A/N: This chapter dedicated toVanya-Deyja for her grand reviews


CHAPTER 3

The Empire Trembles

"So the organoid escaped with the boy huh? Sounds like a failure on your behalf," the man said, tossing back his long green hair and narrowing his liquid silver eyes, "and how exactly do you plan on fixing this problem?"

"The boy and the organoid will be brought in as soon as possible," Craven's raspy voice said as he bent down on one knee, "no worries, my lord. Just a minor setback."

"And what of the other Wraiths? How many organoids have they collected?" the man asked, eyeing his servant roughly.

"A total of twelve organoids are in our possession with four more on their way," Craven explained, "of course I personally have delivered over half of them." The man nodded and turned to the pool of purple liquid behind him, staring down at the shadow of the behemoth below.

"Then it won't be long until he awakens," the man said coolly "get the green organoid before we talk again, no more failures Craven." Craven bowed one last time before flicking his black cloak and turning to leave. "Soon my precious, soon" the man said to himself.

Crow and Victor entered the city of Guygalos the next morning, or at least what was left of it since the attack of the Deathsaurer a month ago. Skeletons of the buildings that once stood proud in the Imperial capitol still existed and Crow noted seeing many a construction Zoid as they went through. "The Emperor just approved a huge budget for fixing the city and soon it will be restored back to its full glory" Victor said, noticing all of Crow's sight-seeing.

"So, is Colonel Payne still a major pain in the ass or has he gotten any better here lately?" Crow asked. Victor laughed.

"One of the guys called him that once and all he said was that he was a major long ago, now he was a colonel pain in the ass and to always address him as such" Victor said.

"Sounds like something he'd say" Crow said as they approached the Imperial base that had been planted smack dab in the middle of the city, where the Deathsaurer had done the most damage. The base was massive, with five bunkers, eight Zoid hangars and a pair of command and communication towers. Victor pushed the bandits from the night before out of his cockpit and watched them fall face first onto the hard ground. Then he jumped down, landing roughly on their backs before stepping off.

"Enjoy your stay in the Imperial holding cells boys," Victor said, grabbing them by the necks and pulling them to their feet, "it's gonna be a long one after all." Crow jumped out of the Stealth Viper's cockpit and stood next to Drake while the organoid vigilantly watched every soldier that walked by.

"Don't worry buddy," Crow said, "we're amongst friends now." A couple of minutes later Victor appeared at the door to the nearest command tower, motioning for Crow to follow him. The boy and his organoid hurriedly followed their escort through countless rooms of busy soldiers as they made their way to the top of the command tower. Finally they reached the top, passing a pair of armed Imperial guards and entering the command post. Drake tentatively stared at the guns the guards held but Crow patted him and he quickly lost interest. The room was huge, with windows on every side and a hundred screens and computers everywhere inside.

Colonel Payne walked out of the crowd of soldiers, flanked by a pair of guards which he waved off when he saw Victor and Crow. The Colonel was tall, with great posture and powerful features that would otherwise intimidate Crow if he didn't know how gentle and careful the man really was. His short and combed graying hair was a silhouette of silver and blonde that somehow fit the man's cool green eyes. "Colonel Payne, good to see you" Victor said, saluting. The man saluted to the soldier as well, then turned to Crow, taking off his medal-covered hat.

"Sorry to hear about your father and the village," the Colonel said in his sly yet soothing voice, "we will speak of his courage and strength forever. We've organized a statue to be built in his honor in the village once it's rebuilt." Crow nodded in thanks. "What, no salute?" the man asked. Crow just laughed, shaking the man's hand.

"Sorry Colonel," Crow said, "but I'd like to get to business as soon as possible. I came to ask for some help in finding my father's killer. Think you could spare anyone?"

"Of course, anything for your father," Payne said, "as a matter of fact, I think Victor's schedule just opened up after catching those bandits." Payne turned and looked at the blue haired soldier. Victor quickly straightened his back and saluted the man.

"I would be honored Colonel, thank you" he said.

"Yes, thanks," Crow said, "if there's anything I can do to pay you back somehow don't hesitate to ask." The Colonel saluted the boy who in turn did the same. Suddenly an alarm began blaring, a red light flashing and illuminating the entire room as it rocked from the impact of an explosion.

"Sir, unidentified Zoid approaching from the south" a soldier at a computer said, bringing up a picture of the Zoid on the main command screen.

"The Genosaurer, it's him!" Crow yelled, turning and running out the exit.

"All guardian Zoids to defensive positions! Fire at will!" the boy heard Payne's voice say over the communication systems.

Once outside, Crow ran as fast as he could toward the Stealth Viper. Drake appeared beside him, using his boosters to keep pace. The organoid scooped up the boy and rocketed into the cockpit, dropping Crow off before disappearing into the Zoid's core. The Stealth Viper mobilized, heading toward the southern edge of the base where the Imperial army had mounted a massive defensive force of Zaber Fangs and Molgas equipped with Cannonry Units. The boy watched in horror as a purple and blue beam of energy cut through half of them, continuing on to hit a hangar next to the Viper.

Crow yelled as the Genosaurer blew through the defensive barrier of Zoids and into the range of his Zoid's weapons. The muzzles of the Stealth Viper's dual 40mm machine guns flashed as Crow buried the Genosaurer under an avalanche of bullets. The Saurer turned, seeing the Viper and completely ignoring the remainder of the defense forces while it roared into the air. The Stealth Viper returned with a vicious hiss.

"Where's the organoid?" the familiar raspy voice asked.

"He's with me, and don't think you're ever going to get your hands on him!" Crow yelled, firing a pair of multi-purpose missiles from the center box of the albino Stealth Viper. The Genosaurer boosted forward, dodging the explosions as the missiles uselessly slammed into the ground behind it. Crow glared and piloted the Stealth Viper forward, the Zoid's enhanced speed allowing it to reach the Genosaurer before it could react. The snake-like Zoid wrapped its long, flexible body around the Saurer, its heading staring straight at the Genosaurer's before it opened fire. The shots tore into the Saurer's head but did little focused damage, the shots spreading out as the Genosaurer bent forward, locking down its feet and opening its tail fins.

Crow quickly maneuvered the Stealth Viper out of the way as the particles began gathering at the base of the Saurer's mouth. He saw the Helcat approaching and quickly waved Victor off. "Look out, its going to fire the Charged Particle Gun!" Crow yelled. Victor quickly activated the Helcat's Stealth Shield and jumped to the side, narrowing dodging the blast as it came screaming at him. The beam of destruction passed by the Helcat and slammed into the command tower where Colonel Payne had been posted. Crow watched in awe as the tower went up in flames and smoke, its foundation beginning to give way.

Finally the Genosaurer wrestled the Stealth Viper off of it, grabbing onto its narrow body and chucking it to the ground. The Viper hissed defiantly as the Saurer prepared to crush its cockpit with a mighty stomp. Suddenly an invisible force tackled the Genosaurer, throwing it off balance and toppling it. "Leave Guygalos now!" Victor yelled, pouring down a stream of bullets from the Helcat's automatic weapons.

The Stealth Viper slithered back up and joined the Helcat in its barrage of bullets, covering the Genosaurer in small flashes where the bullets slammed into its armor. The dinosaur-like Zoid quickly got to its feet, firing a few shots from its nose-mounted cannons where the Helcat's muzzle flashes where. A small bullet pierced the armor of the Helcat, its Stealth Shield deactivating as its systems tried to recover from the shelling. The Genosaurer began bending down and opening its tail fins when Craven saw it, a wave of Royal Zaber Fangs descending from the Imperial Palace. His Zoid quickly boosted up off its feet and turned to retreat.

"After him!" Colonel Payne yelled from the cockpit of the lead Zaber. "Destroy the Genosaurer!" A flock of Redler joined the assault, flying over head and easily keeping up with the Saurer as it tried to flee. Craven sighed and turned his Zoid back around, landing softly on the dirt and locking its foot locks down. A moment later the CPG fired, cutting through the Redler's in the sky. Crow watched as the Zoids simply evaporated from inside the purple and blue energy.

Craven smiled and turned back around, continuing his retreat. "Damn it, we're losing him!" Payne yelled, "Set up a defensive perimeter around the city and make sure he doesn't return!" Crow sighed, the murderer had come for him again, taking many lives with him in his pursuit of the boy and his organoid. Everywhere he went destruction followed, he decided it wasn't safe for him to remain in Guygalos any longer.

"Thanks for all your help Colonel but I can't continue to stay here and risk the lives of the citizens of the Empire" Crow said, shaking the man's hand once again.

"I understand, the Empire thanks you for the lives you did save today," Payne said, turning to Victor, "now you stay close to this boy, that's an order."

"No problem Colonel" Victor said.

"No salute soldier? You're already picking up Crow's bad habits!" Payne exclaimed. Victor quickly saluted the man, adding a bow as a sign of respect. The Colonel just laughed, kids these days.


A/N: (walks hungrily toward readers) "Must . . . have . . . brain-I mean reviews"