Here we are at Chapter 33. The gang head for Luminos City, but will their quest be so bright in the city of light? I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 33. Enjoy.
Chapter 33: Bright or Dark?
The gang make their way to Luminos City, the tension in the air growing with each mile they get closer to their destination. The Fluegel team are right behind them for the journey.
"Okay, so what's the plan here? We walk right in and don't expect a trap or an ambush waiting for us?" Grace asks.
"There's a good chance they'll be expecting us to show up since they know that Roderick was with us when they made the call, since he's their spy. If we want to get in without raising suspicions, we'll have no choice but to head in just as they want. However, we do have a monkey wrench for their machine," Colt says.
"And by monkey wrench, you mean us, huh?" Naomi asks over the comms.
"Yes, they shouldn't expect us to have backup right with us, especially a class A zoid team as our backup. We'll have you guys nearby in case things get crazy, this way they shouldn't see you coming. The next part of the plan is tailing Roderick to where they want to meet. No offense to you guys, but you have no training in that field, and Sky, you're a good fighter, but you stick out like a sore thumb, so I'll handle that part of the plan. I want you close to Sarah in case Nexus tries to kidnap her again," Colt explains.
"Okay, what about me?" Rickie asks.
"You stay here and keep the motor running. If we need to make a quick getaway, we'll need you to facilitate it. Have our zoids ready as well. I don't want to stick around defenseless in case we have to fight our way out," Colt says.
"You really think they'll start a battle in the middle of the city with all of these civilians around?" Leon asks.
"They wiped out a village just to make a statement to us because we took out one of their bases. I don't have to be a genius to know that they'll kill anyone to achieve their goals. Which is why should that happen, we need to leave, but also keep their focus on us. The less possible destruction they cause in the city the better," Colt says.
"Okay, but what about me and Sky?" Sarah asks.
"You guys will be on the ground, keeping your eyes peeled. They may still be after you, so we can try and draw them out, and Sky can kick their butts," Colt says.
"Wait, so I'm bait?!" Sarah yells.
"What about me?" Grace asks.
"Oh, I got another idea for you, Grace," Colt says, confusing her.
…
The group arrive at Luminos City the next day, with Naomi and Leon hanging back just outside the city, hidden, while they dock at the zoids institute. The city is larger than most, and technologically more advanced. It's called the city of light because of everything that lights up in the city at night. The group heading in the city split up, with Roderick going his way with Colt not too far behind, while Sky and Sarah go off in another direction. Meanwhile, Rickie remains at the Hover Cargo, and Grace is... nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, Coly, anything happen yet?" Sarah calls out over her zoid gear.
"Nothing yet. Roderick knows that he won't escape my eyes, and I made it clear that if he tries to double-cross us, that I'd feed him to Geno. He's on his way to the meeting location, but don't worry, I won't lose him. You guys just be casual until I say something," Colt replies.
"Roger that. Keep us posted," Sarah says and hangs up. "So, what should we do now? If we look like we're searching for someone, it'll look suspicious. Let's just check out the shops until something happens," Sarah says and Sky nods as they head to the merchant sector of the city.
While Sky and Sarah check out the shops, Colt keeps his eyes on Roderick. Roderick eventually turns around a corner, heading down an alley, followed by heading towards an old engineering building. Colt sticks to the shadows, watching his every move. Luckily for the good guys, Roderick is able to keep his cool for the most part. If they get found out because he buckles, it'll be a problem for the team. Roderick knocks on a door a few times and it opens up, though Colt can't see who's on the other side before Roderick heads in and the door closes. Colt curses a bit before looking around for a way to either get inside, or at least be able to see and hear what's going on inside. He looks up and smirks before moving forth, sticking to the shadows. He manages to climb his way to the upper section of the building, granting him a stable foothold to walk upon, and moves to one of the windows to peer inside. The multiple windows grant him just enough light to see inside, finding Roderick speaking to another man in black clothing, the tell-tale sign that he's Nexus.
"Kaiser is growing impatient with your incompetence, Lt. Roderick. This last attack by the Lockhart Team has delayed our plans from their intended course. Kaiser wants to know why we weren't informed before this attack occurred," the man demands.
"Look, you think they spill their whole guts to me because of my position? They attacked as soon as they acquired the information. How, I don't know, but they did. If I knew about that base beforehand, I could've done something to prevent them from attacking it," Roderick argues.
"Your job isn't to get intel from us, it's to give intel to us. Why haven't you also brought in the girl and her zoid?" the man asks.
"Because, the only way to do that is to get her alone. However, because she's the team leader, and they know that Nexus wants her, they're keeping a tight barrier around her. Even I'm not allowed near her unless there's someone else with us. I just need a little more time," Roderick retorts.
"Time isn't something the Kaiser has. No matter, you've brought Team Lockhart here. We'll take care of that objective from here on out," the man says and begins to walk away.
"But wait, what do you need me to do? Keep spying on them and the ZBC?" Roderick asks.
"No, that will not be necessary... Your usefulness is no longer required," the man says and pulls out a pistol and shoots Roderick in the head.
Colt's eyes widen at what he just saw, watching Roderick's boy fall back onto the ground, dead. Knowing that staying would be a bad idea, he quickly moves and makes a break for it to find the others and get out of the city.
"Sarah, Sky, guys! Roderick's dead! We need to leave, now!" Colt yells into his zoid gear, but he only gets static. "Guys, do you hear me?!"
…
Back with Sarah and Sky, they find themselves checking out all the shops for zoid pilots and enthusiasts, finding a few tables lying around next to a local food spot to rest. Sky decides to keep looking around while Sarah waits for him. She looks around, seeing all of the people going about their daily lives, like there isn't a crazy warmonger out there trying to fill this land with chaos. If Kaiser were to turn his attention to this place, how many would survive? Would it be wiped out just like Hunter's old village?
"Why must this happen? This Kaiser thinks what he's doing is right, but he can't be further from the truth. Zoid warriors battle with everything they've got to win, but no one dies in those kinds of fights. He just doesn't see it. How long before he is finally stopped?" Sarah wonders. However, her musing is cut short when an individual suddenly takes a seat across from Sarah at her table. "Um, this table is taken, sir," she says. The person in front of her has tanned skin with black hair that goes just past his shoulders, wearing a black leather suit with boots and a gray zipper. His eyes are brown in color. "Um, hello, can I help you?" she asks, creeped out.
"Sarah Lockhart," the young man says.
Sarah begins to inch a little but out of her chair, believing this guy could be another thug looking to cash in on that bounty on their heads.
"Who are you?" Sarah asks, tense.
"You can't stop Kaiser," the man says.
Sarah's eyes widen as realization hits her, "You're... Hunter Krato," she says, but he makes no reply, not that there's any need to. "Hunter, you don't have to do this. We can save you. I can save you. You sent that message about the spy, and we found them. I know there is good in you Hunter. I've been to your village, where Nexus attacked and killed your parents and took you away. They destroyed the village and killed everyone in it. Hunter, you don't have to keep fighting for them. Come with us and we can stop Nexus together," Sarah pleads.
"It's too late... You're too late," Hunter replies, very little emotion felt in his voice.
Suddenly, she feels the barrel of a gun touching the back of her head, "Sarah Lockhart, you're coming with us," another man says, wearing black gear like Hunter.
Sarah glances around, looking for a way out. Luckily, help comes just in the nick of time when a small table comes flying in, crashing into the guy behind her. She looks over, seeing Sky racing in. Hunter stands and pulls out a pistol to fire at Sky, but he grabs another table and uses it as a shield to block the bullets, using it to try and crash into Hunter who rolls out of the way. Hunter aims his pistol at Sky again, but Sarah hits him in the back with her chair.
"We have to go, now!" Sky yells.
"But Sky, he's Hunter Krato, the one we've been looking for. We have to help him!" Sarah argues.
"Another time, go now!" Sky leaves no room for argument and pulls Sarah by her arm.
The pair make a run for it, with Sarah glancing back to see Hunter rising back to his feet, staring back at her. Racing through the city streets, they make a break for it back to the institute where their zoids are. However, their path gets blocked by a pair of black Rev Raptors that suddenly appear, causing the people in the streets to scream and scatter in every direction.
"Oh, crap," Sarah mutters with worry.
The Rev Raptors move closer to capture them, but then suddenly the ground under their feet collapses, causing them to fall in and then Grace's Spinosapper breaks through the ground right behind them.
"Surprise, boys!" Grace calls out and her partner roars as it slices through her surprised enemies with its chainsaws. "I had a feeling something was up, so I decided to move up my part of the plan a bit since I couldn't contact you guys. Come on, get to the Hover Cargo, I'll cover you!" Grace calls out.
"Thanks Grace!" Sarah replies and they continue their run to safety, with Grace right behind them. Along the way, they meet up with Colt, who's also running for his life. "Colt, where have you been?! Do you have any idea what's going on?!" Sarah asks.
"I tried calling you guys, but I think they're jamming out comms. Listen, Roderick is dead, they killed him," Colt says.
"What?" Sarah yells.
"You heard me, and now they're trying to take us out. We need to get out of the city, now!" Colt says.
They manage to make it back to the Hover Cargo, but find several destroyed Rev Raptors scattered around it, with Geno right in the middle of the massacre. Looks like they tried to attack their base as well. Luckily, Geno is capable of fighting, even without its partner with it.
"Geno!" Sarah yells.
The Geno Storm-Blade roars as its partner returns. It opens up its cockpit for Sarah to quickly get inside, while Sky and Colt head inside the Hover Cargo to get into their zoids.
"About time you guys showed up! I've been trying to call you to tell you that we've been made!" Rickie says from the command center.
"Yeah, we noticed, just get the catapult for our zoids ready and gets us out of here!" Colt yells.
The boys get into their zoids as the Hover Cargo moves out of the city, with Sarah and Grace on its flanks. They keep moving, only to find a black Whale King appearing from beyond he clouds.
"Oh, now it's a party," Colt mutters, groaning.
The Whale King lowers itself closer to the ground and opens its mouth, allowing a single large zoid to jump out and land onto the ground with a thunderous crash. When the dust settles, they find the zoid to be a black and white Gojulas Giga. The Giga has thrusters on the sides of its legs and back of them. The tail ends in two curved, sharp blades, with shorter sharp spines littered along the tail. On the back is a backpack with additional thrusters and a pair of sub-arms equipped with buzzsaw blades similar in design to the those of the Spinosapper. Within its jaws is a modified charged particle cannon. On the main arms are a small pair of cannons. The Gojulas Giga turns its head towards them and roars.
"What the Hell is that?!" Grace yells.
"It's a... Gojulas Giga! But, that's impossible! Those things shouldn't even exist anymore!" Rickie shouts.
"This is... the Gojulas Omega," Hunter replies.
"Rickie, launch us now!" Colt yells.
Meanwhile, the Geno Storm-Blade stands ready to face this new threat, roaring in challenge.
"You won't escape this time," a male voice calls out.
Sarah recognizes the voice as her screen pops up, showing none other than Hunter Krato's face.
"Hunter... Why are you doing this? Why help the people that killed your parents?!" Sarah asks.
"Kill or be killed. There is... no choice," Hunter replies.
The Gojulas Omega makes the first move by firing off the cannons on its arms, forcing the Geno Storm-Blade to fly across the ground to evade them. Geno fires back with its laser guns, but the Gojulas activates an energy shield to block the attack. Meanwhile, the Hover Cargo launches the Pteramander and the Bravejaguar to link up with the Spinosapper and help Sarah. However, they find their path blocked by a several Rev Raptors on the ground and several Redlers in the air.
"Ugh, not this crap again!" Colt yells.
"Out of our way!" Grace shouts as her partners fires off its missile launchers.
Sky flies his Pteramander through the clouds, with the Redlers hot on his tail. He purposely cuts off the engines and begins to fall, allowing the Redlers to close in. But, this is a ruse as he turns around, firing off his flamethrower to take out two of them, while the claws on the feet grab and rip through a third before he engages the thrusters again and flies away. Back on the ground, Sarah and her partner race across the desert floor as they get closer to their opponent. When they do, the Geno Storm-Blade swings its right blades at it, only for the Gojulas Omega to swings its tail around, blocking the attack and pushing the Geno Storm-Blade back a bit. It brings out its buzzsaw blades and swings them down on its enemy. Geno counters with its blades and the two attacks clash, but the Gojulas Omega has superior strength and pushes the Geno back. It roars as it aims its cannons at Sarah and her partner, but they jump back at the last second before it fires and land a safe distance away.
"Hunter, listen to me! There's always another way. You always have a choice. Kaiser took your childhood from you. Don't let him take the rest of your life as well!" Sarah pleads.
"No choice... Must hunt," Hunter replies, his voice sounding so dead, almost devoid of life. "Engage... Z-link system."
The Gojulas Omega engages the thrusters along its body and chases after the Geno Storm-Blade as the pilot becomes one with it, roaring into the air.
"Crap, fine then. Geno, Z-link system!" Sarah yells.
Geno roars as their minds become one and charges at the Gojulas. When they get close, the Gojulas swings its tail around, but the Geno Storm-Blade jumps over the swing. The Gojulas swings its buzzsaw blades around, but the Geno blocks them with its blades as the two zoids go past each other. They come back around, with the Gojulas firing off its cannons again, but the Geno evades them. Geno counters with more shots from its laser guns, but the Gojulas blocks them with its energy shield. Both then engage leg clamps on their legs and open their mouths, preparing to fire their charged particle cannons.
"Hunter, please, don't make me do this. I don't want to kill you!" Sarah pleads one more time.
"...Then you will die," Hunter replies coldly.
"Not if I can help it!" they hear a voice ring out, just before a random shot hits the Gojulas Omega in the left side, stopping it from firing its particle cannon.
They look over, seeing Naomi in her red Gun Sniper, "Be a real shame to have my student killed before I start training her," Naomi notes.
"Don't start the party without me," Leon says as his Blade Liger races through the battlefield, taking out several Rev Raptors with a combined assault of his blades and his shock cannon.
Naomi fire her sniper cannon again, taking out two more, giving Grace the chance to have her Spinosapper finish off a third, while the Bravjaguar uses the chance to get some distance between them.
"Looks like we showed up just in time," Leon notes.
"Leon, Naomi!" Sarah cheers.
The Whale King moves in, but Sky and his Pteramander fire their laser cannons, damaging its weapons before flying by, having already taken care of the remaining Redlers in the sky. With most of their forces taken out, and Sarah's backup showing up, the Whale King quickly lands and opens its mouth for Hunter's zoid to enter before it can be stopped, and takes off back into the air.
"Should I follow?" Sky asks.
"No, don't be crazy. We just barely made it out of this one. Come back Sky," Sarah says as she watches the Whale King fly off into the skies. "Hunter... what are they doing to you to make you do this?" she wonders.
And that's the chapter. The mission doesn't go as planned as not only is Roderick killed, but now Sarah finally meets Hunter Krato and his new zoid, the Gojulas Omega. Now it seems like they're back to square one or even worse with this new threat. Will Sarah get through to Hunter? Or will the next time they meet, only one will walk away? Until then, please Read and Review.