Fiona quietly walked through the town that she wished she didn't have to come to. It brought back images in her mind of seeing Van kissing that strange woman. 'Forget about it Fiona. I'll get answers from Van. I know that's the only way that I'll be able to go on. He's the only one I know I can believe. I just need to find him first.'
She came across an alley. If it had been a few weeks ago, there would've been military around it trying to find out some clues as to what happened. It was deserted now since they didn't think they could get anymore clues from it.
The alley was dark and messy. There were boxes, barrels, glass, and all sorts of things there. It gave Fiona the chills but she carefully walked into it and had a look around. There didn't appear to be much evidence left to help her.
Something caught Fiona's eyes and she turned her head and looked at a wall. It was cracked as if something had hit it pretty hard. Her hand glided over the cracks and it suddenly felt as if her back was on fire. It only lasted a second and disappeared when she pulled her hand away from the wall. "What was that?" she asked herself before shaking her head to clear her thoughts.
Her eyes then fell to another point. It was a small hole that was about the size of a bullet. "This must be from when the gun went off," Fiona mumbled as her hand once again reached out to touch it.
It happened again. However, this time there was an even worse pain searing through her shoulder. This time the pain remained even after she removed her hand from the wall. It was an excruciating feeling. She didn't know what it was from though.
The pain eventually died down and Fiona breathed a sigh of relief. She lifted her shirt sleeve and studied her shoulder but there was absolutely no sign that anything happened to it in the first place. "Why am I feeling this pain? I don't think I ever injured myself," she said to herself standing up straight while breathing in deeply.
She felt like she had enough of this place and immediately turned and walked out of it. There was something very wrong about it and it was really scaring her a little. "What was that pain? Why was I feeling it when I didn't hurt myself? What is going on?" she muttered as she snuck to the hidden blade liger avoiding as many soldiers as she could so that they wouldn't recognize her and try to take her back.
She felt safe when she reached the blade liger. It was hidden a mile or two outside of the town so she felt that she didn't have to worry too much about any soldiers seeing it leave. She knew she had to be careful though or they would end up noticing something.
What Fiona didn't know was that there was someone standing on top of the building watching all that had happened just a few moments ago. His eyes held confusion but a bit of amusement as well. 'That's really interesting. Never seen such a strong bond between anyone,' he thought as he stood up and turned around.
He watched as two soldiers suddenly appeared before him. He brushed his messy silver hair away from his eyes as a determined look came to those dark eyes. "What do you want?" he asked calmly.
The tall and burly looking one of the two men stepped forward. Both had a mask on their faces so it was impossible to tell what they looked like. They even had dark glasses on so you couldn't even see the color of their eyes. "Our leader has summoned you. Come with us," he said in a deep voice.
"I don't think so. I have pride. I'm not going to roll over and become Zack's lapdog. Tell him that if he wants something to come to me himself. Not that I'll listen to what he wants anyways," he said before he disappeared from view not leaving any trace that he was there in the first place.
The smaller of the two of them stepped forward and looked around. "This isn't good Lord Zack told us to get him in specific over all the rest," the person said in a distinctly female voice. "Then it's decided," she said all of a sudden turning around to walk away, "you're going to be the one to tell him," she said before disappearing.
The burly guy was silent for a second before finally figuring out what she just said. "Hey wait a minute. There's no way I'm going to be the one to tell him," he said running after her.
Zack slammed his fists down upon Crougar's desk in anger. "Aren't you going to do something? Fiona's been kidnapped along with Flyheight's most powerful weapons!" he yelled at the old man who happened to be looking over some documents.
Crougar sighed as he placed down the documents he was looking at. "There is no proof to show that Fiona was kidnapped. All those in the hanger have stated that she did it by herself otherwise Zeke wouldn't have listened. There0's not much we can do. We have people looking for her but that's all we really can do at the moment," Crougar said with a sigh as he rubbed his forehead.
"But… but!" Zack yelled but couldn't seem to find the words that were needed. "So you're just going to give him back his weapons!" he yelled growing more and more frustrated at Crougar's lack of action.
"That will be enough captain. Fiona was only here as Dr. D's assistant and Van's partner. Unlike the others, she has more freedom than the rest. You may go now," Crougar said once again picking up the documents.
Zack looked like he wanted to protest but thought against it for now. He knew he might say something rash that could put some suspicion on him. That was something he didn't need when he was moving up the ranks of the guardian force. He was gaining more power from within to use as he desired.
Crougar sighed wishing that things were easier right then. Van, Fiona, Irvine, and Moonbay had all disappeared. It was putting a lot of stress on him to do something from not just Zack but from higher ups as well. It was mainly losing Van and Fiona who were very well known by everyone.
Crougar placed down the documents and then picked up another one before he noticed a disk sitting on the desk. "Where did that come from? I don't remember that being there a few moments ago," he said turning on the computer.
The computer started up and Crougar placed the disk into the computer. The program started up but Crougar didn't have time to look at it before something interrupted him. "Colonel Crougar, you're needed down in the hanger," a voice said of the loud speaker.
Crougar sighed and placed the disk on the desk and walked out of the room. "At this rate I'll never be able to get my work done," he said standing up and leaving the room. Not taking a look at what was on the computer at that very moment.
It was quiet in the room for a few moments before a young looking major came into the room. "Now where are those documents Crougar asked me to get for him?" he asked himself before spotting them on the desk.
He walked over and picked the documents on but noticed something on the screen. He knew he shouldn't look through Crougar's things but his curiosity got the better of him. "Oh my god!" he gasped out when he saw what appeared to be the true profile of Zack. "The colonel mustn't have seen this," he said pulling the disk out knowing that Crougar needed to see it that instant.
He was about to turn and leave the room when someone came walking in. He was startled when he saw Zack and ended up dropping the disk into a crack between the desk and a small table that was next to it effectively hiding the small disk from view.
He just knew that he couldn't let the guy get away if what he saw was true. "So it's you. You're the one leading all of those rebels!" he said slowly reaching for his gun. "By order of the guardian force I'm placing you under…" he said but couldn't finish as Zack was able to pull his gun out faster and he killed the man before he could finish.
Zack was glad that this room was soundproof and that the doors were closed or someone would've heard the gunshot. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid that I can't have my secret getting out," he said placing his gun back into its holster. "How did he know?" Zack asked himself a little confused.
He walked over to Crougar's desk and started to carefully look through the documents but he didn't see anything that could possibly mention who he actually was. 'Maybe he has it,' Zack thought as he started to look through the pockets of the man but there didn't appear to be anything in them either.
'What happened? Oh well, dead men can't tell tales. Doesn't appear to be anything here to mention it either. I'll just have to keep an eye out incase something comes up,' he thought before turning and leaving the office. He didn't need to have anyone see him near the dead body.
Crougar came walking back to the office a few minutes after that. He'd asked someone to grab something but he grew frustrated when the man didn't come back. "What could be keeping him?" he grumbled as him and another captain entered the office only to see the man laying dead on the floor. "Call security and get the medics in her immediately!" he ordered and the man immediately ran out of the room. Crougar knew that it was pointless but he knew he had to try and help the guy.
'Did you just drop off the face of the planet Van?' Fiona thought with a groan while leaning back in the blade liger. It had been well over a week since she left and yet she had yet to find him or meet anyone that might know where he went off to.
She sighed as the cockpit opened and she carefully jumped out of it. She was lucky that this was a town with no military occupation, which meant that she wouldn't have to worry about being spotted and dragged back
She walked into a small restaurant and took a seat and started to look over a menu. "I bet you're hungry too," she said placing her hand over her stomach. She was now three and a half months pregnant and was starting to show to the point where she couldn't wear her normal clothes anymore.
A waitress came up to this table holding a pot of coffee and poured Fiona a cup. "Is there anything I can get for you honey/" the woman asked kindly. She had to be in her late fifties or early sixties but she appeared to still have lots of energy with her.
"Unless you can tell me where Van Flyheight is, then I doubt it," Fiona mumbled while holding her stomach. She never took her eyes off the menu as she spoke but that was only to avoid showing the elderly lady her sad eyes.
"Van Flyheight? Nope, can't say I have seen him or know where he is since the rumor got out that he was on the run from the Guardian Force," the woman said with a chuckle while she pulled out a notebook. "Now, is there anything I can get for you food wise?" she asked with a bit of amusement in her voice.
"Oh… yeah, sorry," Fiona said in a voice that lacked any real energy. She quickly made her order and the woman walked away. It was silent before the woman came back a few minutes later with the food. "Thank you," Fiona mumbled while poking at her food suddenly feeling a lack of an appetite.
"You should eat. It's not healthy for you or the little one," the woman said looking at Fiona's stomach. "Why are you alone? Where's the father?" she asked and noticed as Fiona flinched a little. She had to admit that she grew curious as to why Fiona did this.
"I don't know. That's why I'm looking for him," Fiona replied and the waitresses eyes widened. "I just know he's not as guilty as he's being made out to be but no one is listening," she continued finally looking up from her food and towards the woman.
"I agree. He risks his life for the planet twice and then goes against it's protectors? It doesn't make much sense. It must be neat to have the child of the man who saved planet Zi," the woman said with a smile.
Fiona sighed while taking a bite of her food. "It's only seemed to bring me more and more pain since this whole mess started. I worry that he might not actually love me. I need to find him to know the truth. He just seems to have dropped off the face of the planet though. So I don't know what to do," she said looking out the window and towards the sky.
A sympathetic smile was what Fiona got after her explanation. "I'd say try any doctors you can find. Having the Guardian Force after him must not be very good for his health. People owe him their lives so I don't think anyone would actually turn him in if he went there," she said before turning and walking back towards the kitchen.
Fiona couldn't help but agree. She ate her food slowly and then paid the bill before she left. She walked down the street looking for any doctor that might be able to give her some help. 'I hope he's ok,' she thought finally finding what she was looking for.
Knocking on the door, she heard someone yell for her to enter. Opening the door slowly, she walked into the place and was immediately hit with the smell of all the different medicines there were. "Hello?" he called out looking around the place that appeared to be empty.
"What can I help you with?" a man asked suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Fiona jumped into the air in surprise and the man laughed. "Sorry about that. Is there anything I can do for you Miss?" he asked her with a friendly smile.
He was an older man but not by much. He was probably in his early thirties. His dark brown hair was short and fell forward to just about the eyes. His eyes were a violet color and covered in a pair of glasses. A white lab coat was what he wore.
Fiona had to admit that he was a handsome looking man but couldn't compare to the one that she really loved. "Um… yes. I was wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for someone. Even if he isn't here, maybe you'd know where he was," Fiona said in a soft voice.
The man took a seat at a desk in one of the corners and threw his feet up on them while looking through a few folders. "I might be able to help. My name is Leo Ericson, I'm well acquainted with many of the other doctors in several of the villages in both the empire and the republic," he said with a friendly smile.
Fiona was silent for several moments before she decided to just get to the point. "My name is Fiona Lynette and I was wondering if you knew where I might be able to find Van Flyheight?" she asked him loudly before looking towards the floor.
It was silent for a few moments while the doctor continued to look through the folder he had before she asked. Finally he closed the folder and placed it on the desk. "You from the Guardian Force?" he asked her curiously. He saw her nod slightly and sighed. "I've told many of you people that I don't know where he is. Sorry to disappoint you," he said in a serious voice.
"I might be with the guardian force but my reasons for finding him are completely different. It's a rather personal reason," Fiona responded remembering what the woman at the bar told her about how many owe him their lives and they wouldn't turn him in easily. "It's important," she said in a sad tone.
Leo studied her for several moments before his eyes landed on her stomach. "You're carrying his child, huh?" he questioned in a slightly less serious tone. He saw her nod and still sighed. "Still, I'm sorry to say that I don't know where you can find him. I would've heard something if he was with any of my colleagues," he said and couldn't help but frown at the dejected look on Fiona's face.
'There's another lead that's gone down the drain,' she thought sadly. "I see, I thank you for your time then," Fiona said before turning and walked out the door without saying another word.
Leo watched her leave feeling a bit sorry for her. He leaned back in his seat before jumping at the realization that someone else was in the room. He looked and familiar locks of silver hair caught his attention. "Oh, it's you. You're late," he said relaxing a bit.
"Sorry, I just had important business to attend to that was interrupted," the man said stepping out of the shadows. "I would suggest you help her. She's a victim in this just as much as we are. She being hunted by him for a much more dangerous reason though," he said looking through the window at her retreating form.
"So she's one of the remaining zoidians that survived as well?" Leo asked only to receive a nod in response. "Then maybe it's best to keep her from him. Zack's grudge against the humans is deep. Especially for the family that instigated the division in the zoidians," he said in a cautious tone.
"True, but there's more to it than just that. She can protect him in the state he's in. The guardian force if cautious about this because none of them know what's going on. Zack is working from inside. There's a good chance that he'd kill Van if he found him in such a weakened state. This is because he fears the Flyheight family the most. She would never let that happen though," he reasoned and Leo sighed in aggravation.
"Zack doesn't understand the fact that many of us just want to live in peace! He only thinks about taking back the planet in the name of the zoidians! He's forcing those that want nothing to do with it into his ranks!" Leo said angrily and the silver haired man silently agreed. "Fine, I'll see what I can do."
Fiona found herself desiring to stay in an actual bed that night. She moved the blade liger out of town and had it hidden from view. She then walked back on foot with Zeke silently walking next to her.
Zeke couldn't help but notice his master's grief and got close to her. Her head turned towards him and he petted him on the nose with a small smile on her face but even he could tell just how forced it was on her. He knew she was losing hope of ever finding his other master.
"What can I do Zeke?" she asked him after walking back into town. "I wish that one of us could tell where he was. I've never had this type of trouble before in finding him. It's like I usually know where he is on instinct. Now I have no clue," she said walking to the nearest hotel.
Fiona quietly walked up to a desk where an elderly woman was relaxing. The woman immediately straightened up upon seeing Fiona approaching. "Welcome. If you are looking for a room than you're in luck," she said in a happy voice.
"Thank you. I'll only be here for a night though," Fiona said taking the key that was given to her after she paid the money for the room. "Good night ma'am," she continued politely before turning and walked down the hall to her room.
The next morning, Fiona woke up bright and early and got changed. She wanted to get an early start and get back on the road to the next town. Her need to see Van was becoming unbearable by then. To just be able to see him would be enough for her. If everything she thought to be true was wrong, then it was all the better.
Fiona walked out of her room several minutes after waking up and went to return the key. There was a much younger woman there this time. Fiona guesses that it was probably the older woman's granddaughter or something like that since she appeared to still be in her teens.
Almost immediately after she stepped out of the hotel, Fiona found herself colliding with another person. "I'm terribly sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going," Fiona said picking herself off the ground.
The man she ran into dusted off his pants before speaking. "It's quite alright," the man said standing up. He grabbed his things and walked away without ever facing Fiona. She thought it was a bit impolite but decided not to say anything because she was in a hurry.
She was about to leave before she realized that there was a small white envelope lying on the ground. "Excuse me sir but you forgot this!" Fiona yelled out turning around but the guy was nowhere in sight. "Weird. Where did he go?" she asked herself kneeling down to grab the envelope.
Her eyes widened when she looked at the envelope only to see her full name neatly written on it. She would've thought it to be someone else by the name of Fiona if it didn't say Fiona Alisi Lynette on the front.
Fiona was confused but opened up the envelope anyways. Her eyes skimmed it and widened at what she read. The letter inside held just about all the answer that she'd been looking for during this past week.
Dear Fiona,
I'm sorry to say that I wasn't completely honest with you when you came to me yesterday to ask for help. I was being cautious because I didn't know if you were telling the truth or if someone might be listening in on the conversation since there are so many people that are looking for him. I feel like I can trust you with this information though.
About a month ago I got a message from a close friend of mine several towns over mentioning a man being brought in. The thing was that the man was identified as Van Flyheight through his blood since he wasn't conscious to tell us his name.
You will find a map enclosed with this letter to help you get there. As far as I'm aware, he's still in the same state that he was in when he was first brought in. He is being guarded by a friend of mine; I've given a letter to you to give to her so that no problems will occur when you try to see him.
Sincerely,
Leo Ericson
Fiona couldn't help but feel happy and worried at the same time. She was aware that he was injured since Zack said that he got shot when a gun supposedly misfired and then Zack supposedly shot him in self defense. She had no idea that he was still in such a bad state nearly a month afterwards.
She was still cautious about going but she knew that it was the only lead that she had to go on. "I guess we'll be going Zeke. Maybe we'll actually be able to see Van again," Fiona said with hope shining in her once dead eyes.
Zeke roared in agreement and the two of them rushed the hidden blade liger. It wasn't long before they were both in and prepared for the journey. "By the looks of it, it will take maybe four or five hours to get there," she said looking at the map in her hands as well as the one that appeared on the screen.
The town Fiona entered several hours later was a lot more beautiful than most of the towns that she'd seen in all her travels with Van. It was on the edge of a beautiful lake and had lots of beautiful trees and plants scattered all over the place.
"This place is beautiful. Maybe Van and I could stay here for a while when I see him," she thought with a bit of hope as Zeke followed after her. "What do you think of that idea Zeke?" she asked him which got her an enthusiastic roar of agreement from her organoid.
The one problem that Fiona found out really quickly was that the place was really big. It was really hard for her to be able to find the place that she was looking for. There were many doctors office and she just didn't have any idea which one belong the doctor she was looking for.
Someone tapped on her shoulder which startled Fiona but she didn't say anything as she turned around to come face to face with a really old man. "You look lost young lady. Is there anything I could do to help? It's no trouble. I like to help anyone in need," he said with a laugh that reminded her of Dr. D.
"I really do need some help. "I was wondering if you could tell me where I can find a doctor Lira. It's really important that I find her," Fiona pleaded to the old man hoping that he knew exactly where she was.
"Lira eh?" the man questioned and Fiona nodded her head. "It shouldn't be hard to find from here. Take that street for about three blocks and take a left. Go about another three blocks and then take a right. Her office should be the first building on the right,' the man said and noticed as Fiona's face really started to brighten up.
"Thank you very much sir," Fiona said before turning and she ran as fast as she could in the direction that the man had described. Zeke kept up with her all the way as she ran nonstop the entire distance.
When she reached the right street, Fiona couldn't help but gasp for air after the run that was a lot longer than she had expected it to be. "Are you really around here Van?" Fiona asked herself looking at the several building lined up on both sides of the road.
Her eyes stopped on the one that she'd been told about and she walked up to it and walked in since the door was wide open. "Excuse me, is there anyone here/" Fiona called out hesitantly looking around the place.
"Just a second," a female voice yelled back and then walked into the room a few moments later. "What can I do for you Miss?" she asked before looking at Fiona's stomach. "Or are you here for an exam?" she couldn't help but question.
The woman before Fiona was a few inches taller than Fiona. She wore the same doctor's coat that Leo wore. Her hair was brown and held up in a messy bun at the top of her head. Her figure was well curved. Her blues eyes studied Fiona quizzically from behind a pair of glasses. She was very beautiful but her eyes seemed to hold a rather bored tone to them.
Fiona suddenly found herself afraid to ask the question that could help her get to Van quickly. "No, I was wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for Van Flyheight," she finally managed to say despite how nervous she was feeling at that moment.
The woman stared at Fiona for a few seconds while looking at her up and down as if trying to assess who it was that she was talking to. She then suddenly turned around and started to walk away. "Sorry, don't know where he is," she said heading to her office. She was stopped though when Fiona continued to speak.
"A-a doctor Leo Ericson sent me here. He said that you knew where I could find Van!" Fiona said quickly before the woman could leave. Fiona was on the verge of giving up hope on ever being able to find Van. This woman before her was one of her last chances to find the one that she loved the most.
"Leo sent you?" the woman asked as if she didn't believe what Fiona was telling her. "Listen, I don't appreciate you bugging me like this. I'm really busy," the woman said before realizing that Fiona was holding something out to her. She reached out and grabbed what appeared to be a letter.
She read it over for several minutes looking between it and Fiona several times. She then just sighed and turned around. "Fine then. Follow me," she said walking towards a room that was towards the back of the place.
Fiona followed slowly behind her as the other woman walked into a room. Fiona silently walked in. Her eyes immediately landed upon a bed where a lone figure lay very still. Her eyes filled with tears upon seeing the state the one she loved was in. "I've finally found you Van."