Zoids: A New Beginning

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own zoids blah blah blah.

Stroma watched with interest the Blitz Team's victory over Derrik and the Raptorus. Such wonderful warriors would be powerful assets to the Backdraft Group. He knew they would never join him however, and he didn't want to eliminate the competition for his pilots.

He never heard Garret approach. "You have news for us sir?" asked Garret. To his credit, Stroma was not startled. He had grown quite used to Garret sneaking up on him.

"Yes, tell the others to meet me in hangar three," said Stroma, "I have a gift for them."

"Yes sir," Garret answered and left.

An hour later Garret, Jeremy, and Daniel met Stroma in the hangar. Stroma snapped his fingers and the lights came on. The three pilots turned as one to face the zoids in the hangar. Jeremy was the first to speak, "Unreal."

"Incredible!" exclaimed Daniel.

The hangar contained two zoids. The first was a saurian zoid with an elongated snout. On its shoulders were mounted powerful guns. An array of spines stood up along its back. The second was a scorpion type zoid. It was armed to the teeth with razor-sharp pincers and powerful guns.

"A Dark Spiner and Death Stinger," said Garret, smiling.

"How did you get these zoids sir?" asked Jeremy.

"I have my resources, as you know," replied Stroma. "I would be more than happy to give you each one of these zoids, but Garret gets first pick."

"I will remain with the Genosaurer," said Garret.

"Why, both the Death Stinger and Dark Spiner are more powerful?" asked Jeremy.

"I have my reasons," replied Garret. "I'll keep the Genosaurer, on one condition, I will use Chaos from now on."

"You want to use the Organoid?" asked Stroma, "Why? Wouldn't he serve you better in the Dark Spiner or Death Stinger?"

"I have my reasons," was Garret's only reply.

"Very well," said Stroma, "It is now up to Jeremy and Daniel who gets what zoid, choose well." He turned and left, leaving the Strike Team to get familiar with their new zoids.

Vega sat in the darkness of his hangar, looking forlornly at the wreck that had been the Berserk Fury. The Fury was far from beyond repair, but without the Backdraft Group's funding, he just couldn't afford to buy repairs for the Fury.

He heard footsteps coming up behind him. He turned to see a tall beautiful woman coming up behind him. Her name was Sarah. She had been Vega's chaperone during his time with the Backdraft Group. After they had left, she had officially adopted him and was now his mother.

"We'll find a way to repair the Fury, Vega," she said, resting a hand on Vega's shoulder.

"I know mom," he replied, "I wonder how we're going to do it though."

"You could always take Bit Cloud up on his offer," said a voice from the entrance of the hangar. "The Blitz Team is no longer lacking for funds."

"Who's there?" asked Sarah.

"What's your name?" asked Vega.

"Or," the voice paused, "You could take me up on the offer I am about to make."

"What offer?" asked Vega.

Derrik Fay walked up to Vega. "I have taken an interest in you. I would like to form a team. You see, I have tired of solo battling, it will be nice to have someone on the team with me."

"And you want me to join your team?" asked Vega.

"Yes, I will handle the repair costs for the Berserk Fury and you will fight alongside me in zoid battles."

"Who else is on this team?" inquired Vega.

"You are the first person I have asked," said Derrik, "So, do I get an answer today."

Vega considered the offer for a moment. "I accept," he replied.

Stoler looked at the Elephander. It had been his pride and joy. Ever since he had left the Backdraft Group, his sole purpose had been to fight and defeat Bit Cloud. However, after fighting Bit, the Liger 0 proving to be the more powerful of the two zoids, Stoler was unsure of what to do now. Zanders, his only companion had faithfully remained by his side since Stoler left.

As Stoler thought about the past, his mind wandered back to the early days, when he had been the finest zoid warrior in the Republic. His mind wandered through his glory days to the time when he joined the Backdraft Group and participated in the design and construction of the mighty Elephander.

As he thought about the past, the present intruded. The hangar walls were vibrating. Stoler knew it as the unmistakable sound of an airborne transport landing outside. Stoler rushed out and was joined by Zanders. Together they watched the enormous transport, which resembled a shark, land in front of them. The forward hatch, or mouth, opened and someone whom Stoler knew well walked out.

"Derrik!" he exclaimed. Derrik and Stoler were actually old friends. When Stoler had been a young boy, Derrik was already a full-grown man. Derrik's age exceeded Stoler's by a decade at least, and yet he didn't look a day under twenty-five.

"Stigma Stoler, how good to see you my old friend," said Derrik.

"What did you come here for?" asked Stoler, "I don't think you just decided to drop by and say hello."

"You're correct, as always," replied Derrik. "I have actually come here to ask you to join my team."

"You, forming a team?"

"That's right."

"And you want me to join you?"

"Yes."

"What do you have to offer?" inquired Stoler, intrigued.

"Since I am in Class S, you will have the opportunity to fight Bit Cloud once again," said Derrik.

A smile crossed Stoler's face, "In that case, I accept."

"Good news team," said Dr. Toros, "I've received information regarding our next battle."

"Who's our opponent?" asked Bit.

"It's the Seeker Team," said Jamie, "The coordinates of the battle are at 07765."

Dr. Toros called up a map and whistled, "That's fairly uneven terrain. There are lots of canyons, mountains, and other obstructions. It's like a giant maze."

"Perfect for stealth zoids," said Brad.

"Actually the seeker team has several heavy artillery zoids," said Jamie, "The only zoid with any stealth capability is the Konig Wolf."

"A Konig Wolf," said Brad, "This should be a walk in the park."

"Yeah, heavy artillery zoids are at a disadvantage when it comes to broken terrain, with all those obstructions, they won't be able to fire until we hit 'em."

"I'm not so sure," said Jamie, "The Seeker Team didn't make it into Class S without some sort of way to overcome broken terrain."

"We'll find out when the battle commences tomorrow," said Dr. Toros.

The next day, the team arrived at the coordinates of the battlefield. The judge landed somewhere in the convoluted system of canyons and began the battle. Following the judge's announcement of the battle, Bit, Leena, and Brad rushed into the cover of the canyons.

"Alright lets be careful," said Brad, "If we run into them here, we don't want to be taken by surprise."

The three zoids slowed down to a careful walk. They soon came upon a junction. Brad had been watching the canyon walls, they had too many ledges that could easily be exploited by an enterprising sniper.

"Which way should we go?" asked Bit, "Left or right?"

"My sensors are picking up a signal to the right," said Brad. His Shadowfox's sensors were powerful and could detect zoids with ease.

"Then lets go right," said Leena decisively.

"Wait a second Leena," said Bit, "We could be walking right into an ambush."

"Bit's right, we should think about this," agreed Brad.

Unknown to them, the Konig Wolf pilot had cleverly planted a decoy down on the right side and was carefully approaching them from the left side. The decoy would simulate the signal of a zoid. The Konig Wolf moved by jumping from one ledge to another. The pilot finally reached a point where he had line of sight to the Blitz Team's zoids. He radioed to the rest of his team, "I have them spotted, you want me to mark 'em out for ya?"

"Go ahead," replied the team leader.

Bit's sharp eyes spotted the Konig Wolf. "We've got company!" he exclaimed.

The Blitz Team moved down the left branch to engage the Konig Wolf. Bit and Brad ran side by side while Leena brought up the rear. "Looks like that Konig Wolf has its sensor array deployed," said Brad, referring to the long box-like projection that had dropped over the Konig Wolf's snout.

Leena's sensors blared a warning. "Incoming missiles!" she yelled.

"Where?" asked Bit. No sooner had the question escaped his mouth than the missiles came like a hailstorm. The Liger crouched to avoid the fire as best it could. Next to him the Shadowfox did the same. Leena found a sheltered alcove to protect her zoid from the fire.

The barrage soon ended. Bit looked up to see that the Konig Wolf had disappeared in the chaos. "Where'd the Konig Wolf go?" asked Bit.

"I'm willing to bet that it's waiting for us in another canyon farther down," said Brad. "I'm also willing to bet that wasn't a sensor array the Konig Wolf was using."

"What do you think it was using?" inquired Leena once she left her cover.

"I think that was a laser-targeting apparatus," said Brad. "The team must send him out to find the opposing team. He then uses the laser targeting apparatus to mark out the zoids so that the rest of his team can hit them from a distance."

"Oh I see," said Bit, "They use the Konig wolf as a spotter." He smirked, "Well, two can play at that game. Leena, I want you to come back to the hover cargo with me."

"What are you planning?" asked Brad.

"I'm going to switch to the Panzer armor. You're going to do what that Konig wolf just did and find our opponents. Then you'll guide our missiles in to take 'em out."

"The Shadowfox doesn't have a laser-targeting apparatus," said Brad.

"Just send us the coordinates of the opposing team when you find them, and we'll send the missiles in ballistic trajectory to that point," said Leena. She and Bit were already on their way back to the hover cargo.

"Okay then," said Brad to himself, "Lets do it Fox." The Shadowfox whined and took off down the canyon. The Shadowfox jumped, scaling the sheer walls of the canyon like they were level ground. It was soon bounding from ledge to ledge much the same way the Konig Wolf had been earlier.

Meanwhile, the Liger was transferring from its usual white armor to the dark green Panzer armor. Bit heard the Liger's frame groan as the heavy armor, hybrid cannons, and missile launchers were locked into place. The hover cargo's side panel opened and the Panzer's platform extended out over the side panel. The platform then slid back, dumping the Liger onto the ground. Bit felt the cockpit grow hot around him as the stabilizers immediately started to heat up slightly.

Meanwhile, Brad was having luck. He had finally found the Seeker Team's location and was about to relay the information to the others when the Shadowfox's sensors picked up a zoid coming at him from behind. The Shadowfox wheeled around to find the Konig wolf approaching on the same ledge.

"So, it's about time I found you," said the Konig Wolf pilot.

"You gonna mark me out for your friends' missiles?" asked Brad.

"Oh no, it's long past due that I got some points for myself. The dual-sniper rifle on the zoid's back fired. The Shadowfox ducked under the shots and charged the Konig Wolf. The Wolf sidestepped the Shadowfox's charge and started heading straight up the canyon wall, with the Shadowfox in hot pursuit.

The Shadowfox's Vulcan laser gun opened up, but the Konig Wolf scrambled over the top of the incline and out of Brad's line of fire. The Shadowfox was up on top not much later, but he found the Konig Wolf waiting for him, with the laser-targeting unit deployed. "I changed my mind," the pilot quipped. Brad easily spotted the missiles that were falling like a summer rainstorm. He leapt over the Konig Wolf and out of the laser's line.

The Konig Wolf quickly wheeled around and tried to target the Shadowfox for his teammates again. Instead, he was engulfed by the Shadowfox's smokescreen, which caused too much interference for the laser-targeting array to be of any use. The pilot tensed up, waiting for the attack he believed to be inevitable. But no attack came. When the smoke cleared, the Shadowfox had vanished.

The Shadowfox found a sheltered, secluded ledge from which he could watch the other team. He began to relay the coordinates back to his teammates. He noted the interesting configuration the other team's zoids had.

The team's Saber Tiger looked fairly standard, except it had a missile launcher and magazine in place of the regular back mounted cannon. The Gunsniper actually bore a resemblance to Leena's Gunsniper. The only difference was that this one had missile pods in every available space, including the space where Leena's gattling cannons would normally be. The team's Dibison also appeared to be geared towards missile assault. Instead of the normal array of seventeen cannons, the Dibison sported a large missile battery and an even larger magazine.

At the Blitz Team's end of the canyon, Leena and Bit received the targeting data from the Shadowfox. Bit and Leena fed the coordinates into the missiles' targeting program.

"Firing missiles," said Leena, all six missile launchers on the Gunsniper opened fire.

"Burning Bigbang!" shouted Bit. The Liger 0 Panzer was completely obscured in exhaust as literally hundreds of missiles fired from the Panzer's several launchers.

The Seeker Team soon found themselves subjected to their own strategy as missiles rained in. All three zoids were out of the battle in seconds. Only the Konig Wolf remained.

Satisfied that the opposing team's missile launching zoids had been neutralized, Brad began to hunt for the Konig Wolf. It wasn't long before he spotted the Konig Wolf doing some hunting of its own along the ledges of a canyon. The Shadowfox went up over the canyon rim and approached a point that positioned him directly above the Konig Wolf.

The first hint the enemy pilot had of trouble was when a thick, black cloud of smoke descended around him. The Konig Wolf spun in circles looking for the elusive attacker. The pilot then realized that the best way to fight his opponent was to leave the smoke cloud. But by then it was too late. The Shadowfox pounced on him. "Strike Laser Claw!" shouted Brad, his attack neatly defeating the Konig Wolf.

"The battle is over. The battle is over," said the judge. "The winner is…the Blitz Team."

"Oh yeah, we won!" cried Leena in trumph.

Bit smiled. "Good work partner," he told the Liger 0.

"Hmmm I just got an idea," said Dr. Toros.

"What's that?" inquired Jamie, getting the feeling that the good doctor was about to suggest they buy another useless part.

"We should get a laser-targeting array to equip the Shadowfox with. That strategy worked unbelievably well!" exclaimed Dr. Toros.

"That might not be such a bad idea," said Brad, who was also considering the strategy's stunning success. "We'll talk Doc."

A Redhorn collapsed as its companions disappeared in smoke and explosions. The judge nearby announced in a shrill voice, "The winner is…the Strike Team." The team that was the pride of the Backdraft Group had won yet another battle.

In the cockpit of his Genosaurer, Garret looked out over the battlefield. "Bit Cloud," he muttered under his breath, "We'll meet again, and next time you won't be so lucky." He looked down at the Genosaurer's control panel, where he looked at the status readouts. "How much more do you need Chaos? When will we be ready?" Silence greeted his inquiry.

On the greatshark, Stoler stood next to Derrik on the bridge. Derrik had been teaching Zanders how to fly the immense airborne transport. "Are we going back to the hangar then?" asked Stoler.

"No," replied Derrik, "There is one more member of the team we must recruit."

"And who would that be?" asked Sarah who had come on the bridge at that moment.

"She was also once a member of the Backdraft Group. She was their airborne specialist."

"Ah, you mean Pierce then," said Stoler.

"Yes, Pierce is the final member of the team. I have a special zoid for her," said Derrik.

"Her residence is directly below us," said Zanders.

"Good," stated Derrik, "Set us down."

In her humble home, Pierce felt the vibrations of the landing transport and went out to greet her visitors. When she stepped out of her front door, she was surprised to see more than a few familiar faces.

"Stoler, Sarah, Vega!" she exclaimed, "What brings you here?"

"We or more accurately I have come to make you an offer," said a dark haired man coming down the ramp behind them. Pierce quickly recognized him.

"You're Derrik Fay, the top warrior in Class S," she stated. "What have you to offer?"

"I have come to offer you a chance to join our team," said Derrik.

"I would love to accept that offer, but I sold the Storm Sworder that Dr. Leon designed for our unsanctioned battle. I have no zoid."

Derrik's smile broadened, "Do not worry about your lack of a zoid, for in the hold of this very transport, there is a zoid that I would very much like you to meet."

"You have my interest now," said Pierce, "Very well, I accept."

In the Strike Team hangar, Garret looked up at the Genosaurer that was his zoid. He then looked over at the brown Organoid that stood by his side. "When the time comes Chaos, you and I will be unstoppable."