Luineraugwen: Sorry this took so long to get up but my computer deleted it and I had to re type it as well as find the time to do so. Thank you for waiting as well as your reviews. Also anything written in Italics is either a thought or a dream.
Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids and I never will, so don't sue me. Nor do I own any of the characters except for Sorcha, Rae, Rando, Sphinx, Seth, Michael, Jerram and any other that doesn't appear in the anime. If you recognized anything in this story that is from a book, movie etc, they belong to their rightful owners. I used a few things from Miss Congeniality too. I don't own them.
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The Guardian Force had decided to stay with Rudolf until the ceremony was finished, but Sorcha and Colonel Shubaltz had already excused themselves and were making their way down the hill.
"Would you like me to take you to the base in my zoid or have you got your own transport?" the Colonel asked as he headed off towards the Iron Kong.
I've got my own transport thank you, and besides, the Iron Kong is a one person zoid" Sorcha replied as she headed towards the South Gate of the city.
"The base is north of Guygolos. Do you wan me to wait for you?" Karl called to her as he jumped into his zoid.
"No thanks, I'll catch up," Sorcha yelled as she ran through the gate and outside the city wall where her zoid was hidden.
* North of Guygolos *
Karl had begun to head to the base and he was trying to see were Sorcha had gone. He wanted to wait for her because if she had a slow zoid, she could get left behind but he had been told to go head. Karl then remembered that the location of the base was common knowledge.
'That is one strong woman' he thought to himself. I hope she will be able to stick around for a while. She'd probably be able to teach my soldiers a thing or two. God knows they need to sharpen up a bit and some damn well need a refresher course on how to be a soldier'. He sighed. Í need a new sparring partner. The martial arts training she did couldn't be too advanced. I hope she'll agree to it'.
A moving dot on his radar alerted the man to a zoid that was coming was behind him. Fast. He tightened his grip on the Iron Kong's controls in case it was going t attack. He turned his zoid around ad saw something silver and blue flash past him. He turned his neck so fast that he hurt it and saw the thing slam on the brakes before coming to a halt after making a kilometer of skid marks in the ground. The flash that he saw turned out to be a zoid, but it wasn't a make he'd seen before. It slightly resembled a Command Wolf but it was larger. There were guns and what seemed like cannons connected to its forelegs and body. Karl noticed that it had a strange tail and on closer inspection, he found that it was five long tails bunched together. The color of the paint varied from where he looked on the zoid. It was whitish silver than it darkened to a blue as it headed towards the tails.
"Hope I didn't have you worried there Col." Sorcha's voice came over the communicator. Ï took longer than I expected to get here". The Col. released his firm grip on the controls.
"Well at least you didn't get lost. C' Mon we'd better get going. I heard those other men were as hard to control as the Michael person you caught was". Karl started to make for the base and Sorcha followed.
They had been traveling for at least five minutes before they struck up conversation.
"That's a fancy looking zoid; I've never seen it before. Where did you find it?" Shubaltz asked the woman.
"I didn't find it Col., it was made for me. Back home. There was a scientist who wanted to create artificial zoids. He succeeded but he only made four. I was one of the four pilots chosen to mobilize the new creations. I may have been one of the best pilots but I still had trouble controlling this zoid" Sorcha explained.
"How did you have trouble, it looks like any other zoid". Right after he finished the sentence, Sorcha's zoid made a sudden move and its head on purposely turned towards the Iron Kong and snarled angrily before it looked forward again. Karl was very taken aback by the movement.
"That's why Col. The four new zoids were created to look but not act like normal zoids. Not only were they equipped with the latest technology, but also an A.I system much like Lieutenant Thomas's. This system allows the zoid to think for itself but also to do things that a normal zoid couldn't do without a pilot" Sorcha replied casually as she was used to her zoids reaction to insults.
"Impressive and I apologize to your zoid for what I said" Karl replied astonished. "Does your zoid have a name, Sorcha?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, her name is Foxfire" the woman answered as she checked a few maintenance things on Foxfire's on-board computer.
"What kind of things can Foxfire do?" Karl asked. The new zoid and her pilot had his full attention.
"A lot of things but I'll have to show you later or the soldiers in the base ahead will think that I'm either attacking you or them" she replied before falling into step behind the Iron Kong when they reached the gates.
"I am Col. Karl Lichen Shubaltz. I am here to interrogate the five assassins that were brought here. The pilot of the zoid behind me is also to assist me. These orders come from the Emperor himself" Karl announced when he stood outside hie zoid.
"Identification of the other pilot please" the soldier in the gate tower asked. Karl waved to Sorcha and she jumped out of Foxfire's cockpit then came to stand next to the Imperial babe, who was taller than her.
"My name is Sorcha" she replied.
"Access approved" the soldier answered opening the gates.
As Col. Shubaltz and Sorcha walked back to their zoids, the soldier's voice, accompanied by another soldier, came over the microphone again.
"That Sorcha woman is a real babe" soldier 1 said to his friend. The other soldier whistled.
"Yeah. Seems that Col. Shubaltz caught himself a real looker" soldier 2 replied.
"Doesn't he always. He must be a magnet to chicks. Talk about luck" soldier 1 added.
"I think the Col. and I have heard enough there boys," Sorcha yelled from her cockpit.
There was total silence in the gate tower for a few seconds before. "SHIT! We left the microphone on!" they both yelled. Sorcha cracked up laughing and Karl shot a warning glare up into the tower.
*Interrogation room in base*
Two soldiers were holding Michael, who was now conscious, to a chair while Col. Shubaltz and Sorcha were interrogating him. So far he had hadn't answered any of their questions but had constantly insulted Sorcha for an hour and a half. Karl was beginning to get really pissed off at all the names the man in front of him was calling Sorcha, the soldiers were watching the woman intensely to see when she would explode and bash the shit out of the man they were holding but she was sitting calmly on a chair listening but more interested in a loose thread on her jacket then Michael.
Michael had finally stopped abusing her after an hour and half and was catching his breath when Sorcha finally spoke, although still interested in the thread.
"Are you finished yet. Not only are you wasting our time but your own as well".
"I don't care you filthy whore!" Michael snapped. Karl stood up, a look of pure fury on his face. He was about to speak but Sorcha cut in.
"It takes one to know one, Michael" she replied looking up from the thread. Her face was extremely passive but her eyes showed that she was either tired or bored but she was probably both.
Michael snarled in anger. "You, me and this table in five minutes". He raised his eyebrows and leaned back in the chair the soldiers had thrown him into.
"No I don't think so. I wouldn't do it if you were the last man on Zi or if this was the last table or if it was the last five minutes of my life" Sorcha replied kicking the table with her foot while having taken interest in a new found thread on her jacket. The soldiers behind the man in question were trying to hide their smiles but Karl, who was very worried, could see the corners of their mouths curving.
'Sorcha may be smart and a good fighter but she is playing with fire. This guy is twice her size. If the soldiers had trouble containing him, she might as well' Col. Shubaltz was beginning to lose confidence in the woman.
Michael, not taking very well to rejection, lunged at her, taking the two soldiers by surprise. As soon she heard the chair being knocked over, Sorcha aimed a powerful kick at the guy's neck, which hit dead on. The man stumbled backwards and slammed into the wall before sliding to the floor in pain.
"I don't think that we are going to get any more out of him now. Take him back to his cell" Karl ordered the soldiers. They saluted before hauling the injured man to his feet and dragging him out of the room.
"You like bashing that guy up don't you? The way you're going, we're not going to get any answers," Karl said as he walked over to the door and told the guard to bring in the next person.
"Hey, I only gave him what he was asking for. He wanted his butt kicked, so I kicked it" Sorcha replied as she looked up and watched him cross the room to stand behind her again. They stopped their conversation as soon as the next person was escorted in.
This one looked no older than sixteen. His unkempt midnight black hair hung in his equally black eyes. The boy's chin was sitting gently on his chest but Sorcha could still recognize him by the oriental dragon tattoo that snaked around his upper arm.
"How ya going Sphinx?" Sorcha asked warmly and Karl was surprised by her sudden change of attitude. The young man looked up and it was clear that he wasn't doing too well. He had a swollen black eye, a fat lip and a nasty cut that ran down the side of his face but a big smile appeared on his beaten face as he saw Sorcha.
"Guards, has this happened while he had been under your supervision?" the Col. demanded and the soldiers shook their heads.
"No sir, he was brought in this way. He didn't even put up a fight when we caught him, just came along quietly. He's been like this the whole time. Never said a word" one of the soldiers replied.
"Can you tell us why you were in Guygolos today, Sphinx?" Sorcha asked as she looked the boy in the face but he shook his head.
"Are you sworn to a code of secrecy or are you just scared out of your wits by this woman? If you were, I wouldn't blame you" Karl asked also smiling but the boy shook this head again.
They young man straightened up in his chair and began to undo the bandana that was tied around his neck. Sorcha hadn't noticed the piece of material but, as she looked closer, she saw that parts of it were covered in dry blood. Sphinx gestured for the two interrogators to come forward. He pulled some of the material away from his throat, wincing in pain. Sorcha stared at the cut that had obviously been there for a few days. It had begun to bleed again because some of the scab had healed to the bandana that had been pulled away. Sorcha pulled a strip of cloth out of her pocket and quickly as well as gently tied it around the reopened wound.
The soldier's had also seen the wound. "Would you like us to take him to the Medical Ward. Col.?" one of them asked.
"Yes, he won't be able to talk so it will be best if he gets cared for until he can. If the doctor refuses to treat him, say it's an order from Col. Shubaltz" Karl ordered and the soldiers stepped back as Sphinx stood up. He smiled thankfully at the Col. and Sorcha before he walked off with the soldiers.
"We'd better have a break before the next one comes in," Karl said sighing and walking towards the door. "Besides, it might give us enough time to stretch our legs".
"I'm with you on that one Col." Sorcha replied following the man out of the room.
*Break Time- Somewhere in the base*
Sorcha and Karl had decided to have their break for an hour and then go back to the interrogation. They walked down one of the many corridors in the base, drinks in hand. Some of the soldiers they passed stared at Sorcha while others either nodded to the Col. or her. Somewhere in their travels, Karl stopped and offered her a seat at one of the tables near them.
"Sorcha, I've been meaning to ask this. So far we've questioned two men and you've known both of them. I've also got a gut feeling that you'll know the other three as well. I'm curious, how do you know them?" Karl asked as soon as they sat down, his beautiful green eyes not leaving her face.
"Well, I guess we all grew up together but as you see, Michael never grew up. The colony that I come from, it's so small that everyone knows everybody else" Sorcha said starting back at the Col.
The Col. was the first to break eye contact. "So what colony did you came from anyway?" Karl said taking a sip of his drink.
"It's called the Genkaku Colony. I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't heard of it because it is hidden deep within a mountain range. We lived inside the mountains for most of the year because most of it was covered in heavy snow. That is where I learned to fight. There are special training courses for those peoples in our colony that want to become pilots. You must be fifteen years or older to enroll in the courses. The average person could complete the training in about ten years but if a person is gifted, if could take them half the time or less. There aren't many people who can withstand the training and many drop out after six months or less. The training is extremely tough. It's probably five times harder than the training the army gives" Sorcha explained to the Col.
"That must be tough. How long did it take you to finish?" the Col. asked. He was intrigued by what the woman was telling him.
"Well it took me about three years, solid effort. I've spent the rest of the other nine years perfecting my abilities, teaching others or helping the scientists I told you about design the artificial zoids" Sorcha told him. She then turned to look out the window and watched the soldiers doing their handgun training.
"Hey we'd better start getting back, an hours almost up" Karl said standing up and grabbing the two empty plastic cups and throwing them into the bin while Sorcha got up and followed him back to interrogation room.
As they stood in front of the door to the room, someone yelled out "Hey sunshine!" at the top of his voice.
"Oh no" Sorcha said quietly when she heard it and Karl looked at her curiously. She looked at him, a small smile on her face. "There is only one person that has the guts to say that, especially out loud. If you didn't like Michael very much then I don't think you'll get along with this one either. He just has a smart mouth and not a fowl one".
They turned around saw a tall man with a huge grin on his face being escorted by two soldiers that looked like two thin sticks compared to this guy.
"Hello Sorcha. Fancy seeing you here" the man said as he walked through he door.
"Nice to see you to, Jerram" she replied then turned to Karl and said," I hope ready or a rough time" before she turned around and walked into the room. Karl sighed as he followed and took his place standing behind Sorcha.
"What's with the military escort, I don't see any handcuffs" Jerram said when he saw the Col. behind her.
"I'm sorry I can't say the same thing for you" Sorcha replied playfully. "Do you know why you're here Jerram?" she asked.
"Not really. I was walking through the city streets, looking for you, and I was ambushed by about ten of these guys" he pointed to the soldiers behind him. "They then mumbled that you are under arrest Bullshit and they dragged me off" Jerram answered.
"Yeah, well what those soldiers told is the law. You were arrested for trying to assassinate the Emperor today," Karl said coldly.
"That guy must have a stick up his ass" Jerram muttered to himself but all of the people in the room heard it.
"Stick up his ass or not, I think that Col. Shubaltz would be someone to be reckoned with. I wouldn't want to get on his bad side, which is something, your doing quite well as the moment. You've got more guts than brains, Jerram" Sorcha's voice had become ice cold. The soldiers and Karl were taken aback by her sudden show of harshness but Jerram clearly wasn't. He was laughing.
"Yes your Iceness" he said sarcastically. Sorcha wasn't worried by what he'd said or that he was laughing harder. "That was your old nickname wasn't it. Now what was the other one?"
Sorcha's eyes narrowed. "Do me a favor and fly back to the mothership" she said dangerously.
This time Jerram was clearly intimidated and thought about his answer but he smiled. "Only if you go with me Tex Ass. That's it. That was your other nickname".
Sorcha stood up. "Were you one of the people who was sent to assassinate Emperor Rudolf or not?" she demanded. The woman started to walk around the table holding her arms behind her, making it look like she had grown as well as adapted a deadly and dangerous attitude.
'She's clearly had enough of his games. Sorcha's showing a bit of her bad and nasty side. I'd better stay out of her way and let her handle this' Karl thought to himself as he watched the woman at work.
Jerram lightly banged the table with his fist, making everyone except Sorcha jump. "Sorcha, you got a nice ass". He was laughing again.
Sorcha walked over so she stood next to him. The soldiers standing behind Jerram took a step back because of the look on her face. She hit her fist on his head a few times. "Just as I thought. Your head is till hollow. Jerram, you know full well that I breathe fire. Don't make me show off!" she hissed. Her patience with him had ended as soon as he walked in the room.
"Okay, okay. I was sent along with four others. I, along with the others, had heard that you told Rando that he could take your tags and shove them where the sun doesn't shine because you were leaving the colony, you were sick of the missions he gave you. A few of the people back at the mountains are on your side, they just don't have the guts to tell Rando that, besides it's most of the young trainees you taught, but a lot of the people there are on his side. Sphinx and I are on your side, so we decided to kill the others on Rando's side that were also on this mission but we ended up getting caught in the process" Jerram explained finally.
"Thank you. That wasn't so hard after all" Sorcha replied to the man when he was finished. She then turned to Karl. "Did you get all that, Col.". He nodded and showed her the tape recorder in his hand.
Suddenly a soldier burst into the room. Everyone looked at the man, who saluted to the Col. before he explained himself. "Col. sir, two of the prisoners are dead" the soldier reported, although he as most wary about it.
"What! How did they die?" the Col. demanded to know. Karl was furious. They had caught all five of the assassins and two happen to die and they only had the confession of one person. It wasn't enough.
"We don't know sir" answered the timid soldier. He was extremely nervous.
Karl ran out of the room to look at the problem. "Soldiers, could you escort this man to his cell" Sorcha ordered the guards behind Jerram, then she turned to the one who had brought the news, who was standing in the doorway. "Could please show me where this happened?" she asked nicely.
"Er, yes ma'am" the soldier replied before opening the door for Sorcha and the other guards. She stood outside the room, waiting patiently for the man to lead her to where the Col. had run off to.
*Base Cells*
Karl stood in front of a very scared looking soldier who was trying to answer all the questions that the Col. was firing at him. Sorcha walked over to the cells and looked in one. Michael was lying on his back, as though he was asleep, but she couldn't hear him breathing.
"How did this happen? Where you watching him the whole time?" Karl asked angrily. He couldn't get a straight answer out of this man because he was mumbling and stuttering.
"Can you open this door for me, soldier?" Sorcha asked the man that had guided her to the containment area. He nodded and unlocked the door. Sorcha opened it and stepped inside. She looked at the body lying on the concrete floor. She noticed an empty glass on the bench that hung on the wall.
"Soldier, did these men request anything before this happened?" she asked the man Karl was still yelling at. They both looked at her as though that was a stupid question to ask but the soldier still answered it.
"Yes ma'am. They both requested a glass of water" he replied. He was more comfortable answering her than the Col.
"See if the cyanide pills are still in their boots" Jerram advised and Sorcha bent down at Michael's feet and began to fiddle with his boot.
"What do you mean cyanide pills?" Karl asked.
"Everyone of the people that are trained by Rando are given cyanide pills that are hidden in the hollow heel of a boot they wear. The pills are to be used when they are captured. The two that died must have used theirs. I'm not surprised because they were probably really devoted to Rando" Jerram explained while Sorcha walked into the next cell to check on the other prisoner.
As Sorcha walked back out, Karl noted the disappointed look on her face. "Has he used the pills too?" he asked and she nodded.
"Who was the other guy sunshine?" Jerram asked as she lent against the wall behind the Col. and sighed.
"I think it was Seth but I can't be sure because of the light in there and stop calling me sunshine" Sorcha replied. Her shoulders slumped slightly.
"Is the other captive still alive soldier?" Karl asked. The soldier nodded and walked towards the final cell.
"Yes sir. She hasn't said a word since she got here" the soldier replied.
"She. The final person is female" Sorcha said, her interest peaked again and the guard nodded again. 'Rando doesn't hire assassins from outside our group and none of the other women were skilled enough to pull off this mission. It can be only one person, Rae'
Sorcha followed the men. She stood outside the cell and looked in. She couldn't see the captive but she was sure the captive could see her but just hadn't taken any notice. Sorcha could hear what the prisoner was humming. She recognized it as a tune Rae had made up long ago.
"I'd say it is nice to see you again Rae but at the moment I can't see you. Come out of the shadows little sister" Sorcha said as she leant against the bars of the cell. The humming stopped within a few seconds and Sorcha could hear the shallow breathing of the prisoner.
"It's good to see you again too, Sorcha. How long has it been, three, four months?" Rae answered as he came into the light. She had deep green eyes and her brown hair went down to the middle of her back. Her fringe was white. She wore an army-like green shirt, a jacket and khaki cargo pants to match her top.
"Four and a half months if I've counted correctly" Sorcha replied a true smile on her face.
"In that case, hello bid sister" Rae answered.
'Well they do look alike. I wonder what Sorcha will think about her sister being held and questioned. I bet she'll asked us to let her go in a minute' the Col. thought to himself.
"Well, I think we should question Rae, see if we can find out anything else. Then you can decide what to do" Sorcha said as she turned to the Col. then back to her sister. "You don't mind that do you?"
"Nah. I don't mind if you question me or if you keep me here for a while. Its saver here than anywhere else at the moment. You never know where Rando's spies are" Rae replied. There was a yell of agreement from Jerram in his cell down the hall.
"Well that settles it then. Soldiers escort Rae to the interrogation room" Karl ordered the guards.
Rae stepped out of the cell and followed one of the guards. Karl and Sorcha then walked back to the room that they had been in for over four and a half-hours and continued their investigation.
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Luineraugwen: Sorry that it took so long to update this story. It isn't dead anymore. As an apology, I've also put up the next chapter. I have to retype the forth and fifth because those two have been deleted or something. Review.
P.S. Just so you know, it has been one year after the final defeat of Prozen. Karl, Sorcha, Jerram are 29, Rudolf is 14, Van, Fiona are 19 and Thomas, Rae are 24. If anyone knows the ages of other people such as Moonbay, Irvine, Col. Herman or anyone else for that matter, could you tell me in a review? Please.