Legacy of the Ancients
Chapter Eleven: Never More
By: Sci-Fi-Raptor
Disclaimer: I own Zoids and everything related to it. Actually I own the world! Not really… sob
"So you're Agamemnon" said a shadowy figure. His voice was as cold as ice, and he sounded unhappy. Agamemnon was all alone with this man, Jamal had left him right before he entered the Boss' room.
"Yes…sir" he managed to squeak. He couldn't see anything of the man, except the twinkle of the ceiling's light in his eye. He just sat there, staring at Agamemnon. He finally stirred.
"I would like to congratulate you on your last haul." said the ghoul. "We have received the package intact, and have analyzed it promptly after it was received."
"Thank you sir" Agamemnon managed to say, thinking that he wasn't going to get into trouble for what he did earlier.
"But there seems to be a problem" said the man. "It seems that you had picked up a hitch hiker en-route to our base, didn't you?"
Oh man! "Um… yes sir. But I only did it because they were in bad need of medical care. I couldn't just leave them there."
"Yes true" said the man. "And I may have done the same" but he leaned his head forward now, exposing his face to the light. "But you helped one of our sworn enemies"
"What? But I didn't know!" said Agamemnon. Now I'm gonna get it. Not only did I get off track, but I've also become a traitor.
"Your booklet shows that any member of the Blitz team is to be taken captive at all times, as per the instructions of Dr. Layon" he read from the Back Draft member's booklet. Then he showed him the pictures of the team. It wasn't an updated copy, so only the Doc, Leena, Brad and Bit were shown. "This person" he pointed to Jaime "Is the person you let go of. Dr. Leyon will not be pleased."
"But I had no idea…"
"It doesn't matter. You have violated law, so you shall be put into jail for 5 years." All of a sudden, clamps from the armrest of the chair held Agamemnon's arms down; he was handcuffed to the chair.
"Five years! I've worked hard for this organization, and I've been one of the best haulers that you have around. Dammit, I've been employee of the month for the last twenty and a half months!"
"It doesn't matter anymore. You have violated rules, and you shall be punished" said the man coldly. "But I'll let you in on a secret. Since you're going to be imprisoned for the next five years, and we will have already come out with this by then I'll tell you what we do here, and what that package was about." Agamemnon calmed down, sure that if he was going to escape, this wouldn't be the place.
Agamemnon was shocked by all that he had just heard. It seemed impossible what he had just said. But even if they weren't that shocking, he still couldn't think straight; they had thoroughly interrogated him. How did I get into this mess? he thought. The memories flashed back.
Flashback…flashback…flashback...
Beep…beep…beep…
6:25… wake up call.
Teete… teete… teete…
6:30… get up call.
Brushing teeth. Getting changed. Ate breakfast. Going to cousin's car. Headed to school. Goin' to locker. Ring… ring… first bell. Go to class.
Sift through mind… what's my class? Figured it out, and headed towards it. Feel like crap today, so I'm not gonna pay attention at all… as usual. Why feel like crap? My family's breaking apart. Parents separating. All this other crap going on, I'm not in the mood to care anymore… In class, and rest my head on the table. Drifting off to sleep… I remembering the days before my parents lost their jobs. It was so nice back then, and I was the perfect student. We were the perfect family, envy of all. Now people talk behind our backs about how troubled we are. Why did this have to happen to me? "Agamemnon!"
WTF? "Agamemnon, wake up!" yelled my teacher. I suddenly jolt up, and stared her down.
"Who the hell are you to order me?" I yell back. Everyone looks shocked at my reaction/language.
"No sleeping in class young man!" the teacher yells (and attempts to size me up), and throws my book open I front of me.
"Bitch!" I say. Everyone is about to say "ooo", but I pull out my handgun and point it to her forehead
"OMG!" she gasps. She starts shrinking to the ground, and I keep my gun at her forehead. I unlock the safety. By now, everyone in class starts screaming, and some people get out of the room. People outside are getting curious about what is happening in our room, and they're trying to see what's causing the raucous. I have 2 options now, blow her brains out, or run away. All of a sudden I look out of the corner of my eye, and see her. The only person I had ever cared for, and she's crying. I don't know if it's 'cause I might shoot our teacher, or because she actually cared about me, and didn't want me to end up like this. Damn it, I just had to look at her. "Fuck this shit!" I say, and run out of the room. I push through the crowd, and run out of the building, them not realizing that I was the one who started it all. Good thing I rode my bike so much over the summer I thought, surprised by how much and how fast I had run. School behind me, I could hear the cops pullin' up.
I hid the gun inside my jacket, back where I originally put it, and headed toward the first place that I could think of where the dropouts hang, the east side. I finally reached there, and caught my breath. I called an old friend. I take the bus downtown, and head towards the slums. I get off and see him waiting for me.
"Yo," he says "I thought you said you wouldn't need me to return the favor"
"So did I, but things are just too fucked up now bee…"
"Sorry bout that bro…" he says "But I think I know who can help you. I have this cousin that joined this thing called the Back Draft, and he said they were recruiting new members"
"Yo, man, I might be in trouble, but that's dope. Don't you know what those people do?
"Yah, man, but you don't have any other options. You been a city boy to long to go back to the street. At least with them you stand a chance…"
"I dunno dog…"
End flashback, with a water transition
Well, that's what I get for taking the easy way out… Life was so good back then. I just had to mess it all up. I was a good kid… If I ever get out of here, I'm goin' straight. No more dirty business. Never more. Agamemnon curled up into a ball and cried himself to sleep in his new, high security prison cell.
"Jamie, how much farther does the trail lead?" said the Doc.
"Well…" said Jamie "the ion trail from Bit's thrusters ends a few clicks from here, and some other emission comes out of the Liger, which goes underground. But the trail that he seemed to be following is still steady. I think it goes on for a few more clicks into the Aroché mountain chain."
"So how much longer will it take to get to the Aroché mountain chain, anyway?" asked Brad, who woke up from his nap when he heard the two's voices. He said it quietly, since Naomi was sleeping curled up to him.
"About fifteen minutes at full speed," said Jamie "but I'm not sure if the Hover Cargo can handle it."
"Well," said the Doc as he reached towards the throttle with a big grin on his face "we'll never know until we try…" He did it very suddenly, and everyone except Jamie was being crushed into his or her seat. Jamie, on the other hand, flew to the back, since he didn't have his seatbelt on.
"Ow…" said Jamie, slipping off the back wall, when the acceleration was complete.
"Commander, another unidentified vehicle is heading in our direction. Ground forces say its some type of hover platform. They commented that it looks like the Blitz team's Hover Cargo, but without the 'shell' part of it, and moving many times faster than it should be" said a Back Draft lackey.
"Is it now?" said the commander in a thoughtful tone. After a few minutes of typing into his computer, he took out a disk and said "tell them the search the vehicle with a subsonic beacon with a joint infrared scope and see if it comes up with any of the frequencies that this disk has on it."
"Yes sir," said the lackey "transmitting orders." A few minutes later the ground teams report that the vehicle had all the frequencies except two, which where the last two on the list. "Sir, they report that the vehicle had all the frequencies except two, which were the last two on the list you gave them."
"Good" replied the commander. So it is the Blitz team. Dr. Leyon was good for something. Now, if I can capture them, I'll be promoted for sure!
"Sir," said the lackey who was getting worried by the expression on the commander's face "are you all right?"
"I am king… what?" said the commander who was suddenly taken out of his trance. "Oh yeah. Tell the units to take everyone on board prisoner. But make sure none of them get hurt." Then, with a cruel smile "I don't care what they do to the Vehicle r anything in it, just as long as its inhabitants are safely captured."
"Yes sir"
"I have to commend you on your piloting so far Jamie" said the Doc "all that high speed flying trained you pretty well for the job"
"Why thanks!" replied Jamie. Well, that's what he was about to say, but something rocked the ship, and anyone not strapped in (Jamie) went flying forward. "Ow…" he said instead. Jamie quickly got up to see what was going on. "Holy _! There's an army out there! And there are like ten Gogulases anchoring us to the ground!"
"What's going on?" said a half asleep, but not gonna get any more rest Naomi
"We're under attack!" said the Doc. By now, everyone asleep, or not in the room had woken up, or gone into the room.
"Jamie! Learn how to drive, for God's sake!" said a blood thirsty Leena.
"It wasn't me! I swear it!" said a cowering Jamie, who hid behind the Doc.
"Then what's goin' on!" said a Brad, who seemed to be PMSing (Ow… wth Brad!? Im not a girl! Says you! What did you say? Say it to my face. I mean, be happy I didn't make you "change sides" you sick, SICK kid. Glad to be of service Ma'am what did you say? Ow… hey, now ur getting it!) And what's this feeling I have in my chest? (hahahahaaaa)
"We're under attack!" said Jamie.
"Really?" said Leena. "That's great! I've been itchin' to kick some butt lately" and ran to her Gun Sniper. Everyone else except for Jamie and the Doc followed her, and Brad was scratching his chest on the way. (Hey! This has been going on for long enough! Im starting to get scared… what are you talking to me for? I didn't do anything then who did…)
"I don't think I'll ever understand Leena" said Jamie.
"What's there not to understand?" said the Doc. "She's a tomboy!"
"Hey I heard that dad!" said Leena over the intercom.
"Man, you got in there fast" said Jamie.
"IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN SOMETHING?" said a fitful Leena.
"Um… sorry, ant talk to you now, those people are hailing us" said Jamie quicky, glad that he could get away from this before any blood was shed.
"Attention intruding party. Surrender immediately, or we will fire on you!" said the commander.
"You and who's army?" said the Doc.
"Hahahaa… look around you old man" he replied. True to his word, there was an army around them (as Jamie had kindly mentioned earlier). There were hundreds of Demanits, Macurtis, and Grounchar. There were also a few Molgas, Rev Raptors, Petras and Zabats. And the last group, a blue Elephander, a pair of MadThunder, six Iron Kongs, and the ten Gogulases anchoring the Hover Cargo down.
"Oh yeah…"
"Your pathetic army doesn't scare us!" said Leena on her intercom, as she got out of the Hover Cargo
"It doesn't?" said the Doc.
"Ya!" she said, and started her I'm-about-to-kill-you-all-in-one-shot-ritual; then she started blowing up the nearest Grounchar. Brad and Naomi were getting out while she "covered". Naomi when to the highest place she could find on the Hover Cargo, and Brad went to the side that Leena wasn't covering. Since the Doc and Jamie didn't want to seem useless, they manned the Hover Cargo's defensive turrets.
"Well, if you want to do it the hard way…" said the commander finally.
Leena was almost done taking out all the Grounchar and Macurtis that were on her side of the battlefield, but wasn't dangerously low on ammo. "Take this you rat! Bite on my Wild Weasel attack! HAHAHAAA!"
I think she's having too much fun thought Naomi. She was sniping the heavy, but slow units, and had succeeded at taking out five Iron Kongs. She was taking aim at the last one left.
Brad was dealing with a while lot of Demantis, but was keeping them at bay with his Vulcan Cannon. Man, will they ever stop coming?
Jamie and the Doc had their own troubles. The two MadThunder were barraging them with a hail of beams and mortars. Jamie was desperately trying to pick them off with the Hover Cargo's weaponry, and the Doc was trying to keep the shield online.
"That's the last of them!" said Leena, taking out her last foe. She never noticed the giant shadow looming over her.
"Really?" said the commander.
"Who said that?" said Leena, unaware of the whereabouts of the commander.
"I did!" he said, and turned his boosters off, falling right in front of Leena.
"Ahhh!" said Leena in surprise, and instinctively expelled all her ammo on him. When the smoke cleared, she saw the Elephander's trunk disengaging its shield. "Uhoh…"
"Your finished!" said the commander, and grabbed the Gun Sniper with its trunk. Then he thrashed it around, making its limbs, weapons, and armor fly off; he stopped when he thought that she was knocked out.
"Got Ya!" said Naomi, as the sniped the last Iron Kong. She disengaged her sniper mode, and turned her Gun Sniper around to look for the MadThunder that were assaulting the Hover Cargo. When she found them, she reactivated the sniper mode. Steady girl she thought to herself, as she put on of the MadThunder into her cross hairs. Steady she made minute adjustments to make sure her shot would take out the MadThunder. Almost there she slowed down her breathing rate, and counted with her heartbeat. NOW! She fired when her heartbeat was at its correct time. The round hit exactly where it was headed… only to by blocked by some blue-green shield. The MadThunder had noticed, and was training its guns at Naomi. Damn! Gotta move! She thought, but she was too late. The MadThunder had fired its beam weapon and hit dead center, and blasted Naomi off the Hover Cargo. It was a KO. The MadThunder continued to blast at the Hover Cargo.
Brad was getting desperate, and turned on his stealth gas. None of the Demantis pilots could see, and he easily picked them off. He checked his sensors and found out that he had taken them all out. But then something heavy landed on him.
"Peek-a-boo! I see you…" said the commander. He also had sensors like Brad's, and used them to find him and land on him. Unfortunately for him, he had his underside exposed to Brad Vulcan cannon.
"I see you too" he replied, and tore the Elephanter's underside with a continuous barrage of Vulcan cannon fire.
"Argh. You'll pay for that!" said the commander. He got off the Shadow Fox, but grabbed it with its trunk before it could escape. He thrashed it around until he was sure that Brad was unconscious.
Now its just the stupid Hover Cargo thought the commander. "All troops: engage the Hover Cargo!" The MadThunder barraged the Hover Cargo with new intensity. The hidden Demantis, Maccurtis and Grounchar joined the fray. The commander used the Elephander's missile pods and beam weapons. And the Gogulases that were anchoring the Hover Cargo turned to it and barraged it with their CPC's.
"We can't hold them back any longer" said the Doc. The shields were failing, and circuits all over the Hover Cargo were burning out.
"Ahh!" they both said when the shields failed, and the whole ship was rocking from the impacts of the enemy fire. The Hover Cargo was being torn apart by it, and they were lucky that the cabin ejected when it did, because the Hover Cargo exploded…
All my life I have suffered pain. Those damned beasts murdered my family, and I dedicated my life to exterminating them from the face of Zi. All I wanted to do was protect everyone from the danger they posed. But no one understood… they did their best to stop me, and then they became my enemy; my noble quest became a blood lust. So I lived a lonely life, with only Shadow as my friend. How ironic that of all things to befriend me, it was a Zoid, and that it also shared the thirst to destroy all Zoids from Zi, maybe even itself.
So here I was, since I died, left to contemplate what I had done all my life; the pain and suffering that I caused. The whole populations I had slaughtered… but it doesn't matter. I'm not going to go to the next world like everyone else. I've been damned to live my afterlife on this miserly planet, and the only way I'll ever go on is if I somehow redeem myself. But like the voice said, there are few that deserve second chances, and even fewer who get them…
"RAHhhh" screeched Shadow to Raven.
What's this? A new form of punishment? They're making an illusion of the one thing I ever loved, and will probably snatch it away from me when I see it. Did I really commit such crimes to warrant this?
"RAHHHH" screeched Shadow again. Realizing that he wasn't responding, he opened his chest cavity, and put him in there. Then he went to the surface and released him.
Can it possibly be? I feel the warmth of the sunlight, but I was buried miles underground inside that canyon. How could I have possibly been raised? Raven opened his eyes, but had to squint. His eyes hadn't seen Zi's sun for decades. When he could finally see, he saw the silhouette of Shadow's figure. Can it really be? Shadow got closer to him, and Raven could finally make out his details. Raven inched his face closer to him, as did Shadow, until their noses touched. It really is. But how?
Raven's eyes quickly jumped to life and he did something he never did since he was a child: he hugged Shadow. At first Shadow thought that Raven had gone nits, but as always, emulated his Master's feelings; he wasn't caught up with annihilating all of mankind, not today at least. Raven got up and grabbed Shadow by his hands, and started dancing in circles with him.
"Oh Shadow, I thought I'd never see you again!" said a youthful Raven.
"Rahhh" Shadow said in agreement. Then he turned into a blot and went back into the canyon.
"I know that you're really fast and all, um… Liger, but if you go so fast that you lap the world once when you brake, you know there' something ridiculous about it" said Bit.
"…whoops" said Hiro.
"Can I ask you one thing Liger?"
"Sure"
"What's your real name?"
"Well, I was RZ-002, but I was known as Hiro" he relied.
"So, I should call you Hiro from now on, shouldn't I?"
"I guess. Being called Liger gets demeaning after a while"
"Sorry 'bout that"
"No problem… wait, yes problem! Back Draft base coming up!" said Hiro
"Huh? So that's who's got Jamie. I bet its Leyon again, trying to get you."
"It seems so."
"Well, lets not disappoint them. And since you look lie a Molga, it should be easy to get in."
They slowed down until they went to the cruising speed of a Molga, and slowly pulled up to the entrance.
"ID number and clearance pass?" said the entrance guard. Hiro quickly hacked into their data pass, and found a Molga that was on a scouting mission. He found one, and copied its ID, clearance pass, the image of the pilot, and his voice. Then he put a modifier on the intercom, so Bit would sound like the pilot, and relayed the image of the pilot speaking.
"This is…um" Bit sounded a bit nervous "This is Atari 2 reporting. Clearance A1" he pretended to swipe the pass that would transmit the information. The guard looked at his screen, but confused; Bit thought he was caught.
"Says here you're not supposed to report in till 400 hours from now." Hiro cut in for him.
"My recon and communication equipment failed. I was reporting in to base to repair it."
"Alright, I'll tell engineering." the guard said. He was talking to someone, and took some time at it, and then he went back to Bit. "Engineering says to go to maintenance deck A4"
"Thanks." said Bit, and headed to where he guard told him to go.
"I have a bad feeling about this buddy. This seems too easy" said Bit
"Well, this is the Back Draft we're dealing with."
"Ya, but… wait a minute, this doesn't look like a maintenance bay. It's too empty" said Bit. Just as he said that, the entrance to the room was blocked.
"What the…"
"You really didn't think we'd fall for that, did you?" said someone from the room's loudspeakers. Then robotic turrets came out to the floor, ceiling and walls, and started shooting at them. Hiro was melting. "We were planning on you trying to pull something like that on us, so we made this room especially for you. But we didn't know that you would find out that your team was captured by us so soon." The EMPs melted all of Hiro away, and stunned Bit. That was the last thing he remembered hearing.
Raven? How'd he come back?
And what is the fate of Bit and the gang?
Find out in Chapter twelve "Raven the Dark"
This series is winding up, and I promise that Zi will reencounter something it hasn't encountered for millennia…