Hi guys and gals, it's time to give you a choice how the story will go.
You will see a choice one and a choice two. Write in a review to tell me
which choice you want.
Disclaimer: I do not own zoids, but Ashley and Rachel are my characters.
The Night Warriors
Old Nightmares
He had her backed up to the top of the falls of Blood Waterfall. Rachel was standing at the very edge; one more step and she would be over the high and rugged cliff; one more step and she would plunge into the ice cold water where sharp rocks were most likely waiting for her.
It started out like any other mission that she had gone on before, but this one would end differently. She had been sent to try to hack into, and then destroy, all Republican communication systems. Instead, she had found out what Lord Prozen was really up to. He was going to try to take over the Empire, and then the entire Planet Zi.
Even though she hardly made mistakes on her spy missions, Rachel had forgotten to cover her tracks, and now Prozen had sent someone to finish her off. A Major named Marcus was the one to do the dirty work, and for the fourth time in her life, Rachel was completely helpless. There was no Karl to save her, no Thomas to give her courage, and Ashley still was at the hospital in a coma.
"Any last words?" Marcus said with his usual slime filled voice.
"Yeah," Rachel said with confidence, "tell my brothers and Ashley I say goodbye, sorry, and that I love them." Marcus snorted in disgust as his finger began to pull the trigger.
The shot rang out and time stood still as Rachel watched the bullet soar through the air. Suddenly, time regained its normal speed as the bullet pierced her left shoulder, barely missing her heart. She stumbled and fell off the cliff.
Rachel woke with a start, giving a small scream. Her breathing was deep and harsh, and from the looks of her nightwear and sheets, she had been turning violently in her sleep. She looked at the clock; it read 3:45 a.m. As her breathing slowly returned to normal, Rachel decided that it was pointless to attempt going back to sleep after that nightmare.
After taking a quick shower and changing into some casual clothes, Rachel headed out of her room. As she walked into the kitchen to get some coffee, Rachel tried to erase all thoughts of the haunting nightmare. Rachel sat down to sort out some confusing thoughts as she added sugar and milk to the comforting liquid.
After awhile, Rachel crossed her arms on the table so she could rest her head on something softer than the cold, hard wood. She was too tired and preoccupied to even hear Herman enter the room. For a while he just stood in the doorway, admiring her beauty.
Her dark brown hair waved and curled around her face, drawing attention to her bright green eyes. To him, Rachel's eyes were like two emeralds shining through mounds of dirt and mud. Many of the other men didn't feel the same way about the strong girl.
They thought she was a gothic queen with no emotions. Herman wished they could see her now. Instead of the black uniform, Rachel was in a modest pink tank top with a pair of blue jeans that had not been ripped up. Hunched over the table, she looked sad and defeated.
"Morning Rachel, what are you doing up so early?" Herman said in a quiet tone of voice.
Rachel turned around slightly in her chair so she could see him. "I could ask you the same thing," she snapped.
"I have the room next to yours, and I'm a pretty light sleeper," Herman said, keeping a gentle voice. "I heard you yell and then leave ten minutes later." Rachel turned around again and wrapped both hands around her coffee mug. Herman walked over to the counter, made himself a cup of coffee and then took a seat next to Rachel.
That's when Rachel looked up at him. She never noticed how sweet and caring Herman's eyes looked. They no longer sent chills down her spine like they used to; instead they made her feel like something she couldn't describe with words. His smile made her feel safe and warm; a strange feeling for Rachel since she was no longer the happy and trusting child she use to be.
Herman gently peeled one of Rachel's hands away from the coffee mug and held it gently in one of his own. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently. Rachel nodded.
"Ashley was in the hospital with a coma. Karl had just been promoted to major and was stationed at the Red River Base. Thomas was at school at an excellent college and no one had heard from him in a while. So that left me alone for a mission. It was a simple mission, nothing I couldn't handle, I thought. I simply had to hack into and then destroy the Republicans' communication systems.
"When typing in a password, my finger slipped and I somehow gained access to some of Prozen's secret files. It was there that I learned about the resurrection of the Death Sauer, as well as Prozen's plan to try to take over the Empire." Rachel sighed and wondered why she was telling someone she hardly knew what had happened to her.
"Prozen learned that I knew what he was up to and decided to have me killed. He sent a man named Marcus after me, and I nearly was killed. Luckily, he had some of the worse aim around and only hit my left shoulder. I fell down Blood Waterfall and my memory is blank until I woke up in a spy camp.
"They had taken care of my wounds during the time I was unconscious and helped hide me till Prozen was killed in the Death Sauer battle. During the two years I was in hiding, I secretly gave information, in pieces to Freedmen," Rachel finished.
Herman looked at the female spy with a new respect. "Wow, that must have been tough."
Rachel shook her head. "Not as tough as coming back to find that everyone thought I was dead."
Herman gently began to rub her hand as he finally noticed the large scar on her left arm. With the other hand, Herman gently traced the scar with his fingers. He felt her slightly shiver under his soft touch.
"Whatever happened to this Marcus person?" Herman asked, taking his hand away from Rachel's scar and holding her one hand in both of his.
A very small smile played on her lips. "I heard he burned to ashes when your army blew up the volcano at Mt. Osa Base."
Herman laughed softly and then looked deeply into Rachel's eyes. Cautiously, Rachel took her free hand and gently combed her fingers through his hair. After quickly glancing up at the clock, which read 4:25 a.m., Rachel moved her chair and body so she could lean up against Herman, resting her head on his shoulder.
"If you want to, you can call me Rob when no one else is around," Herman whispered into her ear,
Rachel's smile grew bigger. "I'd like that, Rob."
With that, Herman cupped her cheek with his hand. Rachel turned to face him, placing her own hand on top of his. Their faces moved closer together. Rachel could feel her breath mix with Herman's. He moved forward, and his lips caught hers in a soft, yet sweet, kiss.
For a few moments, all Rachel could think about and feel were Herman's lips against her own. Then sad memories she had kept at bay came rushing back: her mom dying in front of Rachel, but not before reminding the three young children how much they were loved and leaving a necklace for Rachel, her dad dying in a lonely hospital bed, doctors and nurses doing all they could to keep him alive and keep his three kids out of the way, Alex dying in battle, not even getting the chance to say goodbye.
Rachel jerked away from Herman and stared at him for one more moment. Without another word, she left the kitchen and went back to her room. Herman watched her leave the room, cursing himself for rushing things with Rachel and making her feel uncomfortable. Herman decided not to go after her, in case Rachel needed some time to herself. But he promised to apologize and make it up to her later.
Making it to her room, Rachel knelt down by her bed and reached for a small wooden box safely hidden underneath it. She got off the floor and onto her bed, bringing the wooden box with her. Treating the box as if it was made of glass, Rachel carefully lifted the lid to reveal some of her most precious items.
On top of everything in the small box was a heart-shaped locket that had belonged to her mother. Before she had died from an illness, Rachel's mom had given the locket to Rachel. The locket had once held pictures of Karl, Rachel, and Thomas, but now those had been removed and were replaced with pictures of General and Mrs. Schubaltz.
Reaching behind her neck, Rachel clipped the silver chain. Next in the box was a General's military hat; it had belonged to her father. Rachel picked up the hat and then held it to her face, her tears soaking into the material. The hat had been too big for her when she first received it, and was still too big for her.
As she gently set the hat to the side, Rachel saw the few pictures at the bottom of the wooden box. The first picture was of a thirteen-year-old Ashley and Rachel being chased around by a much younger Captain Freedmen. In the picture, Freedmen did not have wrinkles from stress or age, and there were no gray streaks in his sandy colored hair. The next picture was of Alex. His jet-black hair was wind swept and his blue eyes had a sparkle of laughter to them. The picture had been taken a few weeks before he had been killed. In the last picture was a family. On a park bench sat the mother, her brown hair being blown by the wind, her hazel eyes watering. Next to her sat her husband. His handsome blonde hair and green eyes made him look as kind and gentle as he really was. On the ground in front of them sat their three kids. The two young boys were almost exact replicas of their father; the young girl had her mother's brown hair, but her father's green eyes.
"Rachel!" Ashley yelled, pulling Rachel out of her dream world, "didn't you hear me the first five times?"
"No," was Rachel's simple answer.
Ashley looked at the pictures in Rachel's hand, the hat off to the side, and the locket around her neck. "I should have known you were taking a very long trip down memory lane," Ashley muttered.
Rachel smiled. "Is something up?"
"Yeah, Kruger wants us, so suit up," Ashley said in disgust. Then Ashley took a better look at Rachel. "Is something wrong, Rache?"
"No."
Ashley gave Rachel a look that told her Ashley knew better than that. "It's ok to think about the past, just remember to keep up with the present and the future."
Rachel laughed as she threw a pillow at Ashley, who used the bedroom door as protection. After Ashley had left, Rachel put the pictures and her father's hat into the box again, leaving the locket around her neck. She put on her black uniform. All the while, Rachel was thinking about Rob, her family and friends, and her past.
Here are the two choices for the direction the story can go. 1) Rachel was glad to finally get to the discussion room. All along the way, soldiers had given her looks that sent shivers down her spine. Even Calvin and Jordan - men whom she had worked with for years and knew very well - would not catch her eye. She began to unconsciously rub the scar that reminded her of the one mistake she had made when she was still a spy.
The minute she stepped into the room, Van and O'Connell pounced on Rachel and forced her hands behind her back, handcuffing her. During this, Karl had gently grabbed Ashley so she wouldn't do anything stupid.
After they thought Rachel was secure and had no chance to escape, they took her to another, more private room to be questioned. She was thrown roughly into a hard wooden chair; no one dared take off the handcuffs. The Guardian Force stood ready at hand with O'Connell. Herman was also there with Karl and Ashley as Freedmen and Kruger began to question their friend, or maybe their enemy.
2) Rachel and Ashley ran to the battle strategy room, getting stares from many of the men. The locket was safely tucked underneath Rachel's shirt. When they arrived, the Night Warriors were surprised to only see Freedmen, Kruger, Karl, the Guardian Force, O'Connell, and Herman. Rachel and Ashley expected to find more than a few officers waiting for them. Everyone in the room was staring at a large screen; on it were pictures of a ruined town. "What's going on?" Rachel said.
O'Connell turned from the screen to face her. "An Imperial colony has been attacked and almost completely destroyed."
"Raven?" asked Rachel.
"Actually, no," Herman said, "he tried to stop whomever it was from destroying the town."
"Was it the Travillian army?" Ashley asked.
"If it was, they're attacking their own towns and colonies because a Travillian town was attacked a week earlier by the same group of people," Kruger sighed. He looked more like the old man he was because of the huge amount of stress lately.
Disclaimer: I do not own zoids, but Ashley and Rachel are my characters.
The Night Warriors
Old Nightmares
He had her backed up to the top of the falls of Blood Waterfall. Rachel was standing at the very edge; one more step and she would be over the high and rugged cliff; one more step and she would plunge into the ice cold water where sharp rocks were most likely waiting for her.
It started out like any other mission that she had gone on before, but this one would end differently. She had been sent to try to hack into, and then destroy, all Republican communication systems. Instead, she had found out what Lord Prozen was really up to. He was going to try to take over the Empire, and then the entire Planet Zi.
Even though she hardly made mistakes on her spy missions, Rachel had forgotten to cover her tracks, and now Prozen had sent someone to finish her off. A Major named Marcus was the one to do the dirty work, and for the fourth time in her life, Rachel was completely helpless. There was no Karl to save her, no Thomas to give her courage, and Ashley still was at the hospital in a coma.
"Any last words?" Marcus said with his usual slime filled voice.
"Yeah," Rachel said with confidence, "tell my brothers and Ashley I say goodbye, sorry, and that I love them." Marcus snorted in disgust as his finger began to pull the trigger.
The shot rang out and time stood still as Rachel watched the bullet soar through the air. Suddenly, time regained its normal speed as the bullet pierced her left shoulder, barely missing her heart. She stumbled and fell off the cliff.
Rachel woke with a start, giving a small scream. Her breathing was deep and harsh, and from the looks of her nightwear and sheets, she had been turning violently in her sleep. She looked at the clock; it read 3:45 a.m. As her breathing slowly returned to normal, Rachel decided that it was pointless to attempt going back to sleep after that nightmare.
After taking a quick shower and changing into some casual clothes, Rachel headed out of her room. As she walked into the kitchen to get some coffee, Rachel tried to erase all thoughts of the haunting nightmare. Rachel sat down to sort out some confusing thoughts as she added sugar and milk to the comforting liquid.
After awhile, Rachel crossed her arms on the table so she could rest her head on something softer than the cold, hard wood. She was too tired and preoccupied to even hear Herman enter the room. For a while he just stood in the doorway, admiring her beauty.
Her dark brown hair waved and curled around her face, drawing attention to her bright green eyes. To him, Rachel's eyes were like two emeralds shining through mounds of dirt and mud. Many of the other men didn't feel the same way about the strong girl.
They thought she was a gothic queen with no emotions. Herman wished they could see her now. Instead of the black uniform, Rachel was in a modest pink tank top with a pair of blue jeans that had not been ripped up. Hunched over the table, she looked sad and defeated.
"Morning Rachel, what are you doing up so early?" Herman said in a quiet tone of voice.
Rachel turned around slightly in her chair so she could see him. "I could ask you the same thing," she snapped.
"I have the room next to yours, and I'm a pretty light sleeper," Herman said, keeping a gentle voice. "I heard you yell and then leave ten minutes later." Rachel turned around again and wrapped both hands around her coffee mug. Herman walked over to the counter, made himself a cup of coffee and then took a seat next to Rachel.
That's when Rachel looked up at him. She never noticed how sweet and caring Herman's eyes looked. They no longer sent chills down her spine like they used to; instead they made her feel like something she couldn't describe with words. His smile made her feel safe and warm; a strange feeling for Rachel since she was no longer the happy and trusting child she use to be.
Herman gently peeled one of Rachel's hands away from the coffee mug and held it gently in one of his own. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently. Rachel nodded.
"Ashley was in the hospital with a coma. Karl had just been promoted to major and was stationed at the Red River Base. Thomas was at school at an excellent college and no one had heard from him in a while. So that left me alone for a mission. It was a simple mission, nothing I couldn't handle, I thought. I simply had to hack into and then destroy the Republicans' communication systems.
"When typing in a password, my finger slipped and I somehow gained access to some of Prozen's secret files. It was there that I learned about the resurrection of the Death Sauer, as well as Prozen's plan to try to take over the Empire." Rachel sighed and wondered why she was telling someone she hardly knew what had happened to her.
"Prozen learned that I knew what he was up to and decided to have me killed. He sent a man named Marcus after me, and I nearly was killed. Luckily, he had some of the worse aim around and only hit my left shoulder. I fell down Blood Waterfall and my memory is blank until I woke up in a spy camp.
"They had taken care of my wounds during the time I was unconscious and helped hide me till Prozen was killed in the Death Sauer battle. During the two years I was in hiding, I secretly gave information, in pieces to Freedmen," Rachel finished.
Herman looked at the female spy with a new respect. "Wow, that must have been tough."
Rachel shook her head. "Not as tough as coming back to find that everyone thought I was dead."
Herman gently began to rub her hand as he finally noticed the large scar on her left arm. With the other hand, Herman gently traced the scar with his fingers. He felt her slightly shiver under his soft touch.
"Whatever happened to this Marcus person?" Herman asked, taking his hand away from Rachel's scar and holding her one hand in both of his.
A very small smile played on her lips. "I heard he burned to ashes when your army blew up the volcano at Mt. Osa Base."
Herman laughed softly and then looked deeply into Rachel's eyes. Cautiously, Rachel took her free hand and gently combed her fingers through his hair. After quickly glancing up at the clock, which read 4:25 a.m., Rachel moved her chair and body so she could lean up against Herman, resting her head on his shoulder.
"If you want to, you can call me Rob when no one else is around," Herman whispered into her ear,
Rachel's smile grew bigger. "I'd like that, Rob."
With that, Herman cupped her cheek with his hand. Rachel turned to face him, placing her own hand on top of his. Their faces moved closer together. Rachel could feel her breath mix with Herman's. He moved forward, and his lips caught hers in a soft, yet sweet, kiss.
For a few moments, all Rachel could think about and feel were Herman's lips against her own. Then sad memories she had kept at bay came rushing back: her mom dying in front of Rachel, but not before reminding the three young children how much they were loved and leaving a necklace for Rachel, her dad dying in a lonely hospital bed, doctors and nurses doing all they could to keep him alive and keep his three kids out of the way, Alex dying in battle, not even getting the chance to say goodbye.
Rachel jerked away from Herman and stared at him for one more moment. Without another word, she left the kitchen and went back to her room. Herman watched her leave the room, cursing himself for rushing things with Rachel and making her feel uncomfortable. Herman decided not to go after her, in case Rachel needed some time to herself. But he promised to apologize and make it up to her later.
Making it to her room, Rachel knelt down by her bed and reached for a small wooden box safely hidden underneath it. She got off the floor and onto her bed, bringing the wooden box with her. Treating the box as if it was made of glass, Rachel carefully lifted the lid to reveal some of her most precious items.
On top of everything in the small box was a heart-shaped locket that had belonged to her mother. Before she had died from an illness, Rachel's mom had given the locket to Rachel. The locket had once held pictures of Karl, Rachel, and Thomas, but now those had been removed and were replaced with pictures of General and Mrs. Schubaltz.
Reaching behind her neck, Rachel clipped the silver chain. Next in the box was a General's military hat; it had belonged to her father. Rachel picked up the hat and then held it to her face, her tears soaking into the material. The hat had been too big for her when she first received it, and was still too big for her.
As she gently set the hat to the side, Rachel saw the few pictures at the bottom of the wooden box. The first picture was of a thirteen-year-old Ashley and Rachel being chased around by a much younger Captain Freedmen. In the picture, Freedmen did not have wrinkles from stress or age, and there were no gray streaks in his sandy colored hair. The next picture was of Alex. His jet-black hair was wind swept and his blue eyes had a sparkle of laughter to them. The picture had been taken a few weeks before he had been killed. In the last picture was a family. On a park bench sat the mother, her brown hair being blown by the wind, her hazel eyes watering. Next to her sat her husband. His handsome blonde hair and green eyes made him look as kind and gentle as he really was. On the ground in front of them sat their three kids. The two young boys were almost exact replicas of their father; the young girl had her mother's brown hair, but her father's green eyes.
"Rachel!" Ashley yelled, pulling Rachel out of her dream world, "didn't you hear me the first five times?"
"No," was Rachel's simple answer.
Ashley looked at the pictures in Rachel's hand, the hat off to the side, and the locket around her neck. "I should have known you were taking a very long trip down memory lane," Ashley muttered.
Rachel smiled. "Is something up?"
"Yeah, Kruger wants us, so suit up," Ashley said in disgust. Then Ashley took a better look at Rachel. "Is something wrong, Rache?"
"No."
Ashley gave Rachel a look that told her Ashley knew better than that. "It's ok to think about the past, just remember to keep up with the present and the future."
Rachel laughed as she threw a pillow at Ashley, who used the bedroom door as protection. After Ashley had left, Rachel put the pictures and her father's hat into the box again, leaving the locket around her neck. She put on her black uniform. All the while, Rachel was thinking about Rob, her family and friends, and her past.
Here are the two choices for the direction the story can go. 1) Rachel was glad to finally get to the discussion room. All along the way, soldiers had given her looks that sent shivers down her spine. Even Calvin and Jordan - men whom she had worked with for years and knew very well - would not catch her eye. She began to unconsciously rub the scar that reminded her of the one mistake she had made when she was still a spy.
The minute she stepped into the room, Van and O'Connell pounced on Rachel and forced her hands behind her back, handcuffing her. During this, Karl had gently grabbed Ashley so she wouldn't do anything stupid.
After they thought Rachel was secure and had no chance to escape, they took her to another, more private room to be questioned. She was thrown roughly into a hard wooden chair; no one dared take off the handcuffs. The Guardian Force stood ready at hand with O'Connell. Herman was also there with Karl and Ashley as Freedmen and Kruger began to question their friend, or maybe their enemy.
2) Rachel and Ashley ran to the battle strategy room, getting stares from many of the men. The locket was safely tucked underneath Rachel's shirt. When they arrived, the Night Warriors were surprised to only see Freedmen, Kruger, Karl, the Guardian Force, O'Connell, and Herman. Rachel and Ashley expected to find more than a few officers waiting for them. Everyone in the room was staring at a large screen; on it were pictures of a ruined town. "What's going on?" Rachel said.
O'Connell turned from the screen to face her. "An Imperial colony has been attacked and almost completely destroyed."
"Raven?" asked Rachel.
"Actually, no," Herman said, "he tried to stop whomever it was from destroying the town."
"Was it the Travillian army?" Ashley asked.
"If it was, they're attacking their own towns and colonies because a Travillian town was attacked a week earlier by the same group of people," Kruger sighed. He looked more like the old man he was because of the huge amount of stress lately.