AN- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here!! Well… time to introduce Moonbay into the picture! Now, I'm not going to really focus on Reese in the first few chapters, but I will get to her later on. Right now I'm going to focus on Raven, Shadow and Moonbay. Well… I hope you like this so far!! Without further a due, chapter 1- Unexpected Discovery!!

Disclaimer- No, Zoids ain't mine, nor is the song that Moonbay is singing, which is "Pieces" by 'Red'. You should totally listen to the song, its sad and slow, but really good, and I was going to use it for the one-shot about Raven.

.:Chapter 1- Unexpected Discovery:.

Moonbay sat in her Gustav's cockpit, waiting for the soldiers to continue loading the Zoid onto the trailer attached to her Gustav. The Zoid was covered in a tarp, preventing her from even making out its outline. She didn't really care all that much, as long as she got paid, she didn't care what she was hauling. The destination was a small base in between the Empire and Republic, where she guessed they were going to destroy the Zoid, since that was what the base was used for, Zoid scrapping.

"Okay, Ms. Moonbay, the Zoid is loaded and secured. You're all ready to go!" O'Connell said, peering in at her through the open cockpit.

"Thanks, lieutenant." Moonbay answered, sitting up and gripping the controls.

"Good luck, and remember, don't let anyone get a hold of this Zoid, and don't take off the tarp or look at it. Only give it to the soldiers at the base, so they can destroy it." He reminded her, jumping down from the Gustav's low cockpit.

"Whatever…" Moonbay said, waving him off as she lowered the cockpit glass. The Gustav slowly started forward, weighed down heavily by the Zoid she was hauling. 'What the heck kind of Zoid weighs this much?!' she thought, glancing back at the wrapped Zoid. Personal and other Zoids sidestepped from the transport Zoid's way, giving it room to get out of the cramped hanger.

The Gustav finally managed to get out of the hanger and out into the early noon sun, the trailer behind it slowing it greatly. She eased the small Zoid forward, and it finally began to reach a desirable speed.

As she pulled away from the base, she saw a group of Zoids in the distance approaching the base. Moonbay recognized the Zoids instantly as the Guardian Force, returning from a mission that she hadn't the slightest idea what it was. She quickly opened a link to Van's Liger, hoping to say goodbye, for she was going to be gone for at least a week.

"Hey guys!!" Moonbay shouted, and instantly the group of Zoids froze. "What's wrong? Something I said?" she joked, but grew nervous when she heard no response.

"Moonbay! What are you doing here?" Irvine said, opening a link with her Gustav.

"I'm going out to take this Zoid to Dragon Head base to be dismantled and destroyed." Moonbay answered, "Why do I need to remind you? This is only the fourth time I've told you!"

"Well, we thought you weren't supposed to be leaving until tomorrow." Irvine retorted, his Lightning Saix shifting slightly.

"The Zoid was ready earlier than expected, and I was given clearance to go early." She answered, now thinking that they were hiding something.

"Who gave you the permission to leave? No one is supposed to enter or leave the base until noon today!" Thomas cut in, suspicion in his tone.

"Karl contacted me earlier and said if the Zoid arrived early to go ahead and leave, and O'Connell said I was fine, too." Moonbay said, now very suspicious about what they were doing.

"Karl did? But he's right here, he couldn't have contacted you!" Thomas said, looking over at his brother's Zoid suspiciously.

"Yes, I did contact her to go ahead and leave earlier, the sooner that Zoid is out of the base, the better." Karl told his brother, motioning to the Zoid on the trailer behind Moonbay's Gustav. As the two began to argue, Moonbay looked around and realized that Van and his Liger were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey… where's Van?" Moonbay said, glancing around the group of Zoids. She also realized that Irvine and his Saix had disappeared as well.

"Uhh… well he… needed to upgrade the Attack Boosters!! Yeah, Attack Boosters!" Thomas said suddenly, and Moonbay knew something was up now.

"Okay…" she said slowly, "… well I'm gonna get going, see you all in a week…"

"Good luck, miss." Karl said, turning his Zaber Fang towards the base. Thomas followed suit, and Moonbay spied damage on its right front leg. Herman and the Gojulas followed slowly, covered in dozens of scorch marks and damage from what appeared to be missiles.

'Must have been some fight…' Moonbay thought, starting on her own way. The Gustav started off into the desert, but she was stopped from a message from Herman.

"Moonbay, I suggest you not go the way we came. We were ambushed by a group of bandits, which is why our Zoids are damaged. They won't hesitate to go after you and your Gustav." Herman warned, but Moonbay took no heed.

"You worry too much, I'll be fine." Moonbay rolled her eyes.

"But Mo-" Moonbay cut off the transmission before he could finish. 'I'll be fine… my Gustav has some shock canons and mines… even if Raven and his Geno Breaker come after me, my Gustav's thick armor will protect me…' Moonbay reassured herself, but the thought of Raven coming after her made her a little nervous.

Moonbay shook it off and looked back at the Zoid she was caring. Some of the wrappings had blown slack, exposing a sharply clawed foot. The design looked familiar, but she scarcely cared, as long as she got her money, it could have been the Death Saurer or Geno Breaker itself for all she cared.

She turned back to piloting her Gustav. Despite Herman's warnings, she turned towards the way the Guardian Force had gone, for the terrain was flatter and seemed more stable. It would be a long day, but she knew the more ground she covered, the sooner she could get back and relax.

"Who knows… maybe I'll find something interesting along the way…"

The Guardian Force members brought their Zoids into the hanger, Reese's Helkat still hanging lifeless from the Liger's jaws. The damaged Zoids walked to their stalls and let their pilots dismount, shutting themselves down so that repairs could begin. The pilots met in the middle of the now-empty hanger, bruised, cut and some still bleeding from the fight.

"That was close, but I don't think Moonbay saw the Helkat or the Blade Liger's damage." Irvine said, holding his head where there was a bump.

"Yeah… but I think she thought something was up, especially after you two took off." Thomas said, pointing at Irvine and Van.

"I doubt she figured it out, though, or else she would have said something." Irvine said.

"But Karl, why did you tell her to leave earlier?! She almost saw us with Reese's Helkat!!" Thomas snapped at his brother, turning towards him.

"Well, I was hoping she might have left before we got back, and I thought it would be best if she wasn't at the base when we got back with Reese, in case Raven found us and attacked the base." Karl defended.

"You know… that's actually a good plan, if only she had left earlier…" Van agreed, nodding, "… but I highly doubt Raven will come after us, I bet he's still unconscious. By the time he shows up we'll have all the tests completed and Reese patched up…"

"Yeah, and it's good we got that devil of a Zoid out of here…" Herman said, "… if Reese somehow escaped and got a hold of it, we would have been in big trouble."

"At least we'll never have to deal with it again; the soldiers at Dragon Head Base will make quick work of it." Irvine butted in.

"Shame we have to destroy it, though…" Karl said quietly, "… that Zoid is a real marvel, but at least this way it'll never fall into Raven or Reese's hands."

"Better this than them getting a hold of it; we don't want Shadow or Specula evolving it…" Herman agreed, though he too sounded slightly saddened by the Zoid's eminent destruction, like Karl was.

"Well… we won't have to worry about Shadow, I'm sure Zeke probably killed or mortally wounded that little demon." Thomas said, looking over at Zeke, who was standing behind Van. Zeke roared loudly, wagging his tail.

"I'm guessing you secured the Ancient Zoidian, correct?" Dr. D said as he appeared from behind a Command Wolf, causing the group to turn.

"Yes, we secured her and her Organoid, whom is still hiding in the Core." Thomas said, motioning to the Helkat, still in the Liger's jaws.

"Good…" Dr. D replied, "… and was Raven a problem?"

"Yes… but I doubt he'll be bothering us ever again." Irvine said.

"Good, that way he won't interrupt our experiments…" he said, "… well, let's get Reese and Specula down from there and get them to the infirmary if they have some wounds. Might as well get them some food and water while we're at it."

With that, the small gathering of Guardian Force members set off to do their duties, while Van and Karl went to get Reese down from the all-but-totaled Helkat.

Moonbay made her way through the desert, her Gustav moving at a slow pace so not to topple the tall Zoid she was hauling. She had covered quite a bit of distance, and was out in the absolute middle of the all-but-inhospitable desert.

"… I find everything I thought I lost before…" Moonbay sang along to the song, barely paying attention to where she was going, "… you call my name, I come to you in pieces… so you can make me whole…"

She was cut off as she saw something off to her Gustav's right. What appeared to be a large red Zoid was laying in a crumpled heap, half buried in sand, ripped apart with vital components exposed.

"Whoa… must have been some fight…" she muttered to herself, slowing her Gustav. "… I wonder if those bandits Herman was talking about got this Zoid…"

The more she looked at the mangled remains of the mystery Zoid, the more she wondered if someone was still inside. 'I hope someone isn't in there, 'cause there's no one for miles to help if whoever's in there is hurt…' she thought, slowing her Zoid further. '… wait… I'm the only person out here to help…'

Moonbay decided to take a closer look, and maybe muster up the courage to see if someone was inside. She rolled her Gustav to a stop and opened the cockpit, turning off the music as she stood up. Jumping down to the sand, she started towards the destroyed Zoid. It looked eerily familiar, but since its head, arms, legs and part of its tail were buried under tons of sand, and it was listing to its right, obscuring a strange adornment on its side from view, it was very hard to even determine what kind of Zoid it was.

Gulping, Moonbay ventured closer to the Zoid, searching for the cockpit. A strange covering on the crimson Zoid's chest suggested that was the cockpit, so she started, slowly, towards it. 'The only Zoids I know that have a cockpit on the chest were Raven's Geno Saurer and Geno Breaker… man I hope for my sake I'm wrong…' she thought, venturing closer to the unmoving Zoid's chest.

A gaping hole in the armor exposed the cockpit, which was inky black. Moonbay could see no movement inside, and she wondered if she was already too late. The deep gash and shattered glass were strong indicators that if anyone was in there they were badly injured, and so did the blood that had dripped out onto the sand.

Moonbay mustered up her courage and stepped inside the cockpit, unable to see anything due to the sudden change of light. Cables and wires tickled her face, draping down from the smashed and silent controls. Sharp shards of orange glass were strewn across the ground, some coated in blood. She blinked a few times, helping her vision to clear enough to see, and she gasped-

For directly in front of her, was Raven…

Moonbay was frozen with fear, terrified beyond her wits. The one person she never wanted to see was right in front of her, and she didn't even have a communicator to call for help.

That's when Moonbay realized that Raven wasn't moving. She looked a little closer, and realized that he was injured. Her eyes widened as she realized the full extent of his wounds. His right arm was sliced up from the glass, and dozens of deep wounds covered him. There was blood in the corner of his mouth, and Moonbay knew that wasn't a good sign. Due to the Zoid's angle, he was leaning to the right, and his head was resting against the metal side of his seat. He was still breathing, and Moonbay wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved.

Before she could stop herself, Moonbay reached out and grasped his wrist, feeling for a pulse. She felt one, but it was very weak. 'He's not gonna last much longer…' Moonbay thought, that realization dawning on her. She reached up and laid her hand on his forehead, feeling for a fever, which meant infection. He did feel warm, but when she pulled her hand back, she realized why, for her hand was covered in blood.

"Oh man…" Moonbay whispered in shock, fully realizing the extent of his wounds. She bit her lip, not knowing what to do. 'I can't just leave him here, but I'm not going to help a mass murderer… what do I do?!' she pondered, not knowing what to do about the badly injured, unconscious pilot in front of her.

Moonbay reached out and was about to unlatch the safety harness, when she heard something move slightly. Before she could so much as blink, she felt breathing on the side of her face, and heard a deep, metallic growl. Gulping, she turned her head to her right, towards the noise, and found herself staring into two sky-blue eyes. Her eyes widened, for she recognized Shadow instantly. 'He's gonna rip my face off!' Moonbay screamed in her head, completely terrified of the dark Organoid before her. Shadow growled and narrowed his eyes, his jaws a mere inch away from her face. The dark Organoid snorted, shifting so that his weight was off of his stretched right leg. She looked down, and saw that he was as badly wounded as Raven. His belly was sliced open from what looked like talons, and his right leg was ripped open, the armor bitten through by what appeared to be another Organoid's jaws. The fact that he was injured made Moonbay all the more scared, for she knew wounded Organoids are much more aggressive and dangerous.

"D-don't worry… I'm leaving right now, see?" Moonbay said quietly, slowly backing out of the cockpit. Shadow stopped growling and looked at her strangely, as if almost sad or scared.

/Wait…/ Shadow moaned, leaning up slightly. Moonbay froze, not believing that an Organoid actually just talked to her. She stared at the injured Organoid in disbelief, stunned.

"Did… did you just…. talk?" Moonbay stuttered, pointing her finger at the dark Organoid. Shadow growled quietly and nodded, blinking his eyes.

/Help Raven… please…/ he groaned, his energy very low. Moonbay couldn't help but feel sorry for the Organoid, and she couldn't just leave them.

"Hold on Shadow, I'll be right back!" Moonbay said, stepping out of the cockpit and running back to her Gustav. 'I can't believe I'm doing this… curse my conscience!' Moonbay thought, jumping into her cockpit and opening a small compartment. Inside was an old white shirt, and she grabbed it. 'This should be enough, I hope…' she thought as she jumped out, running back to the Geno Breaker and climbing in the cockpit.

"Here boy, I need you to stay still, alright?" Moonbay said quietly, kneeling down to the Organoid's level. Shadow growled and lowered his head, letting her touch his badly mangled leg. "Now… this may hurt, but I need you to keep still, okay?" she told him, looking the Organoid in the eyes. Shadow nodded, allowing his tense body to relax. Moonbay looked down at the wounds, and began to rip up the old shirt she was caring, turning it into one long strip of fabric.

Being as gentle as she could, Moonbay wrapped the fabric around Shadow's leg, careful not to cause the great Organoid any more pain. Shadow mewed and tensed his leg slightly, causing Moonbay to cringe, for she knew it had to hurt. As soon as the wound was completely covered, she tied the two ends together, tightening the strip so that it wouldn't fall off.

"There you go, boy." Moonbay said softly, patting the great Organoid's neck. Shadow growled softly and nosed her shoulder, a show of thanks, she concluded.

/Thank you…/ Shadow said, /But Raven…/

"Don't worry Shadow; I'll help him too…" Moonbay sighed, not believing what she was saying. She was about to help one of the Guardian Force's most powerful enemies, and for some reason she just couldn't bring herself to leave them.

'I'll kick myself later… right now I need to get Raven out of here…'

.:End of Chapter 1:.

AN- So… what do you think so far? I like this fic so far, and it'll only get better!! Lol. I think I wrote Moonbay alright, but I've never written her before, so it was sorta challenging. Hehe. I'll get to Raven next chapter, and maybe check in with Reese. Anyway, please leave a nice review!!

Ibeyla :P