Chapter 4: I know something you don't know
The red GenoBreaker hummed softly as it sped across the desert. Within it's cockpit sat the renegade soldier known to his friends as Raven and his foes as "OHMYGODDON'TKILLMEPLEASE!!!" He had, in fact destroyed more military facilities than he had had hot dinners, and that was saying something. The Zoid was on auto pilot, or more to the point organoid-pilot as his faithful black organoid Shadow was taking the controls. Balanced on his lap was a magazine of new weaponry (What did you think he was reading? A women's magazine? For shame) and eating a pot full of cup-o-noodles. It wasn't exactly the best meal he'd ever had, but it filled him up and kept the weight off.
He was also, for lack of a better word, annoyed.
His travelling companion, Rhyss, had made off with his lifesavings without a word, proving that once again, women were not to be trusted. He was very upset about that development – she'd been nagging and nagging for him to do this and that, eat this it's healthy, do this it will rebalance your chakra, blah, blah, blah. She was a nutcase. They were friends, and friends only and even then it was a bit iffy. Raven wanted nothing to do with relationships. They were messy, horrible things.
So…where was he exactly…?
"Hey Shadow…I want an update on our location."
"Rowlr!"
"What?" Raven glared at the screen that showed the outside world. "Why are we here?'
"Rowlr!"
"Oh, so you're following Specular's…for lack of a better word…scent."
"Rowlr!"
"You have a lot of meanings for that word."
"Growlf."
"Yeah, that's better." Raven smiled. "So, you like her, huh?" He got no answer but the Genobreaker stopped. "Okay, okay, take it easy, Shadow. I was only playing."
"Hmmm." The organoid replied, and the dark haired pilot smirked evilly.
"So spikes turn you on, huh? That's new." Raven sighed, put the noodles in the cup holder (note to fans of Zi's Angels this one wasn't faulty and therefore the world will not end) and consulted the maps. "Though I'm not so sure about the whole Rhyss being there thing. But then," he contradicted himself. "She is a Zoidian. Hmm…Would they hire her to keep an eye out?"
"Gruff."
"That doesn't help. I'm pretty sure she's not dating anybody. I'd hear about it first. Besides, I don't think she knows how it all works. I don't think I know how it works."
"Narf!"
Raven blushed. "That was disgusting. Where did you learn that-oh. It stands to reason. Ambient. Of course. Do organoids do it?"
"Yargharrgh."
"Whoa, too much information." Raven grinned and took the controls back. The GenoBreaker lurched and changed angle slightly to their final destination, the capital of the ancient Zoidians. He hadn't really gone too far from it, but truth be told something inside him was warning him.
It came slowly, as it always did, a memory of a life long ago when he was curled up by the larger…bulk could only be the word, he'd been a small kid…and poked him awake until the sleeper had turned over and glared at him.
"Raven…it's…" A quick peek at the alarm clock. "…two in the morning. I have to be up at five to prepare papers for the meeting…" A lazy yawn. "What's the matter?"
"Hadda nightmare." More poking, a definite sign that he was not going to leave anytime soon.
"Uh-huh?" The open crimson eye glared at him. "Let me guess, you want to sleep in my bed?"
"Monsters."
"I assure you, the only monster around here is me." A sigh and the quilt was raised so the child could snuggle up to his foster parent. "Ah! Stop it, you're cold…That's better. See? Here, have a pillow."
Raven smiled, remembering how he'd taken most of the quilt and snuggled into it, leaving the man out in the cold, one arm slung back over the pillow and behind his head while the other was off the side of the bed. Prozen, his foster father had been an okay kind of guy, gave him more attention than his real parents, which was the sad thing. Oh, he may say he hated Prozen, but the only reason he said that was because he could; Prozen was one of the few people who gave him value. He was always there when something went wrong – he'd never show affection in front of the troops, and Raven would be rude and obnoxious back. It was the only way to inspire fear.
But right now…
It hadn't just been his crushing defeat at the hands of his rival Van that had made him a dazed killer for four years. It had also been the loss of his parent, just as his own had died. Ordinarily, a person would have blamed Ambient for the wrong, the death, but common sense along with more information said otherwise.
The organoid was just doing its job.
And would he have Shadow now?
The ruins came into view and for a moment, the Zoid stalled. Shadow murmured softly, and disengaged to land on its head. Raven knew that sound, the element of fear.
"What's wrong with that place?"
No answer.
"Hey, Shadow, I'm not kidding. What's the matter?"
"Hey!" Startled by the voice through the intercom, the screen was suddenly filled with a pale face and blond curls and the element of Thomas-ness, and Raven did his best to recapture his dignity. The young soldier glared at the maverick, and narrowed his pale green eyes. "Restricted area."
"I know, that's why I stopped." Raven lied. The last thing he needed was a Megolomax shoved up his pointy metal arse.
"You did? Oh."
"Thomas…" Raven began; pleased he remembered the older man's name. "I'm looking for information."
"Huh, you're not the only one."
Ignoring that last comment, Raven went on. "I'm wondering if Rhyss has come anywhere near the site."
"Any reason why?" Thomas snapped back. He was always on the defensive…but then again, wasn't Raven too?
"Yeah, she stole my cash. I was wondering if I could get it back from her. This isn't a joke. That city makes me feel all wrong."
Thomas' face softened. "Me too. That's why I'm on patrol. We did have Rhyss here…she borrowed a CommandWolf and was helping to keep an eye on the scientists as they dug stuff up. Look, I'll escort you in if you'd like." The last part was hopeful.
"Yeah?"
"Sorry, stupid thing to ask." Thomas replied hurriedly and the DiBison began to turn around.
"No, I don't mind." Raven found himself replying. It had occurred to him that not only did Thomas have problems regarding family but probably his friends too. It he remembered correctly, wasn't Thomas in love with the blond Zoidian, Fiona?
Bloody hell.
"Um, thanks."
With a lurch the GenoBreaker fell into step beside the DiBison, and the pilots fell silent. It was odd really, being outside the whole relationship thing, he could only feel pity for Thomas. Raven could remember what love felt like…well, kind of…and he knew people craved it. Rhyss had hinted at 'loving' him, but Raven could never fathom her and her odd talk about the ultimate way of life, and how Hiltz was more important than he seemed. What she meant exactly apart from the whole destroying the world thing, he didn't know, but he had a feeling that one day he would find out.
In fact, a theory was coming to mind now. "Find anything unusual?"
Thomas was quiet for a moment. He wasn't going to do the whole silent treatment was he? How immature… "…We found stuff. Interesting stuff."
"Care to elaborate?"
"S'Classified."
"I could always beat it out of you." Raven said with a sly smile.
"You wouldn't dare. Look, you've been given a pardon by Guylos and the Helic Republic, so don't push it."
Well, there was always the magic word. "Please?"
"What did you say?"
"Please. And I don't say it very often."
"…Well…" Thomas fidgeted. This movement was somehow attractive to Raven, and he didn't know why. "We found…we found Ambient."
"To be expected." Raven replied, smoothly. "Seeing as he was a part of it all." Shadow made a funny noise and his heart lurched. Shadow…
"But…we also found Prozen."
Raven's head snapped up. "What?" Impossible. Rhyss said he was as good as dead.
Good as dead.
Didn't mean he was actually dead…
"Tell me, is he alive?"
"Well, last time I checked yes. He's being moved to a higher security place and Doctor D has taken over examination. I mean, it's not every day that you find someone who's merged with a Zoid Core and lived to tell the tale. He's uh, sleeping, last I heard. Came out stark naked onto my brother, didn't half give him a scare."
"So he's okay?"
"Yeah. The doctors checked him out and everything. They're still monitoring him and all, but he's just…sleeping. Look Raven, don't tell anyone, ok, he has a lot of enemies, and, and, we don't want anyone to kill him before the trial."
"Trial…?" Raven felt something sink inside him.
"We all know the outcome. He's going to be executed, but his body is being donated to science to see what went on."
"That's stupid." Raven heard himself say.
"Huh? I thought you would have liked that!"
The GenoBreaker stopped. "That's not what I meant. I…I want to see him. Where is he?"
The DiBison, which had kept walking, now turned around to face the other Zoid. "Raven?"
"Don't toy with me. I want to see him. Now." He knew he was sounding like a child, but he couldn't help it. The little warning bells in his mind were howling out of control. "Rhyss can't be found, can she?"
"What's the matter?" Panicked the other pilot.
"Look, listen to me Thomas. Rhyss went to overlook everything, right? Well, when I was working for Hiltz, I heard her say some weird things, especially when she thought she was alone. In her fever…when I took care of her…she said something about the power of the Rare Hertz. She was scared." Raven's mind was reeling. It couldn't possibly be… "I need to get to where Prozen is. He's in danger."
"You're telling me. Look, you're talking like a mad man-"
"She said the world was going to end, but she didn't seem the least bit worried. And I know for a fact she was crying for joy when the DeathSaurer went down…"
"Who wasn't?"
"For reasons other than it's defeat. She said the end was now. When she left me, she said she was sorry I wouldn't join her in the afterlife. I asked her why, she had done just as much damage as I had, and she said it had nothing to do with how good you've been. All I know…all I remember…is that right now someone I care about needs my help, and I want to be there for him just like he was for me when I needed it most."
The DiBison swayed, and Thomas' face was now a maelstrom of emotion. Confusion, anger, annoyance and wonder, all at once.
Raven's hands grasped at the controls, as he fought to find an answer for his outburst. He'd promised. Promised…
"Raven…? Is there something you're not telling me?"
The younger man licked his lips, and stared into the face of hopelessly innocent pilot in front of him. His cheeks were slightly pink, and Raven didn't know why.
"I made a promise a long time ago." Raven whispered. "When I saw something that scared me. Something Prozen did. I'm not too sure yet, but when I joined Rhyss and Hiltz in their quest for domination, I did it reluctantly because I knew I was going against something I believed in. And when I found out who was at the heart of the organization, I was upset to say the least, until I had contact with something else. Someone who I thought had died. The more I stayed quiet, the more I learned, and the more I saw my world fall apart. And when I at last tried to fix it, I was too late."
Thomas cocked his head to the side. "You sound really upset." Another thought crossed his face; he always thought with his hands and body. It was strange to read him, Raven felt. Strange to see an innocence so different from Fiona's. While hers was an absence of thought, Thomas was an absence of hardship. He had, if he remembered correctly, been left to his own devices when growing up. Nurtured by someone.
Just as he had.
"Oh what a tangled web we weave." Raven murmured, for Shadow's aural sensors alone.
"I…I could hack into the Guylos mainframe and find out where he is. We can go to the hearing. I'm sure you'll be called to the witness box and all."
"Uh-huh?" Raven closed his eyes.
"Yeah, we need everyone to be present."
"And who's going to do the execution? Guylos or the Republic?"
Thomas shrugged. "I don't know, he did crimes that affected both nations."
More pieces clicked into place. People's faces, in particular that male friend of Rhyss' the one with those haunting eyes and spiky hair. "Third party?"
"Um, I suppose so. Why?"
Raven grasped the controls with surprising strength as new purpose filled him. "Because I want to see everyone's faces when they learn what's really going on."
The look on his face chilled the blond pilot. There are some things a person should not see, and the cold calculation of the face of the maverick would haunt the dreams of Thomas Richard Shubaltz for many nights afterward…
Not that this would be a bad thing, however…
~ to be continued.
So what does Raven know? Not telling! Wait and see!
