Zoids Neo Slash Zero: Believe

Chapter 4: Remember

Author Notes: Uh huh...here comes chapter four! Got less reviews last time, but oh well. Steam Detective, where are you? Lol. Anyhoo, enjoy this one, the plot is gonna start to go faster now. On to the reviewers.

BlackHole CO - Heh, dramatic...I like it. I hope people anticipate my updates, that's what I'm going for here!

Mercenary Pen - Thanks for the compliment on the war stuff, you seem to know a lot on the topic (as judging by your writing!), so it means a lot to me to hear that! Oohh, so creepy fog follows you around too huh? I thought I was the only one.

BladesDeath - Heh...Brad's fun to play with, I'm trying not to make him a bad guy...so many fics have done that as of late. He's not bad, he just happens to be on the other side. Ehh...I dunno about Jamie...it just seemed like the thing to do at the time I guess. Well, I appreciate the input as always...(I'm still trying to make your list!).

Bluefly7 - Lol eager aren't we? I hate to say this though...LEON'S DEAD! Hehe...anyhoo, keep reading, trust me. Thanks for the review!

Disclaimer: Don't own Zoids nor Disturbed...I saw Collateral the other day....good movie!

Now! On to the story!


His feet crunched along the path he traveled, taking him across the plain he had been wandering upon for what seemed like an eternity. He had wandered aimlessly for hours across the vast wasteland, no objective in sight, simply walking. Sometimes it was a straight line, other times he had to cut angles to maneuver around rocks jutting out of the landscape, like some god had casually thrown them there in an enormous game of marbles.

Sensation washes over me
I can't describe it

A cold shiver went down his spine, despite the current heat of the midday sun.

There it is again, he thought.

It had been the fifth time in an hour that the strange feeling had overtaken his mind. It seemed to occur intermittently, sometimes coming in waves, other times leaving him alone for hours. He didn't even know how long he had been walking, he simply knew that he had to walk, for one reason or another. He stumbled as his foot caught a loose rock, and he put his arms out to break the fall. Landing hard on the ground he rolled with the impact, allowing his body to move into a crouch.

That should have hurt.

But it didn't, and as he rose to his feet in amazement he began to brush the dirt off his torn shirt. He noticed a sheltered pond amid a stand of trees: an oasis fortunately for him. He stumbled across the expanse separating him from the desert paradise, allowing himself to sink to the river's edge and splash water on himself. It was then he noticed the scars.


Pain I felt so long ago
I don't remember

He examined his hands carefully, noting the long scars that crisscrossed upwards into his forearms, and continued further under his shirt. He lifted it upwards, seeing one large circular scar situated just to the left of where his heart was located. As he sat by the pond's edge, he noticed his reflection in the water. As the ripples from his early splashing died down he began to see his image more clearly. He was met with the gaze of a stranger...one who's brown hair was shot through with a streak of white, as well as a combination of a dull green eye set beside a soulless white eye coinciding with the white streak of hair. Below the lifeless orb of his milky eye a long burn scar stretched from the bottom of the socket to the tip of his jaw. Upon further inspection he noticed the scar continued into the scalp below the white hair.

Who's face is that? Is that me?

Troubled, he shakily got to his feet, trudging onwards across the vast wasteland. He noticed a rocky looking valley in the distance, so he began to make his way towards it. Maybe there he could find someone who could help him. He moved his legs, one after another, in a methodical march towards his destination. His mind had gone numb from the insurmountable distances that he had traveled. Or had he been there all along? His brain felt fuzzy, as if someone had taken a towel and wrapped it around his thought processing center. As he half-marched, half-stumbled along, he began to notice small objects glittering in the distance. The closer he got, the more he could make out, the shapes discerning themselves into what looked like large metallic animals.

Tear a hole so I can see
My devastation

These look like wrecks...who did this?

Indeed, many of the mechanical beasts had pieces missing. Some had lost arms, others legs, and still others had lost heads, their bodies laying in the sand. Even more disturbing were the severed heads themselves, mouths open in someone's parody of a grin, teeth glistening. He made his way closer and closer to the valley, its walls becoming visible. He passed more discarded hulks, their numbers becoming more concentrated the closer he got to the valley. Some of the animal-like vehicles looked to be turning to stone, if that was at all possible for machines.

What are these things?

Still, he trudged on, kicking rocks out of his way, stopping here and there to examine the wrecks. He noticed that there were differences between each of the destroyed beasts. Some appeared to be modeled after dinosaurs of different varieties, and some looked to be made for flight in the air, though their current condition certainly couldn't permit it. He paused in front of what looked like a cat-like creature, its blue armour peppered with scorch marks and one of its arms missing. Its face was missing most of its upper jaw and head, and he noticed that the rear end was beginning to stone over. He ran his hands over its outer skin, pausing as they encountered a strange symbol.


Feelings from so long ago
I don't remember

He felt like he had seen it before, the lion in mid-jump, claws outstretched, overtop of a logo he couldn't recognize. He noticed the words written across it.

Draask Unthe Teramis Abludor. What does that mean?

He couldn't escape the feeling that something was missing, something he had forgotten. He shrugged his shoulders and continued towards the valley.



Holding on, to let them know
What's given to me

["The trick is to hit the boost lever just as you dig your front paws into the dirt. That is the only way to pull a front flip maneuver." ......... "The winner is, the .......... Team!" .......... "Wow, we'll be in Class B soon!" ......... "Good morning ............ , I'd like you to meet ............ , he'll be fighting with us." .......... "That's a good ........... you've got there, I'd like to fight you some day one on one, but for now, we've gotta win this fight." ........... "I have to leave. I have to do this for ........... ."]

Pain assaulted his head once again, mangled thoughts permeating his mind and causing him to clutch at his hair in anguish. He shook his head repeatedly to clear it, hoping to stop the voices. Almost as soon as it had started, the experience ended, leaving him alone amidst the wrecked metal-beasts in front of the valley wall.


To hide behind
The mask this time
And try to believe

What the hell was that all about?

He rubbed his temples to alleviate some of the pressure that had built up, feeling the tension leave his muscles, which had seized up during his episode.He limped over to the nearby valley wall, leaning up against it with his back and giving his feet a rest. That, of course, was short lived, as the valley wall behind him gave way, crumbling under his weight. He stumbled backwards, landing head over heels into a darkened cavern. Rubbing his sore head and grumbling, he slowly rose to his feet, taking in the scope of the cave. There wasn't much to see, the only illumination being provided by the hole in the wall itself. The poor lighting cast twisted shadows into the cave, making large spires look like twisted parodies of monsters from childhood nursery rhymes.

Blind your eyes to what you see
You can't embrace it

Is that a light up ahead?

He thought he could see a dim glow further ahead in the cave, highlighted around a large corner that appeared to leave further into the cave. Deciding that he had come far enough already he furthered his quest deeper into the cave. He picked his way slowly around the rocks strewn about the cave floor, being careful so as not to take another tumble. He had nearly reached the tunnel when he tripped over something large and hard. Cursing, he hit the ground, which felt much harder than a normal cave floor should. He brushed himself off and continued further along into the light, which appeared to be filtering in through a hole high up in the cave ceiling. Now in a much better illuminated area, he walked at a bit of a faster pace. He began to round a corner and nearly walked into another wall of stone. At least, at first he thought it was a wall of stone. It was another one of those mechanical beasts, except this one was made completely out of stone.

What are they?

Leave it well enough alone
And don't remember

He rapped his knuckles against the thing's outer surface, finding it to be the same feel as the object he had tripped over earlier.

How many of these beasts are there?

He began to feel a little unsettled by the sight of all the frozen monsters. Stumbling further into the cave he left the light source behind, continuing further into the darkness and away from the light. Onwards he traveled, groping blindly in the pitch blackness of the cave, finding a wall to guide him along. He walked forwards, destination unknown, but the strange feeling never escaped him. He felt like something was calling out to him, like there was something for him to discover inside this strange cavern. He hiked over boulders, around stalagmites, occasionally feeling drips from the cave ceiling land on his head. He didn't know how long he had been walking for, as the darkness swallowed all sense time.

Cut your pride and watch it bleed
You can't deny it

Strange. After walking this long, I should feel tired...but I don't.

Still, he soldiered onwards, towards his unknown destination, placing one foot in front of the other in a slow methodical march. He could see another beam of light in the distance, this one much larger than before. It appeared as if a considerable portion of the cave roof had collapsed, leaving a large gap in the ceiling for sunlight to pour through. Below a large pile of rubble could be seen, left over from the large collapse. As he neared the pile of rock he could see a few more of those stone covered creatures. He reached the foot of the large pile, wondering just what could have caused such a large cave collapse. That was when he saw something strange. Starting from about mid-height in the pile, small trails of dried blood could be seen on the rocks, leading in a path downwards towards the ground where he stood.

Pain you know you can't ignore
I don't remember

Someone was trapped here...but who?

His eyes followed the trail of blood back to its source, seeming to come from within the stack of boulders.

And how could they loose so much blood?

That strange sensation returned, like someone was tickling the back of his mind, trying to get his attention. He shook his head forcefully, trying to rid himself of the feeling, finding it not wholly pleasant. His eyes fell upon two large pillars situated across from the pile of rocks. They appeared to be ornately carved, certainly not natural, almost as if they were part of some sort of building. He approached them slowly, as if called by a silent voice. Passing through the twin columns he walked down a long stone corridor, one carved into the rock of the cave. After walking for what felt like almost an hour he began to see light at its end.

Holding on, to let them know
What's given to me

He stepped out into what appeared to be an even larger portion of the cave. He looked upwards, but found the cave ceiling stretched far into the darkness. He stared in awe at the scope of the cave. It was larger than the other cave he had traveled through, more than twenty times larger by his guess. He strode across the open expanse of the indoor wasteland, further into the darkness. He must have stepped over an important area, or tripped some sort of device, for as he walked the entire cave lit up with lights, some strung along walls, others hanging from the ceiling. As the remainder of the cave began visible to him, his eyes opened wide in wonderment.


To hide behind
The mask this time
And try to believe

All around him large buildings loomed, reaching upwards for the cave ceiling. Each building looked to be almost two hundred years old in design, if not older, some more than twenty stories high. He found himself standing in the middle of a city street, near an intersection that still had functioning traffic lights, changing signals and faithfully regulating traffic that was non-existent. It was an eerie sight to behold. Despite the obvious absence of people, the city still functioned properly, serving masters who were never there to appreciate it.

There's something ethereal about this place.

He continued further up the large main street, drawn by some unseen force. He noticed a large building in the distance, easily larger than any other building in the city.

If I can
Remember

Why does this feel familiar to me?

He approached the large double doors of the large dark blue building. It appeared the be made out of some kind of metal that he had not seen before. It glimmered dully with an inner light, as if some sort of power was contained within the metal panels. He pressed his hand against the cold metal surface, trying to find some sort of switch or control to open the doors. To his surprise, the moment he touched them they shuddered and began to slowly swing inwards, admitting his passage. He stepped through and into another long corridor that led to another giant set of double doors.


To know this will
Conquer me

He continued into the great hall, feet echoing loudly on the hard metallic floor, its silver surface reflecting his marred face back upwards at him. He noticed that there were several alcoves placed at even intervals along the hall all the way towards the double doors. He passed the first pair of alcoves, noticing the stone forms of what looked to be smaller, more streamlined versions of the large metal beasts he had seen outside the cave. Each had a slightly different form, but many shared the same features: curved horns on the heads and long tails. Still, others appeared to have smooth bodies devoid of any pointy growths, and others still had wings of various shapes and sizes.

What are those things?


If I can
Just walk alone

Further he walked, alone with his thoughts and the strange statues, towards the door that he felt he was inevitably being drawn to. He passed several more of the statue-creatures, which appeared the be increasing in size as he came closer to the doors. He noticed that there were several large paintings adorning the walls. In one a large dinosaur-like creature did battle with a much smaller cat-like creature, and in another a large scorpion fought with an equally large dinosaur, each shooting large beams at each other. Just above the door he noticed one large picture, depicting what appeared to be many white coloured beasts, doing battle with many of those metallic-beasts like the ones he had seen outside.

What is the importance of these images?

And try to escape
Into me

It was almost a little too overwhelming for him. Here he was, inside a large subterranean city, amongst the ruins of some metallic beasts. He had no clue how he got there, or why he was there. His hands touched the metal of the doors in front of him. As soon as contact was made they glowed a bright white and began to split apart, opening inwards to reveal a large room Temporarily blinded by the glowing doors, he stumbled into the room, falling to his knees as he struggled to cover his eyes from the intense light.


Sensation washes over me
I can't describe it

His hands felt tingly as they made contact with the floor, as if the ground was charged with electricity. The light dimmed somewhat, allowing him to open his eyes a fraction. He squinted, taking in the scope of the room. His jaw nearly dropped as his gaze fell across the largest statue he had ever seen. It was over twenty stories tall and reached almost clear to the ceiling of the impossibly large room he found himself in. It's shape was that of a woman, one that sat upon a large throne-like chair. Her face was unlike any he had ever seen. She had the most beautiful smile of any woman and on her face were two curving stripes under her eyes. In her hands she held what looked to be a large staff of some kind, and in the other a large sword.


Pain I felt so long ago
I don't remember

Pain assaulted his head once again, conflicting voices and thoughts entering his mind.

["Hey ............ , good luck." ........ "They say ............. is the hardest part." ....... "Look, .............. has improved in the time ........... spent away." ........ "Welcome to your new home over the next few years, ............ . Now get moving." .......... "Good luck .......... , I'll wait for your return."]

He fell to his knees in front of the statue, clutching his skull in pain. His anguished scream echoed throughout the large chamber. He was in too much pain to notice the eyes of the statue light up a bright blue.

Rise , said a woman's voice.

He opened his eyes and turned his gaze upwards towards the great statue. Numbly, he got to his feet.

You have been summoned to me for a reason , the voice said.

I'm just holding on, to let them know
What's given to me, given to me

He found his voice, "Who are you?"

I am the beginning of all things, as well as the end , she said enigmatically.

He asked another question, "Why am I here?"

The statue's eyes glowed an intense blue, You are the messenger. You are needed .

His eyes widened, "What do you mean, messenger? I don't even know how I got here!"

All will be revealed to you shortly. But you must know in your heart already that you are the ONE

That rocked him back on his heels. He had felt a certain calling to this place, that was why he had traveled such a great distance to get there. Maybe this was his purpose for traveling all that way.

To hide behind
The mask this time
And try to believe

"Yes," he said, "I feel like I've been searching for this my entire life."

Good , said Her voice, Then search your heart. Though your experience may have left your memory damaged, you must remember your purpose .

He nodded slowly and began to think back, to his trek through the caves, the stone beasts, the smaller cave entrance, the desert oasis, the desert itself, and all the other metallic beasts.

If I can
Remember

[He was hovering above the cave near its roof, watching as events unfolded down below. He saw two large metallic beasts, one white and one red, walking slowly through the cave. Suddenly, many other beasts appeared around them and a fight ensued. Explosions erupted and the red beast went down in a heap. The white one, the Zoid (he now remembered its name!), approached the other. Soon the cave began to shake and collapse. The white Zoid left quickly, leaving the red one to be crushed under a pile of rubble. A large blast of light illuminated the cave, blinding his vision.]


To know this will
Conquer me

[His vision cleared and soon he saw a different sight. A man was trying to free himself from the rubble. He was covered in blood seeping from many different wounds and a large wound beside his heart could be seen, the result of something impaling him. As he looked closer at this man he noticed something. That man, was him! He was that man! He was watching himself! But how could that be? The man stumbled and fell down the pile of rocks, leaving a long trail of blood. He rolled to a stop on the floor and stopped moving. His chest ceased to rise and fall. A beam of light fell from the roof of the cave, blinding him once more.]


If I can
Just walk alone

[His vision cleared once more, and he was in the desert again, amid the broken bodies of those beasts...those Zoids. Except this time he could hear cries of pain. Many loud screams arose, assaulting his ears. The Zoids were crying! They were in pain! They were crying out to him for help, for the help of the ONE. They needed the ONE to help them, they said he was the only one who could. He saw the oasis in the distance and soon found himself standing at the river's edge, staring at his own broken reflection, except this time he saw the large statue in the water. Her gaze drew him downwards, and he soon found himself sinking beneath the surface, unable to rise for air...]


And try to escape
Into me

His head snapped forwards with a start. He was still in the large chamber, the statue was still in front of him, gazing down with those blue eyes.

Do you see now? Do you see why you are needed? , she asked.

"Yes," he agreed, "I am needed."


Into me

You are my messenger. You are the ONE .


Into me

"I am your messenger. I am the ONE."


Author notes: Ya know, sometimes I weird myself out. Jeez it was strange to write that way for the entire chapter. But as you all know, I am the ONE! Haha, just kidding, but I hope you liked this chapter. Oh yeah...the flashbacks with the many dots...well I figured I would make his muddled thoughts not just hard for him, but hard for you too...actually, I was just trying to censor stuff like on Kill Bill...but doesn't let me use any little stars, so I ahd to use dots. Things are gonna start gettin' freaky deaky soon, so better watch out! Stay tuned for the next chapter and remember to READ AND REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!