Hello everyone. Just to recap, you now know that Hiltz and Gunther knew each other in the past, and that Fiona has something to do with Dark Kaiser, more specifically, she will be the mother of ZoidADAM. Hiltz has been captured by the Reapers, a fanatical Zoidian sect that was dedicated to the eradication of every other species on Zi, and he's fighting the symbiotic thing inside him that makes a Reaper a Reaper. Gunther has been found, and along with Ambient is in a secure location. Raven knows a lot more than it seems. I hope this isn't too confusing ^^;; This is sort of a hard to do chapter where Raven and Thomas break Prozen out…and take a few hostages along the way. I know people hate intrigue that seems to drag on, so I'm letting the plot explain itself so we can get down to what everyone's waiting for – the action. Namely guys getting horny and going at it like a pair of rabbits in spring @_@;; baaaaaad mental images.
Chapter 6: Guilty by association
It wasn't a real trial. The room was very quiet, at the head of the table sat Emperor Rudolph the third and the new leader of the Republic, Robert Hermann. Both looked harassed and ready to take out anyone who dared upset them anymore than necessary. And in front of them sat a number of delegates and officials. At the end of the table were two vacant chairs.
Karl strode into the room, his hands firmly planted against the back of one of the most powerful men in the Guylos aristocracy, not giving an inch of freedom. Handcuffed, Prozen was pushed towards one of the chairs, and Karl took the other.
"Have any problems Colonel Shubaltz?" Asked President Frank Hommelef, who was clearly enjoying himself with the whole charade.
"Actually no, we didn't. There were a few problems with the public at the hospital, but as you can see, he's here."
"Not paying attention though."
In fact, Prozen looked half asleep. He shook his head slowly, as if to clear his mind and looked up, regarding each face with a touch of curiosity. The innocence struck a chord in Karl's heart, and not for the first time he felt a grudging desire to keep him from harm. He'd always been so fragile.
"All right, meeting in session now that sleeping beauty here is awake."
"…S'time?" Prozen asked softly, his words slurred.
"Shut up, Gunther." Hommelef continued without skipping a beat. "Let's review what happened, video evidence first or embezzlement of accounts?"
"Let's do the paperwork first." Said one of the other ministers. "Save the videos for after."
Karl felt a tug on his sleeve. "…Time?" Came the pleading murmur.
"Shut up."
"…Please…th' time?"
"It's 10 in the morning." Karl replied, kindly, patting his hand. He was really spaced out; it didn't make sense.
"Th'k you…"
He could see former president Camford watching the strange display with a sad look on her face. This was probably not what she was expecting, not at all, and right now the man on trial looked like he'd seen hell…
"C'mon, minister, stay awake…" He whispered, gently poking his side.
"…Hurts…Karl…" He clutched at his head.
"Karl, for crying out loud, shut him up." Hommelef snarled. The blond colonel jumped involuntarily at the sound; Hommelef hardly ever raised his voice. But here he was excited, a bit of spittle running down his chin. Of course, this was probably a great treat, finally being able to bask in the glory of Minister Prozen's downfall. Karl remembered that the two of them, when they were younger had always been at war with each other. Well, actually, it was one-sided – Hommelef hated Prozen because of the fact he had surpassed him. Prozen however was oddly neutral.
Karl steadied the shivering warlord and held him until he was still.
He'd never recovered from the apparent betrayal of Guylos that happened four and a half years ago. The Prozen he knew was the Prozen who took care of him an afternoon or two a week while war talk raged over the children's heads. He'd always felt in awe of the spindly youth that seemed to live in the library and only ventured outside early morning and late afternoon. Had it not been at a parade of heroes after a very nasty battle with the Republic that he'd collapsed right in front of the Shubaltz children? A dead faint, and no one had cared. Karl knew Hommelef had seen, but the bastard hadn't done anything about it. Yeah, sure, Hommelef looked after Rudolph, but the man wasn't the nicest person in the world.
"Calm down, ok?"
Eventually he fell silent, but only after he had drawn his knees to his chest and let his head rest against them. And people spoke and reviewed, the astonished cries of the assembled government big-wigs went over Karl's head as he watched the warlord become slacker and slacker in the chair, barely able to stay awake. And yet no one noticed – long ago people saw him as just a part of the scenery until he was promoted and opened up his quiet mind to prove what was really going on inside his pretty head. The lights went down and the video screen came into play viewing all the captured information of the battles and so on, especially anything to do with the DeathSaurer and it's hybrid offspring, the DeathStinger.
"Look out." He heard someone say – Camford. Prozen slid off his chain and onto the floor. She caught his head before it clunked against the side of the table and for a moment or so, no one noticed.
Karl cursed himself for not moving quicker and lightly pulled him into a seated position, leaning him against his shoulder. "Sorry."
"Obviously he hasn't recovered yet." She replied with a lined smile. She'd stepped down willingly, but she had always been a kind person, even if her pig of a son was not. Hermann was not the nicest of people either.
"No, I don't think he has. He woke up screaming for Hiltz, got out of his bed and tried to get outside."
"Ah, self preservation…" She said gently, shaking her head.
"No, the opposite. He was looking for me. I was coming in, and when he saw me, he wouldn't let go."
"Sounds like you have a new friend."
That absurd comment made him smile, something he hadn't done for a little while. Being a colonel in peacetime was boring, but this was making up for it.
"Have they noticed what's happened yet?"
"Probably not." Camford raised her head and watched the assembled party move and argue and tell tall tales of old. "No. I think Hommelef and my son will keep them entertained with their war stories. Not even Charlotte has realised I've left my seat. "Come on." She stood up and went to the door, calling out. "Just going to lavatory, chaps, be back soon."
Then Karl gently led the accused out and into the cooler air of the hallway. When politicians got talking, they didn't half blow out a lot of hot air…
"Drop him." Growled a voice from his left.
"What? Raven, that's my brother!"
"Yeah, and he also shot the gravity cannon. Let him go, you bastard." Most people, Karl felt, would have put an exclamation point after that last comment, but not Raven. The dark haired mercenary had a gun aimed at his head, and his younger brother - who knew how he got here anyway - was moving about behind him, flapping his hands in the usual manner, not knowing what to do.
Deary me.
"If I let go, he'll fall and probably get hurt." Karl said calmly.
Raven opened his mouth to speak but spun around and faced Camford. She paled. "Don't you try anything lady. You had balls to go up against myself and the rest of Guylos, but bravery won't help you here."
"I was simply-"
"You were simply nothing. Oh, and if you scream, I'll kill you."
"Raven?"
"Yes?"
"The safety's on." She said in the calm manner of a mother.
Raven cursed and fiddled with his gun, allowing Camford to pass him, give a curious look to the flustered Thomas and then helped Karl move Prozen again down the hall. In her hands was a soaked kitchen towel from the kitchenette a few metres away where the clerk watched the pantomime with great amusement.
"Karl, he's running a fever. Did Doctor D say he was really ready to be allowed out?"
"Yeah, he did, I suppose he was wrong."
"Hmm…very odd." Camford mopped the sleeper's forehead, and brushed a few strands away from his face. Prozen seemed to react to this, nudging her wrist with his nose like a cat.
"…Mother…" He muttered, his eyes opening slightly before closing again as he slid deeper into his curious sleep, his brows knotted in some strange dream.
That stopped everyone.
"What did he just say?"
"He called you mother."
Raven finally lost his temper at the gun (which, I might add, he had liberated from the stores in the more military part of the base) and threw it at the clerk. "Get me a drink, asshole!"
"Raven!" Moaned Thomas. "You said you wouldn't kill anyone!"
"He's not dead, he's just bleeding." Raven soothed him.
Over the squabbling pair, Camford called out: "Just do it please, he's in a dangerous mood. Oh, and make mine a brandy." Karl stared at her in disbelief, and the older lady shrugged. "Times like these call for a stiff drink, and I've always felt that Guylos made better alcohol than Helic ever could."
"Coo! You're blaspheming." Thomas said and began to giggle under the stress. Karl rolled his eyes, his brother hadn't said the word coo for a very long time. It was something he'd picked up from their grandmother.
Karl gave up trying to make sense of the situation and dived right in. "I'd like a…1520 Chardonnay…oh, what was it called…"
"Red River." Raven spoke up. The others stared and realised he'd knocked the bartender out and was patiently doing the drinks. A few bottles of fresh water was sitting on the tiny bar (the government always got privileges like this) along with a glass of brandy, a can of Crispy's Cola (Don't ask, it's the Zi equivalent of Doctor Pepper .;;) and the bottle itself. "Named after the infamous attack where one stupid man got fried. What was his name? Marcus Lavont? Bloody nutter." Raven sighed and plonked it down with a thud. "Thomas? What would you like?"
"…Glass of water…" The stunned man replied. He still hadn't got his head around the whole thing. "Oh, and some peanuts. Pretzels preferably."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, we have a bag of pretzels here. I think the fatsoes in there have all the peanuts and crisps, the stingy sods. Oh yes, I'm kidnapping you all, and you don't have a say in it. Karl, help Prozen up, Thomas, as my partner in crime…don't look at me like that, you hacked into government files for me and you helped me in here, you're just as guilty as I am…go and help the Helic President-"
"Ex-president." She piped up from the rim of her glass, downing it like a pro.
"Right, help ex-president Camford with securing some water bottles for the trip. We're going away."
"And what are you going to do?" Thomas spat back.
"I…am going to drink this…" He held the can up and took a swig. "Enjoy it thoroughly…and break into his personal stuff and nick a few things we're going to need." Raven finished the can, belched genteelly and then grinned. "Think you can handle your orders?"
Karl was gobsmacked. At any time, he knew, as he downed his glass, he could break away. But something else was going on inside him, that weird prickly feeling you always had of excitement when you played hide and seek with the other kids, and you knew you were going to be found, so you'd have to run.
It was wonderful.
"Yeah, let's go." He said.
"Good, because I don't want anyone playing silly buggers. I'll see you in the hanger." Raven darted away leaving Thomas in a fluster.
"Honestly, this wasn't supposed to happen, he said if I didn't do what he said he'd destroy my DiBison and my Beke and he'd kick my ass and-"
"Lieutenant Shubaltz, dear, please help me with the bottles…thank you…Karl? Can you move him?"
"Are we insane?"
"Most likely yes. Now come along, Charlotte has probably noticed I'm not back yet and will come looking. She'll see muggins over there and raise the alarm…" Camford drew herself up to her full height (only reaching Karl's shoulder) and adjusted her glasses, then used her shawl to gather up the rest of the bottles. "Come along, children."
"Yes m'am." Both said.
It was only when they were making their way across the manicured gardens that the alarms began to sound, and for no apparent reason Thomas burst into hysterical giggles. He calmed down as they reached the hanger, surprised to find that Raven was fixing up a jeep, and was not taking a Zoid.
That was Shadow's job.
"Shadow's playing decoy. Rosso and Viola will no doubt go after him with their blasted StormSworders." He dropped a fat box into the back and motioned for the others to get in, arranging himself and Prozen in the back along with the water so he could hide under the tarpaulin that some kind soul had thoughtfully left behind. "Shubaltz brothers taking the ex-president of Helic into a safer area by orders of her son Hermann. Karl, you called your brother for back up as Van and the others are busy doing…uh, heroic type things. Those are your cover stories. Stick with them."
Still slightly awed by the events of the day, Karl strapped himself in and looked over at Camford who was smiling in a strange way, her violet eyes a-glitter. With a sly grin she leaned over and whispered in his ear.
"Reminds me of when my late husband was courting me. You will play the gentlemen, won't you Colonel Shubaltz?"
Thomas howled with laughter and Karl jammed his hat harder over his ears then gave the old woman a saucy grin and threw away his dignity. "Only if my brother gets to join in."
"Sh-bang!" Came the approving response from the tarp.
"Yeah, and the gremlin too?" Thomas asked, strapping himself in.
"The more the merrier."
This is insane. Karl thought as he slowly released the handbrake and began to drive out as officers darted here and there in an attempt to find the fugitive, who was in fact, fast asleep in the back of a jeep. No one stopped them. No one gave them a second look. And as they reached the final gate to make their way out into the countryside, one of the guards gave them a funny look from the gate.
"President Hermann's orders."
"Then why aren't the Helic military covering it."
"Because Colonel Shubaltz is a trusted man, soldier, as is his brother. While my son is slightly paranoid about my safety, perhaps in this case it is best that two of the best are keeping eye on me and driving me safely home."
"Um, safe driving then, Colonel Shubaltz. Lieutenant Shubaltz. President Hermann's mom, m'am."
"Thank you. Drive on, colonel."
"Yes m'am." Karl, impressed by the calm manner the woman had handled the situation. Even if he was going to loose his job over the whole silly fiasco, he didn't feel that bad about it. This had been his original plan all along, to somehow get the minister out of this. Only now…it had become a lot more complicated, with a lot more people involved. However, he reflected, as the military base faded in the rear view mirror, perhaps it was for the best. Humming a distant tune, he put his foot on the accelerator and gained speed.
"Where to, Raven?" He asked. The kid had always been civil to him. Well, most of the time.
Silence from his passengers.
"Raven?" asked Thomas
"Thinking."
"Anytime now. No pressure." Thomas continued. It was nice to have him along, thought Karl.
"I know a place." Camford said. "It's perfect."
~ to be continued
I know Karl wouldn't have done this, but he has his reasons. So, Camford's in on it to? What will Rob think?! How many pairings did you spot? XD
