I started screwing the top onto the steel box, the entire ZBC Presidential Cabinet standing behind me. We were in a glass-walled viewing room on a private Great Whale King. I was putting together a small steel machine in front of them, outside the window was a fleet of zoids ready to defend this craft at any extent.

As I silently finished off the last screw, an alarm went off throughout the Whale. Instantly we all looked out to see a wave of black-painted zoids incoming. Every one of them a Liger. My Liger.

I took out my watch, pressed a button to send a message and went back to watching through the window. I felt a tap on the shoulder, the President timidly asked me if I was going to use what I'd just made.

"…you mean this?"

As I said that my little machine beeped. I opened the front to reveal a bowl of popcorn. The Cabinet stared in confusion at my snack, then watched something pop up outside. A single zoid as running out to meet the Backdraft. A Gray Slash Liger, covered in graffiti.

"…that's…not…"

I looked over at the skinny guy who'd asked.

"…yep, that's Rax…"

Silence. They were all nervous. I just had nothing to talk about. Then the Liger reached the fleet. Instantly ten black zoids engulfed it, a blade snapped off in the mess. Then all ten of them were throw back into the horizon. The Slash shook itself off, now missing a blade but in good shape. Another wave, also shot off like a fly. The next wave took off three blades. This group flew even further.

"….Brand…what the heck is going on!"

I shrugged, swallowing a mouthful of popcorn.

"…it's a new circuit design. Every time he loses a blade or armor plate, the power routed to it goes to the rest of the zoid."

The politicians pretended to understand. The tiny Ligers kept throwing themselves onto my team mate, and getting trashed. Every time a blade or armor plate came off he got stronger. Soon the small army of Ligers were out of commission. I raised my wrist to my popcorn-stuffed face and talked into my watch.

"Nice goin', you can come back. I made popcorn."

A 'yahoo' sounded from my watch as I turned to the politicians.

"Well, that's the way it is. I rigged this circuit into the zoid design, let him loose, and just gave you a shy hundred Backdraft pilots into custody."

The President, currently a politician, not a friend of Max, nodded slightly.

"…you certainly covered your tracks…"

I shrugged, tilted my hat a bit down and responded.

"I left the diagram with your tech. If you excuse me, I owe our test pilot some popcorn."

With that I left the grand chamber with my bowl. What an odd way to open a journal, eh?

I'll cut the abstract situation to an hour later.

"…so you create a new zoid, it gets abused by an evil corporation, you redeem yourself with a fancy little drawing, and come out of it all with popcorn."

"….Sue, if you want some, just ask."

She grabbed a handful from my desk and left me to my room. Rax and I had gotten back from the Presidential whale King an hour ago, I'd fixed most of the Slash Liger's damage and was currently hunched over a screen typing away a letter.

'Dear Sir

I do hope that my new circuit design for your troops will cancel out my indirectly aiding the Backdraft. In fact I take metaphorical pen in hand to put closure on the matter. I want out. I never asked to get into politics. I'm a zoid pilot and a mechanic. The fact you called on me to aid you was flattering, but I wish to lay low. My fame as a pilot forces my team and I to avoid the media. My designs as a mechanic have promised me good funding, and I have created new ways to help our planet. But I am not a political advisor. You have a council devoted to your aid, you can call on any number of experts.

I will continue to make zoids, but only for ZBC Battle purposes, specific purpose, and for commercial design. I will not make killing machines. I have forbid myself and my team to use that circuit I demonstrated against the Backdraft, we will battle on equal ground. But I will not make military zoids capable of destroying cities. I am aware the rumors of a Liger Zero X have resurfaced and I am a reference on it. If a killer zoid does fall into the wrong hands, I will aid this planet however I can. But I shall not design zoids simply for the purpose of enforcing our military.

Sincerely

Trey Brand'

I sent the final draft to the President himself and went to the movies with my team. I am trying to break off from he big wigs, I want to go back to a normal life. And the Pres agreed. I'm a free man now. Why do you care? Well, we're back to zoid battles!

Let's try to get back into the flow of our lives here. Usual day, me in my little garage of horrors chatting with my Saix, Sue off on a rare mercenary job, Rax in his toy room.

"…what about the rib designs being molded with an air foil?"

I shook my head as I welded a blade mount onto Psy's back.

"The material is too light, I'd have to find a harder composite."

...we're debating how to rebuild the wings on the Reaper. I want to just put them back on like before, Psy wants to redesign them to allow the Reaper to fly, not hover. I bolted the blade mount a bit more and slid down to Psy's head, tapping the cockpit.

"Open up, I have to make sure the sensor wiring is intact."

I heard an electronic sigh as he opened the hatch for me.

"Chase, I can move on my own, is it necessary to have a top notch cockpit?"

I didn't respond. He may be alive, but I'm the one winning battles. Sure he remembers moves and attacks, but I was taught my Max Brand. Well, adopted, but he did kind of make me an expert pilot. I dropped down into my leather chair and fired up the holo-screens. I tapped away until I detected the blade mount, meaning I wired it right. Then I stuck around inside Psy's head, checking my email. Through the currently tinted glass I saw Rax walk into the garage. I leaned close to a speaker and cleared my throat.

"Rax, whatcha need?"

He jumped a bit at the voice ad looked at us, wondering if it was Psy or me talking. He probably forgot he was worrying and just went on.

"…what's my Liger's name?"

I shrugged and answered through the speaker.

"Slash Liger."

"…I mean its name, not its breed."

I blinked looking around, trying to wonder what he meant. He wondered if it had a name, like Psy did?

"Eh…"

"…his name is Sabre."

Rax nodded, thinking it was me who answered. He then skipped back to his toy room, at peace with the world.

"…Sabre?"

I felt my zoid shrug its shoulders.

"You never asked."

"…anything else I haven't asked?"

"Yeah, Ask clara to put on a robe when she walks around the Hanger."

I just stared.

"…why don't you ask her?"

"A giant metal cat says tells you to put some clothes on…"

He had a point.

"Hey, the ZBC hasn't given us a battle yet. Probably still in paperwork after the Backdraft attack."

"…as long as we're not in a Lightning rematch…"

"Yeah, last thing we need is another six hours with Cisco."

"And his Saix is a skank."

...moving on…zoids have genders…holy shit…

"…how about we find a zoid and rebuild it to kill time?"

Another shrug, he learned that from me.

"…we could find a Rev Raptor no problem, it'll be a trip down memory lane for Rax."

"Any ideas?"

"…Geno Reaper Lite…"

"…a zoid named after a new concept zoid, and a diet beer…I love it already."

As if my magic a blueprint screen popped up in front of me, blank but with an open toolbar a the side.

"…I'm not Royal Mechanic, but by Eve I love making zoids…"

Authors Notes

Can't be sorry enough for the late/short chapter…family problems, friend issues, a weight lifting deadline, and my cat won't let me sit down because my computer chair is to comfortable for me to enjoy. I'm back, so is the zoid making and battles, Regular updates will be back in no time, post your zoid ideas and reviews.