DR: Okay, some more questions and shocks are en-route, so sit tight...

Chapter 38: The Living Legends

The looks on the faces of the Blitz Team was priceless, but then again, it was not everyday that one comes face to face with the heroes of past. These four people were legendary, their names spoken with awe and dread, depending on which one was being referring to.

Van Flyheight was considered the greatest hero Zi had ever seen, always putting others before himself and courageous. Almost unmatched in skill and daring, wise beyond his years and dedicated to justice. And for Fiona, his Ancient Zoidian friend, and eventual lover and wife, there was no other female who was close to her in fame. Her charity and warmth were held up as models for many generations of children. Together the two of them had formed an unbreakable team, and together with their companions, saved Zi from the brink of a new apocalypse.

Raven though was a name linked to the dark side of mankind. A cruel, arrogant and ruthless warrior, he was the dark knight to Van's light, and his greatest rival. The battles between the two of them had been told throughout the world, and had grown in scale with each telling, till it had reached the point that the air itself had been split asunder by their clashes. Although in the years that followed the last climatic battle that featured them both the truth about Raven's troubled and difficult past had been revealed and he had settled down, his name was still only spoken of in hushed whispers.

Resse was still, even after all these years, something of a mystery. Her past before appearing during the early days of the Guardian Force, of which Van had been one of the core members, was still shrouded in darkness. All that was known was that she too had a rough early life, one that had scarred her just as much as Ravens past had him. And if people feared Raven out in the plains between cities, they feared her in the dark places, in the alleys and hidden rooms, since she was capable of taking control of people directly, turning them into virtual slaves.

Her reputation however was softened by the fact that it had been her who had been most responsible for Ravens change of heart. No one really knew how these two bitter and twisted souls had done it, but they had helped each other to rediscover the good side in them both.

Slowly the four living legends walked towards the Blitz Team, smiles on all four faces, the two Ultimate X zoids slowly following them. Van in fact chuckled at the looks of pure shock running rampant on their faces.

"What's the matter? You all look like you've seen a ghost."

Bit managed to find his tongue. "I'm not sure we haven't…"

Fiona stepped closer, and gently rested a hand on his shoulder, a warm smile lighting up her face. "We're real, just as real as you." She said gently.

Bit was stunned to realise that when she had touched him, he had felt as if a missing piece of his heart had been returned. At that moment Bit felt a connection to Fiona Flyheight that he had never really felt before. The last time he had felt this way about anyone before was with his parents…

Raven and Resse slowly stepped up to face Sarah and Vega. The resemblance between her and Sarah was clear, making the differences between them both stand out. Her eyes were larger in her head than Sarah's, and she was quite a bit shorter. Her short cut hair was a much lighter shade than Sarah's, with the odd streak of silver, but if you mixed her bright blue locks with Ravens dark grey, the end result would be the dark blue of Sarah's tresses.

Vega and Raven however seemed to be almost duplicates of each other, two sides to the same coin. While Raven was far older, with age lines on his face and silver creeping into his hair, Vega was still youthful and full of life. But the marked difference was in their faces. Ravens expression still had a lingering element of his lifestyle, a face of a cold, cruel man who ruthlessly pursued his goals. Vega however was an open book, honest and child like.

"It's almost uncanny…" Raven muttered, shaking his head slightly. "The lad could be me reincarnated."

"He practically is, dear." Resse chided him before turning to Sarah. "It's a pleasure and an honour to finally meet you, Miss Obscura."

"T… Thank you…" Sarah stuttered, almost unable to believe whom she was speaking to.

Raven turned to Sarah now, his eyes filled with gratitude. "I… have to… thank you for freeing Shadow." He said slowly, as if he had rarely said 'thank you' to anyone before. "When he was taken, I…" He couldn't continue, the emotion in his voice shutting off his throat.

Behind them, the Fury stepped forward to lower its great head to nudge Raven, answering Sarah's unspoken question about who this 'Shadow' person was. 'Shadow was also the name given to Ravens 2rganoids…' Her breath suddenly rushed in.

Leon got the implication too. "Wait, are you saying that the Fury really belongs to you?"

Raven looked back over his shoulder, into the Fury's eye, before replying. "Once, long ago. Though I never really 'owned' Shadow, he was my only companion…" He looped an arm round Resse, a smile forming on his lips. "…Until I got close to Resse that is."

"And a long and stormy romance it was." Christian chipped in from the sides. Van and Resse grinned happily, while Raven flushed slightly. "How many years here did it take you to finally marry her?" Christian continued teasingly.

"Almost four…"

"Ha! More like five." Van corrected him. The moment of friendly banter eased the tension in the Blitz, just as Christian had intended it to.

Bit turned to stand face to face with Van. "Let me guess; the Liger was once yours too."

Van grinned happily. "Oh yea. My partner from the beginning." The Ligers happy roar confirmed that clearly. "Even when he was two separate beings."

"What?" Bit was confused, and so were the rest of the team.

"The Liger Zero isn't just a Liger. It's a fusion of a highly experienced Blade Liger, and an 2rganoids." Christian told them. "In this case, the 2rganoids was Van's partner Zeke, and the Blade Liger was the one Van piloted."

Bit stared up at the Liger, his jaw hanging. "You never told me you once roamed the world with Van Flyheight!"

#You never asked!#

Van and Fiona laughed at the look on Bit's face. "I see the gene for stating the 'bloody obvious' has been passed down alongside the piloting skills." Raven commented, from underneath his smirk of amusement.

That comment caused all mirth to disappear from the faces of the Blitz Team. What on Zi could he have meant by that?

"Is it not obvious?" Raven continued. "Why is it out of all the other people who tired to pilot the Liger Zero, only Bit Cloud was acceptable? How about the fact that the only other 'Ultimate X' pilot happens to be descended from an ancient zoidian and the zoids old pilot?"

Steve turned to regard Bit, Fiona and Van. Now that they stood together, he could see striking similarities between them. Bit's build was almost identical to Van's, with them both similar heights. The angles on Bit's face were slightly softer versions of Van's. And while his hair followed the same natural tendencies to form spikes, Bit's hair was a strong yellowy blond, not brown like Van's. But Fiona's hair was a pale blond, with the odd streak of silver… Steve felt his jaw drop for the second time that morning. But it was Leon who popped the question.

"You mean… Bit is in fact descended from Van and Fiona?"

Van slowly nodded. "You'd be surprised how many people are descended from us." He looked playfully at Fiona, who blushed.

"I liked having kids…"

"Liked? You two were – still are, in fact – worse than rabbits!" Fiona flushed even redder at Christians playful comment. Some of the shock in the Blitz's faces faded into humour at the embarrassment that filled her face.

"I think what Van was trying to say is that the number of people who have either him and Fiona or Raven and Resse as ancestors is quite large." Christian continued.

Van nodded. "But so few ever really show that heritage." He then grinned at Bit. "With a few exceptions."

Christian smiled with the rest of them. Then he noticed how Naomi was subtly shifting from one foot to the other. "I think we'd best continue this discussion somewhere else. Where we can all sit down." The relief on Naomi's face said it all.

"What about our zoids?" Stoller asked in puzzlement.

Van grinned again. "They'll find their way inside the hanger. Both Zeke and Shadow have lived here before, so they should know where they can stay." He turned to the Liger Zero. "Right buddy?" The Ligers positive roar was echoed by the Fury's bellow.

"Then it's settled. Let's get something to eat, and some comfortable chairs. Then we can discuss who's related to whom." Christian turned to Samantha. "Sam, could you go and check on Leena? See if the doctors are willing to release her to her families care…"

Samantha smiled and headed towards the hospital, but Bit noticed that on her face had been another emotion. Apprehension.

'Now why would she be apprehensive about seeing Leena…?'

X-X-X-X-X-X

The Liger watched the gathered humans and Ancient Zoidians walk off, before he and the Fury stepped towards the inviting hanger. After a moment, the other zoids began to follow, in tentative, jerky steps.

Liger shook his head. These young zoids were so used to being ordered around by human pilots that they had not really matured and gained their free will. Though to be fair it had been that way quite often back when he had been a simple organoid. It was only now, a fully matured zoid that his mind was complete and he knew what he wanted. True, both the Shadow Fox and the Blade Liger were more experienced and intelligent than the others. The result of their evolutions from normal zoids, though the Shadow Fox was a bit of a sport, since he had been created in the advanced state he was.

Blade was more intelligent and free willed than he should be though. Zero knew why, and he knew that Van, Raven and the other older pilots knew why too.

…At least his personality is nothing like that bloodthirsty maniacs…

#Hey, do you think Mnementh will be here?# The Fury's question interrupted the Ligers thoughts.

#Perhaps. Certainly the others should be here#

#Great! It's been so long…#

#That it has, old friends…# the feminine zoids voice was older and wiser than either the Fury or Liger. They both looked up to see one of their old mentors waiting for them.

#Eros! Great to see you again!# The Fury bellowed back. The silvery white zoid swished its long multi-stranded tail as it neighed in greeting.

#Is everyone here?# Liger asked the older zoid as they followed her into the chamber reserved for the old warriors. The other Blitz Team zoids hung back, awed over at the sight of such an ancient and powerful zoid. A team of techs began to wave them over to bays prepared for them.

#Everyone except Mnementh and Aries are. Aries went off to do some digging into those recent attacks# Eros shook 'her' long head, the flowing silver metal 'hairs' that ran down the back of her neck waving about. #As for Mnementh, the old codger's off on another of his flights round the mountains#

#By Eve, he must get some twisted pleasure out of scaring people senseless!# All three zoids laughed at the Fury's comment about the antics of the truly ancient zoid Mnementh. It was his actions in the mists that had caused most of the rumours that made the casual human explorer stay away.

#He's certainly got the size and the physique to pull it off…#

The Liger chuckled. #Even after all these years, you've still sweet on him!#

#Hey, he's an impressive zoid!# Eros countered, embarrassment colouring her voice.

To the human techs looking over the Blitz Teams zoids, all they heard of the conversation was growls, bellows and neighs. The couple of organoids who worked in the hanger understood every word spoken by the old zoids. They all knew however what was happening. The old friends were getting reacquainted.

The oldest 2rganoids chuckled as the three zoids stepped though the archway into the reserved hanger section, before turning to Leon's red Blade Liger.

#Okay, Blade is it? Let's have a good look at you…#

X-X-X-X-X-X

Samantha walked down the corridor towards Leena's room. The doctors had told her that Leena's condition was stable. All that was really needed was time now.

Physically anyway. Mentally however they were still concerned. The young woman had withdrawn into herself, still clinging to the fragment of her zoid that had been stabbed into her. This depression could not be healthy, but nothing seemed to work. The leading psychoanalyst suspected her condition was in part related to the fact that her mother had died when she was very young.

It might also have been connected to her placing in the Blitz Team. It was well known that Leena Toros was the weakest member of the team. Bit Cloud was by far the best, since he combined raw skill with courage and an Ultimate X zoid. Brad Hunter was considered second, for his consistent and reliable performance. Piloting a sudo-evolved zoid helped as well. Jamie, while a weaker pilot than Leena technically, was a brilliant strategist, and he had an alternate personality who was considered just as skilled as Brad, maybe a little bit more.

With the recent influx of new team members, Leena had gone from fourth of the best Class A team around to ninth in a rising Class S team. Such a situation would be depressing for anyone.

Sam stopped before the door to Leena's room, and took several deep breaths. Then she pushed it open.

Leena was sitting in a chair by the window, gazing out over the city below, but not actually seeing it. In her lap was her almost constant companion these days: the shard of metal. Samantha almost broke down at the look on her face. It was a look of complete despair, of a woman lost in her past. Her hair had faded, and she looked thin, gaunt. Sam glanced to her left, and saw that the breakfast that had been brought to Leena was untouched. She sighed deeply. It was worse than she had thought.

Slowly she walked over to the younger woman. "Leena? May I talk with you for a minute?"

Slowly Leena turned away from the view to regard the other woman. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of hair as brilliantly red as her own had been. "Sure, why not? It's not like I have anything else to do…" She replied after a few moments.

Sam eased herself down into a second chair, facing Leena. "How are you feeling?"

"Why is it everyone is asking me that these days?" Leena snapped.

"Because we're all concerned about you…"

"Well, don't bother!" Leena turned away to stare back out the window.

Sam sighed again as she looked down. "I can't help it. It's in my blood…" she said quietly.

Leena turned sharply back, wondering what the hell that could mean.

"Leena," Sam looked up again. "How much do you know about your mother? Her family?"

Leena was taken back by the sudden change of topic. "Not much, I'm afraid. Dad's never really felt comfortable talking about her…"

Sam nodded in understanding. "Shortly after her death, her own mother died. I think Sandra's death broke her heart." She slowly pulled something out of her pocket. "It has been tradition that this should be passed down from mother to daughter, with each death." She cradled the object gently.

"What is it?" Leena asked gently, her mind fully alert for the first time since her attack.

"A family heirloom passed down the generations." Sam slowly held her hand out. Leena could see that it was necklace, made from bronze and a dark stone. A smooth round stone was held in between the points of two bronze claws. No wait, the stone wasn't smooth; it was etched with some kind of pattern. Leena could see the quality workmanship that had gone into this piece.

As Sam gently tipped the necklace into Leena's hand, she was finally able to place the dark stone used in it. It was hematite, very rare and expensive here on Zi. The amount of the rich, dark stone here would be enough to pay for a completely new Gunsniper, with all her custom weapon fits. Combined with the craftwork and the bronze setting, she could afford a half-dozen such zoids!

But all that paled into insignificance at the feeling that came over Leena as she held it. This necklace was a tangible link to her mother, and her distant family. Here was something from the past, and it gave her great comfort. She only had a few vague memories of her mother, since she'd been little more than a baby when she had died. But she distinctly remembered her mother telling her that one-day she would receive a precious necklace…

"How… how did they make it, and when? You'd need a fortune to make this! The hematite alone would cost millions!"

Sam smiled gently. "It was made centuries ago, for a mans lover. It was in fact quite cheap to make, since he not only hand carved the stone himself, but at the time they were on Earth, which had an abundance of hematite."

Leena's breath suddenly vanished. Earth! The cradle of Humanity itself! Like everyone who grew up on Zi, Leena knew a little about Earth. She had never really paid attention in history classes, since they focused on the past. Nothing seemed to be relevant to the here and now.

Yet now, here she was, holding in the palm of her hand an object that had crafted on that selfsame world, several hundred years ago! An object that had been passed down though the ages, from mother to daughter, down the lines. All the way to her grandmother…

Leena frowned. "If it is meant to be passed down the generations, how come when my grandmother died, this was not sent to me?"

Sam smiled sadly. "At the time you were too young. And one cannot simply post something like this. Tradition says that it should be handed down in person."

She gently plucked the necklace out of Leena's hand. Sam gently opened the ends and looped round Leena's neck. As she bent over to fasten the necklace, Leena was stunned to see another necklace slip out from underneath the other woman's loose top and hang down. It was exactly alike!

Another fragment of memory came back to her. Her mother had mentioned that there had been another necklace, the first one made. The one passed down would be a copy, while the original remained around the neck of the woman it was made for…

As Sam stepped back, Leena looked into her eyes. "You've got the same necklace! But my mother…"

"Told you that there were only two, and the other one was still around the neck of the woman it was made for?" Leena slowly nodded.

"It still is."

"What? How… I mean… your saying…" Leena's jaw hung open as she looked at the other woman.

"That I'm the one who the necklace was made for." Sam smiled in compassion. "And yes, we are related. Thirty-eight generations separated, but sometimes past blood breeds true even over such gaps."

Leena could only gape at her living ancestor.

DR: Yet another punch line! God I'm cruel...

O'Neill: What? How so?

Carter: Colonel...

O'Neill: Carter, you don't have to call me 'Colonel' anymore...

Carter: Sorry Co... Jack. (Blushes)

DR: Well, till next week people!