I own nothing in this story except the plot! Enjoy your reading!
That night, Fiona slept listlessly on her cot in Lena's room. She listened to her own harsh breathing, then Lena's quieter breaths and thought about how she would amuse herself during the long day tomorrow. She shrugged mentally, and concentrated on bringing a glowing orb of power to her hand. It did, flashing a brilliant white. Slowly, straining with the concentration of not waking Lena, Fiona brought a laughing image of Van's face, along with Irvine and Moonbay to the orb. They were smiling, laughing talking. Just hearing their voices made her eyes fill with unshed tears. But they didn't spill over, she knew that if Van were here, he would want her to be strong, in this far off time when the deeds of Van Flyhieght weren't even heard of, and the shadow of the Deathsaurer was a mere legend. She played the ball of light like a movie, watching their adventures together, remembering, lest she forget him, and her past.
The next morning, Fiona didn't even know she had fallen asleep. Zeke nudged her awake during lunch. Fiona's hair stuck to her bedraggled state; her eyes were only half-open. Her arm ached, and she pulled it close to her body. The loose pajamas she had worn to sleep encumbered her when she tried to get up; they were tighter than ropes around her body. The organiods warm metal slowly, tenderly helped her out of her cot. She hastily made her bed and shoved it under Lena's, stowing it until further use. She glanced around the spacious, yet dark room. Lena had been kind and let Fiona sleep in, she had darkened the room by not turning on the fluorescent lights that were in every room in the base. She placed a small hand on the lights, but heard voices in the hallway. Suddenly remembering the Doc's warning to stay hidden, she scooted under the bed, leaving Zeke exposed. The organoid tried to act naturally, and succeed in looking like a Zoid with intelligence below normal. The lights were flicked on, and Fiona saw perhaps five pairs of feet.
"And this is my daughter, Lena's room. Now, as I've told you, the hunk of ice revealed nothing! I placed it on the heater, yet nothing was thawed from it, when my team fighter Bit here came to check on it, there was only a big puddle of slush to instigate that anything remotely similar to ice had been there." She heard the Doctor saying patiently. She heard another voice, one that was unfamiliar to her say back callously; "I cannot believe that pack of lies. Everyone saw something in that ice. I say you are hiding something." He finished, and Fiona could tell that he had an icy sneer on his face. She cowered, sensing great evil in this man's purpose. While she examined her powers closer, she failed to here the discussion between everyone at base and the mysterious visitor.
"Mr. Teilla, let me explain to you the nights events, again." Bit said, but was interrupted.
"Enough! I have heard enough from you Zoid bandits. That extravagant girl was obviously from the Blitz team, after you found the block of ice. Cryogenics are possible in these days, aren't they?" he said with a sly smile. He spread his arms wide, in a powerful gesture. "A girl with such power could be worth riches unimaginable." He looked at Brad, and handed him a card. "Call me if you suddenly remember something. I'll be waiting." He stepped out of the room, and called shrewdly over his shoulder, "The girl is here. You could be put to jail for withholding such valuable information from us. Even if you weren't lying, that power the girl held could lead to legal action. Beware what you do next." Then he walked away, his coat swung over the shoulders of his suit. The desert breeze made his hair shift, and he climbed curtly into the camouflaged jeep waiting for him. He said something, and swiftly, the car drove off.
The man in the suit was in fact Alteil, proud, arrogant, and a top ranking official in the Backdraft, who opposed the Zoid Battle Commission. He planned to actually take over the ZBC, and was waiting for enough power to make that happen. It seemed that the power was a gift of the Mountain of Ice, so appropriately named. He smoothed back his aging brow, and tapped his head, covered with dark hair, streaked gray. He leaned against his seat, and let his plan slowly come to his head. He smiled sinisterly as the thoughts floated into his head. It was all coming together now.
"Those fools! I can get the girl, then the Ultimate X will be mine!" he whispered, and laughed into the noon sky, so bright and carefree for children and those few truly happy people, but to the dark man, burning in awaited judgement for those who sin Fiona crept out slowly; wanting to make sure the evil man was gone. She sighed in relief, and was enveloped into a hug from Lena. Fiona whispered that she wanted to try to heal her arm, but alone, with only Lena around. The older girl agreed, eyes creasing worriedly. Lena wondered how the little girl could do such things, but during the girl's extended stay, thought of it as an extension of Fiona, rather then some magical phenomenon. Brad watched them all through hooded eyes. He was under mental assault. He didn't know whether to take the offer of money, or stay happily here with his teammates and their new apprentice. He shrugged to himself, promising himself to think about while he slept. Jamie walked quietly out of the room; he was getting weirded out by this whole encounter.
One by one, all occupants left the room through various degrees of whining, begging and bribing. Finally, it was just Fiona and Lena, the high sun pouring light from above. Fiona looked sadly at the hard; imprisoned left arm, and searched deep within herself to find the healing she needed. She found it, and her soul soared back from her subconscious to be reunited with the real world. Unfortunately, the real world included paparazzi, which meant one photographer suspended by a crane to peek into the bedroom. Ordinarily, this would be considered against the law, but the media is not so scrupulous that it will pay attention to a few broken laws for good stories, photos, etc. Lena did not notice the shade from the sun, intent as she was from watching Fiona work her 'magic'.
Fiona calmly whispered, "Flamis et treviam" and stroked her left arm where it had broken to the tips of her fingers. She felt a slight trickle of power flow through her body before her arm was enveloped with a turquoise hinted hue. It was at that exact moment that the photographer took his picture, with at least one hundred watts flashing at the concentrated duo.
Fiona cried out in pain as her arm began to hiss, the power burning from the great quantity of electrical power. She gasped and writhed on the floor in hollow agony as she surged her mental control to stop the pain. She succeeded in controlling the loose power, and returned it to finally knit the last of the bones together. She did not hesitate to draw away the power the second it was done, and glare with murderous eyes at the intrusion of her privacy. Wisely, the photographer chose to try and disembark from his vantage point. Fiona stopped him with a whispered word that had saved her from the rampaging Gunsniper.
"Diarnos," she said out loud, increasing the power of such a spell. The man was caught in an airtight bubble of turquoise tinted green, and began to gasp for air. Fiona gestured with her fully recovered left hand, and brought the camera out of the bubble, through the unopened window, and to her waiting palm. She whispered another spell, more dangerous than any before.
"Gaeis."
Burn, she thought with relish. The camera instantly disintegrated into ash from invisible flames. Fiona released the man from suffocation, and cut his suspension cable, sending him not to an early death, but to a soft landing on hard ground. When the willowy figured girl turned her head up to meet Lena's eyes, she saw fond pride. Lena mussed the girl's hair and exclaimed over her new knowledge of the spells she could command. Fiona nodded, proud, but weary. She requested to sleep once more, and she fell upon the bed once Lena had accepted her plea. She dreamed of black things that slithered and crawled, and evil things that held up fearful instruments. When Fiona woke up in a cold sweat, she noticed the rising moons with resentment, in a horrible mood and no one awake to talk to her. She saw something move then, on the desert floor through Lena's window. She saw it gleaming shiny silver in the moons' light, and decided to investigate. After walking out of the base's defensive system, she walked quickly through the cold sand to the last place she had seen the glistening object. When she reached the place quietly, her boot-shod feet softly crunching molecules of sand, she let out a quiet gasp of astonishment. There, sitting in the moonlight was Zeke, gazing with raised muzzle at the two moons. She ran to him, and hugged him with her newly healed hand. He was unresponsive, and Fiona knew how unlike him this was. She drew away, puzzled deeply at the organiods lack of interest, and looked deep into his ruby red eyes.
Except that his eyes were a deep black, unmoving and unblinking. Zeke had either been knocked unconscious or some evil had befallen him. Looking around, suddenly wary, she glanced back at the unlocked base, and the rocks that hid her from view. The sand mounds piled up around them, making the valley she had descended into look like nothing more than a collection of dunes. She gasped and drew in her breath to scream, not hearing a quiet "now," whispered with certainty. She felt a pair of metallic arms draw her into its fold, sharp claws squeezing into her soft, unblemished skin.
That night, Fiona slept listlessly on her cot in Lena's room. She listened to her own harsh breathing, then Lena's quieter breaths and thought about how she would amuse herself during the long day tomorrow. She shrugged mentally, and concentrated on bringing a glowing orb of power to her hand. It did, flashing a brilliant white. Slowly, straining with the concentration of not waking Lena, Fiona brought a laughing image of Van's face, along with Irvine and Moonbay to the orb. They were smiling, laughing talking. Just hearing their voices made her eyes fill with unshed tears. But they didn't spill over, she knew that if Van were here, he would want her to be strong, in this far off time when the deeds of Van Flyhieght weren't even heard of, and the shadow of the Deathsaurer was a mere legend. She played the ball of light like a movie, watching their adventures together, remembering, lest she forget him, and her past.
The next morning, Fiona didn't even know she had fallen asleep. Zeke nudged her awake during lunch. Fiona's hair stuck to her bedraggled state; her eyes were only half-open. Her arm ached, and she pulled it close to her body. The loose pajamas she had worn to sleep encumbered her when she tried to get up; they were tighter than ropes around her body. The organiods warm metal slowly, tenderly helped her out of her cot. She hastily made her bed and shoved it under Lena's, stowing it until further use. She glanced around the spacious, yet dark room. Lena had been kind and let Fiona sleep in, she had darkened the room by not turning on the fluorescent lights that were in every room in the base. She placed a small hand on the lights, but heard voices in the hallway. Suddenly remembering the Doc's warning to stay hidden, she scooted under the bed, leaving Zeke exposed. The organoid tried to act naturally, and succeed in looking like a Zoid with intelligence below normal. The lights were flicked on, and Fiona saw perhaps five pairs of feet.
"And this is my daughter, Lena's room. Now, as I've told you, the hunk of ice revealed nothing! I placed it on the heater, yet nothing was thawed from it, when my team fighter Bit here came to check on it, there was only a big puddle of slush to instigate that anything remotely similar to ice had been there." She heard the Doctor saying patiently. She heard another voice, one that was unfamiliar to her say back callously; "I cannot believe that pack of lies. Everyone saw something in that ice. I say you are hiding something." He finished, and Fiona could tell that he had an icy sneer on his face. She cowered, sensing great evil in this man's purpose. While she examined her powers closer, she failed to here the discussion between everyone at base and the mysterious visitor.
"Mr. Teilla, let me explain to you the nights events, again." Bit said, but was interrupted.
"Enough! I have heard enough from you Zoid bandits. That extravagant girl was obviously from the Blitz team, after you found the block of ice. Cryogenics are possible in these days, aren't they?" he said with a sly smile. He spread his arms wide, in a powerful gesture. "A girl with such power could be worth riches unimaginable." He looked at Brad, and handed him a card. "Call me if you suddenly remember something. I'll be waiting." He stepped out of the room, and called shrewdly over his shoulder, "The girl is here. You could be put to jail for withholding such valuable information from us. Even if you weren't lying, that power the girl held could lead to legal action. Beware what you do next." Then he walked away, his coat swung over the shoulders of his suit. The desert breeze made his hair shift, and he climbed curtly into the camouflaged jeep waiting for him. He said something, and swiftly, the car drove off.
The man in the suit was in fact Alteil, proud, arrogant, and a top ranking official in the Backdraft, who opposed the Zoid Battle Commission. He planned to actually take over the ZBC, and was waiting for enough power to make that happen. It seemed that the power was a gift of the Mountain of Ice, so appropriately named. He smoothed back his aging brow, and tapped his head, covered with dark hair, streaked gray. He leaned against his seat, and let his plan slowly come to his head. He smiled sinisterly as the thoughts floated into his head. It was all coming together now.
"Those fools! I can get the girl, then the Ultimate X will be mine!" he whispered, and laughed into the noon sky, so bright and carefree for children and those few truly happy people, but to the dark man, burning in awaited judgement for those who sin Fiona crept out slowly; wanting to make sure the evil man was gone. She sighed in relief, and was enveloped into a hug from Lena. Fiona whispered that she wanted to try to heal her arm, but alone, with only Lena around. The older girl agreed, eyes creasing worriedly. Lena wondered how the little girl could do such things, but during the girl's extended stay, thought of it as an extension of Fiona, rather then some magical phenomenon. Brad watched them all through hooded eyes. He was under mental assault. He didn't know whether to take the offer of money, or stay happily here with his teammates and their new apprentice. He shrugged to himself, promising himself to think about while he slept. Jamie walked quietly out of the room; he was getting weirded out by this whole encounter.
One by one, all occupants left the room through various degrees of whining, begging and bribing. Finally, it was just Fiona and Lena, the high sun pouring light from above. Fiona looked sadly at the hard; imprisoned left arm, and searched deep within herself to find the healing she needed. She found it, and her soul soared back from her subconscious to be reunited with the real world. Unfortunately, the real world included paparazzi, which meant one photographer suspended by a crane to peek into the bedroom. Ordinarily, this would be considered against the law, but the media is not so scrupulous that it will pay attention to a few broken laws for good stories, photos, etc. Lena did not notice the shade from the sun, intent as she was from watching Fiona work her 'magic'.
Fiona calmly whispered, "Flamis et treviam" and stroked her left arm where it had broken to the tips of her fingers. She felt a slight trickle of power flow through her body before her arm was enveloped with a turquoise hinted hue. It was at that exact moment that the photographer took his picture, with at least one hundred watts flashing at the concentrated duo.
Fiona cried out in pain as her arm began to hiss, the power burning from the great quantity of electrical power. She gasped and writhed on the floor in hollow agony as she surged her mental control to stop the pain. She succeeded in controlling the loose power, and returned it to finally knit the last of the bones together. She did not hesitate to draw away the power the second it was done, and glare with murderous eyes at the intrusion of her privacy. Wisely, the photographer chose to try and disembark from his vantage point. Fiona stopped him with a whispered word that had saved her from the rampaging Gunsniper.
"Diarnos," she said out loud, increasing the power of such a spell. The man was caught in an airtight bubble of turquoise tinted green, and began to gasp for air. Fiona gestured with her fully recovered left hand, and brought the camera out of the bubble, through the unopened window, and to her waiting palm. She whispered another spell, more dangerous than any before.
"Gaeis."
Burn, she thought with relish. The camera instantly disintegrated into ash from invisible flames. Fiona released the man from suffocation, and cut his suspension cable, sending him not to an early death, but to a soft landing on hard ground. When the willowy figured girl turned her head up to meet Lena's eyes, she saw fond pride. Lena mussed the girl's hair and exclaimed over her new knowledge of the spells she could command. Fiona nodded, proud, but weary. She requested to sleep once more, and she fell upon the bed once Lena had accepted her plea. She dreamed of black things that slithered and crawled, and evil things that held up fearful instruments. When Fiona woke up in a cold sweat, she noticed the rising moons with resentment, in a horrible mood and no one awake to talk to her. She saw something move then, on the desert floor through Lena's window. She saw it gleaming shiny silver in the moons' light, and decided to investigate. After walking out of the base's defensive system, she walked quickly through the cold sand to the last place she had seen the glistening object. When she reached the place quietly, her boot-shod feet softly crunching molecules of sand, she let out a quiet gasp of astonishment. There, sitting in the moonlight was Zeke, gazing with raised muzzle at the two moons. She ran to him, and hugged him with her newly healed hand. He was unresponsive, and Fiona knew how unlike him this was. She drew away, puzzled deeply at the organiods lack of interest, and looked deep into his ruby red eyes.
Except that his eyes were a deep black, unmoving and unblinking. Zeke had either been knocked unconscious or some evil had befallen him. Looking around, suddenly wary, she glanced back at the unlocked base, and the rocks that hid her from view. The sand mounds piled up around them, making the valley she had descended into look like nothing more than a collection of dunes. She gasped and drew in her breath to scream, not hearing a quiet "now," whispered with certainty. She felt a pair of metallic arms draw her into its fold, sharp claws squeezing into her soft, unblemished skin.
