Well, I'm trying out writing a Frontier fanfic, yay! There will definitely be spoilers since, well, this is kind of a replay, in a way, but there will also be a lot of differences as this progresses. Just a heads up. But, without further ado...
Tires screeched as a reddish-orange Bone Buggy skidded to a halt. The door opened and a tall, lean figure leaped out, immediately breaking out in a dash as his feet hit the ground. Long coat fanning out behind him, the brunet shot towards a metal, gold colored chair-like object. He came to a halt behind it, dark blue eyes blazing with aggression.
"I've got you now, Dr. Blackraven!" the man shouted, leaning forward for emphasis. "The Black Whale is completely surrounded, give yourself up!"
The man in the chair chuckled, his seat bobbing with each laugh. "Ah Stryker, my old friend. I'm surprised you made it this far." He paused, the contraption spinning around so that he was now facing the taller male. A wide smirk was plastered to his stout face. "I've underestimated you. Perhaps the brave men and women of INTERFOL are not quite the fools I took them for."
"But be that as it may, I have no intention of going quietly." His chair took flight, hovering backwards as he broke out in snickers. Stryker tensed up, prepared for what was coming. Grinning, Dr. Blackraven pressed a few buttons on the armrest of his throne. With a flash, a piece of metal shot from the back, exploding into a giant, ferocious reptile,
Green skin laced with thick, bronze stripes rippled as the large jawed Giganto materialized, a snarl in its throat. Frowning, Stryker turned and jogged back to his Bone Buggy, eyes narrowing as he pointed at the beast before him.
"You don't scare me, Doctor! Have a taste of my Spino ST!"
A loud bang reverberated through the metallic room as his Bone Buggy shot out a circular piece of metal similar to the Giganto's. Flashing, it grew into an equally large creature with grey-purple skin, Intricate patterns of gold, blue, and red laced the sail on its back, as well as its forehead. Crimson scales made up its underside.
"It's time for you to face justice, Blackraven!"
The two Vivosaurs broke out in fighting, a flurry of teeth and claws as they slammed into each other. Spino ST seemed to have the advantage, though, and its jaws snapped shut around the Giganto's neck. With a flick of its spine, it threw the brawny brute off balance, then drilled into its side with its snout. A final tackle sent the staggering Giganto flying into the wall, its body shrinking back into the small circular bit of metal.
A few sparks burst from Blackraven's chair, before the back of it went up in black smoke. It sputtered and shook, causing its plump rider to slip into a rather awkward position. "N-no… Not like this…" he stammered, teeth grit. "Not when I was so close! If only I could have completed him, this pathetic world would have been mine!"
Fingers tapped at the red buttons slowly as Blackraven struggled to regain his composure. Behind him, the walls parted like massive jaws, revealing a bubbling red liquid trapped behind glass. In its center, curled up like an embryo, was a massive, spiked creature, tubes connected to various parts of its body.
Stryker cringed, expression incredulous. "Th-that's…" His face scrunched up as disgust entered his voice. "Blackraven, you madman… What have you done?!"
Hands clenched into fists as the film reached its conclusion. He could remember that day so vividly. Sitting in his living room, eyes glued to the TV screen, as the footage of the famous battle was played over the local news. His sister had been out playing with her friends or something; whatever the reason, she was not present. And now, five years later, he was watching that same fight. Only now, everyone seemed to be bored of it.
Upon the darkened screen, a wall of white text filled in the area where the combating Vivosaurs had once been. Groans filled the air as the passengers realized they were still required to stay in the room and read. The view of the upcoming island would have been much more exhilarating for them.
He was seated in the back, a redhead around the age of fifteen grinning, green eyes wide and attentive. Built tall and scrawny, his white and orange short-sleeved shirt hung loosely over his slouching frame, and his blue and black denim shorts seemed much too large. A small, yellow bandanna was wrapped snugly around his neck; a similar, longer bit of material hung from his belt. However, the strangest part of his outfit was his bright red hair spiking through the top of his pilot's cap.
Unlike the other people completely ready to get off the boat, he was perfectly content where he was. In fact, the reading was only enhancing the experience. Deciding to include someone else in said experience, he began to nudge the blue haired girl beside him awake.
Mauve eyes creaked open grouchily as she straightened out her posture in a sluggish manner. The two of them were dressed similarly, what with the matching bandannas. Her color scheme differed, though, as her crop top and shorts were pink and black. Despite her smaller size, her clothes actually fit snugly, not that her figure was filled out enough for that to be significant. Lastly, her blue locks were tied up by a large, pink bow.
Excitement suppressed itself upon seeing her awake, and the teen's bright eyes dimmed down and lidded ever-so-slightly. He was still feeling a bit mischievous, though. Gaze wandering back to the text-filled screen, he began to read it off aloud.
"The Wardens - An organization that maintains peace and ensures safety at the world's Fossil Parks."
"Jura, don't you freaking dare read that," the girl grumbled groggily, blinking away her drowsiness. He brushed off her threat and continued.
"Wardens drive around Fossil Parks in vehicles known as Bone Buggies, which help them explore, excavate, and take part in lively Fossil Battles with their vivosaurs-"
"I'm serious Jura, knock it off."
"But these parks are more than just fun and games…"
"Jura."
"And when trouble occurs in one of the vast dig sites that surround these parks, it's up to the Wardens to jump into their Bone Buggies and save the day! Woohoo!"
Gloved hands shoved against his shoulder, pushing the freckle-faced boy over. His companion glared at him, anger evident in her posture. With a laugh, Jura brushed himself off and stood up, fingers adjusting his pilot's cap.
"Oh come on, sis. Lighten up, will you? We're almost to Fossil Park Asia, so stop acting like we're almost to school." A smile twitched across her face, freckles emphasizing the grin. Getting up to her feet, she gave him a quick punch to his arm and darted off towards the door at the side of the room.
Jura's eyes scanned the room one last time, surprised to find it empty. Realization struck him - they must have been very close to arrival. With a yelp, he jogged out after his sister. "Tria! Tria, wait for me!"
The blunette smirked, turning towards her brother as he clumsily ran over to her. The rest of their group had already gotten off the boat, so he was glad she had waited for him. Nodding to one another, the duo made their way down the loading ramp.
It was quite pleasant out, and the island before them reflected it. The grass was lusciously green, the water clear and shimmering; even the pavement and structures in front of them seemed to be in their prime due to the summer weather. Jura took a deep breath, gleefully taking in the salty scent. It was definitely the perfect day to become a Warden.
A blonde young woman dressed in a white jacket and jeans greeted them once they had reached the bottom. "Hello, and welcome to Fossil Park Asia, home of Warden HQ." She gestured to the large building behind the mechanical dinosaur towering over her. "Just head into that building, and someone will get you signed up."
Tria immediately dashed off for the building, leaving her brother behind. He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Languid eyes glanced at the lady beside him. "Sorry about that. Thank you for the directions, ma'm."
She smiled, dismissing it with the wave of a hand. "It's fine. To be honest, most people react like that. You're one of the first to actually answer me. Well, besides that blonde girl from earlier…" The woman shook her head, forgetting the thought. "Just go on ahead, and have a great day!"
"You, too!" Jura chirped, walking towards the large building his sister had disappeared into. The automatic doors slid apart, much to his surprise, and he stepped in. His black and pink clad sibling was standing in front of a desk, practically vibrating with enthusiasm.
The woman at the desk, black haired and grey eyed with a white jacket and pink skirt, grinned as he joined Tria in standing in front of the desk. She pulled out a clipboard and pen, scanning it over quickly before formally acknowledging them.
"Oh! Hi there! Welcome to Warden HQ!" She clicked the end of her pen, ready to write. "First off, we need you to register yourself in our database. So, what are your names?"
"Tria and Jura!" the more eager of the two blurted out, her feet shifting from anticipation. The guide giggled, amused by her reaction, and began to skim over her list.
"Right-o! Let's see what we have here…" Eyes lit up. "So you're Tria and Jura, the twin Warden candidates, eh?" Energetic nods answered, and she scribbled something down on the paper. Satisfied, she slipped the clipboard back under the desk and smiled.
"Since this is your first time here, let me show you around the lobby."
"Ooo boy…" Tria grumbled under her breath, pink eyes rolling. Her brother gave her a stern glare, silencing her.
"First of all, I'm the receptionist here at Fossil Park Asia. I track new registrations and that sort of thing." She motioned over towards the woman in overalls off to the left. "She's in charge of the Help Desk. If you have any questions about anything, she knows the answers." The guide paused, seemingly debating if she would continue with her explanation.
She chose otherwise. "So then! I take it you're here to attend today's Warden candidate meeting?"
"Heck yeah!" Tria cheered, while Jura nodded politely. The guide smiled and pointed to the elevator behind her.
"The other candidates have already gathered in the Captain's Office, so I'd hustle if I were you. Oh, and that Office is on the top floor, by the way."
"Cool, thanks!" Jura grinned, cringing once he noticed that his sister was already waiting for the elevator to open. He waved to the receptionist and jogged up to Tria, vaguely frustrated.
The doors slid apart and the twins stepped in. Slightly angered green eyes met excited pink before words were spoken. "You really should be more polite."
"You really should stop being such a drag," Tria snorted back, crossing her arms. Silence broke out between them, the hum of the elevator filling it quite peacefully.
Eventually a ding sounded, and the two emerged into a large room with a glass window at the back. Six people; two girls and four boys, filled the room. One of the girls, dressed in an orange skirt and a white jacket with black checkering on the cuffs, walked up to them. Her red hair was a few shades darker than Jura's, but was definitely neater.
She smirked, a hand on her hip. "Oh, hey! Look who FINALLY decided to show up!" Her amber eyes scanned them both over, almost in a confused manner. Maybe it was how they were dressed. Jura shifted uncomfortably, glad when she took a step back. He and Tria never really had a sense of the trends.
Off to the side, a boy with spiked up purple hair held back by two red hair clips snickered, appearing rather smug. "Pfft. What a couple of rookies." Even in his layering of shirts, his outfit still seemed to fit in just fine. There was that darn discomfort again. Everyone did think they dressed weird.
"Er, is someone running late?" the plump brunet in the back piped up, hands slipping into the pockets of his green sweatshirt with a triceratops skull inscribed on the front of it. "Because I was under the impression the last two candidates we were waiting on were both boys."
Tria glared at him, letting out an indignant 'hmph'. However, before anything could come of it, the elevator doors slid open, and someone burst out, shoving Jura and Tria as he shot in.
"OUTTA THE WAY! I'M RUNNING LATE!"
His blue eyes looking around frantically, the newest arrival, a pink haired boy, danced from foot to foot. He was dressed in a blue and white jacket with navy blue stripes going down the sleeves and back. A pair of orange and silver goggles dangled from his neck.
"Sorry! So sorry! Apologies all around! Milo ran off with my alarm clock this morning!" He paused, hands on his knees as he took a moment to catch his breath. He straightened his back after a minute, appearing a bit more calm this time. "Milo's my dog, see? Good dog, but yeah. He likes to steal machinery. My clock… My wristwatch… My awesome miniature robot… My grandpa's pacemaker… He snatches it up, runs back to his doghouse, and slobbers all over it. Seriously weird. Don't ask me why."
His blue eyes went wide as it occurred to him that all eyes were on him. "Huh? What's the deal? Why's everyone looking at me?"
The purple haired boy from earlier snorted, rolling his eyes. "Can it already! No one cares!"
With a smile, the blonde girl that had been standing beside Tria walked up to the panicked teen. She placed a calming hand on his shoulder, beaming. "Aw, it's OK. The captain isn't even here yet."
His posture relaxed dramatically, and he slouched over excessively. "For real? Man, that's a relief!"
However, his relief vanished almost instantly, as the sound of the elevator opening echoed through the room. Cringing, the pink haired boy straightened out immediately, spinning around to greet the newcomer.
"Uh-oh…"
Boots thumped against the metal floor as a tall, lean man stepped in. His dark blue eyes shone with interest, but his rather extravagant coat and clean, white gloves gave him a slightly intimidating air. Still, he was smiling, so that was a good sign.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting," he chuckled nervously as he made his way to the front of the room. The group parted, eagerly making a path for him. His eyes scanned the room, causing Jura to stand up straighter. Even if he and Tria were dressed a bit... eccentrically, perhaps he could make up for it in every other aspect.
The man seemed to take note of Jura and Tria specifically, as he nodded ever-so-slightly upon spotting them. However, he continued with his introduction, grinning pleasantly.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm the leader of the Wardens, Captain Stryker." No one answered, just glanced around awkwardly waiting to see if someone would. After a few moments of silence, the boy closest to Stryker, who was dressed similarly to the pink haired teen but had navy blue hair and glasses, approached the man.
Making eye contact and keeping completely confident posture, much to everyone's disbelief, the teen held out his hand and piped out, "You're the man who saved the world! It's a real honor to meet you, sir."
A bit surprised by the looks of it, but still shaking the boy's hand, Stryker grinned. "Er, thank you!"
From behind him, Jura could have sworn he heard the purple haired guy mutter "kiss up". But, he could have imagined it, too. He was pretty nervous.
Stryker cleared his throat, then walked back towards to elevator. He had picked up a clipboard from his desk, and was now checking it over. "Right, Time for roll call. First up… Penny!"
The blonde with her hair in two ponytails flinched at her name being called, but still made sure to answer with a nervous "Here, sir!"
"Roland!"
Now the plump brunet responded. "H-here!"
"Dahlia!"
"Rockin' and rollin', sir!" the female redhead grinned, pumping a gloved fist into the air.
"Leon!"
The rather grouchy purple haired teen grunted slightly in confirmation.
"Nate!"
"Oh, hey, Captain! I'm here! Right here! Totally ready to go!" the pink haired teen sputtered, still trying to regain his confidence after what had happened earlier. Jura felt his sympathy go out to him. Hopefully that guy would calm down soon.
"Yamamoto!"
"Present and accounted for!" the 'kiss up', as Leon had so kindly put, responded.
"Sydney!"
This time, the brunet dressed in safari gear that Jura had not noticed earlier, answered. "Crikey, mate! Got me didgeridoo all warmed up to play some Waltzin' Matilda for ya!"
"What did he just say?" Tria hissed to her brother. He shrugged, unsure himself.
Stryker seemed to be a bit surprised as well, judging by his answer. "Um.. OK, then. And last on the list, Jura and Tria."
"Here, sir!" Jura stated, trying his hardest to look professional. However, his sister's reply made that rather hard.
"Right here, man!" she grinned, hopping from foot to foot. All eyes went to her for a moment, though Stryker seemed not to mind, as he continued his spiel.
Letting his arm with the clipboard fall to his side, the tall man continued. "You were all chosen to be here today because of your exceptional performance on the third test. But though you all show great promise, you still have plenty to prove if you hope to join the Wardens."
"First off, we're going to show you the basic skills needed for this job. This includes Bone Buggy operation, as well as fossil excavation and vivosaur revival. In fact, you'll be required to use the vivosaurs you revive to pass your Warden Test."
Cringing at the thought of Bone Buggies, Jura cast an anxious glance to his excited sibling. She failed to acknowledge it, but her enthusiasm helped calm his nerves. He and fast moving machines did not mix well.
"I know this is a lot to take in, but I trust you all can handle it." Stryker stopped for a moment, trying his best to appear as encouraging as possible. "After all, if I didn't believe in each and every one of you, you wouldn't be standing here right now."
Somehow, that last statement managed to make Jura feel a little bit better. He felt his muscles ease up this time, which combined with the effect Tria had on him actually made him feel quite content. Stryker seemed to notice, and he also looked relieved.
"Right, well, the first order of business is to become familiar with your Bone Buggies. Leave this building, and head just past the large mechanical dinosaur in the open square outside. There, you'll find the Bone Buggy depot, or what we call the Garage. An instructor will be waiting for you. Speak to him to proceed."
"Good luck to everyone, and let's be cautious out there. Dismissed!"
The group filed out past Stryker, Dahlia and Nate running, Penny and Roland almost too nervous to move. But, they did all eventually make it out. Jura found himself exiting the elevator about the same time as Penny, Tria having ran ahead out of excitement.
The poor blonde was shaking like a leaf. Her blue eyes were wide, quite similar to how Nate had been earlier. A deep sigh escaped her lips, causing her body to give one last great tremble before easing up slightly.
"Hooo! I was a nervous wreck in there!" she sang, trying to ease her quaking joints. "My hands are still shaking. My knees too!"
Jura smiled, giving her a quick pat on the back. "Well, we're out of there now, eh? You don't have to be so nervous."
She looked up at him, gratitude evident. Still, she seemed to think an explanation was needed. "I mean, it's not every day you meet someone as famous as Captain Stryker."
"Relax, I was nervous too," he replied, taking a moment to stretch his own limbs out. Now that he thought of it, everything was quite stiff after that meeting. He really had been stressed.
Penny giggled, hands clasped. "I know, right? I think it's normal to be nervous when you meet someone like that… Glad I wasn't the only one."
"Anyway, you probably heard this in roll call, but my name's Penny."
"I'm Jura," the redhead grinned, tugging at the material around his neck. It was his natural reaction to talking with most girls, really.
"Nice to meet you, Jura," she chirped, smiling warmly. Turning, the pink and pastel green clad girl walked away, elongated pigtails flowing behind her.
Upon exiting the building and walking past the mechanical dinosaur, just as instructed, Jura found himself staring at Tria and Dahlia talking quite excitedly. While it was nice to see that his sister had made a friend, the fact that said friend made him kind of nervous was a bit of a downer. Oh well.
He approached the two of them cautiously, only to have the amber eyed of the duo practically jump out in front of him. Her orbs blazed with curiosity.
"Oh! You're Jura, right? Tria was just talking about you!" She grinned, a hand going up to her hip. "You here for the driving lesson? 'Cause I am! Bone Buggies are the BEST! They're the main reason I want to be a Warden, actually."
"Really?" Jura replied, trying to be friendly. "That's pretty-"
"It's my dream to cruise around in a Bone Buggy for hours on end, going faster… and faster… and FASTER! What do you think?"
"I, uh-"
"Bone Buggies rule!" Tria exclaimed, jumping up and pushing her brother to the side quite forcefully. He stumbled away, regaining his balance by placing a hand on a cardboard cutout of Stryker. Green eyes watched in annoyance as Dahlia pumped her fist.
"Yes! I KNEW you'd understand! I like you already!"
The next five minutes were spent listening to the shorter redhead squeal about different parts of Bone Buggies, what they did, what parts were available, stuff like that. Jura was fairly certain that it was something he couldn't care less about, but Tria seemed interested. So, he figured he'd humor her.
"-I'm totally freaking out here!" Dahlia squealed, finally finishing her rant. She took a few deep breaths jokingly. "OK, breathe, girl, Breeeathe…" An apologetic look was cast to Jura. "Sorry. I'm such a gearhead sometimes."
"Tell me about it…" the older teen sighed, rolling his eyes. Still, he waved to her as she uttered a farewell and jogged off to go take her Bone Buggy lesson.
A brief silence fell between the siblings in her absence. It wasn't necessarily awkward, just… different. Mainly because of the lack of energy. Not that that was a bad thing.
Tria was the first to pipe up. "Well, she seems cool. Guess I've made my first friend! How about you, Jura?"
"Yeah, I made a friend. You remember that blonde girl, right?" His twin paused to think, a finger tapping at her chin occasionally.
"Er, Penny, right?"
"Yeah. We're friends now."
"Cool."
More silence as they both stared in the direction of the instructor. This time, Jura led the way. With an aura of calmness to him, he approached the slim, well-toned man. He was Chinese, dressed in what looked to be sleeveless traditional warrior robes of red with a yellow sash tied around his waist. His black hair was tied back in a long braid, though a tuft of his bangs stuck stubbornly from his forehead.
"Hello there. I'm Liu Ren. I'll be your instructor today." He smiled when he noticed the growing excitement from Tria. "I take it you're ready for your lesson?"
"Darn right we are!" she cheered. Jura nodded, greatly lacking the eagerness of his sister.
Liu Ren responded with a quick bob of his head, then, walking between the two of them, he placed a hand on each of their backs and led them back into the Garage. "Now, if I remember correctly, Stryker said that you two are filing in a single entry slot. Which, to put it simply, means you're sharing a Bone Buggy."
Tria groaned, tilting her head back exaggeratedly. "Ugh! I knew this was happening, but it still sucks!" A childish stomp followed by some pouting finished her round of complaining.
"It could be worse," her brother chimed in, "They could have rejected us from the Warden program from the get-go, and then we wouldn't have a Bone Buggy to share in the first place."
A couple of surprised blinks, followed by a snort. "I think I'd rather not have one at all if I have to share it with you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're paranoid, dude."
And so it begins... Whelp, all I can say is I know there's someone who has started a 'replay' type thing, too. And I'm going to say that I'll try my best to make it as different as possible. It'll be just like reading a completely different story. Which, I suppose, is already true to a certain extent...
Anyways, hopefully this is interesting enough for all of you great people out there. I'll actually work pretty hard to update this since I love this game to death, and with any luck that will include longer chapters for your enjoyment. :)
Leave me a review if you want, and maybe you can leave some pointers or something. Your feedback is definitely appreciated, though. Thanks for reading this, and have a wonderful day/night!
