Shadow: Come on! What happens to me?
DR: Read and find out...
Chapter 28: Gratitude, Fusion & Rebirth
The Blitz team reunited outside the Hospital. Bit and Leon were able to walk out on their own feet, but Naomi had to use a pair of crutches. Vega was confined to a wheel chair, so Bit wheeled him out. Sarah took over for him as he embraced Leena, before they all started to return to the Hover Cargo. They stopped though, when off near the hanger where their zoids were being stored something lifted off. It hovered for a second, before rocketing away so fast it left a golden blur though the air. The crack of a sonic boom resounded above them.
"What was that?" Bit asked.
"I don't know." Jamie shrugged. "Maybe the Hover Cargo's sensors recorded something." But the sensors had not had time to gather any conclusive data. All they said was that a flying zoid of immense power had left from the hanger region. From the Doppler shift, the zoid had been doing at least mach five when it left the cities limits, and had still been accelerating.
As they approached the hanger, the team noticed a Great Whale King in ZBC colours landed just behind the hanger, while just in front of the Liger Zero – which was still standing guard – an old Redler had landed. As they disembarked, the pilot of the Redler walked over to them.
"Derek!" Bit called out as he recognised the Class S team leader. Leon noticed that Derek was carrying a small briefcase, at odds with the rest of his clothes.
"Hi Bit. Glad to see you're all up and around. Mostly." Derek grinned down at Vega, who smiled back. Derek squatted down so that he was on the same level as the young pilot.
"I heard about what you did." He told Vega solemnly. "You're a very brave young man." Vega flushed from the complement, while Sarah smiled with pride. To her, her son was the real hero.
Inside the hanger, the Blitz Team was rendered speechless. Doc had not got round to calling any workshops to repair the zoids, but there were people swarming over all of them. Mechanics dressed in a wild range of coveralls were working like the devil itself had told them to. Already the legs of Leena's zoid were straightened, while the Blade Ligers forelegs could now support its weight. A new canopy and guns were attached to the Raynos, while a new wing for the Storm Sworder was being lower into place. The other three showed signs of recent repairs too, and most of the work was well progressed.
As they continued to gaze around in awe, the local ZBC commissioner stepped over to them. The local City Security chief accompanied him again, but he also had a distinguished looking gentleman with them.
"Ah, I see you're here already." The Commissioner looked over his shoulder at the work. "Surprised?"
"Just a bit…" Steve gasped out.
"Where did they all come from?" Naomi asked in awe.
"All the hangers in the city, plus a few private people." The older man said gently. Now that they focused on him, the Blitz recognised him as Romeo City's mayor.
"But, why?" Brad asked in shock. "We haven't even asked…"
"They came of their own free will." The mayor stated.
"But we can't afford to pay all these people for their work!" Jamie quivered at the thought of the bill they'd get.
"They're not going to ask you for any money." The mayor chuckled. "They all wish to thank you."
"That's the second time some ones told us that they'll do work for us for free…" Sarah stated, her eyes narrowed. "What did we do to earn such gratitude?"
The Mayor's eyes widened "You don't know?" At the teams' blank looks, he sighed.
"The scientists had a field day gathering data from that… detonation. When they heard that an actual nuclear weapon was going to go off, many were so excited they ran about like headless chickens. Theory is one thing, but an actual nuclear explosion…" The mayor shook his head in disgust.
"From the data gathered, our scientists were able to work out how much devastation there would have been had the bomb gone off at the target point." The commissioner stepped in. "On a flat plane, everything within thirty miles would have been destroyed. With the base in a canyon, the blast would have been directed out of it, rather than spreading out evenly. Half of this city would have been levelled."
Naomi felt faint and had to cling on to Brad for support. Others in the team found it hard to breath. 'Half of a city just over forty miles away from the weapon destroyed…'
"That's not all. The surrounding mountains would not have affected the radiation released by that weapon anywhere nearly as much as the blast wave. Radiation poisoning would have killed everyone within fifty miles. The more vulnerable people, like children and the elderly, would be dying up to a hundred and fifty miles away."
Such loss of life was staggering. The affected region would have engulfed another three cities, and an unknown number of towns, villages and farms. The death toll would have been into the hundreds of thousands. Whole generations would have been wiped out, entire towns turned into necropolises. Families wiped away in one go…
Movement at the far end of the hanger attracted everyone's attention. The doors to the inner hanger parted, allowing a slowly rolling platform to pass. On it laid the Berserker Fury. As it rolled past, the techs stopped their work to pay their respects. The Fury had stood before evil, and had bought time for the weapon to be stopped. And it had paid the price.
As it got closer, the Blitz Team could see that the Fury was even worse off. Most of the head and over half the tail was now stone, while the creeping transformation had reached the knees and elbows of its limbs. It was clearly losing the fight to stay alive. Within a few days, the core would falter and die too, and with it the Fury would be dead.
Vega broke down at the sight of his beloved Fury, and the rest of the team felt tears behind their eyes. It was like watching a relative pass away. Sarah tried to comfort her son, but she knew that there was little comfort for something like this.
Once the rolling platform had exited the hanger, its many small bogies twisted on their pivots and started to roll it towards the Great Whale King. The Commissioner turned to the Blitz.
"Please, go with it. We've been given a possible means to save it." Vega looked up at his words, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
Quickly the Blitz followed the Fury, Derek in tow. While the Fury was positioned under the Great Whale Kings belly, the team was directed up the main ramp. Steve noticed the curious symbol on the huge transports side. A blood-red cross, edged in silver…
Inside the mouth, white-coated men led them deeper into the heart of the massive Great Whale King. Soon they were reaching the rear bay. They came out on what would be an upper level of the bay, but instead it was the floor. The Fury lay in the centre of the bay, the rolling platform gone. Instead chains hanging from the ceiling were being looped around it. A massive box outlined in yellow and black chevrons surrounded the Fury.
The man who had led them here turned to face the team. His silver hair matched the silver cross on his tunic. He looked at Derek. "You have the devices?"
"Right here." Derek held up the small case he had been holding. "Delivered to me this morning."
"Did the delivery zoid happen to leave here in a golden blur?" Stoller asked his eyes narrowing.
"Maybe…" Derek answered evasively.
"It doesn't matter right now," Bit stepped in before Stoller could push further, who scowled at being interrupted. "The point is how are you going to save the Fury?"
"For that, we'll need Vega's help." The man said.
"Me?" Vega questioned in confusion.
"Yes. I was told you have a connection with the Fury. At this time, it'll need something to hold onto, to help it return from death's door." He turned back to Derek who had already opened the case. He took out two objects that looked like comm headsets, though the one was shaped very differently. Passing the other one to Derek, the man rapidly approached the Fury. Other technicians appeared to be prying open the bodywork over the core…
"Vega," Derek began, kneeling before him again. "The man who told the ZBC how to save the Fury had these delivered here, since he can't be here himself."
"What do they do?" Vega asked in a small voice.
"They should allow for a direct connection between your mind, and the Fury's."
The team were stunned at the idea. How could one do such a thing?
"By linking the two of you, it should enable the Fury to hang onto itself, allowing it to heal faster. It may also come out the process better than before."
"Has this been done before?" Vega asked.
"Yes." Derek nodded. "But there is a catch. The process could hurt you, since you will feel what the Fury feels. Normally another would monitor the connection and not only suppress the pain, but also allow you to meld more fully, without risk of losing yourself. With these, you can only meld so far. Otherwise you could lose your mind." Derek held out the headset. "Do you wish to take the risk? I'm not going to force you here. It's your choice alone."
Vega stared at the headset for several seconds, before looking over at the Fury. He sat there for almost a minute, not saying a word. Finally he nodded.
"Yes, I'll take the risk."
"Vega…" Sarah began, worry in her voice.
"No mother, I have to do this." Vega said gently. He looked up at her gratefully, before he turned to face Derek. "Go ahead."
Slowly and with reverence, Derek set the device over Vega's head. Looking back towards the Fury, he watched as the sliver-haired man almost disappeared into the Fury's body.
"What's he doing?" Bit asked.
"In order for this to work, the other half of the set must be placed on the Fury's core itself." Derek told him, not looking away from the zoid, even when several of the Blitz gasped in shock.
At last the techs backed away. The sliver-haired man came over to them. "We're all set. Could you please step over here?" He motioned the team over behind a set of railing beyond the chevrons. Once everyone was clear of the boundary, he pressed the stud on the side of his comm headset.
"All right, we're all set down here. Lift it up."
With a clatter of straining chains, the Fury was slowly lifted clear of the floor. Creaks and groans filled the bay as the chains took the weight of the zoid.
"All right, it's clear." The chains stopped lifting, the Fury swaying gently. "Open the doors."
Suddenly the floor split down the centre, before the two halves slid apart. A purple light filled the bay from below. Bit shivered, remembering those purple eyes…
As the floor opened wider, the source of the light became clearer. A huge pool of thick glowing liquid, with steam gently rising from its surface. Pipes fed into the pool, and the bottom of the pool was hidden in the murk.
"A zoid birthing pool!" Steve gasped. "I though I recognised the symbol on the side of this Whale King!"
When the doors had fully opened, the tech spoke again into his headset. "All right, lower away!"
The chains began to crank again, this time lowering the Fury down into the pool. The thick liquid slowly covered the Fury as it sank deeper in.
Once the Fury was completely submerged, He spoke again. "Okay, release the chains."
With a snap, the chains above were cut, and the loose sections fell into the pool, making slow motion splashes in the viscous liquid. The Fury was now little more than a silhouette in the murky liquid, wavering in the currents.
Derek turned to Vega. "Last chance to back out."
Vega shook his head.
"All right… Just remember, you have to provide a calm point for both yourself and the Fury. If you can do that, it will greatly help the Fury as it heals. You must remain calm, focused on yourself." Derek told him, before reaching down and pressing a small button on the headset. With a whir, it powered up, lights flickering all over its surface.
The effect on Vega was startling. His eyes clamped shut and he gripped the wheelchairs arms tightly. Under the lids, his eyes quickly shifted back and forth…
X-X-X-X-X-X
Vega struggled to control the flow of images and thoughts into his mind. It was a torrent, a flood of emotion, feelings and memories. Images from thousands of battles, the faces of hundreds of people flashed before his eyes. His nerves fired again at the memory of those tearing bolts of lightning, he felt again his despair turning to terror as he released that the machine he fought was unstoppable…
…Suddenly the memory was torn away. Another came: a darken room, seen from near the floor. He was staring at a bed with two people on it, under the covers. As he watched, he saw one shift and sit up till he, Vega could tell it was a man, had his face in the moonlight. Vega was stunned to see an older version of himself! The face that looked back was at least ten years older, and had a strange red mark or tattoo on his cheek. The worse thing was that the older face was set in a look of superiority, of cruel arrogance.
The other figure murmured something, before raising a delicate hand to the older Vega's cheek. His face softened rapidly but jerkily, as if he had only just learned how to show happiness. He slowly lowered back down, while the other figure sat up. Long tresses of vibrant blue hair shone and the moonlight played across her naked back. At some muffled words from the man, she turned her head to look back at him…
Vega again felt shock. The face resembled his mother! While it was clearly not Sarah, it was equally as clear that they were related. Suddenly Vega realised what he was seeing.
'Raven and Resse…'
Again the scene shifted, and this time Vega was standing on the edge of a ruined skyscraper. In front of him, stood the largest zoid he had ever seen. It stood on the ground, but his eyes were level with the monsters waist! It vaguely resembled the Fury, having that same basic tyrannosaurs form, but it walked more upright. Looking up to the monsters head, Vega realised he had been wrong.
Before he had only looked into the eye of a demon. Here was the devil itself…
More images flashed though, but certain things kept coming though. A blue Blade Liger, with a small, silvery white tyrannosaurs form besides it. Raven standing on the edge of a cliff, destruction of a scale Vega had never seen…
Then darkness: the darkness of a tomb. Vega was unable to move, and he felt compressed and trapped. 'I know this' He thought. "This is when the Fury was entombed…'
That thought allowed Vega to pull back, to gain perspective. He was viewing the Fury's memories, but there were not his own. Remembering Derek's words, he pulled back as much as he could, focusing on himself. He imagined a tiny island floating on a sea of memories, with himself on that island. The sea tore at the island, but the island was unaffected. Slowly a hard patch of ground formed around Vega as he stared about. The sea surrounding him was a riot of colour and images, blending and shifting with each other. The sky overhead was a featureless mass of grey cloud, and the sea went on beyond the horizon.
Vega felt his eyes draw to a point in the sea, where the smooth rolling motion was changing. Slowly something rose from the sea, and stood atop it. Gazing at it, Vega knew instinctively what, or rather who, it was.
"Fury," Then another name rose from the depths of his mind, a name he had never heard before but knew all the same. "Shadow."
Slowly the form strode onto the small island besides Vega. Its surface firmed up and became a metal shape. It was a tiny Tyrannosaur zoid, much like the Fury. But the segmented metal work was a seamless, smoothly flowing form. The armour was a dark grey, with underlying parts even darker. Blue eyes blazed from underneath the sweeping brow.
…Vega…how? The thing didn't speak, but the words flowing into Vega's mind.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here to help you."
They stood staring at each other for a long time. Then Shadow's pose relaxed, and he nodded.
…Yes. I… need help.
He turned back to the sea, watching. Suddenly he snapped out his jaws, and latched onto an image. Bringing it to the shore, he laid the edge next to it. Before Vega's eyes the image shifted and turned to sand. It became part of the island.
Grinning, Vega began to assist…
X-X-X-X-X-X
Sarah sat besides Vega, watching his every move. Sweat beaded his brow at first, but now he seemed to be merely sleeping.
Leon sat besides her, sharing her vigil. The others took turns to come though, but there was little that they could do. All anyone could do was wait and pray.
Sarah continued to watch her son, desperate that he would not go. She had had too much fall out from under her already in her life…
Leon tired to comfort her. "He'll be okay. He's a strong kid."
"I hope so…" Sarah's voice broke into a sob. He wrapped an arm round her.
"I know so. He's your son, and you're one of the strongest people I know…"
"No, I'm not…" She sobbed into his shoulder.
"How so?" Leon gently asked. She looked up at his face.
"I told you how I came to be stuck in the Backdraft. But I didn't tell you how I got trapped in that position in the first place…"
"Shh," Leon brushed her cheek. "You don't have to…"
"No I do. So you can understand." Sarah pulled herself together before turning her head to continue watching Vega. She let her head lie on Leon's shoulder as she pulled up those dreadful memories…
"I was a really insecure little girl. My hair had always attracted attention, and not the good kind. With few friends, I became dependent on those I did have. I needed people around me, treating me like anyone else. The other girls tried to get my confidence up, and set me up on dates. But none of those ever came to anything. I was desperate to be considered normal.
"One night, I was stood up by my date. I was feeling totally alone at that point…"
Leon began to see the pattern. "Let me guess, some nice handsome stranger came along?"
"Totally swept me off my feet." Sarah confirmed. "I thought it was a match made in heaven, that we were destined to be together. He took me further than I had ever thought possible: Far beyond what I was ready for."
Leon grimaced. He was pretty sure of the out come now.
"Then I found out I was pregnant. When I confronted him, he simply said 'Tough luck' and walked out. I was shocked, so I grabbed his arm. I thought he loved me. He had said it many times…" Sarah choked back a sob.
"It was a lie. He had been lying the whole time. About his age, his job, even his name. He was even married! He had played me, used me for his own thrills, and then cast me aside, like I was nothing more than rubbish." Tears streamed down her face.
"I couldn't understand how I had been taken in. But that was just the first step. When my parents found out about what I had done, I was thrown out of the house were I had grown up, literally. Nearly all my friends cast me out, turned me away. A few were sympathetic, but only Stoller was willing and able to help.
"Vega's the only family I have left. If he should…" Sarah sobbed again. "… I don't know how I could carry on…"
"Oh Sarah…" Leon whispered, tears running down his own face now. He gently lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes.
"You are not alone anymore. You have the whole team to help now…" he paused, unable to say what he had meant to say. He found himself sinking into those blue-green eyes of hers, so wide and liquid. Her face was completely open, not a shred of that old guarded look remained.
What kind of a monster could have abused this fragile child!
Slowly, he felt his head drop, and their lips met.
X-X-X-X-X-X
Vega slowly opened his eyes. His head throbbed, but he knew he had done all he could. With his help, The Fury had rebuilt it's shattered past, piecing the parts back together. In the process, the Fury had lost its deep-seated anger. At last Vega could see the personality beneath the rage. A mind quick to temper, but fiercely loyal to those who it respects. He respected strength, but had the intellect to know that there were many forms of strength, not just that of raw power.
Knowing now that the Fury was safe and would quickly heal in the life giving liquid of the Zoid pool, Vega had slowly brought his thoughts back to himself. As he opened his eyes, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye…
Turning his head, Vega couldn't help but grin, and blush, at the same time. He had known that his mother was attracted to Leon, but he had never thought it would have progressed so quickly! Nor that Leon would return the feelings!
He felt the Fury's mind join him. …What is it? I can feel your emotions and… oh… Vega got the distinctive impression the Fury was embarrassed.
'What's wrong Fury? You've seen this, and worse, before!'
…It's your MOTHER Vega! Why on Zi are you not freaking out?
'Because I've wanted this for a long time now…'
…Eh?
'I want to see her happy again. To see her smile from joy, not because she has to or from the successful removal of a rival.'
…That I can understand. When Raven found joy… The Fury didn't need to elaborate.
'I think you'd better get back to healing yourself.' Vega reached up to the switch on the headset. 'See you when you emerge, my friend.' And with that, he shut off the set. He fumbled for a bit before he managed to do so, since his hand was still not responding to his thoughts. Still, he had control of his arm, allowing him to simply press his wrist, which still had some feeling, down onto the control.
He watched while the couple continued to kiss, their tears of sadness drying on their skin. Leon had brought his free hand round the back of her head to caress her cheek, while Sarah had looped an arm over his far shoulder. Their eyes were closed as they focused on the moment.
At last they had to part for air, Sarah slowly smiling. It was a smile that had rarely graced her face. It was a smile of joy.
"That good was it mom?" Vega joked gently.
Sarah's eyes snapped open as she turned her head to face him. However Leon had yet to move his arm, so she ended up with his hand on her mouth. Leon too jumped at Vega's question. Startled, he quickly slid his arm out the way.
"Vega! You're back!" Sarah cried happily.
"See? I told you he'd be okay." Leon gently patted her shoulder.
"You okay?" Sarah asked Vega in concern, not even noticing Leon's hand.
"Aside from a bit of headache, I'm okay. More importantly, so is the Fury." He gestured down to the zoid pool below. "Don't let me stop you two." He grinned.
Sarah's face flushed bright crimson. "Vega, I…"
"Mom," Vega placed a hand on hers clumsily. "I know what you've been though. I know all that you've done for me, and I'll be eternally grateful. But don't you think it's about time you took care of your own needs?"
Sarah could only kiss his forehead in reply, tears of joy running down her cheeks.
X-X-X-X-X-X
The next morning the team gathered again on the lower level of the huge transport. The others had seen the way that Leon and Sarah stood together, but no one commented. Steve beamed with pride at his son, while Bit had slipped him thumbs up.
Standing before the huge zoid pool, the team realised just how big it was. It filled the bulk of the Whale Kings rear bay. The head technician stepped up besides Vega.
"Vega, could you ask the Fury how long before it's ready?"
"Sure." Vega quickly reached up to switch the headset back on. It took a few tries, but he eventually got it engaged. Now that he knew what to expect, he was able to ease into the link.
'How you doing in there partner? Need the bath any longer?'
…Oh no, I'm all healed up and raring to go!
'Great!' Vega quickly switched the set off again. He had kept his wrist on the button.
"He's all ready."
"Okay. Control? Began evacuating the pool." He spoke into his own headset.
With a rumble of powerful pumps the level of liquid within the pool began to drop. Though the circular window in the twin curved doors, the team watched as the level sank down rapidly. The view was filled with steam.
"Pool's empty. Releasing the clamps…" someone announced over the intercom.
Massive latch like bars snapped back from the join of the doors. As they opened up, Bit noticed the Commissioner, Mayor, security chief and the nice reporters from the hospital enter the bay.
"All clamps released. Opening pool doors…"
Slowly the massive doors began to retract into them selves, the meters thick metal rolling back smoothly. Steam billowed out of the newly formed entrance, and within the steam, the silhouette of the Fury could be seen. It was clearly standing again…
Once the doors fully opened, everything went quiet. There was only the hiss of escaping steam. Then the shadow shifted. A foot rose, and then landed with a metallic boom.
Slowly the Fury walked out of the steam. At last it stood before them, proud, defiant and whole once again. There were changes in its appearance, Bit noticed. The most noticeable was that the armour had darkened, becoming a dark, smoky grey, like a shadow. The points where the old rotary arms had been now mounted universal zoid attachment points, allowing for a wide range of weapons and add-ons to be fitted.
But the most striking change was in its pose. The Fury had walked with a fluid motion that had none of the latent anger it had contained before, and its pose was relaxed.
'I'll be dammed.' Bit grinned. "He helped the Fury let go of its anger.'
Vega slowly, clumsily wheeled himself over to the massive zoid. Looking up at its huge head, he called out "How you feeling partner?"
Bit had no trouble understanding the Fury this time as it bellowed out its answer.
#Better than ever!#
Shadow: Oh yea, I'm back!
DR: I told you trust me...