Chapter 8: Devil's Eve
He woke up, looking around the empty room, slouched in the chair he fell asleep in. He hadn't had much sleep in months, but it felt good to get a few hours. He got up and stretched, and went out the door. He looked around trying to find Van or Fiona, but he didn't see anybody. "Come on kid, where the hell are you." He finally found him, along with Moonbay, Irvine, Thomas and Karl. They all sat there, looking down at their cups. "Who died now?" He said, trying to figure out what was happening.
"Fiona." Moonbay said.
"Fiona's dead." He looked at her, shocked that she would be Drakes next victim.
"No, just missing." Van said.
"Oh, well that's ok I guess." Still trying to figure out what was going on.
"Great. Are you mad or something." Thomas shouted at him.
He looked at him with an angry face. "At time's yea, I can get very mad." He replied, trying to get Thomas to shut up. Thomas did, and sat back down.
"Look, Fiona's done this before, I'm sure she's all right" Irvine said, trying to cheer Van up.
"Yea." Van replied. "Anyone see Raven."
They all shook their head, not surprised he was missing.
"Attention men." General Valen said. "We have to attack today, we found out where's he's hiding."
Van stood up. "Sir, if I may, my friend Fiona is missing and I thought maybe I should help look for her." Valen cut him off.
"Talk to someone who cares Flyheight, right now we have to kill this guy before more end up dying." He pointed at Van while he said that. "Understand."
"Yes, sir." That's all Van could say. He couldn't help but he knew a few people who could.
"Good, now. We found at this man is hiding out in some ruins. We got this information from a risky source, but at this point we have no choice but to use it."
The man smiled, he knew Raven told them.
"Now, get to your Zoids and get ready to leave. We have 1 hour before launching." He looked over at Van. "Are you in good enough shape to fight, I see your shoulder got busted."
Van thought about that, but the pain reminded him. "I will try sir." Van couldn't say no, besides the General knew Van couldn't pilot with a broken shoulder.
"Very well, get something to eat and get to your Zoids." The General saluted them and walked out.
Van walked over to Irvine. "I need you to take me to the place where the Liger was evolving. It might be done."
"You got it." Irvine replied, walking away.
"Moonbay." Van called her over to talk with her. "I need you to look for Fiona, get that guy over there and." He thought for a second what he was about to say. "And take Raven if you want."
She looked at him. "Raven, you must be desperate Van. I'll have to think about that, and as for looking sure." She smiled at Van and walked over to the stranger. "Ok, lets go."
He looked at her. "Ok, where are we going?" He asked.
"Van wants us to look for Fiona, you have any reason not to help." She replied, hoping he would say no so she wouldn't get stuck with Raven.
"Well, uh yea. I need to do something for an hour or two. After that I can get out and help." He got up and headed out the door to the hotel.
"Damn." She thought to herself, looking around for Raven. "I am going to hate this."
Raven sat there on some cargo boxes, trying to figure out why he was working with Van. He looked over at shadow, who was just standing there. "Lets finish Drake off quick so we can kill Van and his little friends." He said to his black Organoid. He saw some crewmembers working on the Zoids, getting them prepared. He knew Drake would finish them off in 10 minutes. "Fools, they think he can be killed by outnumbering him. They will wake up real fast when they see him fight." All his life, he wanted to kill Zoids, now he wanted to kill Drake before he killed the Zoids he despised. He didn't know why, but something was familiar about Drake, he didn't know what and it didn't matter. Either way, he would learn that nobody uses Raven. He saw Moonbay walk over to him. "What do you want?" He told her in an angry voice.
"Your coming to help me look for Fiona now lets go and get this over with you creep." She hated Raven in every way possible and would get Van back for making her work with him.
"My, such big talk. Forcing me to help you look for somebody I can careless about." He smiled. "Give me a reason, and I might come with you."
Moonbay couldn't believe she was wasting time. "Because its time you made your self something decent for a change. Van has kept you out of prison and kept you alive. Remember you killed Rudolph you cold-hearted bastard. If I was Van you would be dead with your head gone."
Raven looked at her, and then smacked her face with the back of his hand. She gave a slight scream as he did. "Fine, Ill take that reason." He looked at her. "Come Shadow." He saw Moonbay on the ground, rubbing her cheek. He didn't care, this would go on till Drake was dead. Then he would kill her along with Van. He jumped off the cargo boxes and headed to his Zoid.
The stranger walked over to a nearby building, it was a bookstore. He remembered that place, the owner had taught him everything he knew about the Black Zoids and the people who created them. He walked into the store, books on shelves along with a pound of dust. "Where you at old man." He said jokingly.
"I'm closed, get out, comeback next week or something."
He heard the voice and knew it was Paul, the man who seemed to know everything about the old times. "Come on Paul, get out."
The old man came out and smiled. "Well, Ill be. How you doing, it's been what, 13 years. Come in." The man got happy, he didn't have many visitors or friends so he enjoyed every bit of it when it came along.
The man smiled, and took a seat at one of the reading tables. "How have you been, your what 85 now." He said.
"Ha, I wish I was that young, 89, bout ready to turn 90. Want some tea, just made it." The man said with a laugh in his voice.
"Sure, so what have you been doing, life must be bad since I'm not around." He liked the old man, he was a great guy when he wasn't trying to be funny.
Paul put a cup down in front of each of them. "Noting, just trying to find or some more stuff on the Black Zoids, and I tell you, I have to take everything back I taught you."
The man looked at him, his smile gone. "Why?" He drank the tea and spit it right back out. "Damn Paul, what kind of tea was that."
The man laughed. "I mixed it with liquor. Give it some flavor." He looked at his cup. "Ill drink it if you don't want it."
"Yea sure, 89 and you still drink more then the entire city. Bad for you Paul."
"Who cares, it gives money to the guy at the liquor shop, and it keeps me happy and sane." The man said, still laughing.
"Happy maybe, but sane. Something you have never been." The man said, looking at a book he brought. "What's that book, don't ever remember that one."
"That's because I found it 5 years ago in some ruins. This book must be as old as life itself. It talks about the creation of Zoids, the birth of Zodians, and a lot of other stuff. Hell, it's not even in a language I have ever seen."
"Wow, sounds like you have been busy. What about the Black Zoids." He asked.
"Dear God, please tell me there not back." Paul said, shivering as he said it.
"No, Drake has nothing yet, giving us a chance, I found this." He pulled out the Amulet of Fire and dropped it on the table. "That's the Amulet for The Dragon, I haven't found the other two."
Paul picked it up and studied it. "Yes, solid ruby. Might be the Amulet of Fire." He opened his book to a page near the end. "But what I found was this, I was wrong. You don't need the Amulets to bring the Zoids back to life. And they weren't created by who we think it was."
The man looked at him, beginning to feel a chill down his spine. "What do you mean."?
"They were created by the Zodians themselves to help destroy the factions that opposed them. When they accomplished this, the leaders of the Zodians began using them as a rule of the land. They figured they could wait until the leaders died of age. But for some reason, they kept on living. Finally they died at the ages of 172, 169, 185, and 201."
He thought Paul was playing another joke, but you could tell in his face if he was. "How is that possible, I mean the most we can live is maybe 130 at the most. These guys added at least 30 years to that. Its crazy."
"That's what I thought, but I found this. I have been trying to figure out the entire text but have only gotten this so far."
The man took it, he began to read it.
The madmen have died, but all hope is lost. What few children survived, we put them in an internal sleep. But we fear they will not awaken…… Devil's Eve, will……… bring them…….. life….. We fear… they will kill again…… Drake will lead The children in the future and maybe keep what life Was left by the Black Zoids alive, are race is dead Nothing can change that, but we must not allow a Genocide of the Universe happen…………… …………… It had him scared, he didn't know what it meant. "Who wrote this?" The man asked. "Not sure, but I that's all I will be able to get. The rest is impossible to read from that stone tablet I found." Paul said, his smile gone and laughter dead. "Well, there's the name Drake and the Black Zoids. Damn this has been getting weird." It was weird, strange things have been happening for a few days. "I have figured out this much so far. We were right about the Zodian children and the Black Zoids. I guess they decided to put Drake in charge when the woke up, of course that didn't work to well. Internal Sleep is the Suspended Animation. Ummm." Paul scanned the paper, and grabbed a few more books. "Genocide of the Universe, the removal of all life in this Universe, meaning these Zoids." He gave a frightened laugh "These Zoids can travel through space, destroying all life there is." He slammed the book down on the table. "Damn, what made these people make these Zoids." Paul said."Devil's Eve." The man said. "What's that."?
"Not sure." Paul said. "Doesn't sound familiar."
The man took a book, which he had read before. "I think I saw it before in this book." He looked through the pages as fast as he could. "Got it, Devil's Eve. The Eve when the two moons of Zi are aligned fully, It is said to be the night of the Devil because the sky becomes an evil red. Ok, so what does that mean."? He looked at the pages again.
"Devil's Eve, I don't know but it must be coming soon, the moons are close to each other." Paul said.
"Yea but then what are these Amulets for, Fiona sat here and fainted when she saw them."
Paul cut him off. "Who's Fiona?" He asked.
"A Zodian girl, the other one besides Drake." He said reading the paper and the book again.
"Two Zodians, I thought they all died. Wonder why." He sat there for a second and folded his hands on his chin. "Wow, two people alive from a civilization long thought dead. Amazing."
"Well if we don't figure this out soon then where all dead." He kept trying to figure out what this all meant. "Okay so maybe they still need the Amulets to bring them to life, but it can only be done on Devil's Eve."
"No, in fear they will not awaken some messed up words, Devil's Eve. Meaning there must be something wrong with Devil's Eve. I don't know, this is got to be the hardest thing so far, or maybe I'm just old."
"Naw, Paul. If you lived this long your not old." The man kept looking through the book until he came to a page that sent another chill down his spine. "What's this?" He asked Paul.
"Drawing, old prophet drew it. Said it was a vision he had while sleeping, happened nearly 1,300 years after the Black Era ended. Why" Paul asked.
"Well, aren't those the Black Zoids?" He said
Paul grabbed the book. "Well Ill be, how did I miss that."
"Look at the moons Paul." The man said.
"I see one, so." His mouth dropped. "Ok, so who the hell is that guy on top of the Tiger."?
The man took the book back, looking at the kid, he seemed familiar. "Can't be Drake, to small." The next thing he heard was a loud bang followed by broken glass. He saw Paul drop on the table, blood coming out of his head. Outside he saw Drake, taking aim at him next. The man got behind the table as another shot was fired, he heard people screaming. Then he heard the door open and the gun fall on the ground. He looked over and saw Paul's dead body lying on the floor. "Damn you Drake." He saw a sword come within inches of where he was hiding. Jumping off the ground he yelled. "Damn."
"Give me the last Amulet now." Drake ordered him.
"Sure, come on Drake, scared to fight without a weapon."
Drake smiled and threw down his sword. "Your choice of death."
The man charged Drake and rolled on the ground pass him, grabbed a wood chair and hit Drake across the head with it. "Ha, like that." He laughed at Drake.
Drake got back up a few seconds later, rubbed the back of his head, and gave the man an uppercut to the chin, sending him back a few feet.
The man grabbed his chin and spit out the blood in his mouth. Drake walked over and kicked him twice in the gut.
"Last chance give me the Amulet."
The man, gasping for air, got up and took out the Amulet. "You want this." He walked over to the sink the man had in the back.
"No you fool!" Drake ran after him, but he had already dropped the Amulet down the pipe.
"Go swim for it you bastard." The man said, trying to breath.
Drake made a fist, and gave the man a right hook to the face, again sending him flying back. Drake wouldn't give any mercy, he kept beating on the man. "You are going to die for that." Drake got his sword and got ready to cut the mans head off.
The man saw Paul's boiling water he used to make the tea, he grabbed the pot and threw it in Drakes face.
"Ahhhh, geezzzz, ah hott." Drake screamed, falling to the floor.
The man tried to run, but he was hurt. He slowly began to crawl, and that's what he did. Drake was down, but he was in no shape to stay and fight. He finally made it to the door and saw the jeep Drake used to get here. He slowly climbed in, watching Drake finally got up. "Don't you quit? He yelled."
Drake was mad, his eyes turned red with rage and began to walk over fast.
The man got the jeep started and started getting out of there. He watched, as Drake grew smaller as he drove away. Rubbing his mouth, he saw the blood still coming out and he was still having trouble breathing. "Damn him, poor Paul." He drove back to the military base where Van was.
"You ready Van." Irvine asked.
"Yea, lets go." Van said with a smile.
Irvine looked over at Moonbay. "You sure you don't want me to kill Raven, I can do it in a few seconds."
Moonbay was seriously considering. "No, Van's right, he is important for now. After that then go ahead."
Van hated Raven. He killed Rudolph, made his life hell, and did all he could to destroy this planet. Yet, Van still felt Raven was needed. He had fought Drake, and he was 20 times better then Raven in combat, and could kill anybody he wanted without getting caught. He saw the cockpit close and got ready for the Lighting Saiex to run.
Moonbay watched as Irvine and Van went off in the Lighting Saiex. "Well, better start looking for Fiona." As she turned around she was scared nearly to death. A man stood there with a bloody face and bruises all over. It took her a while to realize who it was. "Oh God, what happened to you."
He looked at her. "What do you think."?
"Drake again." She said worried.
"Yea, killed my friend, tried to kill me. Least he can't get that Amulet." That was the only thing that made him happy.
Moonbay got a piece of cloth and began to wipe some of the blood off. "Doesn't he care about anything."?
"Those damn Zoids, they could make a nice team. Both wanting to kill everything in this universe. Yea, real good team. Still need help looking for Fiona."
She couldn't believe this guy, he had just gotten beat to an inch of his life and he wanted to help. But then she thought about her other option. "Sure, you can go with Raven."
The man looked at her. "Great, you made my day."
"That's what I was hoping you would say." She rubbed his face with her hand and walked off.
He got up, and started looking around for Raven. He walked past a few Hangers and finally found him. "Well, looks like you got somebody to make sure you don't screw up."
Raven looked at the man, his face a red with blood and black from some bruise. "Met Drake on you little trip."
"Don't remind me." He walked over to the Blade Liger. "Got a question for you Raven."
Raven looked over to him, getting his Zoid ready to leave. "What?"
"You hate Van, now why do you want to work with him. Your going to get killed either way most likely."
Raven smiled. "Drake was playing me for a fool, I need to show him what happens when you do that. Now let me ask you a question. How did you get away from Drake alive." If he could still be considered alive.
"Dumped boiling water all over his face." He smiled when he thought about that. Course that smile reminded him of Paul.
"Oh." Is all Raven said. He got into the cockpit. "Are you coming or not?"
The man looked at him. "No, Ill look around the city with the jeep."
Raven looked at him. "Fine, lets go Shadow."
He watched as the Black Organoid jumped into the Blade Liger, trailing it was a red light. That evil kid was one of the few who could him stop Drake, stop the Black Era. He remembered what he had read about the Devil's Eve and the picture he saw. He didn't have time to figure out whom it was, Drake stormed in. He said for the Amulet but he had a feeling it was something else. Drake knew something else that no one else knew. And he was afraid that Paul and himself were getting way to close. One was dead, the other was hurt but not out yet. He spent 25 years keeping Drake from getting those Black Zoids alive. Now Drake was close, and he had a feeling these Amulets may be nothing be a distraction, but then again, Fiona had sensed something in them. He started the jeep he took from Drake and drove off, looking for Fiona.
Drake stood there, watching the jeep leave. He smiled. "Wait till you see those Zoids, they will amaze you beyond belief." He walked into the base, most of the troops left to take over his ruins, only to find him not there. He searched for anything that might be useful and then he saw something even better. Moonbay was standing there, getting her Gustav ready. He smiled and walked up to her.
Moonbay heard someone coming and turned around. When she did she screamed. A massive man stood there, smiling. She knew who it was. She ran, but Drakes massive step outran her easily. He threw her on the floor. She tried to crawl away, get up and run. But Drake was to close for her to do anything.
"You know, your friends have become a pain lately. Perhaps I should get rid of one right now." He pulled out his sword and pointed it at Moonbay.
She was scared, there wasn't a living soul who wouldn't be. The massive man stood there with the tip of a sword pointing right at her.
Raven came up behind him and hit him across the head with a lead pipe. "Don't play me as a fool again." He said to Drake, throwing the pipe on him. He looked up at Moonbay. "Heard your scream, then I saw this guy." He kicked Drake in the ribs like he had done to Raven the day before in the Royal Tomb. He went for Drakes sword, but Drakes hand grabbed Ravens ankles.
"I play people any way I want to." He said, eyes with rage again. He pulled Ravens feet from under him. "Now, you see why." He took his sword and pointed it at Ravens neck.
Moonbay grabbed the pipe Raven had and hit Drake across the head. He barley flinched. He took his sword and cut the pipe in half. Soon he saw Ravens Organoid charging him. Drake smiled. He ducked when Shadows tail swung at his head and drove the sword right through the Organoids chest. "Beast, now you slowly die." Raven saw what Drake did, and tackled him to the ground. He began to punch Drake as hard as he could, but it ended up doing nothing. Drake threw Raven back and grabbed his sword.
Moonbay had run to her Gustav and got it started. "Lets see you take this creep." She aimed the guns right for Drakes head and fired. His head was blown clear off. Dropping dead right there.
She took a deep breath, of all the people she thought she would be the last one to end up killing Drake. His lifeless body laid there, blood coming out of what was once his head. Raven stood up with Drakes blood all over him, smiled at Moonbay. "So, you decided I was worth saving after all."
She looked at him, she didn't care he was Raven right there, she was glad that madman was dead. "No, I did it because he would be after me when he killed you."
Raven looked over at his fallen partner, he walked over to him. "Shadow, you'll be alright." But the Black Organoid wouldn't be. The sword had cut right through him, and he couldn't be helped. He looked over at Drake and kicked his body over and over. He was doing it not for him, but for killing his only friend. Moonbay watched, seeing Raven show some heart for the first time.
The man heard the shot and slammed the brakes on the jeep. "Not good." He said. He began to drive back over to the base where he heard the shot fired. He hoped Drake hadn't found them, otherwise they wouldn't last long. It took a few minutes, he took a shotgun from the jeep and ran into the base. There he saw Moonbay, Raven, Shadow on the ground not moving, and the same for Drake. "Oh my God, he's…. Dead." He couldn't believe it, that man was finally dead. "How."
Moonbay smiled. "He let his guard down on me, I fired the gun from the Gustav and blew his head clear off."
Looking at Drake, he saw something in his pocket. It was the other two Amulets. "So he had them all." He smiled, glad that monster was dead. "Ill go back out a look for Fiona, call up Van and tell him.
She ran over to the Gustav and put the comm up, there she saw Irvine answer it.
The man stared over at Raven, standing over his dead Organoid. "Poor kid." He thought. He walked out, happy for the first time in his life. Drake was dead, no more threat from the Black Zoids, no more senseless killing. He was happy. Marcus and Paul died for a reason now. But his smile turned to shocked face, remembering what the tablet Paul had found said. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He ran to his jeep, and started looking for Fiona as fast as he could.
Irvine gave out a huge laugh when he heard Moonbay. "Ha hah, Drakes finally dead."
Van smiled, the monster that killed his friends was dead. He pat Irvine of the back, he hadn't been this happy in days. "What about Fiona?" Van asked.
"That weird guy is looking for her right now. Hey Van, what about Raven." Moonbay asked, Van was surprised the way she asked, she had sounded like she didn't want anything to happen to him.
"I guess well arrest him when we get back." Van replied.
"Oh." Is all Moonbay said.
Irvine looked at her, shocked she would be sad at that fact. "What's the problem, that guys almost as bad as Drake, he deserves to die."
Moonbay looked at him. "I guess your right, it's just." She paused for a second, figuring out she shouldn't say anything. "Never mind, just get back here quick guys."
Van smiled. "Sure, no problem." The conn ended. "Irvine, tell all the troops to head back to base, tell them Drakes dead and are mission is over. As for us, lets go out and see if the Blade Liger is done evolving."
Irvine smiled. "Got it."
Van couldn't believe this was over. These three days felt like a year in hell. But it was over. True, Rudolph wouldn't come back, and Drake had ruined the lives of a lot of people, but he got what he deserved. And he wouldn't kill another soul again.