Haha…well…if any of you are still reading this, then you're probably used to me saying this by now. I'm so sorry. I know it's been about four months, probably longer, but I really am sorry. I didn't mean for my story to take this long. I wanted to finish it in three, but four is good. You see, it's not that I haven't been writing, I just have been writing original fiction. I just finished my second story. It's 326 pages, 36 chapters longs. I'm very proud of myself, I'll have you know. Anyway though, I suppose I should continue this story now. I'll try not to leaves such a huge gap between chapters next time, okay? Again, I'm sorry for the wait…if any of you are still reading that is…

Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids. Happy now?

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Star's face turned a ghostly white as those words escaped from Jamie's lips. She leapt off the bed and ran right up to him, getting right in his face.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "What did he say? What happened to Josh?"

"I don't know," Jamie answered softly. "His last transmission told us that he had been discovered. Then the line went dead. That's all." Star's eyes widened as she slowly backed away from all of them. This couldn't be happening. After things were just going her way, everything had to once again come crashing down. Why couldn't reality be kind, just this once? Why couldn't she just have a normal life? Why did these things always happen to her?

Without a word, Star bolted from the room, heading down the hallway. She wasn't sure where she was going or what she'd do when she got there, but she knew that she didn't want to be here. She needed a bit of time to think this through. She needed to be alone right now. There was a lot weighing down on her mind.

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There wasn't a single light to brighten up the dark and damp prison center of the Backdraft's base. The shadows on the walls were unable to dance around the cells, seeing as how there wasn't even a fire light to let them. They blocked everything, keeping the eyesight of the prisoners limited. However, there was only one prisoner. Only one person was a captive of these dark walls and still shadows. His eyes wandered the room constantly, and he prayed that they would focus even just a little more. He couldn't really see anything.

How had this all gotten so complicated anyway? Just what was going on? How had the Backdraft gotten this much power? When had their motives suddenly changed? Before, all they cared about was betting and spicing up zoid battles. Altile, however, had had other plans. He preferred the heightened danger as well, and if a few men were sacrificed in order to please a crowd, he was fine. It mattered not to him. However, not even he was this low. Perhaps after their defeat during the tournament last year, when Vega lost to Bit cloud, they came under new management. Perhaps their motives had changed then. Maybe world domination was too tempting. It would be easy to do, after all, with a force as large as the Backdraft. All someone needed were a bunch of decent pilots and zoids to back up the ideas, and there you had it. It was now large enough a force to rival the ZBC. That's where his job came in. He was supposed to keep the ZBC a step ahead of the Backdraft. It was kind of hard when you were in prison though.

Josh sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair. His dark eyes glanced around the room once more before he slumped against the corner and hung his head.

"Just how did I get into this mess in the first place?" he questioned, trying to recall how this had happened to him. He had always been so careful. He was cursing both the Backdraft and the ZBC right now. Both had equally screwed him over. Then again, in the end, it was his fault. His own sentiments had gotten in the way. He was a spy for heaven's sake. He basically gave himself away with his antics during their last battle. I guess that's what I get for getting attached to too many people.

"What now?" he asked the barren walls of his dark dreary prison cell. His mind couldn't help but wander through the past battle, the one that had ended his career. He had made the ultimate mistake of a spy…he had gotten far too attached to too many people…from both sides.

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Josh ran into the hanger of the Backdraft base, doing his best to ignore the explosions from outside. After all, the last thing he needed was to get distracted. This would be hard enough the way it was. The ZBC was attacking, and as a member of the Backdraft, he was inclined to fight them off. It wasn't fair though. For all he knew, these people could be friends of his. The job came first, however, so he couldn't back out. If worst came to worst, he could always get taken out on purpose and then sit it out the rest of the battle. That way he wouldn't have to be involved. After all, the side he wanted to see win was the one he had to prevent from doing so.

All these thoughts were quickly erased, however, when he saw Maria in her modified Rev Raptor. One of its arms was missing, and the left leg was badly damaged. The system wasn't frozen, at least, but her raptor was in no way battle ready. She would be killed if she stayed out there for much longer.

Josh quickly got into his Zoid, a stolen Blade Liger that the Backdraft had "liberated" from a rather rich collector. It was perfect for the things he wanted it to do, and right now he wanted it to get over to Maria's position. It sprinted across the desert, and he was soon positioned in front of her.

"Josh?" she questioned, wanting to make sure it really was him.

"Yeah," he responded. "You okay?"

"Of course," she told him as she forced her Zoid to its feet. "I'm just fine. I'm glad you came though."

"Don't worry," he assured her with a smile. "I've got your back. I won't let them get to you." He began firing off some bullets at some approaching ZBC zoids. He cringed whenever one was badly damaged, hoping the pilots were all surviving this. It was better if he didn't know who they were. He'd have less nightmares that way.

The battle raged on, and Josh kept taking out one unit after another. Nothing was going to get past him, not this time. He had something to protect. He wasn't going to allow the girl behind him to die in this battle. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her. He swore it. Unfortunately, the fates weren't on his side today. There was one zoid amongst his current enemies that he recognized. It was the zoid of a fellow officer of his, the zoid his cousin piloted. He would know Jason's zoid anywhere. Josh quickly shut his communication links all off and then opened a private one with Jason. The image of his red haired, green eyed cousin came up.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Jason in a reprimanding hiss.

"Josh?" he questioned out of shock. "This section is your division? Damn it! If I had known this was where you were working…"

"It's alright," he said. "Just call back your unit. I don't want to hurt you, but I can't risk having my cover blown."

"I understand," Jason told his cousin. "We'll fall back." However, before he could give the signal to retreat, his Saber Fang was taken out. The battle ceased at that moment, since their leader had just been removed. Besides, the ZBC was losing anyway. They hadn't even meant to get into a battle like this.

Josh sat in his cockpit, his eyes wide and his mind racing. What was he supposed to do in this kind of situation? He couldn't blow his cover, but was he really going to sit back and watch as a member of his family was killed in front of him? Star would never forgive him. However, he didn't want to end up losing his own life after all of this. His mission was almost over. He couldn't blow it now. He was torn between either option. He couldn't make up his mind. What came first? You duty or your family? This was all so confusing. He hated this inner struggle.

"Let's go Josh," called Maria from behind him, but he didn't move. He was just watching as some of the Backdraft zoids hovered over Jason's. They were probably deciding what to do with him. The end result would be simple. They'd kill him. "Josh?" Maria questioned, but instead of heading back to the base with her, his zoid moved forward, its black paws picking up sand as it walked.

"Maria…" he told her softly as he finally made up his mind. "I'm sorry." With that said, he blocked all communication systems with his zoid and charged towards his real enemy. The few Backdraft zoids standing around Jason's turned towards Josh.

"Ah, good," said one of them. "Josh, you can help us decide what to do with him." When they didn't receive an answer, nor did the Blade Liger show any sign in stopping, they began to panic. The second Josh extended the blades, they tried to get away, but their zoids were all ripped in half. He was making sure not to kill any of them. He quickly got in front of his cousin.

"Go now!" he demanded as Jason got his zoid slowly to its feet.

"But…" he began.

"Just go! I'll hold them off! You and your men need to get out of here!"

"But what about you?" he asked as he began turning around. Josh just gave a wry smile that Jason couldn't see, a small laugh escaping his dry throat.

"It's too late for me now," he stated, watching as more Backdraft members herded towards him. "Just tell Star I'm sorry, okay?"

"Alright," said Jason as he gave the signal to retreat. He and his men began sprinting away from the Backdraft base, leaving Josh with an unbeatable amount of enemies. He was going to try though. He wouldn't go down without a fight. Hey Leon…take good care of Star for me, alright? With that last thought, he charged head on into the opposing forces, unsure of what the outcome would be.

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Josh laughed a little as he recalled his capture. He had been thrown into the prison without so much as a word from any of them. He would be interrogated soon, he was sure of it. It was then that the door to his cell opened, and he looked up into the face of a Backdraft official. The man carried a flashlight with him, and Josh had to squint when he shined it in his eyes. He could now see that there were two other men standing behind him. Probably backup, Josh thought with a smirk.

"Now, tell us," began the man. "Just who are you?"

"Josh Summers," he told them with a smile. "I thought you'd at least be smart enough to remember my name." His arrogance got him a foot to his stomach, and he coughed a little as he fell over onto his side.

"Think you're smart, do you?" the man asked as he kicked Josh again. "Now tell us who you are."

"I already told you," he answered, not planning on giving them any information.

"Answer me!" the man shouted as he kicked Josh in the ribs. "Who do you work for? It's the ZBC, isn't it?!" He brought his heel down hard on Josh's side, and he was pretty sure the man had broken a rib with that move. He winced in pain, doing his best not to cry out. "I bet you're a spy, just like that woman!" He picked Josh up by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the wall hard.

"You know," began Josh with a ghost of a smile. "I miss the old days…back when you guys were nothing but brainless idiots placing bets on battles. I guess not too much has changed though. You're all still brainless, that's for sure." He smirked before he was slammed into the wall again, even harder than before, and he was sure he heard a snap come from his shoulder. He did cry out this time as he grabbed at it. His right shoulder now hung a bit differently, as if it had been popped out of its socket. The man then dropped Josh to the floor, leaving him to nurse his injuries.

"We'll be back," he told the ZBC spy. "Until you tell us everything, you can expect a session like this each day."

"I look forward to it," he smirked arrogantly, trying to prove to them that he wasn't afraid. Truth being, he was shaking inside. He wasn't used to dealing with pain like this. He had never broken a bone before. His perfect record had just been ruined as he felt a stab of pain in his side. He sighed deeply, trying not to move around too much.

"Looks like I really did it this time," he said to himself. "Maybe if I had just been a bit more careful…"

"Josh?" questioned a soft voice at the entrance of his cell. He turned towards it, having to squint to make out the figure at the bars. Her green eyes were like two lights in the darkness. He'd recognize them anywhere.

"Maria?" he asked softly to the darkness. He didn't receive an answer. "Well, if you can hear me, then I'm sorry. I never meant to…" He inhaled sharply as he shifted a little, his side really starting to hurt him. "…To deceive you."

"Josh, is something wrong?" she asked, hearing the pain in his voice.

"Nothing," he told her. "Just a little interrogation is all. My side hurts a bit, but I'll live."

"Josh, are you…are you really a member of the ZBC? Are you really a…spy?" she asked him, her voice quivering. Josh just sighed deeply, not wanting to lie to her anymore.

"Yes," he told her. "Like I said, I didn't mean to deceive you. I just…I wanted to protect her."

"Who?" she asked him, curious. Josh just smiled as he felt his eyes grow heavy. He hadn't realized until now just how tired he was. His mind was starting to slip. He realized then that there were two people…two "her's" he wanted to protect. He could have left at anytime and gone back to the ZBC. He could have just picked up and quit, and they could have sent someone else so that he could stay with Star. Unfortunately, there had been something keeping him here…someone.

"I wanted…to protect Star…and you…"

"W-what?" Maria stammered, a small blush on her face. However, he couldn't respond. He was already fast asleep.

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Okay, yes, a little shorter than some. I know that. However, this story is actually almost done. There aren't too many chapters left. Things are really going to heat up. The next chapter will focus more on the Blitz team and what they're going to do about Josh.

Read and Review please.

Until then, I'll be seeing ya!