Zeke: Get off! My turn!
Shadow: No, it's mine!
DR: (walks in) What is this all about?
Zeke: Err, we were...
Shadow: Showing Fiona an un-armed combat manoeuvre...
DR: Shadow, how many times do you think I've heard the 'We were discussing a boxing technique?' excuse?
Shadow: (Gulps)
Fiona: DR, go easy on them... please?
DR: Fiona, I think Vans calling you...
Fiona: (Eyes snap open) Van? (Runs out room with a smile plastered on her face)
Chapter 36: The Great City
The Hover Cargo quickly worked up to full speed and hurtled along the paved road, just behind the gracefully running black zoid. The road they were following was paving in stone, and rose above the level of the plains surrounding them. They hurtled past fields and forests, wild areas and farms. The odd sidetrack led off to small farming communities, but clearly the bulk of the people here lived in the city that rose on the far side of the plain.
As they got closer, the scale of the city became apparent. It had been built on the lower slopes of a towering mountain; trust out like some massive knee. It was split into levels, each one faced with shear walls. Roofs gleamed with precious metals, and the stonework of the walls was clean and almost whitewashed.
They began to pass and cross small rivers and streams, an intricate web of waterways and fields filled with growing food. Others were pastures, with livestock roaming free. Every now and then a zoid could be glimpsed at work in the fields, ploughing and tended the soil. Mostly they were Guysacks, but a few Gustavs mingled within those. As the passed a forest, the team saw a team of Godos zoids at work with massive chainsaws felling trees in an ordered pattern, while behind them a set of Guysacks gently planted saplings where old trees had been felled.
Trucks and jeeps began to join them on the road, which had swelled into a major route into the city. They were close enough to be able to pick out details on the outer walls. The wall appeared smoothly curved, with round towers spaced evenly. Great buttresses, like those on an old dam Bit had seen once, braced the wall on the outside face. Tiny figures patrolled the top, and a massive gatehouse was set dead centre.
The upper walls were just as impressive. Each was about half as tall as the outer wall, with battlements and towers, and with tough looking forts at alternate ends. Waterfalls cascaded down in many places, in a range of styles, from solid curtains to a myriad of small trickles. The centre of the sixth tier, the highest of them all, had an elaborate gatehouse that projected out to the fifth wall. The roofs of buildings could be seen within, but not consistently.
"Err, excuse me?" Steve called the other zoid. "Where are we going to park this transport? I hope you've got transportation laid on inside…" He began to mention Naomi's condition, but the woman at the other end cut him off.
"Nonsense. You can pilot that transport all the way up to the fifth level. That's the highest level that public transports can go."
Stroller frowned, trying to figure that out. "But, the Hover Cargo will never fit though those gates…"
Gently laughter filtered across. "You're looking at it in the wrong scale. See those tiny figures patrolling the walls? They're Modified Rev Raptors."
Suddenly the sheer scale of the city became apparent. It was not just massive – it was colossal! The outer curtain wall must have been several hundred feet tall, to the point that only an Ultrasaurus could have looked over them. The gates themselves would be large enough to allow even one of those titanic zoids to pass though, if it ducked. Before, the city would have housed a few hundred, but if it was that big, it could house thousands, perhaps millions of people!
The many tiny streams began to merge, forming small rivers that flowed out from underneath the walls themselves and from the side of the great city. More and more details began to show as the team drew closer. Each block of stone that made up the walls must have weighed hundreds of tons, and they all fitted together seamlessly into a solid wall that implied massive strength. Patches of a faint green tinge hinted at moss and of climbing plants growing up the shear walls. The feline zoid slowed, and Steve backed off too. They were approaching the gates. And what gates they were!
As they passed beneath the gateway, the team saw that the huge gates were made in sections. There were the main parts, four enormous slabs of metal hinged together so they could part in the centre and fold back, coated in shining bronze. Each section also had a smaller gate, cast in the same style as the main structure within it. With the main gates closed, the designs on the panels could be clearly seen. Each panel had a massive relief of a vaguely female figure on it, the features non-descript and plain. Other, smaller relief's surrounded the main ones, depicting many zoid types. The smaller gates were mounted such as to be directly between the huge figures legs. There was enough room even for the Hover Cargo to pass comfortably though the smaller gates.
Inside was a passage way though the walls themselves, to another set of gates. Passing though the second gateway, the transport entered a massive open area, like a city square made for zoids instead of people. A river ran down both sides, with arched bridges linking the open region with broad side streets. Buildings with an average of a half-dozen floors apiece lined those streets, but did not crowd them. The architects had clearly gone to great lengths to ensure the two materials used in the buildings construction, more of that pale stone and semi-precious metals like bronze, complimented each other rather than clashed. Windows were edged in the metal, and sweeping arches were above every door. Green plants grew in almost any space, from planters on ledges below windows to open areas of whole floors. The verges of all the streets and both rivers were also green with foliage, grasses and the odd tree along the streets, bushes and thicker tree growth along the river. The massive square had an ornate and large centrepiece. Standing tall and proud was a huge bronze statute of a Blade Liger, and balanced on its snout was the figure of a man, his long coat billowing in a breeze.
The Blitz Team gazed about them in awe as they rumbled along the main streets of the city. People moved about in a constant bustle, but with none of the hurried, 'don't touch me' attitude of most of the other large cities on Zi.
The route their guide led them along brought them almost to the massive walls before turning sharply left, following the line of the cliff and wall perched above. Along the way they passed over foaming rivers fed from the waterfalls cascading down the cliffs, weaved though lush forests and glided past great open parks. It was as if the cities builders had wanted as much plant life and flowing water as people and buildings within the city limits as possible. Soon they reached the end of the wall above, and a gentle ramp led up under the lee of the huge fort on the end. Beyond the ramp the road way led into an area that was less green than the rest of the city, but still had that cared for style.
"That region is our open-air section of the cities industrial region and the docks." The zoid pilot told them. "Though most of the manufacturing capacity is within the cliffs themselves, some processes need access to fresh air."
The road wound up around the fort in three great ramps. As they climbed, Stroller noted that the rocky region at the top of the first two ramps contained many hiding places for smaller zoids and troops. A small gate was hung open at the top of the third ramp. "Most of our population lives on the ground and second levels. The third and fourth levels are mainly commercial buildings, though you will find similar buildings scatter though out the residential areas too. No one is more than fifteen minutes away from a food outlet, and no more than twenty from a doctor, fire or police station."
"What about the last two?" Leon asked as the procession rose onto the next level, leaving the fort behind as they cruised along them main street. Up here there was only a hint that the spread was quite narrow, a trick of the architecture creating the illusion of an expansive space.
"The fifth is for cultural things, like our museum and plush hotels." The woman paused. "It also has the entrance to our people's final resting place." The Blitz needed no translation for what that meant. "The sixth level is the governmental level, and contains the administration for the whole city, as well as the access points for our military storage bunkers, crisis management centre, primary health care, and our main zoid hanger, though you will find smaller public ones throughout the city. It also contains the homes of certain people…"
"Like yourself?" Stroller probed.
"Maybe…" The humour was clear in her voice.
With each level, the lush growth of plant life remained constant, as did the number of small rivers and streams. Pools and small forests were interspersed amongst the buildings, preventing the city from feeling like a great, tightly packed mass of humanity. Up here the buildings up here had more glass and metal work in their construction, and tended to be taller than the residential buildings in the lower levels. Each level was also divided into two by small gatehouses, each with a set of the smaller gates. There was a feeling in the air, of a city that strived to be perfect. And to a degree it had achieved that aim. The streets were clean, traffic was barely enough to be given the label, and no one seemed oppressed or unhappy.
"Seems like paradise…" Sarah breathed as she lent against Leon. She could feel in the air a sense of peace she had never felt anywhere before. To a degree everyone else felt the same way. There was something… wholesome and natural about this place.
"Maybe…" Stroller said, rubbing his chin. "But have any of you noticed the fortifications? This city may be a paradise, but it is also a fortress, and a nigh impregnable one at that." Slowly the other's heads nodded. While weapons were not in evidence, the thickness of the walls, the single route up to the higher levels, the heavy metal gates all suggested a serious eye had been turned towards defence. Even the streets themselves would cause incredible trouble to an attacker, with the thick forests backing onto open parks, providing both cover and open target ranges for defenders. With potentially thousands of ambush points, any attacking army would suffer massively if they tried to take the city by force.
At last they turned onto the fifth level. As they crested the last ramp, the team noticed that behind them was an expansive open area, used as an airport. On any other city it would be dominating, but here it seemed almost small. There was space for a dozen Hammer Kaisers, and four of those slots were filled. One in particular caught Strollers eye. It was painted white, the colour of the ZBC.
"The ZBC must know about this place." He commented, nodding towards the display showing the resting transport.
A series of expensive looking hotels were between them and the wall, while to their right was a long building, fronted by a huge number of columns. It was clearly partly built into the mountain, as the bronze sloping roofs peak was against the cliff face. They approached the huge gatehouse, and tucked next to it was a wide-open area, were the Hover Cargo could easily be parked.
"This is where I'm afraid you'll have to exit your vehicle." The zoid pilot told them. "The entrance to the upper level is suitable only for individual zoids and people." Stroller shared a knowing look with Brad as Steve brought the Hover Cargo to rest. Even if an attacking force could fight its way all the way up here, it would be all but impossible to force their way onto the top level.
Outside the Hover Cargo a set of linked electric carts of various lengths waited. Steve climbed into the cab unit of a three-cart train while the rest of the team climbed in after him. The feline zoid led them into the gatehouse that bisected the fifth level. Part way though the zoid turned right, and stopped before a closed gateway. After a few seconds the heavy bronzed gates began to open, folding back with a gentle rumble. As they passed though, Bit noticed just how thick those gates were. Liger's Hybrid Cannons would barely scratch them.
Beyond the gate was another ramp leading back into the mountain. It was a gentle ramp, and off to both sides broad steps could be seen. Sunlight filtered down from the far end. As they rolled up the incline, Bit looked back towards the gates as they closed majestically behind them. He noticed that there were no signs of any guards at all.
At last they came back out to open air, to the most impressive sight yet. An open arena was spread out before them, with a massive fountain in the centre. On the far side of the fountain was a great building with a domed central structure, supported by a ring of columns. To the left was a region enclosed by tall hedges, with more angled bronzed roofs poking out above a pale, ivy-covered building. To the right, near the rim of the open area, yawned the entrance to a massive zoid hanger. Lights glowed within. Just above and to the left of the hanger was a large mansion, with considerable grounds edged in hedging. Tall trees waved in the gentle mountain breeze, and water flowed past in a gentle mountain stream. Further back and higher up there were signs of a pair of smaller dwellings.
The black cat zoid stopped and lowered its head. Steve stopped the carts too as the female pilot gracefully leapt out. As she stood up from her crouch, the zoid brought its head back up and moved towards the hanger under its own free will. The woman approached the Blitz Team.
"Just head towards the fountain." She said gently as she stepped in. The team took note of her dress. The black vest tucked into black shorts, from underneath which the grey body stocking emerged before tucking into her knee length black boots. She wore elbow length gloves in the same material as her body stocking. She was slim and clearly kept in shape, and walked with a feline grace that matched her zoid. Her short cut red hair hung just above her shoulders, and her liquid eye's swept over each one of them in turn. Steve engaged the drives again, and steered towards the massive fountain. Near the base was the small figure of a man, with a golden-yellow mass each side.
'Maybe now we can get some answers as to what happened to Leena…' Bit thought darkly…
The massive fountain was even more impressive as the team got closer. The central core was a towering statute of what looked like some kind of rocket, with a spindly gantry besides it. The rocket itself was a collection of tubes stacked atop each other, tapering towards the tip. Half a dozen smaller tubes were arranged around the base, and the entire thing was at least twenty feet high. The water was sprayed out from the base of the rocket pad, capturing the moment of launch.
Slowly the team's sights dropped to the man waiting for them. He sat casually, legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles. Over his loose pale shirt and jeans he wore a long dark leather coat loosely, with a tan broad-brimmed hat shadowing his face. On the bench to his left, and lying by his feet, were two huge felines. Either one must have weighed at least twice as much as him. Faint stripes could be seen on the flanks of their silky golden coats. The man gently stroked the one massive head, while the second big cat appeared to be dozing. He looked up as they approached, and then whispered something to both cats. With a liquid grace they stood up, stretched, and began to pad away towards the mansion, each motion suggesting a lot of power and muscle hidden beneath those lovely fur coats. He stood up himself, and waited for the Blitz Team.
As the team climbed out of the carts, they noticed the woman who had guided them walk over to the waiting figure. They shared a quick kiss and a word before she walked off, following the huge cats.
"Welcome Blitz Team." He called as the team stepped forward. The old Blitz and Fluegel team members were astonished to recognise the man from the ball, the one who Derek had said was in charge of security. He looked far more comfortable now, casually dressed.
"I think it's about time I introduced myself. I am Christian Masters. I wish we could have had this meeting under better circumstances." A troubled look crossed his eyes.
"Likewise." Steve replied, wondering where he had heard the name 'Masters' before…
"So, where is Leena?" Bit stated, stepping forward purposely.
Christian smiled, a crafty but handsome smile, full of understanding and compassion. "I figured you wish to see her for yourselves right away." Bit felt a lot of his anger and frustration fade away. "If you'd care to follow me?" He began to lead them towards the ivy covered building at a gentle pace. The air itself felt wholesome and clean, full of life. The gentle whistle of the breeze in the trees and the tinkling of water flowing across rocks smothered any sounds of the city below.
"You have a lovely city here." Sarah complimented, gazing out over the green plains far below.
"Thank you. Took a long time to get it right."
"How long?" Stoller asked.
Another slight smile formed on the man's lips. "A very long time."
They walked across an intricate wooden bridge to reach the entrance to the hedged in grounds. A sign above the simple gateway read 'Primary Health Centre.' As they entered, the team saw a connected set of lovely stone buildings wrapped in ivy, with a large garden surrounding it. The garden was divided up into dozens of small areas, and there were a few people walking about. Some were dressed in long pale blue robes, while women in a similar coloured uniform tended to the needs of those in the robes.
"This place is for our long term and seriously injured people." Christian told them quietly. "The small hospitals scattered throughout the city can tend to most cases, but here is where those who need constant care come." He stopped before a small covered desk, with young nurse sitting behind it. She perked up and paid him full attention.
"Could you tell me where a Miss Toros would be?"
The nurse looked down and punched a few commands into a terminal. "She's out of her room, by the wall." A computer map displayed the whole compound, with one flashing red blip in one of the areas by the outer wall. "Shall I call for a sister to guide you?"
"Thank you, no. I'm sure I can find my way around." Christian said with another of those small smiles. The young woman blushed a deep red.
Once they were past the helpdesk, Brad stepped up besides Christian. "You've been a patient here before then?"
"Amongst other things, yes." He glanced back at Naomi, before leaning towards Brad. "You'll be amazed how quickly one learns the layout of a hospital when you're waiting for your child to be born." He winked at the stunned Brad.
They wandered though the paths and gardens, the gentle smell of flowers and growth all around them. Small birds warbled in the air and trees, and everything seemed peaceful. The whole mood of the area was conductive to healing and life.
Christian brought them to a stop just before they reached a doorway though a hedge. Beyond him the lip of the wall could be seen. He turned to face them all, his expression grave.
"I had better warn you all now. She was badly injured when I got to her. The doctors here are the best, and all her physical injuries will heal in time, despite the severity of them." He heaved a deep sigh. "Her mental scars however, are a major worry. Hopefully seeing you all again will snap her out of the dark mood she had fallen into." He gestured to allow them to pass first.
Slowly they passed though, spacing out so they could all see. None of them could speak at first. Close to the stone a figure sat in a wheel chair, dressed in another blue robe. Flaming red hair hung down in bags, and the whole pose was one of deep depression. The person sat hunched over something in their lap.
Bit and Leon were the first to approach her. "Leena?" They both asked together, almost breathing the name.
The seated figure slowly turned her head, revealing the smooth, tear stained features of Leena Toros. At first there was no recognition, then joy spread across her face. "Leon… Bit!"
Both men ran to her, crouching down at her side. Both managed to keep the dismay from their faces as they saw the full extend of her ordeal. Both her right thigh and entire right arm were covered with what looked like a hardened gel, while two long plasters covered her forehead. In her lap she had been holding a jagged triangular piece of metal, one edge sliced neatly. It was slowly turning to stone, and was stained red.
Leon and Bit took turns hugging her gently, mindful of her injuries. Bit almost refused to let go, and she weakly returned the hug with her good arm.
"I'd thought I'd lost you…" he whispered into her ear, tears streaming from his eyes.
Soon the others gathered round, while Christian stood back, allowing the team time to heal.
X-X-X-X-X-X
Back at the Hover Cargo, something climbed down to the ground, and in a mass of metallic legs, began to scuttle away.
The Infiltration Arachnotron was a development of the suicide units deployed during the last war on Earth by the Cybrids. These new versions were smaller and had eight legs, but instead of the explosive charge the old models had carried, these held the most powerful CPUs available, extensive memory banks and powerful communication gear. They had been designed to slip unnoticed into enemy bases, map all the routes though it, locate all critical points, and then report in. They also had enough programming to be capable of sabotage when the Cybrid Legions attacked.
This particular unit had been dispatched by Helios to ride with the Blitz Team, to allow him to plot their movements. It had sensed the mists that blocked all sensors and communications, and had laid a fine fibre optic cable behind it, with a relay at each end. It would therefore be able to send its report to the nearside relay, which would be sent down the cable to the other side. The outer relay would then transmit the report to Helios himself.
The tiny Cybrid began to explore the city, following the central programming in its core…
X-X-X-X-X-X
The Blitz Team slowly made their way across the open plaza, their thoughts centred on Leena. A nurse had asked them to leave shortly after they had arrived: visiting time was over and many of the patients wished some time alone, including Leena. The nurse had been most humble, and clearly did not want to throw them out, but she had to.
"Some of our long term patients have been horribly scared, and they feel ashamed of their injuries around normal people."
Not even Christian had been excused. He had in fact been the first out.
As the procession passed by the fountain, Leon turned to face Christian.
"What happened to her? Really." He asked.
Christian sighed. "I'm not sure exactly how it began, but my zoid picked up a gabbled call for help. We both flew there as fast as possible, and we were nearly too late. Her zoid had been brought down, and the leader of the team sent after her was lining up for the coup de grace…
"We took out the… flyer at the longest possible range, hoping to distract the other pilot." The team noticed his hesitation. Clearly he knew something. "In the ensuring fight, we took out the four small units, not zoids but similar to the unknown machines that attacked you. The Gojulas had two escorts, both just like those which escorted the bomb unit..."
Bit and Brad exchanged glances. Clearly this guy knew a lot more than he was letting on.
"After we scared off the Gojulas pilot, we tended to Leena and her zoid." Christian took a deep breath, and the team tensed. Clearly it had been bad.
"She must have taken a direct missile hit to the side of the zoids head, just below the canopy. The upper jaw and armour there was torn apart, and the canopy… the canopy on that side had shattered." He looked at Leon face to face.
"She must have used her arm to shield her face, most likely saving her life. The shards of the canopy lacerated her pretty badly. Had they gone into her face, there would be little that could have saved her. At the very least she'd be blind." He left unsaid that such damage to her face would have caused horrendous disfigurement, but everyone realised that's what would have happened.
"And her leg?" Bit asked, almost not wishing to know.
"A strip of the head armour was folded inwards. It buckled and bent till the edge pointed inwards. The force of the explosion drove it right though her thigh." Naomi felt faint and had to cling to a pale Brad. Several others went pale at the thought of such an injury.
"I sliced the end off, to allow me to get her out. I don't have the skill, nor did I have the equipment, to safely remove the metal from her. Very few do." Some of the sad look in Christian's eyes faded. "She was very lucky though. The doctor who removed the fragment told me that it had somehow weaved between her thighbone, all her nerves and tendons, and had only nicked her thigh muscles. She soon will be able to walk again, perhaps within the next couple of days."
His eyes darkened again. "But I am worried about her. That shard of metal she was holding was the part that was buried in her leg." The blood drained from Bit's face at the thought of that huge chunk of metal embedded in his dear Leena's leg.
Pierce slowly managed to tear her thoughts away from Leena's injuries. "You kept saying 'we'. Who was the other person?"
"Why my zoid of course." At the teams' blank looks, one of Christian's eyebrows rose. "You're saying that none of you have a zoid partner?"
Jamie shrugged. "Well, Bit and Vega do, and to a degree so do Leon and Stoller… The rest of us just use the same zoid all the time."
"After all, their really nothing more than machines…" Stoller stated.
As he said that, the air seemed to chill several degrees.
"Nothing could be further from the truth." Christian had halted, and stared hard into Stollers face. "Zoids are living beings just like you or me. They may have metal where we have flesh, but don't ever think that a zoid is a mere 'Machine', like a jeep or a Cybrid."
"Cybrid?" Bit asked, desperate to steer the conversation away from this topic.
Christian sighed. "Cybrid is the name for the race of machines that produced those units that attacked you and Leena. They're also the one's responsible for the recent attacks on lone zoids."
"Where… Where did they come from?"
Christian smiled sadly. "Us. We made them."
DR: The penny drops...