By Sh33p, CultofSh33p@aol.com
Hats off to this fic. It tops most fics I've read....including most of the ones I posted here. Tim Seltzer, seltzer@seltzerbooks.com
Sh33p Disclaimer: I don`t own Zoids.
"I can`t help it if Brad wanted the guy to have his Zoid," Bit complained over the roar of Leena`s annoyed voice. "So?!" Leena demanded. "Get off his back Leena, I`m the one who made the choice," Brad interrupted, cool as ever despite being met the intense glare of Miss Death herself. "Why? You know Dad is gonna have a fit!" She yelled into his face at point blank. Brad was unphased. "You apparently didn`t see the way it reacted to him, huh?" Brad asked, casually keeping his hands in his pockets as the group exited the jeep. They had come to town for a few reasons today, the primary being that they were going to visit Doctor Leyon in the hospital, the secondary being that Bit wanted to go to the arcade, Leena was on a slight shopping binge and Brad had arranged to have lunch with Naomi and Leon.
"We`re here," Bit announced like a parent speaking to children who deserved to be scolded for bad behavior, hopping out and taking the keys with him. "I`ll be in the arcade - like always," he announced, speed walking towards the entrance from the parking lot. "I`ll be everywhere," Leena replied with a grin, jogging off toward the entrance, roughly knocking Bit out of the way in the process.
"Lunatics," Brad commented dryly, stepping forward and stretching his
arms out after removing his hands from his pockets. A few seconds later,
he was moving again, walking at a ginger pace towards the entrance of the
mall. "Absolute lunatics," he said again. Brad never even had time to notice
the bolt of green coming up behind him at a few hundred miles per hour.
"You wanted to see me?" Altiel asked dryly. The Gaurdian Force`s Joint Government Super Maximum Security Prison wasn`t exactly the choicest location for a meeting, let alone a meeting with Major Palta, one of the few members of the newly defunct Backdraft Group who had been parolled since they were unable to find enough on him to keep him locked away like so many others. "Yes sir," Palta replied. He was one of those lucky few who had also dropped a good many of his old habits, including the use of those odd sunglasses that doubled to hide the scars across his face.
"About?" Altiel asked. It had been enough of a chore to bribe the gaurds into dropping charges without having to dip into his shrinking budget. Thankfully, despite all of her intellect, Sarah was never the brightest type of person about certain... Pictures. Altiel had the sense to keep a few as personal momentos. His gaurds happened to be a little perverted and... Well, you do the math. After that there had been the task of the cameras but Palta had taken care of things at that end, bribing the gaurds who checked for contraband, drugs, weaponry and other such things and bringing along a scrambler to finish things up. The conversation most certainly was not being recorded.
"A series of... Incidents that have been happening lately," Palta answered. "'Incidents?'" Altiel asked. "You`ve come all the way out here to tell me about a bunch of 'incidents?'" He growled. "It`s more important than you think, Altiel," Palta exclaimed, sternly reminding Altiel that the former Backdraft chief ranking operative beneath the Committee of Seven no longer commanded him anymore.
"How so?" Altiel demanded. "Someone has been picking off former Backdraft members in the chain of command, one by one. They got Iyoga, Koga and Neguro a few days ago, Ciere`s home was turned into a smoldering crater last night. All of them had their Zoids, it`s believed that Neguro was even piloting his Geno Saurer," Palta explained. "... What do you mean by 'picking off?' Do you mean they`ve been defeated and hospitalized or..."
"Yes. They`re all dead, along with a dozen other former high ranking members of the Backdraft. Details are still extremely sketchy in each case though, the only clues are coming from the fact that whoever`s doing it is going by a near random pattern, up and down. The last member that got picked off was a failed former member of the King Project, someone who ranked extremely low on the rung."
"And that means?"
"That means that either you or Sarah is going to be next. The only reason the Comittee of Seven haven`t been killed yet is probably because nobody can identify them," Palta surmised. "... Absurd," Altiel said with a shrug. "What do you mean?" Palta asked. "Look around this prison, Palta. Every corner is gaurded by an Iron Kong, every straight wall by a Shield Liger and every sentry tower by a Gunsniper! Every hour, three Pteras and three Redlers fly overhead and you honestly think someone, no matter how skilled they are is going to be able to get to me? Attacking this place is as insane as trying to get out!" Altiel glowered. "You`re making a mistake, Altiel," Palta warned.
"Let that lunatic try and get me, then let him meet his own demise trying to do it. This was a waste of my time Palta, get the hell out and don`t come back unless you have something worth contributing," Altiel growled, standing up straight and walking to the door before smashing on it twice with a fist. "Gaurd! We`re done!"
"... You`re making a bigger mistake than you think Altiel, I hope for
your sake it doesn`t come back to haunt you," Palta replied, standing up
and heading for the door himself.
"It`s been an hour," Leon commented annoyedly. "He should have shown up by now unless something happened," Naomi replied, a rare tinge of worry making it`s way to the surface, underlining the concern she hid. "Should we go look for him?" Leon asked. "I don`t know," Naomi stated uncertainly. "It isn`t like Brad to be late - ever. He`s almost like clockwork, something had to have happened," Leon mused. "How would you know?" Naomi asked sarcastically. "I worked with him on the Blitz Team for a year, Naomi. Really," Leon replied with the same time.
"Wanna look around then?" Naomi asked, finally standing up and patting the back of her trench coat. "Yeah. Bit was coming with him, so was Leena, so our first choice should be the arcade," Leon deduced. "How do you come by that?" Naomi asked with a smirk. "This is Bit we`re talking about, name a place in a mall you`re likely to find him in other than an arcade or the food court," Leon replied with a similar expression. "Lead the way then, Sherlock," Naomi ordered.
"Aw, but I was going to be the gentleman, dear Watson," Leon replied,
even as he began walking ahead of Naomi. "The day a Tauros is anything
remotely akin to a gentleman is the day I wear a nun`s uniform and fly
around Nyx chanting the joys of celibate cabbage picking," Naomi chided
while walking after him.
"And another one bites the dust," Bit stated gingerly as he brought down a fifth challenger in the game. He had spent the past hour on an undefeated streak in the 3D Zoid Battles game that he had taken a liking to a few weeks prior to the Royal Cup. "Next!?" Bit asked with a cheesy grin plastered all over his face, waiting for another unwitting piece of cannon fodder to join in the unending battle.
"Hey Bit," a new voice said as the side of the simulator opened up to reveal Leon and Naomi standing beside it. "Still picking on non-warriors?" Naomi chided. "... Bah, it`s all the same to me dangit. If someone has the guts to step up to the Royal Cup champion, not my fault they don`t know what they`re messing with," Bit stated, exiting the game and allowing himself to be pried out by Naomi and Leon.
"Somethin` I can do for ya?" He asked, idly tucking his hands into the unzipped pockets of his jacket. "Any idea where Brad is?" Naomi asked. "Oh I see," Bit replied slyly only to silence at the quasi-death glare he earned as a reply. "He didn`t show up," Leon informed. "Oh... That`s odd, Brad`s like clockwork most of the time... Come to think of it, he`s only been late once or twice in the entire time I`ve known him," Bit commented surprisedly. "Told you," Leon said at Naomi. "Maybe you did, maybe you just saw a double eclipse, we`ll never know," Naomi replied with a lazy shrug.
"I don`t even wanna know... Something wrong about Brad though?" Bit asked. "We`re just worried, thought he might be with you," Naomi stated. "Ah... Well, he isn`t with me and unless he was serious about the pink knackers I doubt he`s with Leena," Bit replied. "Pink knackers?" Leon asked, an eyebrow quirked up into the middle of his forehead. "Long story. I`ll let him explain," Bit said with a shrug.
"Wanna go look for him with us?" Naomi offered. "Don`t see any harm in that... Besides, I can harrass him while he`s explaining the pink knackers to you that way," Bit replied with one of those grins that screamed 'SMACK ME!'
The trio left the arcade soon after.
It was dark. That was all he could think of when he came to, glance languidly from right to left and then center again. "What in the name of Zi hit me?" Brad asked, rubbing what felt like an inch wide lump on the back of his head, underneath the mess of shoulder length hair he kept well grown and cared for. It wasn`t cold, but it wasn`t exactly warm either, Brad guessed the temperature to be around 70*, maybe 71* tops.
When he tried to move, that was when he noticed something else. Brad realized that even though it was dark, his confines weren`t just cramped, they were cramped in a specifically familiar pattern that almost unnerved him. "If this is the same then..."
Going off of sheer memory and suspicion, not to mention the fact that he was also held in place by something that also held a unique familiarity, Brad reached out and pressed what seemed like a touchscreen.
Exactly as he had believed, the entire area wasn`t a prison of confinement. For better or worse depending on one`s point of view, Brad Hunter found himself seated in a cockpit that had been built in the exact model of the cockpit design used on the Shadow Fox, altered only in the respect that it`s third trigger was missing and a new button had replaced the manual trigger mechanism used for the Strike Laser Claw.
"What the hell is this?" Brad asked himself as the cockpit finished flaring to life, internal lighting fading away as the view screen mechanisms kicked in. The first thing that caught Brad`s eye was the scenery, the second were the two lone figures who accompanied it. One was a strikingly green, inhuman looking creature, standing a foot or two behind a man who was about Brad`s own size and stature with short, dark, slick black hair and pale, almost deathly looking skin.
The most noticable thing about him though, where his eyes. Hauntingly malevolent and as green as an emerald, the same color as the creature which stood behind him. Brad stared for several seconds, unblinking, watching as the man smiled and then seemed to vanish, enveloped by the creature. That was when he got a good look at it, good enough to tell that it wasn`t some dog, it was a metallic dragon of some kind, the same size as a man.
The creature shrieked towards Brad`s location and then vanished in a streak of neon green towards the sky, disappearing off into a cloud with the echoing call of a whale king not far behind.
"... What in the hell just happened?" Brad asked himself, checking over the cockpit and then pressing a button he had familiarized himself with: Diagnostics. "A... What in the heck is a Scout Fox?" Brad asked, staring at the small monitor with curiosity lacing his eyes.
That of course, was not a very good thing.
When Brad Hunter was curious, chaos wasn`t very far off.
Bit paused as a ringing sound echoed out of one of his pockets. Naomi and Leon both stopped a second or so later and turned to face him, both with a bit of annoyance evident in their eyes. Bit just sheepishly shrugged and removed his cell phone, opening it up and speaking a moment after. "Hello?" He asked. "Brad? Where are you?" Bit asked, watching the annoyance fade off of Leon and Naomi`s faces. "You don`t know where? Scout Fox? Hold on Brad, slow down a bit..."
"Something wrong?" Naomi asked, beating Leon to the punch by a split second. "Hold on a sec Brad," Bit ordered, taking the phone down and putting his hand over the mouthpiece. "Brad somehow wound up in something called a Scout Fox, he doesn`t know how and he doesn`t know where he is," Bit explained before putting the phone back up to his ear. "Still there?" He asked.
"Alright, if it`s that similar to the Shadow Fox, just try and access a map like you could with your old Zoid," Bit suggested, waiting several seconds before facefaulting. "Three miles from the base?!"
"Come on Leon," Naomi ordered, turning around and heading for the first exit she could find. "Which also means 'come on Bit,'" Leon said aloud, grabbing the Royal Cup champion and effectively dragging him along. "Taking the Gustav?" Leon asked. "Unless you want Bit giving you a lapdance in the Blade Liger cockpit, yes," Naomi replied, hiding a harsh little smile at the mortified looks on both Bit and Leon`s faces.
"Alright. See ya there Bit," Brad said. "See ya," Bit replied, just as the small static screen popped out of view on the main monitor, leaving Brad alone again. "Well... Since I`ve got three miles and no one to try and stop me, may as well see just exactly what you can do," Brad said aloud, working the controls in the proper fashion to put his new Zoid at top speed.
As a result, Brad was all but thrown back into the seat. "So much for thinking your speed was less than the Shadow Fox," he thought aloud, forcing himself forward and slowing the Scout Fox back down to a tolerable speed, which allowed all of the blood to rush back into the front portion of his body in a dizzying effect that left him feeling a bit green for several seconds. "Alright... And let`s see what kind of gun you have," Brad said to himself, moving around the topside gun and then pressing the trigger, sending off a stream of pulse-styled bolts of plasma into the sky above, though none of the shots survived to hit a cloud or anything like that.
Glancing down, Brad checked the diagnostics again, reasoning that it would be better for him to know his Zoid`s weaponry without firing everything off.
The lazy smirk that formed on his face said everything else without any words being needed to do so.
"Yeah, this`ll do quite nicely," Brad said to himself, though it caused
the Scout Fox to let out a light shrieking sound in reply.
"Well, where is he?" Leon asked as the Gustav ground to a steady halt on the cemented ground in front of the Blitz Team base. "He said he`d be here..." Bit answered with a tinge of uncertainty, leaned forward with his elbows on the back of either seat. "Could be inside, let`s go," Naomi ordered as the cockpit flipped open to allow the three inside to exit. Naomi went first, she had been moving quicker than either Bit or Leon since she and the other Red Comet had left the food court at the mall. Leon hopped out after her but Bit sort of froze in mid-air and fell flat on his face the moment he tried to get out.
With good reason mind you, wasn`t every day that a Zoid sort of... Materialized in front of you in mid-air.
"Well, that was worth the wait," Brad said as the cockpit of the Scout Fox slid open with a gasping sound, the head lowering down to ground level for Brad to hop out, still wearing that smug grin on his face. "Cloaking device?" Leon asked dryly. "Yep," Brad answered in the same tone. "Figured as much," Leon replied with a casual shrug. Naomi only gave Brad a sarcastic, expectant look while Bit pried himself off of the ground and dusted himself off, trying in vein to keep his composure.
"Oh and Bit, I think you forgot something," Brad reminded, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Huh?" Bit asked. Brad cleared his throat. "What?" Bit asked again. "About this tall, weighs about twenty pounds less than Naomi, pinkish-red hair, weird sticks somehow defying gravity and hanging onto a hairpiece on the back of her head..." Brad trailed off. Bit just quirked up an eyebrow. "Eh?" He asked. "Mild sociopath..."
"Oh crap, I forgot to leave the keys with Leena!"
"When I get my hands on those two..." Leena began, coolly sitting in
the passenger`s seat of the jeep with about 30 bags somehow crammed into
the back.
Altiel grunted to himself. Bad enough he was stuck in solitary, the design of the cell meant that whenever he had to use the toilet, he was stuck staring out of the window at the mountain on the horizon, more than two miles away. On most nights, that meant he`d be able to see next to nothing.
On this night though, something caught his eye as he hauled his considerable weight off of the toilet, wiped himself up and flushed it, pulling his pants up a second later. Something out there on the top of the mountain, just faintly visible on the top of the mountain, between the two moons of Zi. It was mostly black though, something that compromised Altiel`s ability to see it`s outline.
And that`s when he noticed a small-but-intense glow coming from the center of the object. It was mostly white, but also streaked with a myriad collection of other colors outlining it, sort of like...
A Charged Particle Cannon.
"Oh god..."
Author`s Note: This`ll be the last chappie for a little while... Gonna start postin` more the moment I complete five of them :P
As for the reviewers:
Forte - Nah, Marcus isn`t much of a self-insert avatar wtfe ya call it. For one, if he was, he`d be far more stylish, far more of a geek and a good bit more introverted with no girlfriend and an irate pet Shi-Tzu for a dog >_>; And yeah, OCs taking on major characters and winning has been done to death but since he went to a hard draw it wasn`t a TOTAL screw-up... Besides, I have plans for him that slightly required that, and he may grow on you when he actually get`s involved in the story a bit more.
ZeonReborn - Don`t hurt me!
Zinou - Thanks for readin` :D Not sure if my idea about the Shadow Fox is the same as your`s but ya never know... People just have a tendancy to overlook it, not to mention the fact that the Zoids themselves are often at least semi-characters in the shows.
Sick Little Fiend - Hope to see another review from ya soon, hope I didn`t disappoint ya with anything.
Aardwulf - Likewise, hope you leave another review for the story pretty soon, hope I didn`t go lower than what you expected or anything :\
That`s all for now folks, Sh33p out, see ya when I see ya.
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