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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
- 22
- 23
- 24
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
22

Testament
and Bridget made their way swiftly through the factory halls; Testament stayed
in the lead, his magic fending off the attacks of the few armed guards they
encountered in continuing up the floors.
They came across the occasional robot as well, which Bridget was proud
to have a hand in destroying. Climbing
the stairwell to the fourth floor made of the majority of strife in their
advance, as a group of soldiers had collected along the stairs, and were using Zeppian automatic weapons to fire down on them. The pair took refuge in the second floor
doorway.

�I
got it,� Bridget declared suddenly, and he reached down, fiddling with a latch
on his belt so that it released, dropping off his waist with a metallic
clang. He crouched, fastening it back
into a circle before hefting it in both hands.

�Hey,
wait,� Testament started to protest as Bridget moved into the stairwell once
more. �What are you doing?�

�This!� With a childish growl Bridget swung the heavy
mass�it all but leapt from his hands, spinning awkwardly through the air and,
amazingly, to the fourth floor landing.
It struck the wall with a hollow reverberation, marking a dent, and then
another when it dropped. The guards spun
at the sound of the impact, but by then the circle of metal was careening down
the stairs towards them. They scrambled
to dodge, but the stairs were too narrow to allow much movement, and several of
the men were sent tumbling to their knees or even over the rail.

Testament,
though stunned that Bridget�s move was working, didn�t let the opportunity pass
him; he charged out of the alcove, long strides taking him swiftly up the
stairs to where the guards were struggling to stand and aid their
comrades. With all the confusion he
passed easily through them, the blunt end of his scythe�s handle knocking each
standing man unconscious. He could hear
Bridget just behind, and when he reached the door to the fourth floor he paused
to glance back.

Bridget
grinned brightly as he tugged his belt back into place. �How was that?�

Testament
smirked. �Good work.�

The
pair followed the short hall to a single door, and upon opening it found
themselves face to face with half a dozen pale-faced and terrified technicians.

�All
of you who don�t want to end up like the guards outside should leave,�
Testament informed them evenly.

The
technicians exchanged glances, but in looking at Testament their minds were
swiftly made up. With tiny frightened
cries they fled, forsaking coats and files in their escape. Testament cocked an eye at his young companion. �How was that?�

Bridget
giggled as he hopped to one of the abandoned workstations and took a seat. �Not bad,� he complimented dryly.

Testament
rolled his eyes as he followed.

*****

Ky
threw himself out of the way of the incoming projectile of magic. He almost wasn�t fast enough, and he could
feel the fire�s heat licking at the skin of his bare back as he rolled to the
side. It spurred him swiftly into a
counterattack of lightning�he wasn�t about to let an enemy take him from behind
again, and felt a thrill of satisfaction as his attacker was forced to
retreat. His shadowed figure disappeared
somewhere among the mess of machinery, and as Ky
stood he held his sword carefully ready, alert for when the next onslaught
came.

�Heh. You�re not like
the robots, are you?�

Ky
turned toward the voice, and his heart rose suddenly into his throat when he
finally came to recognize its owner who was now bearing down on him. He didn�t have a chance to speak�in his shock
he managed only to defend from the sword arching towards him, and the heavy
punch that followed caught him perfectly in the stomach. Ky reeled, a
thoughtless swipe of his sword driving the man back long enough for him to
retreat several steps. He gasped weakly
after his lost breath. �So��

�Damn
right, darling.� He charged again, long
before Ky was ready to deflect another attack. A smug grin flashed briefly across his
lips. Ky
lifted Thunderseal, and the impact of their blades
sent him skidding backwards until his lower back struck the edge of a computer
desk. Following blind instinct the
officer rolled over it�the wood was splintered a second later by a heavy,
cleaving strike. And though he was still
gasping Ky managed another burst of lightning, giving
him the time he needed to fall back. He
jumped onto the conveyer belt and then behind it, hoping the extra machinery
there would give him cover.

�Running
now, eh?� Though another attack didn�t
come Ky was wary, an arm wrapped around his chest to
keep it from heaving as he edged, slowly, around the different metal
masses. �Can�t fight without your little
robot friends, can you?�

Ky
pressed his hand to his mouth to suppress a cough, wincing a little at the
taste of blood on his lips. Carefully he
leaned his back against one of the giant metallic arms along the assembly line;
a slight turn of his head allowed him to see the other man as he walked the
line of the wall, searching. And he�d
thought his mind might be playing tricks on him, until he clearly saw Fireseal clenched in the man�s fist. Sol had found his way here�had attacked
him. His injustice swelled, and he would
have charged out to demand an explanation if not for the rising of Sol�s voice.

�You
in charge of this dump, or what?� Sol called, scraping Fireseal�s
tip against the floor as he walked. It
made an awful, ear-piecing squeal. �Or
maybe you�re another fucked up experiment.
The outfit�s all wrong, either way.�

Ky
bit his lip to keep his gasp from being heard�Sol didn�t recognize him. It was startling, and somehow absurd, but it
explained their exchange a moment before; Sol, who should have given Ky the chance to catch his breath as he always did, hadn�t
relented in his attack. The hair, the
outfit, even the factory�s dull lighting, had managed to so far hide Ky�s identity.
Moreover, all their enemies resembled him, copied his movements and
fighting technique�it wasn�t impossible that Sol would mistake him for
one. Just as the Ninth had mistaken him
in Rome. It made Ky�s
mind spin, wondering if he could possibly appear so different that the man
hunting for his life and the man he had fought for years could both be fooled.

There
was a sudden clang to his left, and Ky spun�having
had enough of his search on the other side, Sol was climbing over the conveyer
belt. He kicked several moving limbs out
of his way in the process. Ky tensed as he pushed away from his support, preparing for
another attack. It came swiftly, as soon
as he was spotted; Sol�s eyes gleamed as he charged, bringing his sword down in
a vertical arch. Ky
braced Thunderseal with both hands as he met the
slash. The collision sent a heavy tremor
through him, greater than he had anticipated, and Sol�s secondary assault came
faster than it normally would have�a kick to Ky�s
midsection he narrowly avoided. They
broke apart, but then Sol was barreling down on him again, and again Ky blocked and retreated.

This
wasn�t right. It wasn�t how their fights
usually went. Ky
was used to starting with an advantage, fueled by his injustice and
determination, which would last until Sol wore him down and brought the battle
to an abrupt end. But Sol was fighting
harder now than he normally did, was even enjoying it, judging by the careless
smirk in his rough features. He was
using greater effort against a nameless enemy than against the officer that had
pursued him in a contest of strength for years, and even then, was even now
nowhere near fulfilling his complete potential.

Ky
felt his jaw clench, his hand tremble just slightly around his weapon. He was being toyed with, again. And if the condescension present in Sol�s
face now was any indication of how little he thought of this fight, it pained Ky to think of how much less Sol must have thought of him,
to not even fight at this level. This
Gear was toying with him. Had always
been toying with him.

The
officer planted his feet suddenly, with a low growl sweeping Thunderseal in front of him in an upward slash. Lightning flashed from the swords tip as it
went, its crack echoing in the chamber as the magic shoots leapt at his
adversary. It made Ky�s
fingertips tingle. And Sol leapt back,
blocking the attack against his own sword.

Following
the Gear�s earlier example Ky leapt at him even
before his magic had dissipated. Their
blades met, sparking against each other as their masters contended for
leverage. Ky
watched, with satisfaction, as the grin fell gradually from Sol�s lips. �Glad to see you�re finally in the fighting
spirit,� Sol grumbled.

Ky�s eyes narrowed. A powerful leap
took him into the air, another burst of magic driving his opponent back. But before they could engage again he crossed
the conveyer once more in search of a moment�s peace to think. This�was wrong. All he had to do was speak and his identity
would be known, ending this foolishness.
Sol was going to figure it out eventually anyway, and he had no idea how
he would explain himself when that happened.

�Running
again?� Sol gave chase, his Fireseal humming so that the metal around them reflected
its gleaming excitement. Ky gulped despite himself; his own Thunderseal
was already replying in kind.

*****

Baiken muttered under her breath as she swept through another group of
gun-toting soldiers. She was doing her
best not to kill too many of them�it wasn�t always pleasant for her reputation�but
they were starting to get annoying, and she didn�t give a second thought to
when her blade finally caught flesh. At
least after that, the rest of the guards were more willing to back off.

A
bit of coaxing convinced one of the men to tell her where the laboratory was;
by the time she got there she was just starting to breathe heavily from the
long exercise, the right sleeve of her new jacket already shredded from the use
of her remaining anki. She couldn�t hide a tiny smile as she kicked
the door in and heard people scattering with frightened yelps. But when she at last took in the scene before
her that humor quickly faded. She took a
few steps inside, gaze narrowed but alert.
�Get away from him.�

Leona
Mariot straightened, and though her face was stern
she took a single step back from the metal slab that served as her operating
table. Her five assistants did the same
with shared looks of fright. Their
retreat allowed Baiken to see the full figure of the
men they had been leaning over: Anji, laid bare save
for a sheet covering him from the waist down, shackled to the table and covered
in any number of tiny needles and apparatuses.
His eyes were gaping wide but they were empty; when Leona turned, Baiken could see the traces of blood on her fingers.

�Get
away from him!� Baiken hollered as she stalked
quickly forward. The assistants
obediently backed further away, but Leona was unwavering. As soon as Baiken
was in range she grabbed the woman by her collar, hauling her forward. �What the hell are you doing?� she demanded
coarsely, giving her a shake. �What have
you done to him?�

�He�s
undergone hypnosis,� the doctor replied simply, infuriating Baiken
more with her careless demeanor. �In
preparation for a procedure.�

�I
know all about your fucking procedure,� Baiken
growled, and with a snort she flung Leona to the ground. Though she must have struck hard she didn�t
cry out. Baiken,
meanwhile, was already pulling herself up onto the table with Anji, tearing at the equipment covering him. �Damn scientists,� she continued to mutter as
she removed a particularly large needle from Anji�s
forearm. She pressed her hand against it
for a moment to keep it from bleeding.
�How many times do you have to fuck with the world before you�re
satisfied?�

�This
is about restoring order,� Leona retorted, slowly dragging herself to her
feet. �I won�t expect a Japanese to
understand.�

Baiken whirled on her. �Shut up!� she
snarled. �As soon as I get Anji out of here I�m coming back to cut your goddamn head
off, got that?� She turned back to her
work. �Keep it up and I�ll think of
something less efficient for you.�

�You
have no idea, do you?� the woman continued anyway, bracing her weight against
one of the liquid filled tanks behind her.
�About the war, the Japanese�about your own powers.�

�I
know how to use them�that�s enough for me.�

Unseen
to Baiken, Leona gestured to her workers; they began
to slip, one by one, into an adjoining room.
�You think you do. And maybe that
is good enough for you. But if that�s
so, you�ll never come to understand why your people were destroyed.�

Baiken turned again, slowly this time, gaze sharp as she clicked her sword an
inch out of its sheath. �Maybe I�ll be
killing you now after all.�

�Maybe.� Leona lifted her chin. �Chipp Zanuff!�

A
flash of shadow caught in the corner of Baiken�s eye,
and she cursed as she twisted to face the incoming assault. But she had always underestimated Chipp�s speed�he sped from a darkened corner of the room,
seeming to vanish before her eyes until a moment before he jumped, both feet
catching her in the chest. With a
startled cry Baiken was thrown from the table and
landed hard on her back. �Damnit�� She flipped swiftly to her feet once more,
just in time to catch Chipp�s arm blade against the
hilt of her sword. His eyes were just as
dulled, as oblivious as Anji�s, and it made her
cringe. �You�damn bitch�!�

�You
two know each other, don�t you?� Leona said as she moved back towards Anji, reaching for the needle Baiken
had discarded. �Keep each other busy for
a while, so I can finish this for the Doctor.�

Baiken snarled; a jerk of her shoulder sent her claw aiming for Chipp�s throat, but he feinted back, returning swiftly with
a kick to her gut. She gasped as she was
thrown back, and their blades gave off tiny sparks as they clashed in another
meeting. �Damn you!�

�My
apologies,� Lorena went on as she continued with her preparations. �But he hates to be kept waiting.�

*****

The
pair of combatants ducked as sparks showered down on them; a blast of Ky�s lightning had caught the overhead lights, striking
down the line of fluorescents and exploding bits of glass in all
directions. It had caught Ky off guard, as he wasn�t used to dealing with delicate
electric lighting, and he was startled when the factory was plunged into
darkness. The only illumination now
offered was the glow of still functioning computer screens, and the sparse
green and red lights covering the length of the conveyer belt. Sol�s form was a blur ahead of him.

�Smooth,
asshole,� Sol grumbled.

Ky
braced himself, accepting Sol�s attack against his sword, but this time he
didn�t back down. He knew that Sol had
the advantage in the dark, with his Gear�s sight, and that he couldn�t afford
to surrender any leverage. His Thunderseal was the lighter of their weapons�he managed to
twist it about, turning Sol�s blade aside so he could lash at his chest. They broke apart, and met again in the dark.

Their
fight was slowly getting out of Ky�s hands. Every clash of metal hardened Ky�s expression, swelled heated instinct behind his
ribs. Though his rage was tightly
controlled he was aware that now, even with his limited visibility, he was
fighting harder and more effectively against Sol than any time in his memory. The bizarre circumstances behind this duel
were straining the reality of their situation from him. Clad now in unfamiliar attire and
surroundings, facing Sol�s unbridled aggression, it wasn�t hard to imagine that
he had become far removed from himself.
This was surreal. And despite all
his earlier anguishes, in this moment he ceased to remember or care that Sol�s
origins as a Gear had caused him so much pain.
This was Sol�the one man who he had yet to prove himself to. And this was his opportunity.

Sol�s
fire careened toward him, lighting their metal battleground in gleaming orange
and crimson. Ky
countered with magic of his own, and together the combined heat seared long
gashes into the steel of their environment.
To Ky�s left a workstation was set aflame, and
suddenly exploded not unlike the lights a moment ago. It was small but just enough to separate the
fighters again so they could gather their bearings.

Their
battle was only going to grow more fierce.
Ky launched another round of lightning,
chasing Sol across the conveyer belt and in the process sending a collection of
robotic parts spinning off madly. The
officer was pleased; his task had been to destroy the factory and all its
effectiveness, and if they kept up this competition of theirs that would soon
be the result. Still, his conscience was
protesting. He shouldn�t have had time
to indulge himself here, when his comrades were battling for their lives elsewhere
throughout the facility.

Sol
came at him faster than he�d expected; he�d pushed against the wall, and was
heading for the officer with the intention of a powerful kick. Ky surprised
himself with the swiftness of his own response.
He crouched down, already turning so that by the time Sol had sailed
over him he was ready to attack. Staying
low to the ground he charged, a sweep of his blade coming dangerously close to
connecting with Sol�s ankles. The Gear
leapt back but Ky was again upon him, a leveled
thrust aiming for his midsection.

Sol
twisted, but it wasn�t fast enough. Ky�s eyes widened as he felt his sword catch�it was only a
glancing blow, a shallow incision along the bottom of Sol�s ribs, but it drew
blood.

Ky�s brief victory was short-lived; Sol�s fist came down heavily against
the side of his head, spilling him onto his face at the base of the conveyer
belt. It sent an ache all through his
already worn body but he struggled back to his feet swiftly in case Sol
attacked again. He didn�t at first; he
was drawing his fingers over his wound, smearing dark blood across his
stomach. His eyes gleamed in the
dark. �Now you�re pissing me off.�

Ky
licked his lips as he stumbled back a step.
His mind was spinning�he�d wounded Sol.
And though it wasn�t the first time he�d managed to draw blood from him,
it was usually nothing more than skating blow against an arm or shoulder, never
something as vital as his torso. It
raised in him a shudder of accomplishment.
Whatever had happened, he was fighting with greater skill than he
usually did. For that tiny instant
between them, he had been the better man.

When
Sol attacked again Ky could tell that he had
heightened his game; his smirk was gone, his eyes focused sharply in the
dark. But Ky�s
confidence had been spurred as well, and he met every sweep of the sword thrown
at him. He couldn�t remember having felt
this way, so unlike himself and�maybe even free. This was his chance to fight Sol outside the
bounds of all the history they shared, without morality and justice barring his
vision. Testament had been right�he wanted
to trust his own instincts, trust himself, and at the moment his heart was
telling him that he would never have this opportunity again.

Baiken would be all right on her own.
She could handle Chipp, as she had said. Bridget was with Testament, and would be able
to look after himself. And Testament�he
trusted. Wanted to trust him so deeply
that it made his insides ache when he remembered all the brief moments they had
shared, the words of comfort and advice passed between them. If Testament said he could defeat the Ninth
unaided, then Ky would believe him with all
confidence.

Which
left this battle to him. Already as they
circled he could see the factory�s many devices blinking in distress, burned
and scarred with the force of too much magic.
If this battle continued any longer, his objective of ruining the
reproductive equipment would be completed twice over, as he had assured. There was no other need for him here,
save�this.

Sol
came at him again from above, flames licking the length of his blade as it
struck towards him. Ky�s
reaction was again all but instantaneous; he leapt straight into the air, sword
flashing in a smooth arch that parried Sol�s blade and, for an instant, drew
them into close quarters in mid air.
Both attacked with limbs. Ky�s knee caught Sol firmly in the midsection, drawing more
blood, and again Sol�s heavy knuckles caught Ky in
the chest. Winded, the pair broke apart
and was sent tumbling to the ground.
They struggled desperately to regain their balance.

Sol
hissed a curse as he stood, one hand pressed over his stomach. �What the fuck are you, anyway?� he growled,
his eyes glowing brief fire in the darkened factory.

Ky
licked his lips and tasted blood as he, too, pushed to his feet. Sol would figure it out, soon. But until then he would fight with all his
strength.

*****

Bridget
hummed idly as he jumped from one console to the next, checking the screens
that had been carelessly left open when their owners fled. He hadn�t discovered anything remarkable just
yet, and trying to delve deeper confronted him with password screens and red
warnings. �Looks like it�s all locked
up,� he said with dismay, moving to check another computer. �I can�t get in.�

Testament
frowned, though he had been expecting as much�the Ninth may have been confident
enough in his robots that their security system wasn�t terribly advanced, but
he would never be careless with something as important as his full
database. �Keep trying,� he said anyway,
moving to the line of tall, thick glass windows that overlooked the entrance of
the factory. �There might be something�a
piece of paper, even, that might show if they�ve been contacting another
factory.�

�Right.� Bridget nodded, and continued his search.

Testament
turned his gaze back to the window, lifting his palm to press against it. He scanned the courtyard below, but again as
he had assumed there was no sign of Ky.
A few robots were attempting to stagger to their feet, but as they were
severely damaged he gave them little notice.
His mind was already wandering, and in his reprieve was startled by the
sound of a distant explosion shaking the floor beneath his feet. He smirked.
�Sounds like everyone�s working hard, at least,� he murmured.

�Ah! Here�s something,� Bridget suddenly announced.

Testament
glanced back at him over his shoulder.
�What is it?�

�Looks
like someone might have been looking stuff up about another factory,� Bridget
reported, leaning close to the screen.
�There�s a list of�supplies and stuff, I think�something about a ship
heading out of Rome to A-Country.�

�Does
it say where?�

�I�m
still looking.�

Testament
nodded and turned his attention briefly back to the window. A brief seal sheered a circular hole in the
glass, letting in a breath of dusty mountain air. A moment later a familiar black raven was
gliding toward him, and he held his hand out for her to land upon. Rael rustled her
feathers in irritation. �I�m sorry,�
Testament assured with a smile as he pulled her inside. �I didn�t mean to leave you behind.� He lifted her to his shoulder.

No
sooner had she perched, however, she suddenly bristled, screeching in
warning. Testament felt the swell of
magic a moment later; he reeled, but by then the energy was already surging
into the room, nearly blinding him. His
heart skipped. �Bridget�!�

Rael�s talons drew blood from his shoulder as she launched from it. He felt rather than saw her own burst of
magic. But it was nothing compared to
the force she was defending from, and when the light cleared Testament could
only watched helplessly and Bridget and Rael were
both thrown bodily across the workroom.
The boy gave only a short cry as he struck the wall and slumped
unconsciously to the ground, the motionless raven just beside.

Testament
ran to them, and was only just in time to defend from another blast of ki magic intended to finish off the pair; his seal kept the
attack at bay long enough for its power to burn out, darkening the room once
more. In that lull he turned his
attention to the fallen pair. �Bridget?�

But
the boy didn�t respond, even when shaken; he was out cold. With eyes narrowed Testament lifted his head,
crouched protectively in front of the wounded as he watched the room�s entrance
for their enemy. �Show yourself!�

The
Ninth came in slowly, clad again in the red and white uniform of the Holy Order
he had adorned in the Rome. His
expression was eerily calm, and the soft resonation of his boots against the
metal floor sent through the Gear a familiar tremor.

�I
thought you�d end up here eventually,� the Ninth said evenly, taking a few
steps forward, �but not this soon.�

Testament�s
jaw clenched as he stood, his scythe materializing obediently in his closed
palm. �I�m going to kill you,� he
retorted lowly. �Like I killed the eight
before you.�

�You
can try.�

The
pair brandished weapons, and charged at each other just as a pale moon began to
rise behind plated glass.
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Culmination