Book of the Phoenix
A Zoids Fanfic
Well here's another chapter also done by R-chan! ^.^ Reviews and such are appreciated, should you choose to leave one ^.^
~*~RC~*~
Chapter Seven
A few weeks later, Rhu, Sean, and Matt were sitting in their hangar at the table, talking about parts they needed for their zoids. Like nothing had happened. Like Rhu had never been kidnapped, and they hadn't been attacked. But they couldn't forget it-Sean's arm was in a cast, and Rhu was quieter then before. Not by much, but they noticed it.
"My zoid's a total wreck," Sean said with a pout. "I think it'd be cheaper to just buy a new one."
"And then make all of the modifications? We're not made of money, Falcon," Matt grumbled, but a grin was on his face. Sean sighed and dropped his head at this news. "But… we'll see what we can do."
Sean's head popped up and he was grinning like nothing had ever happened. "Good. I knew you would."
Rhu seemed a little distant, and wasn't really participating in the conversation. She suddenly got up, her chair screeching as it was pushed back from the table. "I'm going to the Parts Shop. T' see if our parts are in."
Sean and Matt instantly were serious. "Matt'll go with ye, since I'm kind of…" Falcon shrugged and indicated to his cast.
"No thanks. I'll be fine." Rhu looked to Matt and Sean's doubting faces. "Really. I'll be fine."
"It's getting dark," Matt muttered, looking out the window.
"So hurry home 'fore the Big Bad Wolf gets ye," Sean said with a cheery grin. Rhu sighed and rolled her eyes as she walked out of the hangar, looking to the darkening sky as she made her way to the Parts Shop, unaware of two steel gray eyes watching from the rooftops above.
~*~
Ravi watched Rhu exit the hangar, making her way down the streets. She followed from leaping from roof-top to roof-top, making sure she never lost sight of Catstone-and making sure Catstone never got sight of her. Watching Catstone walk into the Parts Shop she climbed down a fire escape ladder, leaping to the ground. She walked to the front of the store and sat down on a bench, waiting, and remembering the earlier conversation she had with the Count.
~*~
"You let her get away."
Those words had cut into Ravi like ice-she had never failed a mission, and wouldn't start now-Catstone may have eluded her in battle, but she would not escape-and she had killed Spider. "Please, sir. Let me have another chance to eliminate Catstone. On my honor."
The Count raised a brow. "Well, Ravi, you seemed determined… I know standard protocol says that I should eliminate you, but I'm willing to give you another chance. Eliminate Catstone- By whatever matters you deem necessary. Whatever matters."
"Sir?" she had questioned. Sure, she had killed people before-but in Zoid battles-she had never killed anyone by any other means. To some people there was no difference-but to Ravi, it made all the difference.
"Just get rid of her, Ravi. Tonight," the Count said. "We've allowed her to live long enough."
Ravi nodded, bowing her head. "Will do, Sir." She bowed down, clasping a fist to her heart, and was gone.
~*~
Ravi waited for Catstone patiently; she had been given another chance at life-but Catstone, on the contrary, had another chance to lose it. Was it right to end another's life to live your own? Ravi didn't know-and didn't care-and with cool, ruthless eyes she pulled out her gun and made sure it was loaded.
~*~
Rhu walked into the Parts Shop, trying to shake off the feeling that she was being watched. Finding that the parts were not in yet, she huffed and turned around, glancing out the window a brief moment, catching glimpse of someone sitting on the bench.
Rhu didn't understand herself why she continued to watch through the window, but she did understand one thing-for some reason, she did not want to walk out that door with that girl sitting on the bench.
The girl could be no older then herself and had dark blue hair that ended at her chin, and steel gray eyes. The girl reached to her pocket and pulled out a gun-and Rhu knew instantly that she had to get out of there-fast. With wide eyes, Rhu ran past the shopkeeper and burst out the back door, running down the alleys back to the hangar praying that her teammates were all right.
~*~
Ravi's sharp ears caught the slamming of a door-and she knew, somehow, that Catstone had gone. "Kuso," she muttered to herself as she stood, placing the gun back in her pocket. She quickly made her way back to the rooftops, going to the only place Catstone would go-back to the hangar.
Ravi followed Rhu and kept up with her step for step. Seeing her chance, Ravi swung down from the roof and onto a fire escape-from there she leaped down to the ground, right in front of Phoenix's path. The now dark blue sky and gloomy alleyways hid her well as she stood and pointed the gun-right into Catstone's face. "Unless you want your head to go rolling down this alley," Ravi said, speaking in a calm, dangerously low voice, "I suggest you stay put and not even so much as twitch."
~*~
Rhu found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. Her eyes widened as her heart stopped for a moment. She couldn't even blink. How had she been found? The voice snapped Rhu out of her frozen state-she knew it, from somewhere… "S-Snow Leopard?" she asked.
The voice chuckled. "How nice of you to know me." Without taking her eyes off Rhu, she pulled something off of her belt-what looked like to be a walkie-talkie, and spoke into it. "Akio and Kanji," she spoke into it, "Get over here. Now." There was no response from the two, well, at least, nothing that Rhu could hear, and she could only glare at Snow Leopard furiously. "You're not going to get away with this," she growled.
Snow Leopard only chuckled in response. "Dear Phoenix, it looks as if you've not recognized the fact that I already have."
Two figures suddenly landed beside Rhu, the two of them looking to Snow Leopard for directions.
"Restrain her," Snow Leopard ordered, her voice leaving no room for questions. Akio and Kanji did what was ordered of them, each grabbing one of Rhu's arms. Snow Leopard clicked the safety back on as she slid the gun into her pocket one more. She did not stay unarmed for long, however, as she pulled a knife out of her belt. "Say, Phoenix," she asked, smirking, "has Falcon or Griffin ever been trained in the art of hand-to-hand combat?"
Rhu was puzzled for a moment. "What? Why?" Suddenly it hit her. "NO! Leave them out of this! It's me you want-not them! They didn't do anything!" Rhu cried, struggling violently. She slammed her heel down into one of the men's foot and he howled in pain, releasing her instantly. She spun to the other man, but a hand grabbed her arm in a painful grip, preventing her from hitting the other man.
"Their death can be long and painful, or short and simple," Snow Leopard hissed.
Rhu glared furiously at Snow Leopard for a few moments, then slumped, defeat in her eyes. The Flight Team was done with. Gone. Over with.
"Glad you see things my way," Snow Leopard sneered, and shoved her back into the hands of the Back Draft member as she turned and headed for Rhu's hangar.
~*~
Ravi made her way to the hangar, melding with the shadows until she was practically invisible. Her footsteps were light and made no sound at all as she came to the door, unlocking it with a simple twist of her dagger in the right place. She squeezed in, the door shutting behind her with a soft click.
The hangar was mildly dark, but not enough for Ravi to remain unseen. She spotted Falcon at a table with his back facing to her. Before she had time to do anything, Griffin appeared through a doorway-and unfortunately for Ravi, he was facing her. "Falcon-Run!" he ordered at a yell-he somehow knew that Ravi was trouble by the cruel glint in her eyes.
Falcon pushed himself up from his seat and ran, following Griffin out of the back door without even seeing the reason he was running-he trusted Griffin.
With a growl, Ravi stood and followed-but they had the head start on her.
~*~
Matt and Sean ran through the alleyways, hoping they could outrun whoever it was who was chasing them.
"Who was it?" Sean asked as he ran.
"Not sure," Matt replied.
The two of them found themselves nearly right back in front of the hangar. Though this was not where they had wanted to end up, they were glad when they saw the frame of a figure they both knew well.
"Rhu!" the two of them called, their voices ringing out in the silent of the night. With a roar of fury, Matt tackled one, and Sean slammed his fist into the other. The final result? A free Rhu.
"Come on!" Matt urged her as he practically dragged her down the alley, silently furious eyes watching from the roofs.
~*~
Matt, Sean, and Rhu were now at the busiest part of the city-even at night it was still crawling with people.
Rhu had finally come to her senses and new that she and her teammates had to hide-but where?
Sean came up with an answer. "The oasis," he gasped as he stood in the crowd, trying to catch his breath. "That way, we'll be able to see her if she comes."
Rhu nodded. "Right. You two get going-I'll be right behind you." Matt and Sean looked at one another, then looked to Rhu. "I'll be fine. Go!"
"She said that the last time," Sean muttered to Matt as the two of them squeezed their way out into the desert surrounding the city, heading to a not-too-distant oasis.
"She can take care of herself," was Griffin's answer.
~*~
Ravi watched Falcon and Matt make a run to a destination she did not know of, as she raised her gun, pointing it at the Griffin. Who to kill first… She aimed and shot point-blank range for the back of Griffin's head-and rarely, if ever, did she miss-but her hand jerked as she did so. The bullet hit the sand near the Griffin's foot, alerting to the two that she was there. The two rang harder, trying to get away.
What is the matter with you! She scolded herself. Get the job done, and get it done NOW. She raised the gun again with a shaky hand, and steadied it with her other. "I will not fail. I will not miss," she said, speaking to herself in a whisper. But she couldn't make herself pull the trigger. With a shaky hand, she lowered the gun. I have to kill them. It is my job. It is my duty. If I fail, I will not have to live with the shame of my failure-for I will be dead, she thought. But she just could not bring the gun back up. It's too easy. They're unaware that I am here. It's not honorable to kick a man while he's down, and I do not think it is honorable to shot him in the back whilst he is runnin'. I will fight only when they have the chance to fight back-on the battlefield.
~*~
Hearing the gunshot, Phoenix lifted herself from the cover of the crowd. "Matt! Sean!" Fearing for their lives, she shoved her way through the swarm of people.
Ravi's eyes traveled to Catstone-it was her duty to kill her. If she did, she could go back to living her normal life with the Back Draft. If she did not, one of two things would happen, but it would lead to the same conclusion-her life would be ended by the Back Draft. Ravi once again aimed the gun. What am I-a murderer? Ravi had forgotten the reason she had joined the Back Draft in the first place. I joined the Back Draft to have fights without rules. To take Zoid battles to a new level. She let the gun fall out of her hand and land on the roof. Not to assassinate people for them. I am no cold-blooded murderer for anyone. Not even if it means my own life. She glanced to the fleeing forms of Falcon and Griffin, then glanced once to Phoenix. Quite a deal, three lives for the price of one. She considered this for a moment as she dropped from the rooftops onto the ground as she made her way through the crowds in a daze. Bargain struck, warriors. Bargain struck.
Rhu raced through the sands, stumbling in her haste to get to Matt and Sean-they had to be all right. Had to.
"Matt? Sean?" she cried out, upon reaching the oasis. "Are you gu-"
Rhu was cut off as she was enveloped in a flurry of hugs.
Matt held her out in front of him, inspecting her to make sure no damage had come to Phoenix. He broke out in a grin. "We did it, Phoenix. We did it." And then the friendly hugs began anew by both Falcon and Griffin.
Rhu did nothing to stop the hugs, and when they were done, she explained to them who the woman was and what had happened before she had met up with them.
"So, we'll spend the night here," Rhu finished.
"And… tomorrow?" Sean inquired.
"Tomorrow? We'll think about tomorrow when tomorrow comes," Rhu answered.
Sean pouted. "I'm hungry."
Matt shoved the Falcon with a grin, which started the mock battle between them, Sean running around the Oasis, Matt trying to catch him. Lucky for Sean, Matt never was a person of high speeds.
Rhu watched them, grinning she sat down, leaning against the trunk of a tree. She soon drifted off to sleep, a small smile on her face.
Sean, running by her at top speed stopped dead, Matt crashing into him from behind.
"Hey-what'cha do that for?" Matt asked. Sean pointed to the sleeping Phoenix. Matt grinned and suddenly yawned, stretching. "Sounds like a plan." The two of them fell asleep shortly after.
~*~
Ravi wandered out on the cool sands, being led by only the light cast by the moon. She was unaware that she was following the footprints of those she had been, only a few minutes earlier, sworn to kill. Abruptly coming upon the oasis, she cursed, seeing three figures. Walking closer and staring harder, she realized that they were all asleep. With a sigh of relief, she continued on her way.
They could be found by other members. They did not think to had one of them stay awake to watch for the Back Draft, she thought to herself. Oh well. It's not my problem, she finished with a shrug. Is that so? Another side of her asked. They would not be out here, if it not for you. Cursing, Ravi turned, walking back to the Oasis. She climbed onto of a small boulder and sat, watching over the three, her gray eyes slightly angry.
But she stayed.
As soon as Ravi heard one of them awaking, she was off the rock and across the sands as fast as her legs would take her-it would do her no good if they knew she was there.
~*~
Sean got up, shaking his hand watching the sand fall out of his hair and onto his clothes. He made a face at it then stood, trying to brush it off him. Movement caught the corner of his eye, and he turned to look at what seemed like a figure running away from them. The desert is playing tricks on my eyes, he thought to himself. Because it looks like that 'person' has blue hair….
Matt sat up as well, glancing over to Rhu, then Falcon, who was watching something with his relentless gaze. "What's out there?" Matt asked.
Sean turned his head back towards Matt, grinning. "Nothin', Matt. Nothin'."
*tackles R-chan* hee! She's so sweet! Go and read her fics too- Ravi-chan is the penname. ^.^ oh, and if ye wanna see what some of the characters look like, go to: www.geocities.com/o0oicewingo0o/roleplay.html
^.^ next chapter coming soon!
~*~RC~*~