Authors note: Hey... Not much to say really except thanks to all my
readers. I never imagined that I would bring this story this far (Hell
when I started with Fight For the Future, I thought it would only make it a
few chapters). Thanks.
Oh Himeko, Ryuu is Japanese for Dragon. It can be spelled various ways (Ryu, o-Ryu (I've only seen O-Ryu once thought)) If I use any terms from a different language most likely it's Japanese. (There are exceptions though, Kaiser for example) Mostly because I like the way the names or terms sound... or what they mean. Ok enough rambling... heres chapter 15.
CHAPTER 15
Cloud lay, his eyes closed and breathing gently, on one of the infirmary beds. He had somehow managed to position himself so that he was comfortable. Jemie and Orihime were busy cleaning and bandaging the wounds that they could, though they had no idea how to manage the ones on his armor.
Zack walked into the infirmary, followed by the rest of the group, and sat at the edge of Clouds bed, "Hey."
Cloud opened his eyes and winced as Jemie tightened one of his bandages, "Im glad you were able to escape."
"Thanks to you." Zack stated, "You distracted Luke long enough for me to get away."
"Ok. What the hell are you talking about!?" Lavender asked.
Cloud stared at her, "I thought Zack told you." He looked over at Zack.
"I never had enough time... as you know it would take a while to explain." Zack sighed.
"Well we have a while unlit we reach the Waterfall base... Explain." Naomi demanded.
"Wait." Cloud said, sitting up weakly, "I don't want to sit here on the very uncomfortable bed for ever listening to him talk..." He grinned childishly, "Lets go to the main room, I want to be comfortable. Plus, there's barley enough room in here for all of us."
"You haven't changed a bit, Cloud." Tyra laughed.
"I wouldn't say that exactly..." Cloud said with a smile, "As you can all plainly see..."
"You know what she meant." Lavender stuck up for her team mate.
Orihime stomped her foot, "Wait a minuet. Cloud still has plenty of wounds that need to be treated. And I still have to figure out how to deal with those ones." She pointed to the ones on his armor.
Cloud shook his head, "Orihime... Im ok now, you bandaged all the major wounds and stopped the bleeding from the minor ones." He became suddenly serious, "What Zack and I have to explain is far more important. I'll tell you how to deal with my armor wounds later, they can wait... and I can deal with my broken bones..."
"But...." Orihime sighed.
"No buts." He paused trying to think of how to form his words, "What we need to explain is very important, for us..." He looked down, " and Rain."
"Fine." Orihime sighed, "I guess your right, Cloud."
They all made their way to the main room, Leon helped Cloud down the hallways. They sat in the many chairs and couches, waiting for either Zack or Cloud to begin.
"So do you want to explain," Zack asked once they had all gotten comfortable, "Or should I?"
"You should." Cloud stated, "Unlike me, you were actually conscious at first."
"Only for a little bit... but fine." Zack cleared his throat. "It actually all started at the last battle. You know, the one where you guy's fought me and Rain, and we were under the influence of the MCME helmet. As you all know, after I fired the Bahamuts Ultima Flare, all three zoids, Ryuu, the Blade Ligar, and Bahamut, were completely and utterly destroyed. Before I fell unconscious, I noticed that Gabrielle had begun to climb out of the cockpit... just before the blast hit Ryuu... Cloud had followed, in an attempt to stop her. The blast hit, and I fell. I was oblivious to anything that happened after that."
"I woke up after what must have been hours later. My entire body hurt and I had a migraine that could kill. I looked around my surroundings weakly, and noticed that we were in some kind of vehicle. I saw Cloud, battered and bloody, lying to my left. He was unconscious. I then noticed who was driving. Gabrielle and she had also noticed me."
"She pointed her gun at me, and I noticed that she too was injured, I was amazed that this women could still manage to drive. She stated that if I moved at all, she would kill me. She then told me that she had a higher officer than her, in a base located somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I didn't move... not because I didn't want to die, believe me, it felt like I was dead all ready, but because I was too weak to. Gabrielle went on to explain that just before I had fired the Ultima Flare, she had managed to call one of her soldiers, and in the confusion, they had brought her the escape vehicle. After she had finished I once again fell into unconsciousness."
"We eventually made it to Lukes first base. It wasn't the castle that he has now, but a more hidden, underground fortress. We were put in our cell, Cloud and I, which was actually a well furnished room that had absolutely no means of escaping. We were nursed back to health."
"That is when we met Luke. Cloud knew who he was, a person who knew his father apparently, but to me, this man was a stranger. He was the "Higher officer" that Gabrielle had spoken of. He told us that he was continuing the experiment that Koh Light-Feather had started so many years ago... then he actually explained the process. I was completely horrified. He... it was like..."
"He wanted to be God." Cloud said quietly. "He wanted to create his own race of beings, superior to both humans and zoids. He would call them the Demi-Humans, and he would use them to create his own world. He then told us that we were going to be his Demi-Humans... along with Gabrielle. Luke then explained to us exactly what we would become, and that we would be put into a deep sleep, after the first wave of the experiment. He explained allot... allot about about what we would become... and we couldn't escape, we couldn't even leave that solitary room."
"But," Zack continued, "We came up with a plan on how both of us could get away. We would get away when they came to feed us. We put our plan into motion, and were on our way out of that hell-hole. But... Luke was waiting. He shot Cloud in the leg, and caused him to fall. He couldn't get up, and I was too far ahead to help him. I tried, but he insisted that I escape. He grabbed Luke, and told me to run...I had one last glance of Luke hitting him in his temple, just before I got away. He asked me to hide Rain... so I did some research. I found out that Luke had one living relation... Rei. I new that Rain would eventually go searching for Cloud, so I waited and watched. She went out, and I told Rei the story about an abandoned Gustav... that's when he met Rain."
"I'll take over now." Cloud said, "I was immediately placed into the first wave of the experiment. It was the most painful part... and I was conscious through it all. First, Luke injected me with some type of liquid, something that would increase my blood pressure. He ran all these wires and cords into my arms and neck, injecting other liquids into my body as well. And soon, very soon, I was unable to fight it. I was paralyzed, and it hurt so much. I watched, and listened, unable to do anything else. Soon, the armor was placed, and it began to grow into my skin. It began to infuse with it, melting into it... and for the weirdest reason, I understood what I was... like, I had no shock, no sense of..." He paused and thought for a second, "... no sense of being human... I felt that I was a zoid... but I knew that I was also a human... I knew that I was both, and my brain... my brain actually accepted it. I knew all of my new abilities instantly, and I knew of my new power..."
Cloud looked down at the floor, "Luke told me it was because I was actually aware of what I was becoming, and because of all the liquids that he had injected me with, my brain was telling me it was right. Of course, I knew that it wasn't... but it still felt right." He closed his eyes, "That's when it became even more painful. My heart, Luke explained, was basically buckling under the stress that my new body was taking on. It felt that all the blood in my body was running cold... and in a way it was. The liquid that had raised my blood pressure and kept me alive through it all, was failing. It was becoming harder and harder to breath, my muscles and heart were failing. I was basically dying. So Luke placed me in a strange capsule, a tube, and filled it with the weird liquid. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to breath, but the weirdest thing was, due to all of the wires and stuff, I didn't need to. I fell into a deep sleep, almost instantly." He sighed, "I remember waking up various times, trying to escape... Then I remember waking up and breaking the capsule.... but almost instantly my body began to fail and I felt like I was already dead. I fainted."
He closed his eyes, remembering all that he could, "When I woke up, I was back in the capsule... but I was much, much weaker, and I couldn't escape... then I fainted once again... that was the last that I remember before LightStrike woke me up outside. The chokers that he made us wear... they were a way of controlling us." He looked up at the awe stricken group, "He needed my fathers system to put us in his control... instead of a helmet though, he used chokers."
Doc looked down at his watch, "We should be there by now." He said as he strode to the window and looked out. He watched as the Waterfall Base came into view.
********************************
"Rei, we got the BlackDeath coming in behind us!" Izumi stated. They had been busy destroying the base from behind, looking for any sign of Rain.
"Don't worry, with all the dust we're creating, once we get inside he won't be able to detect us... no matter how advanced his technology is." Rei stated while blowing some more of the castle up. He urged the Sky Runner forward into the dust. He was right, Copper wasn't able to find them. The Black Death didn't enter the castle, but waited patiently outside, waiting for the Sky Runner to emerge.
Luke's face suddenly appeared on their com-Link, "Rei, you insolent little whelp! I demand that you stop this now!"
"Screw you uncle Luke." Rei yelled angrily. He ran a finger along his scar, his eyes filled with hatred, "I won't sleep now that I know your alive... not until I pay you back for this scar. I still remember what you did to me!"
Luke suddenly realized the hatred that filled his voice, and he knew that he could never command Rei to do anything again. So he tried a different approach, "Rei, that was an accident... you should know that, I loved you, after all you were my baby sisters son, my own family!"
"Bull! You hated mother and father... when they died and I was forced into your care, you took out your hatred on me!" Rei yelled, tears beginning to form in his eyes, "You only cared about what you wanted... always saying that you would become great, and that I would be nothing... then... then you went to far. You almost killed me!"
"Rei!" Luke stated, "I would never try and kill you!" He stared into Reis hate filled eyes, suddenly realizing something... he was afraid. He was afraid of the angry 19 year old that he was seeing. He was afraid of his eyes... and he was afraid of the hatred that was focused upon him, "I love you Rei... You can join me, and together, create our new world!"
Izumi then heard Rei call Luke a few words that even she would be hesitant to repeat. She watched as Rei became enraged, using the Sky Runner to destroy anything and everything around him.
"Rei! You stupid fool!" Luke yelled, "You'll bring the entire castle down!"
"That's the point!" Rei yelled back.
Luke sneered angrily, "I have no choice." He then thought to himself, 'Gabrielle is unconscious, so Im going to have to awaken my third demi- human.' "Rei stop now! You'll kill Rain!"
Rei immediately stopped as Izumi gasped. The Sky Runner gave out an angry roar, as if it was feeling the mix of emotions that the two zoid warriors inside were feeling.
"Good boy." Luke stated, the sudden snake like smile appearing on his face, 'Yes, very good boy' He thought, 'you are still as easy to manipulate as you were as a child. All I have to do is make you afraid and you become as though you are a beaten puppy. You are afraid that I will hurt Rain. You are easier to control than even my Demi-Humans.'
"Where..." Izumi yelled her dark eyes flashing angrily, "Is Rain!?"
"You want Rain?" Luke asked, "As you wish. You shall be the witness of my greatest creation yet. My greatest Demi-Human!" He laughed evilly.
"No!" The two Zoid warriors yelled together.
"Come to me MY Tenshi!" Luke yelled, "MY ArchAngel of death!"
The ground shook as a bright circular light erupted, like a volcano. Pieces of the castle began to corrode. The colorful stained glass all shattered as if a strong force was causing them to explode inward.
"You see?" Luke yelled, "With my knowledge and Koh's system, I have managed to create the one ultimate being!"
The entire place was engulfed in smoke, pitch black smoke as a result from the fires that had emerged. The roof collapsed and the light from the two moons of Zi shone through, illuminating the room. The cool breeze from outside swept away the smoke, and the only things still standing was the tower that Luke stood upon, and the two zoids.
The smoke completely cleared, and there stood a solitary figure. Her long silver hair reached her waist, and her head hung low. She was wearing a pure white thigh length dress, and no shoes. Her gloves were mechanical and black, and covered her fingers completely. On her knuckles were spikes. Silver mettle wrapped itself up her neck A black thin piece of armor wrapped around the base of her neck, and was in a U shape on her chest. Below her shoulder blades were two silver wing supports, with folded joints. They looked like Kaisers wings, they were even the same type, energy Charged.
Her hair was wet, and she was breathing hard. The two moons illuminated her pale - ivory skin in a strange light, giving her a beautiful glow. In her hand was a long pitch-Black sword. It had a silver set of mettle wing- like base, and a hilt made of pure gold.
"Behold... My Tenshi." Luke stated.
"Rei?" Izumi asked. Rei knew what she wanted to know.
"Tenshi means Angel Izumi." Rei stated.
Even Copper was in Awe. Luke Appeared on his com-link, "Copper. You have done well thus far... but my need for you is over. I knew that you only wanted to gain control over my creations. For your foolishness, you shall die." Luke smiled, "Tenshi! Destroy Copper and the BlackDeath. I no longer need the zoid."
Rain moved too fast for any one to watch. She instantly appeared standing in font of the BlackDeath. Copper cursed as he pushed forward on the controls too late. The BlackDeath screamed in agony as Rains sword came down, slicing it's neck open. She reached inside and grabbed the sparking wires, tearing them out viciously. The BlackDeaths cockpit system failed and Copper was thrown into darkness. He couldn't see, and the cockpit wouldn't open.
Rain then moved to the chest of the zoid, stabbing it with her blade. She cut a small hole, then continued to hack at the wires. She had caused sparks to fly violently, and small fires broke out around the monstrous zoid and it's attacker. She soon had reached what she wanted. The core was completely exposed.
"Oh my God." Izumi gasped, "She's gonna destroy the core!"
Luke laughed cruelly as Copper began to slam against the roof of the Cockpit. He stopped, panting hard and bleeding from his now bruised and cut hands. For the first time in his existence... he was afraid. His eyes suddenly got wide, as he began hearing Ryuji's voice.
"Isn't this Ironic?" Ryuji snickered, "You are nothing but a tool Copper."
"Shut up!" Copper yelled, seemingly to himself. 'I must be going nuts.'
"Are you afraid Copper?" Ryuji taunted, "Afraid of injury?"
Copper cursed, "I told you to shut up!"
"Afraid of being beaten?"
"Shut Up!" Copper yelled, his Crimson red eyes flashing.
"Afraid," Ryuji whispered tauntingly, "Afraid of..." He paused, "Oh what's the word... ah yes. Are you afraid of Death?"
Coppers crimson eyes were now filled with fear, "Shut up!" he began slamming on the Cockpit, "I said shut up!"
"I think you are." Ryuji said, "But you see, I am not. I am not afraid of injury. I am not afraid of being beaten." He paused, "And I am not afraid of death."
"Be quiet!" Copper screamed. He watched as Rain brought back her sword, ready to impale the core.
"And you know what Copper?" Ryuji said, barley above a whisper but as clear as water, "That makes me stronger than you."
"No! Im Stronger!"
"You know what the saddest part is Copper?" Ryuji asked, "You are afraid of even being afraid."
Copper collapsed, he felt eternally weak and weary, "No! No!"
"Good-bye Copper." Ryuji said, "What was it you used to say to Rain? Oh yeah, Time to die, Time to die..."
Copper suddenly felt himself loose his grip on Ryuji, his evil was nothing anymore. He felt himself fade out of existence.... he screamed as darkness overcame his vision. He felt his soul ripped painfully from Ryuji's body. He felt himself become nothing but a memory.
Ryuji's eyes snapped open as he looked up at the cockpit. He had beaten Copper. He had actually beaten the Tyrant that had gained so much control over his very existence. He had noticed something that Copper hadn't.
The cockpit was cracked. In his panic, Copper hadn't noticed that he had cracked the cockpit. If he had continued hitting the same spot, he would have broken it. But in his fear, he had began hitting the cockpit in random places, not taking the time to notice the crack.
Ryuji grinned to himself as he sat back in the seat and kicked up, shattering the cockpit with one strong kick. He looked down, and noticed Rain about to destroy the core.
"No other choice." He said to himself. He jumped.
"Ryuji!" Izumi yelled. She watched as he hit the ground, feet first, and collapsed, just as Rain brought her sword forward into the core.
For seconds nothing seemed to happen. Then in a flash of bright light, pure energy flow in every direction, so bright that it lit up the sky for miles. A bright column of light rose, pointing directly at the sky. The energy was so hot that the stones of the castle began to melt.
Then... the explosion. The BlackDeath exploded fiercely, sending a flash of pure red and brown light in all directions.
"Rei... We have to get Ryuji!" Izumi called.
"Right!" Rei pushed forward on the zoids controls, and the Sky runner dashed into the inferno in front of them. It glanced left and right, looking for any signs of the body of their comrade.
"There!" Izumi pointed. The zoid ran over and knelt. Rei jumped out and bent over the unconscious man. He was bloody and battered, with a few broken bones... but he was alive. Rei picked him up and put him inside the cockpit off to the side. Even though there wasn't much room, they managed.
"Izumi!" Rei called, "Put the coordinates into the computer for the Waterfall base. I've never been there, so I don't know where it is."
Izumi nodded, inputting the coordinates. The Sky Runner took off, running as fast as possible. Izumi looked back once... just in time to see Rain standing, her wings folded, next to Luke, who smiled cruelly at the retreating zoid...
******************************
Tyra looked over at the clock. One in the morning. She sighed, "Come on Izumi... Come on..."
Leon walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "Don't worry Tyra... they'll be ok... both of them are very capable."
Tyra reached up and hugged his arms closer to her body, "I know... it's just..." She looked around at the group. Cloud, who was exhausted, had been given a room to rest in. The rest of the group sat around, doing various things since all of them had already finished repairing their damaged zoids.
Goji and Lavender sat on one of the couches, Lavender leaning against Goji's chest. She sat quietly, listening to his slow breaths.
Naomi and Brad were sitting at a table, both calmly drinking coffee. Brad had his arm around Naomi's shoulder.
Jemie and Orihime sat one one of the couches, asleep on each others shoulders. Orihimes soft lavender hair flowed over the couch and reached the floor.
Leena sat on the couch next to Bit. Both were actually getting along without arguing, and were thinking about everything that had happened so far. Leena yawned and leaned against Bit, and he slowly wrapped her arms around her shoulder. She quickly fell asleep while Bit thought 'Score!'
Hiro paced nervously, feeling out of place. He ran a hand through his short red hair, and biting his lip. It had been a long time now... Izumi and Rei should have been back. 'It's my fault' he thought, 'I wish I never would have found Rain.' Lightstrike nudged him slightly and shook his head, as though he knew what Hiro had been thinking.
Zack stood talking to doctor Tauros quietly in the corner. He jumped suddenly when he heard a faint knocking sound. He looked around.
The sound came again, this time louder. Everyone jumped up and rushed to the door. Tyra flung it open, surprised by what she saw. Rei stood, supporting a bloody battered Ryuji. Izumi was standing behind them. They were all wet because it had started to rain and both looked sorrowful.
Cloud cleared his throat from behind the group. He pushed his way forward and looked rei and Izumi in they eyes, "Luke used Rain... didn't he?"
The tow didn't answer, Cloud demanded, "didn't he!?"
"Yeah..." Izumi said, "She is the Tenshi."
Cloud bit his lip and swallowed, looking down at Ryuji. His wounds were serious and some looked as though they could be fatal, "The infirmary is down the hall. It's the last door on the left. Izumi, you've been here before, you should know where it is."
Izumi nodded, leading Rei down the hall.
"Cloud..." Lavender sighed.
"Ori, Jemie, Im gonna need your help to fix my armor." Cloud stated calmly, "Lets go down to the infirmary, and I'll tell you how to do it."
"Cloud..." Orihime said, "What are you gonna do?"
"Im going to kill Luke, and get Rain back."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of Chapter 15.~~~~~~~~~~~~
Authors note: (wow that was long) Man, I've been writing this one all day. In my opinion, I think this is by far the best chapter... I don't know why though I just like it allot... so go tell me what you think already. Be honest... my little sister (Who's name happens to be Gabrielle ^_^ believe me she picked the part of the bad guy!) doesn't like this chapter. Oh well.
Hope you liked it.... and thanks for all the support so far... Im thinking there will probably only be 2 or maybe 3 more chapters.
Luna
Oh Himeko, Ryuu is Japanese for Dragon. It can be spelled various ways (Ryu, o-Ryu (I've only seen O-Ryu once thought)) If I use any terms from a different language most likely it's Japanese. (There are exceptions though, Kaiser for example) Mostly because I like the way the names or terms sound... or what they mean. Ok enough rambling... heres chapter 15.
CHAPTER 15
Cloud lay, his eyes closed and breathing gently, on one of the infirmary beds. He had somehow managed to position himself so that he was comfortable. Jemie and Orihime were busy cleaning and bandaging the wounds that they could, though they had no idea how to manage the ones on his armor.
Zack walked into the infirmary, followed by the rest of the group, and sat at the edge of Clouds bed, "Hey."
Cloud opened his eyes and winced as Jemie tightened one of his bandages, "Im glad you were able to escape."
"Thanks to you." Zack stated, "You distracted Luke long enough for me to get away."
"Ok. What the hell are you talking about!?" Lavender asked.
Cloud stared at her, "I thought Zack told you." He looked over at Zack.
"I never had enough time... as you know it would take a while to explain." Zack sighed.
"Well we have a while unlit we reach the Waterfall base... Explain." Naomi demanded.
"Wait." Cloud said, sitting up weakly, "I don't want to sit here on the very uncomfortable bed for ever listening to him talk..." He grinned childishly, "Lets go to the main room, I want to be comfortable. Plus, there's barley enough room in here for all of us."
"You haven't changed a bit, Cloud." Tyra laughed.
"I wouldn't say that exactly..." Cloud said with a smile, "As you can all plainly see..."
"You know what she meant." Lavender stuck up for her team mate.
Orihime stomped her foot, "Wait a minuet. Cloud still has plenty of wounds that need to be treated. And I still have to figure out how to deal with those ones." She pointed to the ones on his armor.
Cloud shook his head, "Orihime... Im ok now, you bandaged all the major wounds and stopped the bleeding from the minor ones." He became suddenly serious, "What Zack and I have to explain is far more important. I'll tell you how to deal with my armor wounds later, they can wait... and I can deal with my broken bones..."
"But...." Orihime sighed.
"No buts." He paused trying to think of how to form his words, "What we need to explain is very important, for us..." He looked down, " and Rain."
"Fine." Orihime sighed, "I guess your right, Cloud."
They all made their way to the main room, Leon helped Cloud down the hallways. They sat in the many chairs and couches, waiting for either Zack or Cloud to begin.
"So do you want to explain," Zack asked once they had all gotten comfortable, "Or should I?"
"You should." Cloud stated, "Unlike me, you were actually conscious at first."
"Only for a little bit... but fine." Zack cleared his throat. "It actually all started at the last battle. You know, the one where you guy's fought me and Rain, and we were under the influence of the MCME helmet. As you all know, after I fired the Bahamuts Ultima Flare, all three zoids, Ryuu, the Blade Ligar, and Bahamut, were completely and utterly destroyed. Before I fell unconscious, I noticed that Gabrielle had begun to climb out of the cockpit... just before the blast hit Ryuu... Cloud had followed, in an attempt to stop her. The blast hit, and I fell. I was oblivious to anything that happened after that."
"I woke up after what must have been hours later. My entire body hurt and I had a migraine that could kill. I looked around my surroundings weakly, and noticed that we were in some kind of vehicle. I saw Cloud, battered and bloody, lying to my left. He was unconscious. I then noticed who was driving. Gabrielle and she had also noticed me."
"She pointed her gun at me, and I noticed that she too was injured, I was amazed that this women could still manage to drive. She stated that if I moved at all, she would kill me. She then told me that she had a higher officer than her, in a base located somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I didn't move... not because I didn't want to die, believe me, it felt like I was dead all ready, but because I was too weak to. Gabrielle went on to explain that just before I had fired the Ultima Flare, she had managed to call one of her soldiers, and in the confusion, they had brought her the escape vehicle. After she had finished I once again fell into unconsciousness."
"We eventually made it to Lukes first base. It wasn't the castle that he has now, but a more hidden, underground fortress. We were put in our cell, Cloud and I, which was actually a well furnished room that had absolutely no means of escaping. We were nursed back to health."
"That is when we met Luke. Cloud knew who he was, a person who knew his father apparently, but to me, this man was a stranger. He was the "Higher officer" that Gabrielle had spoken of. He told us that he was continuing the experiment that Koh Light-Feather had started so many years ago... then he actually explained the process. I was completely horrified. He... it was like..."
"He wanted to be God." Cloud said quietly. "He wanted to create his own race of beings, superior to both humans and zoids. He would call them the Demi-Humans, and he would use them to create his own world. He then told us that we were going to be his Demi-Humans... along with Gabrielle. Luke then explained to us exactly what we would become, and that we would be put into a deep sleep, after the first wave of the experiment. He explained allot... allot about about what we would become... and we couldn't escape, we couldn't even leave that solitary room."
"But," Zack continued, "We came up with a plan on how both of us could get away. We would get away when they came to feed us. We put our plan into motion, and were on our way out of that hell-hole. But... Luke was waiting. He shot Cloud in the leg, and caused him to fall. He couldn't get up, and I was too far ahead to help him. I tried, but he insisted that I escape. He grabbed Luke, and told me to run...I had one last glance of Luke hitting him in his temple, just before I got away. He asked me to hide Rain... so I did some research. I found out that Luke had one living relation... Rei. I new that Rain would eventually go searching for Cloud, so I waited and watched. She went out, and I told Rei the story about an abandoned Gustav... that's when he met Rain."
"I'll take over now." Cloud said, "I was immediately placed into the first wave of the experiment. It was the most painful part... and I was conscious through it all. First, Luke injected me with some type of liquid, something that would increase my blood pressure. He ran all these wires and cords into my arms and neck, injecting other liquids into my body as well. And soon, very soon, I was unable to fight it. I was paralyzed, and it hurt so much. I watched, and listened, unable to do anything else. Soon, the armor was placed, and it began to grow into my skin. It began to infuse with it, melting into it... and for the weirdest reason, I understood what I was... like, I had no shock, no sense of..." He paused and thought for a second, "... no sense of being human... I felt that I was a zoid... but I knew that I was also a human... I knew that I was both, and my brain... my brain actually accepted it. I knew all of my new abilities instantly, and I knew of my new power..."
Cloud looked down at the floor, "Luke told me it was because I was actually aware of what I was becoming, and because of all the liquids that he had injected me with, my brain was telling me it was right. Of course, I knew that it wasn't... but it still felt right." He closed his eyes, "That's when it became even more painful. My heart, Luke explained, was basically buckling under the stress that my new body was taking on. It felt that all the blood in my body was running cold... and in a way it was. The liquid that had raised my blood pressure and kept me alive through it all, was failing. It was becoming harder and harder to breath, my muscles and heart were failing. I was basically dying. So Luke placed me in a strange capsule, a tube, and filled it with the weird liquid. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to breath, but the weirdest thing was, due to all of the wires and stuff, I didn't need to. I fell into a deep sleep, almost instantly." He sighed, "I remember waking up various times, trying to escape... Then I remember waking up and breaking the capsule.... but almost instantly my body began to fail and I felt like I was already dead. I fainted."
He closed his eyes, remembering all that he could, "When I woke up, I was back in the capsule... but I was much, much weaker, and I couldn't escape... then I fainted once again... that was the last that I remember before LightStrike woke me up outside. The chokers that he made us wear... they were a way of controlling us." He looked up at the awe stricken group, "He needed my fathers system to put us in his control... instead of a helmet though, he used chokers."
Doc looked down at his watch, "We should be there by now." He said as he strode to the window and looked out. He watched as the Waterfall Base came into view.
********************************
"Rei, we got the BlackDeath coming in behind us!" Izumi stated. They had been busy destroying the base from behind, looking for any sign of Rain.
"Don't worry, with all the dust we're creating, once we get inside he won't be able to detect us... no matter how advanced his technology is." Rei stated while blowing some more of the castle up. He urged the Sky Runner forward into the dust. He was right, Copper wasn't able to find them. The Black Death didn't enter the castle, but waited patiently outside, waiting for the Sky Runner to emerge.
Luke's face suddenly appeared on their com-Link, "Rei, you insolent little whelp! I demand that you stop this now!"
"Screw you uncle Luke." Rei yelled angrily. He ran a finger along his scar, his eyes filled with hatred, "I won't sleep now that I know your alive... not until I pay you back for this scar. I still remember what you did to me!"
Luke suddenly realized the hatred that filled his voice, and he knew that he could never command Rei to do anything again. So he tried a different approach, "Rei, that was an accident... you should know that, I loved you, after all you were my baby sisters son, my own family!"
"Bull! You hated mother and father... when they died and I was forced into your care, you took out your hatred on me!" Rei yelled, tears beginning to form in his eyes, "You only cared about what you wanted... always saying that you would become great, and that I would be nothing... then... then you went to far. You almost killed me!"
"Rei!" Luke stated, "I would never try and kill you!" He stared into Reis hate filled eyes, suddenly realizing something... he was afraid. He was afraid of the angry 19 year old that he was seeing. He was afraid of his eyes... and he was afraid of the hatred that was focused upon him, "I love you Rei... You can join me, and together, create our new world!"
Izumi then heard Rei call Luke a few words that even she would be hesitant to repeat. She watched as Rei became enraged, using the Sky Runner to destroy anything and everything around him.
"Rei! You stupid fool!" Luke yelled, "You'll bring the entire castle down!"
"That's the point!" Rei yelled back.
Luke sneered angrily, "I have no choice." He then thought to himself, 'Gabrielle is unconscious, so Im going to have to awaken my third demi- human.' "Rei stop now! You'll kill Rain!"
Rei immediately stopped as Izumi gasped. The Sky Runner gave out an angry roar, as if it was feeling the mix of emotions that the two zoid warriors inside were feeling.
"Good boy." Luke stated, the sudden snake like smile appearing on his face, 'Yes, very good boy' He thought, 'you are still as easy to manipulate as you were as a child. All I have to do is make you afraid and you become as though you are a beaten puppy. You are afraid that I will hurt Rain. You are easier to control than even my Demi-Humans.'
"Where..." Izumi yelled her dark eyes flashing angrily, "Is Rain!?"
"You want Rain?" Luke asked, "As you wish. You shall be the witness of my greatest creation yet. My greatest Demi-Human!" He laughed evilly.
"No!" The two Zoid warriors yelled together.
"Come to me MY Tenshi!" Luke yelled, "MY ArchAngel of death!"
The ground shook as a bright circular light erupted, like a volcano. Pieces of the castle began to corrode. The colorful stained glass all shattered as if a strong force was causing them to explode inward.
"You see?" Luke yelled, "With my knowledge and Koh's system, I have managed to create the one ultimate being!"
The entire place was engulfed in smoke, pitch black smoke as a result from the fires that had emerged. The roof collapsed and the light from the two moons of Zi shone through, illuminating the room. The cool breeze from outside swept away the smoke, and the only things still standing was the tower that Luke stood upon, and the two zoids.
The smoke completely cleared, and there stood a solitary figure. Her long silver hair reached her waist, and her head hung low. She was wearing a pure white thigh length dress, and no shoes. Her gloves were mechanical and black, and covered her fingers completely. On her knuckles were spikes. Silver mettle wrapped itself up her neck A black thin piece of armor wrapped around the base of her neck, and was in a U shape on her chest. Below her shoulder blades were two silver wing supports, with folded joints. They looked like Kaisers wings, they were even the same type, energy Charged.
Her hair was wet, and she was breathing hard. The two moons illuminated her pale - ivory skin in a strange light, giving her a beautiful glow. In her hand was a long pitch-Black sword. It had a silver set of mettle wing- like base, and a hilt made of pure gold.
"Behold... My Tenshi." Luke stated.
"Rei?" Izumi asked. Rei knew what she wanted to know.
"Tenshi means Angel Izumi." Rei stated.
Even Copper was in Awe. Luke Appeared on his com-link, "Copper. You have done well thus far... but my need for you is over. I knew that you only wanted to gain control over my creations. For your foolishness, you shall die." Luke smiled, "Tenshi! Destroy Copper and the BlackDeath. I no longer need the zoid."
Rain moved too fast for any one to watch. She instantly appeared standing in font of the BlackDeath. Copper cursed as he pushed forward on the controls too late. The BlackDeath screamed in agony as Rains sword came down, slicing it's neck open. She reached inside and grabbed the sparking wires, tearing them out viciously. The BlackDeaths cockpit system failed and Copper was thrown into darkness. He couldn't see, and the cockpit wouldn't open.
Rain then moved to the chest of the zoid, stabbing it with her blade. She cut a small hole, then continued to hack at the wires. She had caused sparks to fly violently, and small fires broke out around the monstrous zoid and it's attacker. She soon had reached what she wanted. The core was completely exposed.
"Oh my God." Izumi gasped, "She's gonna destroy the core!"
Luke laughed cruelly as Copper began to slam against the roof of the Cockpit. He stopped, panting hard and bleeding from his now bruised and cut hands. For the first time in his existence... he was afraid. His eyes suddenly got wide, as he began hearing Ryuji's voice.
"Isn't this Ironic?" Ryuji snickered, "You are nothing but a tool Copper."
"Shut up!" Copper yelled, seemingly to himself. 'I must be going nuts.'
"Are you afraid Copper?" Ryuji taunted, "Afraid of injury?"
Copper cursed, "I told you to shut up!"
"Afraid of being beaten?"
"Shut Up!" Copper yelled, his Crimson red eyes flashing.
"Afraid," Ryuji whispered tauntingly, "Afraid of..." He paused, "Oh what's the word... ah yes. Are you afraid of Death?"
Coppers crimson eyes were now filled with fear, "Shut up!" he began slamming on the Cockpit, "I said shut up!"
"I think you are." Ryuji said, "But you see, I am not. I am not afraid of injury. I am not afraid of being beaten." He paused, "And I am not afraid of death."
"Be quiet!" Copper screamed. He watched as Rain brought back her sword, ready to impale the core.
"And you know what Copper?" Ryuji said, barley above a whisper but as clear as water, "That makes me stronger than you."
"No! Im Stronger!"
"You know what the saddest part is Copper?" Ryuji asked, "You are afraid of even being afraid."
Copper collapsed, he felt eternally weak and weary, "No! No!"
"Good-bye Copper." Ryuji said, "What was it you used to say to Rain? Oh yeah, Time to die, Time to die..."
Copper suddenly felt himself loose his grip on Ryuji, his evil was nothing anymore. He felt himself fade out of existence.... he screamed as darkness overcame his vision. He felt his soul ripped painfully from Ryuji's body. He felt himself become nothing but a memory.
Ryuji's eyes snapped open as he looked up at the cockpit. He had beaten Copper. He had actually beaten the Tyrant that had gained so much control over his very existence. He had noticed something that Copper hadn't.
The cockpit was cracked. In his panic, Copper hadn't noticed that he had cracked the cockpit. If he had continued hitting the same spot, he would have broken it. But in his fear, he had began hitting the cockpit in random places, not taking the time to notice the crack.
Ryuji grinned to himself as he sat back in the seat and kicked up, shattering the cockpit with one strong kick. He looked down, and noticed Rain about to destroy the core.
"No other choice." He said to himself. He jumped.
"Ryuji!" Izumi yelled. She watched as he hit the ground, feet first, and collapsed, just as Rain brought her sword forward into the core.
For seconds nothing seemed to happen. Then in a flash of bright light, pure energy flow in every direction, so bright that it lit up the sky for miles. A bright column of light rose, pointing directly at the sky. The energy was so hot that the stones of the castle began to melt.
Then... the explosion. The BlackDeath exploded fiercely, sending a flash of pure red and brown light in all directions.
"Rei... We have to get Ryuji!" Izumi called.
"Right!" Rei pushed forward on the zoids controls, and the Sky runner dashed into the inferno in front of them. It glanced left and right, looking for any signs of the body of their comrade.
"There!" Izumi pointed. The zoid ran over and knelt. Rei jumped out and bent over the unconscious man. He was bloody and battered, with a few broken bones... but he was alive. Rei picked him up and put him inside the cockpit off to the side. Even though there wasn't much room, they managed.
"Izumi!" Rei called, "Put the coordinates into the computer for the Waterfall base. I've never been there, so I don't know where it is."
Izumi nodded, inputting the coordinates. The Sky Runner took off, running as fast as possible. Izumi looked back once... just in time to see Rain standing, her wings folded, next to Luke, who smiled cruelly at the retreating zoid...
******************************
Tyra looked over at the clock. One in the morning. She sighed, "Come on Izumi... Come on..."
Leon walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "Don't worry Tyra... they'll be ok... both of them are very capable."
Tyra reached up and hugged his arms closer to her body, "I know... it's just..." She looked around at the group. Cloud, who was exhausted, had been given a room to rest in. The rest of the group sat around, doing various things since all of them had already finished repairing their damaged zoids.
Goji and Lavender sat on one of the couches, Lavender leaning against Goji's chest. She sat quietly, listening to his slow breaths.
Naomi and Brad were sitting at a table, both calmly drinking coffee. Brad had his arm around Naomi's shoulder.
Jemie and Orihime sat one one of the couches, asleep on each others shoulders. Orihimes soft lavender hair flowed over the couch and reached the floor.
Leena sat on the couch next to Bit. Both were actually getting along without arguing, and were thinking about everything that had happened so far. Leena yawned and leaned against Bit, and he slowly wrapped her arms around her shoulder. She quickly fell asleep while Bit thought 'Score!'
Hiro paced nervously, feeling out of place. He ran a hand through his short red hair, and biting his lip. It had been a long time now... Izumi and Rei should have been back. 'It's my fault' he thought, 'I wish I never would have found Rain.' Lightstrike nudged him slightly and shook his head, as though he knew what Hiro had been thinking.
Zack stood talking to doctor Tauros quietly in the corner. He jumped suddenly when he heard a faint knocking sound. He looked around.
The sound came again, this time louder. Everyone jumped up and rushed to the door. Tyra flung it open, surprised by what she saw. Rei stood, supporting a bloody battered Ryuji. Izumi was standing behind them. They were all wet because it had started to rain and both looked sorrowful.
Cloud cleared his throat from behind the group. He pushed his way forward and looked rei and Izumi in they eyes, "Luke used Rain... didn't he?"
The tow didn't answer, Cloud demanded, "didn't he!?"
"Yeah..." Izumi said, "She is the Tenshi."
Cloud bit his lip and swallowed, looking down at Ryuji. His wounds were serious and some looked as though they could be fatal, "The infirmary is down the hall. It's the last door on the left. Izumi, you've been here before, you should know where it is."
Izumi nodded, leading Rei down the hall.
"Cloud..." Lavender sighed.
"Ori, Jemie, Im gonna need your help to fix my armor." Cloud stated calmly, "Lets go down to the infirmary, and I'll tell you how to do it."
"Cloud..." Orihime said, "What are you gonna do?"
"Im going to kill Luke, and get Rain back."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of Chapter 15.~~~~~~~~~~~~
Authors note: (wow that was long) Man, I've been writing this one all day. In my opinion, I think this is by far the best chapter... I don't know why though I just like it allot... so go tell me what you think already. Be honest... my little sister (Who's name happens to be Gabrielle ^_^ believe me she picked the part of the bad guy!) doesn't like this chapter. Oh well.
Hope you liked it.... and thanks for all the support so far... Im thinking there will probably only be 2 or maybe 3 more chapters.
Luna