Chapter 6: Running

~*~

A loud howl suddenly echoed through the halls of the hidden Draft base. The Count looked up with a rather unconcerned expression as the Power sitting in the stone chamber with him raised its currently draconic head and let out a loud roar. "Is there a problem?" asked the Count casually.

"He broke the hold!" shrieked the Power. "The guide is no longer under my power!"

"Oh really? How'd he manage to accomplish that? I believe the prophecy binds him to you does it not?" asked the Count still unconcerned.

"The prophecy says his destiny is to deliver the chosen one to me, not to serve me. Though I don't see how I'll get him here now," moaned the Power. "It was easy enough to gain power over him but now he's broken it. The chosen one must have done something."

"Then he'll just have to be destroyed and the chosen delivered to you by a more direct route," replied the Count shaking his head.

"No! He's a part of the prophecy!" shouted the Power changing from a dragon form to a large tiger.

"The prophecy says that the guide is need to deliver the chosen into the hands of you, the nameless power, and then it says he'll die. I don't see why we can't hurry it along." The tiger's tail twitched anxiously.

"I'll send one of my servants to kill him but I doubt it'll work, he's doomed to die but not yet. Yes, I'll send one of my servants after him but I doubt it will work unless the other child mentioned in the prophecy meets up with the chosen one first."

"Well," said the Count standing up. "It seems to me that this Seeker has already broken the prophecy so I don't see why we shouldn't either." With that the Count headed towards the door and out past the mindless soldiers that guarded the door. "Pity though, he sounds like he would have made an excellent commander in our army."

~*~

Bit peered over at the scanner and noticed the dot on the edge of the screen. "We can out run them right?"

"No, that's the problem," muttered Brad. "The circuits in the Command Wolf's legs must shot or something because it wont move."

"Can you fix it?" asked Bit nervously.

"We'll find out wont we," replied Brad as he pulled out a tool kit from under his seat. "I don't think they have their scanners on because they aren't heading this way, they're probably back at the wreck."

"What wreck?" asked Bit still feeling panicked.

"The wreck I ran into in the woods," replied Brad as the cockpit opened and he climbed out. "Let's hope this is a quick fix so we can get out of here before they notice us."

"I'll find out what they're doing," said Bit hopping out of the cockpit and taking off at full speed.

"What! Bit!" shouted Brad.

"I'll be fine!" yelled back Bit as he disappeared amongst the trees.

"Don't get yourself killed!" Brad shouted after him. "I haven't been paid yet."

~*~

Bit slowed to almost a halt as soon as he thought he could see two zoids between the trees. Must be them, thought Bit as he crept closer.

"Listen Alex," said a girl's voice. "It's wet, it's cold, it's dark, and I want to go to my home or a reasonable facsimile there of."

"Empty handed?" responded Alex.

"You didn't mind leaving when it was just us looking for parts! Now all of a sudden you imagine someone yelling and you're ready to spend the night!" shouted Lor. "Well you know what? You can spend it alone! I'm leaving!"

"Hey, I didn't drag us over here!" shouted Alex. Bit couldn't hold back a laugh which turned into a yelp as he slipped and hell face first into a pile of rotting leaves.

"Hey, what was that?" asked Alex.

"You're hearing things again," replied Lor.

"No, check the scanners, I swear someone else is around here."

"Crap," muttered Bit jumping to his feet and taking off again back towards where he'd left Brad and the Command Wolf.

No sooner had Brad fixed the connections to the Command Wolf's legs and climbed into the cockpit then he spotted Bit running towards them. Brad sighed and the Command Wolf lowered its head to let him in.

"You just had to go alert them to our presence didn't you," said Brad as soon as he was in.

"Hey, you wanted to know where they were," responded Bit defensively.

"No, you don't listen." There was loud crash a little ways away in the forest and there was no time to talk. Brad hit the throttle and off the Command Wolf went as fast as it possibly could.

"There's a town on the border that I pass through a lot," said Brad after a minute. "We'll stop there." Bit just nodded.

~*~

"Damn it!" shouted Lor as she spotted the little dot taking off at full speed towards the edge of the screen.

"Quick, we'll catch up with them," said Alex coming up next to her Saber Fang.

"Don't bother, they're heading for town," replied Lor with a sigh. "At least we can tell Altimarie where they were heading and we can go through with her plan." Lor didn't have to look at the screen to know there was a grimace on Alex's face.

"Damn b*tch," swore Alex.

"Keep talking like that and they'll send you back to your daddy's farm," chided Lor. Alex laughed mirthlessly.

"I wish they would."

~*~