Very clever fanfic. It makes it so that characters from two eras which are hundreds of years apart end up meeting. The main Zoid in here, called The War Wolf, is very believable. Tim Seltzer, seltzer@seltzerbooks.com
Sakura's Disclaimer: This goes for all chapters,so I don't have
to write this dislaimer again...I don't own Zoids and don't get paid for
writing this.Thank you.
Or...a Vision?
During the night,I had another of my awful visions,centered on Sakura's past,as well as her 'future death' along with Bit's.
It was then that I realized that Bit was Sakura's older brother.The one she thought had died with her parents when she was five...
But before I did'nt have a chance to tell her before the Neo Empire had sent out their stealth cloaked Lightning Saix to capture us.Somehow or other,I was able to see the Saix when neither Sakura,Sombra,nor the radars could.It did'nt help much though,as we were captured by sheer outnumbers.
After capture,I awoke to find a scientists named Ryota Osamu 'studying' me.But not long later,after Bit had somehow or other been captured as well,we all got together and managed to escape.But not before Ryota told Sakura an awful secret of her past...
Ryota had made both Sakura and Bit from his own DNA.
Ryota was Sakura's Father...
Sakura sighed unemotionally as she sat there on her sleeping bag,her
fingers dancing in a fast,fluid motion across the keyboard of the laptop
that sat on her lap.She had been sitting there for hours...what the heck
was she doing?Some sort of RPG or something?
Well,I was curious,so I took a peek over her shoulder.What I saw should'nt have surprised me,but it did.
Sakura was hacking into Neo Imperial systems.
She looked over to me,only now taking notice to me.
"Oh,hi Van."
She said,not mad at me for looking over her shoulder as she went right back to what she was doing.I blinked and finally spoke,
"Hey,Sakura.What're you doing exactly,other than hacking into Neo Imperial systems,apparently..."
She looked over to me another second,then brought up something on the screen.Some sort of a map.
"See,look at this.This is a map of Planet Zi.The Neo Empire has three major bases stationed in various places on the planet.They seem to be after Planet Zi especially before they start too much on other planets,probably being after the Zoids..."
My eyes widened as Sakura spoke and I observed the three bases she had mentioned that were located around the planet.Man,that had to be some difficult info to get,even for a hacker,but Sakura was acting like it was nothing!Sheesh,that girl never ceases to amaze me...
"Now,if you'll observe this data..."
She continued,bringing up a profile of an old,wrinkly looking dude with green skin and yellow eyes,wearing a cloak and hood.
"This is Vicious,yet another Sith and the Neo Empire's leader...just below him is Darth Malice,who bends her back to his every command."
I swallowed hard when I saw a picture of Darth Malice on Vicious' profile.Just hearing her name sent chills down my spine after the last time we met.
"They're both staying on-planet,overseeing some top secret operations that even I can't hack into the files on.And it does'nt say which of the three bases they're in.But if we could take down the base they're staying at and them with it,then the rest of the Neo Empire would go down as well.If you take down the chief,the indians will retreat."
"Top secret project...if it's so secret that you can't hack into it,then it's gotta be something bad.We need to stop them."
Sakura nodded.
"Yeah.One of the bases is'nt too far away.I say we attack at dawn.I have an attack plan already set up."
"Sounds good to me.But,um,should'nt we tell Sombra and Bit?"
I asked,pointing to their sleeping forms.Sakura looked over at them and sweatdropped.
"Um,let's wait until morning...waking them up now will be one heck of a job."
"Yeah,you're right.Well,let's get on to sleep ourselves."
Sakura nodded and finally shut down the laptop with a yawn.She laid down and pulled her covers up.
"Night,Van."
She said in a sleepy tone.I smiled and snuggled down into my own sleeping bag for the night.
"Night,Saku."
With that,I laid my head down on the pillow and fell asleep.
Later that night was'nt a bed of roses though,that was for sure...
I found myself standing right in the middle of a battlefield,the War Wolf going at it with some sort of red,Dinosaur type Zoid.The pilot of the red Dinosaur-type laughed maniacally,immediately letting me know who he was.
"Raven..."
I growled,watching as he leapt back,the Zoid opening it's mouth and beginning to charge up some sort of a cannon...a Charged Particle Cannon!
"Sakura,get out of his way!!"
I yelled just before the cannon ripped loose a beam of bright,white light.Sakura tried to evade,but the cannon ripped right into the War Wolf.It fell to the ground,lifeless.
"No...no...Sakura..."
I whispered in disbelief of what I had just witnessed,then growling and turning to my enemy.
"Raven,you're gonna pay for this!"
I angrily told Raven in a forceful voice.But he did'nt even seem to acknowledge the fact that I was there as he continued to laugh,turning his Zoid to leave.
"Heh.So Van and the Mercenary are finally dead..."
He snickered,walking off.I swallowed hard,not hesitating to go over to what was left of the War Wolf's cockpit,managing to open up the badly damaged canopy.I froze at what I saw...
There Sakura and I both lay in the cockpit,neither of us breathing.I felt my body start to shake some,then closing my eyes and re-opening them.I thanked the Lord that it had only been a dream when I found myself back in my sleeping bag,next to Sakura.
Or,where Sakura had been anyway.
I sat up,wondering where she went.I looked around some,then smiled when I saw her,curled up right next to Bit.I guess she had had a bad dream too and wanted to be close to big brother...
Brother.Heh.Man,I was glad Sakura had SOME family left...besides that blasted Ryota.
I shook my head and laid back down.It'd be morning soon and I wanted to be fresh for the mission.I yawned and closed my eyes,managing to forget everything for now and falling asleep.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
The four of us were off early at sunrise the next morning.The War Wolf,Shadow Fox and Liger Zero all traveled alongside each other as we made our way through the desert.I sighed to myself as Sakura started briefing us on our attack plan.
"Okay Bit,you and me are gonna head in full force right into their Zoid hangers and start hacking down their Zoids before they can get them mobilized.Sombra,I want you to cover us from the nearby cliffs.Got it?"
Bit and Sombra both nodded.I looked down some,feeling bad that I could'nt do anything.But Sakura seemed to know what I was thinking and turned to me.
"Van,you watch out for any more invisible Zoids,okay?You can see them well when the rest of us can't see them at all."
I smiled and nodded.
"Sure Sakura,I'll keep my eyes open."
Sakura smiled back to me before telling everyone,
"Okay everyone,let's do this.Don't get nervous but don't get careless either.A bad attitude can screw up a sure-win scenario."
Everyone gave a nods,Sakura looking forward.
"All right,let's do this thing."
She said,bringing the War Wolf forward at top speed,Bit running right next to her.I tightened my harness,getting a bad feeling as Sakura and Bit brought their Zoids into the hangar,neither of them hesitating to start hacking down the enemy Zoids before their pilots could get in to mobilize them.
That's when the feeling inside of me suddenly got worse,and I felt a stab of fear go into my heart.I looked forward to Sakura.
"Sakura,be careful!I'm getting a very bad feeling all of a sudden,so watch it!"
Sakura seemed a little confused,but nodded and spoke to Bit on the comlink.
"Hear that Bro?Let's watch ourselves.Van's feelings have never failed to predict danger before."
Bit just nodded a little,not really getting it as he and Sakura continued to hack down the immobilized Zoids with Strike Laser Claw and such.
I then saw a flash of red as something very fast ran past off to our left.
The color red...my feelings were getting worse if that was possible...
"Sakura,the left!Watch the left!"
I yelled out in warning,but the Sakura did'nt have time to react as the War Wolf was suddenly thrown down by the new,red Zoid.Sakura and I both grunted as the War Wolf fell,but managed to hold on to conciousness as I looked up at our opponent,a look of pure terror crossing over my face.
"No...it's the red dinosaur type Zoid from my vision..."
I whispered to myself as Sakura brought her Zoid to a standing position,the War Wolf howling at the new Zoid.The pilot laughed out loud at us as Bit brought the Liger Zero over to make sure Sakura and I were okay.
I knew that laugh,though...just as I had known it in my vision.
"Raven...Sakura,it's Raven,be careful!"
I told her,Sakura nodding as she replied,
"Don't worry,I owe this guy some serious lumps for what he pulled before..."
With that,the War Wolf gave a loud and might howl,heading in at the red Zoid at top speed.Raven just laughed again though as Sakura faked the left and attacked from the right,Raven predicted her move and whirled around,slamming her to the side and turning to the Liger Zero.
As you can probably guess,ith all the being thrown around and everything,I was starting to feel pretty jarred,but Sakura was'nt about to give up as she brought the War Wolf to stand again,muttering profanities under her breath as she ran in at Raven's Zoid from behind,the Liger Zero making a leap from the front.
This never phased Raven though,as he leapt forward and put the weight of his Zoid into it,knocking Zero over and turning around,whipping Sakura with the tail again.
"Fools!You're crazy if you think you can defeat the Geno Breaker!"
He yelled,giving a maniacal laugh afterwards.
Sakura was officially made now though,and I knew it.
"You wanna fight with me,huh?Okay,let's get this party started..."
She said,reaching over and hitting the MP3 player on the dashboard.Some loud metal music started blaring over the speakers (The end theme to Zoids:New Century Zero full version just so you people know.^_~) as Sakura made another run in at Raven,faking a low attack this time and making a leap.This actually caught Raven off guard and sent him reeling back.He caught himself though and managed to keep from falling,his Zoid roaring at us.
The Liger Zero was on it's feet by now,but some of the Neo Empire's men had also managed to mobilize their Zoids,and so Bit was havin to hold them off while Sakura tried to take care of Raven.
I shook as I sat there behind Sakura,knowing what would happen unless I figured out a way of preventing it...but how?I reached forward and nudged Sakura's shoulder.
"Sakura we should all leave,now!Something really bad is gonna happen!"
Sakura did'nt notice me though,shrugging me off as she brought the War Wolf to circle around in at Raven.He just smirked and tried to swipe his tail at the War Wolf's legs.Sakura had anticipated such though,skilfully leaping over the Geno Breaker's tail and making a slash of Strike Laser Claw.
But Raven was ready,turning and grabbing the War Wolf's paw in the Geno Breaker's jaws,Sakura yelping in surprise as the enemy Zoid picked us up and tossed us across the hangar,the War Wolf making contact with a wall and crumbling it as it fell.Sakura tried to get it up,but it would'nt budge.
Raven laughed and started toward us,stopping a good distance away and setting his Zoid in position,the mouth opening as a cannon emerged from it.A Charged Partical Cannon!
"Oh,no..."
I whispered,feeling my heart start to race inside my chest as the cannon began charging up.I attempted to get Sakura to move,but she just would'nt leave the War Wolf.I swallowed hard,not knowing what to do as the cannon continued to charge.I felt like this was it and let out a yell.
The cannon finally ripped loose,sending a hot white beam of light toward the War Wolf,both Sakura and I sure that this was the end.
But something strange happened...
The cannon's beam dispersed about just before it would have hit the War Wolf,as I only now noticed the crystal around my neck glowing as well as the blue shield that suddenly enshrouded our Zoid.y eyes widened,and I uddenly knew hat I had to do.I gripped the crystal between my hands and closed my eyes,starting to concentrate.
Sakura looked bak at me,opening her mouth to speak,but then stayed quiet upon realizing my concentration as the crystal started to glow brighter,the light showing between my fingers until it was blinding.Sakura covered her eyes,the light soon fading.She looked to where I had been...but I was'nt there now.Sakura's aqua eyes widened,wondering where I was as the same light that came from the crystal now started to envelope the War Wolf,Sakura shivering slightly as the controls changed right in front of her,but she recognized them.
"The Celeste Wolf's controls..."
She whispered to herself,now knowing where I was as the light faded,a very surprised Raven now looking on at the Celeste Wolf's black,white ann blue armor,as well as it's crystalline weapons,claws and teeth.It gave a might howl at him,Sakura smirking and not hesitating to take the controls as my voice came over the speakers in her cockpit,
"Sakura,you okay up there?"
I asked,Sakura's smirks turning into a grin as she replied,
"Yeah,I'm cool.You?"
"Cool as ice."
"All right!NOW the party starts!"
Raven growled,not liking this one bit,since he did'nt understand it or know what to expect as he charged up his cannon again,ready to fire.But Sakura was quick,the Celeste Wolf disappearing from Raven's sight and suddenly reappearing behind him,the crystalline claws glowing with a prismatic,rainbow light.
"Strike Prism Claw!"
Sakura yelled,bringing it down and slicing right into the Geno Braker's frame and doing major damage.Raven let out a growl and twisted his Zoid around in an effort to throw her off.It worked,but the Celeste Wolf was far more flexible than the War Wolf,Sakura managing to land it on it's feet and make another run at Raven before he could recover from the last move,whipping out the crystalline blades on either side of her Zoid as she ran,soon slicing Raven's Zoid literally in half before he could react.
The Geno Breaker fell over in two pieces,Raven shouting profanities from the cockpit as Sakura smirked,as I did the same in the Zoid Core.
That's when alarms suddenly started going off everywhere,Bit opening a link to Sakura.
"Saku,they've set the base to self-destruct!We have to get out of here now!"
Sakura nodded,neither she nor Bit hesitating to bring their Zoids out of the place at top speed as the base blew just behind them,the force sending the Celeste Wolf and the Liger Zero to the ground.Fortunately,no serious damage was done and the Zoids returned to their feet easily.
"Well,that's a few less Neo Imperial Scum to worry about..."
She muttered with a satisfied smirk.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Needless to say I was dog tired later that night.Erm,well,Wolf tired actually as I fell right onto my sleeping bag,falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow,everyone chuckling at me slightly.
"He deserves a good rest."
Sakura commented,Bit and Sombra nodding vigorously in agreement.
"Sure does,after merging with a Zoid and what not."
Bit said,taking a bite of the hot dog he had just roasted over the fire.Sombra smiled at his 'healthy apetite',as it was the sixth hot dog he'd eaten that night.She then looked to Sakura and said,
"So,you think Van and the War Wolf will merge again?"
"I dunno Sombra.It's nice,but it take so much out of him...and I'm afraid...if he's merged with the War Wolf like that,don't you think he can feel it's pain?"
Sakura said,Sombra and Bit both blinking at this.Bit then spoke around a bite of hot dog,
"Never thought about that..."
Sakura nodded,looking into the fire.
"But he may have to do it again...he's only done it when it seemed like the last alternative...I just hope he'll be okay..."
She said,looking to me with a sigh with the thought,
"Van,nothing can happen to you.I won't let it.You mean too much to me..."
End of Chapter Eighteen
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