Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids. At all. Not even a teeny bit. I do own the Aoids, though.
Chapter Four: "I hope you haven't damaged Liger." She laughed nervously. "About that..."
Karina opened the cockpit door and to in the results of the battle.
The crash had been worse than she had thought. The two Zoids were tangled together, as if in an embrace. Liger's left hind leg had collapsed, and the once white armor was now blackened in places by the gunshots.
She winced. Jerry was really going to kill her now.
She could see the Blade Liger's cockpit quiver as Lloyd attempted to open it. She jumped over to help him, knowing how hard it was to open without power.
Seeing Kari helping, he gave it a mighty push that nearly sent her flying off the Zoid.
"I guess you won," he mumbled. She could see it was killing him to say it.
Karina smiled. "Let's call it a tie."
He gave her a distrustful look and said, "Yeah, sure. Anyway, do you mind if I use your intercom to get someone to tow my Zoid?" Karina could see the question was poking at his already bruised ego.
She was about to say yes when she remembered what Lloyd would do if he saw Joe, especially now that she won.
"How about I recharge your battery a bit instead?" she offered. "So youdon't have to pay for the towing fees." She could just imagine how relieved Joe might be right now.
Lloyd gave her a suspicious look while he considered. "I guess we could do that."
Kari nodded. She jumped back into her own Zoid and pulled herself away from Blade Liger as well as she could with three legs.
"I owe you big time," Joe said, peeking out from the back seat.
"And don't forget it!" Karina joked.
Once the two Zoids were separated enough, Lloyd opened Blade Liger's battery cover and Kari dragged the huge connection wires of Liger's second battery over.
It wasn't the main battery, so she guessed it wasn't that bad if it was drained a bit. Truth be told, she didn't know what it was for. Probably a backup, she guessed.
After Blade Liger was charged and Lloyd and it left, Karina got a call. It was from...
"Oh no," she moaned.
"What is it?" Joe asked.
"Just hide and brace yourself."
Joe did as he was told and Kari answered the call.
Jerry's furious face appeared on the main screen. His brown hair was in disarray and his hazel eyes could set something on fire.
"KARINA ALYS FAREME! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?! AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN A ZOID, MUCH LESS IN LIGER ZERO?! AND TO MATTERS WORSE, ILLEGALLY! HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO YOU THAT YOU NEED A LICENSE?!"
Oh yeah, he didn't know about that.
He continued to rant for a good minute until finally he asked, a bit calmer,
"Where are you?"
"Um, the Zoid Café."
His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I hope you haven't damaged Liger."
Kari laughed nervously.
"About that..."
"Don't tell me," Jerry cut in. "I don't want to get in a car accident. I'll be right there. Can you handle remaining there?"
"Yeah."
"Good." The connection was broken.
"Wow," Joe said. "And I thought my mom was scary when she was pissed."
"Yeah, yeah," Karina said hastily. She shoved the hacking device into his arms.
"What's this?" he asked, examining it with interest.
"Something you'll hold for me until I can meet you again. And," she added as she slapped his hand from the power button. "Something you won't play around with."
He gave her a frown as she took her license from its slot and pocketed it. She'd break the news that she wasn't piloting illegally to Jerry later.
She grabbed a pen and paper from the glove compartment.
"What's your phone number?"
Joe blinked in confusion and said, "(752) 361-1129."
Karina nodded and shooed him out of the cockpit.
"I'll see you later, okay?" she called.
He nodded and ran off. And none too soon, because a minute later Jerry came running up to her and Liger.
She climbed down and braced herself.
"Look at him! What did you do? Do you know how much this will cost?! Only because we live comfortably doesn't mean I'm willing to flush money down the toilet!"
"Just call Albert; he'd love to work on Liger again. And he'll charge reasonably."
Albert Tatsuro used to be the Fareme's personal Zoid mechanic, as well as a very close friend. He used to visit often until Jerry explained how much he hated Zoids.
Jerry made no reply but pointed to the parking lot, playing the I'm-not- going-to-speak-to-you-until-we-get-home-where-I-can-really-yell-at-you! Game.
Karina followed quietly, knowing it was useless to argue with him now.
The drive home was torture. As Jerry drove the car through the congested highways of Osheanus he said nothing.
The silence was forbidding.
She was so dead.
They made it home. The automatic gate opened for them and Jerry parked in the large gravel driveway.
It was maintenance day: people were pruning hedges, mowing the lawn, probably cleaning the pool in the back and cleaning the house.
Kari moaned inwardly. Jerry was probably going to save some chores for her.
They got inside and he ushered her into her room.
It had one of the best views of the whole mansion.
To the far corner of the southern wall was a bay window that looked out to the large pool, where two guys were trying to clean it.
To the left of that was the queen sized bed. The cleaners had already done her room, so bed was made.
To the left of the bed was the computer desk. The LCD screen hung on the wall so that the computer desk could double as a homework desk.
On the northern wall was the plasma TV which was parallel to the bed. Next to that was the DVD/CD rack, which held the DVD player on top. And next to that was the closet. On the other side of the TV was the door to the bathroom.
All that was western wall held was a large window. By it was a chair with a chenille blanket folded on it.
In the eastern wall was the door into the hallway and a wall full of posters of Zoids, their pilots, the latest bands, and printouts of video game characters. But mostly of Zoids.
In the closet were all her clothes, and her collection of all kinds of Zoid model kits.
The bathroom consisted of a blue glass sink, a roll top bathtub with jets, a toilet, and a medium-sized window.
Karina had the whole window covered with blue cellophane so that the whole bathroom had a calming blue look.
She sat down on her bed, readying herself for an explosion of yelling, but instead she found herself being hugged. Hard.
"Karina, you really scared me today. The warehouse door open, Liger gone, you gone, I thought something terrible happened. And then I saw Liger's condition..." The hug tightened from uncomfortable to unbearable. "It could have been much worse."
Kari returned the hug.
"I'm fine, Jer, see? I knew what I was doing."
He shook his head. "It's not like you had your license."
"What if I did?"
Jerry looked at her suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
Oh no. Maybe this wasn't the best time to tell him after all.
"Um..."
"Give it to me."
"What?"
"Give it to me."
Good job, she commented sourly to herself. That was some smooth thinking back there. She gave him her license.
He examined it, probably understanding more of it than she had.
"Larry taught you and you still ruined Liger?"
Karina stared at him, her mouth open in shock. Where did the whole hugging, lovey, I'm-so-glad-you're-still-alive thing go?
"Well excuse me, but someone here wasn't allowed to gain any experience in a Zoid!"
Jerry laughed. It was a relieved laugh.
Kari, too, was relieved: relieved that Jerry wasn't going to yell at her and then ground her.
"Maybe it's time to move on," he said. "It killed me to tell Albert I 'hated' Zoids. Maybe it's time for him to come back."
"Are you serious?!"
He nodded.
Karina was about to dance when Jerry said,
"And don't forget: you're grounded 'till further notice."
Chapter Four: "I hope you haven't damaged Liger." She laughed nervously. "About that..."
Karina opened the cockpit door and to in the results of the battle.
The crash had been worse than she had thought. The two Zoids were tangled together, as if in an embrace. Liger's left hind leg had collapsed, and the once white armor was now blackened in places by the gunshots.
She winced. Jerry was really going to kill her now.
She could see the Blade Liger's cockpit quiver as Lloyd attempted to open it. She jumped over to help him, knowing how hard it was to open without power.
Seeing Kari helping, he gave it a mighty push that nearly sent her flying off the Zoid.
"I guess you won," he mumbled. She could see it was killing him to say it.
Karina smiled. "Let's call it a tie."
He gave her a distrustful look and said, "Yeah, sure. Anyway, do you mind if I use your intercom to get someone to tow my Zoid?" Karina could see the question was poking at his already bruised ego.
She was about to say yes when she remembered what Lloyd would do if he saw Joe, especially now that she won.
"How about I recharge your battery a bit instead?" she offered. "So youdon't have to pay for the towing fees." She could just imagine how relieved Joe might be right now.
Lloyd gave her a suspicious look while he considered. "I guess we could do that."
Kari nodded. She jumped back into her own Zoid and pulled herself away from Blade Liger as well as she could with three legs.
"I owe you big time," Joe said, peeking out from the back seat.
"And don't forget it!" Karina joked.
Once the two Zoids were separated enough, Lloyd opened Blade Liger's battery cover and Kari dragged the huge connection wires of Liger's second battery over.
It wasn't the main battery, so she guessed it wasn't that bad if it was drained a bit. Truth be told, she didn't know what it was for. Probably a backup, she guessed.
After Blade Liger was charged and Lloyd and it left, Karina got a call. It was from...
"Oh no," she moaned.
"What is it?" Joe asked.
"Just hide and brace yourself."
Joe did as he was told and Kari answered the call.
Jerry's furious face appeared on the main screen. His brown hair was in disarray and his hazel eyes could set something on fire.
"KARINA ALYS FAREME! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?! AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN A ZOID, MUCH LESS IN LIGER ZERO?! AND TO MATTERS WORSE, ILLEGALLY! HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO YOU THAT YOU NEED A LICENSE?!"
Oh yeah, he didn't know about that.
He continued to rant for a good minute until finally he asked, a bit calmer,
"Where are you?"
"Um, the Zoid Café."
His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I hope you haven't damaged Liger."
Kari laughed nervously.
"About that..."
"Don't tell me," Jerry cut in. "I don't want to get in a car accident. I'll be right there. Can you handle remaining there?"
"Yeah."
"Good." The connection was broken.
"Wow," Joe said. "And I thought my mom was scary when she was pissed."
"Yeah, yeah," Karina said hastily. She shoved the hacking device into his arms.
"What's this?" he asked, examining it with interest.
"Something you'll hold for me until I can meet you again. And," she added as she slapped his hand from the power button. "Something you won't play around with."
He gave her a frown as she took her license from its slot and pocketed it. She'd break the news that she wasn't piloting illegally to Jerry later.
She grabbed a pen and paper from the glove compartment.
"What's your phone number?"
Joe blinked in confusion and said, "(752) 361-1129."
Karina nodded and shooed him out of the cockpit.
"I'll see you later, okay?" she called.
He nodded and ran off. And none too soon, because a minute later Jerry came running up to her and Liger.
She climbed down and braced herself.
"Look at him! What did you do? Do you know how much this will cost?! Only because we live comfortably doesn't mean I'm willing to flush money down the toilet!"
"Just call Albert; he'd love to work on Liger again. And he'll charge reasonably."
Albert Tatsuro used to be the Fareme's personal Zoid mechanic, as well as a very close friend. He used to visit often until Jerry explained how much he hated Zoids.
Jerry made no reply but pointed to the parking lot, playing the I'm-not- going-to-speak-to-you-until-we-get-home-where-I-can-really-yell-at-you! Game.
Karina followed quietly, knowing it was useless to argue with him now.
The drive home was torture. As Jerry drove the car through the congested highways of Osheanus he said nothing.
The silence was forbidding.
She was so dead.
They made it home. The automatic gate opened for them and Jerry parked in the large gravel driveway.
It was maintenance day: people were pruning hedges, mowing the lawn, probably cleaning the pool in the back and cleaning the house.
Kari moaned inwardly. Jerry was probably going to save some chores for her.
They got inside and he ushered her into her room.
It had one of the best views of the whole mansion.
To the far corner of the southern wall was a bay window that looked out to the large pool, where two guys were trying to clean it.
To the left of that was the queen sized bed. The cleaners had already done her room, so bed was made.
To the left of the bed was the computer desk. The LCD screen hung on the wall so that the computer desk could double as a homework desk.
On the northern wall was the plasma TV which was parallel to the bed. Next to that was the DVD/CD rack, which held the DVD player on top. And next to that was the closet. On the other side of the TV was the door to the bathroom.
All that was western wall held was a large window. By it was a chair with a chenille blanket folded on it.
In the eastern wall was the door into the hallway and a wall full of posters of Zoids, their pilots, the latest bands, and printouts of video game characters. But mostly of Zoids.
In the closet were all her clothes, and her collection of all kinds of Zoid model kits.
The bathroom consisted of a blue glass sink, a roll top bathtub with jets, a toilet, and a medium-sized window.
Karina had the whole window covered with blue cellophane so that the whole bathroom had a calming blue look.
She sat down on her bed, readying herself for an explosion of yelling, but instead she found herself being hugged. Hard.
"Karina, you really scared me today. The warehouse door open, Liger gone, you gone, I thought something terrible happened. And then I saw Liger's condition..." The hug tightened from uncomfortable to unbearable. "It could have been much worse."
Kari returned the hug.
"I'm fine, Jer, see? I knew what I was doing."
He shook his head. "It's not like you had your license."
"What if I did?"
Jerry looked at her suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
Oh no. Maybe this wasn't the best time to tell him after all.
"Um..."
"Give it to me."
"What?"
"Give it to me."
Good job, she commented sourly to herself. That was some smooth thinking back there. She gave him her license.
He examined it, probably understanding more of it than she had.
"Larry taught you and you still ruined Liger?"
Karina stared at him, her mouth open in shock. Where did the whole hugging, lovey, I'm-so-glad-you're-still-alive thing go?
"Well excuse me, but someone here wasn't allowed to gain any experience in a Zoid!"
Jerry laughed. It was a relieved laugh.
Kari, too, was relieved: relieved that Jerry wasn't going to yell at her and then ground her.
"Maybe it's time to move on," he said. "It killed me to tell Albert I 'hated' Zoids. Maybe it's time for him to come back."
"Are you serious?!"
He nodded.
Karina was about to dance when Jerry said,
"And don't forget: you're grounded 'till further notice."