I am soo sorry this took so long to write. Recently I have been going round in circles with everything that has been happening in the 'real world'. Please enjoy!
The sun beat down hotly on the burning sand of the desert wasteland, creating shimmering waves of heat around the two who traveled through it. Van wiped his forehead with the back of his hand as he guided the hover-board around an outcropping of rock, Zeke at his side. The speed helped create a wind to keep him cool, but it was still a desert out there. He briefly wished for his liger, but he would be less noticeable like this than with a giant blue zoid. Looking around at the rocky expanse to the hills in the distance Van tried to gauge their distance to the renegades estimated hideaway. After a minute of scanning the horizon for sign of any disturbance or landmark he gave in to the exhaustion and heat.
" Maybe we should stop Zeke, before we start seeing flying papayas." He smiled over at the organoid who growled an agreement and slowed down to a stop next to him. Zeke flicked his tail out at thin air in obvious aggravation. Van laughed. " Maybe its too late."
Flopping down in the relative shade provided by a lone standing pinnacle of sun warmed stone, Van stretched tense muscles in an attempt to ease the strain that seemed to be permanently seated in them. They had been traveling for well over two hours now. As much as he wanted to just keep going until his destination was no more than a smoking heap of rubbish, he couldn't push he and his partner to the point all they could was glare dumbly up at it. So, reluctant and relieved, the pair broke out the meager supplies he had managed to expropriate from the helpful stash Moonbay kept in her gustav.
" Just a short lunch, then we get back to the search."
Van downed a long swig of sweet water and lay back. Watching his companion, his eyes softened. He allowed himself to put aside the painful thoughts for a moment and enjoy watching the once glinting silver turn dusty as the organoid rolled languidly on the shady ground. It was moments like this that kept him going. He laughed as his friend became preoccupied with a beetle that had landed on his nose. Letting himself fall backward onto the cracked earth he sat on, Van stared into the afternoon sky.
It would be sunset soon. Then where would they go? All they had to go on was what little information Thomas had managed to acquire in the short time he had been on the assignment. More than ever Van wished he had insisted to go along. At the time there hadn't been any call. He hadn't even know about the assignment until Thomas had been there a day. Of course he could have always followed...
Van quickly kicked himself away from that line of thought. There was no way he could have known what would happen, and Thomas had proven he was more than capable of taking care of himself, and those around him. But Van still couldn't help feeling he should have been there. He missed him. Van shook his head ruefully. He had seen the Colonel just a while ago, and even he had been showing signs of grief. He wasn't the only one to feel the loss of someone they loved, and he could just imagine what the colonel was going through. Still, he wouldn't give up just yet. He would show those idiots no one messed with Van Flyhight or his friends.
"HA!"
Van jumped to his feet with enthusiasm, coming nose to nose with a startled Zeek. Zeek froze.
" Lets go get 'em Zeek! Thomas is waiting for us!"
Grabbing his hoverboard, Van quickly packed everything away and took off. Zeek was snapped out of his surprised by the kick up dust and sand that blew into his face and he dashed off in pursuit.
The wind carried the loose bits of sand off, dancing them into the hot, sun kissed land, along with the words ' he Is waiting.'
Colonel Karl Shubaltz was extremely tired. The wear of the hard work and the pain of the week was quickly catching up with him. Circles of dark bruises colored the sensitive skin under his eyes, while a two day old beard graced his normally smooth chin and cheeks. He knew he was in sad shape. He also knew he didn't care. Life had been drawn to a point only a week ago and he had yet to come to terms with everything. Vaguely he wondered at how one event could bring everything onto a single thought process; everything was suddenly brought into sharp definition. Right now the only thought, feeling, was that he missed his brother. ' Funny how you don't know what you've got until there gone,' he thought ruefully, a sad smile lifting his pressed lips.
" It was planned I tell you! Planned! Why don't you get it?!"
Karl stopped on his path to the main tent. Moonbays unmistakable voice drew his attention to a smaller tent for volunteer workers off to his left.
" Moonbay! Keep it down will ya."
Irvines voice floated out softly in reprimand.
Karl couldn't help the curiosity that gripped him. He felt much like he had so long ago, a time he didn't even know what war was, creeping up to the entryway to listen in. The only thing missing was the little bundle of giggles that always seemed to appear at his side at times like this, and he felt it immensely. Shaking that off he crept closer to the small opening of the sand worn tent, the voices inside becoming clearer.
" Come in Karl!"
Karl jumped. Fiona's sudden call had actually made him jump. Karl shook his head, amazed not that he had been caught, but that he was so nerved worn that the battle hardened, no-nonsense colonel had actually jumped at the call of his name.
A head popped out of the tent, dark waves framing a dangerously smirking face.
" Colonel, just the man I wanted to see!"
Suddenly Karl was jerked into the tiny tent and pushed onto one of the two cots that adorned the interior.
" What is the meaning of this," Karl demanded, strict military again, if only for a worn second. He just couldn't keep it up.
For all the excitement of just a second ago, now it seemed as if none of the three wished to be the first to speak. Finally Fiona lifted her eyes from the floor mat.
" Where should we start...." She managed a small smile at the Colonel. " Van's gone, but you knew that already." She smiled a little wider when she saw brief surprise flicker across Karl's face. " Now, Moonbay found something in the wreckage-"
" A bomb!" Moonbay wasted no time in breaking in. " This proves that it wasn't just some random hassle and attack, petty thing. There has to be more into this. How could they have possibly have gotten these bombs into the building if not from the inside. It wasn't the attacks or some explosion, it wasn't an accident that the whole building is in piles of rock right now."
" What are you saying?" Karl leaned forward in anticipation, things were becoming horribly clear.
" There was someone on the inside." Irvine answered him.
Karl let that play again and again in his mind, things becoming clear and focusing for the first time in too long. Someone was going to pay.
" What we think happened is that whoever was doing this wasn't after just harrasing the college, but wanted something inside, and to get it they had to create a diversion. What better way than to bring the entire building down, and hide the evidence that they took something." Fiona took a deep breath. " Thomas just got in their way."
Outside the tent the deepening shadows shifted darkly, sliding away from the tent flap and into the night.
Moonlight lit his path, the stars his only guides now. Van could barely keep his eyes open as he continued farther into the desert. Beside him Zeek trotted on, casting glances in the mans direction every once in a while. They both had traveled all day though the vast land, and night had fallen just hours ago. Van grudgingly slowed down and eventually stopped, Zeek looking questioningly over his shoulder at the boy.
" Sorry Zeek, but I think it is time to call it a night." Van plopped onto the desert sand, patting a spot beside him. " We'll start again in the morning. At this point we wouldn't do much good in a fight." He looked down at himself, covered in dust and sweat, and chuckled. " And I think I need a bath."
Zeek roared in agreement.
Making a face at the organoid, Van pulled out the small computer he had taken from the back of the DiBisons cockpit. His face was lit by the blue glow, eyes reflecting letters and numbers as the flew by on the screen. He lifted his head to take a brief look around, eyes squinting in the darkness. A sigh escaped his lips.
" Well boy, I think we're lost." He smirked slightly as he leaned back against the cliff face behind him. Suddenly he was falling back, the sounds of solid rock shifting deafening in his ears. "Yaahhhh! Oof."
He lay sprawled on his back, startled, and stared up at the metal ceiling above him that seemed so foreign in this place. He could hear Zeek somewhere in front of him, but didn't register the sound until the organoid took a step towards him. As suddenly as it had happened, the walls began closing again.
" Ahh!" Van yelled as he shot up and jumped away from the opening. He was met with a slack jawed Zeek. " How?"
Van spun toward the wall, searching for any crack, a mechanism he might have triggered, but all he found was the near invisble seam of the door he had fallen through.
" Zeek, I don't get it, how...?" Turning around Van looked questioningly at his companion, but the organoid was staring instead at his feet. Hurrying over to him, Van knelt and inspected the ground, brushing sand and dirt from the small metal button that was nearly hidden in the ground. " Zeek, you're a genius!"