DR: Just to cover myself here, here's the ages of the central NC0 Characters I'm using.

Bit / Leena: 20-21 (did they ever say, on screen, how old they were?)

Brad / Naomi: 25 (ditto)

Leon Toros: 27 (not sure how much older than Leena he is...)

Jamie: 17

Steve aka Doc: 48-49 (has to be old enough to have fathered both his kids at a sensible age...)

Vega: 15

Sarah: 30

Pierce: 22-23

Stroller: 36-37

And the couples... Bit + Leena, Brad + Naomi, Jamie + Pierce (this one is going to be a slow burn), Leon + Sarah (poor girl is badly underused here, it seems...)

Chapter 8: Concerns & Invitations

Leon was worried about Naomi, truly worried. Ever since that night with the Blitz Team she hadn't been herself. For the next couple of days afterwards she had often slipped into daydreaming. After the Blitz first battle she had been ecstatic that Brad had been the only one left standing. During the next few she was constantly worried for him. When he ended up running right into the barrels of that one team she had almost needed to be restrained from running out, taking her zoid and going out to the battlefield herself. The mercenary occupied her thoughts far more than they should. Leon had lost count of the number of times he'd found her, sitting at her desk, the forms needed for entry before her. But though she had the pen in her hands, she had been staring into space, clearly not aware of what was going on around her.

In fact she had gotten so bad the season had started without them. Now they had to decide if they should even bother with this season. Late entry not only lost a team the potential points from the battles they missed, but also a hefty fine; the ZBC was not keen on late paperwork.

Of course, they could just not enter this season, but that carried with it the chance of dropping a class or two. Once a team had pulled out for a year, and had dropped almost four classes as a result.

But recently, she had gotten worse. Over the last couple of weeks, she had been rushing to the bathroom in the morning with alarming regularity. She had gone off some of her favourite foods, and got nauseous easily. Strong smells seemed to be the worst in that regard.

Leon had the funny feeling that he had seen this pattern before, but for the life of him he could not pin it down…

Just over a month into the new season, and Leon was determined to at least get the forms filled in. But that proved to be a problem all by itself. Not only did Naomi have to sign each form, only she knew some of the required details about the team. And lately her concentration was shot to hell.

Still, some things Leon was able to fill in himself. So that morning he sat down to do so. As he did, he heard her get up, then rush to the bathroom like every morning lately. 'That's one funny disease she's got…'

Suddenly the light on the call monitor began to blink, while the buzzer sounded to alert people that someone was calling. Sighing in frustration, Leon hit 'Receive' and prepared to take the call. 'Must be some ZBC official calling to complain why we haven't sent our forms in…'

When the picture resolved, Leon was pleasantly surprised. Instead of an angry ZBC official, the face smiling out at him was his sister. "Leena? This is a surprise!"

"Hi Leon. How's things been?"

Leon's smile dropped. "Not so good I'm afraid. Naomi's been acting odd, so odd in fact we missed the deadline for registration for the season."

"What?" Leena was clearly shocked. "What's wrong with her?"

"That's just it, I don't know. I know I've seen it somewhere before, but I can't remember where… Ah well, it'll come to me. So I hear things haven't been so good at your end either."

It was Leena's faces turn to drop. "Yea, we've been getting our butts handed to us lately. The other Class S Teams have us figured out to a tee."

"So what are you going to do?" Naomi asked from the doorway. She had clearly finished her business and had heard the voices. As she stepped forward Leon couldn't help but notice how pale she looked.

"Naomi, god you look terrible!" Clearly her paleness was visible over the link too. "I hope what ever you've got passes soon."

"So do I." Naomi shrugged. "Look, I'm not feeling so good. Was there a reason you called?"

"Well…" Leena turned evasive. "…It may not be such a good idea anymore, since you're ill…"

"Trust me, it'll pass. Now what was this 'Idea'?"

Leena smiled. "Bit came up with this idea actually. He remembered something our first opponent told us after our battle." She leaned forward. "A tradition in Class S is that teams that make it in expand by incorporating old rivals from Class A. Bit suggested we do that now, to get our edge back. And guess who was at the top of the list…"

"Us." Leon stated flatly. Outside he showed no emotion, but inside his heart was racing at the idea of returning to the Blitz, in Class S no less!

"Oh yea. You and a couple of others made the short list. Believe me it is a short list." She sat back, clearly waiting for their response. "Well, how about it?" She demanded.

Leon turned to Naomi. "Well Naomi? You're the boss here."

Naomi hung her head. "Give me a little time to think about it."

"WHAT? Naomi, you are being offered a chance in a lifetime here! Free ticket to Class S! What more could you want…"

"I said give me some time to think about it!" Naomi shouted back, before she hit the 'Terminate' button. The screen went blank.

Leon watched in amazement as Naomi almost staggered over to the small sofa in the room.

"Na', what's got into you?"

Naomi slumped down, holding her head in her hands. "I wish I knew…"

"Look…" Leon quickly sat across from her. "…Leena was right. This is a chance in a lifetime. No need to win the challenging Royal Cup. We've already got the points to qualify, and there's no shame involved if this happens all the time…"

Naomi sighed. "I just wish we could get in on our own merits, you know?"

"I do know, and besides, we are. Didn't you hear her? 'The top of a very short list.' When people hear that we were the first people the Blitz Team invited, then they will know that we are top of our class." She didn't respond. Leon tried another tack.

"Think about how it would look if you decline. People will talk, and they're going to say that you let your pride control your actions." Leon shrugged. "Since we missed the deadline for registration for this season, we'll have to fight twice as hard to make up the points we've missed if we're going to make it into the next Royal Cup. I doubt we could do it." Naomi remained unresponsive. Leon sighed. He had one last weapon to use, one he didn't want to use. But Naomi was forcing his hand.

"There is one other thing…"

"What?" she murmured.

Leon braced himself. "You'll be able to see Brad every day."

Naomi looked up at that, murder in her eyes. "That's low."

Leon winced. "I know."

She continued to stare daggers at him. Finally she relented and leaned back. "All right, since you're so up for it. We'll accept."

"Thank you." Leon sighed with relief.

"I'm still going to get you for that last comment though. You've earned yourself a good pounding."

"Fine. Once we've done the paperwork and we're settling in at the Blitz base, beat away." Inside Leon was jumping for joy. He may have to endure a pounding, but he was finally going home to stay. And he was going to be a Class S warrior!

As he watched Naomi step to the computer and start punching commands, he thought back over her condition. As he told Leena, he knew he'd seen her condition somewhere before, but he couldn't put his finger on…

Leena. Suddenly he realised that Naomi's condition was somehow related to Leena. How, he couldn't work out, but somehow…

X-X-X-X-X-X

The waitress placed her drink on the table, standing as far away as she could. Sarah sighed as she tossed her money onto the table. The waitress reached a tentative hand out for the coins before making a sharp exit.

Sarah sighed again as she pulled the glass to her and took a drink. Everywhere she went people stared in distaste, backing away if she came near. The shopkeepers were reluctant to serve her, while in bars like this she barely got any service.

And all because she was the mother of, possibly, the greatest zoid warrior living today. That and that she had been part of the Backdraft group, and had used her son to gain more power. Vega hadn't minded at all; he wanted to be a zoid pilot, and he was talented, no one denied that. Wasn't it natural that she had hung her success on her son's skills?

Sarah Obscura stared into the bottom of her glass. The problem was with that was it made her out as a monster, a mother using her son for political purposes. It had made her almost untouchable, but her one weak spot was the one thing she cherished the most. As long as Vega never lost, she would have continued to rise to glory.

It had been a good plan, but she – renowned for always seeing the long view - had not foreseen two things. One was just how powerful the ZBC's super satellite was. Almost a hundred times more massive than the individual satellites that had formed their judge network before the Royal Cup, it had destroyed the Backdrafts dark satellites in one broadside. While that loss was a hindrance, it was not irredeemable.

But the second had been. Vega had trashed the opposition all the way to the end, but then he met the Backdrafts biggest headache, the Blitz Team. Altiel had been obsessed about their Liger Zero, and it had cost them dear. True it had led to the discovery of the Berserker Fury, the core of Vega's power, but he had been unstable from his losses.

And then he had tried to kill her son! When those three Genosaurers had fired their Charged Particle Cannons at the Fury at once, Sarah's heart had stopped. She knew what those weapons could do: the Fury had carried one itself. The combined particle beams had caused a sphere of pure destructive energy to form, vaporising anything within. Dr Layons Whale King had lost almost seventy percent of its mass in that attack. Just the end of the tail and the bows remained.

Sarah had been on the verge of tears, ready to break down and cry, when the view had cleared to reveal the base of the crater. The Fury had stood there, unharmed, the glowing shell of an energy shield surrounding it. She had felt her heart beat again before shooting over the moon. Her son was alive! After that nothing could stop him!

But he had been stopped. It had come down to just Vega and Bit Cloud, the Fury and the basic Liger Zero. Both were great pilots, both zoids were Ultimate X's, zoids that learned from battles. She had seen shops sold out of recordings of that final, titanic fight on top of the remains of that old Ultrasaurus, it was so popular. It was then that Sarah had seen the reason that her son's zoid was known as the Berserker Fury. Vega had fallen unconscious: the strain of all the battles had finally got to him. Without guidance or control, the Fury had become a rampaging monster, not caring what it was destroying. She had realised that if it weren't stopped then, it would never be stopped. It would have rampaged around until enough firepower was brought to bear to destroy it. But it would have taken a lot of people with it.

While Sarah had worked for the Backdraft, she had never fully believed in their ideas and goals. It had been a case of the only people to help her in her time of need had been Backdraft members, and now she was repaying that debt. She had no desire to see innocent people killed, so she had secretly cheering Bit and the Liger on. If anything could stop the Fury without destroying it or killing her son, it was those two working together.

They had succeeded, Vega had been saved, but Sarah had no time to rejoice. The ZBC had tracked the source of the charged particle blasts that had destroyed their satellites, and they arrived in force. While others ran and fought to escape, she had remained at a console, watching Bit and Vega talk after the battle. The troops had found her there, tears running from her eyes.

At her trial, she had faced multiple charges. She had unleashed the Fury and Vega, she was high ranked member of a outlawed movement, had helped fund and support illegal matches, and she had ordered the destruction of the Judge satellites, actions that could have caused the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of people, had debris from the satellites fallen on cities. Sarah had pleaded guilty to all the charges, knowing she couldn't shift the blame, and not wanting too either. This had surprised the judges and public, but not as much as Bit Cloud asking the Court for leniency. His reason; "I've lived without a mother around, and I've seen the effects on others. Don't separate a mother from her son."

After the pilots of the Genosaurers had been brought out, Sarah had been astonished to recognise the Fuma Team, and revealed who had ordered them to attack the Fury in return for leniency, Sarah had push for, and received, a deal: She told the ZBC officials all the little secrets of the Backdraft she knew, and in return she would go free. Sarah did this with no regret. 'They tried to take my son…'

Now, three months later, she still had no regrets. But she did wonder if she made the right choice after all. Although she had been released under bail, she didn't have complete freedom. She had to stay in touch with the law, reporting in every twenty-four hours. She had to wear an ankle bracelet that was also a tracker, and in each report she had to state what she had been doing that day, plus any major intentions for the next day. Worst of all no one was willing to hire her for any type of job. She had tried but she was just not trusted.

Now she was running low on money and the job options were drying up. With the new zoid season underway no one was looking to hire anybody. Within a month, Sarah Obscura would be penniless, and her son would never have a chance at a normal life.

There was one job she could do, one where she would be her own boss. She had the looks, despite having a child so young. And her rich, dark blue hair gave her an exotic aura. Even her past could be used to bolster her image…

'NO!' She thought emphatically. 'I will not lower myself to that level, selling myself on the streets…'

"You know, I'd have thought you would have been more careful in a place like this, considering what happened the last time you were in a bar alone…"

Sarah spun around in her seat, to stare at the man standing a couple of feet away. He still stood tall, his hair as steely grey as ever. While he had lost the expensive clothes that he had worn when she had last seen him, there was no mistaking that pose.

"Stoller!" She cried, happy to see a friendly face once more. Quickly getting up, she gave him a friendly hug. Stroller was one of only three people, including Sarah, which knew the truth about Vega. He had been the one to help her out, as they had been friends since childhood. Looking over his shoulder, Sarah spotted another familiar face walking over from the bar.

"Pierce!" The female aerial pilot had once been part of the Backdraft like Sarah and Stroller, but had left for personal reasons, rather like Stoller. She had dropped out of sight for some time, quite an achievement when you're considered one of the best flyers around and you've got long teal coloured hair. Pierce was carrying a couple of glasses in her hands, but her face creased into a smile at the sight of Sarah. They had both got on well during their time at the Backdraft, in fact the flyer had helped out with Vega a couple of times.

"Hey, mind if we join you?"

"Well, the other patrons might think we're plotting something, but right now I don't care."

Sarah waited while Stoller sat down and Pierce placed the glasses down, before hugging Pierce in the same way as she had hugged Stoller. Both women sat down facing each other.

"So where have you been Pierce? You seemed to drop off the face of the planet."

"Oh you know, around." The younger woman waved her hand around. "I had quite a bit to think about, and I needed some time to work it all out."

"I can understand that." Stoller nodded gravely. "After my fight with Cloud, which was so rudely interrupted..." Sarah and Pierce laughed at that. All three knew that Altiel had been behind that. "…I needed some time to think myself. So, how have you been Sarah?"

Sarah sighed in resignation. "Not so good. People are afraid to get within a few feet of me. I've tired to get a job, to help pay for Vegas education and entry into zoid competition, but no one is even willing to consider me. I'll soon be out of money."

"You could always…"

"No Stoller, I won't be a drain on you again." Sarah smiled at the older man in remembrance of his kindness, before turning to the young woman across from her. "How about you Pierce? Any plans for the future?"

Pierce shrugged, her shoulders slumped. "Not really sure. I had thought about entering as a Mercenary pilot, but I'd doubt anyone would hire me. Besides, not many teams could afford to support a Storm Sworder. Those things are hard to find, and harder to keep in top from. Course..." her face brightened. "…I could try starting a team…" she trailed off as Stoller shook his head.

"Don't bother. A lone aerial zoid wouldn't stand much chance in a regular battle. Any team consisting of only one zoid will always struggle."

"What about yourself? Surely you're ranked pretty high. You were one of our best ground pounders." Pierce, like all aerial zoid warriors, had a disdain for ground based zoids. It wasn't malicious; it was a result of the freedom the air gave.

"The Elephander may be a tough zoid, but it's slow. Nearly everything else on the battlefield is faster. Good piloting skills can narrow the gap and cover weaknesses, but I'm quite often outmanoeuvred. I'm only just hanging on to my rank as a Class A pilot by the skin of my teeth."

"And a good thing too." The youthful voice took them all off guard. Standing off to one side behind Pierce was the other contender for the greatest living zoid pilot, Bit Cloud.

Stoller's eye's narrowed. "Was that an insult, Cloud?"

Bits grin lost none of its cockiness. "Not at all." He said as he sat down in the last free seat across from Stoller.

"I don't remember any one inviting you to join us…" Pierce stated.

"Better to ask forgiveness than permission, that's what I always say. Besides, I think I might have an offer for you that you'll like…"

"Oh really? In that case I'll take my leave…" Sarah started to get up but Bit put a hand on her arm.

"No, this concerns Vega too." He said, his grin slipping away. Sarah raised an eyebrow, before she sat back down again.

Stoller sat back, arms folded across his chest. "All right Cloud, what have you got for us?" His tone clearly showed that he doubted that Bit had anything worth his time.

Bit's grin returned, as cocky as ever. "Oh it's quite simple…" He leaned forward. "…How would you two, and Vega…" He glanced at Sarah. "…Like to move up to Class S as part of the Blitz Team?"

Bit tried to contain his laughter, but couldn't. The expressions of the other three were just too funny. Pierce had been in the middle of taking a drink, and her glass had stopped just before her lips. Her jaw was hanging loose and her eyes wide. Sarah looked at him as if he'd grown two extra heads, while Stoller's eyes had snapped open like they had been spring-loaded.

"God, I wish I had a camera! The looks on your faces! Priceless!"

"You're…you're serious?" Pierce stammered, remembering to lower the glass back to the table before she dropped it in her lap.

"Completely." Bit's grin had vanished again, this time replaced by a grim expression. "We've haven't been doing so well lately. We're outnumbered two-to-one at least, and these other pilots are great. We need fresh blood in the Blitz."

"But why us?" Stoller asked his voice deceptively calm. "No offence, but we're not exactly welcome… anywhere really, being Backdraft pilots and all."

"Well, one, your not Backdraft anymore. And two, both of you were very good and Vega…" Bit paused, before pressing on. "It's a tradition in Class S to expand the team that won the Royal Cup with member from their greatest rivals before Class S. I can't think of anyone else that we could ask." Bit thought for a second. "Well, there was the Lightning team, but I'd expect we'd have to take them all on at once. And there was the Champ team…"

"They are not Class A."

"No, besides Leena would never allow it." Bit's grin eased the tension around the table, and the others laughed. Except for Sarah. She was staring at Bit closely.

"Have you asked your team mates about asking us?" Bit suddenly looked evasive.

"Ahh, sort of. I mean, your names were on our short list of pilots we thought were worth asking, but we didn't know where you were, and…"

"This another one of your 'spur of the moment ideas', huh?" Stoller commented, amused at Bit's squirming.

"Okay, I'll admit it! I came in here to post some flyers, saw you guys and thought I see what you thought about the offer. You were on our initial list though. I wasn't lying about that."

Stoller leaned back. "Anyone else on that list of yours?"

"The Fluegel Team and the Lightning Team. That's it. Naomi and Leon have accepted already. We haven't tried the Lightning's yet."

Pierce leaned forward on her elbows. "Even if we want to accept, and the rest of your team would accept us…" Bit blushed. "…The ZBC would still have to approve the transfer."

"I think that won't be a problem." Sarah put in, much to the others surprise. "Who better to keep us in line than those who took us down, the only ones who could take us down?"

"You have a point there, Sarah." Stoller commented. He sat in thought for a few seconds, before slowly nodding. "All right, here's want we'll do. Bit, you head back to your team and tell them about this discussion." Bit nodded, the look on his face clearly showing that he was not looking forward to that.

"Pierce, you'll need to find out where the ZBC would rank you, since I'm guessing that the Blitz can only recruit Class A warriors from your earlier comment Bit." Pierce nodded glumly.

"Don't sweat it, you'll smoke any challenge they'll set." Bit tried to encourage her.

"And Sarah, you'll need to talk to Vega and your minder. But if I know Vega, he'll be thrilled at the chance." Sarah nodded. She could just see her sons face when she told him about this.

"Let's meet up here again in say, three days time?" Everyone nodded. "Okay. Oh and Bit… bring the whole team next time."

DR: I expect most of you can guess Naomi's 'disease'... (insert another evil grin) Trust me, I know what I'm doing...

Harry: I can't. What has she got?

DR: I wasn't talking to you! Besides, I doubt you've the brains to work it out...

Harry: You calling me stupid?

DR: ... yea, actually.

Harry: I CHALLENGE YOU TO A ZOID BATTLE!

DR: Without your zoid?

Harry: Ummm...