Rebel Love
Chapter 8-First Face Off
By Kitten Starr
Leena whizzed through the course like she was on a mission. In her heart, she was on a mission, to find out who she was. Over the past two weeks she had began to have a strange dream, a nightmare really. In the dream, she remembered falling endlessly down the cliff that almost killed her. When she finally stopped she was unconscious and on the brink of death. At first, she thought the dream was just a recap of her horrible incident that stormy day, but she didn't expect the last part of her dream. It wasn't Vega that saved her. It was a mysterious blonde-headed boy. She could never fully see his face, just his spiky blonde hair. But it was just dream, right? Her enigmatic savior was someone she imagined. It was just a dream and nothing else.
She grinned wickedly as she took down the last Elephander with one jolt from her Saix's twin laser pulse canons. How much she loved this Zoid! She had gotten used to the Zoid's magnificent speed. It was when she was running countless mazes when she really lost herself in her thoughts. She thought of them as tests to see how quickly she reacted when there was a tight corner to curve into. This Zoid was her secret weapon that aided in her freedom, her freedom to think without being asked questions. When was she going to have a real Zoid battle?
Sarah answered that question once Leena's simulation run was over. She was surprised that Leena could withstand those speeds. The young girl's body didn't look like it could take that much, but she was and Sarah wasn't going to argue with that.
Smiling, Sarah approached Leena. "I have great news, Alena. The Backdraft Group will be fighting the Fluegel Team tomorrow."
Leena took her helmet off and shook her head. "It's about time. I was beginning to think I was training for nothing." She took her hair out of its ponytail and smiled. "I can't wait!"
Sarah laughed. "I can assure you, when it comes to the Backdraft Group its members never train for nothing. There's always a battle to be battled with and always a win to be won. Now you go shower and I'll see you at dinner."
Leena obeyed. She needed to freshen up. Her hair was matted to her forehead and she felt sticky. Boy did she love that Zoid though! No matter how grungy she felt when she left the cockpit of her Lightning Saix Ultima, she'd return to it as faithful as ever. A comical thought escaped her mind. She was sure she could understand her Zoid sometimes. A Zoid with a mind of its own, that was funny! Or was it?
-~*~-
Bit entered the living quarters of the Hover Cargo and cleared his throat. He did this wanting everyone's attention. Doc and Jamie stopped the game they were playing and Brad opened his eyes.
"I'm going to search for Leena."
Doc and Jamie gasped. "But we need you here, on the team, Bit."
Brad sat up on the edge of the couch. "Bit, think logically. What good would it do for you to go in search of her? She needs time alone. She said so in the letter. Just give her time. Things like this take lots of time. And I doubt a month and a half is enough."
Jamie looked at Brad. Leena needed time for what? She had mentioned something about finding herself in her letter, but Jamie never realized it was this serious. What did Brad know that the others did not, save for Bit? He was curious.
Doc agreed with Brad one-hundred percent. As much as he wanted his little girl back with them, he respected her decision to go. They really needed Bit at the moment for Zoid battles. If it weren't for that, he would have encouraged Bit's leaving. Leena would come around when she wanted. If time was what his little girl needed, then time she was going to have.
Bit sighed in defeat. He didn't know where to start anyway. She could at least send something to them letting them know she was okay. "I guess you're right guys." He slumped off to work on his Zoid, his only true friend right now. Liger seemed to understand what he was going through.
-~*~-
Leena was up early again for the second morning in a row. She had dressed and had breakfast before any of the others were even awake. The compound was spooky without the tech officials and meds constantly roaming the halls. It gave her goosebumps. Her first Zoid battle with her Saix was today. She would be fighting against the eminent Fluegel Team. She had heard about the team from Vega. He had fought against their leader, Naomi Fluegel. She piloted a Sniper, though much different from Leena's custom Gun Sniper, and was tricky. Leena would have to watch out for her.
Two hours before the battle was to take place, Sarah informed Leena that she'd be in one-on-one combat.
"You mean I'll be out there alone?" screamed Leena.
Sarah winced. "I think this is actually a good thing. We'll get to see your battle tactics and hopefully work out any problems that may arise in the future. This is an opportunity for you, a great opportunity."
Vega nodded in agreement. "There will be plenty of battles that we'll be fighting in together. Look at this as another practice round. I'm sure you'll blow their socks off."
Leena laughed. "Let's hope it won't get that messy. I don't need the battle commissioner to be on me, Veg."
That caused a burst of laughter from her raven-haired friend.
Perhaps this wasn't such a bad fixation after all. She would get to show off her skills in a real Zoid battle. Not just some crummy battle between the lower ranking members of the Backdraft Group. They weren't much competition. She hoped she'd get to fight against the Fluegel's team leader. A leader was the strongest on a team in her mind. She had a few tricks up her sleeve as well. She was a daring pilot willing to take risks. She was living on the edge nonetheless.
Sarah could see the fierce look in Leena's eyes. It made her think of the young warrior with a completely new outlook. It was like she had split personalities. One minute she might be gentle and sweet, the next she was as austere as a tiger. She admired every attribute with great respect.
-~*~-
The time had come. The battle was minutes away and Leena could feel the adrenaline flowing through her veins. She was going to win this battle. That was a fact.
Soon the Judge descended onto the battlefield. "Battle mode 0988 set, area scanned. Ready. FIGHT!"
Leena took hold of the controls of her Lightning Saix Ultima. With a silent plunge, they were on the battlefield. She was surprised to see the Zoid of her opponent, a Gun Sniper. She didn't waste any time. She had the red beast locked on target, but before she could even think to fire away her enemy was gone.
"What the?" was the only thing Leena could say.
"Hmmm. You'll have to do better than that." said a young woman.
"You! Who are you?"
"I'm the leader of the Fluegel Team."
"Leader, huh? Well let's see how you can handle this!" shouted Leena.
"What?!"
Leena had used the Saix's enhanced speed and agility to take the Gun Sniper by surprise. It had worked! She blasted the Sniper from behind using her twin laser pulse canons. The impact was great, but her opponent wouldn't give up so easily.
The attractive Fluegel Team leader had never seen such speed and maneuverability on another Zoid besides the Liger Zero, which was piloted by Bit Cloud. It was quite amazing. When this battle was over, she would have to meet this Zoid pilot. Truly remarkable!
Leena growled in frustration. This was going to be tougher than she had expected. She cursed herself for her mishap. She was a warrior, a Zoid warrior. She was supposed to expect the unexpected. Just like a situation such as this one. She was going to win. She was determined.
Nevertheless, the fierce Saix pilot was running neck-in-neck with the Sniper. Two robust souls were battling it out on the desert field. Only one was to be the victor today. The other would go home a loser. Leena wasn't going to be the loser; she was going to be the victor. She whipped around in a tight turn catching the Sniper pilot off guard once again.
"A Lightning Saix could never make a turn so effortless," mumbled the Fluegel leader. "But then again, this isn't any ordinary Saix."
"You got that right! Strike Laser Claw!!"
The Sniper pilot shut her eyes and waited for the worst to come. She had never been defeated in a one-on-one battle before. Then again, there was a first for everything. She got out of her Zoid and waited as her opponent exited hers.
The white judge announced the winner, "Battle over. The winner is, the Backdraft Group!" With that, his capsule closed and rocketed off back to the space satellite it usually inhabited.
Leena opened the door to the cockpit. She jumped from the Zoid and walked over to her opponent.
Extending her right hand, "That was a good battle. I hope to fight you again someday."
The Fluegel leader looked at the helmeted pilot while taking her hand. Something smaller than herself had beaten her. "Yes, someday we'll battle again. What is your name by the way?"
Leena grinned beneath her helmet. "Alena."
"Mine is Na-"
Leena cut her off mid-sentence. "Naomi Fluegel. Leader of the Fluegel Team. Pilot of a red custom Gun Sniper."
Naomi stared in awe. "That's right."
Leena turned and left. "Until next time."
-~*~-
Leena returned to the base with a new outlook on Zoid battles. She was going to have to practice more than what she already did. She couldn't have her enemies tricking her on the field. She had to expect the unexpected!
Sarah and Vega were waiting in the lobby of the building when Leena brought her Saix into its hangar.
"Nice work out there, Alena," smiled Vega.
"Thanks, Vega."
Sarah eyed her, "What's wrong? You won!"
Leena sighed, "I underestimated my opponent today. I shouldn't have done that."
Vega stepped up, "That's the challenging part of Zoid battles. You have to be spontaneous or else it's not worth battling over."
Leena took off her helmet. "I guess so, Veg. I guess so."
She left the room to shower. She had found a part of herself out there on the battlefield. She suspected that she had been in numerous Zoid battles before. If only she could remember!
Chapter 8-First Face Off
By Kitten Starr
Leena whizzed through the course like she was on a mission. In her heart, she was on a mission, to find out who she was. Over the past two weeks she had began to have a strange dream, a nightmare really. In the dream, she remembered falling endlessly down the cliff that almost killed her. When she finally stopped she was unconscious and on the brink of death. At first, she thought the dream was just a recap of her horrible incident that stormy day, but she didn't expect the last part of her dream. It wasn't Vega that saved her. It was a mysterious blonde-headed boy. She could never fully see his face, just his spiky blonde hair. But it was just dream, right? Her enigmatic savior was someone she imagined. It was just a dream and nothing else.
She grinned wickedly as she took down the last Elephander with one jolt from her Saix's twin laser pulse canons. How much she loved this Zoid! She had gotten used to the Zoid's magnificent speed. It was when she was running countless mazes when she really lost herself in her thoughts. She thought of them as tests to see how quickly she reacted when there was a tight corner to curve into. This Zoid was her secret weapon that aided in her freedom, her freedom to think without being asked questions. When was she going to have a real Zoid battle?
Sarah answered that question once Leena's simulation run was over. She was surprised that Leena could withstand those speeds. The young girl's body didn't look like it could take that much, but she was and Sarah wasn't going to argue with that.
Smiling, Sarah approached Leena. "I have great news, Alena. The Backdraft Group will be fighting the Fluegel Team tomorrow."
Leena took her helmet off and shook her head. "It's about time. I was beginning to think I was training for nothing." She took her hair out of its ponytail and smiled. "I can't wait!"
Sarah laughed. "I can assure you, when it comes to the Backdraft Group its members never train for nothing. There's always a battle to be battled with and always a win to be won. Now you go shower and I'll see you at dinner."
Leena obeyed. She needed to freshen up. Her hair was matted to her forehead and she felt sticky. Boy did she love that Zoid though! No matter how grungy she felt when she left the cockpit of her Lightning Saix Ultima, she'd return to it as faithful as ever. A comical thought escaped her mind. She was sure she could understand her Zoid sometimes. A Zoid with a mind of its own, that was funny! Or was it?
-~*~-
Bit entered the living quarters of the Hover Cargo and cleared his throat. He did this wanting everyone's attention. Doc and Jamie stopped the game they were playing and Brad opened his eyes.
"I'm going to search for Leena."
Doc and Jamie gasped. "But we need you here, on the team, Bit."
Brad sat up on the edge of the couch. "Bit, think logically. What good would it do for you to go in search of her? She needs time alone. She said so in the letter. Just give her time. Things like this take lots of time. And I doubt a month and a half is enough."
Jamie looked at Brad. Leena needed time for what? She had mentioned something about finding herself in her letter, but Jamie never realized it was this serious. What did Brad know that the others did not, save for Bit? He was curious.
Doc agreed with Brad one-hundred percent. As much as he wanted his little girl back with them, he respected her decision to go. They really needed Bit at the moment for Zoid battles. If it weren't for that, he would have encouraged Bit's leaving. Leena would come around when she wanted. If time was what his little girl needed, then time she was going to have.
Bit sighed in defeat. He didn't know where to start anyway. She could at least send something to them letting them know she was okay. "I guess you're right guys." He slumped off to work on his Zoid, his only true friend right now. Liger seemed to understand what he was going through.
-~*~-
Leena was up early again for the second morning in a row. She had dressed and had breakfast before any of the others were even awake. The compound was spooky without the tech officials and meds constantly roaming the halls. It gave her goosebumps. Her first Zoid battle with her Saix was today. She would be fighting against the eminent Fluegel Team. She had heard about the team from Vega. He had fought against their leader, Naomi Fluegel. She piloted a Sniper, though much different from Leena's custom Gun Sniper, and was tricky. Leena would have to watch out for her.
Two hours before the battle was to take place, Sarah informed Leena that she'd be in one-on-one combat.
"You mean I'll be out there alone?" screamed Leena.
Sarah winced. "I think this is actually a good thing. We'll get to see your battle tactics and hopefully work out any problems that may arise in the future. This is an opportunity for you, a great opportunity."
Vega nodded in agreement. "There will be plenty of battles that we'll be fighting in together. Look at this as another practice round. I'm sure you'll blow their socks off."
Leena laughed. "Let's hope it won't get that messy. I don't need the battle commissioner to be on me, Veg."
That caused a burst of laughter from her raven-haired friend.
Perhaps this wasn't such a bad fixation after all. She would get to show off her skills in a real Zoid battle. Not just some crummy battle between the lower ranking members of the Backdraft Group. They weren't much competition. She hoped she'd get to fight against the Fluegel's team leader. A leader was the strongest on a team in her mind. She had a few tricks up her sleeve as well. She was a daring pilot willing to take risks. She was living on the edge nonetheless.
Sarah could see the fierce look in Leena's eyes. It made her think of the young warrior with a completely new outlook. It was like she had split personalities. One minute she might be gentle and sweet, the next she was as austere as a tiger. She admired every attribute with great respect.
-~*~-
The time had come. The battle was minutes away and Leena could feel the adrenaline flowing through her veins. She was going to win this battle. That was a fact.
Soon the Judge descended onto the battlefield. "Battle mode 0988 set, area scanned. Ready. FIGHT!"
Leena took hold of the controls of her Lightning Saix Ultima. With a silent plunge, they were on the battlefield. She was surprised to see the Zoid of her opponent, a Gun Sniper. She didn't waste any time. She had the red beast locked on target, but before she could even think to fire away her enemy was gone.
"What the?" was the only thing Leena could say.
"Hmmm. You'll have to do better than that." said a young woman.
"You! Who are you?"
"I'm the leader of the Fluegel Team."
"Leader, huh? Well let's see how you can handle this!" shouted Leena.
"What?!"
Leena had used the Saix's enhanced speed and agility to take the Gun Sniper by surprise. It had worked! She blasted the Sniper from behind using her twin laser pulse canons. The impact was great, but her opponent wouldn't give up so easily.
The attractive Fluegel Team leader had never seen such speed and maneuverability on another Zoid besides the Liger Zero, which was piloted by Bit Cloud. It was quite amazing. When this battle was over, she would have to meet this Zoid pilot. Truly remarkable!
Leena growled in frustration. This was going to be tougher than she had expected. She cursed herself for her mishap. She was a warrior, a Zoid warrior. She was supposed to expect the unexpected. Just like a situation such as this one. She was going to win. She was determined.
Nevertheless, the fierce Saix pilot was running neck-in-neck with the Sniper. Two robust souls were battling it out on the desert field. Only one was to be the victor today. The other would go home a loser. Leena wasn't going to be the loser; she was going to be the victor. She whipped around in a tight turn catching the Sniper pilot off guard once again.
"A Lightning Saix could never make a turn so effortless," mumbled the Fluegel leader. "But then again, this isn't any ordinary Saix."
"You got that right! Strike Laser Claw!!"
The Sniper pilot shut her eyes and waited for the worst to come. She had never been defeated in a one-on-one battle before. Then again, there was a first for everything. She got out of her Zoid and waited as her opponent exited hers.
The white judge announced the winner, "Battle over. The winner is, the Backdraft Group!" With that, his capsule closed and rocketed off back to the space satellite it usually inhabited.
Leena opened the door to the cockpit. She jumped from the Zoid and walked over to her opponent.
Extending her right hand, "That was a good battle. I hope to fight you again someday."
The Fluegel leader looked at the helmeted pilot while taking her hand. Something smaller than herself had beaten her. "Yes, someday we'll battle again. What is your name by the way?"
Leena grinned beneath her helmet. "Alena."
"Mine is Na-"
Leena cut her off mid-sentence. "Naomi Fluegel. Leader of the Fluegel Team. Pilot of a red custom Gun Sniper."
Naomi stared in awe. "That's right."
Leena turned and left. "Until next time."
-~*~-
Leena returned to the base with a new outlook on Zoid battles. She was going to have to practice more than what she already did. She couldn't have her enemies tricking her on the field. She had to expect the unexpected!
Sarah and Vega were waiting in the lobby of the building when Leena brought her Saix into its hangar.
"Nice work out there, Alena," smiled Vega.
"Thanks, Vega."
Sarah eyed her, "What's wrong? You won!"
Leena sighed, "I underestimated my opponent today. I shouldn't have done that."
Vega stepped up, "That's the challenging part of Zoid battles. You have to be spontaneous or else it's not worth battling over."
Leena took off her helmet. "I guess so, Veg. I guess so."
She left the room to shower. She had found a part of herself out there on the battlefield. She suspected that she had been in numerous Zoid battles before. If only she could remember!