A/N: I am WAAAAAYYYY behind in posting this. My brother 'borrowed' my laptop without my permission and gave it a virus (how nice). Long story short- I had to do a restore. So I have had to try and find episodes of Seijushi Bismarck again. I did . the one I was working on, but not after episode 30 -44, so if anyone has a suggestion, let me know. Also, please review if you can. Thanks!
Chapter 20: A New Determination
"It feels nice to be able take a break," Fireball says as he stands and stretches, looking out the window of the Bismarck at the city surrounding their ship.
"I just hope the Outriders take a break too," Colt adds, looking up from his newspaper. "It seems like they know when we plan on it and find a way to ruin it."
"How are the upgrades coming along, Saber? Do you think we can afford a real break?" Fireball asks, turning to face the others, who are sitting down and relaxing.
"I think we should enjoy the break and relax, but we should get the updates and system maintenance completed as quickly as possible," Saber replies between sips of tea.
"I think it is past time to run a few checks, the Outriders have kept us pretty busy," April states in agreement.
"All work and no play is stall rather boring, don't you agree?" Colt asks Fireball.
"I suppose all of you are right to a point," Fireball muses.
Colt stands up and grins, "Shinji, the tracks here are good. Care for a quick race?"
Fireball turns and smiles, "I can take you on anytime!" he replies with enthusiasm.
A short time later, Fireball and Colt in their vehicles are heading for some tracks on the outskirts of the city, Fireball a bit ahead of Colt.
"Looks like I'm still out of your league, Cowboy!" Fireball states, as he presses on ahead of Colt, just as a shadow passes him overhead and he sees Colt coming straight at him.
"Care to dance?" Colt says heading straight towards him.
"Shit!" Fireball curses as he pulls away at the last second, spinning out of control before stopping. "I gotta hand it to you, I still hate that move of yours," Fireball says with a sigh of relief.
"Care for another round?" Colt asks over the com-link.
"You're on. Let's go!" Fireball replies and the pair take off again.
"I'm glad we don't have to worry about the Outriders on these runs now," A young heavyset man says as he and his companion, a slightly younger and smaller man, drive down a desert mountain road, pulling a large trailer.
"I just hope it stays that way," the companion replies.
"You worry too much," the driver replies cheerfully.
"Maybe the government has finally put a stop to them," his companion says as he watches nervously for signs for trouble.
"We have the Bismarck now, they're scared," the driver adds with a chuckle. The two men drive on in silence when an avalanche happens in front of them, the driver slamming on the breaks. Suddenly, mechanical claws come from inside the rocks.
"Outriders!" the companion calls out.
The driver shoves the rig into reverse and presses on the gas, just starting to lurch backward when the claws come out and break through the glass of the cab, grabbing the men and the rig.
"Outriders!" the companion calls into a radio as the two men scream as the rig is lifted off the ground and stowed into a compartment of the attacking machine.
Within a minute or two a group of helicopters arrive near the scene and start scanning the area for the truck and the Outriders.
"Look down there," the copilot says to the main pilot of the leading chopper.
The pilot nods his affirmation and they close in on the scene and they begin firing missiles upon the Outrider machine, where another part of the machine has also appeared from under the fallen rocks.
"I thought we were done with these things", the main pilot says as he fires more missiles towards the Outrider unit. He pulls back as the Outrider unit reaches out and starts firing lasers and grabbing at the choppers, shoving a couple of them into the surrounding hills, as well as hitting others with the lasers, decimating the majority of the attacking fleet quickly.
"Outriders?" Fireball states in shock over his com-link.
"It appears to have attacked a supply truck and now is killing our guys," April replies. "Got some heading this way too."
"On our way," Fireball replies as both he and Colt turn their vehicles back towards the resort city.
Back at the spaceport resort, Saber is on Donatello chasing down Outriders and destroying them with his sword, while April holds the Bismarck in position. Fireball and Colt soon arrive and they make quick work of the remaining attackers, destroying all but a few, that manage to escape.
"Seems like we never catch a break," Colt mutters as he parks his Bronco Buster in the cargo bay of the Bismarck.
"Yeah, I know what you mean, these damned Outriders need to go back to their world," Fireball agrees before heading into the living quarters of the ship..
Afterwards, April and Colt are seated in the common area of the ship discussing the recent events.
"It seems that there have been intermittent problems for months, I guess they decided to attack while we were here in hopes of catching us off guard," April says quietly.
"Yep, it seems that way," Colt says as he stretches.
"I've got some information," Saber says with a hint of urgency in his voice as he enters the room, placing some papers down in the table. "Apparently, the Outriders have a base not far from here. There has been some increase in activity on the radars northwest of here, at the other end of the canyon. It is apparently desolate now, though it once was a smaller resort town."
"Then I say we go pay the place a visit," Colt says standing up. "Where is Fireball?" he asks looking to April.
"Shinji said he was going to clear his head then shower, so probably still in the suit-up room," she replies and Saber and Colt head to suit up, and she heads to the bridge to prepare to launch.
"Fireball!" Saber calls as he enters the suit-up room. "Don't bother taking off your suit," Saber says as he strips down and suits up.
Colt heads in and starts to strip quickly, "Supposedly they have a base not far from here. We need to stop them before they destroy this place," he says before stepping into his area and hitting a button to lock his suit onto his body.
"Some vacation this has turned out to be," Fireball mutters as they head for the bridge. Hopping into his unit, he activates the engines and they take off.
"It looks like the Star Sheriffs fell for our trap. They are heading this way with no clue that this is just where we want them. When they arrive, be prepared to obliterate them!" the Gustav says to a group of Outriders. They reply with a cheer and fists raised in triumph, their leader stands smiling maliciously.
"Heads-up, Outriders straight ahead!" Saber calls as a large number a blips appear on his screen.
"Right," Colt replies as Fireball presses forward, and starts firing.
"Here they come," calls Gustav. "Remember the plan, today we destroy the Bismarck team!"
"Right!" several of the Outrider troops reply a they break off into units and surround the Bismarck, placing the ship under heavy fire.
"Looks like they are trying to swarm us, Fireball," Saber states calmly. "They have a formation on the ground as well."
"Yeah, and I think it's time we broke it up a bit," Fireball replies as he sets the landing gear down and head straight for them.
"What the Hell?" Gustav states when he sees the ship making to land. Suddenly he realizes what they are doing and calls out to his troops, "Scatter, they are going to run us down!"
His troops come to the same realization at about the same time and several make to move, others aren't as lucky and are run over and destroyed as the ship clears a path to it's front, still flanked by enemy ships, as it fires upon the Outriders.
"Colt, fire the heat missiles towards the enemy fighters to our front," Fireball states. "I've got an idea."
"On it," Colt replies as he sends out a barrage of missiles towards the cluster of fighters ahead of them.
Just as a path is cleared, Fireball engages the rockets, propelling the ship forward and causing a smoke screen. They press forward, decimating several of the enemy fighters.
"Damn the Star Sheriffs! Retreat for now, we'll be ready next time!" Gustav calls to his troops. The ones they don't run over or shoot down, make a hasty retreat.
"Looks like we put an end to that little game," Colt says as Fireball has the ship come to a stop.
"Yeah, but I don't think this is the last time they're going to make an appearance," Fireball replies.
"Perhaps we should follow them discreetly," Saber offers.
"Good idea. April, lower the ramp. We'll follow them with our packs," Fireball calls.
"Okay!" April replies and she hits a button and the three exit the ship using their jet-packs.
The three start heading in the general direction of the Outriders as April pulls up surveillance scan, looking for a more exact location. "I think I found them," April says over the com-link.
"How far off are we?" Fireball asks.
"Not far. There's a valley coming up not much further ahead of you. They are surrounded by what I think is rock. It appears that they have some sort of base there, as I have several signatures on my screen, so be careful."
"Okay," Fireball replies.
"Not too far ahead. Maybe we can catch them off guard," Colt states as they approach the location.
"This may be a trap, so be ready for anything," Saber states.
"Sure thing," Fireball says quietly.
"Here they comeā¦" Gustav says with a chuckle. "Attack!" he says with a flourish of his hand, several ships take off, heading to intercept the three star sheriffs. "Enjoy your last moments, you'll soon be leaving this world," he mutters as the last of his troops take off.
"It's too quiet," Fireball mutters, as the trio approaches the edge of the Outrider base. They continue further in, heading around a bend when troops appear seemingly from nowhere and start firing on them. "Damn!" he exclaims as the three spread out and start firing back. Fireball hits one, Colt shoots three more and Saber loops around and slices another one in half.
Just as the one Outrider vanishes, a shot is fired behind Saber and he turns to see another Outrider fall, just before it fires at him. "You should pay better attention behind you, pardner," Colt says as Saber turns towards him and throws his sword into an Outrider just before it tries fire on Colt.
"As should you," Saber replies as he reaches the fallen Outrider and removes his sword and sheaths it. "It appears we were expected."
"I wonder what else they have in store," Colt muses.
"Wha-?" Fireball says as he turns toward a sound, just as an Outrider appears nearby on a fighter. It goes past him and he jumps onto the back of the fighter and wrestles the Outrider. They pair seem evenly matched when the Outrider manages to pin him to the floorboard of his craft. He struggles, and seeing an approaching obstacle, he breaks free, hopping off, just before it crashes into a cylindrical building and explodes, taking the enemy with it.
"Way to go, Hikari!" Colt says with a chuckle. A shot then hits between Saber and Colt from behind, causing the pair to dive for cover. Colt turns and fires at its pilot, hitting him. The vessel glides on for a few moments before crashing and exploding, killing the Outrider.
The three regroup only to be pinned by several enemy soldiers that begin firing on them. Colt turns and hits each of them in rapid succession, killing them.
"Well, there are a few less of them now," Saber states.
"I can't wait to see what else they have planned," Fireball replies.
"Let's not borrow trouble. We should head back and discuss our next move," Colt says as he turns to Fireball.
A short time later, Saber, Colt, and Fireball are sitting in the breakroom of the Bismarck, discussing the previous attack.
"It was a pretty obvious set up. It was like they knew we were here," Colt says as the three sit sipping tea.
"I just don't see why they'd attack now," Fireball replies.
"To test us." Saber states. "We were on holiday, so they hoped to catch us off guard."
"I don't think we've seen the last of them either," Colt replies.
"I don't think so either, Colt. We need need to be ready," Saber replies.
"We should just go in and get them first," Colt adds.
"We must also consider we are surrounded by civilians. We can't just launch an attack and put innocents at risk," Saber replies.
"So we go to them, hit them first before they know what hits them. End of story, it works out," Colt says with a hint of arrogance.
"It's never that simple, so much could go wrong," Fireball replies.
"Saber, I'm picking up some Outrider boys should come take a look at this." April says as she enters the break room.
The three guys get up and follow her to the bridge. On the screen they see two clusters of dots that are spreading apart.
"Ah, it seems they're going to try a new tactic. Divide and conquer," Saber states dryly.
"So they want to separate us to try and pick us off?" Fireball asks.
"So it seems," Saber replies with a nod.
"Then let's get out there and get them first," Colt states.
"Come on," Fireball says as he and Colt take off in their personal vehicles.
"Hey cowboy, you head north, I'll head south and let's see if we can figure out what they're up to." Fireball states as he takes off.
"You got it! I'll let you know when I find something," Colt replies.
Colt continues on, searching for signs of the outriders when he comes to a clearing a bit later. Deciding he has a good vantage point, he parks his vehicle and hops out. He searches a bit before coming to a canyon, peering down, he doesn't see anything, so he starts back towards his vehicle mumbling to himself when an Outrider pops out of the canyon and begins firing in his direction.
Cursing under his breath, he hits his jetpack and dives downward, hoping the ravine will provide some cover. "Damn! These guys just don't quit. I swear they're multiplying." He continues on, being actively pursued when he sees a cave and goes in, hoping to lose Outriders. Firing a few shots as they zoom past him, he takes out some before they turn back and corner him in the cave. "Shit. Looks like I may need some help."
"Sir, it appears that one of the Star Sheriffs are approaching." a subordinate states to General Gustav.
"Good, let him get a little closer, then go out and destroy him!, Gustav says with a malicious laugh.
"There they are," Fireball mutters while watching his screen. "Time to take out some Outriders!" he says while setting his thrusters to pick up speed. A short time later, he's driving right into a cluster of Outriders. "Well, looks like I found them," He mutters as they start exchanging fire. He manages to hit several, while dodging most of the hits. "I've gotta lose some of these guys." He hits a button and releases a smoke screen, hoping to lose a few."
"You can't get away that easily." Gustav mutters. Head for the cloud. Kill him!"
"Hey Guys, I'm in a bit over my head here!" Fireball calls over the com.
"We hear you, Shinji. On our way!" April replies as Saber hops into Fireball's unit and they take off in the Bismarck.
"Colt, how are you holding up?" Saber asks over the com.
"Oh, I'm just Dandy. I think I can handle it, at least for a bit." he replies as he exchanges fire with another Outrider.
"Alright. April and I are going to assist Shinji. Try and hold them off until we can get there," Saber replies.
"You got it!" Colt replies as Saber and April lift off.
Colt continues exchanging fire, eventually picking off all but a few of them. Deciding to go for it, he kills off another attacker, then launches off, landing on an Outrider fighter, distracting the pilot and leading the few remaining fighters into the side of the canyon, jumping off just before impact.
He then heads back to his vehicle. "Alright! I'm on my way to help ya'll" he calls over the com as he hops in and takes off.
Fireball continues his fight with the Outriders, managing to pick off a few, but still overwhelmed. "Come on guys! I really need some help here!" he says over the com, while dodging incoming fire. Managing to kill off most of the fighters, he then focuses on their leader. "Bring it on," he mutters as the two zoom towards each other. After several passes, Gustav lands a hit and sends Shinji and his vehicle down a ravine.
Saber and April arrive, just as he careens down the ridge.
"Shinji!" April and Saber scream into the com as an explosion occurs.
"Hang on, Shinji, we're coming." Saber says.
Gustav takes the opportunity to fire on the Bismarck. "Got you now," he mutters as he takes one last shot towards the wreckage before retreating.
"Shinji, can you hear me?" Saber says urgently over the com. Getting no reply, they land just as Colt arrives and Saber and Colt quickly make their way to the wreckage and pull Shinji out. April takes off as soon as they're on board towards the nearby base where they meet medics, who tend to the injured Shinji.
Later, the trio are standing around a sleeping Shinji, who has bandages wrapped around his head, and hooked up to various tubes.
"He looks so frail," April mutters with a worried expression.
Don't worry April,
I'm sure he'll be alright." Saber states gently.
"Yeah, you know how stubborn he is, I'm sure he'll be up and about in no time," Colt replies.
Shinji starts shifting in his sleep as he dreams, "Dad?" Shinji says hesitantly as a man appears in front of him in a vast open barren space, "Dad is that you?" he asks again, getting no reply. He starts towards the man only to have the man float backwards, away from him."Hey! Wait!" He calls as the man vanishes into the dark. He then sees a figure and turns towards him to reveal a different man. "Huh?" Fireball asks in confusion. The man stops and faces him.
"Are you lost, my boy?" the man asks.
"Who are you? Where is my Dad?" Fireball asks forcefully.
"I am surprised that you do not know me, Shinji." the man replies. "I am here to help you as much as I can. Your father was my best friend."
"If you've done something to my Dad, you're going to regret it."
"I've done nothing with your father. I exist solely in the folds of your memory and between the veil of the living and dead."
"Listen mister, I don't need double talk. I want answers."
"The answers are inside you Shinji. You just need to remember. You, like your father are destined to greatness. He was a good, peaceful man who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of piece, You are now of age to understand his sacrifice and do your part to bring peace."
"Funny, but I don't believe you. I think you've captured him and I want him back." Fireball says harshly while grabbing a hold of the man's shirt.
"Shinji, stop it!" Both Colt and April say as they appear in his dream, pulling him off of the man.
"What the Hell is going on here?" Fireball asks looking between the three that have suddenly appeared and the man, who mysteriously vanishes.
"What do you mean? We're you're friends, Shinji." April says stunned.
"I don't know you. Any of you." Fireball states forcefully. "How did you end up here anyways?"
"You're trying to come back to us. You're lost in a dreamstate," April replies.
"A dreamstate? How? Why?" he asks as he grabs his head in a mix of pain and confusion.
Just then, the three friends start circling him and chanting "You're in a dreamstate, come back to us," over and over as his vision spirals and he jolts awake in his hospital bed.
Looking around as his eyes adjust to the light, he first sees two women, who appear to be nurses standing over him, "He's waking up," one of the two nurses states.
"So it seems," says Colt.
Hearing a different voice,he turns in search of the source, coming face to face with an older man, with glasses and a kindly expression. How are you feeling Mr. Hikari?"
"Sore," he replies weakly.
"That is expected, come now, let's go and run a few tests," the doctor replies and the two nurses move things so that they can take the gurney and the four of them leave the room, his friends left to wait.
Sometime later, the doctor returns to talk with them.
"The test say that other than some bruising, and a mild concussion, he's mostly physically okay," the doctor states. "However, it appears that he is suffering from amnesia."
"Amnesia?!" the three state in shock.
The doctor nods. The best advice I can give you is to find things that are familiar to him, tell him stories of his time with you, show him pictures. It will take time, but I think he'll come back around. Just try not to let him overexert himself."
"Of course, Doctor. We'll do all we can to help him," April replies, obviously concerned.
Later in the afternoon, the four are in SFireball's hospital room and April is sitting beside his bed. "How are you feeling, Shinji?"
"Shinji? Who's Shinji?" Fireball asks hesitantly.
"Your name is Shinji Hikari," Colt states simply. "You're the pilot of the fighter robot Bismarck."
"Bismarck?" Fireball repeats slowly, trying to process the information..
"You're our teammate and our pilot for the ship the Bismarck," Saber confirms.
"Bismarck...Shinji Hikari..." he says slowly.
"You're also my best friend," April replies.
"We fight the Outriders together in the Bismarck, to stop them from destroying the human race," Colt adds.
Later, they take him back to the ship and April starts a program. "Computer, pull up video file of a Bismarck battle."
A video starts to play as Fireball watches a renegade unit attack the Bismarck. The battle goes back and forth a bit before the Bismarck gets the upper-hand and destroys the enemy unit in barrage of laser fire.
"Do you remember, Shinji?" April asks.
"Come on, this has to seem familiar." Colt adds, kneeling down beside his friend.
Fireball grabs his head, overwhelmed by the information.
"Shinji?" April asks concerned.
"I can't remember." Fireball says, still grabbing his head, nearly in tears. "What if it never comes back? What will I do? I'm scare. I'm scared."
The next day, Saber, Colt, and April are meeting with the doctor in his office.
"I can't say that I'm surprised he can't remember," the doctor states. "He's lucky to be alive. Who's to say how long his memory will lapse, or if it will ever come back at all."
"It's hard seeing him like that, but if he doesn't remember soon, we need to replace him," Colt states.
"We can't replace Shinji. He's the best pilot for the ship. I made it for him!" April says to Colt a bit harshly.
"Then maybe we should just throw him back in it. Force him to remember."
"No, I don't think that would be wise," the doctor interjects. "It could make things worse, not better, if you put too much pressure on him."
"Then what do you suggest we do, doctor?" April asks quietly.
"Continue telling him stories about his life and your battles, perhaps something will help."
Later that evening, Colt is telling him about a time that he, Saber, and Fireball infiltrated a base when Fireball grabs his head screaming again.
"Stop it! I can't take it! I can't take it!" Fireball cries grabbing his head and shaking it.
"That's enough, Colt. It's okay Shinji, he won't continue the story. We're here, you're safe," April says, placing a reassuring hand on his leg, in an attempt to calm him.
"What do you make of this, Saber?" Colt asks.
"I think it's too much, too soon," Saber states. "Time will tell."
Several days later, he is released, as some of his memory seems to be returning. Saber and Colt are out on patrol when they are ambushed. Saber and Colt put up a fight, when they realize Fireball and April have been captured. They make a dash for it and Fireball shoots a few of their pursuers, allowing time for them to get away from the ship. Colt makes a break for it and managed to reboard the ship and starts using it to run over some of the Outriders. Saber goes and gets April and Fireball and Colt lowers the ramp to allow them back on the ship. Racing to their saddle units, the others sit down and try to fight off the renegade that has appeared.
"We're not making headway. Shinji, we need you to go into Challenge Phase," Colt calls.
"Challenge Phase?" Fireball repeats as several scenes flash in his mind's eye, including the fight that injured him. Suddenly, it all comes back, as they take a couple of hits and he hits the button "Battle Formation!" he calls as
the ship goes through it's shift. They then attack the renegade head on, finally getting a lock on "Fire all weapons!" he calls and Colt releases a fatal barrage of lasers, ending the battle. Once they confirm it's over, the three friends go to Fireball's unit.
"Shinji, are you alright?" April asks as he removes his helmet and grabs his head.
"I'm fine, April. Just a bit of a headache. I'm glad I remembered in time," he replies quietly.
"So am I," she replies.
"It's good to have you back Raceboy," Colt states.
"Indeed it is," Saber states. "We could have all been killed otherwise."
They all look out to where the sun is just coming over the horizon, thankful they live to see another day.
