I've been torturing the both of them, haven't I? This one's for our model freak on the ML *Waves at Dana* who got me addicted to the DarkSpiner. Of course, I will incur the wrath of the Fraulein Colonel for hurting Karl, but hey…we all know that in a fight, Hiltz would win ;p

Chapter 22: For love or for honour?

He sat on the floor, his head in her lap as the heat increased, as his body seemed to shut down. It was so hazy, so hard to think. His head was spinning, his limbs felt heavy. All he wanted was to sleep. His thirst would not go away, his throat was burning, and he kept drooling blood…

"Stay calm…" Evelyn whispered to him, wetting another flannelette and mopping his forehead. His breath was coming in rapid gasps – she'd tried to make him lie down, but he'd started to cough even harder and more violently. Now he just rested on the towel on her lap, his long hair loose and on the horribly grey carpet on the floor. The other small mercy was that she wasn't asking any questions about the odd exchange of words with Fiona not long before.

Karl had come in. Karl had begged to take him away, but no, Prozen felt even worse now. Hiltz…Hiltz was the one reason he'd tried to stay together. More memories were coming back, that…that time in the core…they'd held each other in a chaste embrace, and he'd done his best to calm Hiltz' fear. Zoidians were not meant to merge with Zoids. Not like this. Deeper and deeper he had woven Hiltz into the soft embrace of the Crimson Sea, but was it possible that Hiltz…had…he had been…broken…by that power? Had he lost something in coming back?

And what the hell was the Crimson Sea?

Every time he had closed his eyes and fallen into a deep sleep, he had seen it, the vast flat plain floating beneath him. Sometimes he was in it – it was liquid. But not blood. Well, sort of. It tasted like it, smelt like it, probably was blood, but blood was not translucent like this. The Crimson Sea…he remembered…something to do with the power…what power…?

It was…safety…family was there…protection…

He coughed again.

Karl had been most intrusive. He had grabbed him, held him tightly in a heated embrace, the warmth of the human's body insanely wonderful, driving him mad. And then…then Karl had kissed him. Hard. Long. Hungry. Tried to take his clothes off. Prozen had rejected the wild-eyed colonel, seeing the darkness in his battered soul – the human was not at his best. He was desperate. Needy. He'd left to get to his Zoid to fight, even though the others had protested.

Evelyn was safety. She was not his mother, but she would do. Her hands were cool, soft, stroking his brow and his hair as the world drifted in and out of this strange red vision.

He wanted Hiltz. He needed him. He…couldn't have died…nor become a Reaper, no…never…not Hiltz. He was too strong. Too strong by far. Hiltz was always strong.

Prozen whined again and shifted his weight. It was so hot…so hard to think…

There was a moment of relief as a door was opened, and he felt a cool breeze wash over his feet, arms and face. Sweat dripped. Soon his body would shut down.

Evelyn's gasp only just reached his drugged ears.

"No!!" She gasped. "Not you!"

He heard Ambient's confused roar, and the sudden shadow of the organoid moving over him. And the voice. The voice he had been waiting for, that commanded his very heart to beat.

"Ex-President Camford." Hiltz' voice was calm, but there was an undertone of worry.

"Please…don't hurt him." Evelyn whispered. "He's sick…I don't know what's wrong with him…I don't know if…if he will…"

"He's not dying." Hiltz replied. The gentle concern in his voice did not mask the knowledge of what he was from Prozen. "He's…it's hard to explain. Tell me his symptoms."

"…Symptoms?"

"It's important."

"…A temperature close to 106 degrees. He's climbing rapidly. And…he's coughing. A lot."

"Like he's trying to dislodge something?"

"Yes…"

"May I?" He knelt down beside her and cupped Prozen's face in his fine hands. Prozen whimpered and tried to look away, but Hiltz slid his index and middle finger into his mouth and felt around for a moment. His patient didn't fight back, as somehow the gentle pressure was painful but soothing at the same time. There was the horrible sensation of something popping. "His glands are up. He's trying to make them work, that's all. Leaking a little from the left…"

"What?"

"Another reason they were collected. Rare Hertz produce a stimulant in a pair of special glands in the back of their mouths. It's…hard to describe what it does. To the Hertz, it's like some sort of elixir of life…healing abilities, a sort of bonding agent between families. The Rare Hertz and it's young…" Hiltz looked at his fingers, now covered with a mixture of what looked like blood and saliva. "To the Zoidians, it was legal and supposedly healthy cocaine. They'd buy it bottled off the streets for a lot of money. A lot of money. Adults were selling out their families to get a cupful of it. It kept you healthy, it made you amazingly happy. Elated. But the comedown was worse. What they didn't realise was that there was an easier way to do the whole thing – get the Rare Hertz to do it willingly. They just killed them…"

"I…don't understand."

"Just don't touch the blood on the towel, it can be absorbed by the skin. Just dump it in the wash, and hope that the water will be enough to negate it. Because he's just doing it now means this stuff is…incredibly…potent."

"But you…"

Hiltz smiled. "Well, I have a reason. The fluid is used by the Rare Hertz to feed to its mate on their 'first night', to tell if their chosen really it what they're looking for. This stuff will kill you, understand? It's that strong. A bonding agent, if you like, in the height of passion. He did it once and he's going to do it again."

"But…"

"No buts. We don't have much time before he starts to feed. It's going to be horrible, and I don't think he could stomach killing you."

"Killing me? What?"

"He's thirsty. He needs instant energy to complete his transformation into a fully-fledged Rare Hertz. This means he needs blood. I have to get him out of there before the others find him and hurt him before I'm through with him."

"What are you going to do to him?"

"Keep him safe."

"You're lying." Evelyn clutched Prozen's body and he groaned softly, trying to struggle free from the contact. "You're going to hurt him!"

"No…I'm not going to hurt him." Hiltz stroked Prozen's head, his voice restrained. "And I'm not going to ask you to trust me. But tell me this…can you protect him from a number of Reapers, and can you protect yourself from him?"

"I…"

"Evelyn…" Prozen whispered. "…He's…he's right…they'll…hurt you. Let me…go with him…please…"
Evelyn hung her head and gently released the stricken warlord, and Hiltz smiled. "That's better."

He helped Prozen to his feet and held him while he steadied himself, and looked into Hiltz' eyes. "You…you're…"

"Shh." He allowed Prozen to snuggle into him, and then gave Evelyn an apologetic look. "Thanks for taking care of him. I'll have him back by dawn, nine in the morning at the latest. They'll be here in a minute, so get rid of that towel of they'll hurt you."

"Are they Reapers or supporters of him?"

"Reapers, m'am." Hiltz cuddled Prozen closer. "All this Prozen supporter act is a big fat lie so they can continue to destroy the governments from within. Get to your son, Mrs Camford, because already they're leaking poison into his ears. They mean to take this world once and for all this time." He turned to Ambient. "And as for you…you're a sight for sore eyes, old friend. Just a little longer. I have to do this on my own, understand?"

The organoid whined, and Evelyn nodded sadly, as they watched the two go out the door.

Hiltz led him through the now empty hallways to the hanger down below to get out of the base, stopping when he needed to rest, catching him if he lost his balance. Once it was particularly bad, as they crossed the vast open space that seemed to press down on the both of them.

"…Hiltz!"

"Gunther! I'm sorry I didn't realise-"

"It's okay." Prozen started to shake and laughed again, burying his face in his hands. "I feel like I'm going to die."

"You're not. Don't say that."

"All the time…I…I kept dreaming of you…Are you a dream?"

"Am I? I don't know. Maybe." Hiltz smiled and helped him up, cuddling him close.

"…Hold me…" Prozen begged. He longed to be safe in Hiltz arms again; if anyone could make this pain go away it was him. "They said you were dead. They told me over and over again…you were dead…"

"It's been like that for the last few days, believe me. Come on, we can't stay here…it's dangerous."

"I can't move…" He stumbled a few more steps then slid to his knees.

"Yes you can. You can and you will. Come on." Hiltz replied gently but firmly, and knelt down beside his crumpled form. "I know you're afraid. Deep down you are. I know how you love to be in control…but right now, you're just going to have to trust me." His smile was so warm and wonderful, Prozen didn't resist as he kissed him, a soft and sweet touch on his forehead. Such an intrusion was not allowed, but for Hiltz…?

"…I…"

"Hush, don't say a word. Just get up, and we can get out of here."

"…Okay…" Gently helped up again, cuddled and held for a moment, they began to move again, only to be stopped by something more than just unexpected.

Karl Shubaltz threw off his jacket and his hat and slid into a fighting stance. "Put him down."

"No."

"…Karl?"

"Listen carefully, you Zoidian bastard, I can see what's on your head, and I know what you are. Put him down now. Or face the consequences."

"…You may know what I am, but you know nothing of it. Use your head Karl. Think about things. Properly. I don't want to kill you, at least, not in front of Gunther, but if you push my hand I'll be forced to react."

"Fine then. AARRRGGHH!!" Karl ran towards them, fists clenched, ready to begin, but at the last minute, Hiltz pushed Prozen's body away from him and sidestepped the charging colonel. As Karl passed, Hiltz caught his shirt and yanked him to the side, hard, and with a grunt the colonel toppled. Hiltz pushed him to the ground, straddled him, pinning his arms to his sides and smiled.

"Who put you up to this?"

"Get off me!"

"Answer my question. This is very unlike you."

"I have to stop you somehow!"

"Had to, had to, past tense, colonel." Hiltz shifted his weight slightly, still crouched, thinking. "Is it possible you're thinking that you can do the job I was born for?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You have no idea why you're so protective of him, do you?"

"…You bastard."

"Don't do this."

"I've had everyone I've ever loved taken away from me! Now him."

"He wasn't yours in the first place."

"Ownership!! Is that what you think of him?!"

"You have no idea." Hiltz replied, in his usual calm way. "The empty space inside won't be filled by Gunther. It can't. You push people away colonel, so what makes you think you can survive and adapt to him? The natural response to the messages you're picking up is to be protective. I can understand that. But you don't really understand what this entails. You can't fuck him out of honour, Shubaltz, it doesn't work like that…part of you is there, but would you die for him? Do you have any idea whatsoever of what being his partner is going to do to you?"

They continued to try and outstare each other, but Karl finally had to blink and cursed loudly in his native language. The string of exciting expletives were loud and somehow intrusive to Prozen, who sat on the floor, simply trying to breathe. He covered his ears and whined.

Hiltz stood up, and dusting off his hands he went over to Prozen's side and helped him up to take him outside, leaving Karl to stare at the ceiling in defeat.

"Very surprising. You have more friends than you thought."

Prozen tried to laugh, but only coughed again.

Hiltz' DarkSpiner was carefully parked in the safety of the shadows beside the massive hangers; it's head close to the ground for ease of entry. The sun was almost down and the floodlights could come on soon, but still it was hidden from the prying eyes of the world. To the far left came the sounds of battle, the scream of Zoids, and cries of humans, explosions, and for some odd reason a really awful country song.

"Moonbay." Both said in unison.

Hiltz opened the cockpit and then jumped down and helped the ashen haired beauty up and into the safety the Zoid offered. As Hiltz sat down, he gently rearranged Prozen so he was resting in his lap, putting the extra harness over him to protect his frail form from injury.

"Ready, sweetheart?" Hiltz purred in his ear.

Prozen could barely answer, he was so weak. A faint nod and a little smile, and the DarkSpiner stood up, mindful of its load and began to move, a light hop over the fence and a growing dash to freedom.

Curled up against his beloved, Prozen felt only safety, and a deep growing need to sleep. He tried to keep his eyes open as the Zoid moved, but the motion was somehow soothing, and he couldn't help it…

"It's okay…you can sleep if you want…It'd probably be better if you did." Hiltz kissed his head again.

"…Yeah…"

Somehow the heat and pressure weren't so bad with Hiltz there. But there was something else, something…different…a strange need he hadn't felt before…something so much darker…hiding beneath the shifting waves…the Sea had been so flat, and now was starting to heave beneath him, dark thunderous waves, and a hunger…

Hiltz growled.

This was somehow…exciting.

Prozen found the strength to clutch Hiltz' jacket and nuzzle closer to his warmth, achieving a grunt of surprise from his rescuer. "What's the matter?" Followed by an "Oh shit, did I miscalculate how far in you are? Fuck-fuck-fuck…"

"…Hiltz…"

"Not here, not now."

"…Hiltz…"

"Can you get any hotter? Bloody hell…Don't…Ah…get your hand out of there-HEY!!"

"…Now that…I have your attention…behind us…"

"…Right." Hiltz blushed at having been so careless and felt Prozen curl up against him again, his long fingers curled around the straps holding him in place, his head resting against his shoulder. "You bastard."

Prozen managed to laugh this time.

The DarkSpiner spun around and he faced a GunSniper and a CommandWolf. The Spiner's screen flared and a pair of familiar faces appeared, those of Rhyss…and Ina. For all the trouble Payne had caused, the two were working together to bring down a common foe, namely Hiltz.

The redhead gulped. "Hello ladies. I'm already taken this evening, but I'm sure I can pencil you in after-OW! The hell was that for?" Hiltz made a mental note not to joke about the relationship until after Prozen was out of this stage of his life. He was definitely not one for joking around right now.

Rhyss scowled at him. "Hiltz. What…what are you doing?"

"My job."

"Your job?" Ina's face was a picture of innocence. "But…that's…that's not fair!"

Oh, so she'd finally woken up over the whole abuse thing. "Not fair how? Mind telling me?"

"Orders were to get Lynette…you're sneaking off with him!"

"Can I ask an honest question?" Hiltz licked his lips, and shifted his weight beneath Prozen, who in turn stiffened and whimpered again. "Do you invite everyone to the honeymoon? I don't think so."

Rhyss started to laugh, but it was more out of fear than anything else. "Payne's in your mind, you idiot. You think you have enough time but it's obvious you don't. I know what's happening. He's sinking deeper – he'll tear you apart to feed himself."

"Not if I get to sanctuary first."

"You don't have enough time."

"Who says?"

Ina looked away, her face streaming with tears. Probably remembering Payne.

There was a rumble, and a MKII IronKong appeared, a furious Karl at the helm. "Let him go, you bastard!! Let the minister go!!"

"Uh, right now that's not feasible." Hiltz replied. The Spiner ducked its head, grunting softly in growing excitement and the anticipation of the battle ahead. "Come on you lot…just let me go…"

"The future of Zi is sitting on your lap, you moron!" Rhyss snarled. "I won't let you destroy everything!! That's not fair!"

"Who's side are you on anyway, Rhyss? Life isn't fair." The Spiner moved forward, lashing out with a hind leg at the CommandWolf as it charged, catching it hard, and pushing it to the ground. The IronKong tried to hit the saurian Zoid but this DarkSpiner was different from its fellows, not so slow and stubborn. Ducking out of the way the CommandWolf never got up again as a giant fist slammed into it's body. The Spiner leapt bodily upwards, and away, but not so far as to not be able to reach the frightened GunSniper that had been firing at it. It started forward, but the larger Zoid sidestepped it right into the path of the IronKong. Hooking its tail in its mouth, the Spiner used the GunSniper as a club to knock the IronKong over. Taking a few steps back, the sails moved upwards and the head and body straightened, the tail coolant system firing up, preparing to fire…

"Sorry kids." Hiltz replied. "But I have to make this look good."

The hot white light exploded from the Zoid's mouth, covering the three fallen Zoids, and distantly, you could hear the laughter of one very insane Zoidian…

~ to be continued.

*Blinks* Okay, that was interesting. Let me explain: As Hiltz said, there are two glands just by the base of the tongue. They're very small, but they produce a sort of highly charged fluid. Like the opposite of a snake's venom. Where one poisons, the other cures. A young Hertz has no need for this, but from birth they produce it – it's just reabsorbed back into the growing body until the Hertz reaches maturity.

They are attracted to their mate from birth, just not in a sexual way. If their guess is right, and this person is 'true' then their body will not be badly affected by the wallop they're about to receive. Ina will explain the whole Crimson Sea thing in the next chapter, but this stuff, geez, I have no idea what it's called…let's settle for the nickname 'FireBlood' it's a term I seem to use a lot in my fics…was used to 'feed' the young, and the mate. Oh this is confusing. A quick healing method of anything ingested, the Zoidians overused it when they dissected the bodies of dead Rare Hertz that were stabilized before dissolving back into the soil. They believed they had to kill the Rare Hertz in order to get it. Thus it had negative effects seeing as the dying body had released more chemicals into the mixture that induced hallucinations, and depression. Don't ask me why.

I know I'm giving the character of Minister Prozen a lot to work with here, and yes, I will probably achieve a rap over the knuckles for it, but Fiona was different from every other Zoidian and she had red eyes. Rhyss never once merged with a Zoid. Fiona disappeared in the last four episodes, and Hiltz was absorbed by the core, was he not? Therefore, Fiona is not normal. I have to sort of factor the whole telepathy and everything else in. But it's not without it's downsides. Don't worry, Hiltz's Delnian blood will be examined a little more, but it has more things to do with indestructibility and the ability to read the elements.