A/N: The biggest thanks to Aqua-chan, who helped me write the second half of this chapter. For all of you who keep asking, I am not a Bit/Leena supporter *ducks the flying tomatoes* so there will be no pairing for them in this story, though you will see many others, even a love triangle or two. Please don't flame me, okay?
"Jaime, could you put in this data into the computers?" Doc started as he walked into the control room, reading off of the huge stack of papers in his hands. Dark shadows betrayed the Blitz team owner's weariness, which he felt in his very bones. The base had been full of people since the day Jack Sisqo had turned up missing, and not one person had left. He could not turn them out. "I really need an analysis of the Lightning base security-" Glancing up, he realized he'd been talking to the walls. The command room was empty of all occupants. Steve sighed, and passed a hand through his hair. Jaime must have turned in early tonight. What with all the confusion, he couldn't blame him. Taking but a moment to scribble his tactics coordinator, Doc thankfully dropped the file onto Jaime's seat and went in search of his own bed.
In fact, Jaime was not asleep and dreaming. He didn't think that he could take another night of listening to his father Oscar snore like a freight train anyway. Feeling a desperate need to get away from the upheval that had recently fallen onto his home, he had taken to the sky with his faithful companion, the raynos. Although Jaime felt more at home in the hovercargo, directing the othes in their battles as opposed to actually participating, no Hemeros could resist the lure of flight. To be free of all restrictions, soaring high above the ground accomponied only by your Zoid. Peirce had closeted herself in her room and refused to leave, spending all of her time pouring over the surveillance disks the Taskers had brought with them. An unspoken hostility lay just beneath the surface between Kelly and the air specialist Pierce. Jaime couldn't make heads or tails of it, but that was one problem he was determined not to pick apart. Kelly and Kris kept to themselves mostly, though Jaime did not mind them much. The elder sister could offer help and converstation when it was needed, and Kris often brought him food when he was too caught up in his search to be moved. Since Leon's zoid was out of commission for an unknown extent of time, Naomi had canceled all of her battles and gone on 'vacation' as they morbidly refered to it. She did not seem to mind, and Jaime knew it was because she was able to be around Brad without being obvious. Or so she thought. A knowing grin spread across his face. She bunked with him, for Heaven's sake. Stoller he couldn't find anywhere. It was as though the man had dissapeared off the face of Zi, which in truth wouldn't bother Jaime much, since he'd spent nearly sixteen straight hours at his computer searching for the warrior. Doc's arch nemesis, Doctor Layon, had arrived completely of his own accord. Leena had her hands full keeping her father and Layon from fighting. It would have been much harder but for the nine other individuals who thronged night and day in the compound. A fleeting sensation, as though the kiss of a breeze, brushed Jaime's mind. The Wild Eagle wanted to take the controls. The marauding spirit was half in his mind, making Jaime's fingers itch to fly faster. Sighing like one whoes friend had said or done something annoying, he gave in, giving raynos a great burst of speed and broke the sound barrier. Suddenly it was no longer Jaime in control, but the spirit of the Wild Eagle*. He took the controls with a confident grin. Unlike his host, Wild Eagle liked nothing better than speed. Rapidly he adjusted the controls how he wanted them, and raced across the sky. A blip registered on his radar at the same moment the bright reflection of metal caught his attention in the west. He waited, but it did not sound again, and though he strained his eyes, Wild Eagle saw nothing. Shrugging, he passed it off as nothing and sent the raynos into a barrel roll. *Hehe, see Aqua-chan's ficcy, Spirit of the Wild Eagle! And no, this fic and hers aren't related.
Slamming the bedroom door as he went, Brad Hunter retreated into sancutary with a sigh of relief. A quick glance assured him that Naomi was out, and he finally had his room all to himself for the fist time since Sisqo's dissapearance. He hit one of the light switches, casting just enough of a glow so that he could manuever around the oddities that had appeared in his haven since Naomi had bunked up with him. Flipping through his collection of music discs, Brad snagged one of his favorites, an older band by all accounts but still popular among zoid warriors. Dropping the mini-disc into the tray of the stereo, he had to wait only moments before the loud throbbing pulse began to pour out of huge bass speakers. His brown head bobbed to the heavy beat for a moment before he gripped the hem of his sweaty training shirt and peeling it off, over his head and away. Brad carelessly flung the garment away; the offending article of clothing landed amid a heap of dirty jeans and bedsheets where it would undoubtably lay for weeks until Jaime managed to sneek in and collect them. However, Brad's shower couldn't wait. Stretching his sore muscles, Hunter kicked off heavy black boots and alternatedly hopped on one leg to peel off his rank gray socks. He undid the snap on his faded, low-riding jeans as he padded across the room. A sliding door postered with various Fox models was opened to reveal the bathroom he'd insisted upon when he'd officially joined the team. A mercany had to have his standards, naturally. While the rest of the team determinedly fought each morning for control of their single restroom, he made use of his own in quiet luxury. Heaven help him when Bit realized that Brad never battled for precious moments with the others but was inexpicitly clean ever day. Hot water immediately sprayed down when he twisted the old-fashioned brass handle. Warm steam rose from a contrastingly modern tub. It was pure bliss for the warrior when he stepped under the flow, and he rested his head against the wall for several moments just enjoying the massage-like sensation.
Naomi was sick of the cramped accomodations, and was beginning to heartily miss the quiet life she'd led on the Fluegel base. The Blitz Team's home had been so full with people lately, everywhere she went there was people: the main control room contained Kris and Jamie as permanents, with the rest of them flowing in and out without seising; Bit and Brad hid away in the weight room where they could be 'manly'; the hangar stored several faces, including Doc Toros, Kelly Tasker, and Harry Champ, who they had resorted to tying up in an effort to keep him away from Leena. But no matter where she went, Naomi couldn't seem to be able to escape. The masses were everywhere. Because of the need of privacy, the Red Comet warrior had finally decided to retreat to the one place left: Brad's shower. Tossing the towel over her shoulder, Naomi started letting her hair down while she walked to the bathroom. An assortment of pins and clips fell to the floor in her wake. The light tendrils fell about her shoulders, and there was a huge kink in her hair where the ponytail had held it up until it dried from her last shower. She rubbed her fingers through the roots and over her scalp, shaking free her bangs and adding body to the beautiful hair. It was a shame she hated to wear it up all the time; she really did have gorgeous color and shine. As Naomi walked into the shower room, the hot steam moistened her face with a refressing heat that cleared her senses. Immediatly, she wondered if somebody in there, but she couldn't hear any water running, and the floor was dry. It looked as though maybe somebody Brad had been in here earlier, but just forgot to close door and turn the lights off. Perhaps he'd just left as she was walking in. "Hope all the hot water isn't gone," she muttered tiredly. With the lack of sleep she'd been getting lately, her irritability seemed to be shooting up through the roof. The feeling was mutual among her companions. Naomi started to unclip the clasps on her jacket, staring at her own eyes in the full mirror that was slowly beginning to unfog. She was down to her red lacy bra when a shadow caught her eye in the mirror. A figure was moving around somewhere, and she finally was able to determine where it was coming from. An inner conflict took place inside her head. Should she run out the door as fast as she could, or see if someone had decided to use Brad's shower? In the end, the more adventureous side won the battle. She started to walk towards the towel closet, but she didn't have to get close before the the person came out on his own. The vision took her breath away, and maybe even Brad's as well. He was just standing there, dripping wet, with a loose towel hanging around his waist. His hair was hanging down, dripping with tiny droplets of water, and though Naomi knew she probably shouldn't stare, she couldn't help but notice the gentle, sweet look he had on his face. Her eyes slid downward and admired his washboard abs. "Uh, Naomi..." he pleaded, quite embarassed. His face was obviously begining to blush as he desperatly tried to keep the towel wrapped tightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll just go...out...now..." she faded, waving a hand towards the door, but found herself unable to move. A pink blush began to rise in her own cheeks, but she still didn't seem to remember that she was standing there in a bra. "Naomi, please?" He waited a few moments before finally concluding she wasn't going to head out. Gathering his courage, he stepped forward and tried to slide past her. When her arm brushed along his stomach, he sucked in his breath and jumped like he'd been burned. Naomi snapped out of her trance and crossed her arms across her chest. Without looking back, Brad hurried into his room, grabbed some jeans, and fled.
"Jaime, could you put in this data into the computers?" Doc started as he walked into the control room, reading off of the huge stack of papers in his hands. Dark shadows betrayed the Blitz team owner's weariness, which he felt in his very bones. The base had been full of people since the day Jack Sisqo had turned up missing, and not one person had left. He could not turn them out. "I really need an analysis of the Lightning base security-" Glancing up, he realized he'd been talking to the walls. The command room was empty of all occupants. Steve sighed, and passed a hand through his hair. Jaime must have turned in early tonight. What with all the confusion, he couldn't blame him. Taking but a moment to scribble his tactics coordinator, Doc thankfully dropped the file onto Jaime's seat and went in search of his own bed.
In fact, Jaime was not asleep and dreaming. He didn't think that he could take another night of listening to his father Oscar snore like a freight train anyway. Feeling a desperate need to get away from the upheval that had recently fallen onto his home, he had taken to the sky with his faithful companion, the raynos. Although Jaime felt more at home in the hovercargo, directing the othes in their battles as opposed to actually participating, no Hemeros could resist the lure of flight. To be free of all restrictions, soaring high above the ground accomponied only by your Zoid. Peirce had closeted herself in her room and refused to leave, spending all of her time pouring over the surveillance disks the Taskers had brought with them. An unspoken hostility lay just beneath the surface between Kelly and the air specialist Pierce. Jaime couldn't make heads or tails of it, but that was one problem he was determined not to pick apart. Kelly and Kris kept to themselves mostly, though Jaime did not mind them much. The elder sister could offer help and converstation when it was needed, and Kris often brought him food when he was too caught up in his search to be moved. Since Leon's zoid was out of commission for an unknown extent of time, Naomi had canceled all of her battles and gone on 'vacation' as they morbidly refered to it. She did not seem to mind, and Jaime knew it was because she was able to be around Brad without being obvious. Or so she thought. A knowing grin spread across his face. She bunked with him, for Heaven's sake. Stoller he couldn't find anywhere. It was as though the man had dissapeared off the face of Zi, which in truth wouldn't bother Jaime much, since he'd spent nearly sixteen straight hours at his computer searching for the warrior. Doc's arch nemesis, Doctor Layon, had arrived completely of his own accord. Leena had her hands full keeping her father and Layon from fighting. It would have been much harder but for the nine other individuals who thronged night and day in the compound. A fleeting sensation, as though the kiss of a breeze, brushed Jaime's mind. The Wild Eagle wanted to take the controls. The marauding spirit was half in his mind, making Jaime's fingers itch to fly faster. Sighing like one whoes friend had said or done something annoying, he gave in, giving raynos a great burst of speed and broke the sound barrier. Suddenly it was no longer Jaime in control, but the spirit of the Wild Eagle*. He took the controls with a confident grin. Unlike his host, Wild Eagle liked nothing better than speed. Rapidly he adjusted the controls how he wanted them, and raced across the sky. A blip registered on his radar at the same moment the bright reflection of metal caught his attention in the west. He waited, but it did not sound again, and though he strained his eyes, Wild Eagle saw nothing. Shrugging, he passed it off as nothing and sent the raynos into a barrel roll. *Hehe, see Aqua-chan's ficcy, Spirit of the Wild Eagle! And no, this fic and hers aren't related.
Slamming the bedroom door as he went, Brad Hunter retreated into sancutary with a sigh of relief. A quick glance assured him that Naomi was out, and he finally had his room all to himself for the fist time since Sisqo's dissapearance. He hit one of the light switches, casting just enough of a glow so that he could manuever around the oddities that had appeared in his haven since Naomi had bunked up with him. Flipping through his collection of music discs, Brad snagged one of his favorites, an older band by all accounts but still popular among zoid warriors. Dropping the mini-disc into the tray of the stereo, he had to wait only moments before the loud throbbing pulse began to pour out of huge bass speakers. His brown head bobbed to the heavy beat for a moment before he gripped the hem of his sweaty training shirt and peeling it off, over his head and away. Brad carelessly flung the garment away; the offending article of clothing landed amid a heap of dirty jeans and bedsheets where it would undoubtably lay for weeks until Jaime managed to sneek in and collect them. However, Brad's shower couldn't wait. Stretching his sore muscles, Hunter kicked off heavy black boots and alternatedly hopped on one leg to peel off his rank gray socks. He undid the snap on his faded, low-riding jeans as he padded across the room. A sliding door postered with various Fox models was opened to reveal the bathroom he'd insisted upon when he'd officially joined the team. A mercany had to have his standards, naturally. While the rest of the team determinedly fought each morning for control of their single restroom, he made use of his own in quiet luxury. Heaven help him when Bit realized that Brad never battled for precious moments with the others but was inexpicitly clean ever day. Hot water immediately sprayed down when he twisted the old-fashioned brass handle. Warm steam rose from a contrastingly modern tub. It was pure bliss for the warrior when he stepped under the flow, and he rested his head against the wall for several moments just enjoying the massage-like sensation.
Naomi was sick of the cramped accomodations, and was beginning to heartily miss the quiet life she'd led on the Fluegel base. The Blitz Team's home had been so full with people lately, everywhere she went there was people: the main control room contained Kris and Jamie as permanents, with the rest of them flowing in and out without seising; Bit and Brad hid away in the weight room where they could be 'manly'; the hangar stored several faces, including Doc Toros, Kelly Tasker, and Harry Champ, who they had resorted to tying up in an effort to keep him away from Leena. But no matter where she went, Naomi couldn't seem to be able to escape. The masses were everywhere. Because of the need of privacy, the Red Comet warrior had finally decided to retreat to the one place left: Brad's shower. Tossing the towel over her shoulder, Naomi started letting her hair down while she walked to the bathroom. An assortment of pins and clips fell to the floor in her wake. The light tendrils fell about her shoulders, and there was a huge kink in her hair where the ponytail had held it up until it dried from her last shower. She rubbed her fingers through the roots and over her scalp, shaking free her bangs and adding body to the beautiful hair. It was a shame she hated to wear it up all the time; she really did have gorgeous color and shine. As Naomi walked into the shower room, the hot steam moistened her face with a refressing heat that cleared her senses. Immediatly, she wondered if somebody in there, but she couldn't hear any water running, and the floor was dry. It looked as though maybe somebody Brad had been in here earlier, but just forgot to close door and turn the lights off. Perhaps he'd just left as she was walking in. "Hope all the hot water isn't gone," she muttered tiredly. With the lack of sleep she'd been getting lately, her irritability seemed to be shooting up through the roof. The feeling was mutual among her companions. Naomi started to unclip the clasps on her jacket, staring at her own eyes in the full mirror that was slowly beginning to unfog. She was down to her red lacy bra when a shadow caught her eye in the mirror. A figure was moving around somewhere, and she finally was able to determine where it was coming from. An inner conflict took place inside her head. Should she run out the door as fast as she could, or see if someone had decided to use Brad's shower? In the end, the more adventureous side won the battle. She started to walk towards the towel closet, but she didn't have to get close before the the person came out on his own. The vision took her breath away, and maybe even Brad's as well. He was just standing there, dripping wet, with a loose towel hanging around his waist. His hair was hanging down, dripping with tiny droplets of water, and though Naomi knew she probably shouldn't stare, she couldn't help but notice the gentle, sweet look he had on his face. Her eyes slid downward and admired his washboard abs. "Uh, Naomi..." he pleaded, quite embarassed. His face was obviously begining to blush as he desperatly tried to keep the towel wrapped tightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll just go...out...now..." she faded, waving a hand towards the door, but found herself unable to move. A pink blush began to rise in her own cheeks, but she still didn't seem to remember that she was standing there in a bra. "Naomi, please?" He waited a few moments before finally concluding she wasn't going to head out. Gathering his courage, he stepped forward and tried to slide past her. When her arm brushed along his stomach, he sucked in his breath and jumped like he'd been burned. Naomi snapped out of her trance and crossed her arms across her chest. Without looking back, Brad hurried into his room, grabbed some jeans, and fled.
