He's dead.
So simple to say, yet so hard to bear. I never thought he'd die. I suppose we thought he was invincible. But he's dead.
His zoid died with him. Those two.. partners, friends, comrades 'till the end. I suppose they wouldn't have wanted to go on living without each other.
He was always there, you know? Running, laughing, just being himself. Wherever I looked, he was there. But.. now he's not.
It's too quiet. It was never this quiet, not when he was around. Doc is in the main room, just staring. Brad is in the hangar, with the Liger. Leena.. Oh god, Leena.
What do I say?
What can I say?
Nothing will help, nothing will bring him back. Leena.. the rage, the anger, and at the bottom of those violet eyes, the overwhelming sorrow.
I need to call the others. Naomi and Leon, first.
Click.
"Jamie, how are you?" Naomi answers, looking happy.
She'll know soon. I know what I look like. Tear-stained, red-rimmed eyes, hair messed up.
"Jamie, what's wrong?" She sounds concerned.
No point in putting it off. I say hoarsely,
"Bit's dead."
Shock, disbelief, and finally, deep grief.
"OH MY GOD! LEON!" She screams. Leon's face comes into the view screen. "What?!" I repeat myself in my low, unchanging voice,
"Bit is dead."
Leon says, hoping against hope, "You're kidding, right?" Desperate for me to say it's a joke.
I shake my head. "He's dead. He died at 10:04 A.M."
Leon bows his head before whispering, "How did he die?"
I remember it so clearly.
We were fighting the Genobreaker Team. They had two Genosaurers and a Genobreaker.
Bit was using the Jager. Liger was running ahead of the Genobreaker before the Liger skidded to a stop, did a 360-degree turn, and began running head- on towards the Breaker.
The Genobreaker stopped. I could see that smirk on its unholy face. Its mouth opened. The beam fired.
Brad, in the Shadowfox, turning a second too late..
Doc, with an expression of terror..
I, in the Raynos, diving too slow..
Leena and her Gunsniper, screaming his name..
Bit, running into the beam, fear on his face before it changed to acceptance..
And Liger.
Liger, roaring, accelerating, the Jager flaking off..
That hellish beam..
It hit the core.
And Liger threw his head back and roared once before he died.
Liger was thrown into the air, charred black pieces of armor flying..
And the Judge.
Even it had an expression of grief.
The satellite fired.
The Genobreaker Team was annihilated, no chance to scream.
I landed easily and hit the ground, running with Brad, Leena, and Doc towards the Liger..
But we knew already.
How could we not?
Bit's fire-blackened skeleton, still gripping the controls..
The Liger's blood-red eyes flaring once before they dimmed..
Never to return to life.
And now those two comrades are together forever.
We couldn't separate Bit from the Liger.
Bit is dead.
Liger is dead.
And I..
I, Jamie Hemeros,
I am alive.
- Jamie Hemeros
So simple to say, yet so hard to bear. I never thought he'd die. I suppose we thought he was invincible. But he's dead.
His zoid died with him. Those two.. partners, friends, comrades 'till the end. I suppose they wouldn't have wanted to go on living without each other.
He was always there, you know? Running, laughing, just being himself. Wherever I looked, he was there. But.. now he's not.
It's too quiet. It was never this quiet, not when he was around. Doc is in the main room, just staring. Brad is in the hangar, with the Liger. Leena.. Oh god, Leena.
What do I say?
What can I say?
Nothing will help, nothing will bring him back. Leena.. the rage, the anger, and at the bottom of those violet eyes, the overwhelming sorrow.
I need to call the others. Naomi and Leon, first.
Click.
"Jamie, how are you?" Naomi answers, looking happy.
She'll know soon. I know what I look like. Tear-stained, red-rimmed eyes, hair messed up.
"Jamie, what's wrong?" She sounds concerned.
No point in putting it off. I say hoarsely,
"Bit's dead."
Shock, disbelief, and finally, deep grief.
"OH MY GOD! LEON!" She screams. Leon's face comes into the view screen. "What?!" I repeat myself in my low, unchanging voice,
"Bit is dead."
Leon says, hoping against hope, "You're kidding, right?" Desperate for me to say it's a joke.
I shake my head. "He's dead. He died at 10:04 A.M."
Leon bows his head before whispering, "How did he die?"
I remember it so clearly.
We were fighting the Genobreaker Team. They had two Genosaurers and a Genobreaker.
Bit was using the Jager. Liger was running ahead of the Genobreaker before the Liger skidded to a stop, did a 360-degree turn, and began running head- on towards the Breaker.
The Genobreaker stopped. I could see that smirk on its unholy face. Its mouth opened. The beam fired.
Brad, in the Shadowfox, turning a second too late..
Doc, with an expression of terror..
I, in the Raynos, diving too slow..
Leena and her Gunsniper, screaming his name..
Bit, running into the beam, fear on his face before it changed to acceptance..
And Liger.
Liger, roaring, accelerating, the Jager flaking off..
That hellish beam..
It hit the core.
And Liger threw his head back and roared once before he died.
Liger was thrown into the air, charred black pieces of armor flying..
And the Judge.
Even it had an expression of grief.
The satellite fired.
The Genobreaker Team was annihilated, no chance to scream.
I landed easily and hit the ground, running with Brad, Leena, and Doc towards the Liger..
But we knew already.
How could we not?
Bit's fire-blackened skeleton, still gripping the controls..
The Liger's blood-red eyes flaring once before they dimmed..
Never to return to life.
And now those two comrades are together forever.
We couldn't separate Bit from the Liger.
Bit is dead.
Liger is dead.
And I..
I, Jamie Hemeros,
I am alive.
- Jamie Hemeros