Chapter 19: Skulking in the dark

Once the Blitz Team returned to base, they began to fragment. Sarah and Vega were returning home, while Naomi still had a few things left at her home to collect. Brad offered to help her, mainly so that he could be with her, away from the tension that had descended onto the Blitz Team.

Jamie and Doc took the Hover Cargo out to town. The prize money had been transferred en-route, and the last couple of days had proved that the Blitz Team could not afford their debts any more. Jamie had the account codes, and Steve knew which banks they owed money to. Also he knew the dealership where he had got the Hover Cargo in the beginning. He was sure that they would be more than able to do the required work on it. Leon went along to ensure his dad didn't blow the money on useless parts…

…Leaving just Bit and Leena alone in the base. On the return trip she had not emerged once from her cabin, and the rest of the team was worried. Most of them had guessed that her sudden display of emotion had deeply embarrassed her, but no one knew how to deal with this situation.

Steve had decided that the best thing would be to force her to confront her feelings head on, which was why he had arranged things to leave her and Bit alone together. Hopefully, by the time they all got back, the pair of them would be in each other's arms again. He desperately wanted his daughter, who looked so much more like her mother with each passing day that it tugged his heart, to be happy. But as Jamie plotted the Hover Cargos course, he couldn't help but wonder if he had made a terrible mistake…

As the three groups departed, none of them noticed a tiny silhouette in the distance, the shape of a Whale King, growing larger as it approached the base…

X-X-X-X-X-X

Leena watched them all head out on their errands. How perfectly timed this was! Here she was unsure of her emotional state, and off they all go, abandoning her with the very source of her unrest! It was almost enough to make her scream! But all she could do was allow her tears to run down her face.

Bit stood off to one side. He was almost as emotionally confused as her. He had always liked Leena, even when she was chasing after him. To see her like this…

He stepped up closer to her. "You okay?" He asked gently.

"NO I'm not!" She whirled on him, glaring daggers. "How do you think I feel?"

"Well, I…" Bit stammered.

"Leave me alone!" She screamed before storming into the hanger. Bit whirled and followed.

"Leena, wait!" He called after her. She stopped at the base entrance, but didn't turn around. "I'm sorry about my comment about your aim…" he began.

"Just leave me alone." She half-muttered before heading into the base. Bit stood there, just in front of the Liger, his arm outstretched.

#Leave her for now Bit# The Liger rumbled from above. #She needs time to think#

Bit looked up at the Liger. "How do you know?" He asked brusquely.

#I've seen this pattern before# The Liger was not affected by Bit's tone. #She needs to sort out her own emotions. But when she turns to you, go gently#

Bit slumped against the Ligers paw. "How can I when I don't even know how I set her off?"

The Liger lowered its head till its chin was almost touching the floor. #Listen carefully# it gently growled. #She may put forward her tough image, but underneath she's a very delicate person. Self conscious, self critical, always doubting herself. All her life, she's been compared to her mother, to others, but never truly appreciated for who she is. When you tease her, she feels threatened, and like anybody else lashes out#

Bit sighed. "And how can I help her then?"

#Just respect her for who she is# The Liger paused. #Maybe more…#

"Huh?" Bit whirled round to look the Liger in the eye. "Just what are you implying Liger?" But the Liger didn't respond. Instead it just straightened its back and stood proud and defiant again.

"Liger!"

#Would you mind checking my damage please? It'll give you something to think about#

Bit gave in. He'd get nothing from the Liger until he'd given the damage taken during the battle a once over.

Fortunately it was relatively minor. Since Harry had only managed to rake them with his Vulcans, most of the harm was cosmetic. Furrows and small dents were the norm, though a few rounds had punched though. A couple were still buried in the metal work, and proved extremely stubborn to remove.

It didn't help that Bit's mind was not fully focused on the job at hand. Instead he kept on running the Liger's comments though his head. Just what had the Liger been implying?

Slowly his mind began to think back to just before the season started, and the thoughts from then filtered though to join the others mixing up in his head. He had to admit; he did feel something more for Leena than respect. Affection seemed too mundane. Compassion didn't fit, so what did?

He paused, his mind jumping back to the kiss they had shared. Even the simply memory of that fired his blood and enticed him to dance on the moon! He had never felt so elated or satisfied in his life. It was greater than the thrill of battle, which he loved more than…

He staggered back, before falling to the floor. The rag he'd been using fell besides him unnoticed. His jaw hung and his backside ached, but Bit barely felt these things.

Love…

Now that he had that word, everything fell into place. The affection he felt for Leena, his concern for her survival. The way he always stepped forward when Harry had come round to smother her. His rage at Harry's latest ploy…

…And the way she fired his blood by simply standing there. Sometimes he could have watched her for hours, so divine was her figure. Her intelligence shone through in subtle ways. She never boasted about her skills, but she did take pride in them.

And the way she had fired his blood that night! That dress must have been made for her, so well did it show off her splendid body! Bit doubted that any other woman could have worn such a dress so well.

He was in love with Leena Toros!

Bit was truly stunned as his revelation. So stunned, he didn't hear the faint sound of a Whale King landing nearby. The Liger cocked his head, but had no way of knowing who it was…

X-X-X-X-X-X

Mary Champ sat sobbing. How could her little brother turn out to be such a monster when he got drunk?

After he had slapped her down, he had gone on about how she had always been watching over him, constantly nudging him in directions he didn't want to go! Even after he thought he had escaped to the world of zoid piloting and ZBC battles, she had followed!

He was sick of her telling him want to do, where to go and anything else he could think of! His life had been always compared to hers, and every time he had come up wanting, and it was all her fault!

He had ranted on about it was time he decided what happened in his life, not her! How it was time she listened to him for change! That she should do want he said, rather than the other way round!

At that point, he had dragged her off the floor, and then began to shake her, as if the physical motion of shaking her about could somehow get what he was saying into her head. When her shirt had ripped from the shaking, she had slipped and fallen onto his cot. Harry, to far gone into his alcoholic world to care, had sat astride her and continued to shake her, his fingers digging deep into her upper arms. Desperate to escape his mounting anger, she had flailed about. Her free hand had landed on the now empty bottle besides them. Fearing it was her last chance she let him have it on the back of his head.

The bottle hadn't broken, but it did achieve the desired effect. With Harry stunned senseless, she had managed to roll him off her before racing out of the cabin.

He quickly came after her, but she hid in the one place she knew he would never look: the cockpit of his fallen Dark Horn. She had managed to dog the canopy shut just in time: his angry footsteps had resounded throughout the hanger. As he had raged and charged about, Mary had been unable to prevent herself from breaking down and crying.

Now she sat there in the dark, the only light that which filtered though the semi-transparent green zoid eyes. After a while, Harry had left, and she had felt the Whale King lift off. Hoping that he was returning home, she had resigned herself to wait here until then. There was no way he would be still awake by then.

But now she felt the Whale King landing again. It was too early for them to have returned home, so where were they? Just as she was about to open the canopy for a look, she heard Harry's footsteps approach. Crouching down, Mary listened as they stalked past. If he found her now, there was nothing she could do. All her reserves of strength were gone.

He didn't force open the Dark Horns cockpit. Instead he stopped nearby. Listening carefully, Mary soon heard as the main ramp opened. As it lowered, she caught Harry's muttering.

"No one takes my girl. No one." He was still clearly drunk, but also deadly serious.

With a clang, the ramp reached its lowered position. As Harry stomped down it, Mary began to wonder where they were. Realising that she would never know unless she looked for herself, she began to force the canopy open. Once there was a gap large enough for her to squeeze though she did, not caring that a strip of cloth from her torn shirt was caught as she did so. Running to the ramp, Mary looked out of the Whale Kings 'mouth', her torn clothing billowing in the breeze. What she saw made her knees go weak, and she had to grip one of the upper 'teeth' to remain upright.

'Oh no. Dear god Harry no…'

Ahead Harry continued to stride a wavy course towards the Blitz base.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Leena lay on her bunk, not caring at all about how long she had. After their, brief, argument in the hanger, she had run in here and flung herself onto her bunk. For the second time that day Leena Toros cried into her pillow.

Now she lay there, trying to make sense of her emotions. Leena had always known her own state of mind, at least until a certain Bit Cloud had dropped in. He was at once the most frustrating and the most intriguing man she had ever met. There was no one else who even came close to him. He was brave, handsome, caring, incredibly talented and generous with his help. But he was also childish and lazy, not to mention that he didn't respect her for whom she was! Only Vega was anywhere his equal, and he was too young…

She sat up suddenly. 'Why on Zi am I thinking that thought about Vega?' This shock and train of thought gave Leena a sudden glimpse into her heart, and what she saw terrified her.

Her heart was attracted to Bit. Physically, mentally and any other way you could think of!

Leena wrapped her arms round her legs. This couldn't be! She was not in love with Bit Cloud! The guy was a jerk! Why else would he keep on forgetting the bathroom timetable and walk in on her?

'He never walks in on any of the others…' The thought crept into her head. 'So why only me?'

The answer seemed obvious: she was the only female around!

But… he never tried to sneak in: he came barging in like a bull in a china shop…

But… he always coved his eyes when he realised. Not once had he peeked…

And then was the cookie thing. He constantly nicked her cookies, but lately he seemed be not trying to get away… And then he returned her celebratory chocolate cake, untouched!

'Could he have feelings for me…?'

Slowly she stood up. She couldn't go on like this: one way or another, this had to be sorted out soon. She realised that she had to confront Bit now, and hash everything out…

While she pulled herself together, she distantly heard the sound of breaking glass…

After taking a few moments to make herself more presentable, she turned to leave her room. But as she opened the door, she stopped dead. Her jaw fell and her eyes shot open.

Harry Champ, with a lecherous grin on his face, stood outside her door.

"Harry?" She gasped.

"Ah, my darrrling Leeenna…" Harry slurred. She suddenly noticed that he was reeking of alcohol. "Come, let us leave this den of lies and de…de…" He frowned; he couldn't think of the word he meant to say.

"Harry, I'm not going with you. This is my home." She frowned back. "And you're drunk to high heaven!"

Harry's face contorted into a black look, and Leena took an involuntary half step back. "Wrong! Your home is in my bed!" He snarled as he grabbed her wrist.

Leena responded the way she knew best. She used her free right hand to smack him in the face, just like that other drunken guy at the ball.

This time however Harry did not fall. He rocked back, but remained standing. The alcohol clearly numbed his brain. He grinned evilly again, before he slapped her back, hard.

"I like a little fight in my woman…" he crooned.

Leena was both shocked at the tone of his voice and the fact that he had slapped her, and it was the last straw. After a full day of emotional highs and lows, confronting Harry in a dark and cruel mood broke her.

Leena screamed.

DR: Some of you have commented that Leena is not acting herself. Let me just explain something. It's the end of a long day where she has gone from one emotional extreme to another. Her heart's in a mess as she wars with herself. She is now faced by a drunken Harry, who has HIT her. This is something that, as far as I know, no one has ever done. But don't worry, there will be a happy ending for this…