Making The Big Leagues, a zoids fanfic

This is my first story ever! Please please please tell me all about what you think!! But don't be too hard…

--Alieana

Making the Big Leagues

Dark red sun shone over the plains of Zi, revealing the hidden form of a shield liger discretely trotting along the palm trees covering the Trans-Vat highway. In the front sat Aliexis Trelioyr, fighter for freedom and cat zoid pilot extraordinaire. Lying back on a padded leather seat, Trelioyr let the Liger trot past, over (and on!) slithering snakes and other pests, safely protected from the stifling hot temperatures outside. One finger twitched steadily, while another tapped radio buttons on the Liger's control panel. All of the stations just kept playing the same music, but she'd sing loudly to each top 40 song for a few moments before switching to the next, rocking back and forth with the Liger's strides.

For all her outwardly cavalier attitude, it really hid a densely complicated inner self she always kept protected from the outside world.

"I wanna do it all, I'm just so ordinary, but I'm gonna be somebody…"

One song clicked with her and her façade dropped for a moment, following the words with especial vigor and a strange, pondering look. To Aliexis, it meant something more then just a happy voice and a frolicking beat. In the song were her own hopes and dreams, to join the Zoids Battle Commission's sports leagues and prove herself. To everybody.

To be fair, Aliexis was a bit scared. She didn't really have much of a choice, having stolen her father's sole work zoid. Even here, she could envision what he'd say about it:

"How did you think you could become a zoid pilot!? They need training, and drilling, and all the things you've never been able to do! You never listen, you just go.. do! You don't think! That's why you'll never make it! That's why you're going to stand out there on the field without knowing what to do or even why you're there! You don't have a CHANCE!"

Maybe, she thought, he wouldn't even say that. Maybe he'd just scream about how much he needed it and how much she never cared about anyone but herself and what she wanted. Maybe he wouldn't even care about whether she made it or not.

When she told him she was leaving, he'd dangled the keys in front of her and asked her exactly how she was going to get away. As if she was stuck and had no choices or ways out. That's why she grabbed them and run laughing. He'd looked really angry and come running so fast she thought she was doomed and he was going to catch up, tossing her head back to look every few seconds. To her total relief, he'd just tripped in some small hole and immediately gone sprawling.

Something reminded her she had been supposed to fill that in but always kept procrastinating it. Now she wouldn't ever have to do it.

Well, she thought, it wasn't like he would have any way to catch up now. Something about it seemed really funny, now that she was gone and safe. She giggled.

It was all so new and exciting, Aliexis could hardly believe all this was really happening, that she was really going to be a zoid pilot. The dingy grey shield liger didn't really seem like the proper zoid for this anymore, but she knew her soulmate would appear when the time was right. At fifteen she was already known for being the best shot in the neighborhood with a little personal slingshot, and but she wondered what the professional zoids pilots would be like.

The shield liger was really easy to drive, almost like it was made to go by itself without her even doing anything. After she turned the key on it had started right up and after messing with several joysticks that didn't work, one blue-green throttle had sent it straight forward. By now, though, Aliexis was beginning to get a little bit bored with just walking along the road and avoiding the occasional zoid moving the other way. Once a Lightning Saix had flashed screaming past her, but since then she hadn't even seen anyone.

She looked carefully around for the first time, taking detailed notes inside her head about everything she saw. Aside from the fancy customized seat, the differently colored joysticks, and the old radio, her Liger featured flashing displays, surround sound speakers, and even a six-point harness system of seatbelts. She left the last thing lying on the floor in a pile. It might be a long time before she ever got to the ZBC's capitol, and she wasn't going to sit funny all the way there.

"Why couldn't they have made these so they go faster!"

The Whitlams came on the radio and she nodded along. "Killin' your soul with an audience lookin' on…" After some time, she was bored even of that. This thing had to have weapons, somewhere! She began an earnest search.

Five minutes later, she realized the joysticks that previously hadn't worked controlled the really fun toys, but they were locked.

The girl would have to hack them. But how? One keypad looked really promising, so she began typing things on it.

BLEEP

PASSWORD REQUESTED

The blaring electronic voice blotted out the radio for a moment. Just when she thought it was over it continued.

FAILURE TO INPUT CORRECT PASSWORD WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF ENGINE AND CONTROL SYSTEM FUNCTIONALITY

That made her worried. Maybe her father was chasing her on foot. Even if he had broken a leg or something he would still catch up eventually.

"Ummmm…."

Her eyes faded from their customary pearl into a darker onyx. Worried, she tried to think of something that might work. What did he think was really important?

THE FAMILY DOG!

"RUSTY! RUSTY RUSTY!" she shouted into the microphone.

VERIFICATION ACCEPTED.

UNLOCKING..

Her attention caught with a jolt and left her confused. Something didn't seem right about the voice. It had sounded kind of varying before, but now it said the same thing over and over, almost like it was looping…

The progress bar was stuck! She kicked it hard.

UNLOCK PROCESS COMPLETE.

These words left her exhilarated. She jumped back up straight and grabbed the first joystick she saw and started twirling it. The Liger immediately rewarded her with the groaning sound of rusty metal. These guns hadn't been used in quite some time!

Aliexis didn't even take a moment to think before squeezing the joystick hard like the stars on TV did. Bullets started to spray out of the guns and one of the trees snapped right in half on the spot. Others flared up and started burning. Smoke was everywhere outside of all the views. Just when she thought things couldn't be any worse, she was weightless for a moment! The Liger had jumped off to the side and was running at full speed. She yelled "What did I just do!?" but had no time to question it any further, because she crashed into the control panel. The gun joystick had a great big crack in it from impacting her knee, and the Liger leaned sideways and kept heading straight for something she couldn't really see.

Someone's Molga! The poor pilot was trying to get around the oncoming Liger but his zoid just wouldn't move fast enough. A face kept popping on and off the main video screen begging for mercy. Aliexis grabbed another stick and swiveled the guns away from the Molga, but the Liger was almost on it and still going! One of the claws started glowing bright yellow and she knew what was going to happen next…

Rolling off the control panel into a crouch on the floor beneath it, she grabbed the throttle and shoved down and forward as hard as she could. Just before her insane zoid's deadly weapon struck the innocent Molga, the Shield Liger's front legs pounced into a crouch in front of it and then sailed forward in a graceful leap. She ran it even further and faster to get away before the man could recover himself from his fright and start looking around to see who had almost destroyed his zoid. That could be dangerous!

Looking up, Aliexis realized she was finally about to arrive. The big city was just ahead! Pulling her aching legs under her and tossing her hair back, she climbed back up onto the seat and clicked the screen back on.

She'd made it! Now, the Commission's sponsored battles would truly test whether her mettle was enough for her Zoid to prevail…