Sorry this took so long to get back up, I had to tweak it quite a
bit.
The once great academy was in shambles, ruins from a time still fresh in memories. The remaining parts of the building stood looking brokenly out onto the world. Those around them could almost hear the echos of times that would never be in their walls again. Instead of the multitude of rushing students and professors that the grounds were used to uniformed men and women had taken their places. Zoids worked to move the shattered stone, glass and metal, their pilots searching the broken debris for anything, any answers. Civilians ran to and fro around the military personal, helping as much as they could. Imperial uniforms mixed with the few Republican, all attempting to pull together and save what they could, though days had passed since the accident.
The 'accident' was what everyone had deemed it for now. Supossedly something in one of the zoid labs backfired and caused a major explosion that rocked the building. The structure had already been weakened by sustained attacks from a group of bandits, the reason they had called in the Guardian Force, and had quickly collapsed. The only thing anyone could be grateful for was that most of the building was empty but for the few who refused to leave, and the one who did his best to save them. Reports from survivors said it was Lt. Shubaltz who bought them time to get out with help from Beac and had gone back inside to help those still trapped. The building had collapsed and no one had ever seen him come out. Yet all the rescue crews had been able to recover was his link to his zoid.
Karl wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of one hand, resting his weight against the other hand propped on a table. Slowly he lifted his eyes to gaze with a deep ache at the ruin that had claimed his little brothers life. He had thrown himself into the work the minute he had gotten here, though he found he couldn't help but stopping at times and simply staring. The memories flitted in and out of his mind, and he swore if he squinted and looked hard enough he could see it all as in once was, the grand building just as he had last saw it at his brothers graduation.
He couldn't stop the smile that lit his face as he remembered that day. He could still see Thomas nearly tripping down the stairs to him, the happiness clear as day on his face, then literaly tripping on his own feet to land on him, knocking them both to the mud puddle he just happened to be standing in front of. The smile turned bitter sweet as tears pricked his eyes once again. Heavens above he truly missed that boy.
" Yo! Shubaltz!" A female voice called out, breaking him from his trance.
" Moonbay?" Karl turned to her just as she reached him, leaning an arm on his shoulder and panting.
" You left without us!" She cried once she had gotten her breathing under control.
" You dont' have to be here." His voice was so quiet had she been any farther away she wouldn't have heard it.
" We want to help too Karl. Thomas was our friend. Guess he kinda grew on you after awhile." She grinned a little, obviously trying to lighten the mood for him. It didn't work. Looking at the woman he could see through the tough front, she was still saddened but he could see she had cried her tears and now was trying to move on.
"We?"
"That'd be us" A soft voice came from his side.
"Jeez Moonbay you could have waited until the zoid stopped before jumpping out."
Turning, Karls eyes softened at the two men beside him. Looking behind them he could see Fiona and Zeke talking to the commander in charge of the cleanup/rescue. His hearts broken shards fitted together a little more, and he let himself relax a little in their presence, abandoning the hard shell he had adopted the day after the news, if only just a little. He spared a quick nod and the ghost of a smile in Fionas direction as she came to lean agianst Van, Zeke going past them to rest his head on his shoulder in comfort.
" Hello Colonel." Fiona smiled sweetly at him. " They want you to take a look at Thomas's Dibison. He needs to be moved but Beac won't let anyone near him, but he might let you. Only if you want too." She added the last part quickly as his eyes filled with pain. He nodded wordlessly and picked up his uniform jacket, slowly pushing past them to walk up to the zoid who stood sentinal near the broken walls of the school.
Halfway there his thoughts were broken by the footsteps the drew level with his. Karl could tell who it was though he kept his eyes trained on the still zoid.
" I'll be fine alone."
" Maybe, but friends are always there for each other." Vans voice was soft but serious.
" Thank you Van." Karl spared the young man a swift glance. " You have another reason too, don't you?" He studied the mans face out of the corner of his eye. They both knew Beac kept all the data Thomas collected on a mission.
" Maybe."
" Thank you Van."
Fiona sneezed as dust blew up from the shifting of the concerete that lay in jagged blocks. They had been working at shifting through this pile for a few minutes now, doing more delicate work than the crews in the zoids could, and just to be doing something. Moonbay, who was bent over a small wall of rubble with her rear in the air, called out suddenly. Fiona walked over to join Irvine behind the woman.
" Moonbay?" She called in question. The woman seemed to be pulling at something on the other side.
" Hey guys? The explosion was an accident right?" she called, voice slightly muffled.
" Yeah. Why?" Fiona cocked her head and looked to Irvine who shrugged his shoulders.
Moonbay suddenly sprung upright, jumping around to face them. Holding out a hand she jutted a hip and raised an eyebrow at them.
" Then what's this doing here?"
" Moonbay put that down!" Irvine's voice rose as he stared in shock at the broken device in the womans hand.
" A bomb?"
The once great academy was in shambles, ruins from a time still fresh in memories. The remaining parts of the building stood looking brokenly out onto the world. Those around them could almost hear the echos of times that would never be in their walls again. Instead of the multitude of rushing students and professors that the grounds were used to uniformed men and women had taken their places. Zoids worked to move the shattered stone, glass and metal, their pilots searching the broken debris for anything, any answers. Civilians ran to and fro around the military personal, helping as much as they could. Imperial uniforms mixed with the few Republican, all attempting to pull together and save what they could, though days had passed since the accident.
The 'accident' was what everyone had deemed it for now. Supossedly something in one of the zoid labs backfired and caused a major explosion that rocked the building. The structure had already been weakened by sustained attacks from a group of bandits, the reason they had called in the Guardian Force, and had quickly collapsed. The only thing anyone could be grateful for was that most of the building was empty but for the few who refused to leave, and the one who did his best to save them. Reports from survivors said it was Lt. Shubaltz who bought them time to get out with help from Beac and had gone back inside to help those still trapped. The building had collapsed and no one had ever seen him come out. Yet all the rescue crews had been able to recover was his link to his zoid.
Karl wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of one hand, resting his weight against the other hand propped on a table. Slowly he lifted his eyes to gaze with a deep ache at the ruin that had claimed his little brothers life. He had thrown himself into the work the minute he had gotten here, though he found he couldn't help but stopping at times and simply staring. The memories flitted in and out of his mind, and he swore if he squinted and looked hard enough he could see it all as in once was, the grand building just as he had last saw it at his brothers graduation.
He couldn't stop the smile that lit his face as he remembered that day. He could still see Thomas nearly tripping down the stairs to him, the happiness clear as day on his face, then literaly tripping on his own feet to land on him, knocking them both to the mud puddle he just happened to be standing in front of. The smile turned bitter sweet as tears pricked his eyes once again. Heavens above he truly missed that boy.
" Yo! Shubaltz!" A female voice called out, breaking him from his trance.
" Moonbay?" Karl turned to her just as she reached him, leaning an arm on his shoulder and panting.
" You left without us!" She cried once she had gotten her breathing under control.
" You dont' have to be here." His voice was so quiet had she been any farther away she wouldn't have heard it.
" We want to help too Karl. Thomas was our friend. Guess he kinda grew on you after awhile." She grinned a little, obviously trying to lighten the mood for him. It didn't work. Looking at the woman he could see through the tough front, she was still saddened but he could see she had cried her tears and now was trying to move on.
"We?"
"That'd be us" A soft voice came from his side.
"Jeez Moonbay you could have waited until the zoid stopped before jumpping out."
Turning, Karls eyes softened at the two men beside him. Looking behind them he could see Fiona and Zeke talking to the commander in charge of the cleanup/rescue. His hearts broken shards fitted together a little more, and he let himself relax a little in their presence, abandoning the hard shell he had adopted the day after the news, if only just a little. He spared a quick nod and the ghost of a smile in Fionas direction as she came to lean agianst Van, Zeke going past them to rest his head on his shoulder in comfort.
" Hello Colonel." Fiona smiled sweetly at him. " They want you to take a look at Thomas's Dibison. He needs to be moved but Beac won't let anyone near him, but he might let you. Only if you want too." She added the last part quickly as his eyes filled with pain. He nodded wordlessly and picked up his uniform jacket, slowly pushing past them to walk up to the zoid who stood sentinal near the broken walls of the school.
Halfway there his thoughts were broken by the footsteps the drew level with his. Karl could tell who it was though he kept his eyes trained on the still zoid.
" I'll be fine alone."
" Maybe, but friends are always there for each other." Vans voice was soft but serious.
" Thank you Van." Karl spared the young man a swift glance. " You have another reason too, don't you?" He studied the mans face out of the corner of his eye. They both knew Beac kept all the data Thomas collected on a mission.
" Maybe."
" Thank you Van."
Fiona sneezed as dust blew up from the shifting of the concerete that lay in jagged blocks. They had been working at shifting through this pile for a few minutes now, doing more delicate work than the crews in the zoids could, and just to be doing something. Moonbay, who was bent over a small wall of rubble with her rear in the air, called out suddenly. Fiona walked over to join Irvine behind the woman.
" Moonbay?" She called in question. The woman seemed to be pulling at something on the other side.
" Hey guys? The explosion was an accident right?" she called, voice slightly muffled.
" Yeah. Why?" Fiona cocked her head and looked to Irvine who shrugged his shoulders.
Moonbay suddenly sprung upright, jumping around to face them. Holding out a hand she jutted a hip and raised an eyebrow at them.
" Then what's this doing here?"
" Moonbay put that down!" Irvine's voice rose as he stared in shock at the broken device in the womans hand.
" A bomb?"