DR: Okay, this one is for all you Van/Fiona and Raven/Resse fans out there. And if they seem a little OOC, remember how long it's been since their shows... Oh, and I've taken a couple of liberties with Naomi's background (holds up flame proof shield)...
Chapter 47: Reunited & Remembrance
Bit watched as the Liger Zero followed the Fury out of the hanger, shaking it's self. #Am I glad that's over!#
Bit grinned as the Fury echoed the sentiment. Christian hadn't gone into details, but Bit knew that getting a sample from a zoids core was a tricky procedure, doubly so when you're trying not to kill the zoid in the process. But clearly Christian's people knew they stuff, since both zoids looked fine.
"They're all done?"
Bit turned towards Leena's voice, and for a second gaped in awe. Bit has escorted her to the doctors in the Health Centre while the zoid technicians had sampled both the Liger Zero and the Fury. By the time they had reached the place, the casts on her arm and leg were cracking. The doctor they had been sent to had been most courteous, asking first for her arm. Working gently, the doctor had peeled the flanking cover away. Bit had been unable to prevent himself from gasping in shock. It was the first time he had seen her injuries, and they spoke clearly of how close she had come to death. He noticed that Leena had averted her head too, unwilling to look at the mass of deep, narrow slices in her fair skin. The flesh around each deep cut had been a tender pink, and he had been able to just see that within each cut it had been a raw red. Unfazed by the magnitude of the injuries, the doctor had hummed while prying into it seemed like each wound. He used a fine probe to gently press the tender flesh and test the depth of the cuts.
"Yes, you're healing up nicely. At this rate, these cuts should be closed up within a couple of days. The arm will feel tender for a while after, until your skin hardens again. The muscles appear to be knitting correctly, and all the major blood vessels have closed up. Can't see the bone anymore, which is good." Bit's eyes had widened at that comment. If this was how her arm looked now, how bad had it been when she had been hurt? Images of a shredded arm began to form in his head.
"Now, could you please step outside Mr Cloud? I need to examine her leg, and I expect Ms Toros would like a little privacy."
"No, it's fine." Leena stepped in. "There's no secrets between us." She had looked up at him with love shining in her eyes, and Bit returned the smile.
The Doctor had taken a long look at them both, noting how their faces lit up when they looked at each other. 'Young people…' He shook his head gently. "Very well then…" And he began to remove the thigh cast. Bit took a look at her leg, and his grin faltered as his face paled.
"Leena, I think I'll go and check on our zoids…" Her face filled with understanding.
"Of course." Nodding, he had stepped out, but not before catching a glimpse of the deep puncture mark on the inside of her thigh…
Now she stood before him, as feisty as ever. She had been brought some of her own clothes from the Hover Cargo, and she had chosen to wear her battle uniform, since it covered her legs completely. There was a slight bulge over her thigh, and the right forearm had a new coating, but apart from that, she looked as good as she had done before all this madness had started.
"Yea, they're done." Bit said as he stepped over to her and wrapped her in his arms. "How you feeling?"
"Better now…" She gripped him a little tighter. "He gave me a right going over though…"
Bit pulled back a little to look her in the eye. "Why?"
She grinned. "He figured out what we were up to last night. Told me that such antics could ruin my chances of healing right." She rolled her eyes. "I told him we were careful."
Bit grinned as he remembered again the night before. Throughout their passion, Bit had been aware of her injuries and had tried to keep his weight off her right leg and arm. Leena too had been keeping her right side still, only moving her arm gingerly.
"How's my new zoid doing?"
Bit grinned again. "Christian said that it's growing nicely. He said that they couldn't predict exactly when it'll be ready, but he expects within two-three days."
"Two to three days… what are we going to do till then?" she asked playfully.
"Well, we could explore the city. Vega and your dad have been raving about the Museum on the level below. Leon did mention that the rest of the city is even better on foot than it was from the Hover Cargo."
"I'd like that. But I like some more of last night even better…" She growled lustfully.
Bit couldn't help but grin as he flushed slightly. "Leena, we're in the middle of the largest open area of this city! Not to mention its late morning!"
"So?"
"Besides, let's give you some more time to heal, and I need something to eat. Tonight we can play."
"I'll hold you to that promise…"
X-X-X-X-X-X
Naomi looked up fondly at her flaming red Gunsniper. She recalled the day she had got it, seven years ago. It had been her first, and only, zoid. At the time she had little money to her name, so her choice of zoids was limited. In the end she had plumped for the Gunsniper – despite it costing almost her entire fortune – because of the zoids multi-role abilities. While Leena's load out had been an extreme example, many other zoid pilots used their Gunsnipers in similar roles. Unlike other zoids in its class, the Gunsniper was capable of performing many battlefield roles. In many ways, the Gunsniper was the class two version of the Command Wolf, flexible while still more than competent in one area.
First and foremost though, it was a sniper zoid. The high velocity sniper rifle built into the tail was an integral part of the zoid. To replace it was both difficult and expensive, and very few pilots bothered. The zoids compact, bipedal design gave it great advantages in scaling cliffs and reaching vantage points. The smaller size and lower weight allowed it to make use of ledges that no other zoid could use. In the right hands, this lightweight zoid could take down almost any other zoid before they even knew they were there.
True, there were areas where the Gunsniper fell short. Even a Rev Raptor, based on the same creature as the Gunsniper but smaller, could beat one in close combat. Gunsnipers in general failed when it came down to close range fire fights. It was the most common criticism of the type, and many pilots had tried to find a weapons combination that offset this failing. So far none had without affecting the zoids strengths adversely.
In addition, when compared to other zoids, the Gunsniper was a clunker. Its body was made up of boxy sections, and the pivots were clearly defined. The head was little better than a box and the foot lock claws were very squared off. And while Naomi had always liked that compact, no nonsense feel to the zoid, since she had joined the Blitz team her Gunsniper had begun to look more and more old fashioned. Even when she had been in control of her own team with Leon under her, his Blade Liger had always looked far sleeker and meaner than her 'stack of bricks' zoid. When compared to the streamlined Raynos and Storm Sworder, the towering Fury or the solid block of zoid power that was the Elephander, the little red Gunsniper had looked like a frail child's toy. It was why she had agreed to Christian's idea.
Sighing, she turned to look at Christian, and the pale grey organoid standing besides him. "You really think this will work?"
"Pretty sure. You have always used the Gunsniper in its preferred role, and you even spent some of your hard earned cash improving its sniping power." Christian smiled. "Plus you've owned and used this zoid continuously for the past seven years. I would think there's enough experience in there to allow for an evolution. Wouldn't you think so?" the last comment was directed towards the organoid.
The Organoid growled, the translator gem pulsing. "There's only one way to find out…" The organoid reared up onto his hind legs, before panels opened out on his back. Hidden jets burst into life, and the organoid rocketed into the air. It growled once more as it turned into a spear of light that curved just before hitting the roof of the chamber before it slammed down into the Gunsnipers back, just between the two back mounted mortar rocket pods. A whine resounded as white light glowed from between each segment of armour and around the pivots.
"Now you don't see that every day…" Brad commented his voice filled with respect, as he looped an arm round Naomi's shoulders. For a few seconds after the light faded nothing happened. Then slowly grey misty streaks began to fade in, swirling round the zoid. The tendrils got thicker and more numerous, until the zoids faded from view.
"It has begun…" Christian breathed as the mists formed an almost solid looking egg, completely encompassing the zoid. "Now all we can do is wait."
Brad looked at Naomi's face as she stared at the smooth ovoid that stood where her zoid had before. A single tear ran down her cheek. He gently pulled her head round, away from the scene. "Come on… let's go find the others…" Behind them, the Organoid began to work; while a short distance away Leena's new zoid along with the cloned Liger Zero and Fury continued to grow…
X-X-X-X-X-X
An hour or so later the entire team sat down for a midday meal. They gathered in one of the open-air restaurants on the fifth level, close to the landing field. Already a number of people had been evacuated to safety, mainly the sick and infirm. Surprisingly there was none of the panic or confusion that the Blitz had expected to see. Everyone was calm and collected, as if their relatives were only going on a holiday. "It's like no one is concerned that this city will be under siege soon." Bit commented around his burger.
"They've probably been told since childhood that this might happen, and how to react if it becomes necessary." Stoller said quietly, eyeing the Hammer Kaisers as they lifted off with the latest batch of evacuees. Each zoid lifted away quietly too, as if nothing and nobody wished to disturb the peace and tranquillity of the city.
As she sat besides Bit, Leena gazed out over the city spread out before her. Her eyes were wide as she took in the sweeping walls, the winding waterways, the swaths of green mixed in with the pale stone and metalwork. "I never knew this place was so big…" She breathed.
Around the three tables the Blitz had pushed together chuckles rose, bringing her eyes back inwards to her family and friends. Who could have known that things would turn out like this? That these people would be sat together, laughing and talking at ease, as friends, team-mates, even some as lovers? Leon sat with Sarah at his side, the two of them acting like star crossed lovers, her ring gleaming in the light. Brad and Naomi also sat together, she resting against him to ease her lower back. Now almost five months pregnant, Naomi had to take it easy more and more, as her daughter grew.
Stoller sat at one end, slight separate from the rest; watching everyone with his cool, grey eyes over his plate. Vega stayed close to his mother, a smile on his face and joy in his eyes every time he glanced at her and Leon. Steve was also a little off to one side, beaming with pride at both Leena and her brother. Finally Jamie and Pierce sat side by side, exchanging looks when they thought no-one was watching, their arms resting together.
And Bit? He sat besides Leena, one arm around her waist. Leena allowed her head to rest on his strong shoulder, drawing strength from his presence. At last she felt at peace with herself, and she could look around without feeling the need to compare herself with everyone else. Bit, the massive zoid Mnementh, even her old zoids had shown her that. So what if Naomi could hold her temper in check better or that Sarah had that tall, slim physique that could wear fashions that Leena's slightly shorter and more voluptuous figure couldn't. So what if Pierce was possibly the best flyer in the world, and who cared if the other three women's hair stayed straight and didn't clump together like hers. Leena was herself, and she was just as desirable and attractive as they were.
Leena breathed deeply of the crisp mountain air, tasting the smells of good food and mountain plants. She listened to the gentle sounds of the city, the sound of water cascading off rocks, the whispering of the wind. The whole city felt alive, a wellspring of life and hope.
As they sat and ate, the team exchanged their views on the city. Leon and Sarah had already explored a lot of the city in brief the day before, but they had not lingered anywhere long. Steve, Vega and Stoller extolled the virtues of the Museum, while Brad and Naomi talked about the lovely mountain walk they had taken. Jamie and Pierce talked a little about the mansion they had explored, but Leena noticed that they paused at one point, looked at each other, then carried on. Clearly they were not telling everything that had happened, but she could guess. She had seen the way the two of them looked at each other. She had been in their place all too recently herself. 'Looks like our Wild Eagle has found himself a mate…'
The faint whine of an approaching Hammer Kaiser's engines could be heard, and Leena turned her head to watch the transport land. But when she saw the royal blue with silver trim zoid, she sat more upright.
"Hey guys. Derek's team is here!"
The Blitz Team as one sat more upright as the main ramp of the Hammer Kaiser dropped, and a figure walked down it. Even at that distance, the stride was unmistakeable.
Derek Calisto smiled when he saw the gathered Blitz Team. As he walked over to meet them, an almost deafening bellow filled the air, causing a number of people to look up while covering their ears.
…Welcome home… The wisdom filled words filled his head as the roar filled his ears. Looking over his shoulder, Derek was not surprised to see the massive blue form of Mnementh standing on the parapet of the upper level. He was filled with as much power and majesty as Derek remembered, the sunlight highlighting every segment of his curved armour plating, and all the gold shone brilliantly.
Leena watched as Derek looked up at the huge zoid, before shaking his head and turning back to face them. "I had hoped to slip in without being noticed. Give the old man a surprise."
"No chance of that, young lad." Christian's voice came out from behind a nearby hedge, startling everyone. He stood up to face them all. "I already knew when roughly you'd get here, so I decided to wait here."
"Darn it, can't I ever do anything without you knowing about it?" Derek's smile took the sting out of his words however.
"Sure. Whatever you and your wife do alone together…" Christian grinned before stepping forward to give the younger man a back slapping hug. "It's great to see you again."
"Likewise."
As they stood together, Leena noticed how similar the two men looked. They were of similar height and build, though Derek was slightly slimmer and didn't quite have that compact form of the older man. Their faces were cut in a similar style too, though Derek's was softer, more rounded. The only really difference between them was their hair, Derek's steel grey at odds with Christians dark brown.
Stoller was the first to voice what they were all thinking. "Let me guess. You two are related?"
Christian smiled easily. "Got it in one. Derek here is the closest thing I have to a direct male descendent."
Soon the other members of the Raiders walked over, Anna taking her place at Derek's side. Naomi noticed that she seemed to have put on weight since she last saw her. "You okay?"
Anna smiled warmly. "Oh nothing… just our third child." She said as Nicholas stepped up to his father's free side, while a girl a couple of years younger than him wrapped her arms round Anna's waist. The young girl's hair was a dead match for Anna's.
"Another one?" Christian shook his head gently, a warm smile on his face. "At this rate every second person on the whole planet will be related to me in some way or another. Congratulations." The Blitz echoed his compliment.
"Thanks." Derek said simply, a slight flush on his face. His wife blushed more fiercely. As they sat down at some free chairs, Derek spied something gleaming on Sarah's finger. "Is that what I think it is?" He asked, nodding towards her hand.
Sarah beamed with pride. "It is…"
"Oh my!" Anna gasped, as she looked closer at Sarah's ring. "It's wonderful! You're so lucky!" Sarah could only blush in reply as the rest of the Raiders walked over.
X-X-X-X-X-X
While the two teams talked together and ate, higher up on the mountain two men were getting ready for their return to battle. In his cottage, Van slowly pulled his old uniform out of its cover. Holding it up to the light, he inspected it carefully. At first glance it looked like that it had survived the ravages of time well, but a closer look showed that the fabric had all but lost its strength. Even just lifting it out of the closet had strained the material over the shoulders.
"I remember that uniform. You looked so dashing and handsome."
Van grinned at Fiona where she stood in the doorway, dressed in her silk gown, her long blonde hair still damp from her shower. Like nearly all her clothes, the gown was pink with a cream sash around her waist. Van was struck by how beautiful she looked just standing there, leaning on the doorframe. The sunlight played across her slim figure, sending sliver streamers though her hair and showing off her skins still smooth complexion. Over the years that they had been married Fiona had slowly loosened up about her appearance, becoming more confident about her self. She had eventually started to wear clothing that really set off her stunning figure, clothing that set his blood afire with passion and pride.
The truth was he had always loved the way she looked, even when dressed in the frumpiest clothing she had. For while after first being selected to council she had been wearing conservative clothing, hiding her splendid figure with its sumptuous curves. But as she had grown easy with her new role she had loosened up again.
"And how do I look now, over a hundred years older?" He teased her, puffing out his chest and assuming a heroic pose. Unfortunately such a pose doesn't work so well when all one is wearing is a towel.
Fiona managed to only smile sweetly at the ridiculous posture. "Just as good…"
Van dropped his face on purpose "Only 'Just as good'?"
Fiona burst out laughing as she stepped up closer to him. "Of course, since you were already perfection before…" She growled lustily, tracing the shape of his chest muscles with one finger.
Smiling happily, Van dropped his head to kiss her. Once again they both renewed their eternal passion and love for one another, both luxuriating on the feel of the others lips on theirs. Van drew her into a hug, and she returned the favour, wrapping her arms round him tightly. He could feel the smooth curves of her wondrous body through the thin silk gown, and she revelled in the firm musculature within his powerful frame.
Slowly their lips parted, and they rested their foreheads together. "Van… I'm worried." She sighed.
"What about, Fiona love?"
Slowly Fiona tilted her head back enough to look him in the eye. "It's this coming battle. We can't escape it, and it won't be like anything we've seen before. And with Hiltz leading them…" She shuddered in his arms.
"He won't get you…" Van comforted her. "We beat him before, when he was part of the Death Saurer, remember? So this time he has an army of walking tin cans instead. With me and Raven, the Blitz, and Christian's people, we'll kick his ass for sure!"
Fiona's crimson eyes widened slightly as a tear began to form in the corner of one. "Oh Van… what if he comes back again?"
"He won't. Not this time!" Van slowly peeled her gown from her shoulders, before gently laying her back onto the bed, stepping over the silk puddle of her gown and sweeping his old uniform out of the way as he did so. His towel fell round his ankles as he laid himself down with her. Unnoticed by either of them, the old uniform had split in places during the motion.
"We'll never be separated Fiona, my love…"
X-X-X-X-X-X
Along the path in the second cottage, Raven stared critically at his old uniform, seeing all the same sighs of age that Van had seen on his. While he had never really been part of a military organisation like Van had, he had worn the same basic outfit all the time. His body conforming purple and black suit had become all but his defining clothing of choice. Like Van he had hung it up for the last time over a hundred years ago, with no intention of ever putting it back on. To him, it represented his old life. That of Raven the Maverick, Raven the Destroyer. The harsh lines and brooding colour was an almost perfect match for his state of mind at the time.
Now he was preparing to return to that persona. Seeing Hiltz alive again, when by all accounts he should be dead, had re-ignited his darker traits and desires. He had remained in his home since the news, unwilling to subject anyone to his foul mood. Raven knew the years had softened him, and he did not regret that one bit. The life he had built with Resse… he didn't want to lose that.
He faintly heard Resse's footsteps behind him. It had taken him a few years, but he had learned to listen for her soft footfalls. Most people would never have heard her at all, so quietly did she move. It gave him a small measure of pride that he was one of the few who knew when his wife was around.
Slowly Resse laid a hand on his shoulder as she looked at his uniform. "It never ends, does it? Our past always catches up to us, in the end…"
Raven slowly turned his head to look at her at the sob in her voice. Her large liquid eyes were filled with sadness, tears in the corners. He knew that she too feared the end of the peaceful, happy life they had built here. Christian had had this home built for them, slightly separated from the rest of the city, knowing they both desired privacy. Van and Fiona lived a short walk away, with the next nearest being Christian himself. Apart from them, Raven and Resse had little contact with the city at first. Over the years though they had slowly ventured out more, until at last they felt comfortable walking the streets.
It had surprise him immensely that when he first got here, no one remarked on or held against him his destructive past, or Resse's habit of enslaving others to do her will. The only thing these people had been concerned about was that he had stood before the Death Saurer, and been instrumental in bringing the monster down.
Indeed, he had been treated as a hero, something that at first didn't sit to well with him, but in the end he got used to it. Van was the hero type, while Raven had simply been getting his revenge. What was most surprising was that both of them were approached with offers of becoming zoid instructors, teaching the younger generations how to really pilot zoids. Raven had at first not been going to accept, but after a night thinking about it while watching the stars though the telescope built to the rear of their home, he had decided to play along.
To his surprise he had actually enjoyed himself, showing those young people, mostly boys but a few girls, how to really use a biped zoid. He specialised with a Genosaurer, but he could handle any biped almost as good, and was considered 'Master' with any other zoid. Van had been a king of the Ligers, notoriously difficult zoids to get the best out of, while he was also rated 'Master' with anything else.
Like Van, he had taught his children personally. Raven would never forget the day when he became a father for the first time, and he knew the same day was engraved on Resse's mind too. To hold in his arms a life that he had helped create, when before all he had done was take life… it was a remarkable experience.
But now, all that was threatened, because that bastard Hiltz refused to stay dead! When he had heard that voice, he had felt a shaft of ice run right up his spine, chilling him to the bone. And when Hiltz had told them what he had planed for Resse…
Raven gently turned to face her, drawing her round with his free hand. "He won't get you, this I swear." Resse turned her sea green eyes up to his cold amethyst ones, a slight smile on her lips.
"To get me, he'll have to pry me out from your arms…" Her voice was filled with false bravo.
Raven gently pulled her head to him, kissing her on the forehead. "It won't come to that." He looked down at her. "What's this?" he asked, tapping the slim box she held under one arm. The cardboard was almost brittle, and looked like it had been sitting somewhere for decades. A thick layer of dust coated the top.
Wordlessly she brought the box out from under her arm before pulling the lid off. Raven's eyes narrowed as he recognised the contents. It was the tight bodysuit she had worn during those last few weeks of the events leading up to the climatic fight with the Death Saurer. It had also been what she had worn when Ambient had attacked her. The limbs were folded underneath the body, and the slashes and old bloodstains were clear to see. He looked up into her eyes.
Resse shrugged. "I thought I might wear this again, as a kind of slap in his face…"
"You will not wear this again. It's too far gone to be worn, not to mention the damage from Ambient." He looked her up and down. "Besides, you'd never fit into it anymore." He teased.
"Raven!" She fired back, her old fire returning. But she did have to admit that he was right. During the couple of years after her attack, combined with having children, her figure had filled out a bit, especially in the bust. When she had last worn the body suit, she had been quite flat in the chest. Now with an expanded bosom and wider hips, she would never fit into the old thing. Not that she minded at all the changes that had overcome her body. They made her feel more of a woman than she had before.
Raven gently removed the box from her hands. "We'll get a new, tailor made version made, along with a new version of my old uniform." Setting the old box down on their dresser, he stepped close to her. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he brought her chin up.
"Don't worry. You know me, too stubborn to just roll over and die because he says so." Laughter filled her eyes again as they kissed slowly, almost tentatively. While they never had the great external outpouring of emotion that Van and Fiona shared, the two of them loved each other just as deeply. Together they lay down on the bed Vega had seen from his insight into the Fury's memories…
Shadow: Yo, go Raven!
Specular: What the... Get your...
DR: (waves Writers Magic Wand™. Specular's mouth clamps shut)
Specular: (Mumbled)Mmmm mmm mmm!
DR: Don't interrupt true love... Anyway, that's all for now. Next time we meet the last of our cast of heroes, and we learn something new about Leena's new zoid...