Chapter three
"Loki, what were you thinking?!" A disgruntled young woman ran to the cockpit of the Zoid and turned to her partner.
"Loki, you shouldn't 'av. Ee was jus' a trav'er. Ee din't mean us'ns no 'arm!" An older woman followed the younger one.
"He had a breaker. He was harming enough. No one must know we are here."
"Oh, you poor thing!" The young woman had opened the cockpit and was now cradling the pilot's head in her arms. "Look'ee here, Loki. You nearly killed him!"
"Would you rather your precious Bone is destroyed?" Loki asked. "I'm sure you wouldn't want that, would you, Fenix?"
The young woman, obviously Fenix, shook her head defiantly. Her amber hair fell in her face, and she brushed it away. Her green eyes shone out brightly at Loki, the only thing bright about her pale complexion. "You know he would have left us alone."
"See? Loki, ye din't 'ave t' go an' shoot 'im down loik that!" The older woman raised her cane and smacked Loki over the head with it. As Loki cringed away, the old woman nearly toppled, but was caught right before she hit the ground.
"Now now, Missus Eve. You'm be best to say where you are, and don't go bally well lashin'' out at people like that." Loki had flown from standard Zi language, to a slang that he had developed over the years of isolation in the desert.
"Leggo o' me, ye brute!"
"A'ite, marm." Loki let go of Eve, and she balanced herself with her cane.
"Loki, car'y tha' young 'un back to ee 'house. Oi'd espect that ee'll be noice and comfy by the toim oi get in thurr." Eve shook her cane at Loki as she spoke in her strange dialect.
Later that afternoon, after the pilot had been carefully tucked into the spare bed, Loki, Eve, and Fenix sat in the kitchen. Eve tapped her cane on the wood floor impatiently. Loki was stirring a cup of coffee, black with tons of sugar. Fenix was anxiously tapping the table with her fingers.
Loki broke the silence. "When is that pilot going to wake?"
"Whenever he decides. The way you hit him, I'm surprised he's even alive." Fenix sighed, putting her head in her hands.
"Boi moi loif, I'd espect 'im t' wake oop in about foive dayers," Eve laughed.
Fenix's bright eyes caught a tiny movement. The pilot had moved his hand. Fenix's sharp hearing told her that the pilots' breathing wasn't as even now, and he sounded awake. She politely excused herself from the table, to the pilot she was to take care of. By standards, Eve was too old, and Loki would rather kill him.
The pilot was on his back; eyes open, looking at the ceiling. When Fenix approached him, his eyes only shifted to meet her gaze. He had pretty eyes. Not quite hazel, not quite purple. His hair was black, and framed his strict face with its red check and dot tattoo mark.
"You're awake," Fenix said, kneeling by the bed.
"Where am I?"
"Um.... Our house. I'm not sure where we are anymore. In the desert."
"Where's my Zoid?"
"Outside with ol' Bones and Griffith. I like the Zoid. Its a grand ol' machine. Never saw the likes of that. Not since the Death Saurer."
"Death... Saurer?" The pilot propped himself up on one elbow. "What do you know about the Death Saurer?"
"Oh, I know quite a bit. Hiltz used to live here. I never dreamed he would become a villain. I thought he was going to be a hero. But that's just what he told us. It's been two years. Mother says he died as a fool, but I know better."
"Mother... Whatever are you talking about?"
"Nothing. Oh, my name's Fenix. What's yours?"
The pilot frowned, as if thinking about it. Then he answered simply, "Raven."
"Raven... Kinda like the Raven that helped Van fight the Death Saurer." Fenix giggled. "But you can't be him."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you that's who I was, would you?"
"Yes. But is that who you really are?"
"Of course. I'm Raven. The Raven who destroyed countless cities, killed hundreds of people, and you're treating me with the kind of respect you would Van. Now, when can I leave? I have someone I have to meet."
"Meet? Who would that be?" Fenix leaned in closer to Raven. "Well?"
"Some girl. Or something. She stopped me in the middle of a battle, and I have to know why."
"Oh, sounds like an adventure. Can I come?"
"No."
Fenix stuck her tongue out at Raven. "What's your problem?"
"Its a personal adventure. You don't come. Beside that, I travel alone."
"Well, alright. If you say. The door's there, your Zoid's out back, and you're free to go." Fenix sat cross-legged, smiling at Raven politely, yet behind the grin, her eyes danced with mischief.
Raven sat up and for the first time looked at the young woman. She had medium length auburn hair, green eyes, and a kindly and at the same time strict face. She was rather pale, and strictly thin, almost nothing. Raven glowered at her and got up to walk out the door.
"Er, Raven, you may want to rethink how you go about this."
Raven didn't heed those words. He walked out, and found his Genobreaker lying relatively on its side and underbelly. It looked rather beat. He walked to the red Zoid and stepped into the cockpit. He tried to get the monster going, but was unable to. He frowned on his sudden bad luck. He was, however, not surprised to see Fenix standing next to the cockpit, grinning like the Cheshire cat, and yet looking calm as an ocean breeze.
"What do you want?" Raven didn't need to waste his time.
"You look like you need some help."
"You couldn't help me if you tried."
"I could. But for helping you, I would like to go on your adventure with you. Okay?"
"No."
"Fine. But get out of the way. Oi doan't loik ee crabby peoples. They'm moighty boring." Fenix suddenly dropped her standard speech for a more complex slack of language.
Raven shook his head and stepped back out of the cockpit. He watched Fenix step in. Then she motioned for Raven to get in the back. He did, with a grin on his face. There was no way she would get the Breaker to its feet again.
"Careful," Fenix warned, smiling even wider than Raven. "She's gonna get up a little rusty."
Raven had little time to get situated before, with a creaking groan, the Breaker heaved itself off the ground to stand. It shook, and its armor plates clanked together. Then it roared, glad to be back on its feet. Raven was standing in the back, his mouth open. When he noticed Fenix looking at him, he quickly closed his mouth.
"Neat trick. I assume you're getting out of my Zoid now?"
"You only assume. But I said I wanted to come with you. So you assume wrong."
"Get out, before I make you wish you never fooled with me."
As the Breaker lowered its head, Fenix smiled and laughed at Raven. "That's a powerful threat. But I wouldn't be counting on it. I'll make you wish you never denied my company. So now," Fenix stepped out of the cockpit, "I bid ye good day."
Then Raven was free to go. He took one last look at the desolate little ram shackled house before turning to walk into the moonlit desert. Fenix shook her head sympathetically. Then, turning to face Bones, the amber Dragon Zoid, she said what was on her mind.
"Poor Raven, he doesn't know what he's getting into. Bones, we have a place to be in the morning."
Bones growled in understanding, his red eyes lighting up.
"Loki, what were you thinking?!" A disgruntled young woman ran to the cockpit of the Zoid and turned to her partner.
"Loki, you shouldn't 'av. Ee was jus' a trav'er. Ee din't mean us'ns no 'arm!" An older woman followed the younger one.
"He had a breaker. He was harming enough. No one must know we are here."
"Oh, you poor thing!" The young woman had opened the cockpit and was now cradling the pilot's head in her arms. "Look'ee here, Loki. You nearly killed him!"
"Would you rather your precious Bone is destroyed?" Loki asked. "I'm sure you wouldn't want that, would you, Fenix?"
The young woman, obviously Fenix, shook her head defiantly. Her amber hair fell in her face, and she brushed it away. Her green eyes shone out brightly at Loki, the only thing bright about her pale complexion. "You know he would have left us alone."
"See? Loki, ye din't 'ave t' go an' shoot 'im down loik that!" The older woman raised her cane and smacked Loki over the head with it. As Loki cringed away, the old woman nearly toppled, but was caught right before she hit the ground.
"Now now, Missus Eve. You'm be best to say where you are, and don't go bally well lashin'' out at people like that." Loki had flown from standard Zi language, to a slang that he had developed over the years of isolation in the desert.
"Leggo o' me, ye brute!"
"A'ite, marm." Loki let go of Eve, and she balanced herself with her cane.
"Loki, car'y tha' young 'un back to ee 'house. Oi'd espect that ee'll be noice and comfy by the toim oi get in thurr." Eve shook her cane at Loki as she spoke in her strange dialect.
Later that afternoon, after the pilot had been carefully tucked into the spare bed, Loki, Eve, and Fenix sat in the kitchen. Eve tapped her cane on the wood floor impatiently. Loki was stirring a cup of coffee, black with tons of sugar. Fenix was anxiously tapping the table with her fingers.
Loki broke the silence. "When is that pilot going to wake?"
"Whenever he decides. The way you hit him, I'm surprised he's even alive." Fenix sighed, putting her head in her hands.
"Boi moi loif, I'd espect 'im t' wake oop in about foive dayers," Eve laughed.
Fenix's bright eyes caught a tiny movement. The pilot had moved his hand. Fenix's sharp hearing told her that the pilots' breathing wasn't as even now, and he sounded awake. She politely excused herself from the table, to the pilot she was to take care of. By standards, Eve was too old, and Loki would rather kill him.
The pilot was on his back; eyes open, looking at the ceiling. When Fenix approached him, his eyes only shifted to meet her gaze. He had pretty eyes. Not quite hazel, not quite purple. His hair was black, and framed his strict face with its red check and dot tattoo mark.
"You're awake," Fenix said, kneeling by the bed.
"Where am I?"
"Um.... Our house. I'm not sure where we are anymore. In the desert."
"Where's my Zoid?"
"Outside with ol' Bones and Griffith. I like the Zoid. Its a grand ol' machine. Never saw the likes of that. Not since the Death Saurer."
"Death... Saurer?" The pilot propped himself up on one elbow. "What do you know about the Death Saurer?"
"Oh, I know quite a bit. Hiltz used to live here. I never dreamed he would become a villain. I thought he was going to be a hero. But that's just what he told us. It's been two years. Mother says he died as a fool, but I know better."
"Mother... Whatever are you talking about?"
"Nothing. Oh, my name's Fenix. What's yours?"
The pilot frowned, as if thinking about it. Then he answered simply, "Raven."
"Raven... Kinda like the Raven that helped Van fight the Death Saurer." Fenix giggled. "But you can't be him."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you that's who I was, would you?"
"Yes. But is that who you really are?"
"Of course. I'm Raven. The Raven who destroyed countless cities, killed hundreds of people, and you're treating me with the kind of respect you would Van. Now, when can I leave? I have someone I have to meet."
"Meet? Who would that be?" Fenix leaned in closer to Raven. "Well?"
"Some girl. Or something. She stopped me in the middle of a battle, and I have to know why."
"Oh, sounds like an adventure. Can I come?"
"No."
Fenix stuck her tongue out at Raven. "What's your problem?"
"Its a personal adventure. You don't come. Beside that, I travel alone."
"Well, alright. If you say. The door's there, your Zoid's out back, and you're free to go." Fenix sat cross-legged, smiling at Raven politely, yet behind the grin, her eyes danced with mischief.
Raven sat up and for the first time looked at the young woman. She had medium length auburn hair, green eyes, and a kindly and at the same time strict face. She was rather pale, and strictly thin, almost nothing. Raven glowered at her and got up to walk out the door.
"Er, Raven, you may want to rethink how you go about this."
Raven didn't heed those words. He walked out, and found his Genobreaker lying relatively on its side and underbelly. It looked rather beat. He walked to the red Zoid and stepped into the cockpit. He tried to get the monster going, but was unable to. He frowned on his sudden bad luck. He was, however, not surprised to see Fenix standing next to the cockpit, grinning like the Cheshire cat, and yet looking calm as an ocean breeze.
"What do you want?" Raven didn't need to waste his time.
"You look like you need some help."
"You couldn't help me if you tried."
"I could. But for helping you, I would like to go on your adventure with you. Okay?"
"No."
"Fine. But get out of the way. Oi doan't loik ee crabby peoples. They'm moighty boring." Fenix suddenly dropped her standard speech for a more complex slack of language.
Raven shook his head and stepped back out of the cockpit. He watched Fenix step in. Then she motioned for Raven to get in the back. He did, with a grin on his face. There was no way she would get the Breaker to its feet again.
"Careful," Fenix warned, smiling even wider than Raven. "She's gonna get up a little rusty."
Raven had little time to get situated before, with a creaking groan, the Breaker heaved itself off the ground to stand. It shook, and its armor plates clanked together. Then it roared, glad to be back on its feet. Raven was standing in the back, his mouth open. When he noticed Fenix looking at him, he quickly closed his mouth.
"Neat trick. I assume you're getting out of my Zoid now?"
"You only assume. But I said I wanted to come with you. So you assume wrong."
"Get out, before I make you wish you never fooled with me."
As the Breaker lowered its head, Fenix smiled and laughed at Raven. "That's a powerful threat. But I wouldn't be counting on it. I'll make you wish you never denied my company. So now," Fenix stepped out of the cockpit, "I bid ye good day."
Then Raven was free to go. He took one last look at the desolate little ram shackled house before turning to walk into the moonlit desert. Fenix shook her head sympathetically. Then, turning to face Bones, the amber Dragon Zoid, she said what was on her mind.
"Poor Raven, he doesn't know what he's getting into. Bones, we have a place to be in the morning."
Bones growled in understanding, his red eyes lighting up.