"And then he said, that's why it's called Dibison!"
The joke elicited a few pained giggles amongst the gathered Blitz team, but not quite enough to encourage Dr. Toros to tell another. So far, the party had not exactly been a rousing success, nor a total failure, either. The prize money earned from the Royal Cup was beginning to look a little thin, so Toros had decided to invite the Champ boy over to schmooze. While by all standards, the entertainment and food had been dreary, Harry was enjoying himself. Dr. Toros knew it was because he had hardly removed his eyes from Leena since his arrival, but that was part of the plan. If he could convince her to go out on a date with Harry- or at least hold his hand once or twice, it wouldn't take much prodding to work a few million credits out from the Champ accounts. The Hover Cargo was developing some alignment issues that were the result of a sluggish left engine bank, and was in need of a tune-up. With that repair taken care of, they'd be nearly ready for the next Zoid Battle season, provided they would use only half of their ammunition in each battle.
"No offense, dad, but I'm pretty bored," sighed Leena, taking another sip from her fluted glass.
Darn it, Leena, that's the wrong thing to say!
"I wonder where Bit is," she continued.
GAH! Leena! You're making it worse!
"Yeah, where is he?" asked Harry, interested in anything Leena was. Dr. Toros breathed a sigh of relief.
"And Brad's missing, too," Jaime noticed, setting the next tray of drinks down to look around.
"Oh, dear," muttered Dr. Toros.
Full-tilt in the Liger Zero was Bit Cloud's favorite state of being. The scenery was ripped past him by the firm grip of the Liger's paws against the ground. The cockpit bobbed rhythmically as the Zoid surged ahead, the land before him a brown blur under the vast blue sky.
"It's a beautiful day, Liger," Bit laughed.
A vidcom channel popped open on the left side of Bit's heads up display, where a smiling, scruffy mercenary grinned back at him.
"I'll second the Liger on that," Brad smirked. "But it think you're day's going to be a little less beautiful when you're choking on my Shadow Fox's dust!"
The angular, brown Zoid loped forward, out of the Liger's blind spot and into Bit's view. Its thrusters engaged, and it jolted away.
"Well, I don't think we can just sit back and let those guys beat us, Liger," said Bit, finding the triggers for his own Zoid's boosters. With a mighty kick, they threw him further back into the Liger Zero's racing bucket, and brought the Shadow Fox ever closer on his viewscreens. If Bit had to guess, he had only about five seconds before he would overtake Brad, and he needed to come up with a snappy comeback by then. As he wracked his brain, the Liger drew closer still. But Brad was not focused on staying ahead.
"Hold up, Bit," he warned, disengaging his thrusters and digging the Fox's claws into the ground. Somewhat, disappointed, Bit pulled back the control sticks of the Liger, forcing the larger, heavier Zoid to slide to a halt in front of the mercenary's.
"Hey, Brad, what's the deal? Afraid you were going to lose?"
"No. An unidentified Zoid just showed up on the Fox's sensors."
"Wait, what? But we're at the base. Who in the world would try to show up here uninvited?"
"I'll give you one guess," murmured Brad gravely.
"You don't mean the Backdraft?"
"You can never be too careful. Here, I'm going to try to get a visual. It's about four klicks out, closing fast."
Brad pushed a few buttons, activating the Fox's zoom optics and streaming a feed to Bit's Liger. He scanned the horizon until he found the radar signature- and the bulky lavender silhouette it belonged to.
"Oh, great," he groaned.
"That's the Berserk Fury," gasped Bit. "Liger, get ready."
The Zoid beneath Bit growled in anticipation. Their greatest rival had just showed up on their doorstep. The Tyrannosaurus-type Zoid bearing down on them seemed to have recovered from its previous battle scars- it had recovered both of its huge, pincer-like charged particle manipulators. Its silver claws and teeth glinted in the sunlight, like the jewels of a crowned prince. The creature was regal in its savagery, the king of all beasts on Zi. The last time the Blitz Team encountered the Zoid, it nearly destroyed their Hover Cargo, and knocked out the entire team effortlessly. Now, it rested only a few hundred meters from Bit's Liger and Brad's Shadow Fox, its talons twitching greedily.
Another vidcom channel opened, displaying the familiar face of the machine's bright-eyed pilot.
"Well, hello, there, Bit!"
"Vega Obscura," growled the Liger's pilot. "What are you doing here? Back for a rematch?"
"No, no, it's nothing like that," said Vega innocently. "I'm not here for a fight. I mean you no harm."
Brad narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Is that so? Then why'd you bring that monster of a Zoid out here, armed to the teeth?"
"Two reasons," replied the boy. "One, Fury would never want to miss an opportunity to see his favorite Liger in the world. And two, I needed its protection." Vega leaned forward, revealing a second occupant of the Zoid's cockpit- a woman, clad in pink, who waved innocently towards the camera.
"Who's she? Your mom?" asked Bit sarcastically.
"No, she's- she's very important. For everyone on this planet. And she's in great danger. That's why I brought her to you- you can help me keep her safe!"
"I- I'm not sure that my word means much to you," mumbled the woman. "But Vega is telling the truth. I-I'll be able to pay you for your services."
Brad switched his vidcom channel to a private setting. "Doesn't Doc need to fix up the Hover Cargo?"
"Yeah, he does. And how hard could it be to keep her safe when she's surrounded by a Zoid Battle team?"
"Let's not jump right into this, yet," said Brad cautiously. "We need to get the whole story out of them before we can agree to anything."
"You see, this is why we keep you around, Brad," chuckled Bit.
"And the reason we keep you around is to siphon your paychecks for projects like this."
Brad returned his vidcom to an open setting.
"We'll escort you back to headquarters. We'll discuss this further there."
Every time Bit saw Vega up close, he couldn't get over just how young he was. A passion for Zoids had no age limit, he supposed. Still, seeing a kid that age walk serenely down the hallways, asking no questions, and not bouncing off the walls… it was slightly unnerving. Being conditioned by the Backdraft probably sapped the rambunctiousness right out of him.
Bit decided that he ought to be the one to break the silence. "So what have you been up to, Vega?"
"Fury and I have been traveling the world. We've seen all sorts of fantastic people and Zoids," he said politely.
"And cheated them out of their money?" added Brad.
"The Backdraft doesn't exist anymore. It's not like I've got anyone giving me orders," Vega replied. "But I have entered a few off-season tournaments. That's how I paid to have Fury repaired, and that's when I met Fiona here."
"Fiona, that's a pretty name," said Bit.
"Th-thank you," she whispered.
The door at the end of the hall opened, and they entered the base's main lounge. The party that had been limping onward lost the will to continue.
"Is… is that Vega Obscura?" stammered Dr. Toros.
"Yep," sighed Brad.
"The kid that nearly trashed my Hover Cargo?"
"The same," confirmed Bit.
"With everyone inside?"
"I'm sorry for what I did. I made a lot of mistakes in the past. But I'm not here to apologize," warned Vega. "I'm here because I have a friend who needs help."
"I'm surprised you can make friends, you devil spawn!" snorted Leena, keeping her distance from the boy by moving into a seat closer to Harry. The Champ boy and Dr. Toros exchanged a knowing glance.
"Hey, can we all hold on a second? Say what you will about Vega, but he came to us looking for help. I think we can get past the hostility, at least for Fiona's sake."
Leena took another sip of her drink, and cast a suspicious glare at the woman. "And I guess the blonde is Fiona?"
"I am," she replied. "And this planet is in great danger."
"The whole planet? How do you know that?" asked Harry.
"Because my fate, and the fate of the planet, are one and the same. I am an ancient Zoidian. The last of my kind."
Harry scratched his head. "An ancient Zoidian? What's that?"
"Maybe you didn't listen to your history teacher because there were too many credits crammed in your ears," growled Brad. "Hundreds of years ago, humans from a dying planet arrived on Zi with a colony ship. But there were already people here- the Zoidians. They could communicate with the native Zoids, which they domesticated. Most of them were wiped out in the wars between the old countries, the Helic Republic, the Zenebas and Guylos Empires, who created most of the Zoids we see today."
"It's said that the genetic code of an ancient Zoidian contains the complete genomes of every Zoid that's ever lived," added Vega. "And now, someone's after Fiona."
"To get a blood sample? That doesn't sound so bad," said Dr. Toros.
"If it was as easy as a blood sample, they wouldn't have tried to kidnap her," said Vega.
"So what do you need from us?" Leena asked.
"Protection," replied Fiona. "I know you are a Zoid Battle team, but I'm willing to pay for a private security contract. A Zoid Battle team is mobile and heavily armed. You're the ideal group to help me evade my pursuers. You will not need to change your plans. Simply provide me a room on your transport."
Dr. Toros placed a hand on his chin. "And exactly how much are you willing to pay?"
"Name your price."
"You know, I think we have an extra room on the Hover Cargo…"
Jamie raised his hand cautiously. "Now, um… how long are you planning on sticking around?"
"Vega is working to track down my pursuers. Once he has successfully identified them, they will be dealt with. Afterward, I will no longer need your assistance."
"I don't think we have anything to lose," offered Bit.
Dr. Toros stepped forward and shook Fiona's hand, which seemed to concern the woman. "All right, we'll accept your offer."
"But if anything fishy starts happening, you're out on your own," grunted Leena.
"Don't mind my daughter," the doctor assured Fiona. "She can be a bit…"
"Abrasive," finished Brad.
Bit noticed Vega begin to wander back out of the room, and decided to follow.
"So you're trying to figure this out?"
"Yeah. I've got a few leads."
"Who do you think's behind it?"
Vega stopped in his tracks, and turned to face Bit.
"I told your friends that the Backdraft doesn't exist anymore… but I'm worried that might not be true. These people, the ones coming after Fiona- they're really shady. Very dangerous. And I knew them."
"You- you did?"
"They're ex-Backdraft, for sure. One of them is a Zoid poacher- an expert in wild Zoids, like your Liger or my Fury. And the other, he's some sort of big-shot mercenary from one of the other continents. And they're after Fiona… I'm worried that they may be trying to create another Ultimate X."
"But… if you're not with them, what good would it do them? It doesn't matter how strong a Zoid they make, they'd still get caught by the ZBC, right?"
"Exactly. Which is why it doesn't make sense. There's got to be something more to their plan, but, I just haven't figured it out yet. But I will, Bit. I promise, I'll make up for what I did."
"I'm sure you will, kid. Keep in touch."
"Will do," Vega said, turning to sprint down the hallway. On his way out, he jumped to try and touch the ceiling panels, but failed every time.
Heh. He's still a normal kid, deep down.