Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids. The only zoid that I own is the Genobreaker…who is still acting as my background image.
Disclaimer2: The zoid that ZOH-001 uses does NOT belong to me. It belongs to ShadowRebirth37 who has kindly let me borrow the zoid for my fic.
Author's Note: In this chapter some new elements have been added for you to ponder about. They will be explained as the story progresses.
Story Guide
"Talking" 'Thoughts' /Organoid Speech\
{Zoid Speech} Emphasis "Ancient Zoidian"
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001's organoid flew as fast as he could. It was a little after two in the afternoon and the desert was starting to become unbearable. They had fled the facility about five hours ago and had completely lost the Republicans that were tailing them. The only reason why the organoid didn't stop was because he was looking for a place to land safely, preferably an oasis. He didn't want his hatchling to become dehydrated!
Finally, after another hour of flying, the organoid found a small patch of green in the sea of reddish golden sand. Circling it once, he descended into the small oasis and looked around. There was a small pool of fresh water and the trees kept the area relatively cool. The trees also held some fruits as well…he hoped they were edible, he didn't want his hatchling to get sick from them. Deciding that the oasis was safe enough he opened his chest plates and gently set his hatchling down, nudging his shoulder and cooing softly.
001 blinked a couple of times to adjust his eyes to the bright light. After he felt his organoid nudge him he turned around to face him, letting his hood fall down. He looked up at his black organoid with a confused expression on his face. After he had been released from the organoid two names had instantly popped into his head, but that was it. Two names…so…which name was his?
/…What's wrong hatchling? \
"Our names… When you released me…our names came to me but that was it. I was just trying to figure out which name belongs to whom."
/…Hatchling…I will be happy with either name.\
"Even so… I would still like to think about it."
/ I'm sure that you will name us correctly. Why don't you go and drink some water while I gather some food? I know that you haven't had anything since early this morning…\
"…Okay then."
While his organoid lightly took wing to reach some of the 'hopefully edible' fruit, 001 went to the water's edge and peered at his reflection. As he expected his reflection stared back at him. He really wasn't interested in his appearance right now, even though he had wondered on numerous occasions; he was too busy trying to decide which name belonged to him and which name belonged to his organoid. They were both similar…he could easily just pick which ever he liked and be done with it but…something was nagging at him from the back of his mind. Something that told him to really think this through.
He looked back to his organoid. He wasn't having very much luck with the fruits as they would burst every time he tried to pull them off. 001 could tell that he was starting to become frustrated. He had blocked his mind so his hatchling wouldn't be able to hear his fierce words at the fruits.
As he watched his organoid get stickier and stickier a small smile came to his face. He had decided. The name just seemed to fit his organoid it was a wonder why he even had to think about it. It was most likely the shock of actually remembering something.
Though, that did bring up another question. That old man…Dr. D, was telling the evil blonde or E.B., as 001 referred to him, that if he were to fuse with his organoid all of his memories would come back. But they didn't. Just their names came to him and even then they were fuzzy. Was it possible that they came back gradually after they had fused? Or…did the experiments that the Republicans performed on them erase their memories altogether?
His shoulders slumped a little. The second one. He had a strong gut feeling that they had some how erased all of his and his organoid's memories. Whether it was intentional or not they were still responsible.
His spirit lifted a little when he thought about the black organoid. Even though their memories were completely erased, the black organoid still called him 'his hatchling'. There was a bond between them that just couldn't be broken.
He really wanted to just call out his organoid's name to keep him from getting any angrier, but, before he could do so, a loud noise caught his attention. His organoid must have heard it too because in an instant he was beside 001's side. A low, feral growl came from the black organoid as his attention focused to where he had heard the noise. They waited anxiously for whatever had made the noise to come out but it never did.
"You don't think that it's them again…do you?"
/…Somehow, I doubt that it's the Republicans. It could have possibly been a rogue zoid [1] ambushing an unsuspecting traveler.\
"I guess a rogue is better then the Republicans finding us…"
/…Only slightly better…\
001 nodded his head at that statement. Rogues could be very aggressive. They more than likely attack without any provocation and wouldn't stop their assault until they had either destroyed what they were attacking or became too damaged to move.
He was brought out of his musings by his organoid who nudged him on his back wanting attention. He smiled softly and patted his organoid's muzzle only to find it very, very sticky.
/ What's wrong? Why'd you stop? \ His organoid whined.
A small giggle, "You're sticky."
His organoid mentally sighed. He had forgotten about that when he thought that his hatchling could have been in danger.
/ I'll get myself cleaned up and I'll let you pick the fruit this time. …Hatchling? \
"Hmm? What is it?"
/ Have you decided about the names yet? \
"Yep! I think it was just the fact that I actually remembered something was what startled me."
/ …I guess I would be surprised too, considering I can't remember anything…\
"Yeah…me neither. I think the Republicans erased our memories…"
/ Let's not think about the past. What's done is done.\
001 nodded his head sadly. Gone. They were all gone, but they would be just fine. Dr. D had taught him a couple of things during pervious checkups when the E.B. wasn't around. He had quickly picked up the foreign language, foreign to him at least, and had taught it to his organoid. He knew a little bit of the terrain when Dr. D had smuggled in a map to show him, also mentally shown to his organoid. The only thing he didn't quite understand yet was this thing called 'money' [2]. Apparently it's very important for that's basically all the soldiers talked about besides the Imperials.
That's another thing to think about. The Imperials. The other people he would rather not run into. He didn't want to fight in this war. The Republicans just saw him and his organoid as tools and he was pretty sure that the Imperials would just think the same thing. He heard the soldier's talk about how the Imperials were also looking for organoids…
*Splash!*
001 looked over to his organoid. He was cleaning himself off in the small pool and had slipped on some of the rocks. He was roaring loudly due to the surprise of slipping.
"You really should be more careful," he teased.
"Skriii! [3]"
"H-Huh!? Wh-What's g-goin' on!?"
The ground beneath 001 was moving violently, making him tumble off the moving heap of sand.
"Ouch…" He said as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head.
"Skriii!"
He immediately looked up to see a guyzak looming over him and drawing closer.
{So…you're the one I felt…}
'What the? Wh-Who just spoke to me?'
{Why don't cha come here little zoidian? With your power…I'll become much more powerful…}
'My…power? What in the world?'
001 scrambled backwards as the guyzak got closer. Right before the scorpion-like zoid could grab him in its claws a black blur rammed into the guyzak's side, causing him to halt his advance on 001. The guyzak then turned his attention to the black organoid.
{You stay outta this organoid! This zoidian is mine! I will not let you absorb him!}
/ Absorb him!? He is MY hatchling! I will protect him from anything! Including you! \
001 watched as his organoid fought off the rogue guyzak. His body had gone numb after hearing what the guyzak had said.
'What does he mean 'absorb me'? I…I don't…I just don't get it…'
Suddenly a loud crash made 001 refocus on the fight. The guyzak had thrown his organoid against a big boulder. 001 couldn't see if any damage was done because the guyzak was blocking his view.
/ Hatchling! Get yourself to safety! I'll distract him for as long as I can! \
'B-But!'
/ No buts! Just go! NOW!! \
He watched as his organoid got back up and proceeded to keep the guyzak at bay. 001's body finally caught up to what his brain was telling him to do. Run. He got a few paces before the guyzak fired at him, preventing him from getting anywhere. Luckily he wasn't hit, unluckily though was the fact that he brought the guyzak's attention back to him.
{You can't run from me little zoidian. And just to make sure you can't…}
The next thing 001 knew all of the wind had been knocked out of him. His organoid just couldn't reach him in time to keep him from getting hurt. 001 skid across the sandy ground a few feet before coming to a stop near the water's edge. His organoid nudged him, trying to get a response out of him.
/ Hatchling, please answer me!! \
Nothing. 001 had been knocked unconscious, which was a little comfort in of itself. He wasn't dead, that was good, but his organoid had no idea how hurt he was, if at all.
{Give it up organoid. I will take him from you and use him how I see fit!}
BKO ran through his options quickly. The guyzak was closing in and if he batted him out of the way he would reach his hatchling and 'absorb' him? He still didn't know what that meant but he knew it wasn't good.
/ 'I can't fuse with him. He'll just drain my remaining energy then eject me out. I can't fight him head on either. He might get between us… We'll have to flee. It's our only option right now…' \
Reluctantly he took his eyes off the guyzak and opened his chest plates. The cords came whizzing out and secured 001. The plates closed when his hatchling had been pulled inside of him and he pulled out his wings to take off.
The guyzak was having none of it. He skriiied angrily and proceeded to try and capture BKO in his claws or to hit him back down to the ground, for the organoid couldn't get high enough to effectively escape; not with the guyzak shooting at him and brandishing his claws at him whenever he made an attempt at it. The guyzak was also pushing him back further and further near a small plateau wall that was looming into view.
/'He's trying to trap me. I can't take to the air, he'll just hit me down, and he blocks me whenever I try to go around him. There's not very much room for me to maneuver around, but the same goes for him. …Now…how do I use that to my advantage?'\
It was true. He was flying low to the ground to avoid being swat at and he had to keep dodging trees and boulders as they became more numerous.
*SWOOSH!!*
BKO looked back to see what was making that whistling sound and saw one large guyzak claw coming down on him. A sickening crash was heard through out the small oasis forest. The guyzak had hit his mark, sending BKO crashing through a couple of trees before coming to a stop. With his energy all but depleted from trying to keep his hatchling from suffering any damage he had to relinquish his hold on 001. He just couldn't stay fused any longer. His chest plates once again opened and 001 fell out. BKO was exhausted, but he wasn't going to just watch helplessly as the guyzak did whatever to his hatchling. He forced himself to his feet and stood protectively between his hatchling and the advancing guyzak.
{Useless. You can barely stand organoid, let alone protect him.} A quick swipe of the guyzak's claw sent the black organoid flying a few feet more away from 001, leaving him defenseless. The guyzak proceeded to get close enough to pick up the unconscious boy in his claw and he was none to gentle about it either.
{The organoid is out of commission…for now. I have the zoidian but…how can I absorb him?} The guyzak continued to ponder this, unaware of the slight movements from 001, stirring back into the realm of consciousness.
'Ohh…my chest…hurts… Why's it…so hard to breathe…?' He wearily opened his eyes and saw the blurred image of the guyzak. He looked down to his torso and saw that he had been captured and that the guyzak was starting to crush him.
{Seems that you've finally come around. This might make things a bit easier…}
"M-Make what eas-easier…?" he wheezed out. The guyzak really was crushing him!
{Absorbing you of course. It seems that you don't have to be willing to do so…just conscious…} the guyzak sneered.
The next thing 001 knew his body was in agonizing pain. It felt like someone was tearing his body to shreds with jagged knives from the outside, while inside it felt as if his body had caught on fire. The two different pains overloading his brain made him want to scream…if he could. The guyzak's hold on him was threatening to break his body in half so breathing was already a struggle. The best that he could manage was to shut his eyes tight and grit his teeth, praying that something would stop this torture.
{So much! There's just so much…!?}
So much 'what' 001 never found out. He was abruptly released and dropped to the ground, adding to his already pain-ridden body. The next thing he heard was the ear-shattering sound of metal against metal. He wanted to know what was going on. It definitely didn't sound like his organoid so he concluded that it was another zoid. Another zoid that wanted to 'absorb' him, just like the guyzak.
His breathing was still a little labored, most likely caused by a broken rib or two, but he had enough strength to open his eyes and flip himself onto his side to see what in the world was going on. Only there was a slight problem… The new zoid that had come had just finished the guyzak off and the dust was just now starting to settle.
A slight movement off to his left caught his attention. It was his organoid. He tried to mentally reach him, but his brain was still on overdrive dealing with the now dulling pain that he just couldn't manage it. Another movement, this time right in front of him. It was the new zoid, but all the dust made its shape hard to distinguish. He could tell though that this zoid was four-legged.
'Great…this new zoid will have no problem picking up where the guyzak left off…' He managed to push himself up and shakily stood. He was going to face this new zoid with his head held high, not as a weak little zoidian, as the guyzak had made him felt. The dust settled revealing the new comer.
It was a wolf-type zoid, but not any that 001 had seen, courtesy of Dr. D's constant smuggling of things to his room. This wolf-type zoid had pure white armor that looked as if it was sculpted out of snow. Its eyes were a breathtaking emerald green while its gear caps looked as if they were made out of pale rubies. However, to 001, the claws are what caught his eye and held his attention for a minuet before his eyes darted back to the emerald green of the wolf zoid. The claws also looked like they were fashioned out of a rare gem, opal to be exact. They were a milky white but when the sun reflected off of them a multitude of different colors was displayed.
He watched warily as the wolf zoid approached him. It was taking slow, cautious steps as if it was afraid it would make him bolt. It stopped a few feet from him and he watched nervously as it lowered its head to get a better look at him. A low, soft growl emanated from it, almost as if it was trying to calm him down.
{Aren't you a cute little one!?}
Double blink. He was not expecting that! Being tossed around and hurt again, yes, he was fully expecting that, but being called 'cute' by a female wolf-type zoid…not so much.
{What's the matter sugar? Are you gonna be alright?}
Sugar!? That sounded like a pet name to him. He already had 'hatchling', which he didn't mind so much, but he knew that his organoid would call him that even as he got older. If the wolf zoid kept on calling him 'sugar' then he knew he would be stuck with another pet name.
Strangely though, this zoid didn't feel hostile like the guyzak had. He felt a sense of peacefulness coming from her. It was like this zoid wasn't interested in him for the same reason the guyzak had been but…for something different altogether.
"You…aren't going to absorb me?"
{Absorb you!? Now why would I want to absorb a cute little thing like you sugar?}
A slight eyebrow twitch. There it was again. It was official; the wolf zoid would forever call him 'sugar'.
"Then…why did you…save me?"
{I just couldn't let that monster have his way. Normally I could care less about something like that, but, for some reason, I got extremely angry when I saw him starting to absorb you sugar. I don't know why, but I felt compelled to protect you.}
He was so confused. In a matter of fifteen minuets he had been confronted by a power-crazed zoid who basically wanted to eat him and a strange wolf-type zoid that wanted to protect him. So are most of the zoids that he is more than likely going to confront going to try to 'absorb' him or just leave him alone? He will have to be more cautious around other zoids from now on. He didn't want a repeat like with the guyzak.
He felt that he could trust this wolf zoid. If she really wanted to 'absorb' him she would have done so by now instead of talking to him and calling him 'sugar'. He was pretty sure that zoids didn't give pet names to something they were about to eat.
The sound of metallic footsteps made him turn his head to look at his organoid. There were a few shallow gashes but nothing too serious. His organoid made his way over to him and gently nudged him, already aware of his injuries.
/ You alright hatchling? \
"I've been better, but I'll be fine."
His organoid was totally at peace with the wolf zoid. It was most likely the only reason the guyzak had been able to sneak up from under them was because they had let their guard down and were enjoying their new found freedom. They'd have to be more careful from now on.
/ I must thank you for protecting him.\
{Don't you worry about it. I just couldn't let that monster hurt him any more than he already had. …By the way…Sugar? Do you have a zoid to pilot?}
"No…why?"
{I would like for you to pilot me then. I've yet to find the right pilot for me, but I believe that you're the one that I've been looking for.}
001 thought about it for a moment. He liked the idea. He felt safe with this zoid, just as he felt safe with his organoid. He could tell that if he somehow got into trouble she would be right there to help him get out of it. His organoid also seemed to like her. It looked like he was all for the idea too.
"Okay then. If you're sure about it. What…do I call you?"
{My name's Aurora. What're your names, sugar?}
"My organoid's name is Shadow. My name is…Raven."
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[1]: Rogue zoid: I decided to kinda take a leaf out of the manga for this idea. The manga talks about there being wild zoids but I'm assuming that the zoids usually don't have any weapons and are a little aggressive. In this fic rogue zoids will be a much nastier version of the wild zoids as they usually do have fully loaded weapons from attacking travelers and are much more aggressive. I hope this little explanation helps.
[2]: Money: I know what money is and you know what money is so why do I have a little A/N beside it? In the anime they use two different terms. In the episode after Van gets the Blade Liger they use "gold from the Republic". In the episode titled Run Wolf they use something called a kurplunk? gurplunk? I don't know how it's spelled or even if I'm trying to pronounce it right but the point is they use two different currencies. My question is should I use the two different currencies or should I just make something up and have a unified currency? Please tell me what you think I should do because I've not a clue ^-^'
[3]: Skriii: This is the sound that the guyzaks make. If you don't believe me then either a) listen very closely to the anime or b) buy the first volume of the zoid manga and turn to page 11.
Author's Note: Didn't see that one comin' now didja? Who'd of thought that our sweet little 001 was Raven? Now, I've seen a lot of fics that have him as either a human or part-zoidian and I'm pretty sure I'm not the first to try to make him a pure blooded zoidian, but I really liked the idea when I was putting my story together. Now before you start telling me I'm making him OOC or will be making him OOC you have to remember that right now he's seven and has just came out of his stasis capsule. I'm doing my best to give him reasons to dislike zoids and seem like an enigma to people. You'll just have to trust me on this and if he does seem like he's a little OOC…tough. Nobody's perfect. That's it for now. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon like within the next week or so. Please Review and tell me what you thought about it!!