Thanks for the feedback everyone! I really appreciate it! Oh, biggieG77 Brad was smoking because…I dunno. He seemed like a smoker to me. Maybe it was his hippie-like hair. ;) But he'll stop since I haven't done much with it since Chapter 3. We'll just say he's on the patch. ^_^ 

Guess what? We're nearing the final chapters!  And I would really love feedback for this chapter. I really enjoyed writing this and would like to know what people think about it, especially the ending. Bet it won't be too thrilling, heh heh. *holds burn cream at his side*

By the way, I've upped the rating to R if you noticed because this chapter gets violent. And you can't forget the dark themes and language. Hope no one minds. Well, enough of my rambling. Go on with the story.

Wait, one more note: This chapter's a bit long. Now on with the story!

---------------------------------------------

Leena stared up at her Gunsniper.

"Life is complicated isn't it?" she said to her Zoid, "I just can't get my mind off him. Yet there's someone else out there who has that great love for me. I don't know what to do." She giggled to herself. "Listen to me. Talking to my Zoid as if it were human. Just like Bit." She crawled up her Gunsniper and prepared to take off.

"I need to clear my head. I have to get my mind off this. Let's go Gunsniper." And she took off into the desert.

Jamie walked to the control room.

"I'll just come up with some new strategies for the team. That should help get my head on straight." He sat down at the panels and started thinking. He brought up a picture of a familiar Zoid battlefield.

"Oh I got a great one. Brad could bank left here while waiting for Leena and Bit--" He quickly grimaced at mentioning "Bit and Leena" together. He shook his head. That was stupid! Why had he acted like that? His thoughts quickly turned to his actions at the dining room table. Everyone's cheerful face as he mentioned Bit and Leena were an item. Except his. Why was that? Why couldn't be happy for them? They were his friends after all. Yet he felt betrayed. Leena was HIS friend, his DEAREST friend. Even though she was loud and competetive and occasionally hit him. But not as much or as hard as she would hit Bit. Or anyone else for that matter. Then it hit him.

Could it be possible that he was...jealous of Bit? Jamie did have a small crush on Leena when they were younger, but his tastes evolved since then. Or did they just grow bigger? He folded his arms.

"Let me get this straight. Everytime I think of Bit and Leena I feel upset. But when I think of Bit alone, I feel upset and jealous. When I think of Leena alone, I feel upset and sad. Betrayed even. Like, how could she? How could she like Bit and...not me? After all we've been through. Oh, man. Is that it? Do I love Leena? More than a friend?...Yes, that's it. I love her. Oh, man," Jamie whimpered.

"Well isn't it great to have a kid who can connect the dots all by himself?"

"NAOMI?!"

Jamie nearly jumped to the high heavens. "What in the world are you doing over here?!" Naomi laughed.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. I wanted to talk to you. You seemed upset at the dinner table."

"Yeah and now you know why. Just please, don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Why not? Some people have the right to know."

"But they'd all look at me weirdly especially Bit. Leena's his girlfriend. I wouldn't want him to stop being my friend because I could be a threat. Besides, Leena only thinks of me as a brother.  Not a lover."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Jamie. You'd be surprised at what may happen if you tell."

"Huh?"

"Just some food for thought, young Jamie. Catch ya later, cowboy," and off she went.

"I wonder what she meant by that..."

Leena skipped through the sand in her Gunsniper. The sunset looked marvelous today. So beautiful she wished she had someone to share it with.

"Jamie would love a sunset like this," she said to herself. She came out here to clear her mind, but her thoughts kept returning to Jamie and Bit. She still had to figure out what to do about them.

"Could things possibly get any worse?" she sighed.

Her Zoid jerked violently. Her head collided with the sidewall.

"What the hell?" she screamed.

"Stupid little girl," snickered a face on the comlinks, "Don't you learn things from movies? When someone says 'could it get any worse', it always does!"

Another face blinked on the other side comlink.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we'll just be takin' your Zoid now. HA HA!"

"Morons!" she yelled. She flipped a lid and pushed a button.

"WEASEL UNIT TOTAL ASSAULT!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

....nothing...

"WHAT THE HELL?!" she screamed angrily. The words "Out of Ammo" and "Missile's empty" flashed on her screen.

"Out of Ammo?! How?!"

Then she remembered Jamie was cleaning up the Zoids earlier today and emptied out their weapons. The Zoids were almost never loaded until a battle. And Leena had only expected to go out for a run.

"Damn it!" she cursed. The pair of Lightning Saix went behind her and aimed their guns and fired.

"Don't hold back! We aren't going easier on her just 'cause she's a girl!" Shinji said. Leena was jerking violently in her seat because of all the blows her Zoid was taking. Her head slammed itself on the dashboard very hard.

"Oh, man..." she said as she slowly blacked out. The Gunsniper's computer froze and collapsed.

"That was easy! Now let's haul it back to the hideout," ordered Shinji.

"Right!"

Leena woke up to find herself in chains. Her arms were chained to the wall and she was in a room. Didn't look like a dungeon. Just a room with no windows and a single door. Kind of like the room in a base. Or a hideout!

"Where am I?" she asked.

"The hideout of the Desert Bandits," said another. A guard was in the room with her.

"Where is my Gunsniper?" she demanded.

"Heh heh, you don't wanna know."

The door slid open and three men walked in. Two of them were the bandits that ambushed her earlier. The other was a taller man. Couldn't be that much older than Leena. He must've been their boss.

"Here's the girl, Boss," said Shinji pointing to her, "What should we do with her? Toss her out in the sand?" The three looked at her.

"Nope. That option's out. She's awake. We'll have to kill her," said Kenji. Leena froze. *K-K-Kill?*

The boss walked up to Leena and looked her in the eyes. Leena glared at him angrily.

"Leena Tauros," he said.

"What? How do you know my name?" she asked, totally in shock.

"You're the daughter of Stephen Tauros, leader of The Blitz Team."

Leena breathed a sigh of relief. Thanks to the Blitz Team she _did_ become well-known. She was scared for a minute there.

"This is wonderful," he said sinisterly. "You're much prettier than I thought you would be." Leena wasn't taking any chances.

WHAM!

She kicked him in the place where men _don't_ want to be kicked. It had no effect. He smirked.

"Sorry, babe, that doesn't work on me anymore."

"I see you've chained women up before so you prepared yourself," Leena spat in disgust. The boss shook his head casually like he was answering a normal question.

"Nope. I learned my lesson after your little friend did it to me, oh so long ago."

Leena's heart stopped cold. Those cold, mischievous, lustful eyes. Only one person burned in her memory with those eyes.

"Rick," she said softly and fearfully.

"Tell her what she's won, Johnny," Rick said darkly. "Shinji! Kenji! Koji! Leave at once! I'd like to be alone with her so we could...catch up on old times." The three henchmen left while Rick laughed sinisterly.

"You wouldn't…you wouldn't dare do that to me…" Leena said, knowing damn well he would. Rick put his hand on her cheek. And kissed her. That same forceful and lustful kiss he gave her a long time ago.  After he broke it and smiled menacingly, he said, "Now for the fun part."

Leena closed her eyes, awaiting her fate. But surprisingly he walked off and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To give your dad a call," he said flashing an evil grin, "I told you. Time for the fun part to begin."

"Where's Leena? It's getting dark," Brad said.

"Yeah, I know. I'm worried," said Bit.

"I'm sure she's fine. Leena knows better not to stay out too late without telling us," Doc comforted.

"That's what has me worried," said Jamie.

"Hey, Dad, you got a call," said Leon.

"Put it up on the screen," said Doc. Leon did so. Rick's ugly, threatening mug appeared in front of them.

"Good evening, Doctor Tauros," he said casually.

"Hello, there! What can I do for you, young man?"

"Let's cut to the chase. I have your daughter." Everyone stopped cold.

"What?" Doc asked, now serious.

"I have your daughter," Rick repeated, "And I don't recommend calling the police. Unless you want your daughter's fate sealed as soon as possible."

Leon clenched his teeth in anger. Bit clenched his fists. Jamie was clutching the head of a chair. It was taking all his strength to _not_ break its head off. Brad and Naomi stood still, looking patient, but they were getting angrier by the minute.

"What do you want?" Doc inquired.

"You have until this time tomorrow to bring me one million dollars to my desert base," he held up a map of the desert area and pointed at where he was located, "And I want it delivered by Jamie."

"Jamie? Why him?"

"You are not in a position to be asking questions other than what you can do for me. Anyway, one million dollars delivered by your tactics commander by this time tomorrow. Got it?"

"And what if we refuse?" asked Brad.

"Hey, Koji!" Rick called out to his henchman.

"What is it, boss?" asked Koji, running up to his master. He had now appeared on the screen. Rick turned back to the Blitz Team.

"If you refuse," Rick began. He pulled out a long sharp knife and jammed it into Koji's chest. Koji's eyes bulged, his hands grabbed at the knife protruding from his chest.

"B-Boss...why...?"

"I needed an effective visual aid," Rick smiled.

"F...fu..." Koji dropped, with his eyes rolling up.

"That is what I did to my own man. Now imagine that being your daughter. I think you get the picture. Out. And I'll be seeing you soon, Jamie." The screen went blank. After a moment of silence, Bit slammed a fist into his other hand.

"That bastard!" he yelled.

"Damn," Leon muttered.

"Gee, that guy looked familiar. I wonder why?" Doc wondered.

"That was Rick, Doc!" Jamie said, "That was the guy that ra-, uh, attacked me and Leena years ago!"

"A member of my old gang. So this is what he's up to now," Leon said.

"What? You had a gang?" Brad asked.

"Now's not the time, Brad. I'll explain later."

"Doc, there's something I haven't told you," Jamie said through clenched teeth. Tears were forming in his eyes. "That guy, Rick, didn't just attack us. He...he almost killed me back then. He was going to rape Leena and when I walked in, he tried to kill me. Leena was real scared of him. He was going to do so much nasty stuff to her and...Doc, you have to realize Leena's in great danger in his care! There's no telling what he'll do!"

"Rape Leena? Well that tears it, we'll have to act fast," said the Doc.

"But where are we going to get a million dollars? We don't have that much money to spare. We have lots of debts to pay, not to mention our paychecks," Brad pointed out.

"Brad's got a point. Where will we get that much money?" Naomi asked holding her hands up.

"The money's not a problem. I've got everything figured out. Now if you'll excuse me I've got a phone call to make," Doc assured.

***************

"OH MY POOR SWEET LEENA! I'LL GLADLY SHELL OUT A TRILLION DOLLARS FOR YOUR SAFE RETURN!"

"Tha's nice, Harry, but you've already brought more than enough," said Doc. It was half an hour later and Harry was sobbing by the time he arrived at the Tauros Base.

"This is terrible! My Leena taken hostage by a bunch of heartless cutthroats! It's enough to make me want to die!"

"Alright," Doc said handing the suitcase full of money to Jamie, "You go in your Raynos and fly to the bandits' hideout. Deliver this money to Rick and kindly escort Leena home."

"Right, Doc. I'll be sure to bring her back safe and sound," Jamie said. He didn't show it, but he was very nervous. But he didn't care. Rick had Leena and no nervousness was going to stop him from rescuing her.

"Good luck, Jamie," Doc said with confidence. Jamie nodded and climbed into his Raynos.

"Bring her back safely, Jamie and don't let that jerk lay a finger on any of ya!" Bit said. Jamie took off into the night sky with a loud screeh from his Raynos. Once Jamie was out of sight, Doc turned to Bit and Brad.

"Now you two follow him in your Zoids. But don't let him or any of the bandits see you. I don't want them knowing Jamie's being followed."

"Okay, Doc. We won't let you down," Brad said.

"Leena, you'll be home soon enough. And in my arms once again," Bit said softly.

"In your arms? Wha? What the heck are you talking about?" Harry asked incredulously.

Bit climbed into his Liger Zero and Brad into his Shadow Fox. They quietly left the hangar, showing off their stealth capabilities and why Doc chose them to follow Jamie.

"Rick had better not hurt my sister," Leon said.

"Hey what did Bit mean by Leena being back in his arms?" Harry asked frantically.

"Are you sure this will work?" Naomi asked Doc.

"We can only hope," Doc said, looking up at the sky.

Jamie flew in his Raynos, with his mind only on one thing.

"Leena," he said, "That monster had better not lay one finger on you or else I _will_ kill him. I swear it. I saved you once. I saved you twice. I'm going to save you again." The Raynos dived into the Desert Bandits' base and landed in front of the hangar. He got out of the cockpit with the suitcase full of money and jumped to the ground. He gulped.

"I'm coming for you, Leena," he swore and headed towards the hangar.

"All right, he's going in," Brad said from a far off lookout point. He saw Jamie heading into the base's hangar through a pair of binoculars. He sat back down and closed the cockpit. "Let's move in."

The Shadow Fox and Liger Zero creeped through the night, making as little sound as possible. The two bandits, Kenji and Shinji, came out of another door of the base.

"This Raynos must have some very useful parts," Kenji observed.

"I know, these things are rare and expensive. I can't wait to take it apart and sell it to the Backdraft group." He pulled out a special knife with electrical sparks emitting from it. "Let's put these Zoid-cutting knives into action."

"Right," Shinji took out his own and started tearing into the Raynos.

"Oh no! They're destroying it!" Bit yelled.

"Quick, let's get out of the Zoids. The rest of the rescue will be on foot," said Brad. They jumped out of their cockpits and ran toward the base. The two bandits stopped what they were doing and looked at them.

"What do those guys think they're doing?" asked Shinji.

"I don't know. Who are they?" Kenji questioned.

Bit and Brad cocked their fists back and punched the two bandits in the face, causing them to drop their knives. Kenji was knocked out instantly, but Shinji still retained consciesness. Bit grabbed him by the shirt collar and brought him to his face.

"Where's Leena?" he demanded.

"Uh...uh..." Shinji held his bloody nose.

"Where's Leena?! Answer me, damn you!" Bit demanded again. Brad cracked his knuckles.

"In the base. First floor. In room 103," Shinji confessed in fear.

"Thanks."

Bit punched him in the gut and tossed him to Brad. Brad punched him in the exact same spot.

"It takes scum to work for scum," Brad said as Shinji slunk down and out of consciensness.

"Let's go!"

Jamie was alone in the Zoid hangar of the Desert Bandits' base. His knees rattled together. The room was empty. Not a single Zoid in sight.

"Why did Rick want me to meet him in here?" he wondered. He tensed up. A sound! A door was opening. A shadowy figure stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed.

"Just cast the money aside," Rick ordered. Jamie dropped it immediately and kicked it into a far corner. Rick closed the door and walked up to the young Raynos warrior.

"Jamie Hemerose. It's been a long time since you put me in jail."

"Well, you got what you deserved for trying to rape Leena."

"Ah yes, Leena. She sure was delicious."

Jamie gasped. "You didn't..."

"You would like to know wouldn't you?" Rick chuckled. Jamie bared his teeth.

"Look, you have your money. Now let Leena go."

"I will. Eventually. But first, I'd like to deal with you."

"What do you want?"

"Have you ever been sent to prison, Jamie?"

Jamie shook his head.

"I'll tell you what prison is like Jamie. It's a living hell. The meals were crap. They make you work in fields like dogs. They deprive you of your rights. And every night you have to watch your back to make sure your cellmate doesn't rape you and try to butt-screw you when you're not looking. Pray that your the stronger man in those situations, Jamie."

"I'm not sorry for you. You got what you deserved. Now enough with your sorry excuse for a sob-story and let Leena go."

"No."

"But we brought the money. What more do you want?"

"Your life."

WHAM!

(A/N: The following scenes would really go great with this song: http://www.vgmusic.com/new-files/Kirb64finbos.mid. Listen to it!)

It was like a hand-grenade exploded in Jamie's face. Rick's huge fist collided with it. Jamie staggered back and held his hands over his face. Rick got ready to induce another blow, but Jamie backed too far away.

"Fight me like a man, this time kid! No hitting below the belt!" Rick swung another fist to Jamie's head, but Jamie quickly ducked. Rick sidekicked Jamie in the gut, but Jamie was too fast for him. Jamie moved to the left and avoided another blow to the head.

"You're fast on your feet, kid," Rick complemented, "I'll have to go faster myself."

Rick elbow-jabbed at Jamie's jaw, causing him to fall back. Jamie was quick enough to keep him from falling to the floor.

"Ain't ya gonna fight back, kid? Or are you _trying_ to make this easy?" Rick taunted.

Brad flipped a bandit into another that wielded a gun. Both were out cold.

"Man, Brad, where'd you learn to fight like that?" Bit asked.

"I'm not just a mercenary for Zoid battles, Bit. You'd be surprised at what else I can do," Brad said flashing a grin. Bit had to return the smile. But his face quickly turned back into seriousness.

"We've gotta find Leena. Hurry!"

They bolted through the hallway and past an open door. They peered into it and saw a dead body with a knife in its chest.

"That must've been that Koji guy," observed Brad.

"That sick bastard," Bit said with contempt, "He's gotta be put to sleep."

"Agreed. Let's find Leena."

WHAM!

A second blow to Jamie's gut. Rick was getting frustrated. This was too easy!

"Dammit, kid, fight like a man!" he yelled. Jamie wiped the blood away from his lip.

*You want me to? Okay, you loser, I'll give you a real fight.*

Jamie drew back his fist and punched as hard as he could at Rick's torso. Rick let out an "Ack!" and held his stomach. He grew enraged. He and Jamie started to battle each other out, fists flying everywhere. Jamie executed a high kick and hit Rick's jaw. Rick grabbed Jamie's shirt collar and head-butted him, leaving a bruise where his scar from the tumor operation was. Rick threw Jamie to the ground, but Jamie's quick speed and agility helped him recover fast. Rick and Jamie squared off and ran at each other at full force.

"There it is! Room 103!" yelled Bit.

"Great," Brad said, taking care of the last of the bandit guards.

"It needs a key. I can't get it open," Bit said.

"Allow me."

With one swift kick, Brad knocked the entire door down. Bit was amazed.

"Man, you really gotta show me some moves one day."

Leena's head slowly looked up and saw her two saviours. Her eyes glistened with tears.

"Bit! Brad!"

"We're here Leena!"

Brad removed the keys from the comatose guard's belt and unlocked Leena's chains. Bit grabbed Leena into his arms.

"Leena, you're safe," he said happily.

"Oh, Bit, I can't bear to tell you what I've been through," she sobbed.

"It's okay. We're here now," Bit stroked her hair as Leena cried into his chest.

"It's a happy ending. Now all we gotta do is find Jamie," said Brad. Leena's head darted up from Bit's chest.

"Oh no! Jamie! He's in danger!"

Bit and Brad looked at each other with questioning looks.

"You guys! If Jamie's actually here then he's done for! Rick is going to get his revenge once and for all!"

"Revenge? For what?"

"There's no time to explain! We need to hurry!"

"Then let's move!" Bit said. They ran out the doorway and into the hall. Brad stopped and knelt down by a fallen bandit.

"What are you doing?" Bit wondered. Brad picked up the bandit's gun and checked to see if it still had bullets left.

"We may need this," he said as he put it in his pocket. "Let's go."

Jamie threw more punches at Rick's face. Some connected and some failed. Soon, they both stopped for a breath of air.

"You certainly fight better than you did, years ago, kid. You're doing damage," Rick said, wiping blood off his lip. Jamie did the same.

*I've got to do this now. The special technique I learned from Brad. The Deathblow.*

He raised his fist and prepared for a final blow to the spot that can take down any man, as Brad said. He thrusted his fist at Rick. After this, he'll never get up again.

Rick caught it. Rick grabbed Jamie's wrist the same way he did years ago. He squeezed it, hard, with Jamie wailing.

"Hahaha! I was just warming up kid! Now I'm going to exact my revenge now." Rick pulled out a switchblade and pressed it against Jamie's wrist.

"Remember this, boy? What I was going to do? Here goes. First I'm going to slit this wrist," then he pointed his blade to Jamie's other hand, "Then I'm going to slit that one, and finally," he pointed at Jamie's neck, "Right there."

Jamie trembled.

"You're not going to do that..."

SLASH!

"I believe I just did."

Jamie's wrist was bleeding profusely. He screamed toward the high heavens while Rick laughed sinisterly. He grabbed for the other wrist.

"Now it's this one's turn."

SLASH!

Jamie was crying now. It was obvious he was going to die as he saw the blood streaming from his hands. Rick looked at the helpless lad.

"Like how you didn't feel sorry for me, I don't feel sorry for you," he said. Rick pressed the blade against Jamie's neck.

"If I slit your throat, you'd die within minutes. But I want you stay alive a little while longer so you can hear me taunt you until your death. Sooo..."

Rick rammed the knife into Jamie's torso. Jamie's eyes bulged. Blood sprayed from the wound and leaked from his mouth. He wailed and wailed hoping this was all a bad dream. Rick began to twist the knife, destroying as many vital organs as he could. Rick began to laugh. He was laughing maniacally. He was enjoying this! It was all just a game to him!

"HAHAHA! Yes! Die! Die, you little bastard, die! HAHAHA!"

Tearing, twisting, tearing, twisting, bleeding, laughing, tearing, twisting. No way, no how was Jamie getting out of this one. A million thoughts raced through his head, but they were all blurry. He was blackening out. Blackening out to comatose or blackening out to meet the Grim Reaper, he didn't know. All he knew was that he wouldn't be here much longer.

Sensing life seething away and almost non-existent, Rick backed away and saw Jamie drop with the knife in his chest. Rick stood and admired his work.

"Lovely," he said. He saw Jamie's blood on his hands and licked it. "The blood of my enemies is always thirst-quenching. Good-bye Jamie. It was an honor to be the one to kill you."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!!!" Bit's yell was quickly followed by the sound of a gunshot. The bullet raced towards Rick's head and pierced it, going straight through it. Blood splattered and Rick's body dropped like a rock, never to get up again.

Brad blew the smoke off his gun. He never missed his mark.

Bit, Brad, and Leena dashed over to Jamie's body. All of them, with wide eyes, stared at the body lying in the pool of blood.

"JAMIE!!!" all three yelled simultaneously. Brad and Leena knelt down. Brad pulled out the knife and tossed it aside. Leena cradled the bloody body in her arms.

"Jamie...no, please, no...Jamie...."

"L-Leena..."

"Don't speak. Save your energy," Leena pleaded. Her face was soon drenched with tears as her clothes were with Jamie's blood. Jamie grabbed Leena's hand, shaking as if he had Parkinson's disease.

"I'm going to die, Leena...."

"No! Don't say that!" she cried.

"Don't be ridiculous, Jamie! We'll get help!" Bit said.

*This is all my fault,* Leena thought. *If I hadn't gone out in my Gunsniper...if I hadn't been so chicken and just talked to him...no, this can't be happening!*

"I...d-don't...have m-much...strength left..."

"Jamie, you can't leave me. You can't. We're young. They're so much we haven't done together."

Jamie gave her a half-smile, but ended coughing up blood.

"I-I'm sorry Leena...there's so much...I haven't told you. If I'm to leave this world...then I have to tell you this....."

"Forget it. We're calling an ambulence and gettin' you back to shape," Brad said. Jamie shook his head. Impossible. He let out his final words.

"Leena...I love you. Not like a f-friend...or like a sister...more than that..."

"Huh?" Leena asked.

"What?" Bit asked, but in a soft voice. Brad was intrigued.

"I love you L-Leena Tauros...and....good-bye..." Jamie's eyes rolled up to his head.

"Jamie! JAAAAMIIIEEEEE!" Leena cried. Bit rubbed his eyes as well and yes, even Brad Hunter, the hard-edged mercenary, started to get teary-eyed as well.

"No, Jamie...you can't die...I love you, too..."

Y'know, if I were really evil, I could end it right here and now. But I can't do that! I still have to write about the funeral and stuff! Hehehehehe! Soooo…

End Part 9

Heh, just kidding. Maybe Jamie will survive….or maybe he won't! Maybe it will just be a funeral! Who knows? Stay tuned!