Shadowwolf: Last…chapter… -cries-
Final Genesis – -snickers- Y'know, it might've been the Geno Breaker Jet. Guess we'll never really know. -snickers some more- Thanks for reviewing!
Saku – I'm a murderer of a lot of things. -evil smile- Poor Zoid, though…and at least I have a bodyguard. Enjoy this chapter, otay? XD
Mercenary Pen – It is a shame, isn't it? Oh well. I had fun. Thanks!!
Nabooru – You don't have to wait anymore! Thanks!
Enigma of Despair – Add a nuke, eh? Hmm… -scans chapter- Nope, no nuke. Sorry to disappoint you. But thanks for your review!
Rynn – Thank you very much-eth, Rynn. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
BlackHole CO – Last chapter now! I don't know if I'll add something to the end of this or not…oh well. Thanks for reviewing again!
Life is but a Dream2000 – -pets Dream's head- Yessssssss…that's a good Brad/Naomi fan girl…yessssss. Now, now, Dream. Put Brad down. On the ground. Safely… -pats-
MatrixSaix – In-character! Wheeee! I laughed, too. Which is sad. I laugh at myself too much. -sweatdrops- Glad you liked, Matrix! Hazzah!
Starheart – Even if it was short, it was lovely. -sniffs- I really hope you enjoy this chapter. -bounces-
Bluefly7 – Don't fall off! Last chapter now! Thanks!
Shadowwolf: Thank you all so much! Most of you have been around the whole time, and you deserve many, many cookies. I'll really miss your reviews.
Brad: Yeah… -starts backing away-
Shadowwolf: Meh. This was fun. I hope you all enjoy this chapter really a lot and decide to BOW DOWN AT MY FEET. XD
Brad: Eh… -pokes Shadowwolf-
Shadowwolf: What? I'm trying to take over the world, here—
Brad: STORY!
Shadowwolf: Oh. Right. -nervous laughter- Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids. Okay? Yes. Read on, loves! -toothy grin-
…
The Mask of the Fox
Forfeit
…
When the Shadow Fox was out of sight, Naomi rushed up to meet Brad. He had to open the Command Wolf's cockpit manually, and climbed out without much grace. As soon as Brad's feet touched the ground, his back injury made itself known and he lost his balance. Naomi caught him.
"Brad, are you crazy?!"
"I'm fine, thanks for asking," he told her with a groan. She started to lift him up and he was forced to clench his teeth to keep quiet.
"You weren't kidding. It has to be stopped!"
"I know," Brad growled with a nod, "but it's near impossible. The thing was built to destroy the Liger, remember?"
"Maybe that's the case…but…maybe Laon didn't plan on a different kind of attack," she said slowly, almost hopefully. Brad winced slightly and raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe the Fox is prepared for close combat, but not long range attacks."
"You mean you want to—" Brad started, and Naomi nodded. "No way, it's too dangerous."
"Brad, don't start that with me. I've made up my mind."
"I don't want you to!" Brad growled, forcing himself to stand. Naomi shot him a piercing glare.
"Then you'll have to stop me," she said casually as she turned and began walking back to her Gun Sniper. Brad grumbled to himself and walked after her, forcing his pain out of his mind.
"Naomi, don't," Brad demanded, but Naomi ignored him. She settled herself in the cockpit and lowered the canopy without another word. Brad stood in place and watched as her Zoid hissed at him and ran out of the hangar.
…
Nearly two hours after the Shadow Fox's attack, Naomi found herself anchored on one of her favorite ledges. The sun was finally rising and giving a beautiful orange glow to the desert. While she waited for the Fox, or any Zoid at all, she thought about Brad holding her back and resorted to talking to herself.
"Who does he think he is? First he shows up half-dead at my door, then he gets my Command Wolf destroyed, and then he has the guts to try to hold me back. I don't believe him," she muttered, watching the open ground in front of her. Something moved, but it was out of her sight very quickly. She turned and set her sights on whatever it was, then zoomed in to get a better look.
To her disappointment, it wasn't the Shadow Fox., but instead a blood red Saber Tiger. Not used to seeing Tigers of that color, she growled and put her guard up.
The Tiger seemed to be looking for something, and it found it when it looked up at Naomi's Gun Sniper perched high above it. As the strange Zoid started making its way toward Naomi, she kept her sights on it and prepared to fire. The Tiger had climbed up the side of the hill and nearly reached Naomi when a comm. link came up.
"Naomi, it's me," Brad told her right away, seeing she was still aiming at him.
"Brad?!" came Naomi's reply, and she nearly pulled the trigger on accident. As soon as the temporary shock was gone, she turned away from the Tiger and returned to the main cockpit. "How did you find me?"
"I know the kind of places you like to be," he said as he walked his Zoid over and stopped it next to hers.
"Where'd you get that Zoid?"
"It's a rental," Brad said slowly, "I'll owe the ZBC a lot of money after this."
"You shouldn't have come. I can do it alone," Naomi told him with a sigh. Brad's face suddenly became serious.
"You can't do it alone. Did you ever think about what would happen if the Fox came up behind you, like I almost did? You know close combat isn't exactly your thing, and you know even I had trouble with the Fox! No offense to your piloting skills, but you wouldn't have made it!" he nearly shouted, the Tiger growling quietly. Naomi didn't move, and kept her eyes on his.
"What's wrong with you? You're acting like I can't handle myself!" she shot back, amazed she had said it. Naomi knew he was right, and didn't understand why she couldn't just admit it was so.
"Normally you can, but this is different!"
"It's not different, because you've played the role of the 'brave, all-powerful man' coming to my aid! I've seen it before, now leave me to do this!"
"I won't! I'll take you down myself if I have to," Brad said angrily, but his voice was laced with worry and Naomi sensed it. The Tiger took a step forward and raised its head menacingly.
"Why are you doing this, Brad?" she asked, her Zoid sinking a little and hissing.
"Because I don't want you to get hurt!" he shouted forcefully, and the Tiger roared with him. The Gun Sniper hissed and looked ready to leap forward when a loud growl caught the pilots' attention to the side. Both Zoids turned and their pilots saw the very thing that had started the argument standing a few hundred feet away.
Brad brought his Zoid forward and stood in front of Naomi protectively, then watched as the Shadow Fox lowered its head and growled more fiercely. The Tiger responded with a threatening roar, showing its fangs proudly. Brad didn't wait any longer and charged forward, but turned away at the last minute in hopes of luring the Fox away. His plan worked, and his old black Zoid gave chase.
Naomi watched as Brad led the Fox down the hill and into her shooting range. She nodded to herself and slid back into the tail gun compartment, where she put her finger on the trigger and focused on the Fox immediately.
It wouldn't be an easy shot. Her target was moving quickly and Brad's Zoid was constantly getting in the way. Brad was doing better than he had with the Command Wolf, but even he knew he wouldn't last much longer. The Fox was more vicious now, and had already ripped off several armor pieces and the main cannon. As Brad tried to bite down into the Fox's leg, it turned and ripped a large gash in the Tiger's chest, sending it to the ground. Naomi steadied her aim and pulled the trigger.
The shot was loud enough to catch the Fox's attention. It turned to look up at Naomi as the bullet flew into its side and forced it to the ground. Naomi blinked and shifted to get a better look. Brad's Saber Tiger was standing shakily, and the Fox was motionless on the ground.
"I…did it?" she whispered, not bothering to reload. Brad finally had the Tiger on its feet and was walking around to make sure it was over when the black Zoid pushed itself up and snarled, sparks flying from its wound. The Tiger recoiled, but it wasn't fast enough, and the Fox was able to clamp its jaws around its neck.
Brad let out a pained yell as the force of the attack slammed his back against the seat. While he was paralyzed by pain, the Shadow Fox threw the Tiger to the ground and began to bite at its head.
"Brad!" Naomi shouted as the gun was reloaded and she prepared to fire a second time. The shot was extremely dangerous, with the two Zoids so close together. I can't believe a shot to the side didn't end it…maybe a shot through the cockpit would do the job… Naomi thought desperately with a quiet sigh. She steadied her shaking hands and focused on the Fox's head.
Her finger had nearly pulled the trigger to its limit when the Fox stopped and looked up at her. The Zoid's piercing gaze shook her for a moment, and she eased up. The Fox then shook its head and gave a loud, eerie howl, leaving the Saber Tiger struggling on the ground. It was about to run for her, and Naomi predicted it.
"Shoot, Naomi!" she barked at herself before steadying her aim and firing. The shot was perfect, and hit the Zoid in mid-howl. It drove through the Shadow Fox's jaw and exited though the canopy, leaving a silver streak resembling a spear driven through the Zoid's head.
The Fox's howl took on a higher pitch as it fell backward and toppled to the ground. When the sand and dust cleared, everything was silent and the Fox lay motionless, its canopy strewn in chunks around it. Naomi turned just a little to look at it, and Brad brought the Tiger to its feet once more. With difficulty, the red Zoid made its way to the black one mangled before it.
"Be careful, Brad! Remember what happened last time!" Naomi warned over the comm. system. Brad nodded and terminated the link as he stopped several feet from the Fox.
"Have any more tricks you'd like to share?" he asked the Zoid in an irritated tone. The Fox didn't move or make a sound, and Brad decided to make sure it was gone. He took a few steps forward and saw its eye had no glow, and the damage was extensive for such a shot. Oil and other fluids were running from the wounds and pouring out onto the sand. With a sigh, he decided it was done for. "Guess not."
As he turned back to Naomi, something hissed behind him. He figured it was the Fox's machinery shutting down, but he didn't dare risk an assumption. As fast as the Tiger could, which was very slow at that point, it turned and faced the Fox. Brad took in a sharp breath and held the controls tightly.
The black Zoid was bringing itself to its feet with great effort and determination. One of its eyes, as Brad had seen, wasn't glowing red, but the one he hadn't seen was. Badly damaged as it was, the Shadow Fox had survived the shot meant to destroy it, and had had enough of human resistance. Something about its stance showed great rage; as much as a machine could ever have.
Brad didn't have time to react, but he knew it was useless anyway. His Saber Tiger was too badly damaged to fight any longer, and the Fox was clearly bent on fighting. The Shadow Fox dug into the sand and launched itself at Brad with its claws outstretched and its jaws open.
The Tiger was hit hard and crashed to the ground with a crunch as the Fox clamped down on its neck. Brad was tossed around inside the cockpit, but managed to hold on, only to hear the infamous command system freeze signal. Something behind him made an awful noise and the harness that had saved him failed and released him. A few drops of blood ran from his forehead down his cheek.
Before he could move, the Fox bit down on the canopy and crushed it, then ripped it off and threw it to the side like a toy. Brad looked up and saw the Shadow Fox's bad eye facing him as the Zoid nudged the Saber Tiger and tipped it enough to shake Brad loose. His body was limp as he fell out and landed in the sand beside various Zoid pieces.
Naomi gathered herself frantically and fired on the Fox once more, hitting it in the shoulder and causing it to lean to the side. The black Zoid ignored the attack and opened its jaws, then lowered them over Brad, who was still flat on the ground.
As Brad looked up, and some of the Zoid's fluids dripped down on him, he wondered if it was really the end. The Zoid had so many opportunities to kill him before, why hadn't it done so then? Would it spare him this time?
I'll know soon enough…
Naomi returned to her main cockpit and turned the Gun Sniper around, desperate to do anything to stop it. The Fox continued down to Brad's level and began to close its jaws around its former pilot as Naomi pushed her Gun Sniper to its top speed and rushed down the hill. Before she could reach Brad, the Shadow Fox's teeth were already touching and shaking him while the Zoid wobbled with effort.
"BRAD!" she cried out shakily as the mouth began to shut. It was bad enough that it was going to kill him, but it was drawing it out, and Naomi knew she still couldn't reach him in time. She cursed her Zoid, her pitiful attempts at rescue, and her own selfishness. Brad was dying because he wanted to save her. She couldn't believe they had just argued so coldly. If she couldn't save him, she only wanted to apologize.
To her surprise and disbelief, and certainly Brad's, the Shadow Fox stopped biting down with the pilot resting between its fangs. It stood still for a few seconds before releasing him and slumping to the ground, where it lay motionless. Brad opened his eyes and looked directly at it in time to see its glowing eye fade out as the Zoid gave a great hiss.
"Fox…"
"Brad!" Naomi called, jumping down from her Zoid. She ran over and crouched down beside Brad, tears threatening to run.
"Naomi, it stopped," he whispered, still watching the Shadow Fox. Naomi blinked, looked over to it, and sighed.
"Come on, Brad, let's get out of here before it comes back—"
"It won't…"
"What?"
"It's over. The virus shut it down," he explained barely above a whisper. Naomi blinked and tried to support him as he forced himself to his feet. He wiped a little blood from his cheek and approached his old Zoid with a limp. Naomi stayed beside him with her arm around his back and his arm around her neck. She didn't know why, but somehow she knew Brad was right, and the Shadow Fox would never attack again.
Brad reached forward and put a hand on the Zoid's still warm metal. When it didn't stir, Brad had all the proof he needed. He turned to Naomi with a small smile.
"It's over, and we're okay. Laon failed, and—"
"You're not okay, Brad, you're hurt badly. Your back must be seriously messed up now, you're bleeding—"
"Naomi?"
"—and…what, Brad?"
"Shut up," he said in a normal tone, without anger or frustration, as he turned to face her. She stopped and looked at him with a small smirk before wrapping her arms around him and hugging him as tightly as she dared with his injuries. Brad blinked in mild surprise before smiling and hugging her back.
"I'm glad you're okay. It looked pretty grim back there…"
"Tell me about it," he sighed. "But I'll be fine, thanks to you."
"What do you mean? My shots didn't do any good."
"Yes they did. They delayed it. If that battle had been any shorter, I'd be dead," Brad told her, still holding her close. Naomi blinked, realizing he was right.
"I…guess so."
Brad nodded and smiled a little more, then leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead without a word. Naomi blinked and smiled in silence as Brad let her go and looked back to the Zoid. The inside of the cockpit was easily visible after the canopy had been torn off by Naomi's shell. He moved forward and stepped around the oil soaking into the sand to reach a spot where he could climb up. Naomi didn't follow him and watched with a warm look in her eyes as he stepped down and slid into the damaged seat. There he sat quietly and looked ahead at the controls and screens. Naomi nodded and smirked to herself, wondering what he was thinking.
What Naomi couldn't see was what had Brad staring. He wasn't lost in thoughts of victory or sadness, but he was thinking. Ahead of him, two pieces of information were still on the Zoid's main status screen. In the top left it read, "Shadow Fox" and in the lower right corner the timer and skull sat. If Laon was to be believed, the Fox should've had everything erased by then, and nothing should've been showing. Brad took a closer look and noticed that the timer was still counting, with eleven hours left. While he watched it count down, the screen dimmed little by little until it blacked out and the Zoid shut down permanently.
Brad blinked and came to a conclusion that made him smile slightly. The virus hadn't shut the Fox down; it had shut itself down. Brad looked up to see Naomi smiling at him. He smiled back and looked down again, staring at the blank screen. Laon really had failed, but Brad had succeeded in several ways after all.
Shadowwolf: That was untypical of me. I had the good guy win and he "got the girl"…
Brad: What do you mean "got the girl"?
Shadowwolf: You don't own Naomi. I do! AHAHAHA!
-Shadowwolf is sued by Tomy/Hasbro/everyone-else-who-owns-stuff-
Shadowwolf: Mmm. No more of that. -MatrixSaix runs by and beats Shadowwolf- Ahh, yes. She owns Naomi, now. Whee.
-awkward silence-
Shadowwolf: Yesss. Well. I hope everyone enjoyed (if you hadn't guessed that by now XD) and thanks to you all for reading! This is dedicated to all of you, for being such fun, wonderful, magnificent—
-is slapped by Brad-
Shadowwolf: People. Hopefully I'll see you again sometime soon. ;)