We didn't leave till about noon, so we ran out to the shopping district to pick up some food. Okay, a lot of food. Okay, three carloads. We were stocking the kitchen, sue us. While Rax and Sue were loading cans I wandered into a room down the hall from mine in the living quarters. I opened it to find a gym-sized room full of windows. The Control Center in the whale's head. The bridge, the cockpit, whatever. It had dozens of chairs in case this thing was for the military. And a view of the desert that was amazing from the over-stuffed captain's seat. I looked over the controls while Sue walked in and whistled.

". . . oh boy . . . now you're a ship captain. . ."

"So . . . this thing is like the king of transports?"

I played with the spinning chair and jumped up to look around more. I saw what looked like a huge section of seats with a console row in front of each one, all stacked together and facing the cockpit. A section of walkways and stairs separated each one.

". . . This is like a base of operations. . ."

"These smaller Whales are used for like Teams with sponsor business, ZBC officials, and the backdraft owns a bunch of these."

"So it's like a business center in the sky with zoids?"

"More or less."

At least fifty chairs and computer stations, each one ready to do a job. And only three users. All facing a glass wall that curved so the sunlight bounced off everything.

". . . This thing can be piloted by just one guy or by remote?"

"Yeah, amazing."

"So this thing hovers, flies. . ."

"Underwater. . ."

". . . geez."

"Well, just type in the place and we can get going."

"The hanger secure?"

"Everything's strapped."

I just shook my head to myself and found a computer that looked central. I typed in the coordinates and in seconds the entire chamber was alight with systems running. I heard the engines kick up. I watched the desert disappear slowly as we rose straight up then slowly moved forward, nothing but blue sky and clouds banging into the glass wall like pillows. I sat down in the captain's seat.

". . . To think some of us still drive. . ."

I spent the three hours making myself familiar with the control chamber, the systems, the engines, even the guns strapped onto the belly. Hey, all guys have to check out their new toys. Soon the temperature dropped due to the altitude, and I was later in my new leather jacket and thin leather gloves that came with it. I pried myself away from that glass wall and went back to the living quarters, or what we nicknamed 'The Pad'. Rax was looking out the window in his room like a kid on an airplane. Sue was watching a movie. In pajama bottoms and a hooded sweatshirt. She was actually dressing like a normal girl, scary. She's starting to ditch all-leather while around us two guys. Gee, I wonder why. But the sight of a top-notch killer of all trades in pajamas lying on the couch watching a movie and making a sundae is just creepy.

We were really starting to become a family. Well, or at least detached siblings. We had ordered paint for The Pad, this place looked pretty comfortable but some pictures on the walls wouldn't kill us. I sat down next to Sue and remembered that this trip had been mentioned three days ago. My head had literally been in the hind quarters of a liger, so I hadn't heard. We basically were taking a leisure trip/business demo out west. Colder Climate, more abandoned cities for battles, and more trees. We had to just strut around our zoids and do some non-desert practice so people can remember us when we start battling out here. We had another hour before we went low enough to see anything.

"You gonna do anything mechanical while we're on 'vacation'?"

". . . maybe I'll pick up a nice Command Wolf to work on."

"Why not order one back East?"

"Western zoids are a bit easier to work with, less sand erosion and scrap parts."

She rolled her eyes while watching the movie.

"I used to live out here when I was a kid, loved the snow."

"Loved the what?"

". . . oh yeah . . . you grew up in a weird town, and the East on top of that."

". . . I know what snow is. . .just never saw it."

"I gotta take you to some real places while we're in that city."

"Real places?"

". . . you need to learn a few things about people, and less about metal animals."

"So, night clubs."

"Some call it that, yes."

I rolled my eyes and noticed we weren't even making eye contact while talking. The second stage of friendship. I looked over at a window then back at our barely-furnished living room.

"So, is this our base more or less?"

"Yeah, we're one of the smaller teams."

"Why do people invest in a huge transport, then buy a huge hanger to sit around in?"

"Some feel home has to be secured to the planet."

"Home?"

". . . oh yeah, you're a charity case."

"So people insist on following traditions we brought over from Earth?"

"Yeah. Speaking of planets, you can adjust to the gravity change right?"

". . . what?"

"The gravity difference between the East and the West, you're okay with it?"

". . . um. . ."

". . . eh, you thought Zi was perfectly rounded. . ."

". . . so the gravity is different in each region?"

"We were in the heaviest section."

"Why do people live there when it'd be easier in light sections?"

"Resources. You have to import everything in the low-gravity countries."

". . . so the rich live where they can weigh less. . ."

"Exactly."

"So when does the gravity change occur?"

"Probably soon."

"So there's just like an invisible line where everything just changes?"

I saw Rax walk into the kitchen bouncing a rubber ball on the floor.

". . . hm. . . you don't think. . ."

Sue shrugged, we were both seated so we wouldn't feel anything. Right then a thud was heard as Rax stumbled and his super ball accelerated in mid-air into the ceiling and back down while he got his balance.

". . . so super balls are even more fun in the West. . . sweet."

Rax finally caught his ball and took a seat, the trauma of his trip probably scarring his simple mind.

"You okay, Rax?"

"Sure, sure. . . I just need a bigger super ball."

Sue smirked.

"Get one of those huge fifty cent ones, we're living the high life now."

Rax wasn't always the idiot we all know and love. I mentioned my run-in with Leena Toros, right? Well, back in his early days Rax ended up going head to head with her in an argument. She had just reloaded her newly made Gun Sniper. Rax here was the first victim of that Wild Weasel thing. He gets flashbacks when you mention it, so we just steer clear of that topic. Seriously, we're not going near that Blitz Tem not because of the Liger and it's forms, not because of that Shadow Fox, not even because the scizo fly boy. Who gives a psychopath a Gun Sniper?!

From the ground, all cities look similar. But from the air, everything is in bold print. The Bay City is more scrunched, the hanger stretching from one point on the pier around the city back to the pier. This city, whatever it was, was built in a whole different way. First bold points, trees. Evergreens, oaks, maples, every common tree you read about are right here. I knew there was a little tree somewhere in my home town, but this was too much. The whole city had been built almost between these trees. Sidewalks, roads, housing, all there but made in a way not to disturb the forest.

The buildings were mostly if not all made of glass, not a hint of cement anywhere. And they weren't all square. There were museums, halls, centers, every building unique by shape of by style. The housing was like something out of a suburban fairytale. Nice big houses with big yards on the outskirts of the beautiful buildings. And it was all in one huge circle in the middle of pure, unfiltered forest land. The Zoids hanger was on the perimeter as usual, but instead of the wavy two stories around the Bay, this one was five layers, in a perfect circle with different entry points all over. Our gray little Whale landed on the southern edge of the huge circle, on the very top of the five-story hanger. We walked out the mouth ramp, and then ran back in. It was freakin' cold. Every night in the desert was enough to freeze, but during the day? My first average climate.

We came back out ten minutes later, me in my new jacket, Sue in hers, and Rax put on an extra jumpsuit. Sue even let her sunglasses occupy a pocket for a change. I looked at the other aerial transports on the top hanger. A lot of Whales, even one Great Whale King. It had to be ten times the size of our little one. Even some of those flying shark zoids. We went down an elevator into the closed lower levels. Wow, this place was top notch. Hundreds of zoids, no dirt or grease. And no pilots in sight. You could cough and it would echo. All these zoids were expensive, some hard to maintain, but no pilots or mechanics. All spotless.

". . . eh. . . I think this is just storage for collectors. . ."

Sue whistled at some of the dino zoids parked near us.

"Geez, you could take three Genos and they wouldn't be missed."

". . . I think they're all rigged into a security thing."

"Huh?"

"Rax, go run up and kick the leg of that Geno with the gold highlights."

He nodded his bandana-covered head and ran up and did so. It didn't do anything. He just looked at me and kept kicking.

"Hey Trey, why don't these guys have security?"

Sue answered for me.

"Private Hanger. . .the whole damn thing."

That would explain it. This was like a zoid country club. Or a trophy room. Right as Rax was going to break into the cockpit with a wrench some guy drove up in a tiny electric cart. Wow, this WAS a country club. He was wearing a spotless white mechanic suit, probably a wannabe.

"Why heeello there! Team Reckless, I may presume?"

Sweet, a Scottish accent.

"Yep, that's us."

He nodded and looked all of us over. Somehow Rax was back with us, how did he get from hunching over a Geno's head with a wrench to standing there like nothing happened? Nah, too dangerous a question.

"Brand. . . Ryder. . . um. . . Rax . . ."

He more or less tried to start conversation while he took us in his cart to the entrance, we had to meet our sponsor's business partner. A quick car ride through a nearly empty highway into a spotless building. Spotless elevator, spotless secretary office, and now a huge office occupied by a huge desk with a huge chair behind it. It was turned toward the window, just like in the movies.

"So. . . now this guy is going to spin around and be evil?"

Dang, Rax was getting smarter. We waited for ten minutes, until a woman in a business outfit walked in. The chair was empty, go figure. She was about forty or so, still pretty young looking. But extremely easy going. Dyed orange/red hair, pale, laugh lines. Brown eyes with contacts making them a bluish color. And a chirpy, even more easy going voice.

". . . Sorry, had a late appointment. The bum couldn't pick his coffee."

And an easy going laugh. And here we were, dressed in black, standing in front of the chairs like we were going to take over the world.

"Eh . . . your partner sent us to see you."

"You mean Guy?"

Great, no last name problems. Sue took over, me and Rax took a seat in the huge chairs. Everything in this city seemed to be big and spotless. Sue moved closer to the desk where the woman had taken a seat.

"Yeah, he said this was for publicity."

The woman nodded and looked past Sue at me and Rax.

"My sons spend all their time watching battles, no need for an introduction. I'm Ellen Arran. Trey Brand, Sue Ryder, and Rax, correct?"

We shrugged, Sue backed off and sat down in a chair.

". . . god, if you guys had been there when Guy said he wanted to own a team. . ."