FOUR

FUSION

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Mobmal: It doesn't matter what she chooses; the other girl "betrays" her, so she's screwed either way. Thanks for your continuing support!

Blue City,
Eastern Continent, Planet Zi,
December 6, 2127

The encounter with Royce, the self-proclaimed Special Operation agent from Guylos Empire, had left Kenny even more distraught. The half-truth he unveiled didn't bring him absolution, only more confusion to the already cloudy matter. He started to have withdrawals, and his attitude change deeply concerned his girlfriend. So she took him on a nice dinner and a long walk by the river afterwards.

"Your demeanor is disquieting," Roxy said after a long walk quiet walk by the river. "You have been avoiding affection as of late."

"I'm alright," Kenny responded halfheartedly.

"Of course you are," Roxy snuffed. "Why would you not be? You reserve the deepest, most passionate thoughts for yourself, but spill bile and bellyache at me. Do your eyes see me as an equal, or a mere play doll worthy of a punching bag?"

Kenny was taken aback by Roxy's sarcasm. He realized that his mind had been too preoccupied by Saskia to notice that Roxy had been suffering because of it. She had been understanding about his behavior for some time, but he realized she started getting restless about him. It was a bad choice in his part to keep her in that situation for a long time. Perhaps it was time to come clear and stop chasing the demon.

"Apologies," he said morosely. "My attitude is not something to be desired, and amend is due."

"What happens to you?" Roxy asked; her tone mellowed out. "Does that woman still bear meaning in your mind?"

"Not more than daily musing," Kenny replied carefully so as not to put Roxy into a fit of jealousy. "But my last stumble upon the matter left me all but vexed."

"Why did you hold tongue from me?"

"Because it is about Saskia, and I am not one to cause you grief. My words still bears truth; I am not thinking about her, not in a romantic way. But things had turned worse. Weird, abominable things. I stand far awayfrom giving you ill. I might be a fool, but a fool who loves you. What measures a man blessed with girlfriend like you?"

Roxy stopped and turned to gave Kenny a hug. "Amend well received, but I am twice the fool who bears with a fool's foolishness. I am but your girl, Kenny. Girls listen. That is what we do best. We may not solve problems but we lighten burdens at the very least."

"I fear my plight will stir jealousy in your heart," Kenny murmured.

"Perhaps, but it stirs greater pain to see you in misery. Now come sit by me. You are to put an end to this wretchedness of yours."

Kenny acknowledged his stupidity and luck having a girlfriend like Roxy. Normal girl would've left him for his first sign of concern about Saskia, but Roxy tolerated his immaturity with levity and grace. He felt ashamed and grateful at the same time. He felt bad for giving Roxy a hard time, and he swore that it was the last time he ever did something like that.

"Well, I went to Saskia's office," Kenny sat on a bench on the river bend, hands curling around Roxy's shoulder. "She had a delivery, forgotten by her absence. It was a warning for her, saying somebody was after her life."

"Saskia is marked for death?" Roxy's eyes bugged out. "What is she dealing with? Drugs? Dirty money? Smuggled zoids? Give me your words to stay away from this matter, Kenny. I do not want you to get hurt."

"I don't know, but things turned even more complicated," Kenny sighed, ignoring Roxy's last comment. "The message included an address, a meeting point to elaborate the matter. I checked the place but she was not there. Instead…"

"Went?" Roxy's pitch turned several notches higher. She was an easygoing teen who rarely got agitated, but Kenny's story started to bother her. "Did you lose mind? It could be a trap, and you could be dead!"

"Yet it wasn't, and I was alright," Kenny rebuked. "But that was where everything headed for a nasty turn. The message for Saskia was delivered by a woman. Yet it was a man waiting at that place, claiming he was…"

Kenny's words after that were swallowed by a loud swishing sound from the river. A massive shadow emerged, followed by a low grunt that seemed like belched from the underworld. An Arosaurer rose from the water, with eyes flashing in bright orange and teeth gleaming in dim light. Its tail swished left and right as it towered over anything within a quarter mile radius. Then it bent down and locked its gaze at Kenny and Roxy.

"What in the…?" Kenny shot up and shielded Roxy from the beast, and his heart almost stopped beating, seeing the beast lunging at them. "Run! Run! RUN!"

The couple made a mad dash but the Arosaurer easily outpaced them. The snout hovered over them and nudged Kenny on the back. It was not a killing blow, but the force pushed Kenny down rolling on the ground, almost crossing the street. Ignoring pain from rashes, he went back up only to see Roxy screaming and writhing at the mouth of the Aurosaurer.

"Oh My God! Roxy!" he screamed and – not knowing what else to do – charged the Arosaurer. But the zoid turned to him. Kenny stopped, looking straight into the zoid's eyes, then stepped back as the zoid advanced toward him. Roxy was still screaming and crying bloody murder, but it was more of a panic one than death. The way the zoid held her in its mouth was gentle enough that she was not stabbed or crushed.

For one second Kenny started to believe that he was actually the beast's main target, and Roxy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But it was the last thing that came to his mind, seconds before the Aurosaurer's massive claw flew at him. Then everything went dark.

Kenny woke up with a massive throbbing in his head. It took him a while to finally put his eyes to work, even though the environment was dark with a small bonfire served as the only source of light. The reflection on the glass prompted him with the fact that he was inside a building, a very large building with a lot of windows. And a quick glance over his shoulders made him recognize the place.

He was at Saskia's hangar.

The second thing he noticed was that he was sitting on the ground, hands tied behind his back, legs spread forward with ankles secured on anchors. Somebody else was tied back to back against him. It didn't take long for him to recognize Roxy. The smell of her shampoo was easy to notice.

"Roxy?" he called. "Are you alright?"

"Oh My God, Kenny!" Roxy sobbed as she writhed against her bonds. "Where are we? What is going on? Are we going to die?"

"I don't know," Kenny tried to break free from his bondage, but his wrists were secured tightly against Roxy's. Desperate, he twisted around to find somebody responsible for their capture, and his eyes landed on a slender figure next to the bonfire. It was a woman with short dark hair, wearing denim jacket and short, and knee-high boots. The Arosaurer that attacked them, presumably hers, sat leisurely but vigilantly in the distance.

Kenny recognized her ice-cold stare, and it immediately gave him goosebumps.

"You!" he said nervously. "Lieutenant Cassiopeia!"

"Who? Do you know her?" Roxy squirmed in discomfort. "Who is she? Is she going to kill us?"

"She is… She is…" Kenny tried hard to dig the information about her at the back of his mind. "She is a dishonored Rottiger agent… She is trying to steal Saskia's zoid…."

"You speak absent truth, yet your words spread the curse of knowing too much," Cassiopeia kneeled next to Kenny, forcing him to look into her eyes. "A curse for both of us that you have met Royce DesGagne before me."

"Curse?" Kenny blurted. "I bless the fates that I met him first! Where is Saskia? What have you done to her?"

"Where is Saskia?" Cassiopeia replied with a curt snigger. "A question longed answered by all! Where is Saskia? Too bad, you may have led Royce to her. Now we may never see her again."

"Captain Royce DesGagne is trying to protect Saskia from you!" Kenny snarled.

"Royce DesGagne is no longer a Captain in Rottiger rank!" Cassiopeia suddenly turned dark. "He had been discharged without honor, both from Rottiger and Guylos Empire Military!"

"How dare you twist his words!"

"Twist his words?" Cassiopeia grabbed Kenny's long hair. "You don't even know which words hold truth! You can't distinguish truth from lies! And yet you flap your tongue like you know what direction to take to find Saskia! You want the truth?" She stood up and grabbed a long piece of wood from the bonfire, one with red-hot ember at the other end. "Pain brings truth. Now put tongue to work: where is Royce going?"

"I… I… I don't know," Kenny stammered.

"Either you are very brave or very stupid," Cassiopeia held the ember closer to Kenny's feet. The ember was still far from his skin but he already felt the heat up to his spine. He twisted and retracted his legs vigorously but the anchors secured them in position. Any attempt to set them free ended up futile.

"I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!" he cried, shaking and trembling with fear. "Royce DesGagne withheld everything from me barring your disgraced career with Rottiger! I swear that is the truth!"

"The purpose of your suffering is absent," Cassiopeia held the ember closer to Kenny's feet, almost touching the skin of his soles. "Do you think Royce will note your pain as worthy of cause? Do you think he will come back for gratitude? By own words: he withheld everything from you. He regards you as a mere tool for his ambition. Now extend your knowledge: where is Royce going?"

Kenny felt as if his skin was already peeling off his feet. It felt like his entire body was consumed by fire. The heat was unbearable, and the only thing coming out of his mouth was agonizing cries.

"Please Kenny, give her what she wants," Roxy sobbed pleadingly. "Just give her what she wants so we can go home…"

"You speak out of turn," Cassiopeia stood and turned to Roxy. "Perhaps you can loosen up tongue."

"But I don't know anything," Roxy cried in complete terror.

"We'll see it confirmed shortly," Cassiopeia replied with a sadistic smile in her face.

From Kenny's position it was hard to see what Cassiopeia did to Roxy. But in a matter of minutes Roxy started to twitch, writhe, squirm and thrash about, wailing and crying out in the process. As much pain as Kenny could endure, it was more tormenting to see Roxy getting the same treatment. He couldn't let her have it, not if everything was caused by him.

"Stop! Please, stop! I told you everything!" Kenny howled from the top of his lung, overpowering Roxy's agonizing cries. "I told you everything! I escorted Royce to this place, then he left me absent saying! That is the truth! Please, let her go. She has nothing to do with everything!"

Cassiopeia moved to Kenny's right. "He just took off? Did he take anything?"

"I don't know."

"Put head to use, or see your girlfriend suffer for it."

"I don't know!" Kenny tried hard to relive his encounter with Royce. "Something from the ground, like a bit of…"

"Zoid piece," Cassiopeia finished Kenny's sentence. She got up and walked around the hangar, eyes peeled to the ground. She amassed several pieces of zoid armor and piled it up next to the bonfire. "What is of these pieces? How can they bestow Royce with the gift of what to do?"

"I don't know, I swear I don't know," Kenny said, half pleading.

"These are Killerdome armors," Cassiopeia continued after inspecting the pieces. "Does Saskia have a Killerdome?"

"No, Saskia owns but one zoid. The only one that yields to her command. The only one she ever loves."

"So this Killerdome pushed its way into here, fought the Gilvader, and was destroyed," Cassiopeia mused. "Who benefits in Saskia being dead?"

"Seriously? You ask for that?" Kenny put up a little spark. "Do you know how much a Gilvader is worth in the black market?"

"This intrusion is not something of wealth," Cassiopeia rebuked. "It is laden with malice. Somebody intended to kill Saskia, even long before Royce had his nose on her. And now Royce is on his trail."

"How did you guess that from a pile of zoid junks?" Kenny squinted.

"I am Lieutenant Cassiopeia, Rottiger Special Operation Force. I am trained to hunt down the remnants of Neo Zenebas Empire with as few hints as possible… like these armor pieces," Cassiopeia sat on the ground in front of the Killerdome armor. "I spent years profiling criminals by their choice of zoids and weaponry."

"So if you're with Rottiger, whose side is Royce on?"

"Royce DesGagne is…" Cassiopeia sighed, "… was a Rottiger champion of merit and commendation. He was my captain, my superior, my mentor, and my best consort. He led Rottiger to victories in barren lands, against Neo Zenebas criminals long wanted by both Helic Republic and Guylos Empire. His cunning was sharper than any zoid's blade, and his leadership was something to be desired by new recruits.

"But as great a man Royce was, he was not absent flaws. He was obsessed to fuse with an Ultimate Zoid, a legendary zoid worthy of a small army."

"To fuse?" Kenny thought he heard it wrong. "You mean… to be union with the zoid?"

"As an organoid does," Cassiopeia confirmed it. "His obsession became toxic; we were the best companions in love and war, but his obsession parted us, and the distance grew with his budding fascination toward the Ultimate Zoid. A fusion experiment with a white Liger Zero believed to be the Ultimate Zoid turned fatal and put doom to his career. He was discharged dishonorably from Rottiger and Guylos Empire Military service.

"Then he learnt about the turmoil in Helic Republic and the Gilvader that prevented General Krauser to establish a military regime. He set out for a hunt, thinking that he could see his fortune rise with the Gilvader. But his failure with Liger Zero cost Rottiger half a dozen agents; think how many lives would cease if he mess around with a Gilvader. Half the continent would pay for his sin. My mission is to stop his union with the Gilvader."

It was not easy for Kenny to force down Cassiopeia's explanation. Two different sides slinging mud at each other - which one told the truth? Royce was more discreet but less upfront with him, if he was upfront at all. Cassiopeia was more brutal and sadistic in her approach, but she didn't hold back information. That last quality of the lieutenant ultimately helped Kenny decided that he would take Cassiopeia's side… at least for now.

"So you are not making attempt at Saskia?" he asked carefully.

"No, and neither is Royce presently," Cassiopeia held a piece of Killerdome armor. "I am after Royce, and Royce is after whoever sells this piece, because he shall show the path to the Gilvader."

"I can assist you finding some zoid traders around Blue City that sells Killerdomes," Kenny said. "Royce is acting alone. With my hand, you may cut him off."

"Kenny? What is the meaning of this?" Roxy, who had been silent for a while, suddenly rose to object to Kenny's offering. "You gave words to stay away from this matter!"

"I lend my arm, but I shall have my exchange," Kenny continued. "See Roxy safe and sound, and you are never to lay arms on her again!"

"Word for word," Cassiopeia said as she cut off Kenny's bondage. "I will see her unharmed, not by me, not by anybody."

"Oh My God, Roxy are you alright?" Kenny lunged at Roxy as soon as he was freed. He hugged her closely, then checked her from head to toes. All is in good order; he didn't see any scratch or burnt mark on her.

"I am fine," Roxy sobbed and whimpered. "Let's just go home and disown this misadventure, okay?"

"I gave the lieutenant my word," Kenny said. "You will not be touched by anybody as long as I assist her. I will fetch her to zoid traders, then it is done."

"Then I come with you."

"No, Roxy, stay behind…"

"She'd better come along," Cassiopeia interjected. "It is easier to keep eyes on her if she is near."

"Do not overstep our agreement!" Kenny sneered at Cassiopeia. "You give words to protect her!"

"My end is to keep her safe," Cassiopeia replied casually. "We did not agree on places."

"Rottiger cheat! I trust in your honor but you put my good intention to mockery!" Kenny started to feel that Cassiopeia was trying to exploit his good will. "Roxy stays behind, and that's that!"

"Very well, but I am moving out, and so are you," Cassiopeia started walking toward her zoid. "Who will look after her if you and I are on venture?"

"Damn it all to hell!" Kenny groaned in exasperation, but realized that he was short of negotiation skill. He thought he was doing Roxy a favor, but it turned out he just put her in danger since now she had to come along with Cassiopeia, a stranger who had no inhibition in hurting people to get what she wanted. "Apologies," he said to Roxy. "I am a fool, and I put you in harm's way."

"It's alright, Kenny, see it done," Roxy chimed. "I shall take care of myself."

"Fine, but I'm taking Cleto," Kenny said forcefully, making sure Cassiopeia heard him.

"We've never agreed on Cleto," Cassiopeia replied curtly. "Who is Cleto?"

"My organoid."

"You have an organoid?" Cassiopeia turned around. "So where is your zoid?"

"I have none. Cleto is all I have."

Cassiopeia looked at Kenny like he was coming from another planet. "An organoid absent zoid? What life are you leading, you delusional noob?"

"No matter," Kenny huffed. "Since you have shown me that you are not to be trusted, Roxy and I shall be on Cleto. You shall ride your own."

Cassiopeia shook her head in disbelief, then continued to walk toward her zoid. "Your organoid is your own," she mumbled disparagingly. "See it used to your liking."