DISCLAIMER: I don't own zoids. I own all original characters in this story, all new designs, and a few plot aspects. I also own a piece of the Berlin Wall, it's sitting on my desk right now as a paperweight.

I heard Sue walk in as the black metal bar rose from an inch from my face to arm's length.

"Trey…um…where did you get this stuff…and since when do you lift weights?"

I racked the barbell, incline bench press, gotta love it. I shifted up to talk to her, wearing my usual tee shirt and jeans.

"…this was my entire life out in the desert, Max had a few weights lying around."

…well, we had this huge room in the Whale, and I just endorsed a first-tier fitness equipment company. So I made the home gym I've been dreaming of since I first started working out. Sue looked around at the two dozen pieces of equipment I'd just unpacked.

"…hm…that explains your build…"

…my what?

"…pardon?"

"…look in the mirror."

I walked over to a full-wall mirror and did so.

"…um, what now?"

She walked up behind me, pointing to my reflection with hers.

"…do a bicep flex…"

I shrugged, rolled up a sleeve and did so.

"…do a double arm curve flex, lat spread."

I did so.

"…Trey, you look like a bodybuilder…"

"…a what?"

I've just been training for strength all these years, the bulk I figured was a side affect.

"…gah, stupid muscle-heads…"

And she left me alone. This was actually a common conversation. Apparently I was 'buff' and didn't know it. Scary. I hadn't fully adapted to that part of society. So after my work out I went to talk it over with Sue, who was sitting next to Rax on the couch watching a reality show. It was about fixing up old zoids with a budget. I took a seat on the arm-rest.

"…Sue, how long have I been like this?"

She didn't ask what I was talking about.

"…pffft…you were like that in that pub I met you in…that's how I found out you're impossible to hit on."

"…are YOU attractive?"

She stared. Now she knew how I felt.

"…I get a few catcalls…lot of phone numbers…thinking about that surgery but my friends say I'd look like an adult film star."

"…so, you ARE kind of decent?"

She shrugged, used to these odd conversation topics.

"I guess. You'd be pretty sweet if you lost the hat."

…eye twitch…

"…I didn't hear that…so, maybe this is why we're getting media coverage, good on a magazine cover? What about Rax?"

She looked over at the blank form of Rax watching tv.

"…I honestly don't see it…but this guy gets a barrel of fan letters a day...all of them spell like cheap perfume."

...so Sue didn't know how he does it either…But enough about us, back to zoids. We were off battles right now, they're considering us for a class system change. Not sure what that is. But we did get called up to the surface to pick up a weird, gecko-looking thing called a Hel digunner. Here's my first questions about it.

"…so I have to one-up a Hell Digunner…"

The delivery tech corrected me.

"It's pronounced 'Heil' Digunner…"

…I didn't tip the guy. Well, my version is called the 'Hell Digunner', in your face delivery boy.

The first thing I did is strip away the oxygen tubes. This thing is framed by these tubes that supply oxygen to the cockpit when this thing goes underground for long periods of time. This was my first big challenge. I spent twelve hours standing there with my arms crossed, thinking. Another day later I had the armor hollowed out and the tubing INTERNALLY rigged into the cockpit. This let me get some extra tanks into the tube ports, more underground time. This also eliminated the blaring weakness.

Now for the zoid itself, not its famous digging gimmick. I more or less streamlined the head, edging the cockpit out so dirt would slide right by. At least it should judging by the simulation. Now, here came the oddity. I lowered the stomach closer to the ground by crouching the legs, and built trapdoor panels on the bottom. I'll explain later.

The weaponry, I admit I didn't have to work with. They had a basic spread gun, rifle and what appeared to be an underwater weapon. I realized this thing could go underwater. Well, that changes everything!

Ten Hours Later

"…Chase, what the hell is that?"

I pried my head off the console where I was napping.

"…Psy…explain to Rax what the hell that is…"

Psy has been bored as hell down here. All he does is sit around watching movies. But he seemed eager to talk.

"Well, my greasy little friend, this is a zoid based on an animal we have yet to see in real life. Seriously, I think it's a lizard."

"…it's an iguana, you idiot…"

Rax was looking at the paint job. It had gone from light green to a dark blue, I just wanted to test out the blue tint on the painting cage. He looked at the now slick-backed head, the extended neck which housed the primary oxygen supply, and the re-built cannons on its back. This thing looked a lot different without the tubes, more like an animal and less like a tank. So a big blue iguana, how creative. HA!

I tapped the control console and the trapdoors on the belly opened up and lowered out a set of wheels. I tapped the control stick and the Digunner took off around the Hanger, it had an odd gimp to it. It kind of jumped with its legs through the air, landed on the wheels and coasted until the legs touched, hopped again, repeat. Rax nodded, seeing how much faster it was. I made it stop, making the wheels turn sideways. They were hollow, like a gear with holes cut in it to make it lighter. They began spinning horizontally, sometimes adjusting as if to steer.

"…underwater propulsion system…"

Rax nodded again.

"…so this thing can go underwater and on land?"

"…it also burrows…it's like an SUV zoid."

I nodded, going back to sleep on my console. I woke up in my bed, Sue and Rax must have moved me. I stretched a bit, turned on the media screen and checked my messages. Bad news. Very, bad news.

"…and her agent says he'll take her elsewhere."

I was explaining to my team, that Riz had quit. So our optional fourth member who didn't leave here, practice, or do anything at all had requested more pay and left. No bad feelings, she sent me an apology but she couldn't do it anymore. To tell the truth, that single battle she was in, wasn't her piloting. I put in a computer cockpit system.

"…she didn't do anything anyway…"

Sue didn't seem phased, neither did Rax.

"…it does kill off our chance in four on fours…"

I talked it over a bit before going to the Hanger and looking at the gray-camo Command Wolf I'd built from the ground up. It sat there, empty. No occasional twitches like other zoids. Psy was watching a movie in his parking space.

"…heard on the intercom Riz quit…too bad."

I sighed and nodded, walking up and sitting next to the Urban Assault.

"…bit of a waste…I mean, this thing is ideal for us."

"…I gave you the design, I should know."

I tried to change the subject, a bit bummed out.

"…any news from Eve?"

Psy got up and stretched like a cat just waking up.

"…yeah, she wants to give your new zoids a little spirit."

"…English please."

"…nothing major, just zoid cores in your new designs."

"Yay…"

I walked back to my room without a word. I found out later I had been depressed. As in mentally down, tired, and just out of it, not sad. Riz and Clara had helped me out of a lot, lent me their Molga, gotten me into society, helped me out with zoids early on…wait…Riz and Clara…Clara…

As I was thinking this I was lying on my futon staring at the ceiling. Clara…Riz was a rookie pilot with no experience…I'd only booked her because Clara was in the Sectors. If Clara was in the off-time…the Juggernaut is pretty easy to use…Clara has a pile of Sectors Awards bigger than mine over the years…

The Next Day

I was, hold your breath, above the surface during the day, out in the desert in Psy. We were just doing practice runs, usual drill.

"…and I figured Clara would be a good fourth."

"…she isn't tied down to anywhere…"

I jerked the controls left, letting the rear paws leave the ground and spin around in a swoop, now facing the other way. I took off again, just doing this back and forth every few miles. We got to 400 miles an hour no problem, spun in a 180 again and back. All the while talking like on the subway.

"…meh, go for it, man. We have the rooms. And she's a dang good event pilot."

"…what about eh…"

"…so you woke up together…?"

"…don't…speak…"

He shut up quickly, continuing our drill in silence. We went back to the Whale soon after. Then we went right back out to doing drills.

Sue had gotten the surgery. It only took ten minutes with all this technology. Her friends said it was not needed, and they were right.. Well, Rax ran off into the desert, not to return until we found him two days later, twitching under a rock. And I just stayed in the Hanger all day, sneaking out at night to my room. Eh, I'm a pretty brave guy. But when your best female friend comes home with an expanded measurement where a guy usually stares, you get the hell outta there, man!

Author's Notes

Sorry for the short chapter, I'm between a new weight lifting routine, a photgraphy deadline, Phantasy Star fanfic, three concept fanfics, several full length novels, a comic book storyline, and my golf game.