When Bit Cloud opened the door, he was expecting the pizza delivery guy. Not the Tasker sisters, huddled under one measly poncho, soaking wet and looking as miserable as a pair ever could. The warrior stood there in the doorway for several moments, staring at the sisters in confusion. It was a rainy, lazy Saturday, and not even Jaime felt like cooking anything. So after much fighting over toppings, Brad had called in a pizza. When the doorbell rang, Bit had been elected to go and get the food.
"What's taking so--" Brad sighed as he walked out to check on Bit and make sure he wasn't devouring the food right there in the hall. As soon as he caught sight of Kelly and Kris, he stopped short, staring much like his fellow Blitz team warrior had. He recovered much sooner then the sleep- deprived Bit (who'd spent the night locked in Liger's cockpit, unable to leave due to a screaming Leena brandishing a chain, yelling that she wanted her doughnuts back), and hurried over to shove him out of the way.
Standing up inside, shaking off the old poncho, it was easy to see that Kris had been crying. Kelly's eyes were suspiciously moist as well, but not as red and swollen as her sister's.
"What happened?" Brad asked in concern, leading them into the main room, where Doc Toros, Leena and Jaime immediately stopped chanting and pounding on the table for their meal. Leon sat up a little straighter but showed no further reaction.
"Jack, he's gone!" Kris burst out. Kelly whispered something in her ear, and the warrior sat down, knuckling her eyes and taking deep breaths to calm herself. Kelly faced the Blitz team.
"When we got back to base last night, Jack was missing, and so was his zoid," she informed them, straight forwarldly. "And we think that something has happened to him." Leena and Jaime exchanged a dubious look, but it was the young Toros woman who spoke up first.
"What makes you so sure that Jack didn't leave on his own?" Kelly's features turned stony, and Jaime swallowed nervously.
"He wouldn't do that!" Kris said vehemently, but without the desperation she'd shown earlier. Now there was more anger behind her words then sorrow, and Leena flinched, dropping hard back into her chair, hair pieces bobbing. The Doc, who had been sitting back and watching with interest, spoke up.
"Why did you come to us? Why not go the the Zoid Commission for help? They're obligated to search for a missing pilot if they are part of a team on the Commission," he asked, though he was fairly certain he knew the answer.
It was Brad that spoke up. "Jack Sisqo is a mercenary," he said in his calm, steady voice, one hand rubbing the tattoo around his arm. "The Commission believes that we're irresponsible, and won't look for Jack unless the Lightning team can provide concrete proof that something has happened to him."
None of them seemed willing to try and guess what that something was.
"We'll help, right Doc?" Bit Cloud asked eagerly, bouncing up right in Steve's face. It was Leon that answered. During the whole episode the younger Toros had quietly absorbed details and observed the Tasker sisters, who appeared to be genuinely anxious.
"Yes, Bit. We'll help."
Jack groaned deep in the back of his throat. His eyes squeezed shut against the light burning behind in front of his eyelids. He rolled over, burying his face in his arms, feeling as though his mouth had been stuffed with cotton. A little demon pounded on his eyes from inside his head. If only they would just pop out already, and save him the pain. Jack felt as though he'd been drinking. But, that couldn't be right. He never let himself get drunk anymore. He'd almost decided to go sleep off whatever it was that was making his head pound when he realized that he was not alone. His many years as a mercenary had trained him to notice things that other people would have missed. Lying still, he listened carefully. Kelly and Kris wouldn't come into his room uninvited... Deciding to brave the light, he cracked an eyelid and lifted his head to look over his arm. Where in the hell was he? Jack opened both his eyes and stared. It wasn't the sun, as he'd thought, that was casting the light on his face. The whole bed was surrounded by some sort of wall. Grabbing his headpeice, he tossed it out. There was a loud snap, and the headpeice flew back, smoking a little where it had connected with the shield. Sighing, the mercenary flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. This was just great.
"I've told you before, Mother. I'm not part of the Backdraft group anymore," Pierce called through the door she was now leaning against. Her only reply was the soft sounds of running water and clinking dishes. The sea-green eyed woman sighed, clenching her fists in her hair, frustrated. Even that cocky Rhaynos pilot from the Blitz team couldn't aggravate her like her dear momma could. "Please, Mother, just let me come inside and get my things!" begged Pierce again, this time lying on her stomach, talking through the crack between the door and the ground. It was one of the most humiliating things she'd ever done, but her family's home was set back from town and no one ever passed through this way. It was nothing but farms in three directions. Inside, her mother did nothing, said nothing to acknowledge her daughter. Pierce felt as though she was talking to a brick wall.
With a rush of cool, modulated air, the cockpit of the gunsniper rose open, and Leena jumped easily down. Her berry-red hair was lank and damp with sweat, but she ignored the heat. It was hard to escape it on Zi. Rolling her neck once on her shoulders, she slid closed the door to the garage and locked her zoid inside. A vid-map was right beside the door, and she accessed it, finding the closest Zoid Battle Commission station. There was one just a few blocks away, so Leena started walking, her long hairpieces bobbing. A thoughtful frown formed a V between her eyes, and she debated with herself again as she walked. While she wasn't exactly happy about what she had decided to do, she had to find out if it was the Backdraft that had taken Jack. It seemed like something they would stoop to, even if she'd never heard of such a thing before. The ZBC station looked like many others. A plain-looking building with a wall of glass, a bar and a huge veiwing screen that would show the current battle. The cold air that struck her face was shocking as Leena opened the doors. It took her breath away, but she enjoyed it. The heat was chased away, and Leena stepped with renewed determination. She only hoped the dramatic change in temperatures wouldn't give her a headache. "Can I help you?" A sharp marine-eyed young man asked, watching her from behind the bar. Despite his formal words, it was obvious that he wasn't exactly thrilled to serve. Putting on a cheesy grin that made her inwardly grimace, she sauntered up to him. From the smile that curved a corner of his lips, Leena guessed that he knew she was acting. "Hi!" she said sweetly, though the word came out funny because she was grinding her teeth together. His cocky-know-it-all attitude was really getting on her nerves. "I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find a friend of mine. She's a warrior. Pierce." His grin faltered a little; the man tilted his head forward slightly so that his shoulder-length marine-green hair swung up to partially cover his face. "You from the Commission?" he asked nonchalantly, but Leena could see he was worried. A few of the near-by locals looked up, suspicious. Leena knew she'd struck a nerve, and decided to play it up to the full potential. "No, I'm not here to turn her in as a former member of the Backdraft," she said in a low voice, and real panic lighted his blue eyes. Looking closer, she was stunned to realize that this young man was obviously related to her former opponent. Leena wondered why she had not noticed the connection earlier. "Does your sister work here?" she pressed. One of the locals, a man in blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt, slid his chair back and stood. For a moment Leena thought that he was going to interfer. But he walked right by. Moving casually, he slipped through one of the many doors and out of her sight. "Now you just listen here-" started the bartender, but just then Pierce appeared, protesting in an annoyed way, being pushed from behind by the man in the blue jeans. The bartender, looking much younger now then he had moments before, turned to his sister. "Jeremy, what was Chaze babbling about?" she asked quietly, calmly. Pierce paid Leena no attention, though she must have known that the Blitz warrior had caused all of the uproar. Her intense relfective eyes remained fixed on her brother. "She came in here asking for you, and she knows…about, your former team," Jeremy told Pierce, his hands shaking as he raised them up to bind back his hair, which was the same beautiful color as his sister's. "It's okay, Jeremy. Why don't you get you and Chaze a drink, and go watch the battle?" she suggested, and touched his shoulder in reassurance. The young man immediately moved to do as she'd said. Pierce motioned for Leena to follow her. She did, and the two walked to a table in the corner of the room, removed from all the others. "Surprise seeing you here," Pierce commented, taking an unconcerned swig from her beer bottle. "Yeah, well, I'm just full of surprises," the Blitz warrior commented dryly. "But truly, I need your help." Impatiently Leena sat forward. "Where can I find Stoller and Layon?" Pierce raised a thin eyebrow and smiled, although it made her look more deadly rather than friendly. She took another long swallow before answering. "You know that I'm no longer a member of the Backdraft," mumured the warrior as though talking to a child. Leena flushed. "I obviously don't keep ties with them." "Stoller and Layon aren't either," she defended, although she could see now that it was a bad idea even to come here. Pierce didn't like her and wasn't likely to help even if she did know where they were. "And it would still look as though I associated with the Backdraft." The marine-haired warrior leaned back. "Listen, kid. I'm trying to join the Commission. With my record, that isn't easy to do. I'm not going to screw up for you." Leena's violet eyes flashed. "I'm not asking you to do this for me. Something's happened to Jack Sisqo, and I need their help to find him." This was obviously not the kind of response that Pierce expected to recieve. Dropping her boots from the table and dropping the chair to all fours, the look of critism passed. "Jack? What?" Panic swamped her, and she grabbed Leena by the front of her shirt. "What happened? Where is Sisqo?"
Jack groaned deep in the back of his throat. His eyes squeezed shut against the light burning behind in front of his eyelids. He rolled over, burying his face in his arms, feeling as though his mouth had been stuffed with cotton. A little demon pounded on his eyes from inside his head. If only they would just pop out already, and save him the pain. Jack felt as though he'd been drinking. But, that couldn't be right. He never let himself get drunk anymore. He'd almost decided to go sleep off whatever it was that was making his head pound when he realized that he was not alone. His many years as a mercenary had trained him to notice things that other people would have missed. Lying still, he listened carefully. Kelly and Kris wouldn't come into his room uninvited... Deciding to brave the light, he cracked an eyelid and lifted his head to look over his arm. Where in the hell was he? Jack opened both his eyes and stared. It wasn't the sun, as he'd thought, that was casting the light on his face. The whole bed was surrounded by some sort of wall. Grabbing his headpeice, he tossed it out. There was a loud snap, and the headpeice flew back, smoking a little where it had connected with the shield. Sighing, the mercenary flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. This was just great.
"I've told you before, Mother. I'm not part of the Backdraft group anymore," Pierce called through the door she was now leaning against. Her only reply was the soft sounds of running water and clinking dishes. The sea-green eyed woman sighed, clenching her fists in her hair, frustrated. Even that cocky Rhaynos pilot from the Blitz team couldn't aggravate her like her dear momma could. "Please, Mother, just let me come inside and get my things!" begged Pierce again, this time lying on her stomach, talking through the crack between the door and the ground. It was one of the most humiliating things she'd ever done, but her family's home was set back from town and no one ever passed through this way. It was nothing but farms in three directions. Inside, her mother did nothing, said nothing to acknowledge her daughter. Pierce felt as though she was talking to a brick wall.
With a rush of cool, modulated air, the cockpit of the gunsniper rose open, and Leena jumped easily down. Her berry-red hair was lank and damp with sweat, but she ignored the heat. It was hard to escape it on Zi. Rolling her neck once on her shoulders, she slid closed the door to the garage and locked her zoid inside. A vid-map was right beside the door, and she accessed it, finding the closest Zoid Battle Commission station. There was one just a few blocks away, so Leena started walking, her long hairpieces bobbing. A thoughtful frown formed a V between her eyes, and she debated with herself again as she walked. While she wasn't exactly happy about what she had decided to do, she had to find out if it was the Backdraft that had taken Jack. It seemed like something they would stoop to, even if she'd never heard of such a thing before. The ZBC station looked like many others. A plain-looking building with a wall of glass, a bar and a huge veiwing screen that would show the current battle. The cold air that struck her face was shocking as Leena opened the doors. It took her breath away, but she enjoyed it. The heat was chased away, and Leena stepped with renewed determination. She only hoped the dramatic change in temperatures wouldn't give her a headache. "Can I help you?" A sharp marine-eyed young man asked, watching her from behind the bar. Despite his formal words, it was obvious that he wasn't exactly thrilled to serve. Putting on a cheesy grin that made her inwardly grimace, she sauntered up to him. From the smile that curved a corner of his lips, Leena guessed that he knew she was acting. "Hi!" she said sweetly, though the word came out funny because she was grinding her teeth together. His cocky-know-it-all attitude was really getting on her nerves. "I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find a friend of mine. She's a warrior. Pierce." His grin faltered a little; the man tilted his head forward slightly so that his shoulder-length marine-green hair swung up to partially cover his face. "You from the Commission?" he asked nonchalantly, but Leena could see he was worried. A few of the near-by locals looked up, suspicious. Leena knew she'd struck a nerve, and decided to play it up to the full potential. "No, I'm not here to turn her in as a former member of the Backdraft," she said in a low voice, and real panic lighted his blue eyes. Looking closer, she was stunned to realize that this young man was obviously related to her former opponent. Leena wondered why she had not noticed the connection earlier. "Does your sister work here?" she pressed. One of the locals, a man in blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt, slid his chair back and stood. For a moment Leena thought that he was going to interfer. But he walked right by. Moving casually, he slipped through one of the many doors and out of her sight. "Now you just listen here-" started the bartender, but just then Pierce appeared, protesting in an annoyed way, being pushed from behind by the man in the blue jeans. The bartender, looking much younger now then he had moments before, turned to his sister. "Jeremy, what was Chaze babbling about?" she asked quietly, calmly. Pierce paid Leena no attention, though she must have known that the Blitz warrior had caused all of the uproar. Her intense relfective eyes remained fixed on her brother. "She came in here asking for you, and she knows…about, your former team," Jeremy told Pierce, his hands shaking as he raised them up to bind back his hair, which was the same beautiful color as his sister's. "It's okay, Jeremy. Why don't you get you and Chaze a drink, and go watch the battle?" she suggested, and touched his shoulder in reassurance. The young man immediately moved to do as she'd said. Pierce motioned for Leena to follow her. She did, and the two walked to a table in the corner of the room, removed from all the others. "Surprise seeing you here," Pierce commented, taking an unconcerned swig from her beer bottle. "Yeah, well, I'm just full of surprises," the Blitz warrior commented dryly. "But truly, I need your help." Impatiently Leena sat forward. "Where can I find Stoller and Layon?" Pierce raised a thin eyebrow and smiled, although it made her look more deadly rather than friendly. She took another long swallow before answering. "You know that I'm no longer a member of the Backdraft," mumured the warrior as though talking to a child. Leena flushed. "I obviously don't keep ties with them." "Stoller and Layon aren't either," she defended, although she could see now that it was a bad idea even to come here. Pierce didn't like her and wasn't likely to help even if she did know where they were. "And it would still look as though I associated with the Backdraft." The marine-haired warrior leaned back. "Listen, kid. I'm trying to join the Commission. With my record, that isn't easy to do. I'm not going to screw up for you." Leena's violet eyes flashed. "I'm not asking you to do this for me. Something's happened to Jack Sisqo, and I need their help to find him." This was obviously not the kind of response that Pierce expected to recieve. Dropping her boots from the table and dropping the chair to all fours, the look of critism passed. "Jack? What?" Panic swamped her, and she grabbed Leena by the front of her shirt. "What happened? Where is Sisqo?"