Chapter Six: An Old Friend

After unpacking the rest of their supplies, Raven and Reese went out to explore the area. Raven walked around with Shadow and inspected the outside of the house, while Reese did a perimeter check with Specula. He found a utility shed adjacent to the eastern wall of the house, and after some effort to loosen the well-worn hinges of its doors, he opened it and was pleased to find a generator. After a quick assessment, he found it to be in good condition, having been protected from the elements through the years in the shed. With a good tune up and re-fueling, he was confident he can get it working again.

They continued around the house, inspecting the integrity of the walls and the conditions of the windows as they went along. There were some patches of moss growing on the walls, and some creeping vines running along the sides, giving the place its old and forsaken look. However, in spite of nature starting to take over the house, there were no cracks or holes in the walls and windows, though one of the shutters was broken on the second floor, hanging crookedly from its hinges.

Just as they were finishing their round, Shadow gave a low hum, looking to the direction of the tree line to the east. He looked at his partner, conveying to him that Reese and Specula were calling for them; they had found something worth seeing.


Reese and Specula waited for Raven and Shadow to catch up to their location. She had been riding on Specula's back, checking the area for any signs of activity or intrusion, when Specula spotted the zoid hidden among the trees.

It was a Cannon Tortoise, and upon closer inspection, she found that its core was dead, and the zoid had turned to stone. There was no sign of any battle in the area, nor did it look like it was damaged. It was also covered in leaves and moss, indicating that it had died a long time ago. She never would have noticed it if not for Specula's sharp senses. There was something familiar about the zoid, although she can't put her finger on it…

She hears Raven and Shadow approach before she could dwell on it any further. She looked at Raven as he stopped beside her, also looking at the zoid. He wore such a look of surprise and wonder that it made her even more curious where this zoid came from.

"It's Gus…" He said slowly, a little stunned.

"Gus…?" That surely wasn't what she expected him to say.

He shook his head faintly, reaching out a hand to touch the head of the zoid.

"It was what my father called it. It was a Cannon Tortoise he had modified to be a mobile observatory." He explained, gesturing to the telescope structure protruding from the shell of the zoid, instead of the usual cannon. "The last time I remember, it was on the roof of the house. It must have leapt off when we disappeared…" He trailed off. "Has it been waiting here this whole time?" He thought, amazed and saddened by the idea that it had somehow felt abandoned.

"The roof? Well, that explains that hole on the ceiling then." Reese said amusedly, realizing why it looked familiar, having seen it in Raven's memories.

"It was the best place to use the telescope without being obstructed by the tree line." He replied, giving her a half shrug, an equally amused look on his face.

"My parents never owned any combat zoids, and we only had Gus whenever we had to travel anywhere." He remembered those memories. Even if they only had to travel to visit another research facility or investigate another ancient ruin, it was still time he got to spend with his parents. The nights they had spent camping out on the road, looking through the high powered telescope, exploring the stars and celestial bodies far away, together. Those were his best memories…It made sense now why he was always drawn to the stars. Why they always calmed him and gave him some semblance of peace through the years he lived in war.

As he was flooded with the happy memories, Reese herself was moved by the tender look in his eyes and the small smile he wore as he continued to brush away the leaves from the zoid's head. The sight before her made her smile, too.

Shadow suddenly stepped forward, breaking the silence as he gave an excited roar before stretching his wings and fusing with the zoid's core. He had sensed his master's bond with the dead zoid, something so rare for Raven that it thrilled the black organoid to bring it back to life.

Raven and Reese took a step back, and watched as the zoid's stone body slowly regained its metallic form. Shadow continued to reactivate each cell in the zoid's core, and in turn it slowly released life-giving energy and color to its entire structure. Once all the cells in the core were brought back to life, and the energy flow was stable enough to be self-sustaining, Shadow unfused from the core, excited to see his partners reaction.

Raven watched in awe and anticipation as the zoid regained its life force. It took a moment before the zoid gave a slow hum, finally noticing their presence. Raven approached it slowly, unsure if it would attack or run away. He had only heard about abandoned zoids reverting to wild behaviors, but had never really encountered one up close. That is, he had never let them live long enough to get close, always destroying any zoid he encountered without hesitation due to his past hatred for them.

To his surprise, it neither attacked nor did it run away. Instead, it stayed put, seemingly waiting and somehow curious of him as he got closer to it. When he finally reached it, he again placed his hand on its head. It stayed still, unsure what to make of him.

"Hey Gus…" He greeted the zoid hesitantly, and no sooner than he said it, the zoid gave an excited sound, slightly jumping to face him.

"It recognizes you." Reese gasped, amazed at the zoid's loyalty.

"Whoa there…easy…" Raven continued to calm the zoid, at a loss for the indescribable feeling of having a piece of his past come back to life. He had never piloted Gus before, and wondered if the zoid actually recognized him, or is mistaking him for his father. "It's okay now, I'm here…" He said, his happy mood becoming more somber at the thought of the zoid never seeing his owner again.

He doesn't have the time to dwell on it, however, as the cockpit suddenly opens, inviting them in. He smiled as he got in, the whole situation feeling surreal as he sat in the seat where his father had been before. He tested the controls, the actions coming naturally to him, being the experienced pilot that he is. He looked up at Reese who was still standing there, quietly observing him with a smile on her face.

"Come on." He said, gesturing for her to get in.

She looked surprised for a moment before shaking her head no. "This is a special moment for you…" She replied hesitantly.

He only shook his head at her. "Just get in, will you? When do you ever get to ride on a turtle-type zoid?" He was goading her. She gave a soft chuckle before finally getting in, settling in the passenger seat. Unlike the Geno Breaker cockpit, this one could easily fit two people side by side, similar to a Gustav cockpit, with even more space in the back.

He closed the cockpit and encased the telescope back inside the armored shell before deciding to head out. He had never piloted a Cannon Tortoise before, as he had always opted for the more armed and mobile zoids. He took it to the nearby plains, performing different maneuvers, loosening the stiff mechanics left over from the zoid's long slumber. He cranked up their speed to the highest notch, finding out its maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour. It was still much slower when compared to the Geno Breaker's 345 kilometers per hour, but hey, it was still faster than he expected. He could feel it, the zoid's excited energy, Gus' joy of finally being found and reunited. He knew then that Gus recognized him, not as his father, but as him.

Beside him, Reese sat back and enjoyed the ride, amazed at how much Raven had changed. For all the years she had known him, she never thought anything could ever overwhelm his hatred for zoids. And yet now, here he was, piloting and bonding with a Cannon Tortoise of all things.

He's also more open now, less guarded. He is still reticent in a lot of ways, a consequence of the life he lead under Prozen, but even then the change has been tremendous. It had been a pleasant surprise when he extended her an invitation to stay. She had been somewhat anxious to talk about her continued presence around him, scared he might ask questions she isn't prepared to answer, and afraid that he would tell her to go away. They had only known about each other for years, but she realizes now that she really doesn't know him. Now that he's finally free, free from Prozen, from the military, from his own hatred and anger at the world…He's finally free to be himself. No doubt it'll take a long time to erase bad habits and to heal the wounds, and even then, those wounds will turn to scars. But at least he is free. No more secrets, no controversies, no missions, no killings, no threats; just the freedom to be whoever he wants to be, to live the life he wants to lead. And she can't wait to get to know the real Raven. So, for as long as he lets her, she will stay with him.


A/N: This is my first fanfic, and I even made this account just for the purposes of posting it, but seeing the traffic and the views, I'm honestly surprised people are reading it lol. Raven and Reese have been a come-and-go but constant obsession in the back of my mind for years. You can't forget your first ship. It comes in phases, so if it ever hits me again in the future, I'll have this fanfic to go back to. Writing this fanfic is more of a self-therapy than anything else lol. It also helps stave off the boredom during lock down!

Also, in Episode 49, during the memory, you can see the modified Cannon Tortoise on the roof. I decided to call it Gus, because it looked like a Gus and I'm not very good with names.