Notes: Takes place shortly after Episode 46 (Propose Panic). Please enjoy.

Sky And Steel Under Glass

“Be careful. Kresaor may not be physically strong, but he is devious.” Doggie looked around at the six serious faces of the officers around him and nodded once. “Good luck.”

“Roger!” The six saluted simultaneously before exiting the room.

Doggie returned to his desk, taking up the task of running the Earth’s Special Police Force even as he kept one watchful eye on the monitor in case his intervention was needed. He didn’t think it would be; after all, he had handpicked five of the six, and the last had been especially trained by an elite organization since childhood. Still, complacence led to trouble.

“How are they?” Swan had entered the room without his noticing, and her graceful gesture towards the viewscreen nearly caught him by surprise.

“They’ll be fine.”

Swan moved to stand beside him, arms folded. Her expression, normally serene, was worried.

“Is something wrong?” Doggie asked. He couldn’t quite concentrate, not with the nearly palpable aura of unease she displayed.

“No,” she replied lightly, and smiled. The aura faded, but he could still sense it.

The viewscreen flashed – the SPD had arrived on the scene, and the alienizer in question had begun its resistance.

“Vasa-seijin Kresoar, you’re under arrest for-” Hoji started. Kresoar lashed out before he had the chance to finish, liquid snakes flickering through the air. The six Dekas dodged, rolling to the side or simply springing over the top of the attack. Where the snakes’ tongues hit the ground, craters burgeoned and spat out chunks of solid rock.

Sen glanced at Hoji, and nodded. “SWAT Mode!” five voices called out simultaneously. Black uniforms were replaced by shining battle-suits, replaced again by black armor adding a second layer of protection. Off to the side, Tetsu charged forward. Without SWAT Mode, his transformation took less time. He used the few seconds to cover his teammates, attacking before the alienizer recovered.

The snakes shot out again, but he was ready for them. Tetsu leapt over the snakes and came down hard towards the Vasa-seijin’s torso. The snakes reversed direction and wrapped themselves around him, throwing him painfully to the ground. They clung tightly for a moment, until he pulled away and dashed forward again. This time, his attack connected and he dealt the alienizer a double blow just beneath its solar plexus.

“Ha!” Ban flipped forward, followed by the other four. Their rifles made a distinct dent in the creature’s defenses; the snakes retreated, swallowed up once again in the alienizer’s luminous body.

Tetsu, directly behind Umeko and Jasmine’s double attack, revved up the handle on his left glove. “Lightning fist!” The multiple blows sent Kresoar crashing backwards into a parked car, and shattered glass sprayed the battleground. Inexplicably, Kresoar climbed to its feet and laughed.

Tetsu straightened slightly and cocked his head to the side, confused. What? He glanced at his teammates, at Hoji, just in case Kresoar had set some kind of trap. The six snakes that darted towards them caught him completely unawares. He tried to roll to the side, but the snake anticipated his movements and struck him directly in the chest. Heavy jaws closed around his ribs and squeezed. He went down hard, but almost before he realized what had happened, the snake slithered away. Ban and the others had neutralized the alienizer and called judgment. Tetsu climbed to his feet to stand next to Umeko, struggling to catch his breath.

“Delete approved,” Hoji noted impersonally.

“Murphy! Keybone!” Ban tossed the key into the air, and Murphy sprang up to retrieve it. Almost instantaneously, the robotic dog shifted into a formidable weapon. Ban caught it as it came down, and the other four supported him. The twin burst of energy caught Kresoar just as he tried a last desperate charge. Ban swung Murphy upwards in the orange light of the explosion, and the team turned its back on the blast.

Murphy dashed off as soon as the keybone was removed, presumably back to the base. “Aaaah, mission accomplished,” Ban announced, keying the reverse transformation. The others followed suit.

“Bath time!” Umeko declared happily, skipping forward.

“Guys…” Tetsu’s voice came from behind them. “Sorry.”

“What are you talking about?” Ban grinned. “You were…” He turned, along with the others, just in time to see Tetsu stumble and fall. “Tetsu!” He was on his knees beside the other man in seconds. “Tetsu!”

Jasmine was the only one with the presence of mind to call for a medical team; Umeko had joined Ban, neither of them knowing what to do. Hoji shouldered them both aside, trying and failing to stem the too-red stain spreading rapidly across Tetsu’s chest. Sen stared, frozen for several seconds before joining Hoji.

“Sorry,” Tetsu muttered again through clenched teeth.

“Shut up,” Hoji said harshly. “Don’t apologize.” The deep lacerations were bleeding far too much, and Tetsu was already going into shock.

TBC