The sky over Ice-gale had turned dark once more, and the stars were slowly appearing, like diamonds on black velvet.
Fiona looked up at the spectacular sight, smiling……..
"………….,"
"Fiona……..Fiona?"
The ancient Zoidian turned to the speaker, Van.
"Yes?"
Three hours previous……They had spent the morning and afternoon analyzing the blood that they had found at the site, using some of Sikes equipment and Beek. The results had been…….unexpected. In fact, Sikes had had a fit when he first saw the feedback on the computer screen.
"Hey! Guys! The results are in! C'mere!" called Thomas, looking at the data that Beek had sent him.
As the others gathered around, Sikes squealed excitedly at what he saw, scaring the living hell out of everyone else.
"YYYESSSS! I knew it! I knew it! Guss must have killed an alien and taken it back home with him! Or something like that……oh it doesn't matter! WE HAVE REAL ALIEN BLOOD! Oh yeah!" the fanatic continued to rant on in a corny manner, as Thomas took a closer look at the sample.
"I hate to burst your bubble, but……this isn't exactly what you'd call the blood of an extraterrestrial….."
Sikes stopped his victorious babbling to look up at the lieutenant.
"Nyeh?" he gibbered.
Tom began to explain, saying how the sample showed some rather strange traits and alterations, but it was human……for the most part. At this, Sikes had practically deflated, disappointed beyond belief. And Van had almost felt sorry for the annoying fanatic. Almost….
After they had gotten the results from the AI it had been late in the afternoon, the sun setting once more behind the mountain peaks. Van and Thomas discussed the matter, before deciding that after the group packed up the gear that they should head up to Guss' place, which Sikes had said was only a little ways from there.
Returning to the present……..
"C'mon, we're heading out now…….,"
"……..I'm coming," Fiona said, after hesitating for a fraction of a second. She walked past him as she headed towards the Zoids.
Van raised an eyebrow at his friend's curious behavior, but not much more. He had grown used to the Zoidian's peculiar ways.
Shaking his head, he followed after her, Zeke joining the two as he trotted up from a nearby gully that he had been exploring.
As the Blade-Liger and the Dibison headed up the slope, the white Organoid stopped and looked over his shoulder in the direction of the Obelisk, his red eyes reflecting the starlight.
"……..grawwwrrrr….."
Skkktttxxt! "Hey Zeke! C'mon buddy, let's go!" called Van over the intercom.
Snorting, the Organoid turned and trotted after his friends…………never looking back…..
At Guss'………The old man walked with uneven steps towards the back of his yard, Larka trailing after him.
"……….Where are we going?" she asked, taking her violet eyes off her surroundings to look at Guss, as he glanced back at her, grinning toothily.
"About fifty years back, a war was waging between the Guylos Empire and the Helic Republic. I was a young and restless little punk then, and I wanted to be a Zoid pilot more than anything else, like most kids my age. So when I was old enough, I up and joined the Empire in their fight. What happened in the war is history,……but I still have my Zoid. A Helcat."
Interested, Larka fixed her full attention on the veteran as he continued on, a twinkle in his eyes.
"We were one of the best pairs in our battalion, too."
FlashbackA group of Zaber Fangs and Helcats battled viciously against a horde of sleeper Zoids, Guysacks to be exact.
A young man with dusty brown hair and blue eyes piloted a pure black Helcat past a horde of the sleepers, firing its Anti-Zoid 20mm multiple times at the attackers.
Three of the Guysacks exploded in fire, crying out as they burned and collapsed.
"SHHREIIIII!" "Shrac-Shrriiii!" "SHRrrIIIIEEE!"
The man whooped excitedly, his Helcat roaring.
"RRWAAAAWWWWWRRRR!"
……..Only for them to be swarmed by the rest of the sleepers.
The two sweatdropped……….
But then continued their ruthless massacre alongside their comrades, determined to annihilate every one of the Guysacks.
"We were often sent to wipe out any sleepers or bases that stood in the way of the advancement of the troops. So, after a while, the Republic sent out data to all their Zoids, piloted and sleepers alike, so that they would recognize the signal of any Saber Fang or Helcat in the Wrath Cats Battalion, which was, heheheh, our name."
A Republican soldier sprinted down the halls of his base, panting. Veering off to the left, he ran as hard as he could down another hall 'til he came to a door. He burst in, and hurriedly stood at attention before his commanding officer. When he spoke, his voice was shaky as he was still trying to catch his breath.
"S-SIR! Our(pant)-scouts have picked(pantpant)-up several dozen enemy Z-Zoid signals, heading straight at us, and th-they'll be here any minute!"
"Have we identified them?"
"……Yes….yes, sir, we have…"
"….Well? Who is it this time? Colonel Shafton's Platoon maybe?"
"…It-it's the Wrath Cat Battalion, sir……."
"…………..,"
"What are your orders, sir?"
"……..To fight……and to pray……"
"………….,"
"Our battalion quickly became one of the most elite groups that the Empire had to offer. Pretty soon, even the mention of our name struck fear into heart of every Republican soldier. And half the time, us just showing up could end a skirmish, the sight of our Zoids scaring the hell out of the opposition. But some of the orders that we had to carry out……well, I'm not all that proud of them.
The same blue eyed man, only slightly older, stood on a cliff above a village………a village that was on fire. He sighed sadly, not noticing his Helcat lowering its large head near him as they listened to the cries of the villagers.
"Raawwwrrrrr-wrrrrggh."
The man turned to see his Zoid's head right behind him, its black cockpit reflecting the fires.
"….It's not right……is it, Hel?" he asked, his voice regretful.
Just then, a red and yellow Zaber Fang trotted up to the partners, a voice emitting from its intercom.
SNNkKxxXXtkk "Guss! Major Wilson sent me to get you; we're movin' out!"
"…….Got it………..…Let's go!" commanded the younger version of Guss, jumping into his Zoids cockpit.
The two Cat Zoids began to run towards the rest of the battalion, but even then Guss turned his Zoid slightly, to take one last look at the cremated little town.
"………….,"
Only to run faster, away from the destruction that he had helped create.
End Flashbacks
"After the war ended, the Emperor allowed me to keep my Zoid, as a sort of compensation for being injured in the line 'a duty, I suppose. Anyways, right up here, is my own, personal little hanger that I had built with some of my paychecks," finished Guss, smiling.
The two had continued walking as he had talked, and now stood before a tiny, concrete shed, with only one door. The old man whipped out a key to this door, which opened up to reveal a long flight of stairs that led down into the earth.
The veteran led the way, still smiling.
"It's pretty dark, so watch your step."
Larka looked down before her, purposely dilating her violet eyes, to the point that she had no problem seeing at all. She didn't really even know how she did it. She just ….did it…..
Her silky, black hair fell about her face gently as she continued to look down, having previously been washed of all the grime that it had been coated in. Though…….she didn't actually know why it had been so bloody and nasty beforehand…..she only knew that it had taken her an eternity to wash it out.
Quietly, she followed after the old man, their footsteps echoing. When they reached the bottom, Guss began to look for the power switch, muttering to himself.
"Now where is it," he said, running his hand along the wall.
"……….,"
"……Aha! There you are!"
CH-TUNG!
The lights came on above them as the power came on, and the generator could be heard whirring to life in the background.
Smiling, he looked over at the teen, who was staring across the small cavern at the black Helcat that stood there.
"………..,"
"……Pretty cool, huh?"
"………..,"
The old man began to chuckle before limping forwards, beckoning her to follow him.
As they walked over to the Panther, he explained how the Wrath Cats had always customized their Zoids. His Zoid, known as 'Hel', had been fitted with hardened alloy Strike Claws, an unusual feature for Helcats. Also, it had some 'damn good boosters', according to Guss, along with a Anti-Zoid 20mm, a Anti-Zoid 3 barreled Shock Cannon, a Double Barreled beam cannon, two E-sheild generators and a 'cloaking' device, with which the Zoid could turn completely invisible, etc.
As they approached, Hel turned its head to look at them, a friendly, metallic purr generating from deep inside its core.
"Well hey there, big guy," said Guss, patting the Zoids front leg affectionately.
Larka stood next to Guss, awed at the size of the black Zoid, her sword hanging listlessly at her side, as if knowing that it wouldn't stand a chance against such a large opponent. And Guss had said that most Zoids much bigger than Helcats………
Now why she would even consider getting in fight with something, she didn't know. Earlier, Guss had given back her scarlet weapon, and when she had taken it from his hand, it had felt so natural, as if it were an extension of her arm. She had twirled it experimentally, and her movements had flowed like water. It was……frightening really, because the red sword had been coated in a layer of dried, black blood……..Whose blood, she couldn't say……….she couldn't remember……..
Out of curiosity, the Helcat lowered its head, 'looking' at the newcomer.
"………….,"
"…………,"
Guss just smiled as the youth reached her hand up and placed it on Hel's 'muzzle', the Panther deepening its funny little purr.
And……….she smiled too…………
"Well, I've got some stuff to work on back at the house, so you can fool around in here if you want."
Larka nodded absentmindedly, still stroking the Helcat. Not sure if she was even listening, Guss told her where everything was, including the hanger exit/entrance where both she and the Zoid could exit if something happened.
Turning, he headed back to the stairwell, leaving the two new friends behind. He glanced back one last time.
"………….,"
Sensing a foreboding something, but not sure what, Larka looked up as well.
The two watched each other for awhile before Guss headed out.
But Larka continued to watch, her mind reaching out instinctively to the old man, to let him know something bad was about to happen. This sensation startled her though; the vast feeling that she received from letting the boundaries her psyche just drop and start to explore the minds of those surrounding her. She hadn't even known she could do that………
By the time she collected her wits, Guss was long gone. However, the foreboding feeling was anything but, and it spurred her into action.
And as she ran after him, she pushed to the very back of her mind something that had also startled her,……..the Helcat had a conscious mind as well.
Meanwhile………..
The stars over the Orosis Mountains had completely come out, unhindered by light pollution or smog. The moons had yet to rise, so one could clearly see the beautiful night sky. The Milky Way at its finest……..
In the grass of an open field, Raven lay on his back, looking up in wonder.
"………..,"
Ever since he had regained his memory, looking at the stars made him think of his parents and tonight was no exception, as he thought back to that fateful night. But……the bitterness that he had subconsciously associated that night with was gone. Avenged. The past could finally rest.
But……he couldn't help but feel like……something was missing.
Asides from Ryss.
In the month after Zoid Eve, she had become his friend. Almost like a sister even. And though she could have up and walked away any time she wanted, knowing that Raven wouldn't have stopped her……she hadn't. Until she mysteriously disappeared.
If he found her and she didn't want to come back, Raven would understand. It wouldn't upset him in the least, for freedom of decision was a precious thing, as he had come to realize.
Ryss could do as she pleased.
He was just worried, for it wasn't like her to do something like this. To run off, leaving a note that said she'd be back in two weeks,………and yet not show her face anywhere for five months. But if it did turn out to be nothing, then he knew she'd never stop teasing him about giving a damn about her.
No……..it wasn't Ryss.
But if it wasn't Ryss……..then what could it be………………
Two miles east of Guss' cabin………….
A Command Wolf, Guysack, and Stealth Viper creep along the rocky base of a steep cliff, heading covertly towards the little cabin.
Nearly there, the mercs stopped, preparing themselves to do the task.
SKKKKkkkt "Guys, I've got a baaaaaad feelin' 'bout this."
Snnkkkhhhxt "Oh what's the matter Reaver? You're not going to piss your pants again are you?….Skkt-Hahahahahahaha!"
Sxxxxkkk "Shut the hell up Nave! I'm not in the mood!"
KKKttttt "Hey! Nave quit being such a jackass already! You're the only one that thinks your jokes are funny!"
"Jeez, Talia, don't get your panties in a twist. I'm just trying to lighten the mood."
"Whatever, let's just get this over with………who's gonna fire the shot?"
"………………"
"………I'll do it, I could go for some target practice. 'Sides, I'm the only one here with missiles anyways, heheheh."
"Alright then, Nave….."
"Fire away, man."
Back at the cabin………..
Guss came out of the forest, heading towards the house. A gentle smile was on the old man's weathered face as he limped along.
A long time ago, he had been a father and a husband. But Fate had taken that away from him, leaving him with nothing………
But perhaps, this was Fate's way of giving him another shot. He knew he had never been much of a father to Miyah. Maybe this was his second chance……
As he walked up the porch steps, a familiar noise reached his ears…..
……and it'd be the last one he'd ever hear………
BOOM!
SHHHWWIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
CRRRAAA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooMMM!
The cabin exploded in a burst of flaming wrath, engulfing in fire and smoke….
Larka ran at a furious pace out of the forest, just in time to see the house go up in flames.
"……….!"
As she sprinted towards the obliterated cabin, Nave let out a curse.
"SHIT! I can see the girl on screen! She wasn't in the damn house!"
"……………,"
"Then just fire again."
"I can't! Seems that that was the only missile I had left, and she's to small a target for any of us to snipe from way out here. We'd haft to get closer…."
"No prob. Damien said we'd be fine as long as we stay inside our Zoids. And since there's no point in gettin out, I don't think she'll be catchin' us on the ground."
"Eh…..You're right. C'mon."
Meanwhile, coming up the road, the Guardian Force stopped short at the sight of the explosion.
"WHOAH!"
"Damn, look at that!"
"Oh boy…."
"Oh my goodness, I nobody was in that!"
"Ewwrrrrrrrrrr."
"Yeah you said it, Zeke…."
"……………,"
"Looks like someone got to Guss before we did…….."
"Ah shit….You don't think……"
"It was the GOVERNMENT! They're trying to cover it all UP!"
"Sikes, for Eve's sake, shut it!"
"YOU CAN'T REPRESS THE TRUTH! Eventually-"
"Look!" cried Fiona, interrupting Sikes rant, as she pointed at a figure kneeling in shock before the cabin.
"…..Who is that?"
"I don't know. Bring 'em up on screen."
As the image enlarged on their screens, the group grew even more confused, for this was someone that even Sikes hadn't seen before.
"It ain't Guss, that's for sure."
"…………"
"……….."
"Then,….who hell is it?"
"WHO ELSE could it BE? It's the mutant, non-alien…um, THING! Who looks, at this distance, pretty hot! But that is besides the point! Sort of……..Damn she's hot!"
The others sweatdropped at this comment, but couldn't reply. Because for once, Sikes had it right……..
On her knees before the inferno, was Larka, her scabbard attached at her hip. Her long, black hair draped gracefully about her face and down her back. She was dressed in some clothes that Guss had given her, that had, at one point, belonged to his own daughter, Miyah. She wore a dark, brick red tank-top, and some custom black fatigues. A delicate, but strong silver chain was cinched around her waist as a belt. But that was pretty much it.
The Guardians and co., after getting past the initial surprise, advanced their Zoids towards the teen in question, cautiously. She however, took notice of them, being too occupied with staring solemnly at the blazing ruin. But before they could reach the distraught teen, Van noticed a 'bigger' problem.
"Guys, we got company."
And indeed, they did. For coming out of the distant treeline came a small group of Zoids. Who were, in fact, what was left of the Blood Reaper mercenary gang.
Back when the explosion went off………
BOOO-oooo-ooo-ooommmm!
KRA-BOOOOO-oooo-ooooo-oooommmmmm!
The distant echo of cannon fire reached Raven's ears as he lay on his back, resting his eyes.
"Hmmm?" He opened his eyes and looked off towards the source of the disturbance.
A small, but fiery mushroom cloud expanded over a select area on the mountainside in the distance, marking the spot with its glow.
Raven stared for a while, thinking too himself.
'Hmmmmmm, cannon fire?……I guess that makes sense, considering that the Guardian Force is in town. Heh, I bet that mercenary gang I keep hearing about is stupid enough to try to pick a fight with them, too. Heheheheh, typical……….Well there's no point just sitting here, I suppose. Time to have some fun!'
Jumping to his feet with a smirk on his face, the dark warrior made for his Geno Breaker, calling for a certain black Organoid.
"SHADOWWWW!"
The Organoid, hearing the yell, blurred through the fields of wheat in which he had been. Spreading his wings, he took to the night sky, quickly catching up with his partner.
They had some business to attend to………….
Returning, once again, to the present………
"…..…."
Larka continued to stare blankly at the inferno before her.
………The flames.
………………..They reminded her of something.
A hidden memory that was just out of her grasp.
Suddenly, a succession of images played out in her mind, a collection of a few random memories that seemed to surface in reaction to the sight before her.
Flash.
Angela ran.
Sweating.
Panicking.
Her eyes were full of confusion and fear, her heart hurt and broken.
A lone tear rolled done her face as she fought her emotions down.
She would not allow herself the weakness of tears.
Suddenly, a figure dropped down before her, staff extended.
She didn't even pause, but dove to the side, drawing her scarlet blade.
The figure stood in a fighting stance, his bo-staff held before him expertly.
His face was serious.
Determined.
But you couldn't see his eyes….
For he was wearing an eye-mask………
Angela trembled as her own eyes widened, and uncharacteristically clutched at her sword.
He then spoke, his voice every bit as determined as his face.
"The road ends here An-"
Flash
"Why! Why are you doing this! We've realized that it was a misunderstanding! We know you didn't do any of those horrible things and we're all sorry for accusing you of them!"
"……I know."
"SO WHY DO THIS! This is worst than any of that other shit! WAY worse! It's BETRAYAL!"
"Heh, so tell me, how does it feel……brother?"
"……what?"
"You heard me. How does it feel?"
"….DON'T become another Terra. Please don't. The others have already suffered betrayal once. They don't need to go through it again. If you do this it will tear them apart. They already feel horrible enough about what we all did as it is! Please! I'm asking you as a friend, as your brother, don't do this…..surely Sargon hasn't twisted you as much as you think. And as corny as it may sound, I know that somewhere in that cold demeanor is my little sister. And what about Katrina? You're her big sister, and she is the third child. The one destined to return to Zi; to put an end to Sargon and revive our father's Zoid. She looked up to you and still does! But if you do this…what will she think? One of her own siblings having joined the side of the one she is meant to destroy! It will crush her! And the good person inside of you that I know, wouldn't do something like that…….."
"Katrina….is a good for nothing, spoiled little bitch and I could care less about what she thinks or feels. And you still haven't answered my first question."
"…..My god……what has he turned you into? What has that bastard turned you into!…Have you no heart anymore! We're family! We're not supposed to turn-"
"DON'T BE A HYPOCRITE, XAVIER! Don't you DARE lecture me about what you, along with those other damn fools put me through!"
"I told you we were sorry!"
"Sorry isn't good enough!"
"Then what else do you want us to do!"
"TO BURN IN HELL! Hraaaaahhh!"
And Angela ran forward as she snarled, swinging her scarlet sword at her surprised brother…….
"NO! A-"
Flash
From where she stood, she could see it all.
What was left of a burning cityscape…..
The Roran'ty ran amok in the streets, completely unhindered as they laughed and howled like the demons they were.
And…….she just watched them.
Screaming could be heard on the stifling breeze, coming up from a far street.
The few remaining civilians, the ones who hadn't been evacuated, ran. Terrified of the possessed that hunted them.
Smoke drifted upwards, blacking out the sky.
But, in the distance, she could hear explosions.
A building toppled and voices were shouting.
A powerful blast from a sonic cannon could be seen from here, lighting up the murky atmosphere.
It seemed that her former companions where still fighting her master's servants…….
"………….,"
With her mental telepathy she could sense them all. The fools. Still fighting a pointless battle. One that they had lost the moment that they had turned on her.
At the touch of her slight mental brush, she sensed her brother and sister immediately tense, nearly stopping in their tracks, along with one other. Though she was too far away from them for the three to try to communicate with or pinpoint her location, they reached out accordingly.
Her brother kept his defenses up, but was obviously forcing himself to be calm and open to her presence, as if he were trying to coax a wild animal into eating out of his palm. At this she almost laughed. He still hadn't given up! It was almost getting to be ridiculous!
Katrina was a different story, however. No calm greetings here. Just bristling anger, contempt……and a slight tinge of….pity?
And then there was………Shade. He was not a sibling of hers, oh no. He was something of a completely different caliber. Or……used to be……..she had no such feelings toward him now. At least….that's what she told herself……
All she could feel from him was sorrow and his lingering feelings toward her, the feelings that simply refused to die no matter how much she encouraged them to.
Suddenly, her semi-connection with Shade disappeared, right as a huge mushroom cloud of fire, dust and debris exploded into the air in the area in which the battle had been taking place.
………But her siblings' remained……..That could only mean………..
"……Oh no…….," she whispered to herself.
……..Surely not……
Shade was an excellent warrior and an even better one with teammates fighting by his side. But perhaps their momentary 'connection' had distracted him to the point that he hadn't been watching what he was doing and…..
It wasn't like she cared or anything though…….she was just curious……….right?
Wrong.
A flood of emotions washed over her as she realized that her 'friend' had just 'died'…….and though she hadn't killed him herself, it had been her fault…..
Finally, she felt deep down……..that she hadn't truly meant any of the hurtful things she had done and said.
And she was sorry.
For everything.
But like she had said once before, sorry isn't enough.
And a fierce scream of pain, rage, and guilt tore through her lips as she cursed herself, the Roran'ty, Sargon, and any and all gods that may exist.
But mainly……herself.
Her sorrowful cry could be heard for miles.
It reached the sharp ears of the Roran'ty, who turned their crazed, bulbous eyes on the racket, growling and whining like a pack of jackals.
It reached the few, fleeing civilians, spurring them on all the faster.
It reached a certain green eyed man with dark brown hair, standing on a rooftop several blocks away, holding a remote andwatching the hurting teen that 'served' his master.
And as it reached the battleground, it reached the ears of the worse for wear, but still living teenagers, who turned in shock at the sound of the familiar voice in so much agony. The fact of the matter was that Shade wasn't dead, merely knocked unconscious from stray rubble.
But Angela didn't know that.
All she knew was the horrible guilt and pain that had swelled up inside of her, was being replaced by an uncontrollable rage. A rage, that if not sated, would destroy her from the inside out.
And the closest targets…..was a group of Minor Roran'ty. Like the ones that had helped cause her ex's 'end'….
……And they were going to pay.
"……………Haaah-HRAAAUUUUGHHHH!" and she leapt at them, her scarlet weapon held high and thirsting for blood.
Flash
Two swords are clashing.
Clashing in a never ending dance.
Flash
Blood is everywhere, running from countless wounds on both individuals.
Dripping and draining.
Bleeding.
Ever bleeding.
Flash
-insane giggling
Flash
-an explosion
Flash
-platform
Flash
FLAAASSSHHH!
Flash
Larka gasped, the pupils of her violet eyes contracting as she returned to reality. The memories she had just 'seen' were already slipping away, like most dreams do after you completely wake up. Half of the time, one doesn't even remember that they had had a dream at all.
So it was with Larka, only that she didn't 're-forget' absolutely everything, AND she hadn't been dreaming. But she couldn't remember really any of the details, such as the face of…..who had that boy been?
Suddenly, a loud roar got her attention. And for the first time, the teen noticed the Zoids. An enormous, blue Lion-like one which was accompanied by a sort of Bison and…….what was that little white critter next the blue one?
A challenging roar brought her back again and she spotted the other Zoids: a Wolf, a Scorpion, and a Viper. Anger filled her heart. For somehow, she could sense that these were the ones that had put an end to Guss. And though she hadn't even known Guss for but a day, he had been the first friend she had had……that she could remember, of course.
Anger swiftly turned to rage, and the flaming Passion that Larka had always survived on, though not now knowing it, awoke from its nap and swiftly rekindled into an inferno, much like the one behind her.
She stood up, glaring at the accused Zoids as they began a confrontation with the others. But she was no fool. There was no way she could possibly take on such creatures by herself.
And then……..she thought of one important thing, something that could change her current state of weakness drastically.
'The Helcat…….'
Back at the 'fight'………
Sxxxxxxtkkkk "This is the Guardian Force! Surrender now and you will be unharmed! Resist, and we will be forced to take action against you!"
SkkkKKt "Surrender? Where's the fun in that?" retorted Nave. But his voice had lost most of its cocky edge.
"This is your last warning! We won't give you another!"
The Blood Reapers began to talk on a private channel, worriedly exchanging tactics.
"Ohhhhhhh maaaan, we are in for it now!"
"Looks like the shit's finally decided to hit the fan. Reaver, try to get hold of the boss. Ask him what we should do."
"I'm trying! But all I'm gettin is static! I can't even get a signal on the Iron Kong anymore. It's like it's vanished off the face of the planet!"
"Damn it! I knew we shouldn't have trusted that Damien sleaze!"
"Man we gotta get outta here! Pronto!"
"'Oh yeah that'll be easy! All we gotta do is get past those pissed off law enforcers that saw us blow up some ole geezer and his house and then it it'll be a cakewalk!' BE YE BLIND! That's the G.F. over there, not a bunch of girl scouts selling cookies!"
"Both of you, shut up! We are the Blood Reaper gang! We don't stand down to anybody! So the answer to our problem is simple: we fight."
"Since boss isn't here, you are the leader, Talia. So I guess we go by your lead, girl."
"Okay, sure. I guess I can follow Miss big, bad and pmsing. But can I go and up the anti on my life insurance policy first?"
"Enough of the smartass attitude, Nave. Let's show these guys how REAL pilots fight!"
"Oh hell yeah!"
"…..We're gonna die……."
While the B.R. gang discusses their fate…….
"What do you think they're doing? They're just standing there."
"They're probably trying to come up with a way to get out of here with their asses still attached."
"……What has this situation got to do with donkeys?"
"………….,"
"……..,"
"……I don't really know how to respond to that, but may I point something out?"
Van sighed before saying, "Alright, what is it now, Sikes?"
"Well it's nothing really, just that……THE REALLY HOT MUTANT NON-ALIEN CHICK IS GONE!" he shouted, causing everyone to cover their ears and sweatdrop.
The others turned to look at where Sikes was pointing dramatically, only to see that he was right.
She was gone.
Recovering, Thomas spoke up.
"We'll worry about her later. Let's just deal with these guys first,"
"Sounds good to me," agreed Van, grinning. It was about time he got some action.
But before he could call out on the intercom to the mercs, the Guysack fired off some shots, sending up puffs of dust in front of the Liger. Realizing that they weren't planning on surrender, the Guardian Force attacked, 'with guns blazing'.
Inside the hanger…….
Larka blurred across the ground, having just cleared the long flight of stairs.
Without pausing, she ran up to the Helcat, stopping before its foreleg. Whether Hel actually sensed her urgency or not, she didn't know. But the next second, the teen found herself looking into the open cockpit of the Zoid.
She immediately leapt in and the Panther lifted its head, before stretching its mechanical paws and roaring.
"RRROOWWWRR-RAwwwWWrrwwRRR!"
And that's when Larka realized….she didn't have a darn clue as to what she was doing…….
…….She sweatdropped……
But Hel must have figured this out. Because it then turned and headed for the hanger exit….the one Guss had told her about.
As the big-cat Zoid began to trot forward, Larka looked about her at the controls inside the cockpit. Carefully, she placed her hand on the left throttle stick and experimentally pulled it backwards.
Hel immediately turned to the left.
Getting the idea, she placed her hands on both sticks and pushed forward. The Helcat trotted right out of the exit, out into the night air.
From where she was, she could hear the sounds of the skirmish higher up on the mountain behind her, at the cabin's remains.
"……."
Hel growled, its black cockpit shining with the starlight as it 'looked' up at the cliff above them.
"Rwwwwrrrggghhh….."
In an instant, the Panther turned and was bounding swiftly up the cliff, completely ignoring the neat, gravel road that had led up mountain.
Larka tightly gripped the steering mecha as the two 'flew' up the cliff-side.
She was gonna haft to get used to this……
Back at the fight……..
"SHRRREEEIIII!" screamed the Guysack as it plowed up from underneath the Dibison. Thomas expertly sidestepped his attacker and brought his Zoids hoof right down on the Scorpions tail. It shrieked in protest, pinchers snapping around at the Dibison.
Pinning it to the ground, he maneuvered his Bison's crash horns so that he could 'pick it up' and toss it.
SMAAASSSHHH!
….Only for the Command Wolf to plow into his Zoids side, as Reaver snarled, "Get the hell away from her!"
Tom grinded his teeth in frustration. He was getting beat up by a couple of petty criminals, and was certainly not enjoying it. Van however, from what he could see, was having a slightly better experience in dealing with 'his' merc.
Poor Tom.
"Come on you bastard! Bring it!" cried Nave as the Stealth Viper avoided a missile salvo from the Liger.
Growling in slight annoyance, Van activated the Ligers blade attack and rushed forward, teeth barred. Nave didn't have much of a chance to react, but managed to turn slightly, so as to only get clipped, instead of being cut in half.
The Liger spun on a dime though, and came back at him, paws smashing into its head, shattering the cockpit. Nave was sent screaming into the air, and landed several yards away from his downed Zoid. Unconscious.
In the past, such an opponent would have given Van a good bit of trouble. Now, it was a cakewalk for the experienced pilot. Smirking in his 'ole cocky manner, Van piloted the blade-liger in the Dibison's direction to help out.
Meanwhile, Thomas was trying to shake off a very angry Command Wolf, which was latched down on his Bison's shoulder.
"Nnnnnghhh, get off me!"
With a final buck, the Dibison sent Reaver flying into the cliff-side with a yelp, only to be hit with a volley of hell-seeker missiles from the Guysack. Tom yelled as his Zoid shook from the impact, holding on for dear life. Then Van's voice came through on the intercom too the Guysack pilot, Talia.
Skkkkkt "I know you're not messin wif my buddy!"
The Liger suddenly passed through Tom's line of sight as it streaked towards the offending Scorpion. With a roar, it pounced on it, crushing it into the ground.
Talia screamed as her Zoid was pummeled into the ground, the Guysack's combat system freezing. Reaver cried out some incoherent yell as he saw her Zoid being ground into the mountain soil. As he rushed his damaged Zoid to her aid, a dozen, small projectiles of sort or another collided into his Command Wolf, practically blowing the poor Zoid into pieces.
A limping Dibison approached from the side, withdrawing a still smoking, pop-out missile launcher. Inside it's cockpit, a weary Thomas turned his attention to the Liger.
Sxxkkkk "And you say that I'm the showoff!"
Skkkkt "Whuh? Oh, hey, don't even start this now, I totally just saved your butt!" retorted Van.
"Pfft, oh please, I had everything under control."
"Guys, stop it! I'm getting sick of you two acting like children, bickering about who's a better pilot!"
"Yes'm."
"Sorry Fiona."
"Yeah…you guys should be ashamed of yourselves and-"
"Sikes….shut up, man."
"Well sheesh! Alright then! Whatever happened to freedom of speech you dictators? Anywho, where was I? Oh yeah,………THAT WAS SO FREAKIN COOL!"
At the fanatic's outburst, everyone winced. He could just be too loud!
"LIKE, when the Liger jumped on that Guysack and was like, 'Rooooaar!'! and the Guysack was like, 'SHRREEE!' and-"
"Sikes….."
"And when the Dibison was bucking around tryin' to get that Wolf off and then threw it into the cliff-"
"Siiii-iiikess….."
"And then when the Liger did that little blade thingy and sorta missed but doubled back and-"
"SIKES!"
"Huh? What?
"Well its just that-"
"Van! Look out!" cried Fiona, as she pointed past him.
Standing at the head of the downed Stealth Viper, was Nave, holding and Anti-Zoid projectile launcher on his shoulder. And he was aiming at the Liger……
"Eat shit, you son of a-" he began as he started to squeeze the trigger. But he didn't get a chance to finish. For a thunderous roar filled the air, one that was all to familiar too the Guardian Force……
"RRRRROOOOOOOOWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRR!"
The earth rumbled behind him with gigantic footsteps. An enormous shadow cast itself over the gang member as he turned to look behind him……only to look right into the face of the Geno Breaker….
Nave trembled in his boots and a wet spot appeared on his pants as he lowered the launcher. He cowered and covered his head with one arm and clutched the weapon with the other, murmuring terrified pleas for mercy under his breath.
Skkkkttt! "Well, well, well, what do we got here?" said a voice, emitting from intercom ofthe giant T-rex. " Oooh, nice toy. Mind if I play with it?" 'asked' Raven as the Geno Breaker reached an arm out and snatched away the launcher from his victim, crushing it like a toothpick. The once cocky Nave whimpered pitifully, throwing both arms in front of his head to form some sort of shield.
As Raven lifted the Geno Breaker away from the cowering merc, he turned towards his ex-nemesis, smirking slightly.
"That's twice now, Van. Twice that I've had to save your hide."
"Raven? What are you doing here?" asked a stunned Flyheight.
"……..I've been looking into something. But there's no need to ask what you lot are out here for, I suppose. Yal are here to figure out those disappearances and take care of these imbeciles, right?"
"Y-Yeah….pretty much, we've..-oh crap! He's getting away!"
Nave, having recovered from looking Death in the face, had done what most cowards do…..run away! Unfortunately for him, he had been noticed. But another unfortunate, was that Death had decided to come in another form…..one that was smaller, blacker, and really pissed off.
"RAAAAWWWWWRRRRRR!" screamed something off to his right. And of course, being rather stupid, Nave stopped running, and turned to look.
A big, black, metallic paw shot forward seemingly out of nowhere and slammed into the poor man, breaking about every bone in his body…..including his spine.
Crrkk-KKRAAAKKK!
His body was sent ragdolling across ground, kicking pebbles and dust wherever it hit, until he came to a dead stop. Literally.
……And standing where he had once been, was Hel, rumbling furiously.
"WwwwrrrRRRrrggghhhhHH-wwrrrrrr!"
The Guardian Force and 'friends' starred in startled silence at the violent display of the angry little Zoid before them. It turned to stare at them, its black cockpit glinting with the fires of the ruined cabin, before it turned and ran, disappearing from sight. Merging with the darkness……..
"…….,"
"……….,"
"…………what the hell?"
"…….took the words right outta my mouth, Van….."
"Ditto."
"I KNOW WHO IT WAS! IT WAS THE EVIL, BUT INCREDIBLY HOT, NON-ALIEN MUTANT FREAKY CHICK!"
"…..ummmmm yeah, okay……." said Tom, sweatdropping.
"…….whatever….." murmured Van. He wasn't really even listening to he fanatic, mainly cause he was thinking. 'Who had that been? Someone must have been piloting it, cause a wild Zoid doesn't just attack someone like that out of the blue. Was it that girl we saw earlier? And if so……why?"
"Oh! And another thing….your 'friend' in thebadass Zoid is gone, too."
Now this got his attention.
"What!"
And looking up, he realized that Sikes was, once again, correct. Tracks led away from the group, off in the direction that the black Helcat had gone off in. The Geno Breaker was gone……and Raven with it……….
Raven 'flew' the Geno Breaker through the trees, looking for the black Zoid. He had a hunch that if he could find this mysterious attacker, that he might later find Ryss. It may not have made any sense at the moment, but hunches very rarely ever make sense at first. And since his hunches were almost always right, he decided to go with it. But the only problem was, that he had to find the Helcat. And it's pretty damn hard to follow an invisible something, whether it be Zoid or something else entirely………….
Hel ran down the rough terran of the slope, skillfully leaping over debris and such. Larka had gotten the hang of the controls and was piloting the Helcat with ease. It was really rather simple actually, and it seemed to come naturally to her,…….though of course, she didn't know why.
When Hel had attacked that man, Larka couldn't have stopped it even if she had wanted too. Sensing her angry emotions towards that particular mercenary had obviously spurred the Zoid on even more. In some strange, unexplainable way, Hel had understood what that man had done and had decided on its own to avenge its deceased partner.
As the two rushed invisibly over the landscape, Larka realized that there was a lot about Zoids that she didn't know. She knew that Hel seemed to have its own mind, literally, but she didn't know if that was the same for all Zoids or what. She'd find out eventually, she supposed. But her main problem was this: where to go now. She had no where to go or anything else for that matter. Except for her sword...Butshe didknow that she wanted to find out the mysteries of her past, but she didn't know how. …..It was certainly a dilemma………………
'And as they all went about their various tasks, the stars watched over them. Each and every one…..' thus quoted from the author's fav 'author'.
……to be continued…………..