�Hiding
out in the open?� Baiken suggested, chewing thoughtfully on the end of a straw
she�d brought from the bar. �No offense
to your police, Kiske, but they�re already stretched thin across Italy,
what with all the shady business Rome does.�

�It
is a good location,� Testament added.
�This close to Rome they�d be able to smuggle plenty of raw materials
in, and use Rome itself as a port from which to deploy their robots.�

Ky
nodded. �You�re right. But Bridget, why do you suspect this place?�

Bridget
bounced faintly on the bed edge that served as his chair. �Thought you�d never ask!� He began sifting through the different
papers, laying out the relevant documents and photographs. �The thing is, while I was in Zepp I got to
meet Dr. Galleon.�

�You�you
met him?� Ky echoed, straightening.

�Yeah. And at first I thought he was
the one behind everything. Now I�m not
so sure, but I did find something out.�
He tugged out the photo of Dr. Galleon he�d printed and set it on top. �Recognize him?�

Testament�s
eyes widened as he looked over the creased black and white photograph. Ky�s attention was
drawn to him in concern, keeping him a moment for glancing at the picture
himself. At first he wasn�t sure what
Bridget was indicating, as he�d met Dr. Galleon before and found nothing
extraordinary in his features, but after a long moment of scrutiny he gasped
softly. It had never occurred to him
before. �He looks like�.� Next to him, Baiken made a soft noise of
disapproval from the back of her throat.

Bridget
nodded seriously. �Yeah, doesn�t
he? So I started looking through Dr.
Galleon�s history.� Another
shift of paper. �I didn�t find
much. He was born in Italy, and his
father was listed as having died in the war when he was still a kid. He lived with his mom until heading off to
school in Zepp�where he learned about machines and stuff. From there he became
a scientist, trying to make machines that could be used against Gears, but
Justice was sealed before he could finish anything.�

Ky
nodded along vaguely; that story, at least, was familiar to him. �Go on.�

Bridget
grinned briefly, seemingly thrilled that the others were listening to his
findings so intently. �So,� he continued
excitedly, �after that I went looking up all the people that worked with Dr.
Galleon. I thought that maybe one of
them had taken the information they had on the Robo Kys and finished it
somewhere, after the war. That didn�t
turn up anything either, until I stumbled on a friend of a friend of his�Dr.
Leona Mariot. Which is
how I found the factory.�

Bridget
paused, shuffling again through his papers for a moment as the other three
exchanged glances. �Ah! Here it is.�
But he kept the printout held against his chest a moment, hiding it for
dramatic effect, as it seemed. �Dr.
Mariot was originally from Rome�a medical doctor who worked on a small project
with Dr. Galleon in Zepp. Took me
forever to track her down, since she was an orphan, and changed her name once
she was old enough. But I found out that
she lived for a while in Benevento with foster parents. And her foster father owned this
factory. It went out of business just
after the war, but before then it was used to make engines for airships that
ran on lightning magic. Wouldn�t it be
easy to convert something like that to making robots that use electricity?�

�That�s
all well and good,� Baiken interrupted, flicking her straw thoughtlessly
away. �But that just means it�s a
possibility. You haven�t shown us any
proof.�

Bridget�s
grin widened, as if she�d just said exactly what he was waiting for. He pressed his paper onto the table. �Then how�s this?�

The
print out was from an article of the news; a color photograph took up most of
the space with an image of the factory itself, and in front of it stood a crowd
of people celebrating its success. There
was a young girl with long, red-brown hair among them, held in a man�s arm: a
tall man with sloppy brown hair and deep-set, dark eyes.

Testament�s
reaction was immediate; he leaned back with a sharp intake of breath. �That�s him,� he hissed, and Ky and Baiken cringed slightly as well as they recognized
the face. �That�s the Ninth.� He looked sharply to Bridget. �What does this mean?�

Bridget�s
expression sobered, realizing it was inappropriate for him to be so proud given
the gravity of their situation. �Dr.
Mariot is working for the Ninth,� he summarized quietly. �She has Dr. Galleon�s work to go from, and
the factory belonged to her dad. She
knows how to use medicine and machines together. It has to be her.�

�Then
Dr. Galleon�must be working with them as well,� Ky
murmured, the realization of which he found somewhat disheartening. �The robot still named him as its creator.�

�I
thought so, too, but�.� Bridget
relinquished the last of his reports. �I
found this�an obituary, for Dr. Galleon�s father.� He lowered his eyes. �Arthur Galleon Sr.�

Ky
blinked in astonishment. �Then that
means��

�I
think so, especially since they look so much alike. Dr. Galleon is the Ninth�s son.�

The
four were silent for a long time, staring down at all the information Bridget
had gathered: the photographs of Dr. Galleon, his father, and the little girl
who was Leona Mariot. The
factory and its position on the map.
The dark eyes.
The announcement of Arthur Galleon�s death, dated just before his first
meeting with Testament decades ago.

�I
don�t know if Dr. Galleon himself is working with them,� Bridget spoke up at
last. �He�s working with Potemkin, so I
don�t think Potemkin suspects him, but that means he can�t really be talking to
the Ninth and Dr. Mariot very easily. I
think�he�s just trying to protect his dad.�

Another
moment passed, and then Baiken shifted slightly, her eye dull. �When can we leave?�

�The
factory is in the mountains,� Bridget reported.
�From what I could find we�d either have to go by truck or just walk. If we walk it�ll take us a while to get
there.�

Ky
nodded. �We may have to go on foot;
anything else will draw attention. But
we�re all exhausted.� He glanced between
them with a quiet sigh. �Aren�t we? I hate to put it off any longer, but we need
rest.�

Baiken
didn�t look pleased, but she nodded, pushing to her feet. �Then we sleep,� she muttered. �Leave at midday and get there by dusk. We�ll take them in the dark.� She cocked an eye at Ky. �Does that work for you?�

Ky
considered a moment; it seemed like they would be wasting unnecessary time, but
he knew better than to think any of them were at their best. �Yes,� he agreed. �Go ahead and take one of the beds, Baiken. If Testament and Bridget can share a bed, I
don�t mind taking a chair.�

�Fine by me.� She dropped heavily to the bed
in question.

Bridget
frowned. �You can take my spot on the
bed, Ky,� he offered brightly. �I�m
small�I can sleep in the chair.�

�No,
it�s all right. You�ve been up all
night.� He stood, patting Bridget�s
shoulder with a serious smile. �You�ve
done a great job. I don�t know what we
would have done without you.�

Bridget
beamed, puffing himself up with pride. �Just trying to help,� he replied as modestly
as possible.

Ky
smiled, and glanced briefly at Testament; the Gear was still watching the
photographs on the table, and he gave his shoulder a squeeze. �Get some sleep,� he suggested. �I�m going to see if there�s anything to
drink around, and then I�ll be back.�

Testament
nodded vaguely, so instead Ky looked to Bridget with a
request in his expression. The boy
seemed to understand, as he pushed lightly to his feet and began to tug
Testament out of his chair. �C�mon, big guy. You
look paler than usual�let�s rest up. Big day coming up.�

Bridget
managed to get him up and, pleased, Ky smiled and
headed for the door. �I won�t be long,�
he promised as he slipped outside.

Bridget
glanced after him, wetting his lips. But
he shook his head, focusing instead on getting Testament to the bed. �You okay?� he asked, giving him a nudge.

Testament
nodded as he sank to the bed, kicking off his boots and stretching out on his
stomach. �I�m fine,� he murmured. �Just tired.�

Bridget
frowned, but he knew better than to question; he seated himself on the bed and,
seeing it as his duty to look after the Gear while Ky
was away, reached out to draw the thick black hair away from his face. A quick glance at Baiken showed her to be
asleep, and another at the door made sure Ky wasn�t
coming back. He took a deep breath. �Testament?�

�Hm?�

�There�s�something
else.� He slipped out of his own boots
and belt and lowered himself to the bed so he could whisper and still be heard,
just in case. �I met Sol in Zepp. He helped me look up all the stuff I
found�for a while, anyway. I�don�t know
if I should tell Ky.�

Testament
was silent for a long moment, unmoving on the bed as he considered. �No,� he decided at last. �No, I don�t think you should.�

�But
there�s a chance he�ll be there,� Bridget continued. �He was asking Potemkin about Ky�I think he�s looking for him.�

�If
he shows up, we can deal with it then.�
Testament turned enough so that he could meet Bridget�s gaze, conveying
his seriousness. �Remember what happened
in Rome? If it comes up again it�ll only
be worse. There�s no need to upset him
now, when there�s already so much to worry about.�

Bridget
nodded, trusting the Gear�s judgment. �All right. I won�t
say anything.�

As
Testament rolled onto his side so did Bridget, shifting so that their backs were
just touching. It was a
comfortable warmth, and he knew it would be easier to sleep knowing he
wasn�t alone. Just as he was drifting
off to sleep he felt Testament move slightly, and his low voice whispered, �You
did a good job, Bridget.�

Bridget
smiled into his pillow. �Thank you�.�

*****

Ky
took his time returning to the room, gulping down the remains from the large
plastic drinking cup he�d found down the hall.
Somehow his mouth didn�t feel any less dry, but he was relieved to have
something filling his stomach. He was
nervous, and ashamed to admit it, but what they were about to face deserved his
full attention and appreciation. The
operation they were about to interrupt was that of the Postwar Administration
Bureau, and their retribution would be fierce.
He wasn�t sure yet what that might mean for him.

Ky
slipped back inside, and was somewhat relieved to see that his three companions
seemed to have already fallen asleep. He
set his cup aside, saving it for later, as he shed his boots and wristbands. It would have been more comfortable to change
into the pajamas he�d brought along, but he didn�t want to sleep in for too
long; now that they knew Anji and Chipp had been taken, they were running short
of time.

Ky
had just turned toward the chair that would serve as his bed when he paused,
glancing at Testament and Bridget curled together on the bed. There was something about the sight of them
that made his lips curl happily; despite everything,
both Gear and boy appeared content in their slumber. There was something about Bridget. He had felt it himself; that enthusiasm,
determination, and care were contagious, and he couldn�t help but be calmed in
his presence. He reasoned it must have
been the power of an innocent youth attracting him.

�There�s
room here.�

Ky
glanced up at the sound of Baiken�s voice; she was lying on her back, arm
laying easily over her stomach and eye half lidded. She had moved to the far edge of the bed to
make room for him.

�It�s
all right,� Ky assured, smiling and genuinely
appreciative of the gesture. �Thank you,
but I said you could take the bed for yourself.�

Baiken
grunted softly and closed her eye. �I
don�t need your chivalrous crap. Shut up
and get down here�you need as much rest as any of us.�

Ky
surrendered a quiet chuckle. Unable to
argue such an eloquently stated point he joined her on the bed, lying on his
back. It occurred to him then that he
hadn�t been able to sleep on his back, as he would normally have preferred, for
a long time, and he found it inordinately soothing. With a quiet sigh he nestled into the
mattress. �Thank you.�

�Sure.�

Silenced
followed for a while, each of the pair indulging in their own thoughts. It was then that it occurred to Ky that they hadn�t told Baiken quite everything they
knew�or supposed they knew�about the Ninth and his plans. He glanced at her out of the corner of his
eye, and could see only long strands of bright hair, the tip of her nose. �Baiken. There�s�something you should know. About what�s going on here.�

Baiken
didn�t move, and he thought her asleep until she replied, �If you�re talking
about the Bureau wanting to turn us Japanese into their robot slaves, I heard
it all from Bridget already. To save you the trouble.�

Ky
sighed quietly, but there was no need to soften the point now. �When you saw Chipp in Rome,� he ventured
carefully, �Did you notice anything different about him? Other than�the obvious.�

�No.� Her fingers curled stiffly against her
middle. �He didn�t have any trouble with
Anji. Not that barehanded is his
specialty to begin with. But no, I
didn�t see anything �robotic� about him, if that�s what you�re asking.�

Ky
nodded faintly. �As far as we know, the
Forbidden Rituals take time to perform,� he said, wondering if she would take
any solace in his words. It was
difficult to predict a woman like Baiken.
�Chances are neither he nor Anji has been changed yet. So they should be all right, once we get them
away from the Ninth.�

�There�s
no way of knowing that,� Baiken replied bitterly. �We don�t even know what those bastards did
to Chipp. It could be permanent.�

�But
we don�t know that, so we should do whatever we can for them,� Ky replied.

Baiken
snorted, turning her head away, and Ky thought the
discussion ended until her voice continued, softer than before. �That damn idiot. I had a feeling something like this would
happen.�

�You
did?� Ky echoed curiously. He hoped she would elaborate, but he didn�t
dare ask.

�Yeah. After he told me about how he
met�.� She hesitated.

�It�s
all right. I�ve already heard.�

�Well,
then you know what I mean.� Baiken
sighed heavily. �I knew no good could
come out of it. That�s why I was trying
to get him back home. If�.� Ky could see her
hand tensing against her stomach. �We
should have just moved on, instead of waiting.
Then he never would have got caught, the fool.�

Ky
raised his eyes to the ceiling. Irony
was at his heels again. Here he was,
captain and champion of the Global Police, about to go infiltrate a government
factory alongside a Gear and wanted criminal to rescue more wanted
criminals. But watching Baiken now,
hearing the concern in her voice when she spoke of her fallen comrade, he
couldn�t regret it. �We�ll get him
back,� he promised. �And he�ll be fine.�

He
glanced over and found her watching him, her one good eye half-lidded once more
but attentive. �I know,� she replied,
simply, and then she turned her head away, settling in to sleep.

And
for the first time since he�d met her, during the tournament, he found himself
wondering. About her
scars and her missing limb, her history as a Japanese�all the things that would
have once not mattered at all to him, other than that she was a wanted
fugitive. He wasn�t used to
finding such curiosity in himself, and he was oddly grateful for it. Smiling faintly, he cast his gaze to
Testament a Bridget in the next bed, just to see if they were already asleep as
well. He prayed morning would find them
all more or less rested.

*****

By
the time Ky awoke he quickly found that he was the
last of them still in bed, and he sat up quickly, rubbing the sleep from his
eyes. Light was streaming in through the
blinds to his right, making him blink. �I
overslept,� he murmured.

�It�s
not that late,� came Bridget�s reply from the
bathroom. �Testament and Baiken should
be back soon.�

Ky
pushed to his feet, stretching so that the leather complained softly against
his chest. He passed a hand back through
his hair as he moved to retrieve his boots and belt. �How long is my hair going to stay this
color?� he asked idly.

�Not
much longer. Less than
a month, for sure.�

That
was still too long, for Ky�s preference, but he only
smiled glumly as he tightened the bands around his wrists. He glanced at a small clock near the beds: it
was after nine already. �You should have
woken me,� he called. �It�s late
already.�

�Testament
said you needed it.�

Ky
blushed faintly, and was glad Bridget couldn�t see. Once he was finished gathering his things he
followed the sound of Bridget�s voice toward the bathroom�the door was
open. �What are you up to in there?�

�Just
getting ready,� Bridget replied brightly.
�Do you still have your contacts?�

Ky
frowned. �They�re in my bag. Do you really think they�re necessary�?� He rounded the corner, and his eyes widened
faintly in surprise at the sight of the boy.
�What is that?�

�Hm?� Bridget turned away from the
mirror. He was dressed now in an outfit
of black leather, not unlike that of Ky and
Testament�s attire. It consisted of a
strapless top and knee-length skirt split up both sides to his hip, so that his
black shorts could be seen underneath.
There were belt-like straps on his biceps, forearms, and thighs, another
around his neck, and his shoes replaced with thick black boots. And, of course, the huge iron belt that hung
off his hips.

�What
is all this?� Ky asked, gesturing to the outlandish
outfit.

�I
just wanted us to match,� Bridget replied, grinning at Ky�s
baffled expression. He spun, though more
impressive than the sway of fabric was the movement of his weighted belt. �What do you think? I asked Dizzy to make it for me.�

�This
is what Dizzy asked me to give you?� Ky said
incredulously.

�Yup! How is it?�

�It�s�.� Ky was at a loss for
words. He did seem to fit right in with
him and Testament now, with all the leather and bared skin, revealing that
Bridget was, despite most outward appearance, relatively well-muscled for his
age. His ability to bear his own
accessories was proof of that.
�It�s�really something,� Ky managed at
last. �But why�?�

�Because
I�m coming with you, of course,� Bridget said as if it were obvious, turning
back to the mirror so he could go about tying his hair up. �I want to fit in, and I can�t have the
Bureau recognizing me, now can I?�

Ky
shook his head, though he hadn�t really heard what Bridget was saying. �You can�t come with us.�

The
boy paused, then continued tightening the tie on his
hair. �Well, I am.�

�No,�
Ky returned more firmly, taking a step closer. �You�re not.�

�Am, too.�

�You
are not.�

�Am, too.�

Ky
sighed, shaking his head again before he could be drawn into something like
that. �Bridget, it�s going to be��

�What? Dangerous?�
Bridget turned around, his eyes as serious and bright as any young
soldier Ky had ever seen. �I�m the one that got you the information,
right? So I have a right to be there,
just like you.�

�But
Bridget�� Ky tried again.

�Besides,
I can fight,� he continued unphased.
�There�s going to be a lot of those robots, and maybe even the Ninth and
Chipp�and maybe Anji, too, if they�ve gotten to him already. You need as many people with you as you can
get�even if it�s just to cause a diversion.
I�m fast and I can throw my weight around when I need to.�

Bridget
turned back, adjusting his skirt. �And Testament
said I could, so there.�

Ky�s shoulders sagged in defeat; again, out-played by a boy. But dislike it as he may, Bridget did have a
point. �All right,� he conceded
heavily. �But stay close to one of us at
all times�there�s no telling what we�re going to find in there, and we can�t
have you falling behind.�

�Yeah yeah. Now get your contacts in.�

His
voice was light, and Ky could easily see the boy�s
excited grin through the mirror�s reflection.
And though he didn�t want to have to believe that sending children into
battle could ever amount to peace, this may have been the right thing. His trust in Bridget could stretch a little
further.

Just as the pair were finishing their final preparations Testament and Baiken
returned, bearing fresh fruit, bread, and milk, as well as four dark gray
cloaks. Testament explained that they
would make it all the better for them to travel unnoticed through the barren
rocks along the mountain pass. Ky agreed, and the four of them together ate and poured once
more over the different maps and printouts Bridget had made.

�If this isn�t the
right place,� Baiken said gruffly, �we�re going to look pretty foolish.� She slipped a thick rubber band over her
fingers and reached back; it was impressive to see her gather all her hair
together in one hand and work the tie around it, then twist it again for a more
secure hold. Bridget and Testament
looked especially impressed, and a moment later Ky
caught Bridget attempting the same with little success.

�It has to be here,�
Ky replied with a sure nod. �Bridget was right: Dr. Galleon, Dr. Mariot, the Ninth�it�s all too much of a coincidence to be anything
but what we�re looking for.� He finished
the last piece of fruit and pushed out of his chair. �Even if there are other sites in addition to
this one, we should be able to get some information.� He looked to each of them in turn. �Are you all ready?�

�Yeah!� Bridget said quickly, jumping to his feet as
well. He paused to gulp down the last of
his milk and licked his lips. �Whenever you are.�

Testament and
Baiken stood, each nodding their agreement.
As a group they left the motel room, heading out through the streets
toward the city limits. Ky took to the lead.
They moved quickly and without a word passed between them, and it wasn�t
until they�d reached the road that led into the mountains that he realized
Testament was beside him.

�This looks like
it,� Testament said quietly as he tugged his cloak over his shoulders.

Ky nodded and followed suit. �Yes, it does,� he agreed. �If we follow this road, we should reach
there in a few hours.�

Testament frowned;
Ky had misunderstood, as was clear from what the Gear
said next. �When it�s over, what will
you do?�

�I�.� Ky�s voice faltered,
but his gait did not as he continued out of the city. �I don�t know.�
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Culmination