Author's note- Thanks, Biowolf for reviewing! Riese and Hiltz will make a minor appearance soon, but I'm afraid Raven won't be as he is still wandering around in the desert. I'm happy that you're enjoying this! ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids, only my own characters, so don't sue me, please!
Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly
CHAPTER TEN
They both woke early the next morning, both of them lying in bed for awhile as neither of them wished to face the world just yet. Tania eventually slipped out of bed and began dressing, watching silently as Karl rose and began dressing himself but in a different uniform that consisted of snug-fitting clothing in various shades of black and grey. She couldn't take her eyes off of him as he looked incredibly sexy in the outfit, leading him to inquire as to why she was staring and causing her cheeks to flush as he was smiling at her as well.
"No reason," she answered nonchalantly. "But why are you dressed like that instead of your usual uniform? Not that I'm complaining or anything," she added with a chuckle when he stepped close to her to kiss her softly.
"No? I suppose that you wouldn't mind if I wore this more often," he replied.
"Maybe, maybe not," she said. "But do you know how much trouble you could get into?"
His laughter was soft in her ear. "It's too bad that we've got a mission to complete."
"We?" she asked, confused. "Are you telling me that you're coming along with us? Why?" she asked when she saw him nod.
"I know that if I don't go then I will be worrying about you until you came back, so I decided that the only way to ease my mind was to come with you. Besides, someone will need to be there to keep you and my brother from each other's throats," he teased, crying out in surprise when she jumped into his arms, her weight pulling them back onto the bed.
Soon they arrived at the hanger where Van and Thomas were waiting for them, Tania once again in handcuffs although Karl managed to slip Van the keys so as soon as she was seated within the Blade Liger he could remove them. Thomas seemed a bit surprised that his older brother was joining them, but Van merely smiled and shook his head.
They departed from the base shortly after, Karl borrowing a Command Wolf as it was faster then his Iron Kong. Tania sat silently as they crossed the distance between the two bases, neither she nor Van really feeling the need to talk as they were comfortable in each other's presence. The Command Wolf kept within sight of the Blade Liger, and if she looked hard enough she could almost see her beloved sitting in the cockpit.
"You really love him, don't you?" Van asked her.
"Is it that obvious?" she replied.
"Just to me and maybe Fiona. I believe that everybody else is pretty much oblivious to it. But it's pretty obvious to me how much he loves you after coming out here with us." Then he was silent a moment. "Just how did you both meet each other?"
Tania sighed and told him of how she had met Karl, although she chose to leave out the part about her father being the reason for their separation. Instead she told him that it was their duties that had kept them apart, and perhaps there was some small truth in that, but either way he was satisfied with the explanation and said no more during the rest of the journey.
However, the reason for his quiet behavior was one he chose to keep to himself. Every moment he spent around her reminded him of how rare a person she was, leading him to want to get to know her better as he wondered at why she had chosen to help them so soon. He knew it was only because she and Colonel Shubaltz had found one another again, but he wanted to know more about her than just who she was now. She intrigued him as no other and that would be fine if he only wished to be friends with her, but he feared that he was quickly becoming to think of her as more than just a friend, a thought that he had no right to encourage.
He was jolted from his daydreams by her voice saying that they were drawing near to the base. Karl located a decent hiding place for them to leave their zoids, everyone removing what provisions they would need for their overnight camp which they established behind a small hill that also afforded a vantage point from which to keep watch on the base. Van offered to take first watch and Thomas second, leaving Karl to man the last watch and make the call on whether to advance or not come morning.
They grabbed a quick bite to eat before settling into their stations, those getting some sleep that weren't watching and Van positioning himself on the hilltop with a pair of binoculars. The time passed slowly and uneventfully, and sometimes he would step down from the hill to see how the others fared, smiling sadly when he saw Tania curled close next to Karl with her back against him and their fingers entwined.
Before long it was Thomas' turn and Van settled down to try and get some rest, although he was slow to surrender to it as he watched her sleep. Then it was Karl's turn to relieve Thomas and he managed to get up without disturbing her, although she awoke a short time later to join him on the hill for the remainder of his time. No one had seen any activity during the night and now that dawn was approaching it appeared that the base was indeed deserted.
Tania prepared some coffee for Karl and herself, waking Van first to let Thomas get in a few more minutes of sleep. "Would you like some coffee?" she offered as he sat up stiffly.
"Sure," he answered.
She fixed him a cup then handed it to him before she woke Thomas, who she had to stay by and keep waking as he tended to fall back asleep, although she felt sympathy for him as he only managed to get about three hours of sleep before and after his watch. He also took a cup of coffee, figuring it might help him wake up.
Karl appeared saying that they would move on towards the base as soon as they gathered their things. "Tania, it might be helpful if you give us an idea of how the base is set up. We don't want to have to walk in there blind," he said as he sat beside her and accepted his own cup.
"The base's layout is pretty simple. After we pass this hill, we will encounter the hidden missiles I told you about which I have the code to disarm. Once we reach the entrance to the hangar, the door opens after my identity is confirmed, and there is where the zoids are held as well as the weapons. Above the hangar are the barracks and above that is the command center."
"A fairly straightforward design," Karl commented. "All right, now our main objective is to search the base to see if any of the enemy remain inside. No movement was detected during the night, and if there was that would've been the best time to do so. Now what we're going to do is split up and each of us take an area. Thomas you search the hangar; Van, you and Zeke will search the barracks which leaves the command center to Tania and I. Now let's move out."
Tania and Van gathered up the supplies and began storing them inside the Blade Liger, Thomas and Karl doing the same with their own. While Tania was busy, Thomas took the opportunity to speak with his brother. "Karl, may I talk to you about something for a moment?"
"I think I already know what it is, Thomas, and you know what my answer is," he replied.
"Oh, you do? Must I remind you that you're compromising the safety of those at Red River?" Thomas shot back.
"No, you do not. And furthermore, watch your tone when speaking to a superior officer," he reprimanded him. "I trust her not to do anything that would betray us, and if you do not trust her then you do not trust me as well."
"Of course I trust you."
"Good. Then it's settled." And with that the conversation was ended between them, Thomas walking off muttering to himself as Karl watched him leave and wondered why it was so hard for Thomas to accept Tania.
Soon they were advancing on the base, the Blade Liger in the lead, and they didn't get far before a message came to them in the cockpit, warning that unless the correct passcode was entered the trespassers would be dealt with. Tania leaned forward from behind Van and entered her passcode to gain them entry, smiling when it verified her name to her and bid her proceed. They moved on to the face of the mountain that towered above them, so tall that it disappeared into the clouds above, and they left their zoids to follow Tania as she got them through the second security measure. A small panel opened in the rocky side and prompted her to present her identification, where she laid her fingertips onto it so they would be scanned. Once approved and verified, almost the entire side of the mountain seemed to move as it opened to reveal a huge hangar that was echoingly empty.
Everyone else seemed in awe at the size of it, but the sight of it only brought back memories for her. "They left all right," she commented. "They took everything, even the zoids and their weapons."
"How could they have moved so much in so short a time?" Van asked, coming up to stand beside her.
"There weren't that many," she answered. "Only enough to fill not quite half of this."
"Still, it staggers the mind to think of what kind of army could've been gathered here," he said. "But what bugs me even more is where they could've gone with all of this."
"I have no idea, Van. But maybe the computers in the command center will tell me something."
"Right," Karl said. "Tania will deal with that. Let's commence our search and meet in the command center."
Thomas began searching the hangar, although he wouldn't be taking long since there was nothing there but empty space. Tania showed Van and Karl where the staircases were since she didn't trust using the elevators, and they walked their way up to the other levels, Van and Zeke departing on the second floor and Tania and Karl continuing onto the top. They emerged into a darkened area, stepping quietly while Tania tried locating the switch to turn on the lights and when she did they were temporarily blinded as their eyes had adjusted to the dark.
After thoroughly searching the area first, Tania began going through the computer's files to try and find any information that could be helpful, finally sitting back in disgust.
"What is it?" Karl asked from behind her where he had watched her.
"There's nothing," she replied. "All the data has been erased."
"Damn," he cursed, bringing a smile to her face as she had never heard him say anything that strong before and she pointed that fact out to him. "As an officer I like to keep my cool around my men, but once I'm alone I sometimes have to let it all out."
Soon Van and Thomas arrived but Zeke was nowhere to be found. "Where's Zeke?" Tania asked.
"He's still down in the barracks," Van answered. "I tried to get him to move but he keeps staring at this statue at the end of the hallway although I can't imagine why. It's just a statue of Prozen," he added with a slight shiver.
"Let's go have a look then," Karl advised and they left the command center together to find Zeke still at the statue. He looked over it himself, finally spotting a small opening where he could barely make out a switch, and he managed to stick his hand in far enough to trigger it. The statue slid back with a loud grating sound to expose a tunnel that led further into the mountain.
"Wow," Tania breathed as she stepped inside to look around just as the others did. "I never knew this was here."
"I wonder where it goes," Thomas mused, touching the walls and inadvertently triggering the switch to close the statue behind them. "So much for that," he stated a bit sheepishly.
Zeke stepped forward and motioned for them to follow him, his interest caught by whatever he sensed down in the tunnel. However they only went a short ways before they heard an explosion outside that rocked the ground beneath their feet. Tania fell against the wall as Zeke growled and quickly condensed his form into a glowing bolt of energy that shot back down the way they had come.
"We'd better get a move on," Karl shouted. "Whatever's down here can wait." He took off at a run with Thomas following not far behind, and looking back he noticed that Tania was having trouble moving as Van stayed behind to try and help her. He started back but another sudden explosion shook the mountain, bringing down a good portion of the tunnel crashing down on them. He would've been buried himself if not for Thomas' quick reflexes as he had grabbed his shirt and yanked him backwards out of harm's way.
They lie on the ground for a bit until the dust cleared enough for them to see, Karl leaping to his feet and running over to the pile of rock that blocked them from Van and Tania. And for perhaps the first time in his life he felt the cold grip of fear touch his heart as he hoped that somehow they had also escaped the falling debris, hoped with all his heart that she was still alive. For if she wasn't, if he was forced to live the rest of his life without her smile or her touch.... Tears moistened his eyes as the fear became too much for him to bear. "Tania!" he cried, trying with what strength he had to move the rocks that were in his way but unable to so much as budge them. "Tania!"
Thomas walked up to his brother. "Karl, we've got to go before we become trapped ourselves," he called out, bracing himself as another blast shook the ground.
"Dammit, Thomas! She may be in there still alive, and Van as well! We can't just leave them!" he cried.
"Karl, I know how you feel, but we need to get out there and stop whoever's attacking before they do any more damage." That finally got through his fear, and he ran back down the tunnel with his brother, sending Tania a silent word of love and a promise that he would return.
******************
Author's note- Cliffhanger! I'm so mean! Did she survive the collapse? Also, a little bit of a surprise next chapter as Van does something that is totally out of his character. Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids, only my own characters, so don't sue me, please!
Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly
CHAPTER TEN
They both woke early the next morning, both of them lying in bed for awhile as neither of them wished to face the world just yet. Tania eventually slipped out of bed and began dressing, watching silently as Karl rose and began dressing himself but in a different uniform that consisted of snug-fitting clothing in various shades of black and grey. She couldn't take her eyes off of him as he looked incredibly sexy in the outfit, leading him to inquire as to why she was staring and causing her cheeks to flush as he was smiling at her as well.
"No reason," she answered nonchalantly. "But why are you dressed like that instead of your usual uniform? Not that I'm complaining or anything," she added with a chuckle when he stepped close to her to kiss her softly.
"No? I suppose that you wouldn't mind if I wore this more often," he replied.
"Maybe, maybe not," she said. "But do you know how much trouble you could get into?"
His laughter was soft in her ear. "It's too bad that we've got a mission to complete."
"We?" she asked, confused. "Are you telling me that you're coming along with us? Why?" she asked when she saw him nod.
"I know that if I don't go then I will be worrying about you until you came back, so I decided that the only way to ease my mind was to come with you. Besides, someone will need to be there to keep you and my brother from each other's throats," he teased, crying out in surprise when she jumped into his arms, her weight pulling them back onto the bed.
Soon they arrived at the hanger where Van and Thomas were waiting for them, Tania once again in handcuffs although Karl managed to slip Van the keys so as soon as she was seated within the Blade Liger he could remove them. Thomas seemed a bit surprised that his older brother was joining them, but Van merely smiled and shook his head.
They departed from the base shortly after, Karl borrowing a Command Wolf as it was faster then his Iron Kong. Tania sat silently as they crossed the distance between the two bases, neither she nor Van really feeling the need to talk as they were comfortable in each other's presence. The Command Wolf kept within sight of the Blade Liger, and if she looked hard enough she could almost see her beloved sitting in the cockpit.
"You really love him, don't you?" Van asked her.
"Is it that obvious?" she replied.
"Just to me and maybe Fiona. I believe that everybody else is pretty much oblivious to it. But it's pretty obvious to me how much he loves you after coming out here with us." Then he was silent a moment. "Just how did you both meet each other?"
Tania sighed and told him of how she had met Karl, although she chose to leave out the part about her father being the reason for their separation. Instead she told him that it was their duties that had kept them apart, and perhaps there was some small truth in that, but either way he was satisfied with the explanation and said no more during the rest of the journey.
However, the reason for his quiet behavior was one he chose to keep to himself. Every moment he spent around her reminded him of how rare a person she was, leading him to want to get to know her better as he wondered at why she had chosen to help them so soon. He knew it was only because she and Colonel Shubaltz had found one another again, but he wanted to know more about her than just who she was now. She intrigued him as no other and that would be fine if he only wished to be friends with her, but he feared that he was quickly becoming to think of her as more than just a friend, a thought that he had no right to encourage.
He was jolted from his daydreams by her voice saying that they were drawing near to the base. Karl located a decent hiding place for them to leave their zoids, everyone removing what provisions they would need for their overnight camp which they established behind a small hill that also afforded a vantage point from which to keep watch on the base. Van offered to take first watch and Thomas second, leaving Karl to man the last watch and make the call on whether to advance or not come morning.
They grabbed a quick bite to eat before settling into their stations, those getting some sleep that weren't watching and Van positioning himself on the hilltop with a pair of binoculars. The time passed slowly and uneventfully, and sometimes he would step down from the hill to see how the others fared, smiling sadly when he saw Tania curled close next to Karl with her back against him and their fingers entwined.
Before long it was Thomas' turn and Van settled down to try and get some rest, although he was slow to surrender to it as he watched her sleep. Then it was Karl's turn to relieve Thomas and he managed to get up without disturbing her, although she awoke a short time later to join him on the hill for the remainder of his time. No one had seen any activity during the night and now that dawn was approaching it appeared that the base was indeed deserted.
Tania prepared some coffee for Karl and herself, waking Van first to let Thomas get in a few more minutes of sleep. "Would you like some coffee?" she offered as he sat up stiffly.
"Sure," he answered.
She fixed him a cup then handed it to him before she woke Thomas, who she had to stay by and keep waking as he tended to fall back asleep, although she felt sympathy for him as he only managed to get about three hours of sleep before and after his watch. He also took a cup of coffee, figuring it might help him wake up.
Karl appeared saying that they would move on towards the base as soon as they gathered their things. "Tania, it might be helpful if you give us an idea of how the base is set up. We don't want to have to walk in there blind," he said as he sat beside her and accepted his own cup.
"The base's layout is pretty simple. After we pass this hill, we will encounter the hidden missiles I told you about which I have the code to disarm. Once we reach the entrance to the hangar, the door opens after my identity is confirmed, and there is where the zoids are held as well as the weapons. Above the hangar are the barracks and above that is the command center."
"A fairly straightforward design," Karl commented. "All right, now our main objective is to search the base to see if any of the enemy remain inside. No movement was detected during the night, and if there was that would've been the best time to do so. Now what we're going to do is split up and each of us take an area. Thomas you search the hangar; Van, you and Zeke will search the barracks which leaves the command center to Tania and I. Now let's move out."
Tania and Van gathered up the supplies and began storing them inside the Blade Liger, Thomas and Karl doing the same with their own. While Tania was busy, Thomas took the opportunity to speak with his brother. "Karl, may I talk to you about something for a moment?"
"I think I already know what it is, Thomas, and you know what my answer is," he replied.
"Oh, you do? Must I remind you that you're compromising the safety of those at Red River?" Thomas shot back.
"No, you do not. And furthermore, watch your tone when speaking to a superior officer," he reprimanded him. "I trust her not to do anything that would betray us, and if you do not trust her then you do not trust me as well."
"Of course I trust you."
"Good. Then it's settled." And with that the conversation was ended between them, Thomas walking off muttering to himself as Karl watched him leave and wondered why it was so hard for Thomas to accept Tania.
Soon they were advancing on the base, the Blade Liger in the lead, and they didn't get far before a message came to them in the cockpit, warning that unless the correct passcode was entered the trespassers would be dealt with. Tania leaned forward from behind Van and entered her passcode to gain them entry, smiling when it verified her name to her and bid her proceed. They moved on to the face of the mountain that towered above them, so tall that it disappeared into the clouds above, and they left their zoids to follow Tania as she got them through the second security measure. A small panel opened in the rocky side and prompted her to present her identification, where she laid her fingertips onto it so they would be scanned. Once approved and verified, almost the entire side of the mountain seemed to move as it opened to reveal a huge hangar that was echoingly empty.
Everyone else seemed in awe at the size of it, but the sight of it only brought back memories for her. "They left all right," she commented. "They took everything, even the zoids and their weapons."
"How could they have moved so much in so short a time?" Van asked, coming up to stand beside her.
"There weren't that many," she answered. "Only enough to fill not quite half of this."
"Still, it staggers the mind to think of what kind of army could've been gathered here," he said. "But what bugs me even more is where they could've gone with all of this."
"I have no idea, Van. But maybe the computers in the command center will tell me something."
"Right," Karl said. "Tania will deal with that. Let's commence our search and meet in the command center."
Thomas began searching the hangar, although he wouldn't be taking long since there was nothing there but empty space. Tania showed Van and Karl where the staircases were since she didn't trust using the elevators, and they walked their way up to the other levels, Van and Zeke departing on the second floor and Tania and Karl continuing onto the top. They emerged into a darkened area, stepping quietly while Tania tried locating the switch to turn on the lights and when she did they were temporarily blinded as their eyes had adjusted to the dark.
After thoroughly searching the area first, Tania began going through the computer's files to try and find any information that could be helpful, finally sitting back in disgust.
"What is it?" Karl asked from behind her where he had watched her.
"There's nothing," she replied. "All the data has been erased."
"Damn," he cursed, bringing a smile to her face as she had never heard him say anything that strong before and she pointed that fact out to him. "As an officer I like to keep my cool around my men, but once I'm alone I sometimes have to let it all out."
Soon Van and Thomas arrived but Zeke was nowhere to be found. "Where's Zeke?" Tania asked.
"He's still down in the barracks," Van answered. "I tried to get him to move but he keeps staring at this statue at the end of the hallway although I can't imagine why. It's just a statue of Prozen," he added with a slight shiver.
"Let's go have a look then," Karl advised and they left the command center together to find Zeke still at the statue. He looked over it himself, finally spotting a small opening where he could barely make out a switch, and he managed to stick his hand in far enough to trigger it. The statue slid back with a loud grating sound to expose a tunnel that led further into the mountain.
"Wow," Tania breathed as she stepped inside to look around just as the others did. "I never knew this was here."
"I wonder where it goes," Thomas mused, touching the walls and inadvertently triggering the switch to close the statue behind them. "So much for that," he stated a bit sheepishly.
Zeke stepped forward and motioned for them to follow him, his interest caught by whatever he sensed down in the tunnel. However they only went a short ways before they heard an explosion outside that rocked the ground beneath their feet. Tania fell against the wall as Zeke growled and quickly condensed his form into a glowing bolt of energy that shot back down the way they had come.
"We'd better get a move on," Karl shouted. "Whatever's down here can wait." He took off at a run with Thomas following not far behind, and looking back he noticed that Tania was having trouble moving as Van stayed behind to try and help her. He started back but another sudden explosion shook the mountain, bringing down a good portion of the tunnel crashing down on them. He would've been buried himself if not for Thomas' quick reflexes as he had grabbed his shirt and yanked him backwards out of harm's way.
They lie on the ground for a bit until the dust cleared enough for them to see, Karl leaping to his feet and running over to the pile of rock that blocked them from Van and Tania. And for perhaps the first time in his life he felt the cold grip of fear touch his heart as he hoped that somehow they had also escaped the falling debris, hoped with all his heart that she was still alive. For if she wasn't, if he was forced to live the rest of his life without her smile or her touch.... Tears moistened his eyes as the fear became too much for him to bear. "Tania!" he cried, trying with what strength he had to move the rocks that were in his way but unable to so much as budge them. "Tania!"
Thomas walked up to his brother. "Karl, we've got to go before we become trapped ourselves," he called out, bracing himself as another blast shook the ground.
"Dammit, Thomas! She may be in there still alive, and Van as well! We can't just leave them!" he cried.
"Karl, I know how you feel, but we need to get out there and stop whoever's attacking before they do any more damage." That finally got through his fear, and he ran back down the tunnel with his brother, sending Tania a silent word of love and a promise that he would return.
******************
Author's note- Cliffhanger! I'm so mean! Did she survive the collapse? Also, a little bit of a surprise next chapter as Van does something that is totally out of his character. Thanks for reading!