(Disclaimer: I do not own the Zoids franchise. Copyright goes to Tomy for making this fantastic series. All I own are this story, its characters and some concept Zoids that might appear.)

Zoids: Lost Eden

Chapter 7: Inspecting the Goods

"Damn!" Itsuki cursed as he punched the wall of the Hammer Kaiser. Meanwhile, his Shield Liger TG was being loaded onto a Hover Cargo, a Republican carrier Zoid brought in by the supply unit they met up with after surviving that encounter with the Viscount as the Hammer Kaiser no longer had the capabilities to repair it. The sadness of losing four soldiers under his unit exceeded any feelings of relief of having emerged from that situation alive.

Meanwhile, the other soldiers were just relived that they're finally getting reinforcements and new Zoids. Proceeding with their duties with nothing but older generation designs made it very difficult. Most of them were huddled around the Hover Cargoes, watching the new Zoids roll out and transfer over to the Hammer Kaiser.

New generation Gorhecks and Arosaurers comprised the bulk of their reinforcements and immediately replaced the damaged Command Wolves. A small unit of aerial Zoids were also added to the Alexander's troops namely, Raynos and Pteras equipped with the CP-06 Bomber Units. These Zoids were smaller than the earlier Shield Ligers and Command Wolves but their numbers easily closed the difference in performance and their smaller frames made it easy for them to fit several units inside the Alexander's hangars.

For heavier hitters, the Retaliation Force was also given four Gunblusters; powerful Ankylosaurus Zoids capable of bringing down even the Berserk Fuhrer should they cross paths with it again. A Blade Liger Mirage was also transferred over to the Alexander, a variant that features enhanced components such as the inclusion of Attack Boosters and Strike Laser Claws. Most of the remaining Shield Liger pilots immediately switched over to the Gunblusters; their wounds from fighting the Viscount were still fresh in their minds and they wanted payback. Their force now totaled to fifteen ground Zoids and ten flying Zoids.

"Lieutenant Itsuki! Captain Eleanor has asked me to call you." A young girl who serves as the Alexander's operator called out to the furious pilot. "She says the meeting's starting."

"Okay." Itsuki calmed himself down. There was no use dwelling on the past events now. He glanced at the new Zoids inside the hangar. Seeing that all the Gunblusters were taken, he pointed at the Blade Liger Mirage. "Tell them to save that Zoid for me, okay?"

"Yes sir!" The operator saluted him as she headed over to the Zoid platforms. Seeing that matter taken care of, Itsuki walked inside the elevator and saw Naruse already there.

"Alyx…" Naruse muttered to herself. "She didn't have to do that. I would've gone out there myself—!"

"There's no use regretting it now I'm afraid." Itsuki answered back. "Alyx thought you to be more important to us than she is. You should honor her sentiments at the very least."

"I know." Naruse looked up to stare at Itsuki straight in the eye. "But, I don't know how I can help in this endeavor anymore."

The elevator reached its destination, which is the corridor that leads to the Alexander's bridge. Alighting first, Itsuki pauses for a moment. "Are you coming along?"

"What for? Didn't you hear me? I have nothing else I can help with anymore."

"Enough with the self-pity!" Taking Naruse by surprise, Itsuki suddenly dragged her out of the elevator and pinned her to the wall, holding her by the collar of her hood. "Your friend allowed herself to get captured so that the enemy will not get their hands on you, who she considered to be more valuable to us than she is! So I want you to head over there, listen to the briefing and use that pathetic excuse for a brain of yours to think about how you can assist us on this quest you led us on! It's the only way you can make up for her sacrifice!"

Despite all that, Naruse found it hard to reply. Itsuki's sudden outburst of anger shook her up and soon she was trembling in his arms. She didn't even realize she was crying. Seeing this, Itsuki loosened his grip and gently let her go. Losing his temper is not like him, especially in front of a girl years younger than he is.

"Look…just come along okay? If you listen in, you might be able to remember something that can help us. Besides, it will help you take your mind off things." Itsuki suggested.

"Okay…" Naruse weakly replied, wiping away the tears in her eyes.

"I have to say—" The Viscount started, having gathered his Knights in an old office inside their mountain base. "I wasn't expecting that development."

"Iris wasn't piloting the Liger Zero after all. This could be very problematic." Caitlyn paced around the office as she said it, wondering about what to do next.

"We could try interrogating that pilot…" Arlene suggests, all sprawled out on a beanbag chair, playing yet another video game.

"Does that pilot even know who Iris is?" Alexei asks the rather lethargic young lady. "It is possible that Iris is still at Kalanes you know? She may not even be on the Hammer Kaiser at all! If that's the case, then no amount of interrogation will help our cause."

"Or she could be a decoy sent in as per Iris' plan." Arlene counters back. "Just try it, it won't hurt."

"Well, the only thing left to do now is to monitor the Hammer Kaiser's movements. If they know about our plan then I'm sure they'll stop at nothing to prevent it from bearing fruit." The Viscount sighs as he narrows the gaze down to his Knights.

Knock, knock!

Soft raps from the other side of the door suddenly caught their attention. "Enter!" The Viscount gave the permission and Sakura Nagisa came into view, saluting and bowing her head as she came through the door. "Ah, Warrant Officer! What brings you here?" The Viscount greeted her kindly though the Knights all gave her distrustful looks with the exception of Caitlyn.

"Sir…I would like permission to interrogate my POW sir." Sakura states her intentions for her visit though the way she referred to Alyx as her POW obviously irritated Alexei.

"And why should we?" Alexei asks, the anger in his voice slowly rising to his tone.

"I just want to ask her a few questions…please?" Sakura answered as politely as she can in order to not aggravate the Knights any further. Just being in their presence makes her very uncomfortable, though she didn't know what she did that makes them so angry at her.

Upon hearing her reply, Arlene paused her game and put her console down; a rather rare sight as far as everyone in the room is concerned. Walking over to Sakura, she gave her one good look over before kicking Sakura's leg, causing her to fall face first on the floor and a tiny stuffed doll to fall out from her pocket. Pinning her down by sitting on her back, she took out a syringe from her pocket and aimed it at Sakura's throat.

"So…this girl was caught trying to let her rebel friend escape. Fortunately, I was around to stop them and managed to do so, though of course—" Arlene raised the needle up to Sakura's eyes so she could see the poisonous liquid drip from that thin strip of metal. "I had no choice but to use deadly force. Does that sound about right?"

"I'm not—going to do something like that-!" Sakura tries to blurt out a reply but Arlene's constant pressure on her back was making it difficult for her to breathe let alone speak up. "I caught her! I should have—!"

"Trying to question the authority of us Knights?! Know your place!" Alexei lashed out in anger. As he walked over to her in a bid to intimidate her further, he accidentally kicked the small doll Sakura had in her pocket. Arlene espied the tiny doll Sakura made and picked it up.

"Haha! What's this? Did you pick it up from somewhere? It looks hideous! To think you're older than me yet—hahaha!" Arlene laughed at the older girl she held at knife point.

"I—I made it…" Sakura answered back. "I just need a few minutes—! Please—!"

"Oh yeah? And what makes you think we can believe you?!" Alexei proceeded to ask her, the rage still obvious in his voice. "You good-for-nothing throw away!"

All the while, the Viscount watched everything unfold in front of him. A glance from Caitlyn snapped him back and he sighed. "Caitlyn?" He raised an eyebrow at the female Knight and she simply nodded before she walked towards Alexei.

"Caitlyn-" Before Alexei could even finish what he was saying, Caitlyn punched him straight in the face, forcing him off the girl on the floor. "What are you-!" He tried to protest but Caitlyn continued to beat him down, launching kick after kick and punch after punch until he sat on the floor, coughing. With that out of the way, the Viscount turned to Sakura and bade her to rise, which she did, Arlene getting off her back.

"Please excuse him and his lack of knightly gentleness." It was Caitlyn who apologized on behalf of her fellow Knight. Turning to Arlene, she gave her an angry look and held out her hand. "Give it back." She ordered the girl who immediately did as she was told. Upon receiving it, she immediately returned the doll to its rightful owner.

"Indeed." The Viscount also apologized on Alexei's behalf. "Very well, I shall allow it. Try to find out if she met with someone suspicious prior to her acquisition of the Liger Zero. That may provide us with some handful information we desperately need."

"Yes sir, I will." Sakura answers back as she rubbed her neck with her hands. Taking a courteous bow, she excuses herself and leaves the room. Outside, she saw Seral and Vishna waiting for her to come out.

"What happened to you?" Seral asks her after she had closed the door, her face showing her concern over her younger comrade.

"Just had a brush with some of the Knights…" Sakura answers back though her voice felt a little hoarse after that encounter.

"Arrghhh! I hate those Knights! Especially that kid Arlene! They think they can boss us around all the time!" Once again, Vishna complains though both Sakura and Seral share her sentiments this time.

"Yeah… Someday, I'll show them!" Sakura mutters in-between her clenched teeth.

"You don't have to prove anything to those bastards Sakura. Clearly, you're much better than they are and everyone else knows it." Seral encourages her friend.

"Yeah. Besides, you're the one who captured that Zoid in the first place!" Vishna pitches in.

"I guess. But the Knights are just on a whole different level." Sakura just sighs. "There's no use pondering over it now. As long as we're just commoners, they will never see us as anything else."

As they reached a fork in the road, they split up, with Sakura heading down the confinement area where Alyx was locked up.

A tall blonde girl flashed on the screen on the Alexander's communication monitor. She was in the middle of reporting to Captain Eleanor when her green eyes caught sight of Itsuki who just arrived at the bridge, bringing Naruse with him.

"Ah, Lieutenant. You're just in time." Eleanor greeted him when he walked in. "You've brought Naruse with you huh?"

"I wanted to come Captain." Naruse explained. "No—I needed to come."

"Oh, well. No problem with me." Eleanor turns back to the woman on the screen. "Alta, this is Iris Lilith Daemon of the Daemon family. She's come here to inform us of the Viscount's plan."

"I just go by Naruse though. To avoid suspicion." Naruse added.

"I see. I am Alta Crowler of Black Hound. We're a group of mercenaries who have a long time alliance with the Helic Republic on this continent." The woman in the screen introduced herself.

"And she has some good news for us." Eleanor addresses Itsuki who walked closer so he could hear Alta's report better.

"Yesterday, I spotted the Viscount's group heading inside the base on Mount Cybele. I managed to infiltrate the fortress and this is what I saw." Alta took out a mini projector from her pocket and opened it. The device revealed the Zero Jäger, locked in among the Empire's Zoids.

"Alyx!" Naruse exclaimed when she saw the image.

"What about the pilot? Is she alive?" Itsuki asked.

"Yes. They locked her in a cell after they opened the canopy a few hours ago. It seems they expected someone else to be piloting the Liger Zero." Alta reported.

"So Alyx's intuition was right after all." Eleanor mused to herself. "So, it is also possible that the Viscount still doesn't know about Naruse being on this Zoid."

"Then that settles it." Itsuki stands up, armed with a new sense of determination. "We can destroy that base and take back Alyx at same time. After all, we do owe her one."

"You want to hit two birds with one stone huh?" Alyx eyed Itsuki with a smile.

"Perhaps there is something else I can do." Naruse suddenly spoke up. "If I can get inside the base, I can hack into the mainframe and find the location of the Viscount's other bases."

"Alta, what do you think?" Itsuki asked the mercenary for her opinion on Naruse's proposal.

"It's a little risky but, it may work provided we can distract the entire base long enough for you to do that."

"We have twenty-five Zoids here with us. How many do you have on your side?" Eleanor asks the mercenary.

"Aside from my Zoid, we have three Shadow Foxes, six Command Wolves and ten Buster Tortoises. Imperial army still has more but, we can manage. We'll need to take out most of them during the ambush though."

"Hmmm…" Eleanor tries to think of a battle plan. "Mount Cybele is usually engulfed in mist. We'll need to use that to our advantage." She glances back at Alta. "Lend us five of your Buster Tortoises."

"For what?"

"We'll attack first with a long-range barrage using these Zoids and our Supercannons. Try to flush them out of their fortress. Once they're out, Black Hound and our aerial forces will ambush them using the mist as cover. Once they've been scattered, the ground forces will move in. Alta, you head inside and try to get our Liger Zero out, can you do that?"

"I can try."

"Thank you." Naruse expresses her gratitude to the mercenary.

"In the meantime, I'll infiltrate the base and take Naruse along with me. Maybe I can destroy the remaining enemy Zoids before their pilots can get to them." Itsuki spoke up.

"It will dangerous but it's worth the shot. Ready the rest of Black Hound. We're coming in soon." Eleanor finishes discussing things with Alta and turns to the rest of her crew. "Once our repairs are complete, we're heading off to Mount Cybele at full speed. From there, we give them hell."

Alyx turned and tossed around in her prison cell. Although the place was rather dark and quiet, she found it difficult to sleep. She thought about how she could escape the fortress but, even if she can get out of her cell, she would've to face over sixty Zoids stored in the hangar. Unless there was some kind of miracle, getting out of there was impossible. She was about to give up when she remembered the Retaliation Force's plan to assault the fortress at Mount Cybele.

"Maybe I can get out of here after all…"

Creak!

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the faint sound of the door opening and some small amount of light that suddenly flooded the room. Shrugging off her earlier thoughts, she turned around to face the wall, pretending to be asleep. She didn't expect to be interrogated this early.

Clink!

The faint sound of a small chain startled her, causing her to open her eyes. Right above her, she saw a small doll, in the shape of two ducks sharing an umbrella, dangling by the chain off of someone's hand. That person's hand was rather soft-looking despite the obvious scars and abrasions obtained from piloting. Slowly, she sat up to face the person visiting her.

"Here. I made it for you." Even if she didn't look at that person's face, Alyx could already recognize that person's voice. "You can have it."

Alyx turned to face her long-lost friend. Try as she could to hide it, Alyx was sure that Sakura can see the disappointment in her face. Nevertheless, she took the small offer in her hand to check it out. For something made by hand, it was rather well-made. As expected of Sakura.

"You haven't been eating." Sakura gestures to the food on the tray, which Alyx didn't bother to eat. "You're gonna get sick if you don't."

"Trying to play big sister now are we? What is this routine? Good cop, bad cop? Save it Sakura." Alyx brushed her sentiments off with a wave as she walks over to the small sink in her cell.

"I…just wanted to see you." Sakura replied rather meekly. "It's been seven years."

"Yeah. Seven years since you took off and left us there to rot at Kalanes. You even promised you'll come back and bail us all out. I was even looking forward to it. Shouldn't have been too hopeful though, seeing that you just burned the place down!" Alyx couldn't contain the anger she felt at seeing Sakura working for the Viscount.

"I—That wasn't my decision to make. It's not my fault if some nice couple adopted me and took me in with them. You shouldn't blame that on me. It's not fair." Sakura tries to defend her case.

"But I bet it was your decision to enter the army is it not?"

"What?"

"You heard me." Alyx sat back in the bed. "I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with this war!"

"I didn't. Believe me when I say I don't. But—" Sakura takes a deep breath before carrying on. "My foster parents…they were Guylos citizens. They took me home and took good care of me. For a while, it was perfect. A year later, the Republic invaded the continent. They showered the town with long range barrages. I couldn't even remember everything. Last thing I remember was waking up in a hospital and being told that my foster parents were dead. And I was alone."

"So you entered the army so you can take revenge on the Republic for your parent's death. Yeah, some kind of good person you are."

"No!" Sakura's emotion suddenly flared up upon hearing Alyx's remark. "It's not revenge, It's—look. I was all alone, with nothing on me. What else could I do to survive?"

"I don't know…maybe, go back to Kalanes? Didn't you even consider that?!"

"I did. But how could I? I didn't have anything on me. How do you expect me to get back after all that?"

"Then you should've tried harder. But instead of doing that, you took the easy way out. Like you always do." Alyx continued to criticize her friend's actions.

"I'm not like you Alyx, you know that. I'm not…strong enough." Sakura tried to explain but Alyx just kept her silence and leaned back on the wall. "Hey Alyx? How about you join our side?"

"Ha! And why should I do that?" Alyx asked with obvious sarcasm.

"You're not a Republican. You don't have any reasons to stay with them." Sakura leans a little closer, her hands gripping the cold iron bars separating them. "The Viscount seems to be fond of me. I—I may be able to convince him to let you in our ranks. At least…you won't have to die."

"No."

"Why?"

"You're asking me why?" Alyx was even more furious now. "Because you're all a bunch of murderers that's why!"

"And the Republicans aren't? They've killed just as many people as the Empire did!" Sakura tries to defend her case but Alyx was still not having it.

"Well, the Republicans did not take a freaking Death Saurer and blew it up in the middle of a populated city!" Alyx referred to the incident at Valhalla.

"And what about the Destroyer?! What about the ones who died during the landing on the Dark Continent?!" Sakura tries to argue back, recalling the incident which claimed the lives of her foster parents when the Republic invaded the Dark Continent.

"Well, what about Kalanes?! What about those faces who were there for me in the long span of time that you were gone? Faces who we grew up with? Faces who are now dead because of you!"

"I—I didn't want it to turn out the way it did…I—I'm sorry…" Her earlier outburst gone, Sakura tried to apologize, holding back her own tears as she does.

"But it did! And no stupid apology of yours is going to change that! Hell, you shouldn't be apologizing to me! You should be apologizing to the dead and the families they left behind!" Alyx was still very mad at Sakura, her grip on the doll tightening with every second she spends talking to her. "And what makes you think I don't have any reason for siding with them? You think you're the only one who can take up arms and fight for a cause? Oh…you've grown much too arrogant indeed!"

"Reason? What reason could you possibly have for siding with those rebels?"

"I've made a friend. A friend who's doing her best to try and stop this war and to stop the Viscount from making everything more chaotic than it already is!" Alyx explains as if she was boasting, making Sakura feel small compared to her.

"So you're willing to fight for this friend who you just met a few days ago but you don't want to do the same for me? A girl you've basically known your entire life-?"

"Really? Seeing you the way you are now, I'm starting to doubt if I even knew you at all!" Alyx interrupts Sakura.

"Alyx…I just don't want you to die…"

"Forget it! If ever I get out of here, I'll shoot you down myself!" Alyx let out one last burst of anger. She glanced at the doll in her hands and using all her strength, hurled it across the wall, dropping to the floor with a soft clatter. "You can have your stupid doll back! I don't want it!"

Sakura could only watch Alyx slump back down to bed, still fuming with rage. With a heavy heart, she walked over to the spot where her doll fell and picked it up. "Goodbye Alyx…It was nice to see you again—and…it was nice knowing you…" She bade her friend a last goodbye before leaving the room and shutting the door.

"Yeah well, I wish hadn't met you…" Alyx muttered to herself as she forced herself to sleep. More than hatred, she felt mad. Mad at this twisted turn of events. Mad at fate itself for allowing them to see each other again under these circumstances.

Unknown to the two girls though, the Viscount had been listening in to their entire conversation. All the angst and drama aside, it was Alyx's mention of a friend trying to stop him from realizing his plans which he took interest in the most. At the very least, it did confirm one thing.

"So Iris Daemon is on board the Hammer Kaiser after all. Thank you Sakura. I knew I could count on you." The Viscount smiled to himself as he turned off the microphone in the cell. From behind him, the door swung open and Gregory Ash walked into the room.

"You called?" He asked the masked man who was still engulfed in his own personal thoughts.

"We need to get out of here. You and your soldiers take the Dragoon Nest. Get the core out of here and head down west near Chimera." The Viscount relays the instructions to Ash. "Is my Berserk Fuhrer ready?"

"Yes but—I don't understand. Why are we abandoning Mount Cybele?" Ash asks about the odd order.

"I've just confirmed that Iris Daemon is on the Hammer Kaiser. This is a long shot but I'm willing to bet the Retaliation Force is preparing to assault this fortress as we speak."

"Then we have to evacuate everyone!"

"No. The Republicans will find it suspicious if we evacuate a large-scale force. I'm willing to bet that they've already got eyes all over this place. Our best chance is to evacuate only the necessities. They cannot get their hands on the Zoid Core."

"Y-you're…abandoning your men?"

"No." The Viscount takes out the Zoid gear used for activating the Dragoon Nest. "You are Captain." He answered back with a smile. "Me and my Knights will stay behind and buy you time to escape. Once we've determined that you're in a safe distance, we'll pull back with whatever is left of our forces and meet up with your force." The Viscount glanced at the bustling fortress. "Bases and Zoids can be rebuilt. What's important is that our plan becomes a reality."

"Understood sir!" Ash saluted the Viscount before turning to leave, satisfied albeit puzzled, with the actions his commander was taking.

"One more thing Captain—"The Viscount suddenly called out, prompting Ash to look back. "Do you mind leaving Sakura Nagisa here?"

"Indeed. The Geno Saurer would be useful in holding back the Republicans. Very well, I'll tell her."

"Haha! It is not only her value in battle that I've grown interested in Captain." The Viscount laughed, finding the confused look on Ash's face amusing.

"I'm not sure I follow what you're saying."

"I just want to see how the drama plays out. Plus, I am still a Knight at heart Captain. I want my own princess to protect and shelter from the dangers of this world." The Viscount chuckled before leaving Ash to go down to his Zoid.

"Someone to protect huh?" Ash muttered to himself as he headed to the communications module. He entered a code he once used during the Western Continent War and waited for the person on the other end of the line to respond.

"It's been a while since you called…" A woman's voice spoke from the other end.

"Zhou, I don't have much time so I'll just go straight to the point: I need you to come here to Mount Cybele as soon as possible." Ash sounded urgent.

"Sure. It'll take me around a day I think but, I'll get there."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Just like old times Ash, expect this favor to cost you."

Writer's Note: Chapter 7 complete! Another battle looms ahead.

Battle Story references are made here. The Death Saurer reference was Valhalla, where Gunther Proitzen detonated the Bloody Death Saurer, taking the bulk of the Helic and Guylos armies with him. Some sources state that Emperor Rudolph (yes, that kid from Chaotic Century) died here as well.

The Destroyer refers to Ultrasaurus the Destroyer and the Destroyer Corps. If you search the net, you'll see this really souped-up Ultrasaurus with lots of massive cannons. That's what it is.

Europa, the Western Continent was mentioned in passing as well.

Chimera is Chimera City, where a certain powerful Zoid made its debut in the Fanbook EX stories.

Well, that's all for now. I think I can manage a few more chapters before my classes resume. Until then, see you on the next chapter!