Chapter 10: Reality Hurts
A Rev Raptor and Snipe Master waited in surveillance mode in the middle of the desert. The two pilots already knew of the outcome of the battle between Polta and the new ZBC pilots. One of the pilots opened the cockpit and jumped down. His hair was black with a hint of purple styled back that finished into a ponytail. He wore a black bandana with blue diamond shapes printed on it and wore a night black battle suit with the acronyms BDG-E on his right shoulder. The pilot of the Snipe Master remained in surveillance mode.
"What is it, Jake?" The voice came from the Snipe Master's head. The pilot ignored the question and kept walking. "Is Polta back? I can't see her in my radar."
"Exactly, you can't rely on just your Zoid for everything, sis. Polta already knows we're here."
A couple of silent minutes went by and finally a Shadow Fox came out from hiding about two miles away. It had been using its Optical Camouflage to hide from them.
"Good job, Sisco. I didn't think either of you would spot me." The arriving Zoid said as it came closer.
The Fox's cockpit opened and Polta jumped down. Her golden mask was gone and her aqua hair was caressed by a brief desert breeze. She had beautiful aqua colored eyes and her face resemble delicacy. She was tall and slender and wore a black battle suit with a red trim on her arms and legs. The acronyms BDG-E were also printed on her right shoulder. She was truly a very beautiful woman.
"We have to mobilize; Altail has a new mission for us."
Jake and Polta turned to the Snipe Master.
"Jade, we have enough time to get back. For once, let's enjoy a little bit of freedom from BDG."
The unseen pilot turned her Zoid around and began walking away.
"So stubborn," Polta said. "How do you manage yourself around her?"
Jake smiled while adjusting his bandana. "I guess we're a perfect contradiction. Well, it's time to roll out. In any case, it's not in our best interest to madden Altail."
"He's mad as it is, at least with me. I called fluke, but he won't take that as an excuse. Whatever, Altail is just mad with power but without us he knows his other pilots wouldn't stand a chance."
Jake began walking towards his Zoid as so did Polta who had parked hers next to his.
"You know, I've been hearing about some new prospect he found here on earth. Like the Stoller and Obscura kids. I think he should have picked up Stoller instead of allowing the ZBC to take him."
Jake looked into Polta's eyes making it seem like he was trying to study her soul. Polta looked away trying to hide her blush. "Well, Rusa, I think it is never too late to bring someone on board that will make a significant difference. Like you said, Stoller could be a great add on to the BDG, but the question is; will Altail pursue that path. I know he is, or probably already has, picked up the new pilot to train."
Rusa Polta turned backed to him. "Well, time will tell if our fearless leader has chosen correctly." She said sarcastically.
The two laughed as they climbed into their respective Zoids. In seconds, they were running along Jade's side.
"What took you two so long?" Jade asked her brother.
"Ah, nothing much, we were just thinking about the new kids. They would be a great asset to the BDG if converted over."
Jade kept silent for the rest of the trip.
Back on the Valley, Enzo had carried Thomas out from the Zoid's cockpit and placed him down on a portable stretcher that was stored on his Zoid. He was still knocked out from the blast.
"Is he going to be ok?" Naomi asked. Her eyes became teary as she saw the bruises on Thomas' face and arms. The blasts the Saix had received were at point blank. Enzo knew that Shadow Fox could've easily shot the Saix's head and that would've been way worse. In a way, he was happy the enemy fought clean and shot his Saix's chest even if Thomas was badly bruised. The important thing was that he was still breathing.
Naomi crouched next to Tommy and caressed his hair. She felt bad in a way for not being able to help him. Tears began falling down her face.
"I'm sorry, Tommy." She stood up and ran away. Enzo and Rio looked at each other before Rio ran after her.
"You sure got that girl's attention, kid." Enzo said to the unconscious Stoller. "Well, I'll call the base. Don't want to move you around too much there could be something broken."
Rio caught up to Naomi who had tripped and fallen down. Her face was cover in tears.
"Why must we go through all this, Rio? You guys were trained since you were little; we were just brought into all this from the blue. I told Tommy before that we could not count on tomorrow while we're in this."
Rio crouched next to Naomi. "No one can, Naomi. Even if we are trained and have experience way beyond you guys now, we could lose our lives in a second. War is war and casualties can and may happen. Our enemy should not be taken lightly as should any opponent. Remember you are not here just because your last name comes from a talented pilot, but because you are defending yourself and the people you care for. Your whole planet could very well be depending of this. We must not give into fear before we even begin."
Rio stood up and reached out her hand. "Come on, we have to go with Stoller."
Naomi brushed her tears away and replaced her frown with a smile as she took her friends hand.
Back at the facility, Thomas had been taken to a medical center. There Rio and Naomi spent the rest of the day in the waiting room while Enzo assessed the damage to the Saix on the main bay. It was way worse than he thought at first. The blasts were so strong they ripped right into the core of the Saix. It was dead. The body could be fixed but its core was damaged rendering it useless. He was charged with ordering the dismantling of the once amazing Zoid.
"A Zoid is a Zoid, we use them to battle and defend lives and honor. It's sad to see one suffer this kind of damage. Goodbye Lightning Saix." He pressed a button and grappling hooks lowered. Once they were next to the Saix, engineers and mechanics attached them to the Zoid. It rose into the air and a rail carried it across the facility where it would end up in the savage department. Anything still working would be taken from the machine, all else would be disposed.
Enzo came into the waiting room, his face gloomy. Rio immediately stood up and walked into his arms trying to comfort him.
"It's hard when we see a Zoid die, Enzo. It could have been worse, however." She turned to Naomi who seemed to be a in a trance. Sliding doors awoke her and she sprung up.
"Good news, he only has a couple of broken ribs but those will heal pretty fast. He is resting right now. You are allowed to see him but please don't try to awaken him." A doctor said. He turned to Naomi who had teary eyes. "Don't worry your boyfriend will be okay. Well, I must go. Remember, visiting hours end in thirty minutes." The doctor left, his words had made Naomi blush like never before.
Col. Schubaltz broke the silence as he stormed through the entrance almost crashing into a nurse who managed to jump out of his way.
"I want the man who destroyed that Saix in front of me now!" He ordered making nurses scurry away and doctors take notice. "That was one special Zoid and now it is in the savage department. Who is responsible!?"
Enzo walked up to the well built man. "I gave that Zoid to Stoller. If you want to blame someone, blame me, Schubaltz."
The Colonel's frown turned into a smirk. "Well, just as I suspected. Regardless of your last name, Mr. Cloud, the man in charge is me and not you. I can snap my fingers and have you shipped back to Zi instantly."
Enzo turned to both girls and then back to Schubaltz. "If that was the case, then I wouldn't be here in the first place. The incident at Red Valley was way bigger compared to this and I still got assigned. Schubaltz, you are in charge of this operation, but you are nothing compared to what my father did for the ZBC."
Schubaltz walked closer to Enzo, his face red with anger. He was so close to Enzo's face that his hot, putrid breath blew Enzo's blond bangs aside. As common as could be, Enzo kept calm with his hands buried in the pockets of his red blazer.
"Don't challenge me, boy. I can crush you like an insignificant ant." Schubaltz pushed Enzo with his wide chest making the younger man stumble back and fall on the floor.
The muscular brute walked out of the office while Rio and Naomi walked over to Enzo who was getting up.
"You know not to mess with him, cousin! I thought you had gotten approval for those Zoids. The Saix had an organoid system, didn't it?"
Enzo nodded. "I wanted to give Stoller a good Zoid to train and possibly even keep as his own; the same for Obscura." He turned to Naomi who just smiled back at him.
"Well, now that this is over with, let's go see Thomas." The three walked through a hallway that had rooms left and right. For the most part they were empty. Finally after making the usual turns you have to at a medical facility, they reached Stoller's room.
Inside rested the young pilot. His chest was wrapped with a special transparent medical tape. Two small insertions could be seen on the left side of his abdomen. Naomi neared him first and grasped his hand.
"Not to brag, but the medical technology on Zi is very advanced. He will probably be out by tomorrow morning." Enzo said but Naomi simply kept her stare locked on Thomas' face.
"Well, um, Rio and I will go back to main bay. We must find a new replacement for the Thomas."
Both pilots took one last look at Stoller and Obscura before walking out the door.
"Tommy, I hate seeing you like this." She said as after the door closed. "I am scared for our lives. When I saw the twisted metal on your Zoid, I could only imagine how future experiences will be. It makes me ask myself if we're really ready for this."
Naomi felt a tear roll down her cheek. "I know you can't hear me, but I wish you could because I want to tell you something that I have been suppressing for a long time." She neared him and placed a short kiss on his lips.
"I'll see you soon." Naomi brushed her tears away as she walked out of the room.
Outside the medical facility, Enzo and Rio leaned on the safety rail of the catwalk. Below, people moved to and fro as they worked on many different Zoids.
"I don't know if I should take another chance with Stoller. He is still in basics and today acted like he was in an advanced class. I'm really thankful the other pilot had mercy on him."
Rio patted her worried cousin on his back trying to cheer him up. "Don't worry. This is just a way for him to get a feel of real battles. He will eventually understand not to fight blind. He had a good battle plan but he announced it too much which is why the enemy immediately evaded the attack."
Enzo agreed, Stoller had a general idea of how to battle but he was too simple about it. His plan was transparent to the enemy right from the beginning.
"I think I have a good replacement for him." Enzo said as he eyes locked onto a Zoid that was rolling down the floor rail line.
Rio's eyes widened as saw what he was looking at.
A/N: Again, sorry for writing inside the novel, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that has been following this story all the way and a special thanks goes to Animefan192 for the great reviews, much obliged my friend. I'm proud to be at chapter ten and still have more to offer. Stick around; there are surprises, romance, and action just around the corner!