Chapter XII: "Observe"

Dive into the mind...

"What is there to observe?" muttered Ayumi Kroger, yawning. "We've been sitting here for five minutes in silence. It's getting quite annoying. Why don't we just leave...?"

"Because our Zoids aren't responding to our commands," answered Hitoshi.

"It's probably just that rarehertz thing I've heard so much about," argued Ayumi, flipping her hair impatiently.

"No, it's not," said Hitoshi angrily. "This has happened before-"

***

"Faye, how did you get involved in the Backdraft, anyways?" asked Harry Champ as they approached the hospital quickly.

"What?" asked Faye. She had been thinking. "Oh... how? It just happened, I guess," she lied.

"Huh, well, can you tell me what kind of experiments they-"

"Heck, no," said Faye, frowning. "It's... too traumatizing."

"Whatever," groaned Harry. He wasn't going to have a job for very long. If he could get information about what the Backdraft had been doing and give it to the ZBC, his job would be saved. At this rate he wasn't going to be very successful.

They walked into the building, Kylie jogging ahead.

***

"So tell us about it," urged Ayumi. "I need something to do, anyways."

"Shut up, Ayumi," muttered Neos. "If you want to know then just leave him alone."

"Since when did you care," scoffed their comrade.

From below Akira scowled. She still couldn't move... this sucked. Sheesh. And none of her "friends" could help her because they were stuck in their Zoids. It seemed that the Deathstinger, as well, wasn't responding. He said that he could control weaker Zoids... and the four Zoids definitely weren't weak. Maybe he meant weak organoids? For all four had one- Ambient in the Deathstinger, Twilight in the Orudios, Kurai.... but the Liger Zero X had no organoid. By a "weak Zoid" he must have meant anything weaker than the Deathsaurer itself. Or, perhaps, that had a pilot.

Pilots could be considered weaknesses. The Deathsaurer didn't have one and never had.

A silver organoid appeared beside her. "Huh?" asked Akira. "Oh, it's just you... hmm. Trinity, go get my Zoid...!"

***

"I can't wait any longer," mumbled Bit as he stood outside of the Doc's hospital room. He stepped in front of a nurse who was walking by. "Okay, Nurse Joy, tell me: is Dr. Toros out of his coma or not?!!"

"Nurse Joy?" asked the girl. "I'm Nurse Jenny. Who's Nurse Joy?"

"I thought it was Officer Jenny and Nurse..." began Bit.

"You watch comics too much," said Nurse Jenny, glaring at him.

"Oh! You found his room!" cried Leena as she came down the hall, Robert sheepishly trailing behind her. "So?!! Is Dad awake?!!"

"Mr. Toros is your father?" asked Jenny, almost dropping her tray of medication.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Tell that idiot to stop breaking all the Zoid models we keep for the children here to play with," she said angrily. "It's getting really annoying."

"You mean he's okay?!!" shouted Leena.

"Unfortunately, yes," mumbled Jenny. "That Zoid pilot probably had good reason to attack him like that."

"Hey!" shouted Leena. "My father's a good man! Don't you-"

"I'm just a nurse," smiled Jenny innocently. "My opinion doesn't count."

"Hey, let's calm down," said Bit, stepping between them. "We just want to see him, is that alright?"

"As long as you convince him to take his antibiotics or let me sedate him," muttered Jenny.

"I hope this doesn't effect the hospital bill," mumbled Leena as Jenny opened the door to Dr. Toros' room.

Bit looked inside to see Dr. Toros happily playing with some Zoid models. One of them broke. Bit laughed. "That's so typical," he said.

"Dad! shouted Leena, running into the room. "Oh, I was so worried!" she cried.

"Oh, hello, Leena," said Dr. Toros, oblivious to the fact that he'd been in a coma for a while.

"Mr. Toros!" shouted Nurse Jenny. "You broke another one?!!"

"Oh, hello there, Jenny," groaned Dr. Toros. "So nice to see you..."

"Okay, mister!" shouted Jenny. "What've you done this time, besides breaking that Redler?!! Don't tell me you've been-"

Bit laughed. "I'm going to look around, okay?"

"As long as you're nothing like your father..." mumbled Jenny.

"He's not MY dad, too," said Bit.

"Why should I care..."

Bit walked outside hastily, looking around. Where were they? Robert walked out after them. "Who're you looking for?" he asked.

"Oh, no one in particular..."

"Your sister?" asked Robert.

"How did you know?!!"

"Because one, you don't have one, at least by blood, and two, I saw somebody who resembled you in the lobby."

"Thanks!" cried Bit, shooting off. But he DID have a sister... by blood... so...?

Robert laughed. It was a nice feeling, helping others.

***

Dive into the heart...

"Are you sure we should be WAITING?" asked Kylie, fidgeting in her seat.

"Don't tell me you three are here to see Mr. Toros, TOO?!!" asked a nurse as she walked into the room. Her green eyes flared at the mention of his name.

"What?" asked Faye.

"You mean someone else is here to see him?!!" shouted Kylie.

"Hey, this is a hospital, quiet down or you'll wake all the patients," muttered the nurse. "My name is Jenny. Yes, three others... his daughter and two friends of hers."

"Two friends?" asked Kylie. "I knew Leena was with him, but-"

"I'll bring you to the room if you'll talk some sense into that old geezer."

"Would you?" cried Kylie. "Oh, Jenny, you're the best!"

"It's NURSE Jenny to you," muttered Jenny. She blushed. "But thanks. Oh, I completely forgot!" she cried. "I have to bring Jack his tea or he'll-"

"Jack?" asked Harry. "Jack SISCO?!!"

"Didn't you hear?" asked Jenny. "He and his teammates were also attacked by a green Liger Zero X. You guys wait here! I'll be right back! If I feel like it, of course. Being a nurse is a harder job than I expected." She grabbed a hat from the counter and put it on, covering most of her short blue hair. "Don't go anywhere!"

"Well, now we have a reason to stay here," said Faye happily. "Don't you feel so accomplished?!!" Always so cheerful.

"I didn't know Jack Sisco drank tea."

"Hey!" cried Faye cheerfully. "Isn't that the winner of the Royal Cup?!!" She jumped up from her seat, grinning.

"The winner of the...?" mumbled Kylie. She turned around. Yes, she was right. "Bit!"

"Kylie!"

"So that's Bit Cloud." Faye smiled to herself. Nanase, or better yet Kylie, was so lucky. She still had a family. She still had friends who cared about her. Faye didn't.

Bit hugged Kylie, smiling. He was so glad to have found her again... but so confused... "Kylie?" he asked quietly.

"Yes...?"

"So tell me... what happened that day...?"

Kylie pulled back and smiled up at him. "I dunno... some things aren't meant to be explained, I guess. I woke up back in the ruins, but that's all I know..."

Oh well, thought Bit. At least his sister was safe. "C'mon," he said. "Let's go back to Dr. Toros' room and see how he's doing."

It was a very quick reunion, but still meaningful. Kylie decided not to tell Bit anything else for the time being.

"I've gotta go to headquarters..." mumbled Harry, heading for the front door. His job here was done.

"Harry?" asked Kylie.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks..."

Later Nurse Jenny walked back into the lobby. She glared. "Where'd they go?!! Sheesh!!!"

"Temper, temper."

Jenny turned around. "Ahh!" she screamed, falling to the floor. She jumped back up. "Stop scaring me like that, Yoko!" she cried. "Do you know how close I am to...?"

The man laughed. His black eyes shone. "Always so disagreeable."

"D... do you know where he is?" asked Jenny hopefully.

"Who, Taro?" asked Yoko. "Of course I do! I know a lot of things. I can't tell you now, though. Wait just a little longer."

"Hmm..." muttered Jenny as he walked out the front door. "He's not acting like he usually does... I wonder what's wrong." She shrugged. "HA!!! Finally, I can quit this horrid job! No more playing 'Nurse Jenny!!!!' " She stopped in thought. "Hmm... I think I'll go yell at Mr. Toros some more. It's so refreshing!!!" Clapping, she ran off in the opposite direction.

***

Dive into the Core of Zi itself... Zoids... Eve...

"I'm observing already!!!" shouted Ayumi. "Dang, I can't take this anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 It's too quiet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DANGDANGDANG- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Ayumi, shut up."

"Shut up yourself, Neos! Can't you tell I'm-"

"You know, I don't really care."

"Go to... HA! Something's happening with the Deathstinger!" she said happily.

"Don't be so cheerful," said Hitoshi skeptically. "It's not like you."

"I'm surprised you even know who I am, you're so caught up in yourself," mumbled Ayumi under her breath.

"So are you," mumbled Hitoshi.

The Deathstinger stood up and waved its tail a little. "...huh?" asked Eira, waking up from her nap. "Ambient, what're you doing? Stop it... WHOA!!!" The ancient Zoid lurched forward, opening the cockpit and unlocking the restraints. Eira flew out. "DANG!!!! My leg... THAT KILLS!!!" she shouted, sitting back up. "Ambient! What the heck...?"

"Took Kage long enough," laughed Neos. "Serves her right. He he..."

"Ooh..." mumbled Eira. "If you fire at me, Neos, I'm gonna... dang, my leg. It kills soooooooooooooo much... ugh... it almost hurts too much to talk. Ambient, why did you do that?"

The red organoid flew out the Deathstinger and looked down at her almost mockingly. Ambient seemed to grin as he whacked Eira back down to the ground with his tail. "HEY!!!" shouted the girl weakly. "What was that for?!!"

Neos laughed. "Looks like he was only following her orders to get to the Deathstinger. Oh, wait, this isn't good..."

Ambient turned back into a white light and flew into the Deathstinger one last time. In a few seconds it was surrounded by a pink cocoon. "In this case..." murmured Eira. "Pink DOESN'T make everything better." Her head fell back onto the sand.

"AMBIENT'S EVOLVING THE DEATHSTINGER?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Hitoshi.

"Is she unconscious?" asked Neos.

"For the better..." muttered Ayumi. "Or not. Our Zoids won't move, and Akira can barely move at all, so when Trinity comes back with the Puffer thing Eira would be our only chance to occupy the Deathstinger or whatever it turns into. But now that she's in Dreamland for a while, this is hopeless."

***

"Spring!" cried Sylvia, turning to her friend. "Go back to the Hover Cargo and wake up Jamie. Head for New Helic City and get Bit!!!"

Spring nodded quickly and ran off. "It kills me to do this, but when that thing comes out of its cocoon they're gonna need a lot of help without control of their Zoids," said Sylvia. "Dang. I just hope I get to see Adrian again." She gasped. "Oh wait!!! Twilight's in the Orudios, so...!!!" Sylvia sighed. "Ah well... I just know that thing'll be able to use Shadow mode. That won't be good."

Dive, Chosen... Dive and save Zi from it's inevitable fate...

***

Didja like? Ahh! Too many characters! Ah well... that's okay. I just went through an I-hate-my-story-spasm, but I went over these chapters so I like it again : )