Alright everyone, here's chapter five. One of the problems I had was making everything about the lightning saix and the things Krater said sound technical and make sense, but that's kind of hard... so here goes.
Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of its official characters. Krater, Virilia, Renia, Jrouler, and the mystery man are mine.
Chapter 5: Can we fix it? Yes we can!
It was another hour before she finally started to stir and the members of Alpha Team had already eaten dinner and kept some leftovers for when she woke. When she did, she was greatly surprised to find herself in Virilia's house with her and Krater looking at her. She started and bolted upright, only to quickly regret it as a monstrous headache assaulted her and forced her back down with a groan.
"Ow my head..." She grumbled with squinted eyes and a frown.
"Not surprising, you hit your head pretty hard..." Stated Krater quietly so that it didn't bother her.
Renia looked around groggily for a second before everything clicked into place and she let out a quiet huff. "So I lost huh? What happened? All I remember is I suddenly lose control of my lightning saix, I'm getting shook all up in my cockpit... then I wake up here." She asked in great confusion.
Virilia smiled and looked at Krater, "When you came around to hit Raider again, Krater had him deploy his blades at the same time you were passing by and got your lightning saix good." She answered for him with a satisfied tone.
Renia glanced at her then at Krater who was frowning and listened as he said, "...Renia, I'm sorry. If I had known doing that would have gotten you seriously injured I would have just let you win."
The redhead waved a dismissive hand in the air and replied, "Bah... don't worry about it... I'll be fine in a few days." Then she smiled as an idea came to mind, "...But you know... for putting my life in danger like that you should do something for me in return..."
Virilia's expression quickly went from victorious smile to suspicious frown at that, but the redhead quickly continued.
"...I'm assuming that since my lightning saix crashed going full speed, it's pretty much totaled..." At this, Virilia seemed to settle down and Krater nodded.
"...Yeah. The frame's pretty tore up and a lot of its parts flew off, but luckily the core wasn't damaged so it's still salvageable." He stated as he looked at the injured redhead.
She smiled and nodded, "Thought so... could you fix it for me? I've grown very attached to my lightning saix..." She finished with a hopeful look that, combined with her beat up state, made it very difficult to say no.
Virilia was opposed to it right away and she quickly voiced her opinion, albeit in a low voice, "Krater, you do not have to fix her lightning saix for her! She was our opponent and lost. Fixing it is her problem."
Krater sighed and shook his head, "No, Virilia you're wrong. I do have to fix it for her. I got her seriously hurt; in fact that crash could have killed her if she had landed wrong... besides I'm also trying to think of the lightning saix's feelings..." He replied seriously, trailing off at the end with a downcast gaze.
Virilia finally sighed and gave up trying to convince him otherwise. When he agreed, Renia smiled and asked, "...So...Having anything to eat? I'm kinda hungry." Even though she was in Virilia's house, the redhead didn't ask very politely and it tugged on Virilia's nerves a little.
However she nodded and got her something to eat and drink while Krater went outside to further inspect the full damage done to the lightning saix. He frowned as he walked over to a pile of all the smaller pieces of debris. A lot of it had chunks of rocks stuck in them and some parts had been completely demolished. Fixing such a wreck would prove to be a difficult task, but after surveying everything that needed to be repaired, replaced and put back together, he found that it was very possible.
He first started by separating what was scrap from salvageable, picking the rocks out of the parts that could be saved, and sorted them according to importance and function. He quickly discovered that a lot of the command connections would have to be completely replaced; they were broken in a lot of places. He also found out, much to his relief, that most of the saix's stabilizers and boosters had only taken minor damage.
The engine, however, for the most part was totally gone. He was only able to save two of its components, the wires and cables that connected the engine to the stabilizers and power core and its command connections to the cockpit console. The saix's 'eyes' were shattered too so those would have to be replaced and he soon realized that much of its armor and exterior plating would have to be replaced.
The back-mounted beam cannon on its back was bent in two different directions and had come off completely in the crash, but it was still relatively intact. The saix's head-mounted Vulcan cannons, however, would have to be replaced having been completely crushed by rocks and he also discovered that the optical illusion functions that allowed it to confuse enemy missiles and cloak for short times was also critically damaged and would have to be replaced.
It took him two hours to fully assess everything and when he was done he sat down with a sigh and wiped his sweaty brow. "Man, this is gonna be tough..." He mumbled as saw Virilia's shadow come up behind him and sit down beside him. "How's Renia?" He asked without looking at her.
"She's asleep. I gave her some medicine for her headache after she ate and she was out like a light." She replied as she looked at the damaged saix and Krater nodded. "So how bad is it really?"
"Well, it's as bad as it looks. Most of the exterior armor is trashed and some of its more vital parts are either severely damaged or unsalvageable. The zoid core is the only thing with zero damage." He heaved a tired sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "But I can fix it. I'll have to go into town and get some of the parts I need, some we have here thankfully, and I'm going to take the scraps to the junkyard and see what we can get for them."
Virilia nodded and looked at him with a confused, curious expression, "...I know you said it before, but why are you so dead set on helping her fix her lightning saix? I don't like having to deal with her..." She asked as she watched him, frowning.
The young mercenary looked up at the sky as the sun started its descent towards the horizon and sighed, "Well... like I mentioned before, it's not just Renia I feel bad for... I also feel bad for the lightning saix." He answered as he closed his eyes.
The silver maned beauty beside him watched him curiously. "...So you're also thinking of the zoid's feelings?" She stated more then asked as she looked at him in wonder.
He nodded, "Yeah... I mean, I know the saix isn't my zoid, but I know that if Raider were to get tore up that badly, I'd be really sad and he would feel really helpless and useless... I mean, most pilots these days write off wrecks like these as hopeless and they abandon their zoids or sell them as scrap..." He looked at the saix's wreckage and mumbled, "...How must it feel? To fight all one's life only to be thrown away like a worn out toy..." He finished as a quiet, tortured metallic whine issued forth from the saix's ruined body.
Virilia too looked to the fallen saix. Her expression was blank, "...I've never thought about it that way before..." She mumbled slightly ashamed as she looked to her own command wolf. "...I know if I were to be in such a position... I wouldn't want to be thrown away... I'd want another chance to do better..." She mumbled sadly as she looked back at Krater and he met her gaze.
"That's why I want to fix the lightning saix, Virilia. I don't want to see him tossed out like garbage... he can be fixed, it may be hard, but the lightning saix will be able to run and fight again. I just need some time..." He placed a hand on her shoulder as he gazed into her eyes, "...Just please be patient. I know you don't like Renia, but right now she really needs our help and the lightning saix needs my help."
Virilia smiled wide and nodded, "Alright, I'll help." She replied as she stood up and wiped her bottom off, "I'll go check on Renia again. You should finish up for today so you can get ready for bed. You can continue your work tomorrow." She added as she held out a hand.
Krater smiled and took the offer, pulling him up and watching as his beautiful companion turned and waltzed off towards the front door, following each movement of her slender legs with a smile. When she was out of sight, he turned and went behind the house and grabbed some small crates and one big crate and carried them around to the front. He took the pile of scraps and stuck them all into the bigger crate, took a can of black spray-paint and sprayed the word 'Scrap' along the front and back. He then put each pile of salvageable parts in their own boxes and labeled them accordingly before he carried them back around to a fairly small shed and set them inside. The box of scraps, however, was stored inside the gustav since it was too big to fit in the car. Once he was done with that, he headed inside.
Renia was sound asleep on the couch just as Virilia said. He could hear the red eyed beauty upstairs. He kicked off his boots and quietly moved into the dining room and up the stairs to the second floor. As he did, the bathroom popped open and Virilia stepped out with a towel wrapped around her. When he saw her he stopped in his tracks and his cheeks turned a scarlet red.
Virilia blushed as well, casting her gaze off to the side, "...After today I was hot and sweaty so I thought I'd take a shower before heading off to bed..." She mumbled with noticeable embarrassment. The only thing that kept her from fiddling with her fingernails was the fact that, if she did, the towel would fall.
"Uh...right..." Replied Krater as he ascended the rest of the stairs and came up beside her, "I guess I should do the same..." He added as he scratched the back of his head and tried to maintain eye-contact with her. It was increasingly difficult to do knowing she was standing there wearing only a towel.
Virilia nodded with a smile and stuck her tongue out at him, "...You do kind of smell. I think that would be for the best." She teased as she turned to head down the hall until he placed a hand on her bare shoulder and she looked back at him blushing.
"Look...I'm sorry that you have to put up with all of this. I know you probably didn't know this kind of stuff would happen when you asked me to join you... so if it gets to be too much, just tell me. If there's something I can do to help, I'll do it..." He suddenly mumbled quietly as he gazed into her red eyes.
The silver maned beauty turned and watched him for a little while, contemplating what he said before she smiled and walked up to him. "You're a nice guy, Krater. I see that. You're just the type that can't resist helping people when they need it. I'm actually glad you're here..." She looked down and readjusted the towel so it would stay up without her help, "...You've helped me see things in ways I've never thought of before. I mean... for all I know about zoid battles and strategy, these past few days we've been together has taught me to look at things from a different perspective... So I'd like to say thanks."
She took a few steps closer and stood on the balls of her feet to give Krater a peck on the cheek. Virilia smiled and turned back around, "Well... I'll see you in the morning Krater..." She spoke softly, as she walked down the hallway and went into her room.
When she was gone, Krater smiled, grabbed a towel from the closet and went into the bathroom to shower up. When he was done he went to his bedroom and just pulled on some boxers and went to bed. That night his dreams were filled with two things: Virilia and all the things he needed to do to fix the lightning saix.
The next morning, he woke up early and got dressed and was headed on his way downstairs when Virilia emerged from her bedroom in the same state she always would at that hour. Apparently without even thinking about it, the gorgeous young woman walked up to him, rubbing one eye and pecked him gently on the cheek before she stumbled towards the bathroom, "Mm... good morning..." She mumbled over her shoulder before she disappeared.
Krater blinked a few times but smiled and headed downstairs. He looked and saw that Renia was still asleep, so he quietly made his way to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast. He prepared a spread much like the one Virilia always fixed, having picked up on the recipes. Before long, the alluring smell of delicious food permeated the first floor and was working its way up to the second when Renia walked in. She looked well rested, but she was still pretty beat up, causing a pang of guilt to once again rise up in Krater.
She looked at the delicious meal he was preparing and grinned, "Wow... who would have thought?" She mumbled as she sat down in the dining room with a yawn. The black haired young man chuckled at the comment and finished preparing breakfast. Once it was ready, he set it all out on the table at about the same time Virilia came downstairs dressed in a navy blue long-sleeved shirt that hugged her body, a short white skirt and white stockings and sniffed at the air with a pleasant hum. When she saw Krater she smiled another of her wonderful smiles and sat down as he set her favorite morning beverage in front of her and asked for what Renia wanted.
The redhead blinked at him, grinned and said, "Milk please." Once he got that, the three of them started eating eagerly. It was quiet at first, but Renia soon broke the silence when she looked at Krater and asked, "...So, how long do you think it will take to fix my lightning saix?"
Krater hummed thoughtfully as he chewed his eggs with deliberate slowness before swallowing and answering, "A few days at least. The hardest part is going to be fixing all of the interior damage. Once that's done, it shouldn't take long to fix the exterior damage."
"Why not just take it to the zoid shop in town?" Suggested the redhead a little curiously.
"Because they'd just write it off as hopeless. I've seen it before." He replied instantly and took a chunk of ham and ate it. Renia hummed and smiled as she ate, watching Krater and Virilia as the two started chatting away about today's activities.
"So you're going to go sell the scrap first? That's probably a good idea. Feel free to pull what you need from our funds if you need to." Virilia was smiling while she talked, which caught Renia off guard. Hadn't she been opposed to the idea last night?
Krater nodded, "Yeah. It would be best. That way we can cut costs where we can. Who knows, maybe I can find a few good deals at the junkyard." He replied as he looked to Renia, "...Um, that is if you don't mind Renia. It's just that, some of the parts for the lightning saix are really expensive..." He added with a more submissive tone.
The redhead simply watched him for some time with that coy smile and it was starting to make Krater uncomfortable. Finally she nodded with a giggle, "Yes, it's fine. Once he's up and running again, I can get new parts later." She answered cheerfully then returned to her meal.
When they finished eating breakfast, Krater slipped on his boots and rushed out the door and hopped into his gustav while Virilia led Renia upstairs to get her something else to wear aside from her worn clothes. Luckily, the two of them were roughly the same proportions, although Renia was a little more developed, so they eventually had to settle for a shirt like the one Virilia was wearing that looked a little tight on Renia, a skirt and a pair of stockings.
"My, you don't have a whole lot of variety..." Mumbled Renia in wonder as she inspected herself in the mirror, turning and bending this way and that. Virilia frowned but refrained from saying anything harsh and instead chose to say, "I try to be a little more practical. If I don't think I'm going to wear it more then once I don't buy it."
Renia giggled and folded her arms together beneath her chest, "I guess that's a good idea. But really..." She glanced down at her chest with a coy grin, "Must they be so exaggerated? No wonder Mr. Mercenary can never seem to take his eyes off you when you wear clothes like this all the time. Why I'm surprised he can concentrate in matches with that outfit you wear." She added as she looked back at the silver haired girl beside her.
Virilia blushed lightly and gave no answer to her question and instead shifted to say, "If you need to, we can use the car to go get you some clothes... or do you have more somewhere?"
Renia's grin grew wider at the dodge, "I've been staying at the local hotel, that's where my other clothes are right now." The two of them walked out of Virilia's room and headed downstairs, "...So tell me, what do you think of him? What's your opinion of Krater Vrasik?" Asked the redhead with an interested smile.
The silver haired girl maintained her composure as they walked out of the house and got into the car, Krater and the gustav long gone along with the scrap. "...He's good for a rookie. His mechanical skills are amazing and he's learning fast when it comes to combat. I thin-" She was cut off when Renia pressed a finger to her lips.
"Ah, ah, ah! I mean, what do you think of him as a man? Not as a zoid pilot, but as a man." She corrected her with a wink.
Virilia blushed and she fell silent, pondering how she should best answer that question. Soon they were already in town and on their way to the hotel Renia mentioned. "...He's cute, kind- to a fault sometimes, dependable, talented, patient... I've only known him for about a week now and I already feel I could trust him with my life... although he is kind of a pervert..." She finally spoke, her gaze fixed on the road.
Renia giggled, "Oh without a doubt! He melts like butter when I get going." The girl driving gave a brief glare, but soon had to return her attention to the road. "So... are you interested?" She suddenly added and Virilia's face turned red again.
"..." She mumbled so quietly the female mercenary couldn't hear her.
"What?" She pressed the question with a Cheshire grin.
"...A little." Virilia repeated a little louder, but still very softly.
Renia nodded with a satisfied smile, "I thought so. Have you told him?"
"No... Because I don't think he's interested." Renia scoffed and waved a dismissive hand. "Oh please! The way he looks at you? I highly doubt he'd say no to you... or me for that matter" She stated as they pulled into the hotel parking lot.
Virilia didn't say much else; she just waited as Renia went inside to get her things saying, "After I get my clothes, let's go do some shopping" with a smile. Virilia thought about what she said and she did have a point; the possibility of Krater turning her down was next to zero. But what did she mean by that last part? She frowned and folded her arms together as she thought about it...
Meanwhile, Krater had already visited the junkyard and gotten a pretty decent sum of cash for the scrap he gave them and found a few needed parts in fairly good condition for a bargain price. After that, he headed for the parts shop, a list of needed equipment in hand and found it would cost more then he thought it would. Still, they had more then enough thanks to the money they got from their battle yesterday so it wasn't too big of a deal.
By the time he got back to the house, it was about lunch time and the girls had taken the car into town from the looks of things. So, he got to work next fixing the damaged parts he'd saved and worked for three hours getting them all in working order again. By three-thirty in the afternoon, he'd fixed all the parts that could be fixed and started the time consuming task of putting them where they belonged. He had to start first by putting the parts themselves in first and then attaching the command connections, run them through the body to the cockpit and connected them to the appropriate control panels.
The girls didn't get back until later at about seven o'clock when the sun was close to setting. When they did, Virilia dragged him back inside despite his desire to continue his work. In the end, he relented and took a shower while Virilia started fixing dinner and Renia put her new clothes into her bag and changed into something more comfortable in the form of a loose long sleeved red shirt, a pair of striped green and white pajama pants and socks. Krater soon returned in an equally casual outfit though he was wearing actual pants still and went to help make dinner.
When it was ready, the three of them sat at the table and talked about what they did all day while they ate. Krater gave a brief report on his progress and told Renia he'd fixed all the parts that could be fixed and was now working on putting it all back together. When he finished talking, Renia grinned coyly and leaned over to peck him on the cheek and whispered, "Thanks, Mr. Mercenary. I really owe you."
The young man blushed and Virilia frowned at the redhead as she got back to her meal. Shortly thereafter, the mood lightened a little and the three of them were laughing and talking as the girls described their trip to the store. Of course, when Renia started going into detail about their trip to the lingerie section Krater turned a scarlet red trying not to picture it in his mind while Renia giggled and Virilia frowned.
After dinner was done, the three of them lounged in the living room and watched TV for a while. Krater was sitting on the end of the couch with Virilia beside him while Renia lay out across the love seat. They first watched the ZBN channel to get some of the latest news on the zoid battle circuit and some of its more popular teams. Here they learned the Blitz Team had won another battle, not that they were surprised of course. They also found that people were all talking about this new 'Alpha Team' and its two members. Virilia and Krater grinned at each other and laughed.
Later that night, the three of them were getting ready for bed. Krater had decided by then that he would let Renia use his room and he'd just sleep on the couch. Virilia wasn't so happy with the suggestion, but she eventually yielded on the matter and the redhead was setup in that room.
Virilia was in her bedroom getting changed for bed while Renia stood in her new room and Krater brought up her bag for her. When he was in the room, the redhead gently shut the door behind him and walked up to him when he turned to wish her a good night and pressed herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. The young man turned a scarlet red and met her half-lidded gaze with his own wide open.
"I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your help. Say all you want, but if you hadn't been here I'd probably still be stranded out there in the wastelands and my lightning saix would be doomed." She purred quietly and pressed her lips against his. Krater tensed up when she did that, but he didn't try to stop her. When she broke the kiss, she met his gaze again and added, "I owe you my career as a zoid pilot... and I owe you my life." She tried to kiss him again but he held her back this time, a grim look on his face.
"...If I hadn't been here your lightning saix wouldn't be a wreck and you'd still be alright." He spoke quietly, his gaze never leaving hers.
Renia smiled and pressed their foreheads together, "Well, Krater Vrasik, there's also the fact that you didn't have to help me at all. You didn't have to help me out when I crashed, you didn't have to carry me and my zoid all the way here or treat my wounds, you didn't have to offer to fix my lightning saix... Say what you will about it, but the fact of the matter is, you didn't have to do a single thing to help me, but you did it anyway. Because of that, I should say thank you and give you something in return. Just ask..." She pecked him on the lips again, her breathe getting hot, "...anything at all..." She reached down and placed a hand on his beltline, "...and I'll do it." She finished as she bore into his eyes.
There was a long pause and neither said a thing for some time. Krater started to relax and he sighed as he gently freed himself from Renia's hold.
"Renia, I'm helping because I want to. Not because I'm expecting any sort of reward or... service." He whispered quietly as he watched her. After a couple seconds he added, "...Besides you're still injured..."
Renia smiled and shrugged, "Well, if you ever want to, I'm always open." Then she took a step back and gave him an inquiring eye, "...You know, you're the kind of guy I've been looking for. Maybe you and I should go and hang out sometime... just the two of us..." She suggested as she watched him.
His expression offered no real answer until he sighed with a slight smile, "Sure I guess. Maybe after I fix your lightning saix we cou-"
"I'm not saying we have to wait until then, why not go sometime tomorrow? We could go have dinner somewhere..." She cut him off, knowing what he might say.
He considered it for a minute before he nodded, "Alright. I'll tell Virilia in the morning and then I'll get started working on the lightning saix." He replied with a smile.
Renia grinned from ear to ear and walked up to him and gave him a kiss, "Then see you in the morning. Good night, Mr. Mercenary..." She whispered and backed off so he could leave the room and head downstairs.
Once he was gone, she grinned to herself like the Cheshire cat and did a spin on one foot, "Well this should be fun! Krater's an interesting guy... I actually can't wait until tomorrow..." She mumbled to herself contently. "Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and I'll get to see how good he is in bed." She added with a giggle.
Meanwhile, Krater descended the stairs and went into the living room and laid down on the couch with a sigh. He stared up at the ceiling as he lay in thought. ...Why exactly did I agree to go on a date with Renia? I mean she's beautiful and all... but I don't know... I wonder... what will Virilia think? I hope she doesn't get mad... I mean... it is just one date. He shifted so he was facing the back of the couch and closed his eyes to go to sleep...
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I was growing a little concerned after I got into some of the later chapters. I actually ended up editing this chapter quite a bit before I was satisfied with it. Anyway, R&R!