Authors Notes: You all miss me, well here's the next chap, which hopefully kills off some of the confusion. Enjoy.
Raven sat there twirling the silver ring, which was blotched with a few red marks, marks of blood Raven refused to wash off. He thought about Alice and Shadow, and how one more time Zoids proved to be the creatures that took away what he cared and loved. Ambient and done it to his parents, and Shadow had done it to Alice. And with Jason back, he knew that sinister man was behind this again. Down on the lake he could see the reflection of the stars high above, glowing and blinking peacefully. Raven looked at the ring one more time and threw it into the lakes clear water, the gently splash it made created a weak ripple across the glass smooth surface. Of everything Raven had learned, the most important was to forget about the past except your thirst for vengeance, then use that thirst in the future. And that was exactly what Raven was going to do. He was going to find Jason, kill Jason, and tear his body to pieces to he would never come back and haunt Raven day and night. He stood up, and remembered Alice's smile one more time before he threw it out of his memory, she was gone and mourning wasn't going to bring her back, if anything it would slow him down. But killing the monster would help settle his heart some.
Van threw a fist into the old stonewall, looking at a few shatter marks forming from the hard impact but ignoring the pain surging through his nerves. "How does Hilz keep coming back!" Van shouted, for the second time the Zodian had come back from the dead to make an attempt to kill Van and everyone else. Then Van turned to Ryss who stood in a dark corner, trying to hide from them. "What the heck is going on Ryss, how does Hilz keep on coming back?"
Ryss stared at him. "I don't know." She said a few moments later.
"Ryss!" Van shouted, he had rarely ever gotten this angry with anyone. "What is going on. Hilz is back, he's talking about Fiona and." He remembered what else Hilz said. "And what does he mean are quest for Zoid Eve has only begun?"
"I told you I don't know." Ryss said fearing that Van might snap and any moment.
Van stared at her, trying to see if she was telling the truth. "What is Hilz trying to do, you at least know that."
Ryss turned around and looked at the wall. "The same thing he has always wanted, kill everyone and let the Zodians rule the planet."
"And he wants to do the same thing he did with the Death Sauer. Merge the power cores together." Van finished for her.
"Except with the Death Stinger." Ryss said, still not looking for him.
Van clenched his fist together and looked at Moonbay, McMahon, and Kelly. "You three go tell the Empire and Republic that Hilz is back and he's going to try and bring back the Death Stinger."
The three nodded and obeyed the command, wasting no time what so ever.
Van looked back at Thomas. "Come on Thomas, lets see if we can find Hilz before he gets back the Death Stinger."
Thomas smiled. "Yea, I guess we better."
Ryss watched as they both walked back down the hall quickly, wasting no time. She turned, Specula staring at her. "They don't know what there getting into." She closed her eyes, she herself trying to understand this. "Neither do I."
Van looked through each opening, searching for the man with blood red hair. "Where's he at!" He shouted, never feeling so angry in his entire life.
"Calm down Van, you screaming is going to scare him if anything." Thomas snapped back quietly though.
Van nodded and continued looking, searching for something he doubted he would find. "Where are you hiding Hilz." He said under his voice, Thomas couldn't hear him. The search continued but to no prevail, they had searched the area repeatedly. It was like Hilz had vanished.
"Where is he?" Thomas asked finally breaking the long silence.
"Maybe there's a place we haven't searched yet. A hidden passage or something."
"In this place, were lucky it hasn't collapsed on us yet."
"I don't care, we need to find him!"
Thomas nodded and followed Van as the search once again continued.
Hilz stared at the two dead power cores. Steel balls just lying there, but soon they would glow with life. And down below were the shattered remains of the Death Stinger. He smiled as he thought. "Van, Raven. I'm coming back for you. And this time Ill finish it."
Shadow burst through the stone roof, rubble falling down in his path and a few more pieces land after him.
Hilz smiled again and looked at Shadow. "Merge these two cores together. Now!" He waited, watching as Shadow just stood there. "So you once again still show loyalty Raven. Merge these cores now!" Finally the Organoid obeyed, jumping into the Death Sauer's core, fusing it with the other blank core. "Perfect. Now reawaken the Death Stinger!" The glowing ball slowly moved down towards the stationary Death Stinger. The two small red eyes lit up, and the destroyed pieces regenerated. Hilz turned and saw the man from the pod slowly walk in. "Få i Death Stinger, og hule til Gustav." The man bowed and jumped down, taking control of the Death Stinger, sending it underground as the building began to shake.
"What's going on!" Van shouted as he fell to the ground from the shaking ground.
"I told you this place was ready to collapse!" Thomas was struggling to keep his balance. Grabbing onto the wall he turned and started running.
Van got up and did the same, dodging the falling boulders as they crashed into the ground next to him. It took them both only a few minutes to escape the collapsing building and both gave a sigh of relief as they did.
"That was close." Thomas said catching his breath in the thick air, coughing hard as the thick smoke and sulfur filled his lungs. "Forgot where we are."
Van ran towards the Blade Liger holding his breath until the cockpit was closed. "Sorry that took so long Zeke." He said, listening to his Organoid growl an acceptance. Van watched as an even thicker cloud of smoke rose as the building, which was mostly underground collapsed.
"Think Hilz was still in there?" Thomas said as the cloud rose high in the air.
"I wish he was, but I doubt it." Van said, he sat there staring at the falling structure and rising smoke.
They both waited a few minutes, which quickly turned to an hour. Waiting for something to happen, and finally something did, but not anything they were hoping for.
Van watched as the image of a screaming Moonbay came up on the HUB.
"Van! The Death Stinger is attacking us!" Moonbay shrieked in terror and sorrow.
"What!" Van couldn't believe the Death Stinger was attacking them, he didn't even know why it was attacking them. "Hang on we'll be there fast as we can!" Van turned, the Dibision following close behind, though the gap quickly widened. "Come on Thomas! We can't slow down!"
"I'm trying Van, I can't help it if my Zoid isn't as fast as yours." Thomas replied.
Van gritted his teeth. "Ill move on ahead then, hurry up though!"
"Ill try."
Van pushed the throttles forward, the lights and gauges showing it moving at its maximum speed. He sat there tense as the surroundings quickly passed by him. The Death Stinger was back, and it was the third time. Hilz was back, the Zodian who had come inches from destroying the planet and taken Van's life. Somehow he continued to come back, and his goal to bring the Death Stinger and kill off all the life on Zi remained intact. Once again Van was going to be tested to his limits, he was sick of it but he had to do it, he had to do it for his friends, for the citizens of the planet, for himself, and for Fiona. "Now Zeke!" The Blade Liger jumped and pounced in front of the Death Stinger before it could deliver the final blow to the downed Dark Horn and Shield Liger. "You three all right?" Van asked, staring at the massive Zoid.
"Yea, fine." Kelly said, still is shock of the power the Death Stinger held.
"Good timing Van!" Moonbay said angrily, though she was glad to see him.
"You three get out of here now! Ill finish this once and for all." Van stared at the Death Stinger waiting for it to make a move.
Hilz laughed as he looked at the Blade Liger and Death Stinger from a cliff high above the battlefield. "Now Van Flyheight, you have defeated the Death Sauer and the Death Stinger. But lets see how you handle fighting the power of both at the same time. Ambient!" Hilz shouted, the red Organoid merging with the Death Stinger, which already had Shadow within it.
Van looked at it, he saw Hilz on the cliff and gritted his teeth. "As soon as I beat your Zoid, Ill go after you!" Van turned back, dodging the massive pincher of the Death Stinger.
"Except this time, you will have to face the ultimate pilot." Hilz smiled and turned around, Jason and Drake walking towards him.
"Anubis, go." Drake said pointing at the Death Stinger, the Organoid merging with it.
"You think you stand a chance Hilz, the same young pilot who defeated the Tiger is down there."
"But Raven isn't here to help, and now we will watch the fall of the mighty Van Flyheight. And shortly after."
Jason smiled, though in his mind he doubted the Death Stinger and its strange pilot stood any chance against Van and the Blade Liger. "If you win, then we win. If you lose." Jason paused a moment. "Then you sealed are fate."
Hilz ignored it; all he did was watch the Blade Liger danced around the Stinger, dodging its attacks.
Van watched as another Organoid fused with the Stinger. "How many Organoids can that thing hold?" He opened fire, watching it deflect off of the energy shield. The Death Stinger made a quick swing with its arm, grabbing the Liger and throwing it into a cliff nearby.
The man from the pod watched as the Gustav and two Zoids limped off, he turned the Death Stinger around and took aim with the charged particle cannon.
Van watched the ball start to glow on the tip of the tail, it's target were his three friends who were trying to escape. "Nnooo!!" Van shouted. "Zeke!" The Blade Liger got up and charged the powerful Zoid, it's blade slicing the tail of the Death Stinger on half. Van watched in horror as the tail quickly re-grew on the Zoid. The Death Stinger grabbed the Liger with its pincher, slowly squeezing the life out of it.
Thomas finally
arrived, taking aim at the arm that held the blue Blade Liger. "Beek!
Migalowmax!" He shouted, the massive cannon shot taking off the arm of the
Death Stinger, freeing the Blade Liger. Though to Thomas's surprise, it quickly
re-grew. "How did it regenerate?"
Van caught his breath, staring at the
Zoid. "It has two Organoids at least, damn how did this thing get so powerful!"
He studied the Zoid trying to find any weakness; he had fought it before but
hadn't technically beaten the thing.
Hilz laughed powerfully, turning to Drake and Jason. "Does this look like it will fail!"
"It's far from over. Van is like a damn roach; they just never stay down and never give up. It takes more then a boot to kill him." Jason looked over at Drake.
"That terminology suits him well, Van a roach." Hilz smiled as the Death Stinger continued to pound the two Zoids with its fire.
Thomas opened fire again, shooting the midsection of the Stinger but watching as it had little effect on the tough armor. "We're in trouble."
Van nodded. "Yea. Thomas I've got an idea. Just cover me and ill go in and try to cut it in half."
Thomas didn't know how he would pull it off but agreed. "All right, good luck." He opened fire at the head, keeping it distracted.
"Ok Zeke, we get one shot at this so lets make it count." Van charged the Death Stinger using just the normal speed. As he got closer, timing it right he used his thrusters at the last moment, dodging the raised pinchers and turning the Zoid on its side and pushing the blade through the slowly cutting the Death Stinger. The Stinger however used its tail and drove it through the Blade Liger, staking it half way through the Zoid. The Stinger raised its tail straight into the air, the Liger staying put at the end.
"Van!" Thomas shouted, shooting at the Death Stinger. But the Stinger used its tail and smashed the Blade Liger into the ground three times before it finally slipped off. Thomas tightened his grip on the controls, waiting for the Death Stinger to make its move on him. But instead the Stinger burrowed underground, heading in the opposite direction. "Huh? Where's it going?" He didn't waste any time though, he ran up to the downed Blade Liger, Zeke on the floor motionless and Van barley alive in the cockpit. Then he watched as the Death Stinger reemerged next to his Dibision. In horror the Stinger used it's pincher and grabbed the helpless Dibision and raised the massive Zoid in the air, and slowly it cut it in half. "No!" He shouted, watching the two pieces of his Zoid fall to the ground as the Death Stinger burrowed once again. Thomas no longer had any idea what to do. Van and Zeke were almost dead, if not already. And his Dibision was now in two pieces. "How. How is this happening?" He stuttered, trying to keep himself together. He took Van out of the cockpit, having to cut the straps off with a knife. Thomas put Van on the floor, and then tried to see if the communicator still worked, but it didn't. "Damnit!!" Thomas shouted again, they both had just lost.
Raven looked around at the canyon walls, dark gray rock and a path made of sandstone. Raven had never been so alone; all he had was himself and this Hellcat. Neither he liked too much though. He hated feeling alone, it was a cold feeling and he had never had to face it before. He always had Shadow, and for a while he had Alice. But he had to forget about them, maybe there was a chance he could get Shadow back but if he couldn't, or Shadow refused then he would have to kill his old friend, no matter how much it hurt him inside. "Living is the past is for the weak." He said to himself, slowly moving along in the deep canyon. He came to the end, though the scenery didn't change much. Still a rocky wall, much smaller and a black volcanic area he had never been to before. Raven then saw a blue GenoSauer, and he knew immediately who it was. "What the Hell are you doing here Ryss?"
"Van needs your help, Hilz revived the Death Stinger." Ryss said, basically pleading for him to help.
Raven was surprised to hear the name Hilz again, he was like Jason, just wouldn't stay dead. And the Death Stinger back as well.
"Shadow's with them Raven!"
Raven looked at the GenoSauer, Shadow working with Hilz. Why, how, he wouldn't ever work with Hilz. Then he remembered what Jason had told him when he and Drake had attacked them a few days ago. "Zoid Eve. Ryss how the Hell is Zoid Eve helping Jason and Hilz."
Ryss wasn't sure why Raven had said that.
"Jason said Zoid Eve would make sure Shadow didn't help me! What does that mean!" Raven shouted furiously.
"I don't know. I didn't think Zoid Eve could do anything like that." Ryss watched as the black Hellcat rushed off, not waiting for her. She followed him, admiring his thirst for vengeance against the man who made many lives Hell.
The thick and heavy sand storm took a toll on the Spinosapper. The Zoid could barley move in the high winds and continuous pounding of the heavy sand. Fiona wasn't going to give up though; she knew Van was in trouble, she could feel it. "I'm coming Van." She repeated over and over in her mind, using all of her strength to keep the Zoid steady. The storms violence and strength though caught up with her, and the Spinosapper crashed to the ground, unable to get back up. Fiona screamed as it did, feeling the impact of the crash. She opened her eyes and released the tight grip on the controls. The Zoid wouldn't budge; the storm had done far too much damage on it. And to make things worse Fiona had no idea where she was. She got out of the cockpit, putting her hands up to her face and squinting her eyes to keep the sand from entering her eyes, nose, and mouth. Fiona walked on, no food or water, just her will to find Van before he was dead. She knew the Death Stinger had been resurrected; the feeling of evil and darkness filled her mind. Except this time it was more powerful then any of the other two times, making it much deadlier. Fiona didn't get far from the downed Zoid before she could feel her own body start to tire.
A few hours later, she had made progress. And despite the harsh storm she was still able to keep moving. Still lost, still searching, she let her heart be her guide and she knew that wouldn't let her down. Dehydration, hunger, and exhaustion caught up with her. Her body, numb and weak collapsed to the desert floor and feeling grains of sand slowly falling on her body from the storm.
A dream passed through her mind, as she lied motionless on the floor. It was similar to the one she had a few nights ago. People happy and cheerful, shaking each other's hands and laughing. The difference though was this. Three men walked up to her, she knew them well but for some reason it seemed as if she had never met them before. Each held a lifeless body, and once again she knew who they were but for some reason there names slipped her mind. They walked up to Fiona and dumped the bodies in front of her. Then Fiona looked up, staring at a clone of herself, except her eyes a cold blue.
"Med døden av de elsker De, et fritt univers er fødtt. Og hapiness sprer seg som det hatt få tider i historien av dets existance." The clone of Fiona said, her voice just as soft and sweet, the ancient language of her old race filling her mind.
Fiona stared at her and looked down at the bodies. Now she knew who they were, Van, Raven, and Thomas. For some reason, her heart was as broken as she thought it would be.
"Forbind meg en gang til Alisi Lynnette, og vi slutter slåssingen og destrouction som spøker landet." The woman wearing the silk robe said, extending a hand out to her.
Fiona looked down at the bodies again then around at the green pasture. She knew what the woman was saying, if the ones she loved died then there would be no more fighting, no more death and destrouction. Everything she hated, everything Van and Raven caused weather of their own will or not. Fiona stood up, but before she could take the hand of the woman she woke up.
Looking around she stared at a dog, which licked her face gently. Fiona found herself on a bed, covered with a think quilt. An old man and woman walked in as the dog barked.