"Princess..." Lantis whispered, attempting to suffuse
the Pillar's mind with warm feelings, trying to soothe her.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at
Satoru. He was saying something he couldn't understand. He
directed his thoughts to him. "Talk to me here, Satoru. We
can understand each other this way."

     Satoru's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! Can you
understand me now?"

     "Yes."

     "How did Hikaru react?"

     "Not very well. She very distraught--" Lantis suddenly
tensed, his eyes turning towards Hikaru's direction.

     "What?"

     Lantis spared the other a glance. "C'mon, let's go!"
The magic swordsman began to run at top speed.

     Satoru hurried to catch up. "Tell me what it is!"

     "No time to explain. We've got to get to Hikaru!"

     * * * * *

      "Drop your weapons now!" Lam said firmly towards the
Marines at the far end of the Ryuuzaki compound. He held
the unconscious blue-haired teenager in front of him as a
shield with his left hand around her neck. He held his
rifle with his right hand, aiming it at the general
direction of the enemy. Two more warriors flanked him on
both sides, their weapons also aimed at the Marine
contingent.

     He glanced back and saw Rogo approach after having
leaped down from his helicopter. He was holding an equally
unconscious girl he captured also by the neck, weapon
likewise trained at the soldiers. Lam saw Rogo's helicopter
fly off and his own, bearing the Yakuza, make its final
approach.

     He turned his eyes back to the Marines. They still
have not dropped their weapons. "I said, drop your
weapons!" Lam emphasized his demand by visibly tightening
his grip on the girl's neck. He suddenly became aware of a
sniper perched on the roof of the next house. He quickly
aimed his rifle at him and fired. The sniper's death cries
were audible in the distance.

     He cast his eyes back at the Marines who all visibly
cringed. Without looking back, they knew what happened and
that they suddenly had no choice. However, instead of
dropping their weapons, they began to walk backwards, out
through the breach in the wall.

     "Stop right there!"

     Everyone stopped on their tracks and directed their
attention on a petite redheaded girl walking purposely out
in the open. The girl surveyed the scene before her,
casting her eyes first at the Marines, then at the aliens
and finally at the helicopter that had just landed.

     "Well, well, well," Lam smiled. "Hikaru Shidou. You
saved us the trouble of coming to get you, little girl."

     "Let go of my friends," the redhead said. "You need
me, not them."

     "How so?"

     "I'm the one who can open a wormhole."

     Lam raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really? Prove it."
The girl's eyes never left his and to his surprise a bright
light flashed and there before him was the elusive
wormhole. His eyes took in the sight of the oval doorway,
with its center filled with dancing, churning light. For a
moment his mind rebelled against the impossibility of what
he was seeing but he dismissed it just as quickly. Figuring
out this phenomenon will have to be done later.

     He turned his eyes back at the Shidou girl and cocked
a head towards the wormhole. "Where does that lead to?"

     The girl merely shrugged. "Nowhere." Lam turned in
surprise as the bright gateway suddenly vanished.

     "Now, let my friends go."

     "Not yet. I want you to open a wormhole to the
Ramarian fleet stationed just outside your solar system."

     "First let my friends go."

     "Listen, girl," Lam said between gritted teeth. "There
will be no more bargaining. You will do as I say, or
else..." He made a show of tightening his grip on
Ryuuzaki's neck. A groan escaped from the girl's lips.

     Suddenly, a new group of people rushed out of the
house. Lam and his warriors tensed, training their weapons
on the newcomers.

     "Hikaru! What on earth are you doing?" one of them
approached the Shidou girl.

     The redhead whipped around angrily. "Stay out of this,
Elder Brother!" The vehement outburst stopped the other on
his tracks.

     "Hikaru, don't do this."

     The girl ignored him and turned back to Lam. "Very
well, alien. I will open your wormhole but you had better
let Umi and Fuu go or I swear, I'll destroy you," she said
between gritted teeth.

     Lam raised his eyebrows. Such strength in one so
young. "If this wormhole really leads back to our fleet and
you promise to come with us, I will let your friends go."

     "I can't let you do this, Hikaru," the brother stepped
forward, his hand outstretched to grab hold of the girl's
arm.

     Lam fired a shot at ground just in front of the girl's
brother. The small explosion was sufficient to throw the
man off his feet.

     "No!" The redheaded teenager rushed to the side of her
brother.

     * * * * *

     "Please, Elder Brother," Hikaru pleaded with Satoru,
"this is out of your hands."

     "But--"

     "No buts. This is my decision."

     "Listen, Hikaru, I don't care if you are the Pillar or
a Knight or whatever. You are still my baby sister! I have
to protect you."

     The Fire Knight gazed sadly into her brother's eyes
and slowly shook her head. "I have to do this."

     Satoru locked eyes with his sister's, as if willing
her to change her mind. Both turned their heads as Lantis
knelt by their side.

     "Princess, this is--" He fell silent as the Pillar
shook her head slowly at him. The look in her eyes told him
that there was nothing he could do or say that would change
her mind. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

     "I think so," Hikaru nodded at her magic swordsman.
She reached into the back of her neck with both her hands
and took out the medallion she always wore. "I can't do
this on my own though." She took Lantis' hand and placed
the medallion over it, covering it with both her hands.
"You know what to do."

     Lantis looked down at his hands covered by Hikaru's
small ones and then raised his head to gaze into the warm
sienna-brown eyes of the Pillar. "No, I don't know."

     The Fire Knight smiled tenderly at him. "You'll figure
it out." She reached up and touched his face. Leaning
forward, she pressed her lips softly against his.

     "We don't have all day, Hikaru Shidou," said the
alien, clearly getting impatient. It was more than enough
to break the moment. Hikaru pulled back from Lantis and
looked into his eyes.

     Lantis saw her expression transform from its former
softness to a hard steely one. "Take care of my brother."

     Lantis nodded. Hikaru glanced fleetingly at her
brother and then slowly, gracefully rose to her feet.
Pivoting on her heel, she turned to face the alien. "You
gave me your word, alien."

     "Yes, I have. Now get on with it."

     The Fire Knight gave the other a brief glare before
closing her eyes. She took a deep breath and drew a picture
of odd-looking ships in her mind. She also pictured
interstellar space just beyond Pluto. A surge of energy
filled her and when she opened her eyes, the portal was
already there.

     The alien looked first at her and then at the portal.
"How do I know that this one really leads to our ships?"

     "Send one of your people through and then have him
come back. He will give you the confirmation you need."

     The alien turned to nod at one of his companions. The
other alien walked forward and faced the portal. He took a
deep breath and entered. The leader fixed Hikaru with a
warning glare, alternately moving his eyes towards the
fingers he had around Umi's neck and then back at her. The
insinuation was all too clear.

     The leader turned back as he noticed the portal began
to shimmer. The alien he assigned presently walked back
out. He was smiling triumphantly. "It leads to the Weret."

     "Excellent!" The leader turned towards the Fire
Knight. "Come here."

     Hikaru fearlessly approached until the barrel of the
leader's rifle was mere centimeters from her chest. "We had
a deal."

     "And I fully intend to keep it," he nodded to the one
carrying Fuu. Hikaru saw as Fuu was thrown forward. The
leader did the same to Umi. Hikaru winced as she saw both
hit the ground hard. "Rogo," he called out to the man who
held Fuu. The Fire Knight recognized him as the one she met
at Tokyo Tower. "Please inform our friend, Mr. Tanaka, that
he is coming with us."

     "Right."

     The leader then turned to the warrior who came through
the portal. "Go back in and tell them to prepare for our
passage."

     "Yes, Sir." The warrior nodded and then disappeared
into the portal once again.

     The leader turned back to Hikaru. "After you," he said
cocking his head towards the portal.

     Hikaru glanced back. She saw Umi and Fuu already being
attended to by her brothers. She gave the alien a fleeting
glance and then walked towards the portal. She felt the
leader's rifle steadily track her every movement very
closely.

     She glanced at Lantis just as the portal began to pull
her in. He was clasping the medallion tightly in his hand.
For a brief moment, she wondered if she was truly doing the
right thing.

     * * * * *

     Greg Caster, White House Chief of Staff, walked into
the Situation Room, a grim expression on his face.

     The President looked up and immediately tensed. "What
is it?"

     "Very bad news, Mr. President," Caster began. The
President was joined by the Joint Chiefs, heads of Central
Intelligence and the National Security Agency, and the
Defense Minister. All their eyes were on him. "The aliens
managed to capture one of the girls," he glanced down at
the open report on his hand. "Hikaru Shidou."

     "So they got one," the President said, his expression
hopeful. "Don't they need all three?"

     Caster took a deep breath. "I'm afraid not, Sir. Joan
Rumsen sent her report in. It is confirmed by the Marines
who witnessed the scene." He paused and scanned the
expectant faces in the room. "Hikaru Shidou is the only one
who has the power to open wormholes." He fixed his eyes on
the President of the United States. "She's already
transported herself and the surviving aliens to their fleet
outside our solar system."

     The President's jaw slowly dropped. "My God..."

------------------
NEXT: Chapter 13 - The Battle for Earth

------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTES: To those who have been waiting patiently
for this chapter, my apologies for the delay. The pressures
of real life have a way of suffocating one's creativity. At
any rate, I shall endeavor to come up with the next chapter
much sooner. Do wait for it. Even more excitement to come!

C&C/reviews are very welcome. Please e-mail them to
darkhrse@edsamail.com.ph

------------------
DISCLAIMER: Magic Knight Rayearth and all the characters in
that anime/manga are properties of CLAMP.  These are used
here without permission.




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