Tori the Hanyou: Chappie 4 is here! Thanks, Blue Eyes Knight, for giving me
an idea for this chappie! It's yet another sibling feud as we introduce two
younger siblings of two of the stars of our current fic. You'll find out
who they are in a while...muahahahahaha...just b patient!
DISCLAMIER: No, I don't own Zoids, only Tori, Taylor, the Ligress Zero, and one of the siblings to be introduced...Blue Eyes Knight owns the other one! ^- ^
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The Unknown Ultimate-X
Chapter 4: Meet the Stryker Team!
Tori grieved for some time over Taylor's 'kidnapping' as she angrily put it later on. She continued to stare into the sky as storm clouds came piling in.
But, let's leave Tori for a minute and find out just how Taylor came to be the Berserk Fury's new pilot...
*Going back...sort of...
"VEGA! For the last time, get back here with the Fury! You're gonna damage it running around like that!!" screamed Dr. Layon. He was yelling at a kid no more than 13 who was racing none other than the Berserk Fury around out on a battlefield, having fun with his victims. They weren't about to be the victims for long, though...
"Oh, relax! I know what I'm doing!" called back the young pilot. He had black hair with grayish-brown eyes, and was about 5'4" tall. "Besides, these guys are fun!" As soon as he said it, though, the four Zoids he'd been attacking jumped around him in a ring formation.
"Ready, team? FIRE!" yelled one of the pilots.
"What the..." began Vega. He never got a chance to finish. Four sets of ammunition hit him from all sides.
When the dust cleared, Vega noticed the four Zoids racing at him, and he leapt over them with the Fury and raced for the Whale King, making it in just in time.
"THAT'S IT!!!" came the voice as Vega came in. The Backdraft head committee was headed towards him, followed by their newest Backdraft member, guess who... "Just look at it! The Fury's a wreck!" Suddenly, the cockpit of the Fury began trembling violently.
"Hey! Wh-what's going on?" Vega asked in a panicked voice. Everyone around the Fury froze as the Zoid rumbled furiously. The hatch flew open, and Vega went flying out of the cockpit.
"VEGA!!!" screamed his mother as she raced to catch him. She was unsuccessful, though, as the young boy flew into a large bin of laundry that conveniently passed by.
Everyone turned back to the immense Zoid as it gave a mighty roar, making everything tremble.
"What's going on? Why did this happen?" asked Layon angrily as he turned to one of his scientists.
"W-well...apparently..."
"Spit it out!" he yelled.
"Th-the Zoid has disowned its chosen one..."
"It can't do that!! Vega's THE chosen one! There's no one else to be its pilot! What'll happen now??"
"Well, if there's no other chosen one, it'll go back to where it came from to wait for the new one to arise..."
"It CAN'T do that! I went to great pains to unbury that thing from the bottom of the ocean!" yelled Layon in frustration.
Suddenly, the Zoid turned its immense head to the boy standing behind the BD committee. It gave a small growl, and began walking towards them. "Now what?" The Fury stopped in front of them, lowering its head to none other than Taylor.
"What's it doing?" the boy asked, confused.
"It has found a new pilot..." said the scientist. Everyone turned to face the newest BD member.
"Me? I'm supposed to drive this thing?" asked Taylor.
"Yes, so it seems..." said Layon, rubbing his chin. "But why did it disown Vega, I wonder? Must've been because of his carelessness and overconfident attitude..."
"And what does that mean?" snapped Vega's mother, standing behind him, holding Vega by the arm. The boy looked half in shock.
"Apparently, it means we are no longer in need of your son's services," said Layon, with a slight smirk.
"WHAT? You know you need Vega! He's the only one who knows how to pilot this giant piece of...whatever!" said the woman angrily.
"I don't think that's necessary, the Fury doesn't WANT Vega anymore, it's now chosen him!" said Layon proudly, gesturing a hand towards Taylor. "Obviously, it, like me, was getting EXTREMELY tired of Vega's disrespectful and cocky attitude!"
"You...Grr...come on, Vega!" snapped his mom, dragging the boy away. Dr. Layon turned to Taylor, and was about to congratulate him, when a BD employee ran up to him, and whispered something in his ear.
"WHAT????" he yelled. He turned to Taylor. "Come on, you. You need to learn about our worst enemy, since you're going to be facing them in battle with the Fury."
He led Taylor up the stairs into the computer room. "But first," he said, stopping him. "Pull up that picture of the girl," he told one of the computer workers. Nodding, the man soon had Tori's picture on the screen. "Do you know her?" he asked. Taylor's jaw dropped.
"That's my sister!" he cried. "Where is she?" he asked.
Now that Layon knew Taylor had a bond with his sister, an idea was going in his head. He began making up a story as he went.
"She's...a Zoid pilot now...but she pilots a...Shield Liger, and she works for the Zoid Battle Commission. Don't worry; she's not a fighter..." he lied.
"That's good, so I won't face her in battle, will I?" he asked.
"No chance, unless the ZBC tries to get in our way," said Layon. "Then I won't even use you, unless we need drastic measures. Now, Jake, take Taylor to the other room and show him the information about the Blitz Team."
Another man came up and led Taylor out the door, but Layon pulled Jake aside for a second before he left. "Whatever you do, do NOT let him know that girl's on the Blitz Team, got it?" he snapped. The man nodded, and left.
He repeated it again to the workers in the room when Taylor was gone, and they acknowledged him with a nod. "If he learns that she's on the other side, he won't fight them! So, let's get moving, people! Hustle, hustle!" They needed to get to work on the Fury's repairs, fast.
*And now, BACK TO THE PRESENT!!!!!
Taylor jumped out of the Fury in the dark garage as Dr. Layon came striding up to him.
"I told you to come back here! When I want something done, you do it!" he said angrily. Taylor glared.
"I'm NOT gonna fight my own sister!" he retorted, "You lied to me! You said she wasn't a fighter! You also said she piloted a Shield Liger, that Zoid she was piloting didn't look, or fight, like one!"
"Listen, you," said Layon in a low voice, "We need you to defeat them! They're our worst opponents!"
"Listen, and write it down, FOR-GET IT!" snapped Taylor, turning away to walk out the door.
"Stop him!" yelled Layon, and the surrounding workers instantly grabbed Taylor. "Take him to the room, NOW!"
"Which room, sir?"
"You know which one, you blockhead! The one where we take disobedient pilots!"
"Ohh...THAT one..."
"Yes, you moron! Now move it!"
The workers filed away, dragging Taylor with them and ignoring his screams of protest.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, I'LL..." He didn't finish; the doors had shut with a resounding boom.
Grumbling, Layon turned away. One of the other workers approached him.
"Umm, sir, why didn't we put Vega in that room before? It would've saved us a lot of trouble..."
"Silence, you idiot! We couldn't put Vega in there because his mother wouldn't allow it! Now shut up! I'm really starting to get tired of these kids. At least now this one'll obey me properly..."
*Back with the Blitz Team...
"Everyone okay?" asked Bit as he jumped out of the Liger, and walking up next to Lena, who was watching in the distance.
"Yeah, we're fine," called Jamie from the slight wreckage of his Raynos.
"No bad injuries here," said Brad in his usual monotone voice. Bit looked curiously at the girl next to him. Her gaze was full of worry.
"Lena?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," she said. "When's Tori getting back? She just took off...maybe I should go look for her..."
"Listen, Lena, if there's one thing I know, it's to NEVER get involved with a family issue," said Bit sagely. Lena looked at him strangely.
"Since when are you such a Wiseman?" she asked.
"Ah, that, I shall NEVER tell," said Bit humbly. Lena shook her head at the goofy antics.
"Whatever..."
"Hey you guys, Tori's back!" called Jamie. "And here comes Doc, just in time!" he added sarcastically.
"Grr, Dad...he was probably playing with his Zoid models the whole time...lazy..." muttered Lena. She turned to see the Ligress coming over the hill. In the other direction came the hover cargo. "Tori!" cried Lena, running up to her. Tori raised her head from inside the cockpit, jerking out of her thoughts.
"Hey, Lena," she said weakly, jumping out of the cockpit and climbing down to stand next to her.
"So? Did you get 'em?" asked Lena hopefully. Tori shook her head with a disheartened no. "What do you think they'll do to him?" asked Lena. Tori's eyes narrowed painfully.
"I have no idea," she answered, clutching her fists, "But I swear, if they do ANYTHING to him, I'll personally make sure NONE of them EVER see the light of day again!" she snarled. Lena sighed. There was no way they'd catch the Backdraft, but she felt bad for Tori. Her big brother was being forced to fight her. She remembered her own brother, how he used to be on the Blitz Team, yet he'd left.
"Let's go, Tori, this isn't worth it," said Lena. "We'll figure out something, but first you gotta repair the poor Ligress. Look at her." Tori did, and saw the slight damages that would definitely need repairing. She sighed.
"Okay, come on, Ligress," she said as the HC pulled up.
"I've got a little bone to pick with Dad," said Lena, marching inside, calling the Gunsniper in after her. Tori blinked, and brought the Ligress in, followed by Liger, the Shadow Fox, and small hands on the side of the HC reached out and picked up Jamie's Raynos.
"Man, I'm gonna be working all night," said Jamie as he examined the damage. "What the hell was I thinking?"
*Meanwhile, far away from the Blitz Team's location...
"Come on, Vega! You've been working for HOURS! It's fine!" snapped a blond-haired boy with aquamarine eyes.
"No, way! This thing's GOTTA be perfect if I want to wreak my revenge!" retorted the former Berserk Fury pilot. He jumped down from his new Zoid's shoulder to stand next to the other boy.
This other boy's name was Jett Cloud, Bit Cloud's little brother. He was 14 years old, looking just like his older sibling, except smaller. He was about 5'8" tall. He was normally a shy kid, but when he was only with his teammates, he was comfortably talkative.
"Oh, give it a rest, Vega! All you've been talking about since we formed this team is 'wreaking your revenge'! Would ya give it a rest so we can get moving?" asked a girl as she came out from behind the front leg of her Zoid. She had blonde, almost white hair with bright blue eyes. She was 5'1", and 12 years old.
"Shut up, Jewel! Or should I say, JULIETTE!" retorted Vega. In a few seconds, he was being held by his shirt collar.
"If you EVER call me that again, I'm gonna bash in your head so fast, your mommy's gonna feel it!" snapped Juliette in her Californian accent. Jett snickered.
"Yeah, and she'll probably come to kiss his boo-boo's!"
Both burst out laughing, while a flustered Vega glared at them both. "What a Momma's Boy!" said Jett. Juliette released Vega and turned to continue work on her pink Zaber Fang.
"I wanna get out of here too, but this right leg's gonna need some work. It seems to stiffen up a little bit when I turn," she explained. Vega went over to help her while Jett looked up at his Zoid.
It was a red Blade Liger; fully loaded with the most guns it could carry without losing speed advantages. It also had new, sharp-as-razor, ten- meter long blades on its sides and a power shield for defense purposes.
Juliette's Zaber fang was also equipped with plenty of ammunition, and it, too, was a high-speed Zoid. As mentioned before, it was pink, with bright silver fangs and claws for close-range combat.
Vega's Zoid was none other than an Elephander. It was forest green, loaded with guns, missiles, grenades, and even torpedoes that went underground. This was a strength and firing Zoid, not at all meant for high speed. Yet if it ran enough, it gained enough momentum to go at a pretty considerable pace. This was used for charging a stationary opponent, or one that had been immobilized, or broken beyond movement.
Vega had been perfecting the movements of his Zoid since the three of them had met. He was intent on avenging his pride on the Backdraft, for simply kicking him out as soon as his Zoid had disowned him. His mother had fully backed him in the project. With the help of Juliette and Jett, he didn't think there was anyone who would stand in his way.
Except Bit, Bit Cloud. Without his Berserk Fury, Vega now lacked the Ultimate-X power required to defeat the Liger Zero. He didn't care though. The Backdraft was his main target for now. They had an Elephander too, but he thought the pilot took off with it a long time ago...he'd find out when he fought them.
Jett and Bit had never gotten along since Bit became Liger's owner. His big brother had made such a name for himself, that Jett figured the only way to make himself a bigger name and exceed everyone's expectations was to defeat Bit in a Zoid battle. He intended to use Jewel and Vega's help to the end.
Juliette hated it when people called her by her real name. It brought up memories of her family. Her parents had died. She, her brother and sister had been thrown out into the world at different orphanages. She hadn't seen either for over four years. Only her family called her Juliette. She only joined the two of them because they'd been nice to her, and they were the only friends she had left. She intended to help them out.
She was also very tough. Since her family's separation, she had been very withdrawn and secretive about her past, but that was how all three of them were. Jett was normally a shy person; heck, when they'd met, he barely spoke at all.
It felt better to know that he spoke more openly around her and Vega. Neither felt like strangers to one another. They had been training in battles for a long time, and whenever anyone asked them their names, they would simply respond,
"We're the Stryker Team." That was their title. Jett smiled to himself when he looked back on how far all three of them had gone. Sure, it was for their own purposes, but their teamwork was remarkable. He hoped that'd be enough to take down his brother's entire 'squad', as he called it.
After God-knows-how-long, Juliette and Vega finally decided their Zoids were ready for another battle, the big one for Jett, and a small side quest for the other two.
They leapt into their Zoids and filed out of Vega's garage. They all stayed at Vega's house, since they were all under 18. They raced off across the desert, at least as fast as the Elephander would go.
*Three days later...
Tori awoke that morning to a siren going off. Lena was hurriedly pulling on her clothes.
"Whassa matter?" asked Tori sleepily.
"We're being attacked," said Lena. "You wanna join the fun?"
"Sure," she said, yanking on her clothes and racing downstairs after Lena. Lena suddenly stopped dead in the kitchen doorway, making Tori smack into her shoulder.
"Bit," said Lena in an all-too-sweet voice. Tori peered around her shoulder. Bit was holding a chocolate-chip cookie, and a jar labeled 'Lena's Cookies' had its top off. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH MY COOKIE??????" Tori sweat-dropped.
"Uh, Lena, I don't think this is the time to..."
"Tori! Go deal with whoever's out there while I take care of THIS menace!"
"But..."
"NOW!!!"
"Okay!" Tori zipped out of the kitchen in time to hear Bit scream, and thunderous footsteps went pounding down the hallway, fading slowly. She passed the living room to see Jamie and Brad just about to head down to the garage too. Bit and Lena came flying through the living room and out at that second. "Those two like each other, don't they?" asked Tori. The other two nodded and they all went to the garage.
Brad jumped into the Shadow Fox, and Jamie in his newly repaired Raynos. Tori climbed into her Ligress, who opened the hanger door, and all three raced out.
"Blitz Team, we challenge you!" came a young voice across the new battlefield. The three team members looked up on the hill to see three Zoids looking down at them.
"Uh, can we help you?" asked Brad.
"We just said what we wanted!" yelled another voice, older-sounding than the first. "Where's Bit Cloud?" he asked.
"Uh...he's not here at the moment, please leave a message at the roar," said Tori. Ligress followed up with her battle cry, a jaguar-like roar.
"Well, then, we'll have to take you guys out first, I suppose!" cried a girl's voice. Tori paused. Something about that accent was familiar...
The Elephander was first to attack, shooting an underground torpedo at the HC behind the three defending Zoids. It exploded, shaking the large craft. Tori turned to look at it, and back to the offenders.
"You just made a big mistake, kid!" she snapped. She leapt at the large Zoid.
Juliette turned her Zoid to attack the Ligress, but a sharp glare from Vega stopped her. He turned back to the fast-approaching Zoid.
"No, I'm afraid you're the one who made the mistake. You have no idea who I am, do you?" he sneered.
"Frankly, I really don't care!" cried Tori as she prepared for a close- range strike.
"You asked for it..." Vega suddenly swiped out with the trunk of his Zoid, knocking Ligress completely off course, and off her feet. She flew to the ground, skidding up to the feet of the pink Zaber Fang, who drove her long fangs into her new victim. The two big cats battled it out, and Brad and Jamie attacked the Elephander, while Jett and his Blade Liger raced for the HC.
"BIT CLOUD! COME OUT HERE NOW!" he called through his intercom.
"No need to shout, kid, I'm right here!" yelled the all-too-familiar voice. There stood the Liger, in all its pride and might. Ligress used her back legs to kick the pink Zoid off easily and leapt up. Whoever this kid was, they were good, but she still didn't consider them very tough. It was only a kid, after all. She leapt over the Elephander to stand next to Bit, and soon Jamie and Brad had joined them. The three intruding Zoids lined up as well to face them. "What's all this about?" asked Bit.
The Blade Liger stepped forward.
"I'm here to challenge you," snapped the pilot.
"Okay, but first things first, who the hell are you?" asked Bit, snapping back.
"Why, don't you remember me, big brother?" came the voice again. Bit froze, his eyes widened.
"J-Jett?" he asked.
"That's right! It's me! I've come to earn my title as number one in our family!" said Jett angrily. "And with these companions by my side, there's no way I'll lose!" He nodded the Blade Liger's head towards the two Zoids behind him.
"But Jett, why would you want to fight me?" asked Bit, calmer. He had no idea why his brother was acting like this.
"Because!" he lashed out, "You're ALWAYS beating me at everything! It's always been Bit, Bit, Bit! No one's EVER noticed me! I used to look up to you, but that was until I realized I was being totally forgotten about! I'm sick of living under your shadow! The only way I can gain true respect is by beating you, and that's why I'm here! That's why I want to fight you!"
Juliette looked in wonder at Jett as he furiously stood up to his older sibling. This was definitely not the quiet, reserved boy she'd met in the city...he was so...confident...and angry, too. She remembered how she would try to stand up to her big brother, but if she failed, her older sister had been there to stand up to him for her. Those two were always competing. The thought brought tears to her eyes. She looked out at the opposing Zoids, the Liger, Ligress, Shadow Fox, Raynos, and another one was emerging from the hanger door.
"Hold on you guys! Don't start without me!" cried Lena as she leapt into battle position in her Gunsniper.
"Where were you?" said Tori over the private intercom.
"I found a new place to hide my cookie jar. Let's see Bit try to take cookies from it now!" she said with an evil glee in her tone. Tori sweat dropped.
"Okay..."
They turned back to see Jett frozen.
"L-Lena?" he asked.
"Yeah?" she replied.
"Oh, umm...I didn't know you'd be fighting..." he said shyly. Juliette smacked a hand on her forehead. Why did he always get googly-eyed at pretty girls? Marching up to him, she smacked him with her Zaber Fang's tail.
"Oh, quit it!" she said angrily. "We're here to fight, not drool over the other team!"
Tori perked up. Something was DEFINITELY familiar about that voice.
"What're your names?" she asked suspiciously. The three straightened up, announcing together,
"We're the Stryker Team!"
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Tori the Hanyou: Muahahahaha! CLIFFHANGER!!!! Tee hee! Well, another end to another chapter. Guess whose sibling Juliette is! Okay, then! See you guys later! Tori the Hanyou signing out!
P.S. Chapter title Preview: Sibling Battles
DISCLAMIER: No, I don't own Zoids, only Tori, Taylor, the Ligress Zero, and one of the siblings to be introduced...Blue Eyes Knight owns the other one! ^- ^
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The Unknown Ultimate-X
Chapter 4: Meet the Stryker Team!
Tori grieved for some time over Taylor's 'kidnapping' as she angrily put it later on. She continued to stare into the sky as storm clouds came piling in.
But, let's leave Tori for a minute and find out just how Taylor came to be the Berserk Fury's new pilot...
*Going back...sort of...
"VEGA! For the last time, get back here with the Fury! You're gonna damage it running around like that!!" screamed Dr. Layon. He was yelling at a kid no more than 13 who was racing none other than the Berserk Fury around out on a battlefield, having fun with his victims. They weren't about to be the victims for long, though...
"Oh, relax! I know what I'm doing!" called back the young pilot. He had black hair with grayish-brown eyes, and was about 5'4" tall. "Besides, these guys are fun!" As soon as he said it, though, the four Zoids he'd been attacking jumped around him in a ring formation.
"Ready, team? FIRE!" yelled one of the pilots.
"What the..." began Vega. He never got a chance to finish. Four sets of ammunition hit him from all sides.
When the dust cleared, Vega noticed the four Zoids racing at him, and he leapt over them with the Fury and raced for the Whale King, making it in just in time.
"THAT'S IT!!!" came the voice as Vega came in. The Backdraft head committee was headed towards him, followed by their newest Backdraft member, guess who... "Just look at it! The Fury's a wreck!" Suddenly, the cockpit of the Fury began trembling violently.
"Hey! Wh-what's going on?" Vega asked in a panicked voice. Everyone around the Fury froze as the Zoid rumbled furiously. The hatch flew open, and Vega went flying out of the cockpit.
"VEGA!!!" screamed his mother as she raced to catch him. She was unsuccessful, though, as the young boy flew into a large bin of laundry that conveniently passed by.
Everyone turned back to the immense Zoid as it gave a mighty roar, making everything tremble.
"What's going on? Why did this happen?" asked Layon angrily as he turned to one of his scientists.
"W-well...apparently..."
"Spit it out!" he yelled.
"Th-the Zoid has disowned its chosen one..."
"It can't do that!! Vega's THE chosen one! There's no one else to be its pilot! What'll happen now??"
"Well, if there's no other chosen one, it'll go back to where it came from to wait for the new one to arise..."
"It CAN'T do that! I went to great pains to unbury that thing from the bottom of the ocean!" yelled Layon in frustration.
Suddenly, the Zoid turned its immense head to the boy standing behind the BD committee. It gave a small growl, and began walking towards them. "Now what?" The Fury stopped in front of them, lowering its head to none other than Taylor.
"What's it doing?" the boy asked, confused.
"It has found a new pilot..." said the scientist. Everyone turned to face the newest BD member.
"Me? I'm supposed to drive this thing?" asked Taylor.
"Yes, so it seems..." said Layon, rubbing his chin. "But why did it disown Vega, I wonder? Must've been because of his carelessness and overconfident attitude..."
"And what does that mean?" snapped Vega's mother, standing behind him, holding Vega by the arm. The boy looked half in shock.
"Apparently, it means we are no longer in need of your son's services," said Layon, with a slight smirk.
"WHAT? You know you need Vega! He's the only one who knows how to pilot this giant piece of...whatever!" said the woman angrily.
"I don't think that's necessary, the Fury doesn't WANT Vega anymore, it's now chosen him!" said Layon proudly, gesturing a hand towards Taylor. "Obviously, it, like me, was getting EXTREMELY tired of Vega's disrespectful and cocky attitude!"
"You...Grr...come on, Vega!" snapped his mom, dragging the boy away. Dr. Layon turned to Taylor, and was about to congratulate him, when a BD employee ran up to him, and whispered something in his ear.
"WHAT????" he yelled. He turned to Taylor. "Come on, you. You need to learn about our worst enemy, since you're going to be facing them in battle with the Fury."
He led Taylor up the stairs into the computer room. "But first," he said, stopping him. "Pull up that picture of the girl," he told one of the computer workers. Nodding, the man soon had Tori's picture on the screen. "Do you know her?" he asked. Taylor's jaw dropped.
"That's my sister!" he cried. "Where is she?" he asked.
Now that Layon knew Taylor had a bond with his sister, an idea was going in his head. He began making up a story as he went.
"She's...a Zoid pilot now...but she pilots a...Shield Liger, and she works for the Zoid Battle Commission. Don't worry; she's not a fighter..." he lied.
"That's good, so I won't face her in battle, will I?" he asked.
"No chance, unless the ZBC tries to get in our way," said Layon. "Then I won't even use you, unless we need drastic measures. Now, Jake, take Taylor to the other room and show him the information about the Blitz Team."
Another man came up and led Taylor out the door, but Layon pulled Jake aside for a second before he left. "Whatever you do, do NOT let him know that girl's on the Blitz Team, got it?" he snapped. The man nodded, and left.
He repeated it again to the workers in the room when Taylor was gone, and they acknowledged him with a nod. "If he learns that she's on the other side, he won't fight them! So, let's get moving, people! Hustle, hustle!" They needed to get to work on the Fury's repairs, fast.
*And now, BACK TO THE PRESENT!!!!!
Taylor jumped out of the Fury in the dark garage as Dr. Layon came striding up to him.
"I told you to come back here! When I want something done, you do it!" he said angrily. Taylor glared.
"I'm NOT gonna fight my own sister!" he retorted, "You lied to me! You said she wasn't a fighter! You also said she piloted a Shield Liger, that Zoid she was piloting didn't look, or fight, like one!"
"Listen, you," said Layon in a low voice, "We need you to defeat them! They're our worst opponents!"
"Listen, and write it down, FOR-GET IT!" snapped Taylor, turning away to walk out the door.
"Stop him!" yelled Layon, and the surrounding workers instantly grabbed Taylor. "Take him to the room, NOW!"
"Which room, sir?"
"You know which one, you blockhead! The one where we take disobedient pilots!"
"Ohh...THAT one..."
"Yes, you moron! Now move it!"
The workers filed away, dragging Taylor with them and ignoring his screams of protest.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, I'LL..." He didn't finish; the doors had shut with a resounding boom.
Grumbling, Layon turned away. One of the other workers approached him.
"Umm, sir, why didn't we put Vega in that room before? It would've saved us a lot of trouble..."
"Silence, you idiot! We couldn't put Vega in there because his mother wouldn't allow it! Now shut up! I'm really starting to get tired of these kids. At least now this one'll obey me properly..."
*Back with the Blitz Team...
"Everyone okay?" asked Bit as he jumped out of the Liger, and walking up next to Lena, who was watching in the distance.
"Yeah, we're fine," called Jamie from the slight wreckage of his Raynos.
"No bad injuries here," said Brad in his usual monotone voice. Bit looked curiously at the girl next to him. Her gaze was full of worry.
"Lena?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," she said. "When's Tori getting back? She just took off...maybe I should go look for her..."
"Listen, Lena, if there's one thing I know, it's to NEVER get involved with a family issue," said Bit sagely. Lena looked at him strangely.
"Since when are you such a Wiseman?" she asked.
"Ah, that, I shall NEVER tell," said Bit humbly. Lena shook her head at the goofy antics.
"Whatever..."
"Hey you guys, Tori's back!" called Jamie. "And here comes Doc, just in time!" he added sarcastically.
"Grr, Dad...he was probably playing with his Zoid models the whole time...lazy..." muttered Lena. She turned to see the Ligress coming over the hill. In the other direction came the hover cargo. "Tori!" cried Lena, running up to her. Tori raised her head from inside the cockpit, jerking out of her thoughts.
"Hey, Lena," she said weakly, jumping out of the cockpit and climbing down to stand next to her.
"So? Did you get 'em?" asked Lena hopefully. Tori shook her head with a disheartened no. "What do you think they'll do to him?" asked Lena. Tori's eyes narrowed painfully.
"I have no idea," she answered, clutching her fists, "But I swear, if they do ANYTHING to him, I'll personally make sure NONE of them EVER see the light of day again!" she snarled. Lena sighed. There was no way they'd catch the Backdraft, but she felt bad for Tori. Her big brother was being forced to fight her. She remembered her own brother, how he used to be on the Blitz Team, yet he'd left.
"Let's go, Tori, this isn't worth it," said Lena. "We'll figure out something, but first you gotta repair the poor Ligress. Look at her." Tori did, and saw the slight damages that would definitely need repairing. She sighed.
"Okay, come on, Ligress," she said as the HC pulled up.
"I've got a little bone to pick with Dad," said Lena, marching inside, calling the Gunsniper in after her. Tori blinked, and brought the Ligress in, followed by Liger, the Shadow Fox, and small hands on the side of the HC reached out and picked up Jamie's Raynos.
"Man, I'm gonna be working all night," said Jamie as he examined the damage. "What the hell was I thinking?"
*Meanwhile, far away from the Blitz Team's location...
"Come on, Vega! You've been working for HOURS! It's fine!" snapped a blond-haired boy with aquamarine eyes.
"No, way! This thing's GOTTA be perfect if I want to wreak my revenge!" retorted the former Berserk Fury pilot. He jumped down from his new Zoid's shoulder to stand next to the other boy.
This other boy's name was Jett Cloud, Bit Cloud's little brother. He was 14 years old, looking just like his older sibling, except smaller. He was about 5'8" tall. He was normally a shy kid, but when he was only with his teammates, he was comfortably talkative.
"Oh, give it a rest, Vega! All you've been talking about since we formed this team is 'wreaking your revenge'! Would ya give it a rest so we can get moving?" asked a girl as she came out from behind the front leg of her Zoid. She had blonde, almost white hair with bright blue eyes. She was 5'1", and 12 years old.
"Shut up, Jewel! Or should I say, JULIETTE!" retorted Vega. In a few seconds, he was being held by his shirt collar.
"If you EVER call me that again, I'm gonna bash in your head so fast, your mommy's gonna feel it!" snapped Juliette in her Californian accent. Jett snickered.
"Yeah, and she'll probably come to kiss his boo-boo's!"
Both burst out laughing, while a flustered Vega glared at them both. "What a Momma's Boy!" said Jett. Juliette released Vega and turned to continue work on her pink Zaber Fang.
"I wanna get out of here too, but this right leg's gonna need some work. It seems to stiffen up a little bit when I turn," she explained. Vega went over to help her while Jett looked up at his Zoid.
It was a red Blade Liger; fully loaded with the most guns it could carry without losing speed advantages. It also had new, sharp-as-razor, ten- meter long blades on its sides and a power shield for defense purposes.
Juliette's Zaber fang was also equipped with plenty of ammunition, and it, too, was a high-speed Zoid. As mentioned before, it was pink, with bright silver fangs and claws for close-range combat.
Vega's Zoid was none other than an Elephander. It was forest green, loaded with guns, missiles, grenades, and even torpedoes that went underground. This was a strength and firing Zoid, not at all meant for high speed. Yet if it ran enough, it gained enough momentum to go at a pretty considerable pace. This was used for charging a stationary opponent, or one that had been immobilized, or broken beyond movement.
Vega had been perfecting the movements of his Zoid since the three of them had met. He was intent on avenging his pride on the Backdraft, for simply kicking him out as soon as his Zoid had disowned him. His mother had fully backed him in the project. With the help of Juliette and Jett, he didn't think there was anyone who would stand in his way.
Except Bit, Bit Cloud. Without his Berserk Fury, Vega now lacked the Ultimate-X power required to defeat the Liger Zero. He didn't care though. The Backdraft was his main target for now. They had an Elephander too, but he thought the pilot took off with it a long time ago...he'd find out when he fought them.
Jett and Bit had never gotten along since Bit became Liger's owner. His big brother had made such a name for himself, that Jett figured the only way to make himself a bigger name and exceed everyone's expectations was to defeat Bit in a Zoid battle. He intended to use Jewel and Vega's help to the end.
Juliette hated it when people called her by her real name. It brought up memories of her family. Her parents had died. She, her brother and sister had been thrown out into the world at different orphanages. She hadn't seen either for over four years. Only her family called her Juliette. She only joined the two of them because they'd been nice to her, and they were the only friends she had left. She intended to help them out.
She was also very tough. Since her family's separation, she had been very withdrawn and secretive about her past, but that was how all three of them were. Jett was normally a shy person; heck, when they'd met, he barely spoke at all.
It felt better to know that he spoke more openly around her and Vega. Neither felt like strangers to one another. They had been training in battles for a long time, and whenever anyone asked them their names, they would simply respond,
"We're the Stryker Team." That was their title. Jett smiled to himself when he looked back on how far all three of them had gone. Sure, it was for their own purposes, but their teamwork was remarkable. He hoped that'd be enough to take down his brother's entire 'squad', as he called it.
After God-knows-how-long, Juliette and Vega finally decided their Zoids were ready for another battle, the big one for Jett, and a small side quest for the other two.
They leapt into their Zoids and filed out of Vega's garage. They all stayed at Vega's house, since they were all under 18. They raced off across the desert, at least as fast as the Elephander would go.
*Three days later...
Tori awoke that morning to a siren going off. Lena was hurriedly pulling on her clothes.
"Whassa matter?" asked Tori sleepily.
"We're being attacked," said Lena. "You wanna join the fun?"
"Sure," she said, yanking on her clothes and racing downstairs after Lena. Lena suddenly stopped dead in the kitchen doorway, making Tori smack into her shoulder.
"Bit," said Lena in an all-too-sweet voice. Tori peered around her shoulder. Bit was holding a chocolate-chip cookie, and a jar labeled 'Lena's Cookies' had its top off. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH MY COOKIE??????" Tori sweat-dropped.
"Uh, Lena, I don't think this is the time to..."
"Tori! Go deal with whoever's out there while I take care of THIS menace!"
"But..."
"NOW!!!"
"Okay!" Tori zipped out of the kitchen in time to hear Bit scream, and thunderous footsteps went pounding down the hallway, fading slowly. She passed the living room to see Jamie and Brad just about to head down to the garage too. Bit and Lena came flying through the living room and out at that second. "Those two like each other, don't they?" asked Tori. The other two nodded and they all went to the garage.
Brad jumped into the Shadow Fox, and Jamie in his newly repaired Raynos. Tori climbed into her Ligress, who opened the hanger door, and all three raced out.
"Blitz Team, we challenge you!" came a young voice across the new battlefield. The three team members looked up on the hill to see three Zoids looking down at them.
"Uh, can we help you?" asked Brad.
"We just said what we wanted!" yelled another voice, older-sounding than the first. "Where's Bit Cloud?" he asked.
"Uh...he's not here at the moment, please leave a message at the roar," said Tori. Ligress followed up with her battle cry, a jaguar-like roar.
"Well, then, we'll have to take you guys out first, I suppose!" cried a girl's voice. Tori paused. Something about that accent was familiar...
The Elephander was first to attack, shooting an underground torpedo at the HC behind the three defending Zoids. It exploded, shaking the large craft. Tori turned to look at it, and back to the offenders.
"You just made a big mistake, kid!" she snapped. She leapt at the large Zoid.
Juliette turned her Zoid to attack the Ligress, but a sharp glare from Vega stopped her. He turned back to the fast-approaching Zoid.
"No, I'm afraid you're the one who made the mistake. You have no idea who I am, do you?" he sneered.
"Frankly, I really don't care!" cried Tori as she prepared for a close- range strike.
"You asked for it..." Vega suddenly swiped out with the trunk of his Zoid, knocking Ligress completely off course, and off her feet. She flew to the ground, skidding up to the feet of the pink Zaber Fang, who drove her long fangs into her new victim. The two big cats battled it out, and Brad and Jamie attacked the Elephander, while Jett and his Blade Liger raced for the HC.
"BIT CLOUD! COME OUT HERE NOW!" he called through his intercom.
"No need to shout, kid, I'm right here!" yelled the all-too-familiar voice. There stood the Liger, in all its pride and might. Ligress used her back legs to kick the pink Zoid off easily and leapt up. Whoever this kid was, they were good, but she still didn't consider them very tough. It was only a kid, after all. She leapt over the Elephander to stand next to Bit, and soon Jamie and Brad had joined them. The three intruding Zoids lined up as well to face them. "What's all this about?" asked Bit.
The Blade Liger stepped forward.
"I'm here to challenge you," snapped the pilot.
"Okay, but first things first, who the hell are you?" asked Bit, snapping back.
"Why, don't you remember me, big brother?" came the voice again. Bit froze, his eyes widened.
"J-Jett?" he asked.
"That's right! It's me! I've come to earn my title as number one in our family!" said Jett angrily. "And with these companions by my side, there's no way I'll lose!" He nodded the Blade Liger's head towards the two Zoids behind him.
"But Jett, why would you want to fight me?" asked Bit, calmer. He had no idea why his brother was acting like this.
"Because!" he lashed out, "You're ALWAYS beating me at everything! It's always been Bit, Bit, Bit! No one's EVER noticed me! I used to look up to you, but that was until I realized I was being totally forgotten about! I'm sick of living under your shadow! The only way I can gain true respect is by beating you, and that's why I'm here! That's why I want to fight you!"
Juliette looked in wonder at Jett as he furiously stood up to his older sibling. This was definitely not the quiet, reserved boy she'd met in the city...he was so...confident...and angry, too. She remembered how she would try to stand up to her big brother, but if she failed, her older sister had been there to stand up to him for her. Those two were always competing. The thought brought tears to her eyes. She looked out at the opposing Zoids, the Liger, Ligress, Shadow Fox, Raynos, and another one was emerging from the hanger door.
"Hold on you guys! Don't start without me!" cried Lena as she leapt into battle position in her Gunsniper.
"Where were you?" said Tori over the private intercom.
"I found a new place to hide my cookie jar. Let's see Bit try to take cookies from it now!" she said with an evil glee in her tone. Tori sweat dropped.
"Okay..."
They turned back to see Jett frozen.
"L-Lena?" he asked.
"Yeah?" she replied.
"Oh, umm...I didn't know you'd be fighting..." he said shyly. Juliette smacked a hand on her forehead. Why did he always get googly-eyed at pretty girls? Marching up to him, she smacked him with her Zaber Fang's tail.
"Oh, quit it!" she said angrily. "We're here to fight, not drool over the other team!"
Tori perked up. Something was DEFINITELY familiar about that voice.
"What're your names?" she asked suspiciously. The three straightened up, announcing together,
"We're the Stryker Team!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tori the Hanyou: Muahahahaha! CLIFFHANGER!!!! Tee hee! Well, another end to another chapter. Guess whose sibling Juliette is! Okay, then! See you guys later! Tori the Hanyou signing out!
P.S. Chapter title Preview: Sibling Battles