Battle Dawn

Chapter 5: The Return of Bit Cloud

by Silver

Author's Note: Many thanks once again to all who have ready my story, and special thanks to those of you who chose to leave a review. I appreciate all the support. I also want to thank ChrsDude for proofreading this chapter to catch my spelling mistakes. I'd be dead without a spell-check and a proofreader.

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            Should have brought a book, Leo hummed to himself as Fang strode along, or maybe some music. Despite his initial uncertainty, boredom had set in after running only half a kilometer with Fang. Where was everyone? Leon's disappearance had been so sudden Leo had feared the next session, but perhaps all they had planned was a test in speed.

            Well, too bad. Fang wasn't a Lightning Saix and thus Leo was in no hurry to reach the flare at the end of the unofficial course. He stifled a yawn and tried to stay focused.

            "Yawning will cost you." The sand near Fang's paws flew up in a spray of fire and smoke. Leo yelped and veered to the left, away from the blast. A dark-gray figure, almost as dark as the afternoon shadows, ran beside him. Its silver multi-barrel cannon was already trained on him.

            "Brad?"

            "Yep." A video display popped up beside Leo's head, displaying Brad's cool grin.  "Payback time for swiping the Shadow Fox."

            "WHAT? I thought you'd forgotten about that already."

            "Now what gave you that idea? I never said anything about forgiving or forgetting. Time to pay the reaper, Leo. Better watch yourself." The Shadow Fox leaned in and sprang towards Fang, its claws shining golden. "Strike Laser Claw!" Leo ducked Fang under the blow and moved as far right as he could without tripping. Brad was back at his side sooner than he believed possible.

            "Not bad. You dodged my first shot. But you wasted too much energy in the dodge. Once you were clear of my blow, you should have straightened up and sprinted on the straightaway. You spent too much time and speed pulling to the side. Now, where were we?"

            The Vulcan laser cannon rose on its platform and released a burst of energy, striking at Fang's heels. Leo pressed the accelerator all the way to the floor but Fang's top speed couldn't outrun the Fox. Several small swerves did little to deter Brad's aim. The shots tracked him effortlessly. Even if he managed to avoid any serious damage, those stray shots were still chipping at Fang's armor and weakening his feet joints. Having jumped from boredom to panic, Leo glanced ahead and noticed a large outcropping of stones creating a natural ramp. There might be safety in that formation.

            Leo maneuvered Fang closer to Brad's Shadow Fox and pressed shoulder to shoulder. He could hear Brad's grin over the comm. "Well, now. Trying something new? Let's see what happens."

            Leo had come across some sharpshooters before. The best tactic right now was to deny Brad a firing angle. If he could force Brad up the ramp and hug the wall, Brad wouldn't be able to aim properly. His gamble paid off as Brad ran up the small mesa with surprisingly little resistance. Leo grinned and stayed as close to the wall as he could, scraping against it several times.

            "Nice try, Leo, but not good enough." The cannon reappeared over the rim of the wall, pointing at an impossible angle. For the Shadow Fox to aim like that, it'd have to be running on its side! "I forgot to tell you that the Fox's cannon can fire from multiple angles, even from a vantage point like this.

            Damn it! Leo had seen those strange servos and gears on the Fox's cannon when he'd affected repairs, but he hadn't realized their significance. Now the Fox could rain down fire on him from a better sniping position. Even though the special cannon could not fire straight down, it came close. And Leo kept drifting away from the wall and into the line of fire. Sweat stung his eyes as he tried to keep Fang on one constant course.

            "Loosen up on your controls." Brad advised. "You're trying too hard to keep your Command Wolf straight. All that tension in your body is making you twitch the controls. Take a deep breath and relax."

            "Easy for you to say."

            "Hey, don't get mad at me. You put yourself in this position. Never let the enemy get the high ground. That always puts them in the better attack position. Even if the Fox couldn't fire from this angle, I'd still be able to snipe you from the top of the mesa. But at least you're thinking tactics." Who knew that Brad could offer compliments? Leo grinned when he realized this was the most he'd heard Brad speak since they'd met.

            True to his promise, Brad stopped at the end of the stone elevation and continued to fire at Leo even as Fang streaked away. His shots were dangerously close, despite the gaining distance, and Leo knew it would only be a matter of seconds before a crippling blast hit home.

            And then Brad stopped shooting. Leo had grown so accustomed to the sound of the Vulcan's fire that silence was now ominous. "Brad?"

            "Congrats. You cleared my end of the obstacle course. Don't get cocky, though."

            "Yeah, now you have to deal with me." The voice was strangely familiar, yet the tone was completely different. It was far more confident—even boastful—than its owner acted.

            "Jamie?"
            "Actually, you can call me the Wild Eagle!" Jamie's neon-green Raynos swooped in above Fang's head. "I'll be your opponent from here. Don't expect to make it beyond this point!" Jamie appeared different in the comm. window. His face was set in a much more intensive mood, with narrower eyes and a cocky smirk. Even his hair seemed spikier, slicked back, and more… aerodynamic.

            "Uh, Jamie, you sound really different than usual."

            "I told you, my name is the Wild Eagle."

            Brad came back on the line. "Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you that. Jamie has an… alternate personality that does all this best flying."

            "He's a schizo?"

            "Hey, I'm not crazy!" The "Wild Eagle" began firing salvos from the Rayno's belly turret to punctuate his point.

            Brad continued as if nothing was happening. "I wouldn't say it's a mental problem. He just has a different kind of spirit in his Raynos."

            Leo huffed. "Great. And I thought Jamie was the only normal member of this team. I guess you're the most sane member, huh, Brad?"

            "'Bout time you realized that. Good luck." Brad clicked off.

            Focusing on Jam-er Wild Eagle, Leo decelerated, hoping the Eagle would expose its tail for him to fry. The pilot saw his move and instead banked to the right, sweeping around for another pass. "Saw that coming last year. You're way too scared of whiplash. You need to slam on the breaks if you wanna catch me off guard." Leo barely dodged the flurry of shots. "And another thing," the tail blasters fired dual shots, striking Fang's cannons and shorting them out, "You should never put yourself in a cannon's line of fire, even if its on the Zoid's back."

            Great. Now Leo couldn't even shoot back. Well, only thing left to do was sprint for the finish line. Fang charged forward but once again he was far too slow to escape his opponent. Waving from side to side helped dodge Wild Eagle's strafing as it had with Brad, but this time there weren't any natural formations to help Leo. It was nothing but sand all around.

            Another lecture. "Flying Zoids have a natural advantage of movement and speed over ground units. You can't hope to escape by just running in a straight line."

            "Not much else I can do since you blasted my guns!"
            "Lame excuse. My Raynos is lethal even without its guns. A Zoid's body is its weapon, not just the armaments. Watch and learn." The main thruster on the Raynos' back flared to life and the winged Zoids sped past Leo, producing a tidal wave of energy in its wake. The sonic boom lifted Fang off the ground and buried it under a shower of sand.

            Leo stayed put for several seconds, taking deep breaths. This was well out of his league. These were Class S warriors, and they were trying to kill him! This wasn't the training he'd imagined. "I can't keep up." he whispered. Never before had defeat seemed so obvious, even destined.

            "Are you going to quit already?" The Wild Eagle's voice was laced with disappointment.

            "… No." Fang shook the sand off its back and continued to run. He didn't care if he won or lost anymore but the thought of quitting was appalling. He hadn't survived this long by running away!

            The Raynos came at him again, firing at Fang's rear. He couldn't outrun it and couldn't shoot it down, but maybe he could buy some time. Leo steered towards the largest sand dune he could find; Wild Eagle followed.

            Scared of whiplash, huh? It was true that Leo had always eased Fang's speed before stopping for fear that his belt harness couldn't handle an abrupt stop. But now he couldn't blame anything on Fang's equipment. This was a test of courage and he was not going to back down; even if his heart was already in his throat!

            Speeding towards the dune, Leo leaned forward and rocked in his seat, as if that would help speed Fang. The Raynos was back again, peppering the ground with shots and nipping at Fang's armor. Leo wasn't sure what the right time would be; probably some gut instinct. Trouble was he now knew he didn't have a warrior's instinct. If he had, maybe this wouldn't be going so poorly! It occurred to him that he'd already spent enough time wondering when to stop. Why not just stop now? Leo pulled back on the accelerator booster with all his might and took his feet off the pedals. All Fang and Leo's innards seemed to shift forward and grind against themselves as inertia continued forward without them. Leo's head flung forward despite his bracing, and one of the straps on the crash harness snapped. He barely managed to cushion his face with his arm before bouncing off the control panel.

            Up above, the Raynos swooped by, barraging him with shots but continuing in a straight light. Only a few shots impacted before the aerial Zoid was beyond him, streaking at the dune with deadly speed. Leo allowed a slight grin when he heard the Wild Eagle's surprised cry and the Raynos' wing clipped the top of the dune as it streaked away. Taking advantage of the break, Leo charged Fang forward on the course Leon had assigned. He'd only have a few moments and it was likely that the Wild Eagle wouldn't fall for the same trick again. He had to breach the next unmarked territory so the Raynos would be off his back.

            The shooting returned, this time from a much higher position. That pilot wasn't risking another run in with a dune. Now Leo had no tricks, if those shots managed to actually hit… but they stopped coming.

            "Too bad." The Wild Eagle huffed. "That was a good move back at the sand dune. Sure didn't expect that from a rookie. You won't catch me like that next time!"

            "Who said anything about a next time?" Leo had no intention of doing this ever again. "So… does this mean I've entered someone else's area?" This had all the makings of a bad video game.

            "You're mine now! Weasle Unit Total Assault!" Hard to mistake Leena's laughter as Armageddon reigned down. Leon had said Leo would learn to improve his dodging by evading Leena's shots. Here was proof. "Now I can pay you back, pervert!"

            "I thought you were over that by now."

            "Nuh-uh. You're going to pay in full!" So that was why she didn't clobber him sooner. She and Brad had both been holding back.

            Missiles and bullets continued to carpet the scenery as Fang weaved past the shots. The blasts were random and chaotic, which meant that Leena wasn't aiming for him; just firing in his general area. Amazing how much ammo that woman could waste.

            After his struggles with Brad and the Wild Eagle, Leo found himself relaxing under Leena's assault. The shots did come close now and again, but if he blotted out any fears from the explosions he found that the blasts weren't striking close enough to be a true threat. Brad had shown him some maneuvering tips earlier, and the former Command Wolf pilot's experience was a great boon to Leo now. Leena's firing position was extremely far from his own, making for a poor targeting location. She'd either failed to anticipate his location or was simply relying on quantity of shots to bring him down. A salvo landed near Fang's paws, snapping Leo out of his reflections for a moment as Fang tripped and rolled on the ground.

            "Got you now!" Another barrage of missiles, this time more accurately targeted, dove in. Leo barely had Fang up and running before the desert sand disappeared in an explosion. Leena began her firing again with the same wild abandon. This time, Leo didn't let himself lapse into security. Lucky shot or intended, that one burst had nearly ended Leo's run. He wouldn't be caught off-guard like that again.

            "Leena, Leena! Stop firing!" Leon's voice took over the comm. "Leo's out of your area." YES! He'd made it past the barbarian woman.

            NO! That meant Leon was his next opponent. And there it was. The red Blade Liger stood out against the sand like a torch against the night. It stood poised to strike and it was clear that Leon had somehow predicted where Leo would emerge. How could two siblings be so different? Leo wondered.

            Leon appeared on screen. "I'm impressed that you made it this far, but do not let it go to your head. I told Brad and Jamie-"

            "Wild Eagle!"

            "er- Wild Eagle to pull their punches. Had either of them truly wanted to defeat you, they could have done so without much effort."

            Leo paused for a moment. "And Leena?"

            "I don't think she held back. Nice job surviving her. But now you must pass me, and I will not hold back."

            "great…" This was what Leo had dreaded the most. With his calm and inner strength, Leo had pegged Leon as the strongest pilot from the start. There wasn't much chance Leo would slip past. Nevertheless, he didn't intend to quit now having made it this far. The Wild Eagle hadn't crushed his attempts, Leon wouldn't break him either. Leo had never given up, even when it seemed all of life was against him. He and Fang had survived fourteen years with only themselves to rely on. That was something most Zoid Warriors couldn't claim. He'd find a way to beat Leon.

            "Fang, GO!" Leo throttled forward and charged the Blade Liger head on. Leon met his charge in turn and lashed out with the Liger's claws. Fang didn't move fast enough and took the blow on the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Before Fang could regain his footing, the Blade Liger lunged forward and pressed its claw to Fang's head, pinning him to the ground.

            "You charge aggressively enough, but you're out of synch with your Zoid."

            Leo struggled to shake the Blade Liger off. "What do you mean, 'out of synch?'"

            "You can't just move the controls and expect the Zoid to move the way you intend. Zoids respond to more than just buttons and switches. When you enter a Zoid's cockpit, you're also stepping into its mind. It responds to your thoughts and actions. Even your attitude will affect it. You have to guide your Zoid with your spirit as much as your hands."

            Leo couldn't help but chuckle. Here he was, always reminding people that Zoids were living creatures, and now he was being lectured on guiding them with his spirit. It felt nice to hear such words from another person. He liked Leon. Still, that wasn't any reason to lose now. Zoid Warriors had a saying, "Friendship is needed everywhere, except on the battlefield."

            Come on, Fang, Leo thought, let's show him how strong we really are. Leo lashed out with Fang's paw and managed to connect with the Blade Liger's ankle. The claw slashed across Fang's neck, leaving marks in the metal, but Fang was upright now and moving fast. Fang bounded beside the Liger and passed it before the claws could lash out again.

            "Interesting move. However," the back-mounted thrusters popped up between the Liger's shoulders, propelling it into the air while the Blades extended and folded down between its legs on either side. It speed was almost blinding and the blades were at Fang's back almost before Leo knew what was happening. He barely managed to hop Fang to the side before the blades slice the air they'd just passed through. Leon dug the Blade Liger's claws into the ground and swiveled the boosters to the side, turning the Liger at an extremely sharp angle. This time Leo didn't have time to dodge as the Liger streaked in with Fang standing before its blades.

            With a cry of desperation, Leo pushed Fang forward, not sure what he was doing or what would come of it. All he could hear was metal clashing with metal, and the sand giving under the weight of two Zoids. Warning sirens screamed and the screen bleeped several critical points in Fang's legs.

            "Good move." Leon praised. It took a moment for those words to sink in. Fang and the Blade Liger stood fixed against one another. The Liger strained forward with the arm linking to the blade crunched between Fang's jaws. Fang was struggling twice as hard to keep from being pushed back. In this struggle of power, the Liger was clearly superior. "You made the only move possible, but now what will you do?"

            "I'm… working on that."

            "Wrong answer." The Liger pushed forward even more. Leo tried to keep Fang's body parallel to the Blade Liger so as not to lose his grip on the blade arm. "You can't keep pushing like this forever. It was your bond with Fang that enabled you to catch my blade, but Fang's body is at its limits. I doubt you can push me away."

            And he couldn't. The Blade Liger's strength was overwhelming; it was all Leo could do to keep Fang from buckling under the weight of Leon's pressure. Slowly the Liger forced Fang back to the perimeter of Leon's territory. Both Leo and Fang fought with every bit of power to gain even the tiniest inch of ground, but it was futile. In a test of strength a medium-class Zoid always topped a lightweight. The sand did nothing to slow them. Its fine grain might as well have been ice as it slipped away under Fang's paws. Leo tried to wrench the blade arm up and down, hoping to break it off, but the metal held firm.

            "You're back in my territory now." Oh no. With all his effort focused on pushing, Leo had forgotten about where he stood. He was back on Leena's turf now, and the hail of missiles confirmed it.

            Explosions shook his cockpit as small novas flared up around the two Zoids. Leon had ceased pushing and now stood on the edge of his own territory. All he had to do was sit and wait for Leo to make another move. Fighting back panic and the desire to break off, Leo continued to hold the blade arm in Fang's mouth. Leena still wasn't aiming properly, but the shots were coming far closer than he preferred.

            What do I do? What do I do? Leo's mind rushed. The loud booming didn't help him focus. If Leena would stop shooting for just one damn minute, maybe he could think a way out of this!

            And then he had it. Maybe Leena could get him out of this. If one of her shots came just close enough… There! One missile was streaking down just close enough. Leo threw all of his weight into the controls and pitched Fang to the right. Taken off guard, Leon stumbled with him. It was an understandable lapse. After all, who would willfully throw himself into the path of a weapon? But throw Leo did, right next to the missile's impact. The blast thundered in his ears like now other, and the explosion sent both Fang and the Blade Liger falling. Having expected the move, Leo was the first to recover and leaped over the Blade Liger's still prone body to charge for the finish line.

            Behind him, Leon shouted at Leena to cease her barrage, which had tracked Leo beyond the boundary and was now accosting the Blade Liger. Its shields were the only guard against the onslaught, but with the added limitation that the Liger could not get up to pursue Fang. Leo laughed giddily as Leon continued to try to get his sister's attention. The barbarian woman was too wrapped in her own ballistics to hear Leon's pleas.

            That was that! He was going to win this! Brad, Wild Eagle, Leena, Leon, he'd passed them all. Three Class S warriors and a Class A; none of them had been able to stop him and he didn't see Naomi anywhere! Fang's radar didn't detect a hint of any Zoids ahead. There only lay the flare that marked the finish line!

            Charging forward, Leo felt a pride greater than any before. He'd won! Despite it all he'd-

            BANG!

            Fang lurched forward, his paws flipping up over his head and whole body crashing on the desert sand. Leo pitched forward in his broken harness, his head bashing the control panel. There was a flash of white pain, then darkness.

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            Body language told everything. It was an unconscious element to human physiology. No matter how disciplined the individual, there was no way to block out every emotional telegraph. A twitch of a muscle, a glance this way or that; it spoke volumes if one knew how to read the signs. Kristi Fuma knew how to read body language better than anyone, and these guards were telling her far more than she could ever hope to learn with her ears.

            The quartet escorting her was moving slowly to deny her any breech in their guard. But she wasn't interested in escape, yet. First she had to know the situation. She focused on the guard to the right. Being the highest rank, he would be the best person to learn from. The man was glancing both to the sides and straight ahead whenever the group reached an intersection. Glancing to the sides she could understand. Iyaga and Negaro, her partners from the Fuma Team, were somewhere in this facility. Perhaps they were being transferred as well.

            But why look ahead? Surely the other members of Team Fuma would not be transferred in the opposite direction. It would be too easy to stage a breakout. No, someone was coming in. A new prisoner perhaps? The ZBC certainly had plenty of those after the Backdraft's loss at the Royal Cup. Sarah and Vega Obscura, as well as their Whale King crew had all been taken prisoner upon their loss to Bit Cloud. Fuma's pride still ached from losing to Vega's Berserk Fury, despite the awe and reverence she held for the young pilot. How one Zoid could overcome three Genosaurers was beyond her.  

            Now was not the time for such thoughts. Refocusing on the leader, Fuma noted the constant flexing of his jaw muscles. The man had a habit of clenching his teeth; a sign of insecurity and uncertainty. This transfer was abrupt and unexpected. None of these men knew the purpose for the transfer. They were simply following orders. Well, if ever there was a time for a breakout…

            Fuma closed her eyes and now channeled all her focus to her ears. This prison had no windows and all the corridors looked the same. It was an engineering attempt to keep the most dangerous criminals confused and contained. Even the prison personnel got lost sometimes. But the footsteps told her exactly where she was. The ringing of the floor plates was light and quickly dispersed, suggesting that she was above the ground level. At the same time, the footsteps' echo off the ceiling was much more dense, with a deep baritone. They were below the top floor. Judging from the tones, Fuma calculated she was on either the second or third floor, probably the third. The cells were behind her, and the elevator's unique chiming positioned it fifty paces ahead. The easiest way to locate her teammates and escape would be to wait until she was at the elevator, then strike and make her way to the command center on the first floor. She could locate Iyaga and Neguro from there.

            As soon as the elevator was in view, Fuma struck. She quickly crouched down and lashed her leg out in a counter-clockwise sweep. The blow was so fast that none of the guards had time to react and were soon laying sprawled on the foor. Their muscles screamed their every intent. The first two were reaching for stunners while the guards to rear were opting for guns. Her hands bound behind her back, Fuma decided to use the forward guards to her advantage. She sprung forward and kicked the leader in the chest, forcing him back into one of his subordinates. The guard's stunner slipped and shocked the second guardsman before he could raise his weapon. The charge carried through his body into the leader's. Apparently, they'd set the stun a little higher than usual. At least they respected her abilities, and rightly so.

            She other forward guard came at her with a stunner, but his coordination with the other armed guard was poor and Fuma had no trouble using one as a human shield against the other. All she had to do was dodge the stunner while keeping the guard between herself and the gunner. Several quick dance steps later, she was poised to kick the guard in the jaw, pinching a nerve at the back of his mouth and thrusting him into unconsciousness. The final guard took too long to gain a bead on her. She knocked him unconscious before he was even close to dead-on aim.

            Within moments she had liberated a key from the head guard and unshackled her arms. Hotwiring the elevator was a simple task, and she made her way to the control center, where the door was already open. She had expected to have to battle the command staff upon her arrival, but they were in no position to combat anyone. The entire staff lay at the feet of two men, both dressed in the unique fashions of Team Fuma.

            Iyaga, youthful with shinny blue hair and a goatee, glanced up from the communications panel and grinned at her. "Hey, boss. What took you so long?"

            Fuma arched an eyebrow. "And just how did you two get here before me?" Was it possible she was losing her edge?

            Neguro, tall and square-faced, answered in his usual stone voice. "They only assigned three guards to myself. Two for Iyaga."

            "It's insulting!" Iyaga threw his hands up. "Don't they know who they're dealing with?"

            "Apparently they do."

            "Not funny!" Iyaga returned to acquiring an outside line.

            "I was not joking."

Relieved to know her skills hadn't diminished, Fuma addressed her troops. "Good job breaking free."

            Neguro nodded. "We were lucky they transferred us before they finished interrogating us."

            Iyaga nodded. "Especially before we had to go to the prison showers, huh Neguro? You could have made some guy very happy."

            "Forget the jokes and find out where they took the Genosaurers." Fuma ordered.

            Neguro said, "Already done. The three Genosaurers are still in the main hanger while their weapons systems are being deactivated. They're complex machines, so it's a slow process. We can unlock them easily enough, but Genosaurer 3 is heavily damaged. It took the brunt of the Fury's CPC. I doubt we'll be able to move it on its own power."

            Iyaga waved a hand. "No problem. I can hotwire a Gustav and we'll move it out in no time."

            Fuma nodded. "We cannot leave a Genosaurer in the ZBC's hands. It'd be much more valuable to us after we escape."

            "Valuable for selling or valuable as a token to the Backdraft?"

            That was the question. To return, or to remain free and independent. Being locked away had denied the Fuma Team any information on the status of the Backdraft Organization. It was very possible they had been wiped out after the Fury's defeat. If the Backdraft was no more, the Fuma Team could either sell off the Genosaurers for a handsome retirement sum, or gain even more money as mercenaries using the remaining two Zoids and sell off the damaged model. If the Backdraft had somehow survived… well, she'd consider what to do with that scenario once it actually came up.

            "Hey, Fuma." Iyaga waved. "Finally got in touch with the baby."

            "Very funny." A brown haired man, about the same age as Iyaga, appeared on screen. He was thin and handsome, but with an odd buzz cut that nearly showed his entire scalp. He too wore the dark colored uniform of Team Fuma. "I was hoping prison life would take some of those bad jokes out of you, Iyaga."

            "Not a chance, Koga. Humor's the only thing you've got in a place like this. That and soap-on-a-rope."

            "Koga," Fuma spoke to her team's final member, "what's the situation outside?" Having no Genosaurer of his own, Koga—the newest and least experienced member of the team—had remained behind to keep Fuma informed of any developments in the power struggle between Alteil and Sarah.

            Koga tried to maintain a professional presence, but she could tell the young man had seen too much change in a very short time. "The Backdraft's wounded, bad. Sarah, Vega, and the Berserk Fury were all taken into custody, I have no idea where they're locked away. The ZBC stormed and captured the Backdraft HQ. We've lost over half our funding and most of our Warriors are either AWOL or surrendered."

            "What about the Committee of Seven?" Mother…

            "Most have gone into hiding. Several have been captured, but no one we'll miss." None of the Fuma team spoke openly about Countess Fuma. It was taboo. They all knew and respected that Fuma had gained her position within the Backdraft based on her own strength. "But… one member is dead… Count Umbra."

            Fuma and her men were used to surprises and adapting on the fly, but that news was too great a shock. "Dead? How?"

            "Suicide. His aid betrayed his location and the ZBC came down on him, hard. He killed the traitor, then shot himself in the head. The ZBC is still investigating, but it doesn't look like there was any foul play."

            "Who is leading the Backdraft in the Committee's absence?" There would be no Committee without Count Umbra. He was the heart of the Backdraft. Now that heart was dead.

            "You won't believe this." Koga almost laughed. "Commander… or, excuse me, 'Supreme Commander' Alteil is calling the shots now. He contacted me just yesterday."

            "Alteil…" Neguro's voice betrayed his disgust. "Do we really want to go back to him?"

Fuma understood what he meant. Alteil's plea had sounded genuine, but his body language had said something different. "I need to draw on your strength" had translated into "Do the dirty work so I can reap the benefits." He'd intended for the Fuma Team to kill Vega Obscura and thwart Sarah's play for power; but instead he'd sent them to defeat and humiliation, followed by imprisonment. Vega had been far too powerful, as had his Berserk Fury. Alteil had misjudged his foe, and Fuma's men had paid for it.

She considered her decision before replying. "Back then, it was either Alteil or Sarah who'd be next in line for leading the Backdraft. Vega would be the only warrior to benefit from Sarah's reign, so we served Alteil because he promised to remember us when he was elevated to the top of the Backdraft's ladder. Now that he is 'Supreme Commander,' we can probably collect on our agreement."

Iyaga frowned, "He won't be happy with our failure to destroy the Fury. He might renege on the deal."

Koga nodded. "He didn't come to power through his own ends. More like luck. He's taking advantage of a bad situation and won't be eager to share what wealth the Backdraft has left."

Fuma nodded with a sly grin. "But loyalty is fleeting right now. Alteil needs his subordinates to follow his orders unquestionably. What would happen if word were to escape that he tried to kill off the Backdraft's greatest warrior? I doubt he'd have an easy time hanging on to soldiers who didn't trust him.

Iyaga nodded. "So we blackmail Alteil and take our leave."

"Yes. We'll also trade him Genosaurers 2 and 3 for our Neo War Sharks. We'll be better suited for mercenary work with several swift Zoids and one high-power Genosaurer."

"No retirement then?"

"Not yet. I don't know about you, but I don't feel old enough to retire yet. I want to have a little more fun before I take it easy."

Iyaga nodded. "Yeah. I'm not wrinkly enough to putt around some golf course."

Neguro agreed. "Then we should move with all speed."

"Hang on." Koga leaned closer to the screen. "If we're going to do this, there might be a way to get even more money out of this."

"Would this have something to due with the prisoner being transferred in?"

Koga blinked for a moment. "You're scary, boss. The prisoner being moved in knows more about the BF than anyone else. Imagine how much money Alteil would pay to keep that information a secret."

"Or we could sell that information on the Black Market. Iyaga, I know who we're searching for. Scan the facility and find him. Koga, what is your location?"

"Camped out on a sand dune just south of your position. I couldn't get my War Shark, but I've got a jeep all set up."

"Get to the hanger and secure the three Genosaurers and a Gustav. Put Genosaurer 3 on the Gustav and move it outside. Leave the jeep behind for Iyaga. Neguro and I will pilot the other two Genosaurers. We'll rendezvous fifty miles north, north-east of our position. Move!"

"Yes Ma'am!"

            *          *          *          *                      *          *          *          *

"Leo?... Leo? Can you hear me?" That was a pretty sexy voice… What would a woman like that be calling his name for? The darkness slowly faded into the face of Naomi Flugel. She was leaning over him, checking his forehead while Leon, Brad, Jamie, and Leena watched anxiously.

"Ugh…" Leo leaned forward and instantly regretted it. His brains felt like they'd slip out of his skull and plop down in Naomi's lap.

"Don't move. You've got one nasty bump on your head."

"What happened?"

Naomi blushed a little. "I'm sorry. My shot tripped up your Command Wolf, but I didn't know your harness was broken. You slipped and hit the control panel. Lucky you didn't crack your skull open."

Leena sighed, "That's what he gets for piloting with second-rate equipment."

Leo growled, "That 'second-rate' equipment got past all your shots."

"Don't confuse luck with skill, pal."

"Leena!" Leon warned his younger sister.

Jamie sighed, "She's just acting that way because she knows you're alright. She was freaking out when we lost contact with you."

"I was not! Why would I be worried about him?" Again with the him. What did she see that was so wrong with Leo?

"How's Fang?"

"Resting comfortably. We didn't have a chance to make repairs yet." Naomi pointed to the fallen Command Wolf. The bullet that had crippled him was wedged between the hydraulics in the right leg's ankle. Naomi had brought him down with one shot, and hadn't technically damaged anything. What an incredible shot!

Leo's fascination died into depression quickly. He'd lost. So close to the finish and one shot had ended it all. After making it that far… To be stopped at that point seemed almost cruel. I can't keep up, he realized again. I didn't even see her coming.

Naomi must have been able to read minds. "I'm very good at laying low until I attack. Most warriors couldn't find me with the most high-tech radar available. Actually, I can count the number of people who've dodged my shots on one hand."

"Great… so I guess I don't even make it onto your hand." What a dismal failure.

"Oh, quit whining." Leena had that damn air about her again. "You didn't really think you'd get past all of us so easily, did you?"

"Leena," Naomi stood up. "for once in your life-"

"I'll take you on, right now." Leo elicited a gasp from the entire group. "Right now, Leena. Let's fight one-on-one."

"Uh, you wanna repeat that?"

"You've been riding me all day about how much better you think you are, but when push comes to shove I dodged almost all of your shots. So let's see how good you really are. If I win, you shut up and never compare us again." Part of him acknowledged this was crazy, but he didn't care. Disappointment and anger at himself had found a target in Leena.

            "You're nuts!" Leena motioned to Fang. "Your Command Wolf can't fire its weapons, your piloting harness is broken, you shattered your readout display with your head, and your Zoid can't even walk! And don't forget you're already wounded."

            "I can have Fang up and running again in less than half an hour. And I'm well enough to fight. So are you going to take my challenge, or make some lame excuse?"

            He knew he'd hit a nerve. Leena was far too self-aware to let a challenge to her courage go uncontested. She placed her hands on her hips and glowered at him. "Fine. But when I win, you have to polish my Zoid for a year, and rub my feet every night."

            "As long as you don't have any bunions, it's a deal."

            "How dare you imply my feet are that disgusting? You-"

            "HANG ON!" Jamie—now back to his normal self—interposed himself between the two quarrelers. "Leo's in no shape to fight. He could wind up with a concussion or brain damage or-"

            "Jamie." Leon's calm voice cut all arguments short. "Let Leo do this. He obviously feels strongly about this, and a Zoid warrior has to act on his feelings. If Leo's willing to accept the risk, we have no right to deny him." That cut all arguments short. From there in, everyone followed Leon's lead.

            It took forty minutes to return Fang to battle-ready status. The laser cannons were easy to repair, as was taping the crash harness back together. The video display for the comm. system was also damaged, and Leo couldn't fix it as easily. He was at least able to get the audio settings working, thus giving him a crude radio. The hard part was wedging out Naomi's bullet, which took the combine efforts of Jamie, Brad, and Leon. Leo had tried to help, but they had insisted he rest for the coming fight. For all his bravado, Leo knew this fight would be different from his last bought with Leena. She'd be at closer range, and she apparently had plenty of ammo left to spare. Naomi and Leena were currently arguing while they loaded extra missiles and bullets into Leena's Gun Sniper, newly (and secretly) christened "Ballistic" by Leo.

            All those armaments could reduce Fang to molten slag in a heartbeat if Leena's aim was even remotely dead-on; but Leo couldn't back down now. Leena would think him a coward and be on his case twice as much, and the others wouldn't think that highly of Leo either. Besides, he and Fang had a history of putting up losing battles. On some rare occasions, he'd won, and even when he lost he'd walked or crawled away proud that he'd stood up for himself. Leon spoke of wearing shame like a badge of honor. Well, Leo had done that for years now. The only difference was that his pride came from personal fights rather than Zoid battles. Today had been all about shame. Missing targets, being chased across the desert, and tripping over his own Zoid. Leo's ego couldn't take many more blows so soon. He had to beat Leena. He would beat Leena!

            This was the only thought in his mind as he stared from Fang's cockpit to Ballistic, where Leena waited with her thumb on the trigger. "I'm all set. Wanna back out now."

            "You wish." Fang braced himself to charge.

            From atop a dune well outside Ballistic's firing range, Leon sat in his Blade Liger, dinged and scratched from Leena's blows, but surprisingly intact. "I'll serve as judge for this match. Jamie, Brad, and Naomi will be spotters. The match ends if either pilot is injured, or concedes defeat.

            "Not going to happen." Both Leo and Leena spoke in unison.

            "Alright then. Ready… hold on." Both pilots stumbled at Leon's false start.

            "Leon! What's going on? You're supposed to say 'Ready, FIGHT!'"

            "We've got visitors." For a moment, Leo thought 'visitors' referred to the sandstorm gathering in the distance; until Fang's sensors detected the metal-based cells of Zoids inside the cloud of flying sand. A herd of Zoids was running towards them at top speed. Wild Zoids were a thing of the past, but a team that big would never be allowed to participate in battles. Something settled in the pit of Leo's stomach, giving him a strong paranoia.

            "This isn't good…"

            "We don't know that." Leon opened his comm. "Hailing approaching Zoid group; you are about to enter an area where we are conducting a training exercise. Please alter your course." No response. "I say again, please alter your course." Nothing.

            Leo could see the approaching Zoids now. He didn't recognize the type. They were small and thin with golden fans encircling their dull-gray heads. Their arms were tiny and their feet ridiculously large. They were fast and agile, and moved with unnerving precision. But where were the pilots? Those heads could barely fit a full-grown man, let alone the equipment to maneuver a Zoid. Something was definitely wrong with this picture.

            "HEY!" Leena shouted. "Are you people listening? You're going to get blasted. Move out of our way!" Her barking didn't even slow them. The Zoids plowed through the desert sand with the cloud in their wake. Leo and Leena had to jump out of the way as the stampede sped past them and the sandstorm blocked out all visibility.

            Leo and Fang stood in the brown darkness, glancing nervously from side to side. Leo had managed enough anger to challenge and face Leena, but being shut out in the dark with a pack of weird Zoids was something he wasn't ready to face today. "Hey, where are you guys?"

            Jamie replied first. "I managed to fly above the sand, but I can't see anyone."

            Brad was next. "Can't see a thing, but the Fox's sensors say our guests are still here."

            Pinpoints of bloody light appeared all around Fang. Leo could see other spots farther back in the cloud, piercing through the darkness. One of the… things stepped into partial view. Its mouth opened wider than a hanger door, revealing a blaster where its tongue should have been. "Watch out!" Leo pulled Fang to the right just as a blast of energy shot out. A second blast from another small Zoid clipped Fang in the shoulder, but Leo managed to stay upright.

            "Everyone, be alert!" Leon ordered. "These things are looking for a fight!"

            "No kidding!" Leo could hear Leena's artillery fire and saw the flashes not too far away. It would be better to stand as a group rather than risking hitting each other while blinded. With a push of the pedals and the accelerator set to full throttle, Fang charged forward, firing shots as he went. Two bursts struck home on an enemy Zoid and sent it toppling, but several times as many shots came in retaliation. Three of the small Zoids had stepped in to take the place of the one he'd defeated.

            Falling back on brute force, Leo rammed through the blockade and nearly slammed into Leena's newest barrage. Fortunately, one of the enemy Zoids stepped in front of him and took the full force. "Watch it!" Leena snapped. "Don't go waltzing into the line of fire!"

            "You don't have a line of fire. I'm beginning to think carpet barraging is all you know!"

            "It certainly works better than your style." Leena already had ten kills while Leo had only taken out one. He quickly set about correcting that imbalance by blasting three more Zoids. His aim had improved somewhat under Naomi's tutelage, but he knew the true reason for many kills was that the enemy was packed so tightly together it was difficult to miss.

            "Leon? Brad? Naomi? Where are you guys?"

            "Can't tell! This sand is blocking out everything!"

            Naomi said, "I managed to get on top of a rock cropping. I can see Leena's bursts, but not much else."

            "Jamie, what about you?"

            "I can't see anything from up here. This sand cloud just isn't settling fast enough."

            It looked like Leo and Leena were on their own. The others weren't going to back them up. Leo redoubled his efforts to close the gap between his kills and Leena's. It struck him as odd that he, like many Warriors, used the term "kill" when all he'd really done was knocked the Zoids unconscious. A hard enough hit shut down these Zoids' command systems immediately. Already their unconscious bodies dotted the landscape, severely limiting Fang's maneuverability.

            "Everyone," Leon called, "Head for Leena's position. Use the light from her blasts as a guide. We'll form up and counterattack there."

            But Leena's guns weren't firing anymore. The thunder of artillery had subsided into a small hail of clicks. "I'm out of ammo!" Of course. Ballistic would run out of ammo now. At least Leo now knew the Gun Sniper did actually have a finite supply of artillery. He had begun to doubt.

            "AHHHH!" Leena's scream snapped him out of his musing. One of the Zoids had snuck up behind her and lashed out with a crimson blade attached to its hip. The blow had cut deeply into Ballistic's leg, causing the Gun Sniper to fall over. Taking advantage of an opening, the Zoid that had brought Leena down positioned itself above her cockpit, with its blaster slowly charging up.

            "Leena!" Fang's path was blocked by three more enemy units. "Damn it. Get out of my way!" Several bursts of fire did nothing to clear his path. Two shots streaked by the Zoids' heads and third only brought down the middle one. Another unit quickly appeared to replace it.

            Farther ahead, Leena's assailer was nearly done charging. Leena herself was trying to get her Gun Sniper into motion, but the damage to its leg completely ruined her attempt to flee. The red glare of the blaster painted her whole Zoid in blood. "H-help." Leo could hear tears in her voice. "Help me!"

            Leo wasn't sure what happened next. He'd never truly understand. One moment he was staring his opponents, three-on-one; helpless to defend Leena. Then suddenly the three Zoids were scrolling past him, yet they weren't moving. Fang side-bounded and fired several quick shots before Leo even realized it was he who was manipulating the controls. The lizard Zoid on the end of the blockade strode to intercept his shot, but the blasts arched past its slender neck and found their mark on the head of Leena's attacker. The explosion shook the Zoid off its center and the shot went wide, striking the Gun Sniper in the much less crucial shoulder. The second burst knocked the creature off its feet and shut down its command system. It toppled lifelessly. The third shot was overkill and streaked onward, hitting yet another enemy unit in the far distance.

            Leo stood numb for a moment, blinking. He'd hit it! He'd hit a small target like that, while moving, with less than a heartbeat to aim. Such a feat was beyond him. Today had shown he didn't have that kind of skill, and yet he'd succeeded on his first try.

            "LEO!" A red flash came up from Fang's right and struck the cockpit. Leo's brain shook within his skull while Fang toppled over and the front display exploded. Leo threw up his arms, shielding his face from the glass and loose wires. The wound in his forehead reopened and blood from both old and fresh wounds stung his eyes.

"Fang, you okay?" Nothing. Fang remained completely silent. For a moment Leo feared he lost his partner, but he could feel Fang's core still beating deep within his body. With the display panel shattered, there was no way to check the damage report. Fang had most likely suffered command system failure. He was now as limp as the other Zoids around them.

Another crimson glow fell over his body, and up above stood yet another enemy Zoid, ready to repeat the attack that Leo had just miraculously stopped. Leo sighed and closed his eyes. There was no way to defend himself, and he was far too tired and hurt to crawl out of his Zoid. Besides, he'd never abandon Fang. If they were to die, they would die united. It was too bad, really. Today hadn't been that much fun, but he'd liked having the others around. It was odd. He knew Jace and so many other "teammates" from before didn't really miss him, but it seemed like the Blitz Team would. It was… nice to be missed.

The red shine pierced through his eyelids, but he also noted a golden lining at the edge of his sight. "Strike Laser Claw!" That wasn't Brad's voice.

Leo's eyes snapped open just in time to see a white Liger Zoid streak in and slash at the smaller Zoid's head. The golden claws ripped through the creature's skull and nearly severed the head. The two Zoids clashed to the ground and the new Liger lunged at the next target. It was amazingly fast, a black and white blur with flecks of gold shinning near its neck and claws. Its bleached armor was cut at sharp angles, usually in forming triangles or squares along the shoulders and legs. Two red eyes glowed with slits beneath the cockpit door. Leo had seen this Zoid a hundred times since the Royal Cup, but never in real life. Out here, it seemed far larger than life as it felled one small Zoid after another. Even the sand cloud began to rescind in its presence. All around Leo could see the hulks of Zoids that had lost to Leon and the others. Nary a fraction of their original number remained while Fang and Ballistic were the only casualties for their own side.

Leo watched the Liger Zero and the other Zoids rip through the remaining units. They all moved with such speed and precision. Naomi's sniping cannon took out twice as many units as Brad's laser vulcan cannon, yet Brad could move with as much fluidity as Liger Zero. Leon's blades tore through metal and stone as if they were air, and Jamie's strafing kept the entire enemy off-balance. All these warriors had such varied strengths and techniques, yet they could easily compete with one another. They knew themselves so well. They knew how they fought, and were stronger for it. Leo didn't have that kind of clarity. He didn't know himself well enough to know how he fought. Right in front of him was the clearest example of the gap between his skills and those of the upper class warriors.

He could only sit numb in the darkened cockpit, as immobile as Fang, while the other pilots exited their Zoids and ran to his Command Wolf. His eyes drifted to the Liger Zero pilot. He was tall and lean with short, spiky blond hair and wide, excited green eyes. He ran faster than any of the other pilots and reached the cockpit first. With some effort, he managed to pry it open and extended a hand to Leo.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Y-yeah…"

His smile was so easy-going. "Glad to hear it. Name's Bit Cloud. That was one heck of a shot back there."

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            Author's Note: "Kristi Fuma" is a fan-made name I applied to the Fuma Team's leader. I have no idea what her official name is. In fact, I don't think she has an official name. As for her mother, look closely at the Committee of Seven next time a rerun shows them judging Altei. One of them might look surprisingly familiar.

            No promises on the next chapter, but I'll try to get it done soon. Take care, everyone.