Well, here's another chapter. I'm having a few problems coming up with ideas, so let's hope this chapter sparks something. I'm sorry if it's taking me longer than usual to write things, but I'm limited and pushed for time. I've also been spending a lot of time on original stories.
Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids. You should know that.
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The next two days passed by slowly. There weren't any battles scheduled until next week, so everyone was basically bored. Star was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. There wasn't much to do today. Her radio at her side began to beep, drawing her attention. She picked it up and pushed the receiver. "Hello?" she said into it.
"Star," spoke a distinguished sounding voice, bringing a smile to Star's face.
"Hi John," she said into the radio.
"How is everything going?"
"Just fine. The Blitz team is great."
"They're taking good care of you?"
"Of course. Why even ask that?" John gave a deep laugh, which made Star feel great. John had always been like an uncle to her.
"I suppose you're right," he told her. "However, there's another reason I called."
"What is it?"
"The ZBC is having their annual party, and we're allowing zoids teams to come this time. We were wondering if the Blitz team would be going."
"Even if they don't want to, I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"We'll try our best to get Josh to come, but I'm not sure if he'll be able to get away long enough."
"That's alright," said Star. "I understand."
"Well then, talk it over with your team and see if they'll be coming. We'd really enjoy having all of you there."
"I will. Bye John."
"Goodbye Star." Star set the radio down and stood up, walking out of the room. She found the rest of the team sitting in the main room, watching TV. They all looked bored. Star had a huge smile on her face as she walked over to them. "I need to ask you guys about something," she said to them, grabbing their attention.
"What is it?" asked Leena.
"Did you hear anything about the party the ZBC is having?" They all nodded. "Well, are we going or not?"
"Just what are these parties like?" asked Bit.
"Well, it's formal, you know, dresses, suits, all that stuff. It's really a lot of fun. This is the first year they're letting zoid warriors attend. Usually, it's only for ZBC workers." Naomi smiled.
"You really want to go, don't you," she said in more of a statement than a question. Star nodded meekly.
"Well then," said Doc. "They're probably expecting you there, so we can't let them down." He gave Star a smile. "We'll go." Star was jumping for joy on the inside, but simply put a smile on her face. "Thank you," she said to them.
"When is this party?" asked Jamie.
"Um…Tomorrow night." Leena and Naomi stood up and walked over to Star.
"Well then, we should go shopping today so we'll be ready tomorrow," suggested Leena. The three girls left the room and began to head for the garage.
******
The girls had spent the day shopping and the guys had gone out the next morning. The day and a half went by quickly. It was already time to head to the party. They had all gotten into the hover cargo and were on their way. It wouldn't take them very long to get there. Everyone was getting dressed for the formal ZBC party. Star was hoping against all odds that her brother would be there, when she knew for a fact that it would be hard to get away from the Backdraft. However, she couldn't help but hope. They had soon arrived at the large, ZBC base where the party was being held. It was a beautiful looking building, almost more like an opera house than a base. Hundreds of people were entering the building, most of which were zoid warriors. They had all brought their transporters and their zoids, just in case they were to need them. Everyone met up in the main room. The guys were all dressed in black suits, but no ties. They all looked quite nice. The girls all had their hair done up. Leena was dressed in a strapless lavender dress that seemed to glimmer in the light. Naomi had a maroon colored dress with only one strap going over her left shoulder. Star was wearing a cream colored, spaghetti strap dress. They were all absolutely beautiful. They all exited the hover cargo and entered the building. All of them but Star were shocked at what they saw. The room they were in was huge, containing both the downstairs and the upstairs balcony area. There were tables set to the sides but the middle was set for a dance floor. There were hundreds of people, both pilots and ZBC officials. It was absolutely amazing. "Star!" shouted someone from their left. They all turned to see who it was. There was a man standing there, his green eyes shining. He had short red hair and was dressed just like all the other men in the room. "Jason!" said Star happily as she ran over to him. She hugged him tightly and then pulled away.
"When they told me you weren't working here anymore, I wasn't sure if I'd see you tonight," he told her.
"Well, I came anyway. I wouldn't miss this party for the world." The Blitz team members just stared at the two of them, confused. From the crowd, John emerged, coming over to greet them all. "Good evening, Blitz team," he said to them, catching their attention.
"Hello again John," said Doc happily.
"Hey John," began Leena. "Who's that boy?" She pointed to the man Star was talking to.
"Oh, that's Jason, Star's cousin. He works here as well, but Star never really gets to see him. Being here will be good for her."
"What about Josh?" asked Bit. John frowned slightly.
"I'm afraid Josh won't be joining us tonight. He said he'd try to get away for a while, but that we shouldn't get our hopes up." Star was done talking to Jason and had returned to her team.
"Well," she began, "shall we get something to eat?"
******
It had been an hour already and they had just finished their dinner. It was great, not to mention free. Even though there was a meal prepared for everyone, there was also a table full of food and refreshments. Star was off talking to a few ZBC officials. She appeared to be having a good time. The Blitz team simply watched her.
"She seems happy," said Brad.
"It was a good idea for us to come here," said Bit.
"Yeah, Star really needed this," agreed Naomi.
"If only her brother could have made it," said Leena, sounding slightly disappointed. "I mean, it's obvious that Star really misses him." The four of them were sitting at a table by themselves. Doc, Leon, and Jamie were no where to be found, which made them all a little irritated. Doc and Jamie were most likely talking to John, but they weren't sure where Leon was. They wanted to keep an eye on him.
"You know," began Leena. "Matchmaking is hard when you can't find the people you're supposed to hook up."
"Well, we know where Star is," said Bit.
"Are you sure about that?" asked Leena. Bit turned to where Star had been, but she wasn't there anymore.
"Where'd she go?" he asked Leena.
"She just said she doesn't know," answered Naomi.
"Well, we aren't going to find them by sitting around here," said Brad while standing up.
"I agree," said Bit while following suit. "This is a party after all. We shouldn't just be sitting around doing nothing. You're supposed to mingle." Naomi smiled and stood up. She walked over to Brad.
"Well," she began, "should we start mingling?" He simply nodded and they walked off together into the crowds. They ended up on the dance floor and began to dance. Leena stood up and stood next to Bit, who was glancing down at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked beautiful tonight and he really wanted to be out there dancing with her, but he was a little nervous for some reason. He didn't notice that Leena had caught him staring at her. "What is it?" she asked him, curious.
"Uh, nothing," he said quickly. "It's just that…you look really nice tonight." Leena blushed slightly and turned away.
"Thanks," she said quietly. Bit simply smiled.
"Hey Leena, do you want to dance?" he asked. She turned to him and smiled.
"Sure, why not," she said. He gave her his arm and she accepted. They walked out onto the dance floor together. "You know, you clean up quite nicely, Bit Cloud." He simply smiled, glad he had summed up the courage to ask.
******
Star stood by herself near a window. She was simply watching the different couples dance. She smiled when she noticed that Brad, Naomi, Bit, and Leena were all out there. "Star!" shouted a familiar voice. Star froze from surprise, but she slowly turned towards the voice. She was overcome with joy as she saw the man who had called her name. "Josh!" she shouted as she ran to him, throwing her arms around him. "I didn't think you'd come."
"I wasn't sure I'd make it here either. I can't stay for long, but I had to come. I haven't missed a single one."
"Neither have I. I'm glad they allowed zoid warriors to come this time."
"How is everything?"
"It's great. We have a battle in about three days. What about you?"
"The Backdraft still has no idea I'm working for the ZBC or that I'm your brother."
"Just what have you found out?"
"Nothing yet. They haven't really discussed any major plans with me. However, there are still people out looking for you."
"I know," she said, sounding downhearted. "But I have my team. I know they'll watch out for me."
"I bet they will." He released her and smiled. "I'm afraid there's something I have to discuss with John right now, but I won't leave without saying goodbye, alright?"
"Okay," she said wile nodding. Josh walked off into the crowds to find John, leaving Star alone again. She simply watched as the couples danced on the dance floor. "Hey Star," said a familiar voice from her right. She turned and saw Leon approaching her. She simply smiled.
"Hello Leon," she said happily.
"I just saw Josh." Star nodded.
"Yeah, he had to go talk to John about something. I'm really glad he came, though. We haven't missed a single party."
"Thanks for suggesting this to Dad. I don't know if we would have gone if you hadn't asked about it."
"Well, I was a little nervous about asking. I didn't want to seem too demanding. I mean, all of you have done so much for me already; I don't want to ask for too much."
"It's alright. We're always willing to help out. You can come to us for anything."
"I know, but still. I just don't want to seem like I'm taking over. Remember, I'm only on your team because you don't mind hiding me from the Backdraft. It's really nice of you…to help us out and all."
"Star, we didn't do this to help the ZBC. Remember, we helped you out before we even knew that you worked here. We did this to help you." Star smiled, her eyes shining.
"Thank you. And Leon? About the other day…I jus want you to know that…what you did…really meant a lot to me. So, thank you again."
"You don't need to thank me," he said with a smile. They both simply stood there in silence for a while, watching the people in the room. Leon glanced down at Star. 'God, she's beautiful.' He took in a deep breath before deciding to ask her something. "Star, would you like to dance?" he asked, offering her his arm. Star was a little startled, but she soon broke into a smile.
"I would love to," she responded, taking his arm. They walked out together onto the dance floor. Leon placed his hand on her waist while she placed hers on his shoulder. They clasped their other hands and began the dance. It was your average ballroom dance. (A/N For those of you who've played it, think dance scene from Final Fantasy VIII but without any mistakes. For those of you who haven't…think fancy ballroom waltz with spinning and other cool/fancy dance moves…sorry. I'm not good at describing dances.) From the other side of the room, Josh was watching them, a smile on his face. "Maybe I should give up being a spy and become a professional matchmaker," he said cheerfully. He hadn't really needed to talk to John, but when he saw Leon coming over, he decided to let them have some privacy. He looked around the room and his eyes landed on someone who seemed slightly familiar. He dropped his smile and focused on the man. He was dressed in a tux like all the other men, with the exception of Josh, who was still wearing his normal brown trench coat, blue jeans, and black shirt. This man was wearing sunglasses to hide his eyes. He seemed slightly suspicious, since he was standing completely alone. He was also watching the dance floor. More importantly, he was watching Star. He had his hands in his pockets and appeared to be taking something out. It was a silver gun. However, a few people moved in front of the man, and when they finally left, he was gone. Josh began to look around for the man, but he couldn't find him. "Damn it, this can't be good." He began to walk through the crowds, looking for the man. 'Does he know…about Star?' The thought really got Josh going. He had to find out what was going on.
The song ended and everyone stopped dancing, waiting for the next song. "Thanks Leon," said Star with a smile and he simply returned it. She released his hand and looked around the room. Her eyes landed on Josh, who was following a man dressed in a black suit wearing sunglasses. "Excuse me, Leon," she said, her smile dropping. She walked away, going off to follow her brother, who was following the man quietly. Leon saw where she was going and decided to follow as well. Star ran up to Josh but said nothing. He simply glanced down at her and she nodded to him. "He's up to something," whispered Josh. "I think he works for the Backdraft."
"Then you shouldn't be messing with him," she whispered to Josh. "You could blow your cover."
"If that happens then that man can't leave here alive." Star nodded and continued to walk with her brother. The mysterious man disappeared into the halls of the first floor, which were a lot like a maze. They were brown walled and red carpeted hallways and they branched off into many other ones. "Star, we should split up," said Josh. "If you find him, you know what to do." Star nodded and watched as Josh walked down one hallway, leaving her to go down the other. They had to find the man and there were so many ways he could have gone. She began to walk, looking for the man they had followed. She turned a few corners, walking quietly. She came to a four way intersection in the hallway and was quickly grabbed from her left. A scream escaped her before a hand clasped over her mouth. An arm wrapped around her shoulders near her neck, holding her tightly. She glanced back and saw the man she had been following. "It's good to see you again, Taki," spoke the man, his voice sly and familiar. Star's eyes widened at the mention of her real name. Only one man called her that. 'Ain.'
"Did you think that your disguise would fool me? I know you too well Taki 'Star' Summers." Star knew she had to get away. She stepped back and caught his leg, tripping him. He released her and she tried to run, but Ain quickly grabbed her ankle, tripping her as well. "You can never make things easy, can you?" he asked her, his voice dark. She shook his hand from her ankle and tried to stand up so she could get away, but he was one step ahead of her. He grabbed her by the wrist and jerked her towards him. She tried to punch him in the face, but he moved and she missed. She then tried to kick him, but it failed as well. "You don't know when to give up, do you?" he asked her. He kicked her hard in the stomach and she was sent to the ground in the middle of the intersection. She held her stomach, trying to catch her breath. "Star?" questioned a soft, familiar voice. Her eyes widened and she lifted her head, now looking into the eyes of Leon Toros, who was walking down the hall towards her.
"Leon," she whispered, suddenly becoming overwhelmed with panic. "Leon, get out of here!" she yelled to him. He stopped walking and stared at her in confusion. "Please!"
"Star, what's wrong?" he asked her.
"You need to get out of here!" Just then, Ain came around the corner, a pistol in his hand. He had a dark expression on his face as he lifted the gun towards Leon and fired.
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Well now, how was that for a chapter? I hope you liked it. It took me a long time to write it. I think I finally got the inspiration I needed. This won't be nearly so hard to write anymore.
I'll probably update again on Thanks Giving, so look for it^.^
Oh, if you'd like to be emailed about when I update, just say so.
See ya^.^