Cecilium saw Katomi shoot towards him. He quickly shape shifted his android to its original form and blocked. "What the…?!" he said. It was an android! A Hybrid Android…and it was attacking its own kind! "What in the name of Doenna is it doing?!"

Katomi backed away then thrusted again, only to have her attack blocked once more. "Why you annoying little…!" she snarled. Katomi let out a mightly swing, cutting off Cecilium’s android’s sword arm.

"Darn!" Cecilium snarled (Author’s Note: I know, I use a lot of modifiers. But I can’t help it. I can’t speak profanity, I just can’t! ^^;;). "Now I can’t shape shift into anything useful!"

Katomi gave out another blow, stabbing through the chest plate. "DIE!"

Cecilium could hear the booms and the zaps from under him. "Darn! No!"

When all the other androids saw this, they shape shifted to their original forms and landed. Rohga came running to Cecilium’s aid.

"LORD CECILIUM!!!!" Rohga cried, stretching out his android’s paw. He caught the emperor who had jumped out the mouth of the ruined android.

There was a huge boom as Cecilium’s android exploded behind Cecilium, just as the emperor landed on Rohga’s android’s paw.

Katomi shifted her gaze on Rohga. "YOU again!" she was about to attack when she saw a ripple of air behind the android and grinned.

A guymelef hand appeared behind Rohga and shot out three claws through Rohga’s android.

"What the…?!" Rohga said. "SIRE!!! JUMP!!!"

Two hybrids jumped as the android exploded. Rohga led Cecilium to a safe area and watched. "T-They’re invisible!" he gasped as three claws struck the head of an android, killing the hybrid inside it. "Where are they coming from?! The only visible one is that android…"

"The android is activn as a diversion! We must destroy the diversion!" Cecilium said. "WATCH OUT!" he cried as an android fell.

"They’ve found out that the cockpits are in the head, Sire!" Rohga said, staring in morbid fascination as blood trickled out of the punctured head of the android. He made sure that his headphones were still working, then looked around. He pressed a button on the right headphone and looked around. His eyes scanned the battlefield then saw a ripple in the air behind an android. "Colonel Hanuko!! Behind you!!" he called through the little microphone which was attached the left headphone.

The android turned around and blocked the attack, but another guymelef got it from behind.

Rohga’s eyes widened as he fell to his knees. "No…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hitomi gasped. "They’re losing…the hybrids are losing…" she said.

Allen and Van gave Hitomi odd looks. "Who?"

"Hybrids…piloting iron giants…losing…they’re dying…" Hitomi said.

"Wait, wait, wait! Losing to WHO?" Van said.

"The invisible giants…they’re fighting Zaibach!" Hitomi said. Her eyes widened as a vision of a tall Dragonslayer holding the Vione in one hand…was it a hand?…and a star in the other. The Dragonslayer’s expression was sad…troubled…then flames engulfed the Dragonslayer. Hitomi gasped and staggered back.

"Hitomi!" Allen said, catching Hitomi.

Van ran toward Escaflowne and jumped into the cockpit. "I’m going!"

"Van! Are you crazy?!" Allen cried.

Escaflowne turned into a dragon and Van looked down at Hitomi and asked, "Where’s the battlefield?"

Hitomi shook her head. "No, Van. Don’t go!"

"Hitomi! Tell me!" Van said.

"Van…" Hitomi said. "Why are you going to go? To help the hybrids?"

Van didn’t reply.

"Van, the hybrids aren’t on our side! You know that!" Allen said.

"If they’re against Zaibach, they ARE on our side!" Van said.

"Van…" Hitomi said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dilandau laughed in his guymelef as he shot flames at an android. "AHAHAHA!!! BURN BURN!!!"

"Lord Dilandau! The Dragon!" Chesta said.

Dilandau looked around and saw it. Escaflowne transformed back into its original form and charged. Dilandau shot his guymelef claws at Van, but Van blocked them.

"What?!" Dilandau said, wide eyed. Withdrawing the claws, Dilandau looked around. He didn’t see Hitomi anywhere…what was going on here?!

Van gave a mighty slash, causing Dilandau’s stealth cloak to fail. Van then let out another slash, but Dilandau had used his crima claws to create a sword blade and blocked Van’s attack.

A hybrid, seeing the red guymelef, shot towards it, but three claws slew the hybrid before it got too close.

"Take that, said Gatti, withdrawing his claws.

Viole looked up to see a sub-android flying toward the Vione. He made as if to go, but was caught in a dilemma. He had to fly up there, but the stealth cloaks didn’t work in flight mode…. He called do Katomi, "KATOMI! UP THERE! THE VIONE!"

Katomi looked up at the sub-android. She grinned then shot up at the sub-android.

Augenta, the pilot of the sub-android, blocked the attack. "What the…isn’t that one of Zentor’s androids?!"

"DIE!!!" Katomi said, giving another slash.

"What in the name of Doenna is it doing?!" Augenta said, blocking the attack.

"Annoying little thing, aren’t you?" Katomi said, giving another slash. The sound of a scream from the intercom caught her attention, and she looked down at a uymelef which had its head cut off. "VIOLE!!" Katomi cried. She slammed down at the sub-android, catching it off guard, then shot down at the guymelef which was attacking Viole. She landed on the guymelef like a cat would on a mouse. "Viole! Activate the stealth cloak!!"

Viole did as he was told, then continued to fight, still feeling quite vulnerable.

Dilandau, seeing Hitomi point out the invisible guymelefs, snarled. "That girl…"

"Dilandau," came a voice.

"What, Strategos?" Dilandau said, irritated.

"Call a retreat," Folken said,

"Retreat?!" Dilandau cried.

"Yes, before we lose all of our guymelefs! Call a retreat! There’s no way you could win this battle!"

Dilandau reluctantly said, "All right. All units! Retreat!"

The Dragonslayers flew back into the Vione, leaving everyone behind. However, Van wasn’t finished yet. Escaflowne turned into a dragon and went after the Dragonslayers. Katomi, being at the end of the line, saw Van first. A sudden fever coursed through her, and her eyes began to glow. Without thinking, she launched herself at Van, knocking him and Escaflowne to the ground. She leaped out of her guymelef and landed next to Van, grinning. She chuckled evilly and opened her claws to their full extent. The last piece of her sane mind sensed something like déjà vu, but that thought was devoured as insanity took over.

Van groaned and got up to see a tall hybrid grinning down at him. "Who the heck ARE you?!" he snarled, reaching for his sword.

"Katomi. I am Katomi," Katomi said in reply. She let out a growl then slashed at Van.

There was a resounding clang as claw met blade. Katomi laughed.

"Pity your blade is so weak. Couldn’t even cut through my claws!" she chuckled. She jumped back, roared, then pounced.

Van was pinned to the ground as the hybrid landed upon him, a paw on his neck, another on his sword arm and her footpaws pinning his chest down. "Get…off…me!!!" Van choked.

Katomi pressed the paw that was on Van’s throat down harder, laughing maniacally. "Let’s see if you can get out of this, Human! You shall pay for what you did to me!!! In the name of Doenna, I will!!!" she said. Her eyes were glowing so intensely that it seemed to outshine the sun.

Van was shocked to hear this from a Zaibach soldier. Doenna?! Who the heck is Doenna?! he thought to himself as he gasped for air.

Allen, seeing Van, came to Van’s aid. He jumped out of his guymelef and struck Katomi with the flat of his blade. The hybrid let out a snarl and launched herself at him.

"TO THE DEVIL WITH YOU!!!" she snarled. She got Allen by the wrist, twisted it, then turned around and threw him over her shoulder.

There was a loud crack as Allen’s left arm broke. (Author’s note: If you’re an Allen fan…I’M SO SORRY!! ^^;;) The knight cried out in pain as he tried to get up. Van got up and charged at Katomi, making a huge cut down her right leg.

"HA HA HA!!! Nice try, Human! But us Hybrids are better than that!!" Katomi said. She got hold of Van’s sword and bent it in half, oblivious to the cut on the palm of her paw. She got Van by the neck and lifted him up a good two feet or so and closed her paw about his throat. "Die, Human!"

Allen barely managed to strike the back of Katomi’s head with the flat of his sword, knocking her out. He helped Van up just as Hitomi came running up to them.

"Van! Allen! Are you two all right?!" she asked. She looked down at the unconscious hybrid and gasped. The Dragonslayer from her vision…!

One of Allen’s men came up to the them. "Boss, we managed to drive off Zaibach and the odd guymelefs."

"Good. Tie the hybrid and lock her up," Allen said.