Of Free Will and Importance

AN: I do no own Zoids. Thought quite frankly I wish that I did! None of the characters are mine to own either.

This is a fic that I wrote when I was in quite and bad mood and I find it interesting that I could write something so seemingly morbid about a show that was not meant to be morbid. So take it for what it is and say what you would like about it. I realize that there still are some things that need to be ironed out.

* * *

OF FREE WILL AND IMPORTANCE

The wind was damp. Fiona wondered wistfully for a moment if it really was possible for the wind to be wet. She decided with halfhearted certainty that it must be true otherwise, she would not be feeling it then.

_Maybe it is just my tears. I have been crying for so long it's impossible to tell true dampness from dry anymore._

Strands of her golden hair escaped and flew across her face. Wet cheeks caught the strands and caused them to stick at odd angles some, even catching in the corners of her mouth. She didn't even seem to notice. Tears fell from her crimson eyes as she gazed upon the ground, immobile, seemingly frozen in time.

A fresh moist mound of brown dirt was piled there. Heaped in an endless disarray that for some reason made Fiona feel sick. Maybe it was the truth of what was buried underneath that made her nauseous. The fact that the mound had been placed there so unceremoniously when what it was covering was something so dear and close to so many people. What lie underneath was _still_ loved by so many.

Moments of obscure silence passed and still Fiona continued to stare at the pile, seemingly transfixed by its mere presence in its surroundings. Perfect manicured lawns stretched out endlessly around her dotted with weeping trees that swayed in the wind and similar mounds like the one that lay before her. But, the perfect atmosphere, intended to ease the pain of so many, was marred then by the dark weather. It was a fitting backdrop for the going ons that had occurred earlier that day. Black clouds, threatening to drop rain fierce enough to match the will of Fiona's own tears loomed on the horizon. All brought ever closer by the wind which was gaining speed with the passing minutes.

Halfheartedly Fiona raised her hand, brushing away tears that would not, could not be checked by her uncooperative will. Her thoughts began to slip to pointless ramblings of creative nonsense pushed to the brink of insanity by the ever-growing darkness. She sank to her knees, no longer, having the will to stand. The damp grass soaked through her leggings but she was already cold, she had been cold ever since it had happened. Blood running icily thin with the loss of something that had had such a momentous effect upon her life, which had been so small and obscure for so long. Quietly, just once, she sobbed, bringing on more tears, fast flowing and unwanted.

_So much has happened, so much is going to happen. Why did this death have to set events in motion that were not supposed to be? Why did any of this have to come to pass . . .?_

Thoughts escaped her as she forced herself to look up. Her crimson eyes, bloodshot and lined with red, fixed upon the stone that crowned the mound. In the dim light the marble faintly glowed white, a beacon and signal for what events were now behind them, now considered the past by so many.

"Van Flyheight," was what the entire inscription upon the stone read.

That was all it read but, that was all that was needed. Something about the engraving, the way the black letters, chipped from such a great piece of stone, glared back at her through the dark. Just the way it read, made the whole ordeal even more final. Fiona clenched her hands in her lap, suddenly frustration approaching full tilt. She kept expecting wholeheartedly for him to appear from a nearby tree, proclaiming to the world that it had all been some elaborate hoax.

But that didn't happen. Ever since they had lowered the casket into the ground, since the men had come and gone after filling in the grave, she had sat there, watching, waiting. A part of her would not accept the fact that he was gone into the obscure world that was known only to her as the "beyond" sometimes called "heaven" by so many. She had loved him too much for him to leave so quickly, especially after all of the times that he had told her, whispered to her that he would always be there for her that he loved her. His voice had held such conviction then, such promise and she had believed every word that passed from between his lips.

_In my foolish childish fascination, I believed him. What ignorance could have possessed me to act in such a manner?
_
Already, in her heart she knew what it was. She had loved him and that simple explanation alone was enough to make her deny the truth. The simplicity of the matter would not allow her conscience to feel at peace. Guilt had set in, taken hold and had twisted her thoughts until nothing seemed clear.

Fresh tears pricked the back of her eyes then, her chin dropped to the chest, harshly pulling her gaze from where it had sat for what seemed like endless hours upon the stone. She let the tears go, falling to her lap, collecting on her hands before lazily sliding across her skin. Quietly she sniffed and closed her eyes, wishing for the world to disappear within the dark that merciless instant in time, taking her to a place where it would all be over. When she opened her eyes, her hands, now wet with salty tracks, stared back at her. Feelings of hopelessness blossomed within her chest and she felt her heartache. It was all too real to be a dream.

"Why did you have to leave?" she whispered quietly to the wind.

Thoughtless silence responded, broken only by the rustling of branches, weeping for those who were lost and buried amid their roots. Again, she sniffed, more forcefully this time, grappling with control to take back some semblance of her emotions. Her jaw clenched and a sudden fit of anger took hold leaving all hope of calm within its wake.

"Why did you leave me here!" she screamed, tossing her head back so that her words carried across the lawns echoing the most within her own ears.

She sat there, breathing heavily, frozen for that moment in time, in anger, sadness, and a hopeless heartbroken feeling that refused to leave. Small splattering raindrops started to fall, cascading to the world in a flurry of fast movement brought upon her so suddenly that it was almost surprising. They struck her face, bringing with them a feeling of some normalcy. Realization set in for the first time, and she began to sob again, this time falling slowly to the side to let the soft wet grass consume her into the nothingness that she so longed to bring herself closer to.

"He's not coming back. . ." she sobbed bringing her dirt streak hands up to cover her face, "he's not coming back."

Farther off, a dark figured loomed bringing a more drastic graveyard feeling to the cemetery. Appearing like the fabled grim reaper himself, he stood erect, cloaked in black and seemingly hovering from where he stood. Passively he gazed upon the scene, his violet eyes emotionless.

"What a pity one of us had to die. A shame that he had to ruin what little I had and force me to the brink which ended, ultimately, in his destruction," he whispered quietly to the wind.

Slowly, he made his way forward, bringing a cold, satisfied feeling about him, so unwelcome upon the freshly dug earth. His heavy boots scuffed against the grass, marring burial plots with his slow procession forward. Rain splattered against him, his body protected by the cloak, his face shielded with its hood bringing his features into obscure existence. The affect caused him to appear as a black specter making his way across the lawn towards where the weeping woman lay still shaking upon her comrade's final resting place.

He stopped nearby the white stone, resting his fingertips against the marble glistening with the new fallen drops of rain.

_How amusing that even nature, in all its glory finds the effort to seemingly cry for the fallen hero among these poor and pathetic people._ Raven thought philosophically.

The stone was cold, damp with wet and yet, lingering warmth, almost pushed aside as falsely felt, brushed against him. It caused him to sneer, surprised that Flyheight's warmth could still be felt even in death. Typical and intriguing all at the same that, one man, could have had such a varying influence upon anyone's life. Then, Raven's eyes came up to gaze upon the blond woman, Fiona.

Words escaped him for a moment, unsure of what to say to someone grieving for someone he had hated. Fake words and emotions would bring her neither pain nor comfort. She seemed to be beyond help to anyone as he watched her. Even then, as he hesitated a moment longer, she did not even notice that he stood there, mere feet away from where she lay helplessly spread out before him.

"It's almost sickening to see only one crying so openly over his death after so many claimed to love him," he stated finally.

The rain dropped against them more fiercely now, twisting words and phrases until they could no be distinguished. He saw the woman's body stop shaking for a moment. Her head turned and she gazed at him, he could see now that she had not slept, had probably not left this very place since Van had been laid here to rest. She continued to stare, transfixed seemingly upon his very being, as it stood there so close to her.

_I wonder how she will react first. Anger no doubt will be the answer. I was the so-called "murderer" after all. How fitting that Van's only love try to kill me over his death?_ Raven mused.

But she did not react right away, she continued to seem entranced, frozen upon the cold ground seeming unsure of her own two eyes. He sneered.

"Raven. . ." she whispered her voice trailing off into the nothingness that was the wind.

"How observant of you," he replied.

Fiona's eyes gazed upon him now with a newfound clarity, fixed upon him in a stare that was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was a desperate sort of look that showed him how much Flyheight had really meant to her despite what had been shown to the outside world. Slowly, she struggled to get to her feet, scrambling against wet grass and stumbling more than once. Raven watched her then, passive and just a little curious. Moments passed in uncomfortable silence as she gained her footing back onto solid ground, her legs splayed somewhat apart, bracing against some unseen force.

"You were the one that. . . did this," she managed finally.

Raven laughed. "You guardian force members seem to be becoming more observant everyday, don't you?"

She did not seem hindered by his comment. Leisurely he let his fingers slide across the marble of the stone until they had fallen from the side, bringing his hand back to rest under his cloak.

"I want to look at you. . ." she whispered within the next heartbeat.

Raven tensed for a moment, taken back and unsure of how to respond. His hands balled into silent fists, unseen to her beneath his covering. To humor the woman could do him no harm at this point after so much had happened. It was only then, after this conclusion had been met, that his hands reached up and slid the hood off. Black hair fell across his face, having grown longer than before and his violet eyes were no longer veiled into obscure existence by a shadow.

Fiona stopped her slow procession forward to stare at him.

"You killed him. . ." she whispered.

Raven began to wonder then if events had driven this woman to madness. He laughed again and did not answer her, he felt no reason to.

Her face changed through the dark and he could see her becoming desperate suddenly. Taken hold of by some new unseen demon that had obviously been plaguing her for an undeterminable amount of time.

Anger, the simple reaction he had expected evaporated as she suddenly threw herself at him, her small fragile hands wrapping around the front of his cloak with unthought of strength. Both of his hands came up to protect himself from the coming onslaught but her fingers held. And it was there, she hung on to him, her eyes, wide with madness, gazed up at him through the dark. He became disgusted.

"Kill me!" she whispered hoarsely just as his hands attempted to pry her off.

He faltered for a moment, taken back by the bluntness of her request. Again, he sneered and roughly shook her hands, yanking her hold from off his cloak. She fell the ground in a heap, sobbing. Her eyes seemed to refuse to leave his face.

"Are you sure that death is the path that you wish to take?" was all he asked.

She did not respond, her answer was written all over her face. Through the falling rain and the dark he could see her. This was not a depression to be gotten over and she was leaving herself open to the fate that had presented itself to her in the form of another man.

_Love, what a fickle thing. The guardian force knows that I am hunting them down one bye one and this is almost too simple._

Slowly, Raven reached back and loosened his hand gun from its holster. He watched as a slow smile slide across Fiona's face.

"Thank you," she whispered a slow smile passing across her lips.

Those words alone were enough to shake Raven's resolve. How could a lifelong enemy be willing to have him kill them? But, thoughts on the matter escaped him as she began to stand, ready to face him. Her movements were steady now, sure and confident about what was to happen. She stood erect and faced him, her eyes closing. Almost instantly a serene look passed over her face, her head tilting back to catch the drops of rain upon her pale cheeks.

_It will all be over in an instant. She thought then to herself. To see his smiling face again seems all to simple a thing obtained by somewhat simple means. Closure and passing on will be obtained by the one who took him away from this world from the start. It only seems fitting that he takes my life instead of forcing me to take my own. For that, is what I fear I must do since hell has arisen and made itself into the form of this world that I used to love and hold so dear._

Raven snorted then with disgust and contempt. He was trying to bring his emotions back onto solid ground. His open hand clenched into a fist, grabbing at the warm air that surrounded him under the cloak. It was a struggle for a moment as he grappled with unwanted feelings before he brought his gun up, placed the barrel to her rain streaked forehead, and pulled the trigger.

The blast was deafening, ringing through the rain splattered air with magnified clarity. Raven watched with some satisfaction as her body fell backwards, crumpling to the ground on of the mound of dirt that was Flyheight's grave. Mud splattered her seemingly perfect porcelain skin, marring her beautiful existence as she lay atop the man she had loved with all her heart.

_She will be buried next to him no doubt._ Raven mused as he slowly he placed his gun back in his holster quietly already beginning to turn away.

_Death is something we all face in the end. It is just a pity she chose death of her own free will._

* * *

AN: One personal comment I must make is that I made Raven a lot more cocky than I have in my other fics that I have written about him in the past. I don't quite know if I like it more or less. But, there are some lines of this work that I am very fond of so please let me know what your thoughts are!

End file.

Of Free Will and Importance by Unmistakablefear


Never Abondon

Author's Notes: I don't own Zoids. I haven't seen all the episodes of Zoids. I have seen episodes 1 to 30...until Moonbay's Waltz. So this story is weighing on my mind for days. I have to write it down. And some characters are not part of Zoids.

"Another adventure...man this is exciting!" Van exclaimed as he and Fiona ride on the Blade Liger.

"But we had to take Rudolph to the palace", Fiona reminded.

"Don't worry Fiona...we'll take him back to the palace. I promise remember?" he replied. Fiona nods in reply.

"Hey Van! How about we buy some foods in the market over that city?" Moonbay asked.

"Good idea!" Van replied. "I'm starving! Let's go!"

"Yeah sure. Like there was once a time you saw a flying papaya", Irvine smirked as he was riding his Command Wolf.

"SHUT UP IRVINE!" the rest laughed.

"Hmn...let's see what are we going to buy..."Moonbay said, choosing food from the stands with Fiona at her side.

"Huh? Excuse me..."Fiona said, running after a boy. The boy looked at her with a quizzical face. "You drop this". Fiona handed the boy the necklace he always wears.

"Thank you", he said as he accepted it. "Name's Andy".

"Fiona", Fiona said, introducing herself.

"Fiona there you are I've been looking for you!" Moonbay said, finished buying foods and was busy looking for her friend.

"Sorry Moonbay", Fiona apologized.

"Hey Fiona! How about you and your friends go to my house and have lunch there? As a repayment", Andy suggested.

"But they're five of us", Fiona said.

"That's okay!"

"Okay then", she said with a smile. "I'll just call Van and the others".

"Wow! Is this your house? It's very big!" Van exclaimed as they reached the house of Andy.

"Amazing!" Rudolph added.

"Hey Rudolph! Your house is bigger okay? It's a palace", Moonbay whispered.

"O-Oh yeah..."

"Come on guys! The food is ready!" Andy called.

"Coming", Fiona replied.

"So like...how come you invited us for lunch?" Irvine asked.

"Well...Fiona here saw my necklace which was on the floor and she gave it to me", Andy replied with a sigh. "It's important to me because my mother and father gave this to me before they passed away".

"Sorry about that", Van began. Andy shook his head.

"Fiona can I talk to you after lunch?" Andy favored.

"Sure", Fiona replied.

The rest we're resting at the living room while Fiona and Andy have a walked in the garden. "Fiona...could you stay here for some time?" Andy asked.

"Why Andy?" Fiona asked back.

"Nothing really", he replied, blushing. "I'll be happy you'll stay here...forever".

"Do you really want me that long?"

"Yeah...it's because I don't have someone to talk too", he told her.

'He doesn't have a friend', Fiona thought as her eyes saddened. Then she suddenly makes a decision she'll regret for. "Okay Andy...I'll stay!" his face lit up.

"Thanks Fiona!"

'Is my decision right? I should tell Van about this'.

"By they way all of you can sleep in my house tonight", he added. She nods in reply.

When Fiona had come back she woke up Van sleeping peacefully beside Zeke. "Van wake up I need to talk to you!" Fiona said, waking the sleepyhead Van.

"H-Huh?" Van said, opening his eyes. He sat up on his bed as he rubbed his eyes. "F-Fiona? What is it?" even Zeke woke up.

"Van...Andy wants me to stay here...forever. And I said 'yes' to him", she explained.

"YOU SAID WHAT?!" he exclaimed and that caused Moonbay, Rudolph and Irvine to wake up.

"Hey what's the yelling all about?" said Irvine. Van put his two arms on Fiona's shoulders.

"You said 'yes' to him? Are you sure?" she nods her head in reply.

"Was my decision wrong?" she asked.

"Of course! Look...we're looking for Zoid Eve and now we'll just stop because you're staying with Andy!" Van sighed as he lay down back to sleep.

"Van..."

"Will talk this out tomorrow morning", he interrupted as Fiona went out of the room for a while.

"You're being harsh on her Van", Moonbay began.

"Look we made this journey coz' we want to help her find Zoid Eve and help her remember her memory. Now all she will do is end it up? We've come this far you know!" Van explained.

"But you shouldn't be harsh on her", Irvine said.

"Yeah Van. Don't hurt her feelings", Rudolph added.

"If she didn't made a wrong decision this wouldn't happen", was all he can say.

It was another morning as Van and his friends will start another exciting journey. Only to leave a friend behind. "Van how about you talk to Fiona", Moonbay suggested.

"Yeah Van. Ask her one more time if she wanted to stay", added Irvine.

"Fine", Van said as he went in to the house. "Stay here Zeke. I'll be back. And Irvine don't lay a finger on him!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just get Fiona before I'll kill you!" Irvine said.

Van found Fiona sitting on the bed inside the room where they slept yesterday. Her red eyes turned to him. "Van..."

"Listen Fiona...whatever your decision is I respect it", Van began, turning his eyes away.

"Then...I'll stay here coz' I told Andy about it", she said.

"Fine then", he turned his back on her and was supposed to leave when he added something. "Fiona when we find the Zoid Eve...I promise I'll come back for you". When he opened the door he met Andy. "Hey Andy! Take care of her okay?"

"S-Sure", Andy replied as Van left. He looked at Fiona with a crestfallen face as he went to her and sit beside her. "You know what...my decision was wrong. You don't really belong here".

"But Andy-"

"You belong to them. I'm sorry if I did this to you". A smile formed on her lips as she hugged him. "Go and catch up with them".

"Thanks Andy. I have fun time here with you. You'll always be my friend. See you!" said Fiona.

"Bye...Fiona!"

"Van you were an idiot that you left Fiona!" Irvine exclaimed, ridding his Command Wolf.

"I have to respect her decision", Van said.

"Don't be a jerk. Fiona is like a family to us now", Moonbay said.

"It will be lonesome without her", Rudolph added.

"VAN!" someone shouted, running after them.

"What is it Zeke?" Van asked as he saw his organoid paused from walking.

"Van it's Fiona!" said Irvine.

"Fiona!" Van quickly get out of the Blade Liger and went to her.

"As always the two doesn't want to be separated", said Moonbay as the three get off of their Zoids. Van and Fiona had meet each other at last, breathless.

"Fiona...sorry I should have fight for you", Van said to her. Fiona hugged him happily.

"Sorry to make a wrong decision", Fiona whispered.

"Nah its fine", he said hugging her back. "I should never abandon you".

"You didn't silly!" she gave a slight laugh. "Maybe you just know what's best for me".

"Maybe...but my decision for you to stay there was wrong. We need you".

"So you need me?" she asked as she looked at him. His face turned crimson red.

"O-Of course! The adventure won't be complete without you!" he holds her hand and run to the Blade Liger. "And now let's continue the journey".

"Looks like the two lovebirds are here", Irvine teased as they went back to their Zoids.

"I HEARD THAT IRVINE!" Van yelled.

"Since we're together again let's go!" said Moonbay.

"Let's continue our journey!" Rudolph exclaimed.

"All right let's head off!" Fiona and Van said as they we're going for another adventure.

End

End file.

Never Abondon by iceblueyes


Your Words

"Your words"
By KAndrw

Viktor was born to wealthy parents in one of planet Zi's affluent industrial areas. He grew up without hardship, and was the focus of tremendous love and gifts from his family. He spent his copious spare time piloting zoids in races and mock battles. When his parents died in a traffic accident, the life insurance and inheritance guaranteed that he would never, ever, need to work for the rest of his life.

I tell you this not to inspire jealousy, but to make it clear - when Viktor turned to a life of banditry, it was not out of necessity, nor even of greed. It was just a whim. A search for something to alleviate the tedium of his spoiled existence.

With the merest fraction of his wealth, he purchased an Arosaurer and, sparing no expense, outfitted it with an astounding array of offensive and defensive systems. Silver lattice criss-crossed the zoid's frame, a powerful but lightweight form of E-shield. Pulse cannons, discharger blades and missile pods were dotted all over, enabling Viktor to target enemies at any angle. Powerful ion boosters were mounted on the back, giving the zoid not only incredible speed, but also limited flight capabilities. He named the zoid Austerlitz.

Joining with a bandit king named Chartreuse, Viktor and Austerlitz contributed to a sweeping wave of crime that spread further and further from his home district. Chartreuse and his followers were ruthless and greedy, stealing whatever they could and leaving farmers and merchants with nothing. Penniless and starving, many turned to their aggressors for helping, pleading to join Chartreuse's brigade. Others crawled across the burning sands to the nearest towns, begging for aid from communities that were already stricken by poverty. Still others simply gave up, sitting quietly at the location they were robbed, dying alone.

Thanks to the tremendous power of Austerlitz, Viktor quickly rose through the ranks. His cruelty and malevolence developed in leaps and bounds, and he was soon leading raids as Chartreuse's second-in-command. As the brigands grew in power, they began attacking larger and larger targets. More and more, Viktor had opportunity to use Austerlitz' mighty armaments, destroying guard towers, Cannon Tortoises, Command Wolves and even Redhorns. At some point, he stopped differentiating between threats and harmless zoids, and embarked on a policy of targeting even Gustavs and Roadskippers for extermination.

The last battle that Viktor and Austerlitz ever fought as part of Chartreuse's gang was in Fifth Harvest, a small rural village at the edge of the Lowlands desert. As the sun rose, Viktor led a charge out of the desert and into the village. Against all expectation, a garrison of troops was stationed there. Viktor was delighted. He longed to test himself against seasoned soldiers, and to destroy them utterly. Charging Austerlitz' E-shield, he accelerated into the fray, deploying the discharger blades and slicing a swathe through the unsuspecting soldiers' Command Wolves. Gunning the port booster and swinging Austerlitz' tail to the right, Viktor threw the zoid into a leisurely slide, smashing through a storage building and coming to a halt facing back toward the enemy force. He launched a salvo of missiles, waiting a moment, then fired all of the front-facing pulse cannons. Still scrambling to understand what was happening, the Shield Liger pilots were unprepared for the simultaneous missile and cannon round bombardment, and many were immobilised before they could deploy their shields.

As the soldiers adapted to the situation, it looked for a moment as though they might turn the tide. In contrast to Austerlitz and Viktor, the other zoids and pilots in the bandit force were undergunned and untrained. Used to fighting a far weaker enemy, they had never learned tactics. Never learned how to fight together. Many were taken out by the superior maneuvers of the military pilots, and some were felled by panicked friendly fire. The garrison commander, Caralin, rallied his troops. Exploiting the enemy's inexperience and utilising the different strengths of the garrison's zoids, Caralin began systematically disabling the bandits' zoids. From his Command Wolf AT he barked commands, covering the Gunsnipers with Shield Liger barricades, flanking the aggressors with Command Wolves, and even bringing down the occasional enemy himself. Within minutes the outskirts of the town were littered with the carcasses of the bandits' zoids. Broken Molgas and Godoses, smoking Hellcats and Leoblazes.

Viktor watched with amusement. He had been right to hold back after the initial barrage. The other bandits would have spoilt the fight. It was better this way. He could have a lot more fun. With a roar he lit up Austerlitz' ion boosters and leapt into the middle of a group of Gunsnipers, crushing one as he landed, then immediately firing his Plasma Cannons at maximum yield for a full 360 degree kill-zone. The Shield Ligers forming what had been the line of defense for the vulnerable Gunsnipers scrambled to turn and face the lethal Arosaurer. Opening fire with every missile, cannon and beam gun between them, they scored many direct hits on Austerlitz, though several fell soon after to Austerlitz' missiles. As the smoke cleared Austerlitz was only reeling slightly, recovering not from damage, but from the kinetic energy dissipated easily by his shield lattice. Viktor was grinning like a maniac. This was more like it.

Dropping Austerlitz' head, deploying the discharger blades and charging the ion boosters, Viktor punched through the line of Shield Ligers, launching missiles backwards at those not disabled by the ferocious swords. As an afterthought, he sent a stream of cannon rounds off towards the Command Wolf AT circling the battlefield. Sliding sideways to avoid a regular Command Wolf's electron bite attack, Viktor braced himself, then threw Austerlitz in the other direction to bring his weight against the exposed Wolf and smashing its rear mechanics. Launching the remainder of Austerlitz' missiles, Viktor casually immobilised the remaining Command Wolves.

And then a sudden jolt! A smell of ozone in the cabin. A Command Wolf several hundred metres away had scored a lucky shot and slipped a shell through Austerlitz' shield lattice. Oh yeah. This was what it was all about. Viktor was going to make that pilot hurt! He swung his zoid around to face the Command Wolf and started to slowly advance. The Command Wolf was already badly damaged - both left legs were bent in horrible ways, with wiring exposed and slick with hydraulic fluid. The zoid could barely keep itself upright, but the pilot continued to pump rounds into Austerlitz. Of course, those rounds were totally ineffectual, now that Viktor could see where they were coming from.

Viktor drew the game out, slowly and ominously advancing on the Command Wolf as Austerlitz shrugged off the Wolf's shells. At last, scant metres away, he stopped and took careful aim with as many of his pulse cannons as could be brought to bear. He initiated a simultaneous overburst across all cannons, so that the pilot could see the guns charge up. The last thing that man would ever see would be the cannons glowing at full intensity. There was no need to rush.

But just before he was ready to end it, Austerlitz was thrown sideways by a sudden impact. It was Caralin in his Command Wolf AT. The AT cannons had been reduced to dripping slag by Viktor's attack and its jaw was hanging loose, but the Wolf itself was still able to move. With no other weapon available, Caralin had charged the much heavier Arosaurer in an attempt to knock it off balance. Against a less experienced pilot or a less technologically outfitted zoid, it might well have worked. But Viktor simply shifted Austerlitz' weight, recovered, then swung the tail back around into Caralin. The Wolf was so close that Viktor could see Caralin in the cockpit, could see his expression as the impact warped the metal of the cockpit and shattered the bones in his leg, then sent the zoid tumbling through the air. Bouncing and twisting, the Wolf slid down the street before coming to a mangled, burning stop. Viktor turned his attention back to his intended victim.

A distorted, impassioned plea cut through the airwaves:
"Kkkrkrrr - please! - kkrkrrkkr - ..top now bef... - kkrkkrrkrr - ldren!" screamed Caralin.

But Viktor would not so easily be swayed from his play. Finally he released the charge built up in the pulse cannons, and energy burst out towards the crippled Command Wolf. The pilot was killed instantly, of course, and most of the zoid was ripped apart by the titanic forces unleashed. The building behind was also demolished, crashing down into a burning heap of rubble and dead children.

It was a school.

Those men had given themselves to protect children.

Viktor. Had murdered. Children.

Hours later when military backup arrived, Viktor was still in the same place, staring at what he had done. He offered no resistance when he was pulled from the cockpit. He didn't say a word when he was beaten and kicked unconscious. And he entered no defence when he was charged for his crimes.

Viktor was rich enough that he easily could have bought his way free. As it was, even without initiating the corruption, Viktor got off lightly. The judge, keen to establish a rapport with one of the richest men on planet Zi, sentenced him to a mere five years in a medium security prison. Viktor served his time peacefully, every day thinking about what he'd done. After a few years of good behaviour he was released and given back custody of Austerlitz, and he did what he had decided he needed to do. He signed up with the ZDU - the Zi Defense Unit : a volunteer organisation dedicated to the protection of the citizens of planet Zi. In peacetime the ZDU worked in parallel with the planet's armies, but it was understood that if war broke out the ZDU would not be subject to any side, and that its sole responsibility was defend the civilian populace - both from criminals and from any misguided military action.

In Viktor's second week of training, he saw something that stopped him cold. Caralin. The commander had been decorated for his heroism in the battle of Fifth Harvest, but the damage from Austerlitz' tail strike had left him burned and severely crippled. His left leg had been completely replaced, and he had only minimal motor control throughout his left side. Unable to perform field duties and unwilling to take a desk job, Caralin had left the army and was serving as an instructor for the ZDU. He met Viktor's eyes once, but showed no emotion and merely continued taking the recruits through his lesson on tactical combination.

Afterwards Viktor approached the older man. He apologised from the bottom of his heart, explained how he had changed, how he had learned to acknowledge how evil his actions had been, and how he was now committed to atonement.

"Your words." said Caralin curtly. "They mean nothing."

Viktor didn't seen Caralin again for the remainder of training. He found out from other recruit that the former commander had moved to Fifth Harvest after retiring. Thinking about that made Viktor violently ill.

Once again, Viktor's skill as a pilot and Austerlitz' raw power meant quick promotion through the ZDU. Once again, he was soon leading his own platoon, patrolling and scouring the land. But this time he was keeping hope alive for people. The feeling was completely unlike the satisfaction he had drawn from his violent actions as a bandit, but at the same time totally the same. He felt like a monster, pretending to be a hero.

Several months after his promotion to platoon leader, Viktor's unit was patrolling an area of desert that had been the source of many disturbing rumours. A distress call came in that a nearby town was under attack. Viktor's blood froze at the name of the town - Fifth Harvest. Bile rose in his throat at the name of the suspected aggressor - Bandit King Chartreuse. He wasn't sure that he could do this.

But somebody had to! He screamed defiance to the winds and launched himself at full speed towards the town. His platoon, with the exception of the support Storm Sworders, were left way behind. There was no time to wait!

It was like a painting with the colours inverted. Once more Viktor threw Austerlitz into the fray, carving through the enemy with his discharger blades. But this time his cause was righteous, and his enemies were vile. And this time he had to be careful. This time he couldn't afford to smash through buildings to reach the enemy. He had to restrict his maneuvers to open places, and to try to draw the battle out of the town. Time and again, he was forced to break off a sure kill in order to engage an enemy that was threatening to damage the town. He directed the Storm Sworders to hold back, keeping out of range and only engaging opportunistically.

And Chartreuse had not been idle over the years Viktor was in prison. His forces had swollen, and his arsenal had developed considerably. While there were still plenty of Hellcats and Molgas, they were now supported by Elephanders, Saber Tigers and even a mighty Gojulas. From his vantage point in the Gojulas, Chartreuse smiled. Finally a chance to put that little upstart in his place. He'd never liked the little show-off. Stealing for fun? Not even he had ever been so pathetic. Leisurely flicking a switch, he lit up the sky with his zoid's buster cannons, blowing Viktor's support Storm Sworders to pieces. They thought they were out of range. Ha!

Chartreuse directed his troops to split their focus. Half were to attack the Arosaurer directly, and the other half were to focus on attacking the town. Civilian casualties would be the key to destroying Viktor. The townspeople were scrambling to escape, desperately fleeing in Roadskippers, cars or even on foot. Saber Tigers and Hellcats pursued them relentlessly, and were in turn pursued by Austerlitz. As the weapons from the Elephanders and Molgas pounded relentlessly against him, he was forced to ignore them and protect the civilians. He was fighting like he'd never fought before, weaving between the houses at maximum velocity, slicing and biting and shooting with unrivaled accuracy. Austerlitz' shield lattice was at critical risk of failure, but there was no time to strike back. Soaring over the monument standing where the school used to be, Viktor twisted Austerlitz' ion boosters in ways they were never meant to twist, spinning the zoid on multiple axes at impossible speed. Target, fire, re-target, fire, re-target, fire, multi-target, full salvo. He was winning! He was doing it.

The round from the buster cannon punched through the shield lattice, piercing deep into Austerlitz' zoid core, killing the brave zoid instantly. The metal corpse fell heavily to the ground, shattering the cockpit glass so that it rained down around Viktor. Into Viktor. He could taste his own blood and smell the burnt circuits of his dead zoid, and they were as the same. He could feel how broken his body was. There were things injured that could never heal.

Chartreuse stomped up in his Gojulas, indiscriminately destroying the buildings in his path. Opening the cockpit and taking a rifle from a rack behind him, he leaned out and called to Viktor. It was something about Viktor being an animal. It was hard to hear through ringing ears, but it seemed a fair assessment. Viktor looked up at his old boss, and watched as Chartreuse aimed for his head. There was a loud crack, and everything went dark.

And then everything went light again, as Caralin slumped down against Austerlitz' cockpit, a red bloom spreading across his chest. He had come from behind the monument and thrown himself in the way of the bullet. To save Viktor. The former soldier looked deep into Viktor's eyes:

"Your actions. They mean everything."

Anger and sorrow welled up in Viktor, filling every capillary, pushing against his skin. Then overflowing, erupting from his broken body into his dead zoid. Rage and anguish coursed through Austerlitz, welding fractures. Fury and agony arced across the zoid's frame, repairing hydraulics. As cables snaked from the cockpit and entered his body, Viktor knew what he was doing, knew what the cost would be, and accepted it without hesitation. Hope, repentence, love and righteousness cascaded into Austerlitz' shattered core, and the zoid staggered to its feet.

At a command from Chartreuse, the bandit army opened fire, peppering Austerlitz with everything it had. Cordite and ozone filled the air as violent explosions ripped across the Arosaurer, an ominous cloud of black smoke rising from the carnage. A silver glow from within the cloud. As the cloud dissipated, the bandits could not believe their eyes. No longer a lattice, the brilliant silver colour now covered Austerlitz completely, save for the shattered cockpit where Viktor sat burning with a deep red flame, apparently none the worse for the fire licking around his body.

The glowing zoid pounced, lancing through the air on beams of light to charge into an Elephander. The heavier zoid seemed momentarily to resist, then disintegrated as Austerlitz forced his way through. Banking steeply, Austerlitz turned to attack another Elephander, biting its neck and shearing off the head. Flipping over the back of the elephant zoid without releasing his hold on the neck, Austerlitz crashed down on top of a pair of Molgas, then swung the decapitated Elephander over and launched it towards a group of Hellcats. Jumping straight up as multiple rounds slammed into the spot he had been, Austerlitz paused in the air before releasing hundreds of tiny glowing motes from every surface. The tiny lights arced out in every direction before slamming down into the enemy zoids and sending them flying.

Finally, Austerlitz turned on Chartreuse's Gojulas, the only zoid left standing. Chartreuse was backing away nervously, babbling about forgiveness, mercy. For a moment it looked as though Austerlitz might have granted him leave, until the Gojulas' foot came down on a house. A house with a person at the window. A little girl.

Time stopped.

Austerlitz sprung forward towards the Gojulas, reaching the enemy zoid without crossing the intervening distance. He sliced through the Gojulas' torso without effort before turning on nothing and coming back, plunging down the zoid's leg to the house. As Austerlitz moved through the Gojulas leg, the offending matter simply boiled into gas, spraying out in every direction. Austerlitz reached the roof of the house, kicked off it like he weighed nothing and punched back upwards, carving the Gojulas into tiny pieces with his whirring, glowing discharger blades as he rocketed towards the cockpit and the terrified Chartreuse...

Time resumed.

The eviscerated Gojulas tumbled sideways to the ground. The house, while damaged and sporting an enormous footprint in the roof, remained standing. Austerlitz, still silver but no longer glowing, lay in the middle of the square, next to the monument and Caralin's body. Chartreuse, screaming, was held tightly but gently in Austerlitz' blades. Viktor was nowhere - there was just a mess of cables in Austerlitz' cockpit where he used to be.

That's the scene that greeted Viktor's platoon when they rolled into the town. Austerlitz was dormant again, and the people of the town (all present and alive with the exception of Caralin) were pelting Chartreuse with rocks. Chartreuse was taken into custody by the ZDU, and after being judged unfit for prison, institutionalised for the remainder of his life.

The town of Fifth Harvest buried Austerlitz where he had come to rest, next to the monument commemorating the school he had once destroyed. And deep within the silver zoid, inside its silver zoid core, something grew.

End file.

Your Words by KAndrw


1. The Shocking Turn Of Events

Zoids- The Shocking Showdown: Chapter 1: The Shocking Turn Of Events

Note: This story takes place a few months after the end of my first story, The Desert Bandits Revised, and right after the end of Chaotic Century. You'll want to see this. Fiona's turned 13 years old, and a few days after her surprise birthday party is when our story begins.

Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids or anything of it except my own characters. With that said, let's get this show on the road!

"It's been a long time since we defeated this group of desert bandits at the Gurreal Ruins and rescued my 13-year-old sister Fiona. We continued on our adventures to find the Zoid Eve, and now, we're here already," I thought to myself. We had gotten a report about a Zoidian Temple from the Sand Colony, and decided to investigate. Fiona had just turned 13, and me 14. But, for some reason, the whole colony (except for the temple) looked like it had been leveled totally. "Now that's odd," I said to Fiona, who had her arm around me. "What could have happened here? I don't think it was Raven, though. His Geno Saurer is back, but I don't see any signs of a Charged Particle Cannon assault." Fiona looked into my soft blue eyes and said, "Yeah, you're right, Nick. Something's going on here." All of a sudden, I saw a blue/purple beam shoot into the sky. We stood there, looking into the sky where the beam was seen for a few minutes. Then, a loud crack of thunder shook the sky, startling Fiona. I held her to keep her calm as a recon Shield Liger came to the area. But, then, the strangest thing happened: a bolt of lightning shot from the storm clouds above and struck the core of the Shield Liger, completely blowing it up. We were lucky to have OUR shield up to avoid any damage from the explosion.
"Is it me, or is this like the storm of that Ancient Zoidian legend I read about a few days ago?" I wondered, "because the only time lightning does THAT is from that storm, Fiona." Still shivering, Fiona said softly, "You're right, Nick." Then, she fainted. She had gotten another piece of her memory back. I cradled her in my arms until she woke up. She hugged me tightly when she did wake up. I figured that we should find out just what the heck was going on here.

How'd you like it? I'll tell you about the legendary storm in the next chapter.

	2. Fiona's Surprise

Zoids: The Shocking Showdown Chapter 2: Fiona's Surprise

Fiona was with me that night at our base camp near the temple we were supposed to investigate in the destroyed Sand Colony because the legendary Ancient Zoidian storm had started up. We were locked in a tight embrace all night. She loved me very much, as I could see. What I didn't know about her was that she had a Zoid of her own. Later that morning, I heard the sound of a Geno Saurer approaching. I woke up and yawned, but then gasped as I saw the Geno Saurer destroy the temple with a Charged Particle Cannon blast. Fiona was in there. But, I didn't have time to grieve, because the Geno Saurer, piloted by Raven, was aiming for me next. No one was there to help, and Fiona was gone, so it looked like the end.
But, then, I heard a loud clang. Even Raven stopped to notice that. Out of the blue, a pink Blade Liger, blades attached to the paws (like in the final battle with the Desert Bandits), jumped into the air. Raven turned to face the pink Liger, but he wasn't fast enough, as the blade of the pink Liger sliced through the middle of the Geno Saurer, blowing it up.
I was flabbergasted at the pink Blade Liger until I saw Fiona hop out of the cockpit. "Fiona!" I yelled as I ran towards her. We both embraced together. I was so happy that she was ok. As I pulled away from her, my arms still around her, I asked the question that was filling my mind: "Fiona, where'd you get that pink Blade Liger?" She looked into my soft blue eyes and started to explain. "You remember when I found out what my real name was?" "Yeah?" "I realized that I had a Zoid of my own back during the time of the Ancient Zoidians." "Cool, Fiona, but do you remember who gave it to you back then?" "Well, I think I'll try." She closed her eyes and started to concentrate.

*Flashback*

Fiona Alisi Lynette was having a great time with her friends in the park. The sky was clear, the sun was beautifully shining brightly, and everything was perfect. Van, Mark, Fiona, and Jesse were having the greatest time of their lives. Their organoids were having fun, too. Van's organoid's name was Zeke, Mark's was Sapphire, Fiona's was Rose, and Jesse's was Emerald. Just then, Fiona heard her mother's voice. "Sorry, guys, I gotta go," Fiona told her friends. She waved at them as she headed for home. Her mother, Mary, embraced her daughter as soon as she got home. She then led Fiona to their backyard, where Mary had a surprise for Fiona. As soon as Fiona saw the surprise, she gasped with joy. There, in front of the two, a pink Blade Liger stood. "It's for you, Fiona!" Mary said. Fiona said nothing. She just embraced her mother again.

*End Of Flashback*

"My organoid, Rose, fused with it, which is why it's pink, I think," Fiona continued. "You had your own organoid then?" I asked her. "Yeah. Everyone had one as a personal guardian then." "That's cool." I embraced her closely. I loved being with her. We walked back to our camp site with the legendary storm still raging.

Ok, that was cool. A mini-story on how Fiona got her pink Blade Liger. Anyway, here's a preview of the next chapter.

I jumped into the Blade Liger, and Fiona jumped into her pink Blade Liger. It was a three-way faceoff: me/Zeke/my Blade Liger and Fiona/Rose/her Pink Blade Liger vs. Raven, Shadow, and the Geno Saurer. I put up my shield, unhatched my blades, and prepared for battle.

See ya then! CIAO!

	3. An Electrified Fight

Zoids: The Shocking Showdown Chapter 3: An Electrified Fight

Author's Note: This may be a bit suspensful, since Nick, Fiona, and Raven face off in this chapter. And, I don't own Zoids except for my own things. So, here's chapter 3!

AN2: Sorry for the long wait. I've been stuck in things with school and all. 8th grade is tough, isn't it?

We had finally gotten back to the base. Since Fiona had her Zoid, a pink Blade Liger, back from the Ancient Zoidian days, I wanted to test her since Raven would surely be back. At 7:30 PM, as we finished the test, here's what happened on our way back to the base.
"Hey, Nick?" Fiona asked me. "Yeah?" I replied. "Look behind my Liger. I've got something to show you!" I did, and I couldn't believe what I saw: an organoid with small arms, and a tail slightly smaller than Zeke's. Amazingly, it was a rose color. "Is that an organoid, Fiona?" "Yeah, it's the one that fused with my Liger!" "Great! Where'd you find it?" She looked at me from her cockpit and said, "Let's just say that it found me!" "Oh. Neat!" Just then, the pink Blade Liger's boosters started up. "I'll race ya, Nick!" Fiona challenged as the pink Liger shot off. "Can't beat me!" "You wish!" I said playfully as I turned on MY Liger's boosters and shot after Fiona. All of a sudden, Rose roared, as did Zeke. Fiona checked her readouts and saw the signal of an incoming Charged Particle Cannon approaching fast. "Nick, Charged Particle Cannon approaching from 70 degrees starboard and approaching fast!" Fiona warned. I nodded and pulled a lever, making the Blade Liger shoot to the side. The particle beam shot by where my Blade Liger used to be standing. After that was over, I turned the Blade Liger to face the rejuvenated Geno Saurer. We all stood there for a while: me/Zeke/my Blade Liger, Fiona/Rose/her pink Blade Liger, and Raven/Shadow/his Geno Saurer.
Ready to break the silence, I charged forward and unhatched the blades. Fiona followed suit as Rose fused with her Liger. Raven just laughed and spun around 180 degrees, trying to knock our Ligers 50 feet away with a tail attack. I laughed, too, and said, "Raven, I've become a much better pilot nowadays. That trick isn't going to fool me!" With that, I turned the boosters on and charged towards the Geno Saurer. The Saurer's tail barely missed me as I shot under it, quickly spun around 180 degrees to face the Saurer, and charged at it again, this time hitting my target, cutting the tail clean off. But, I had a feeling that something was wrong. Then, all of a sudden, the tail of the Geno Saurer revealed what looked like the barrel of a Charged Particle Cannon, only it was sparkling with electricity. Fiona then yelled at me to watch out. There was a bolt of lightning heading straight for me from the sky, which I easily avoided. Then, from the barrel, the Geno Saurer fired what looked like an electrical beam at Fiona's pink Blade Liger. I yelled for her to get out of the way, but she radioed me in and told me that it was coming too fast. Luckily for her, Rose was doing the smart thing, as she fused with Fiona and bailed out in a flash of pink light. Just then, (I didn't see Rose bail Fiona out) the lightning beam struck the pink Blade Liger, completely destroying it.
"Fiona!!! Ok, Raven, THAT'S IT!!!!" I yelled as I charged forward. Raven fired a Charged Particle Cannon at me, but I simply cut through the blast with the blades. (If you didn't know, the blades on my Liger can neutralize, or cancel out, charged particles.) And, in a blaze of glory, just as Shadow bailed out with Raven, my Liger's blades cut through the Geno Saurer, completely destroying it. I didn't care about that right now, because Fiona and Rose were probably dead. "It's not fair," I thought as I looked at the wreckage of the Pink Blade Liger. "The girl I love the most, and now she's gone!" I started crying. Just then, Zeke roared something. I saw a Zoid coming: a Zaber Fang. I stopped crying and looked at the incoming Zaber Fang. That's was Emperor Rudolf's Zoid, the Royal Zaber Fang. It dropped someone off, then shot back to the palace.
"Who is that, Zeke?" I asked. Zeke then roared something. "Yeah, that's a good idea, though Fiona isn't around to pilot it," I said. Zeke then diffused from my Liger and fused with the wrecked Pink Blade Liger in an attempt to ressurect it. I hopped out of the Blade Liger to go see who Emperor Rudolf had dropped off. I was glad that he was the emperor, because Prozen was too crazy to be the emperor. Besides, Prozen died when we destroyed the Death Saurer. I couldn't believe who I saw. It was Fiona, not hurt at all. "Fiona!" I yelled as I ran towards her and embraced her tightly. She hugged me back. We pulled apart, arms still around each other, and looked behind us just in time to see the whirlwind of light around the Pink Blade Liger dissipate. The new version looked awesome: the Pink Blade Liger was a deeper shade of pink, with 2 small shock cannons on the sides of the Liger, an obviously improved booster on the top, and 10 supercharged laser blades- 1 on either side of all four legs, 4 on the head in a + formation, and the usual two on the top, on either side of the new booster. "Wow, way cool!" I said.

MAN! That was so hard to write. And, Fiona's Pink Blade Liger got an upgrade. The test begins in Chapter 4: The Return Of The Pink Blade Liger. Cya then! --SuperSaiyanZelda4321

	4. The Return Of The Pink Blade Liger

Zoids: The Shocking Showdown Chapter 4: The Return Of The Pink Blade Liger

Before we start, let me just say that I don't own Zoids or anything of it except my own characters and stuff. So, here's the long-awaited Chapter 4!

"6 months. It's been that long since my Pink Blade Liger was destroyed and then ressurected by Zeke. I'm just glad I'm alive and that Nick really does care about me. But, I'm wondering if I'm burdening him by piloting a Zoid? Man, I'm so confused! Well, Nick wants to test me and my new Liger again, so, um, bye!" Fiona wrote in her journal as she put it down and walked to her Pink Blade Liger, only to find the blue Blade Liger, me, and Zeke nowhere in site.
"Weird. Where did they go?" Fiona asked herself. She looked into the sky. The storm was STILL raging. It had been nine long months since the storm started, and it seemed there was no way of stopping it. Then, all of a sudden, the Geno Saurer appeared again with me, Zeke, and my Blade Liger bringing up the rear. Raven had me under his control for some reason, because I never would be friends with Raven until he stopped his murderous ways. Fiona knew, too, as she tensed up, unhatched the new set of blades on her new Liger, and prepared for battle.

*************************************************************************************************

I thought to myself, "That Raven is an idiot. Doesn't he know that trying to hypnotize me has no effect on me whatsoever? Well, I have to give him SOME credit for being persistent these days." Raven didn't notice that I had opened a com link to Fiona and her new Pink Blade Liger.

*************************************************************************************************

Fiona recieved the link. "Nick, are you really under Raven's control?" Fiona sternly asked me. "It's ok, Fiona, I have an idea." "Really?" Fiona replied. "I'm so glad!" "Me, too, Fiona. So, here's the plan. We'll pretend to fight, and when Raven isn't looking, we'll destroy it together. Ok?" "You got it!" With that, Fiona closed the comlink and charged at me. "Now this'll be good," Raven said as he leaned back on his command chair and watched the fight.

Six hours later, we showed no signs of fatigue as we kept the plan going. It was then that I noticed that Raven was asleep. We stopped fighting as I opened another com link with Fiona. "That'll do, now let's go!" I said as I closed the link and transformed into the Blade Liger 0-Schneider, with a powered-up booster, and 7 new laser blades. Fiona unhatched and powered up all 10 of her Pink Blade Liger's laser blades, and flipped them forward so that each blade pointed at the Geno Saurer. We then charged. Raven sleepily opened his eyes. "Blade Attack Total Assault!" Fiona yelled as her Liger's laser blades started glowing. "9 Blades Attack!" I yelled as my blades glowed and electricity arced across each one. "WHAT THE?!!" Raven yelled as all 19 blades hit the Geno Saurer.

Later, we had returned to the base. I opened another com link with Fiona on the way to talk about today's battle with the now-destroyed Geno Saurer. "Man, you're getting a lot better, Fiona! Did you see the way we dished out those attacks?" I said excitedly. "Calm down, Nick! I just want you to be okay, all right?" Fiona asked calmy. "Oops, sorry, Fiona. Sometimes I get carried away." "It's ok," Fiona said to me as we neared the base.

WOW! Now that was super-cool! Expect the next chapter to be the longest. It's the final showdown! See ya then! -SuperSaiyanZelda4321

	5. An Electrifying Destiny

Zoids: The Shocking Showdown Chapter 5: An Electrifying Destiny

As the 10th month of the Ancient Zoidian storm started, Raven kept coming, but fortunately, we beat him every time. I began to wonder how the Geno Saurer kept healing itself after every encounter. A strong feeling surged through my body one day. I couldn't figure it out, though. But, what I did know about it was that it was about Fiona. You see, the Geno Saurer had gotten stronger after every battle, and if our Blade Ligers didn't get some new weapons soon, we'd all be destroyed. So, I told Fiona that I'd be working on something special for both our Blade Ligers. I couldn't tell her what, though. I said that it was a secret. The month went by fast, and I kept working on the "secret" project. And, amazingly, there was no sign of Raven.

At the turn of the month, I had finally completed the projects on our Ligers. At 6:00 AM on the 2nd of November, I walked with Fiona to the base where our Ligers were waiting. "I finished the projects, Fiona. Wait'll you see the upgrades our Ligers have," I told Fiona as we neared the Ligers which had sheets over them. I went over to the first Liger, grabbed the sheet, and yanked it off, revealing my Blade Liger. Fiona gasped in joy when she saw my Liger's new weapon: a double set of blade-like drill arms attached just above the spot where the blades were. "Wow, that's cool!" Fiona said, obviously excited. There were 2 sheets covering 2 things were Fiona's Pink Blade Liger. It was now that I decided to tell her. "Fiona?" I asked her, though I was kinda nervous. "Yeah, Nick?" she replied, putting on that sweet smile that I loved so much. "I've been wanting to tell you this for a long time, Fiona. I've wanted to say that I love you, but all our dilemas have kept me from saying so." Fiona stayed still for a moment, and then she replied with her usual sweet voice, "Nick, I love you too. I've been trying to say so as well. I care for you deeply, more than anyone else on the planet." I couldn't have heard a better answer. I embraced her tightly as she smiled and hugged me back. When that was finished, we both walked to the next 2 sheets hand in hand.

I yanked off both sheets to reveal the Pink Blade Liger and the other part of her surprise: a conversion bay. Fiona thought it wasn't much. "Don't worry, Fiona. You'll see the surprise in a couple of seconds," I said as I hopped into the Pink Blade Liger as the conversion bay's door opened. The Liger hopped into the bay. I looked around for one to show her, and eventually pressed the button labeled "0-Schneider". With that, the bay closed and the Pink Blade Liger underwent a transformation. Fiona looked so excited when she saw her Liger after the conversion bay opened: the Pink Blade Liger had my 0-Schneider Close Combat armor attached. "Awesome! But, isn't that for your Blade Liger?" Fiona asked me. I hopped out of the cockpit, walked up to Fiona, and I explained that I rarely used the conversions anymore, so I installed the conversion system into her Pink Blade Liger. As she hugged me tightly, I held her close and said, "Looks like this IS an electrifying destiny."

Later, Raven and the Geno Saurer made the scene. So did we, with my Blade Liger and its new set of drill arms hidden for now, and Fiona and her Pink Blade Liger which was still in the 0-Schneider form. "Well, isn't this nice. Two children acting tough, though these children defeated me 3 times already. I'M NOT GOING TO LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN!" Raven shouted. "Raven, are you THAT stupid? Don't you know that you can never beat us?!" I shouted, too. With that, I charged at the Geno Saurer. We fought for a while, and somehow, I managed to slice off all of the Saurer's weapons except for the Charged Particle Cannon, of course, even though the Saurer was too weak from the last 3 defeats to use it for a while. But, amazingly, Raven started to charge the Particle Cannon. I thought, "Now's the time to unleash my secret weapon." With that, I pulled a lever nearby back, and my Blade Liger's new set of drill arms flipped out and attached to the slots on the bottom sides of my Liger's head. "Where did you get that?!" Raven yelled. I just ignored him as I flipped the blades on. Fiona pressed a button, powering up her blades and preparing for the Schneider's trademark move: the 9 Blades Attack. She also powered up all 10 of her other blades. I pressed a button in my Blade Liger, and the drills started spinning and the blades powered up. "This doesn't look good. Shadow, let's get out of here!" Raven yelled as Shadow bailed out with Raven. I didn't care that the two had escaped. Then, the drill arms and all 21 blades hit the Geno Saurer, blowing it to pieces. I was certain that it would never come back.

Later on, we finally managed to stop the storm. I remembered the legend still.

*Flashback*

Before the battle with the Death Saurer, we were in the library of the Snow Colony, looking for information on Ancient Zoidian times events. So far, we had nothing. Fiona was in the lobby, checking out a book. As I read the book "Ancient Zoidian Legends and Myths", I happened upon something interesting. "Fiona! I found something!" I shouted as Fiona walked back to my location. "You find something?" Fiona asked me. "I sure did! Look at this article!" I said. I read it to Fiona.
"Around 1000 years ago, the Ancient Zoidian civilization went through a devastating storm. Lightning rained down all over the planet, and many people and their Zoids fell victim to the strange storm. Fortunately, a team of Ligers were able to contain the storm's power inside a Geno Saurer and sealed it up so no one would release the storm's power again."
"Wow," Fiona said, surprised by the article. "Geno Saurer?" I asked myself. I suddenly realized what Geno Saurer the article meant. It was talking about Raven's Geno Saurer. His was the only known Geno Saurer on the planet. "If Raven comes back, Fiona, we're going to have a tough fight on our hands," I told Fiona.

*End Of Flashback*

"Well, Fiona, are you ready to continue our search for Zoid Eve?" I asked Fiona. She nodded yes, and we took off into the sunset.

*Fin*

How'd you like that? Pretty impressive, eh? Well, I'll see you around!- SuperSaiyanZelda4321

End file.

Zoids: The Shocking Showdown by S.P.D. Gold Ranger


The Night Before

"Come now, Benjamin," Sebastian quipped as he hoverscooted down the hallway leading to the Champ Team Hangar. "We have maintenance on the Zoids to finish up. We need to get the Hel Digunner and Stealth Viper outfitted properly for the next battle."

"You don't need to tell me twice," the taller robot muttered. As he rounded the next corner with his robo-companion, he jumped in surprise. "Why look, it's Harry!"

"Yes," Sebastian replied. "My sensors must be malfunctioning; I wouldn't think he'd be back so soon..."

"No, he's definitely there, mine are perfectly operational."

Indeed: There he was, crouched on the sofa in the middle of the hangar. He wore a hollow expression, lifting the teacup to his lips, hands quivering, tea spilling over the side and dripping onto his lap. Harry paid the dampness no heed, instead, mulling over the events of the prior evening in his head.

_"The pants, Harry. Lose 'em. NOW."_

_"Yes, my honey..."_

_"YES! AH, YES! C'MON, HARDER! FASTER! YOU CALL YOURSELF A MAN!?"_

"HARRY!"

The Man Destined to be King threw his arms up in the air and uttered a feminine shriek, his teacup crashing to the floor and splitting right down the middle. He spun around to see Benjamin and Sebastian standing behind him, robo-hands on robo-hips.

"Oh, it's just you guys," Harry said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Sebastian inquired.

"You look so pale and traumatised," Benjamin observed.

"Nothing is wrong!" Harry asserted.

"And why should anything be wrong," Benjamin drolled inquisitively. "At long last you've won over your love. At long last, Leena is all yours!"

"Come on, Harry, tell us the truth," Sebastian said. "You should be gallivanting about, rambling on endlessly about your darling Leena and savouring your 'ultimate victory' like you have been doing... almost CONSTANTLY... for the past few months. But instead, you look utterly pathetic, like all the life was just drained out of you. Tell us, master, what did that wretched succubus do to you?"

Harry drew in a deep breath. And then, the tears flowed freely in anime-esque torrents.

"Oh, SEBASTIAN! Last night... Leena and I, we... well, we made love for the first time."

"I understand that sexual intercourse is supposed to be a pleasurable experience for you humans," Benjamin stated flatly.

"It was... it was... _so emasculating_," Harry sobbed. "Oh, you guys wouldn't BELIEVE the crazy, weird, kinky, messed up things that woman is into!"

"I am not surprised," Sebastian sighed.

"She was so rough! So aggressive! So domineering! And tireless, she wouldn't let up! I saved myself for her, for all these years... and she took my manhood! Tore it from me and bound it in chains and leather straps and whipped it into submission! I will carry the emotional scars of her passion for the rest of my life!"

"There, there, master," Benjamin cooed.

"Hold me!", Harry cried, and flung himself into his servants' cold, mechanical arms. Benjamin and Sebastian patted him on the back and squeezed him in a maternal robo-hug as he bawled his princely eyes out. When he was finished, he stood up, sniffled, and cleared his throat.

"It was the most amazing thing EVER!"

Benjamin and Sebastian simply stared on in disbelief as the Man Destined to be King marched away, platform shoes splashing through puddles of his own tears, the passion for his beloved stronger then ever before.

End file.

The Night Before by Koobine


Joie de Vivre

A loud whirring all around them was muffled slightly by the Liger's sealed cockpit. There was the familiar part-lurch, part-bottoming out sensation in Bit's stomach as the Hover Cargo's great elevator surged them upwards through the shadowed channel, lights on either side passing by in bright smears.

Liger growled quietly.

"I know," Bit said, leaning himself back for a moment on the headrest. "I think about it all, too, sometimes." Right in front of him, caressed under his appreciative gaze, the familiar screens, switches, and controls - the tools with which they crafted victories. Always a wanderer, this very perch was the closest thing to the concept of home that he had ever experienced. It was strange, realizing that now. "I can't believe it's been only a couple of years since we first met. Sometimes it feels as though we've been together forever. There's been so much." He looked up at the ceiling of the cockpit, smiling. "Do you feel the same way, pal?"

Liger growled again, affirming. His nose raised slightly in anticipation. The light at the top of the elevator shaft was so bright and close now. Almost there. Almost time. He shifted his weight forward slightly, head up, tail alert.

"There is nothing else but this," Bit said softly as the last moments of darkness passed. "And I couldn't ask for anything more."

The elevator purred to a halt, and there, just ahead: a new opponent, a new battle, a new day. Energy crackled through the Liger's shining claws in preparation for the launch and the red marker lights on either side counted down. Bit could feel the Liger's excitement and sheer joy at what was to come. His own body felt electric, too, and his chest felt full to bursting. This was what he lived for, and there was no better partner in the world.

"Let's do it, Liger!" he cried as the light flicked green and his Zoid rocketed forward off of the Hover Cargo. Together, they soared gleaming into the sunlight and the endless possibilities before them.

End file.

Joie de Vivre by Chaotic Century


Dream

**Dream**

**by Ravenous**

_Note: Its a short poem fic, very shonen ai...pretty much about Thomas Schubaltz lamenting something about 'brotherly love' its one of those spur of the moment thingies...read on.._

-----

You are a dream
You are all that is good
Of summer, spring, fall and winter
You are the morning wind that greets me,
The dew drops that form on my fingers
And the twilight breeze that sends me to sleep
And sleep I will, to awaken in another world, in a different existence
A world of you and me

You are but a dream
But what dream you are
Every so often, you come close to touch
As you brush by me against green corridors,
Engaged in affairs, too busy to notice anybody---me

You are a dream to me, A reality to others

I want that reality

You are a dream: you may come true, but more likely never to be

-----

*points at stats* ^^

End file.

Dream by Ravenous Silentside


The Secret Mission

_The Secret Mission_

_Pairing: Van and Fiona_

_Distant Storm_

_Disclaimer- I don't own Zoids, so that's why I'm writing fanfiction. Anywho, on with the fic!_

------------------------------------------

"Are you sure they'll actually buy this?" A disgruntled Herman asked.

"Yes," Irvine and Moonbay chided, leaning against one of the wall sized computers. They both looked at the man in uniform like he had three eyes. "You've sent them on undercover missions before. But one question: do you have a picture of the guy?"

"Yeah," the commander replied, handing over the piece of paper.

The two looked it over, nodding happily. "This will work," Moonbay said. "When did you last say he was incarcerated?"

"About twenty years ago. Top secret facility. They'd never find him, because according to every main frame the republic has comes up with an error on his search."

Just then, a humming, happy Thomas Richard Shubaltz entered the room. The three quickly hid the piece of paper. "Any new developments, Commander?" He stood at attention in front of his superior officer, who saluted back at the lieutenant.

"As a matter of fact..." he looked at Moonbay and Irvine, "Could you ask Fiona and Van to come here? I have a mission for them."

Thomas huffed. "Sure commander." he nodded to Herman, turned on his heel and left, muttering, "how come I never get paired with Miss Fiona for mission?" The second the door shut behind him, Herman, Irvine and Moonbay were left cracking up inside the command center.

"I don't know why," Irvine said, "maybe it's because we all know they love each other."

"I don't think I've heard anything truer come out of your mouth."

-------------------------------

"Miss Fiona! Miss Fiona, where are you?" Thomas had checked inside the entire base. So, that left the one path that led outside into the woods. He walked quietly, trying not to attract too much attention.

"You know," came a voice, that Thomas immediately recognized as Van's, "I've been thinking."

"That's a change," a second voice replied, which Thomas nearly fainted over. Then his anger came in, realizing that his chance to be alone with his beloved Fiona was ruined.

"That's not very nice," he teased. They both laughed.

"So, what have you been thinking about?" Thomas snuck up close enough behind them to see that they were walking, alone. Something Thomas didn't stand for.

"Well, you know I have that month long leave, right?" Fiona nodded. "I was thinking that maybe you would, maybe, like to go back with me to the Wind Colony?"

"Really?" She paused, turning her head to meet his eyes, which pleaded silently. "I would totally love that, thank you so much Van." He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him in sort of a half-hug.

"Good. I figured you would be sick of this whole military thing by now anyway."

"Not really, I don't mind it when I'm not entirely alone. Plus I got you, and Irvine and Moonbay around, so it isn't that bad. Especially since everything has calmed down now, with Prozen and Hiltz and all." Thomas figured now was the time to but in, before he saw something he didn't want to see.

"Uhh, Miss Fiona, Van, the commander has a mission for you." Thomas turned away from Van and focused completely on Fiona. "Would you like an escort?"

"No thank you," she said sweetly. "Van and I were in the middle of a conversation. We'll be there in a minute." Thomas hung his head and walked away, leaving the two of them.

"Just this one mission, then I'm going to take my leave, okay?"

"It's totally up to you," she said. "I don't want you to do something because of me."

"Don't worry. We both need this."

---------------------------------

Some fifteen minutes later, Van and Fiona found their way to the command center, where Herman, Irvine, and Moonbay were waiting.

"Tsh, took you long enough," Moonbay complained.

"Yeah, I'm glad there wasn't any immediate danger, or we'd all be dead." Everyone laughed gently at Irvine's joke, but had it been a few months ago, everyone probably would have been dead.

"So Herman, Thomas said you had a mission for us."Herman took the moment to analyze just exactly what he was doing. Then he nodded.

"Yes, I do. I need you two to go undercover." Herman paused to make sure they were paying attention. "You need to find this man." He held up the poster with the picture of a younger, tan skinned man with dark hair and piercing eyes. "He should be at the night club in the nearest town."

"So you want us to go into this club all dressed up, right?" Fiona asked, focusing first on the picture and then on the commander.

"Yes. You two don't need code names, but you have to act like a couple. It would be less suspecting of this guy if you two looked like you were a couple, then if you were just there, acting all stiff and whatnot." He handed them one hundred dollars and then began to usher them out of the room. "Be ready by six, you leave by seven."

"Yes sir," both said, before leaving the room. Once the doors shut, the threesome began laughing hysterically. However, someone else had slipped into the room unnoticed.

"What's so funny?" an annoyed Thomas Richard Schubaltz asked.

"Nothing," Moonbay said, covering. Thomas would ruin everything. Though she wasn't sure anyone would believe him anyway.

"It's an inside joke, Schubaltz. You aren't on the inside." This caused a round of laughter that the Commander excused himself from.

"Moonbay, please help Fiona get ready."

"I'm sure she can pick out clothes."

"Yes, but just make sure. I want them to stop beating around the bush, you know?"

"What are you talking about?" Thomas questioned. The commander reprimanded himself for slipping up.

"Listen, you little dweeb," Moonbay said, growing impatient, "Van and Fiona have been beating around the bush for forever, and I know that we're just about all ready to see them get together. And I thought you'd get it when Irvine said that she loves _him_, and not _you_."

"But..b-but,"

"I'm afraid it's true," Herman said. "They both love each other. Don't make us go into the mainframe and get examples." Thomas got out of the room at a sprint.

---------------------------------

"Fiona, want some help?" Moonbay poked her head into the room, where Fiona sat, in short shorts and a tank top, brushing through her wet blond hair.

"Uh, sure." Moonbay walked into the room. "So what are you going to wear?" She asked curiously.

"Umm, well, I went shopping with you two weeks ago, and I-"

"You didn't buy anything good when we went, I saw what you bought."

"Would you let me finish?" She paused, making sure her friend was paying attention. "I bought something other than those clothes."

"Show me!"

"When I'm ready, you can be the first to see. But guess what?"

"What?" Fiona sat across from Moonbay on her bed, still brushing her hair.

"Van's going to take his leave, so he invited me to spend the month with him at the Wind Colony!"

"Won't it take a week to get there by the Liger?"

"Well yes," Fiona looked up at Moonbay, then stood up, going over to the mirror, "but it will be just like old times."

Moonbay smiled. "You really love him, don't you?"

"More than anything." She paused, turning to her. "Hopefully, he does too."

"I'm pretty sure he does. Come on, Fi, you know he's willing to die for you."

"Still," she said, "Part of me wants to knock him right off his feet tonight."

"I'm sure you will," she said reassuringly. "How about your hair, what are you going to do with it?" Moonbay had noticed Fiona brushing her wet hair, but she hadn't seen it down very often. "Do not put it back up in that ponytail."

"I was planning on leaving it down," She replied, "It'll dry straight." Fiona walked to her closet, then checked inside.

"Hey Moonbay, do you have any black shoes?"

"Like heels?"

"Exactly."

"I should, but it might take me some time to find them."

"Well go on," Fiona said. "I'm going to need some shoes."

The second Moonbay left, Fiona checked the time. It was five thirty already, so she could get dressed and do her makeup. She concentrated her thoughts on what she was doing, not Van, so that she didn't end up daydreaming the last half hour of time she had away.

---------------------------------

"There," Moonbay said. "Found 'em." She pulled out the shoes and set them next to her, as a knock was laid on her door.

"It's me," Fiona called, opening the door. Moonbay's jaw dropped.

"Holy Zi. Fiona, I didn't know you could look like that."

"There's a lot people don't know." She did a full turn, allowing Moonbay to see all the changes.

"One word of advice, Fi. Do _not_ let Thomas see you looking like this."

-----------------------------------

"Van, are you almost ready?" Irvine tapped his foot impatiently. "You've got two minutes."

"I'm ready, I'm ready. Cool it Irvine."

"Can't. Moonbay would kill me if you're late." He watched as Van stepped out the door, wearing his traditional tan pants and a white shirt. His hair was still spiked up, as usual, and the smell of cologne wafted through the air. "You clean up pretty good," Irvine commented.

"Thanks." They both looked at the nearest clock. "We gotta go."

-----------------------------------

"Now then," Herman said, clearing his throat. Thomas stood in the corner, a pout on his face. "Where's Fiona?"

As if on cue, Moonbay rushed into the room. "Hey everybody," she said nervously.

"Where's Fiona?" Van demanded.

"She's coming." Moonbay turned and looked down the corridor. "Don't be shy honey, come on." The girl looked at Van and Thomas. "Keep your tongues inside your mouths and your jaws from off the floor."

"Why?" Thomas asked.

Moonbay didn't bother to answer, as Fiona walked into the room. She was wearing a short black halter dress, and black shoes courtesy of Moonbay. They were pointed and laced once around her ankle where a buckle was located. Her hair was down, hanging straight, and her eyes were decorated with a light pink shadow and mascara. Her gold necklace with the Guardian Force charm hung around her neck, and the thick straps of her dress were tied behind her back.

She ran a hand through her hair, so that no part was visible, then spun around on the toes of her shoes. "How do I look?" She questioned.

"Damn," Irvine said. "I didn't know you could look like that."

"Like what?" She asked defiantly. She then turned to Van. "Do I look okay to you, Van?"

"Yeah," he said, breathlessly.

"Oh my gosh, Miss Fiona!" Thomas, apparently finding out how to use his mouth launched himself at her. She gracefully took a step back and watched him hit the wall.

"You two have your mission. Act like a couple."

"Okay," they both said, determined.

Irvine leaned over and whispered something to Herman, who looked at him and Moonbay, then nodded. "Are you sure you're going to be able to do this?"

"Yes," they both answered.

"Prove it." Herman responded.

"Yeah," Irvine said. "Kiss her Van!" Van began to blush profusely. He looked at Fiona, who nodded.

They both closed their eyes, tilting their heads toward each other. Thomas, who peeled himself off the wall watched in horror as his love locked lips with his rival. Their lips met, and they kissed each other passionately. Irvine and Moonbay watched, relief written over their faces. They thought they'd never see their first kiss.

Herman, stared at the two of them, a look on his face that said 'finally,' seeming to appear. Then, he pulled out his wallet and handed a twenty to Irvine, who smiled and mouthed a thank you. Meanwhile, Van's tongue had begun to search Fiona's mouth.

"Hey you two lovebirds," Moonbay said after a minute. "I think poor Thomas is going to have a heart attack over here."

"You two have a mission to carry out. Try not to be too serious." Herman looked at the two, who had a sprinkling of red on their cheeks. "Well, go on!"

The two nodded, saluting, then turned and walked out the door, leaving an unstable Thomas in the fetal position. The second the door closed, Irvine, Herman, and Moonbay began cheering. Thomas suddenly jumped up. "This was all a set up!" He exclaimed. "There is no criminal! You just set them up!"

"Thank you captain obvious," Irvine said, high fiving Moonbay. "That was the best thing I've ever done. Did you see the way she looked? I'll be surprised if they even make it to the club."

"Yeah, definitely" The three started laughing, as Thomas ran out of the room, crying about how his beloved was off with Van.

--------------------------------------

_epilogue: Who REALLY Got Who._

"So," Moonbay started, watching a back to normal Fiona walk into the kitchen of the base. "Did you have fun last night?"

"Yeah," She said. "I didn't see that guy anywhere." Fiona poured salt into her coffee, then took a sip. She traced the lip of the mug with her left hand.

"You idiot! We set you up! That guy has been in jail for almost twenty years!" Moonbay was fuming, standing up, as Fiona still lazily traced her coffee cup. "And all your doing is tracing that cup," She paused, taking a deep breath, as Fiona let her hand fall to the table. "Oh. My. God." She looked at Fiona who smirked. **_"IRVINE!"_**

Van waltzed into the room, as just about everyone in the base came running to the kitchen, hearing Moonbay's scream. Van stood behind Fiona, who was sitting.

"What's wrong Moonbay?" Irvine questioned in shock. "What's going on?"

"You," she said, huffing at Fiona, "and you," she paused extending her finger to point at Van and Fiona. "Oh. My. God."

"What is it, woman?" Herman questioned. Fiona stood up. "Spit it out!"

_"She's wearing a goddamn ring!"_

All eyes turned to Fiona, who had her hand on the top of her chair. They all stared at the gold ring with a perfectly cut diamond on it, and two small pink ones on the side. The middle diamond was huge, and they all stared. Thomas started weeping again.

"Umm," Van said, clearing his throat, "I asked her to marry me last night."

"You mean we went through all this trouble to set you up, thinking that you weren't going to ever get together and you go and propose to her?" Irvine stared at her, then looked at him. "Holy Zi! You proposed!" He slapped Van on the back. "And you said yes!" He kissed Fiona on the cheek.

Moonbay smiled, tears forming on her face. "I'm so happy for you!" The group smiled.

"So, when are you going to get married?" Irvine asked. Thomas began wailing and was dragged from the room.

"Well, I asked her to come to the Wind Colony with me on my leave," Van began, wrapping his arms around Fiona.

"This soon?"

"Well, we have to tell his sister, and he promised the father at the local church that he would get married there." Fiona smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Well, now I guess we know who got who."

-----------------------------------------

_thanks for reading!_

_please review x3_

End file.

The Secret Mission by Distant Storm