1. The Green Organoid

Disclaimer: Of course I don't claim to own Zoids or any associated characters, but any OCs are mine.

A/N: Third and final attempt at a Zoid fic, takes place just after the war between the Empire and Republic ended. Please review, it helps motivate me to write better.

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CHAPTER 1

The Green Organoid

Crow's ocean blue eyes fixated on the pair of Zoids ahead of him. His tall, athletic build helped him to balance on the hover board under his feet. The golden sun bathed his face in its warm glow, revealing his handsome features. His nose was short and petit, his cheeks skinny and his lips slim. Up ahead was the long lost battlefield he often visited to clear his head and today was no different. Except that is that this time more then just ruined Zoids were here, up ahead he saw two combat-ready Heldigunners. The iguana-like Zoids were painted in desert camouflage, but the fact that they stood on a dark brown rock face gave them away.

Crow noticed the pilots hop out of their Zoids and head toward the ruins their Heldigunners were parked near. He himself had investigated the ruins many times, using the scrap parts he found to fix and modify his hover board. He turned his board off and hid behind the ruins of an old Stealth Viper as he watched the pilots disappear inside the ruins. The boy left his board behind and crept toward the ruins, dodging many the corpse of a fallen Zoid on his way. He silently made his way through the broken metallic entrance of the ruins, disappearing inside the darkness.

"Do you see it anywhere Jack?" a voice in the darkness asked.

"No, there must be a switch or something in here that opens up a secret room," another voice said, "come on, we've recovered at least a dozen of these by now. You should have these ruins figured out by now, idiot." Crow crept closer to the voices, listening as the pilots felt around for some button on the wall and picking up a pipe he felt on the ground. He saw a red button flash and a door slide open ahead, revealing a lighted room beyond it. "See Skoal, I told you there was a-" but the pilot's voice was cut off when Crow struck him across the back of the head.

"What are you do-" the one called Skoal began before Crow did the same to him. These guys were up to something, and for now they were more useful to Crow unconscious until he could figure it out. Trained in stealth combat by his father, the boy had perfectly utilized the darkness to overcome two possibly superior opponents. He smiled and walked into the lighted room, carefully glancing back to ensure the men were still on the ground.

As he investigated the room further he spotted a green tube connected to the ceiling and floor by two control panels. The boy gazed at the entrancing color of the lime green liquid inside for a moment before starting to push a few buttons around the tube. Suddenly an alarm blared and the room started flashing red as the tube began cracking. Steam and liquid poured out of it until the glass couldn't hold anymore, exploding open and pouring out its contents.

When the liquid had washed out a small, metallic creature fell to the floor. "What the?" Crow whispered, standing over the creature. It resembled a Zoid, only on a much smaller scale, with large bat-like wings and a draconic appearance. The Zoid's olive green color further fueled the fact that it resembled a dragon. Suddenly its eyes flickered open, showing off their lime green color as they looked around.

"No!" Crow heard the one called Jack say, "He's released the organoid!" The "organoid" as he called it stood up and roared a defiant challenge at the boy.

"Calm down buddy," Crow said calmly, looking back to see Jack rising, "I'm not going to hurt you." The boy held out his hand, letting the creature sniff it momentarily before turning to face the rising man.

"Look here kid," Jack said, "you don't know what you've just gotten yourself in the middle of, just get out of here and I'll let you live." Crow immediately detected a hint of deception in the man's words and just stood his ground, holding the pipe he had found out in front of him in a defensive position. Jack snickered and drew a pistol from its holster at his side, Crow scolded himself for not realizing the man was armed before. The man steadily raised the gun as his partner came to and joined him. "Sorry kid, nothing personal, just taking care of business" Jack said.

Crow heard a roar behind him and felt himself being lifted into the air. The organoid had grabbed his shirt and now held him by it. The boy watched as boosters on the backsides of the creature's legs popped open and charged with green energy. With another roar the organoid blasted forward, head butting the gun wielding pilot and continuing on out of the room and toward the light of the outside. The creature carried him far outside, toward the Zoid graveyard outside. Crow heard a few gunshots being fired behind him and cringed.

The organoid spread out its wings, de-activated its boosters and landed softly on the Stealth Viper the boy had hidden behind before. Then the creature dropped him in the open cockpit. "I can't pilot this thing," Crow said, "its trashed." Suddenly the organoid bathed itself in green light and rocketed into the air as a bolt of pure energy. It roared and slammed into the head of the Stealth Viper, disappearing as it melded with the Zoid. Crow watched in awe as the blue colored cockpit was revived, the systems buzzing to life. The body of the snake-like Zoid was immediately repair by a wave of green power, revealing its pure white paint job. The Zoid hissed in the air as the Heldigunners from before sprang to life, charging toward it.

Having a small amount of experience in piloting, Crow turned the Stealth Viper to face them. "Damn it!" Skoal yelled, "he's discovered the power of the organoid!"
"Get him!" Jack ordered. The Heldigunners split up, attacking the Stealth Viper from either side. Crow struggled to figure out the controls of the Zoid as the lizard types opened fire, shots slamming into the side of the Stealth Viper. Out of nowhere the snake-like Zoid turned its head, returning fire with the dual 40mm machine guns mounted on either side of its head. The shots pelted the ground all around Jack's Zoid, causing the pilot to veer his Zoid to the side to dodge them. The other Heldigunner snuck around the back of the Viper, biting into its metallic tail. The Viper hissed and began thrashing its tail back and forth, slamming the attached Zoid against the ground again and again.

Next Crow finally took hold of the Stealth Viper's controls, figuring them out as he watched the buttons and levers move themselves. The boy used the Viper's tail to throw the Heldigunner over its head and opened fire on it midair. The Heldigunner's armor was ripped apart by the repeated fire and the Zoid landed on the ground in near ruins. "My combat system's frozen!" Skoal yelled.

Jack's Heldigunner hissed a challenge at the Stealth Viper, charging forward and pinning the Zoid down with heavy fire. Crow pushed a blue button on the main controls, listening as the steam vents all along the Stealth Viper opened and watching as a pure white fog rolled out. "Where'd he go?" Jack asked, looking around for the Viper as he opened fire.

"Right here!" Crow yelled, firing a missile from the center box of the Stealth Viper's body. The rocket slammed into the ground under the Heldigunner, the explosion throwing it upwards. Crow followed up the maneuver with a lash of the Viper's tail, sending the Heldigunner flying into its partner.

"Retreat!" Jack growled, "we have to tell the boss that the retrieval mission was a failure!" Crow watched as both Zoids scuttled away as quickly as they could. He had just won his first Zoid battle. The Stealth Viper bent down, opening its cockpit as Crow jumped out. The boy watched as a familiar bolt of energy shot out of the Zoid and landed next to him, the organoid taking its place.

"Wow, that was great!" Crow yelled excitedly, hugging the dragon-like creature. The organoid just stood solemnly. "Guess this means we're stuck together huh?" the boy asked. The organoid growled slightly, but nodded its head. "How about I call you Drake?" Crow asked. The organoid roared in approval.

An hour later, back at the Waterfall Colony . . .

Crow's dad stood, looking over the organoid standing in front of him. His dad was a relatively short and stocky man, with black, spiky hair that matched Crow's. Drake stood perfectly still as the man poked and prodded him. "Yep," his dad said, "this is definitely an organoid. You say you found it and the Stealth Viper in those ruins you're always nosing around in huh?"

"Well, the Heldigunner pilots opened the room but technically I was the one who found him" Crow explained. His dad shook his head in acknowledgement of the statement.

"Where the pilots Imperial or Republican?" the man asked.

"Definitely Imperial," Crow said, "they were wearing Imperial uniforms. But I thought the war was over, why would they be so ill intentioned if they were actually soldiers?"

"I don't know, that's what I'm wondering about" his dad said, grabbing his chin as he thought it over. Suddenly the sound of explosions caught their attention and Crow turned to see where they were coming from. Another explosion near the edge of the colony rocked the ground as a large tavern was blown to pieces, rubble and dust flying everywhere. "Come on boy, looks like the village is under attack! It's our job as pilots to defend it!" Crow's dad yelled, running out of the house and toward his parked Zoid. Crow chased after him, with Drake in toe. His father's Zoid was a Zaber Fang, a tiger-like Zoid with a multitude of weapons and saber-tooth like fangs for close combat.

Crow hopped in the Stealth Viper, booting up all its systems. "Drake!" he yelled. The organoid roared and turned to energy once again, melding with the Stealth Viper as it and the Zaber Fang mobilized. The Zoids ran, and slithered, toward where the last explosion was. As they neared the site of the attack the attackers came into view. The Heldigunners from before flanked a much bigger t-rex-like Zoid. The Zoid had a pair of back and nose mounted cannons, its eyes glowing a sinister red. "A Genosaurer!" Crow's dad yelled.

"Citizens of the Waterfall Colony!" a raspy voice said over a megaphone. "Hand over the one with the organoid or suffer the consequences."

"I'm right here!" Crow screamed, opening fire on the Genosaurer. On queue his dad also began firing, using the impact cannon on the Zaber Fang's chest to rip at the Saurer's armor. The Heldigunners charged forward, double teaming the Stealth Viper as the Genosaurer and Zaber Fang squared off.

"Leave this village" Crow's dad said seriously, the Zaber Fang springing forward and biting into the Genosaurer's chest. The dinosaur-like Zoid grabbed the head of the Zaber Fang and pulled its teeth out of its chest, throwing the Zoid to the ground. Next the Saurer stomped roughly on the fallen Zaber Fang's midsection. Crow heard his father scream in pain as the Zoid malfunctioned, electricity surging through his body.

"No, dad!" he yelled. But a few shots from the Heldigunners reminded him he was in his own fight. The Stealth Viper spun around, lashing its tail at one of the Heldigunners. The lizard-like Zoid bounded out of the way.

"Don't think we're gonna fall to the same crap twice!" Skoal yelled. Crow gritted his teeth and pulled a lever next to him. The Stealth Viper threw itself into the air, coming down and burrowing into the ground. "You can't hide from us!" Skoal's Heldigunner opened fire on the mound of dirt left behind as the Stealth Viper approached it from under ground. The snake-like Zoid erupted from the soft dirt below the Heldigunner, picking the Zoid up with its head and chucking it to the ground. Crow finished the Zoid off with a frenzy of bullets to its cockpit.

The Zaber Fang tried desperately to get to its feet, met only by a swift kick from the Genosaurer that knocked it back to the ground. Then the Saurer locked down its foot locks, opened its tail fins and bent down, a gun barrel stretching out of its mouth. Crow's father stared in horror. A cloud of charged particles formed on the outside of the barrel as energy began building up. Then, in a flash of light the cloud formed into a beam of particles that slammed into the fallen Zaber Fang, enveloping it in blue and purple energy.

"No!" Crow yelled, the Stealth Viper slithering toward the Genosaurer and opening fire with its machine guns. But the Zoid didn't stop until all that was left of the Zaber Fang was a smoking crater. Suddenly the guns of the Stealth Viper quit firing and Crow couldn't move it. "Drake, what are you doing?" Crow asked, tears swelling up in his eyes. The organoid took control of the Zoid as the Genosaurer turned and began charging up another shot with its Charged Particle Gun. The Stealth Viper opened its steam vents and dug into the ground just as the beam of destruction would've destroyed it.

When the fog cleared the Stealth Viper was gone. Jack looked from side to side, seeing absolute nothing that showed any evidence of the Zoid's departure. "What do we do now Craven?" he asked. The Genosaurer turned toward the Heldigunner, a hooded face appearing on the Heldigunner's screen. The hood completely concealed the man's face but Jack could still make out Craven's blood red eyes as they glowed with the power that manipulated him.

"Kill everyone who might of saw us," Craven's raspy voice said, "then return to the base." Jack smiled deviously and turned to see a woman and her small children running by. Being a bad guy was _way _too much fun.

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A/N: Next chapter should be up by the middle of the upcoming week, hope you like it!

	2. Night Drive

CHAPTER 2

Night Drive

The white colored Stealth Viper slithered back into what remained of the Waterfall colony the next day. Crow's eyes watered as he looked at what was left of his former home. He saw the crater where pieces of his father's Zaber Fang still laid around, he saw the bodies of children he had once looked after. The boy broke into tears, unable to control either his sorrow or his rage. They'd taken everything from him, his only surviving family member from the war, his house, everything. All because of the organoid he had with him. He didn't blame Drake, the organoid had saved his life after all, he blamed himself. He should never have returned home knowing that those creeps knew what he looked like, he should've just finished them off back at the ruins.

He slammed his fists into the rough ground in rage, tears pouring off of his face. So many memories, so many good times. Drake appeared behind him, sensing the loss the boy had suffered and placing his metallic claw on the boy's shoulder as he choked up his tears. "Are you with me to the end buddy?" Crow asked. Drake nodded. "Thank you" Crow said, grabbing the organoid's claw for a moment before standing up and heading back to the Stealth Viper. Crow jumped into the cockpit, wiped the tears from his eyes and closed it. Drake flew up onto the center box of the Stealth Viper as the Zoid started moving. "I'd say let's go find the bastards responsible but I don't know where they went and I have the feeling that they'll find me," Crow said, "guess I'll see what I can do about enlisting some help."

Over the next couple of days Crow traveled, seeing the sights and keeping an ever watchful eye out for the creeps that had attacked him earlier. His destination was Guygalos, the capital city of the Empire. There was the closest thing he had to family, his dad's best friend, a man named Colonel Payne. Payne was a military strategist in the Imperial Army, one of the best too. He had worked side by side with his father in the war against the rebel Republicans. He was even one of the strategists that worked against the Death Saurer when it had attacked the capital city he now resided in.

On the night before he would arrive at the city he decided he couldn't wait anymore, he would travel through the night and arrive early morning. The darkness was no problem for such an advanced Zoid like the Stealth Viper, the moonlight from both the moons of Zi helped as well. As his Zoid slithered through the sand, Drake resting on the Viper's head, he spotted a campfire ahead. His radar picked up two objects, one obviously a Zoid, the other smaller, probably the pilot. He flipped a switch on the Viper's main control pad, suppressing all noise and heat the Zoid might put out as not to be detected. As he neared the campfire he felt a little better when he saw that the Zoid was neither a Heldigunner or a Genosaurer.

Instead, the Zoid was a there called a Helcat. The Helcat was a cheetah type Zoid with abilities similar to his Stealth Viper. It used a new type of stealth technology called a Stealth Shield that refracted the light around the Zoid to make it seemingly invisible. From what Crow could tell in the faint light of the fire the Helcat was painted black and dark blue for added stealth at night. The pilot, a tall young man, probably around 21 to 22 years old, had short spiky blue hair and wore a piece of chest armor with loose black pants and gloves.

"Victor?" Crow asked himself. The pilot spun around, drawing a large pistol from its holster and aimed it into the darkness.

"Show yourself coward" the man said. The man nearly jumped back when the white Stealth Viper slithered out of the darkness. Drake roared at the sight of the gun but Crow assured him it was okay and opened the cockpit. "Crow?" the man asked in disbelief, putting down his pistol. "I heard that the Waterfall Colony had been destroyed, how did you survive?" the man asked as Crow jumped down to greet him. Victor used to be Crow's schoolmate when a traveling Imperial teacher had came to their village, but then he had left for the Imperial army.

"Drake there saved my skin, without him I'd be dead too" Crow said.

"What about your dad?" Victor asked. Crow just sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry pal, he was a great man, can I ask what happened?"

"They came looking for Drake and I," Crow explained, nearly crying again, "two Heldigunners I had defeated earlier and a Genosaurer. Those glowing red eyes and that raspy voice, I'll never forget them. I managed to take out one Heldigunner before the Genosaurer killed my dad and was about to get me too. That's when Drake took command of the Stealth Viper and got me to safety." At the mention of his name Drake glided down, standing next to Crow, worriedly looking at the gun in Victor's hand. "Oh, by the way, he doesn't like guns" Crow warned as Drake solemnly growled. Victor nodded and put the weapon away.

"An organoid huh? I've seen one of these before, a silver one named Zeke," Victor said, reaching out to pet Drake, "amazing creatures they are. So, I'm guessing he's responsible for you having a Zoid as well?"

"Yes, never seen a Stealth Viper colored white before though" Crow said.

"You know, there was a tale about a Zoid pilot who piloted a white Stealth Viper going around during the war," Victor said, "I heard he was good. The white color was to help blend in with the color of the steam the Zoid emitted. They say he was able to defeat entire Imperial bases with that Zoid."

Crow looked up at his Zoid. Could this honestly be the Zoid Victor was talking about? A Zoid of heroism amongst the Republic, or was it a simple coincidence? He'd have to get down to the bottom of that later. "Hey, enough about me, what've you been up to?" Crow asked.

"I joined the army, as you know, and training camp was hell but I made it through," Victor explained, "then they started me off with a Molga Zoid. Not my favorite, weak weapons, not much speed or armor but I excelled none the less. Finally they gave me my Helcat, seeing how I did as a scout and guerilla warfare soldier. I've never been hit by a single bullet." Crow nodded in acknowledgment of the accomplishment. "So hey, where you headed all the way out here?" Victor asked.

"Guygalos, I'm going to go see Colonel Payne, see if I can get some help in tracking down the guy that killed my dad" Crow said.

"No way, that's my commanding officer," Victor said, "tell you what, you help me on my mission and I can take you straight to him. Deal?"

"What's the mission?" Crow asked.

"We've received some reports of bandit activities between here and Guygalos, apparently they've been intercepting traders on their way into the city, I've been sent out to find and apprehend them" Victor said. Crow didn't even have to think about it, even if Victor wanted help against the Deathsaurer Crow would be in.

"Okay, sure I'll help you," Crow said, Drake growling in the background, "sorry _we'll _help you." The organoid nodded at that comment, roaring in approval. After packing up Victor's camping gear the two hopped in their Zoids, the Helcat taking the lead as they searched around. Soon they came across the ruins of an insect-like transport Zoid called a Gustav, the Zoid in flames and its cargo all missing.

"This is definitely their work, your radars picking up anything?" Victor asked.

"No, oh, wait a second, what's that?" Crow asked. Suddenly the night lit up as muzzle flashes pierced the darkness.

"Activating Stealth Shield!" Victor yelled. Suddenly a rainbow colored aura covered the cheetah-type Zoid and in a flash it disappeared into the night.

"Drake!" Crow yelled. The organoid bellowed a battle cry and rocketed into the air, turning into a bolt of pure energy and melding with the Stealth Viper. More muzzle flashes appeared out of the darkness from behind the snake-like Zoid, the shots barely missing the Viper's skinny body. The Stealth Viper whirled around, firing shots from its dual 40mm machine guns into the unknown abyss where he thought the enemy fire had come from.

Up ahead, the Helcat approached the small blip on its radar screen, cautiously circling around it in order to get some idea of what it was up against. "Crow! They're Guysacks, we didn't pick them up on our radars at first because they dug underground!" Victor exclaimed over the intercom. The scorpion-like Zoid ahead of the Helcat snuck slowly toward the Stealth Viper's position, then began digging into the ground with great haste. Victor opened fire with his Zoid's back mounted AZ20mm machine guns, catching the back of the Guysack before it disappeared under the sandy ground and out of sight.

Below the ground the bandits communicated back and forth. "My audio equipment is picking up something behind me, but I couldn't pick it up on radar" one of the bandits said.

"Must be using some kind of stealth technology, probably a Helcat, tricky little buggers" the other bandit said. "Just use your Zoid's advanced audio equipment to find it, focus on the small amount of noise the sand makes when it shifts under the Helcat's feet."

"Okay, I just need to-" but the bandit was cut off by the sound of gunfire as it shot through the sand above, raining down on his Zoid. "Damn, they found me! But how?" he asked.

The Stealth Viper emerged from the sand above and slammed into the Guysack head first, using its digging ability to find its opponent and flush it out. The Guysack tried to reach up and use its pincher-like claws but in such a tight space they were useless. Instead, the bandit piloted the Zoid forward, out of the way of the burrowing Viper and toward the surface.

"Now!" Crow yelled. The Guysack erupted from the sand, met by the gun barrel of the Helcat The cheetah type Zoid slashed forward with its hardened alloy claws, ripping off a few of the Guysack's fragile spider-like legs. The Zoid fell to the side, off balance and began digging to try and escape. The Stealth Viper emerged from behind the Guysack, lashing out with lightning reflexes and biting into the Zoid's dangerous tail. The maneuver halted the Guysack's retreat, holding it above ground long enough for the Helcat to open fire and blow off one of the Zoid's pincher claws.

"Care to give up yet?" Victor asked with a smile on his face. Suddenly a blast from behind him slammed into the rear of the Helcat, exploding into the Zoid's back leg. "No, you son of a bitch!" Victor yelled, pissed that his clean record of never being hit had been broken. The Helcat disappeared once again while the Stealth Viper watched guard over the disabled Guysack. The remaining Guysack pilot desperately looked around for the enemy Helcat, trying to catch some distortion in the pitch black of the night, but to no avail. Victor growled and opened fire with all the Helcat's weapons from behind it, tearing away at the scorpion type Zoid. He continued firing until the Zoid had been completely dismembered. Then he opened his cockpit, walked up to the Guysack's and spit a huge wad of spit onto it.

"Thanks for the help" Victor said, reaching out and shaking Crow's outstretched hand. "We'll take these guys and book em, then I'll take you to Colonel Payne."

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A/N: How am I doing so far? Please review and tell me what you think.

	3. The Empire Trembles

A/N: This chapter dedicated toVanya-Deyja for her grand reviews

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CHAPTER 3

The Empire Trembles

"So the organoid escaped with the boy huh? Sounds like a failure on your behalf," the man said, tossing back his long green hair and narrowing his liquid silver eyes, "and how exactly do you plan on fixing this problem?"

"The boy and the organoid will be brought in as soon as possible," Craven's raspy voice said as he bent down on one knee, "no worries, my lord. Just a minor setback."

"And what of the other Wraiths? How many organoids have they collected?" the man asked, eyeing his servant roughly.

"A total of twelve organoids are in our possession with four more on their way," Craven explained, "of course I personally have delivered over half of them." The man nodded and turned to the pool of purple liquid behind him, staring down at the shadow of the behemoth below.

"Then it won't be long until he awakens," the man said coolly "get the green organoid before we talk again, no more failures Craven." Craven bowed one last time before flicking his black cloak and turning to leave. "Soon my precious, soon" the man said to himself.

Crow and Victor entered the city of Guygalos the next morning, or at least what was left of it since the attack of the Deathsaurer a month ago. Skeletons of the buildings that once stood proud in the Imperial capitol still existed and Crow noted seeing many a construction Zoid as they went through. "The Emperor just approved a huge budget for fixing the city and soon it will be restored back to its full glory" Victor said, noticing all of Crow's sight-seeing.

"So, is Colonel Payne still a major pain in the ass or has he gotten any better here lately?" Crow asked. Victor laughed.

"One of the guys called him that once and all he said was that he was a major long ago, now he was a colonel pain in the ass and to always address him as such" Victor said.

"Sounds like something he'd say" Crow said as they approached the Imperial base that had been planted smack dab in the middle of the city, where the Deathsaurer had done the most damage. The base was massive, with five bunkers, eight Zoid hangars and a pair of command and communication towers. Victor pushed the bandits from the night before out of his cockpit and watched them fall face first onto the hard ground. Then he jumped down, landing roughly on their backs before stepping off.

"Enjoy your stay in the Imperial holding cells boys," Victor said, grabbing them by the necks and pulling them to their feet, "it's gonna be a long one after all." Crow jumped out of the Stealth Viper's cockpit and stood next to Drake while the organoid vigilantly watched every soldier that walked by.

"Don't worry buddy," Crow said, "we're amongst friends now." A couple of minutes later Victor appeared at the door to the nearest command tower, motioning for Crow to follow him. The boy and his organoid hurriedly followed their escort through countless rooms of busy soldiers as they made their way to the top of the command tower. Finally they reached the top, passing a pair of armed Imperial guards and entering the command post. Drake tentatively stared at the guns the guards held but Crow patted him and he quickly lost interest. The room was huge, with windows on every side and a hundred screens and computers everywhere inside.

Colonel Payne walked out of the crowd of soldiers, flanked by a pair of guards which he waved off when he saw Victor and Crow. The Colonel was tall, with great posture and powerful features that would otherwise intimidate Crow if he didn't know how gentle and careful the man really was. His short and combed graying hair was a silhouette of silver and blonde that somehow fit the man's cool green eyes. "Colonel Payne, good to see you" Victor said, saluting. The man saluted to the soldier as well, then turned to Crow, taking off his medal-covered hat.

"Sorry to hear about your father and the village," the Colonel said in his sly yet soothing voice, "we will speak of his courage and strength forever. We've organized a statue to be built in his honor in the village once it's rebuilt." Crow nodded in thanks. "What, no salute?" the man asked. Crow just laughed, shaking the man's hand.

"Sorry Colonel," Crow said, "but I'd like to get to business as soon as possible. I came to ask for some help in finding my father's killer. Think you could spare anyone?"

"Of course, anything for your father," Payne said, "as a matter of fact, I think Victor's schedule just opened up after catching those bandits." Payne turned and looked at the blue haired soldier. Victor quickly straightened his back and saluted the man.

"I would be honored Colonel, thank you" he said.

"Yes, thanks," Crow said, "if there's anything I can do to pay you back somehow don't hesitate to ask." The Colonel saluted the boy who in turn did the same. Suddenly an alarm began blaring, a red light flashing and illuminating the entire room as it rocked from the impact of an explosion.

"Sir, unidentified Zoid approaching from the south" a soldier at a computer said, bringing up a picture of the Zoid on the main command screen.

"The Genosaurer, it's him!" Crow yelled, turning and running out the exit.

"All guardian Zoids to defensive positions! Fire at will!" the boy heard Payne's voice say over the communication systems.

Once outside, Crow ran as fast as he could toward the Stealth Viper. Drake appeared beside him, using his boosters to keep pace. The organoid scooped up the boy and rocketed into the cockpit, dropping Crow off before disappearing into the Zoid's core. The Stealth Viper mobilized, heading toward the southern edge of the base where the Imperial army had mounted a massive defensive force of Zaber Fangs and Molgas equipped with Cannonry Units. The boy watched in horror as a purple and blue beam of energy cut through half of them, continuing on to hit a hangar next to the Viper.

Crow yelled as the Genosaurer blew through the defensive barrier of Zoids and into the range of his Zoid's weapons. The muzzles of the Stealth Viper's dual 40mm machine guns flashed as Crow buried the Genosaurer under an avalanche of bullets. The Saurer turned, seeing the Viper and completely ignoring the remainder of the defense forces while it roared into the air. The Stealth Viper returned with a vicious hiss.

"Where's the organoid?" the familiar raspy voice asked.

"He's with me, and don't think you're ever going to get your hands on him!" Crow yelled, firing a pair of multi-purpose missiles from the center box of the albino Stealth Viper. The Genosaurer boosted forward, dodging the explosions as the missiles uselessly slammed into the ground behind it. Crow glared and piloted the Stealth Viper forward, the Zoid's enhanced speed allowing it to reach the Genosaurer before it could react. The snake-like Zoid wrapped its long, flexible body around the Saurer, its heading staring straight at the Genosaurer's before it opened fire. The shots tore into the Saurer's head but did little focused damage, the shots spreading out as the Genosaurer bent forward, locking down its feet and opening its tail fins.

Crow quickly maneuvered the Stealth Viper out of the way as the particles began gathering at the base of the Saurer's mouth. He saw the Helcat approaching and quickly waved Victor off. "Look out, its going to fire the Charged Particle Gun!" Crow yelled. Victor quickly activated the Helcat's Stealth Shield and jumped to the side, narrowing dodging the blast as it came screaming at him. The beam of destruction passed by the Helcat and slammed into the command tower where Colonel Payne had been posted. Crow watched in awe as the tower went up in flames and smoke, its foundation beginning to give way.

Finally the Genosaurer wrestled the Stealth Viper off of it, grabbing onto its narrow body and chucking it to the ground. The Viper hissed defiantly as the Saurer prepared to crush its cockpit with a mighty stomp. Suddenly an invisible force tackled the Genosaurer, throwing it off balance and toppling it. "Leave Guygalos now!" Victor yelled, pouring down a stream of bullets from the Helcat's automatic weapons.

The Stealth Viper slithered back up and joined the Helcat in its barrage of bullets, covering the Genosaurer in small flashes where the bullets slammed into its armor. The dinosaur-like Zoid quickly got to its feet, firing a few shots from its nose-mounted cannons where the Helcat's muzzle flashes where. A small bullet pierced the armor of the Helcat, its Stealth Shield deactivating as its systems tried to recover from the shelling. The Genosaurer began bending down and opening its tail fins when Craven saw it, a wave of Royal Zaber Fangs descending from the Imperial Palace. His Zoid quickly boosted up off its feet and turned to retreat.

"After him!" Colonel Payne yelled from the cockpit of the lead Zaber. "Destroy the Genosaurer!" A flock of Redler joined the assault, flying over head and easily keeping up with the Saurer as it tried to flee. Craven sighed and turned his Zoid back around, landing softly on the dirt and locking its foot locks down. A moment later the CPG fired, cutting through the Redler's in the sky. Crow watched as the Zoids simply evaporated from inside the purple and blue energy.

Craven smiled and turned back around, continuing his retreat. "Damn it, we're losing him!" Payne yelled, "Set up a defensive perimeter around the city and make sure he doesn't return!" Crow sighed, the murderer had come for him again, taking many lives with him in his pursuit of the boy and his organoid. Everywhere he went destruction followed, he decided it wasn't safe for him to remain in Guygalos any longer.

"Thanks for all your help Colonel but I can't continue to stay here and risk the lives of the citizens of the Empire" Crow said, shaking the man's hand once again.

"I understand, the Empire thanks you for the lives you did save today," Payne said, turning to Victor, "now you stay close to this boy, that's an order."

"No problem Colonel" Victor said.

"No salute soldier? You're already picking up Crow's bad habits!" Payne exclaimed. Victor quickly saluted the man, adding a bow as a sign of respect. The Colonel just laughed, kids these days.

* * *

A/N: (walks hungrily toward readers) "Must . . . have . . . brain-I mean reviews"

	4. The Death Wraith Strikes

CHAPTER 4

The Death Wraith Strikes

The deserts of planet Zi were always a lonely sight to Crow, even when he had a good friend like Victor beside him. The endless churning waves of sand, the dry heat and the never changing horizon gave them a despairing, almost ghostly feel. The sight of Guygalos was well behind them now and Crow was well satisfied with the idea. No more blood needed to be spilled on his behalf; he had to face the murderer alone. He didn't want to tell Victor but he felt like the final battle between him and Craven would have to be one on one. Crow felt bad that it was more for his pride than Victor's safety.

"Hey bud, what's wrong?" Victor asked, his face appearing on the screen of the Stealth Viper.

"Just thinking of the future, that's all" Crow answered. To be honest, Crow was afraid to face Craven. The Genosaurer was a dangerous weapon in his hands, capable of mass destruction beyond the scope of imagination. Not only that, but Crow still didn't know why Craven wanted Drake badly enough to face off against the entire city of Guygalos. All Crow knew about the man was his name, not much to go on considering he only knew the first name, not the last. Even that might be fake, no; if he wanted to track the man down he had to get information. Somehow, he had to find someone who knew him, met him, or at least knew something about him.

"Where are we heading now?" Victor asked.

"Back to the Waterfall Colony" came the response.

"Why? Nobody's there" Victor pointed out.

The Stealth Viper turned and faced the Helcat momentarily. "Exactly, nobody there for the Genosaurer or Heldigunners to slaughter for no reason" Crow said. Victor understood, remaining quiet for a few moments.

"So what's the plan if we're attacked?" Victor asked.

"We destroy our attackers, and if Craven isn't with them then we save one to interrogate" Crow answered.

"Okay, sounds like a plan" Victor said.

"Hey Victor" Crow said.

"What?" the man asked.

"Tell me more about the legend of the white Stealth Viper will you?" Crow asked.

"Sure buddy," Victor began, "they called the pilot the 'Albino Assassin' and for ten years he brought the Republican army nothing but pride and victory. Countless times he could be seen joining a losing battle and turning the tide with his excellent skills and leadership abilities. Then one day he got involved with some shady characters, or so I've heard, and double crossed them, turning them into the authorities. After they got out it was said they stalked him with their black Gun Snipers, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It came during the fabled 'Battle of the Forgotten Sands' in an unmarked part of the desert. Hundreds of missing soldiers on both sides of the war are presumed to have been killed there. There were no survivors."

Crow absorbed the information he'd just received. He remembered how badly his Zoid's cockpit had been damaged before Drake restored it. A Gun Sniper's tail sniper rifle could've easily caused the damage, something to ponder. "If there were no survivors then how'd the story start?" Crow asked.

"Don't know man, maybe one of the Gun Sniper pilots opened his big mouth" Victor suggested.

"What was the pilot's name do you know?" Crow asked.

"Lost with everything else, it's just a legend man, doesn't make it real you know" Victor pointed out. Crow nodded. "Hey, we got company coming up pretty quick." Crow gazed into the horizon, squinting through the searing light of the sun and seeing three shadowy figures in the distance. "My sensors tell me that the Zoids are Republican in origin, a pair of Command Wolves and a Shield Liger," Victor said, "I know the war's over and everything but its still an odd sight to see Republicans in Imperial territory. We'd better stop them and see what they're up to."

The Stealth Viper and Helcat moved to intercept the Zoids ahead, cutting them off and motioning for them to stop. The Command Wolves were both white in color, with the usual pair of 50mm cannons on their backs and smoke dischargers. The Shield Liger was also white, with small amounts of blue tied in. The Zoid was fresh from the factory, no modifications other than the numerous amounts of Republican symbols painted on it.

"Whoa there boys, where you headed?" Victor asked.

A man with short spiky black hair and hazel eyes appeared on the screen. "This is Captain Richard A. Sullivan and my personal escorts Privates Smith and Johnson, we're here on an urgent mission" the man said.

"What's your mission?" asked Crow.

"A hooded man piloting a Genosaurer was seen recovering an organoid from a private location, the Empire said it wasn't theirs so we chased after it," Sullivan explained, "so if you'll kindly get out of our way so we can recover the organoid we would be most grateful."

"Craven, he has an organoid now? Great!" Crow said sarcastically.

"As representatives of the Empire we will follow you and help you retrieve the lost organoid" Victor said.

"Great, we could use the help" Sullivan said, his Shield Liger charging forward, cutting between the Helcat and Stealth Viper. The Command Wolves continued after their leader followed by Victor and Crow. "I'm sending you the information about the pilot now, along with a picture of the Zoid" Sullivan said as the data was transmitted. One the screen of the Stealth Viper a picture of a Genosaurer boosting away from some ruins came up and underneath it was the pilot information. Basically, they had nothing, no name, no rank, and no army loyalties. But they had spotted the pilot with red glowing eyes and a hooded cloak, good enough.

"So where are we headed?" Crow asked.

"The Pteras we have following it right now says it's approaching the Avalanche Colony from the east, if we cut it off up here over this group of dunes we can save ourselves of any civilian casualties" Sullivan answered. Crow liked the plan; he also liked the fact that these guys could help him catch the murderer once and for all. A few miles up the Avalanche Colony came into view. The village was built in the center of a giant oasis, around the perimeter of a massive lake. Crow glanced to the side when his radar went off and saw the Genosaurer boosting toward the village. "He's in sight, fire at will, but try to salvage the pilot the best we can" Sullivan ordered.

"Drake!" Crow yelled. The dragon-like organoid roared, rocketed into the air and melded with the Zoid core of the Stealth Viper just as the snake type Zoid burrowed into the ground.

The Genosaurer roared when it saw the small group of Zoids approaching it and turned to face them. Suddenly the Stealth Viper erupted from the sand in front of it, catching the Zoid off guard with a head butt. The Genosaurer was pushed to the side from the force but its boosters continued to thrust it forward. Crow watched the Helcat disappear under a cloak of invisibility and the Shield Liger activate its frontal force shield.

"Fools!" the Genosaurer pilot yelled over the intercom in a deep, sinister voice. "Rex!" A bolt of crimson energy shot through the air, ramming into the Genosaurer and bathing it in blood red energy.

"He's using the organoid!" Sullivan yelled.

"Victor, we're not dealing with Craven here, its someone else! I don't recognize his voice" Crow said urgently.

"You mean there are more of these creeps out there?" Victor asked, the Helcat opening fire from the Saurer's flank. The Command Wolves split to either side while the Shield Liger charged the Zoid head on, they had it surrounded. As the ring of soldiers unloaded on the Genosaurer it boosted to the side, knocking over a Command Wolf and launching a grappling arm at the other. The claws of the Zoid dug into its helpless foe and it began reeling it in next to its fallen partner.

"Now you're finished!" the pilot of the Saurer said as it locked down its feet and bent forward. The tail fins opened as the gun barrel of the CPG extended out.

"Victor, we have to take out the Charged Particle Gun or those Privates are toast!" Crow yelled.

"Roger, aim for the foot locks and we can throw it off balance, then the force of the Charged Particle Gun will do the rest" Victor said. The Stealth Viper and Helcat synchronized their attacks, one aiming at one foot lock, while the other aimed at the remaining one. But the Genosaurer quickly let go of the Command Wolf it had hold of and turned its head toward the Stealth Viper as the particle cloud began forming, forcing Crow to quit firing and burrow underground. The Genosaurer cocked its head down at the last second, firing the CPG down where the Stealth Viper had burrowed.

The energy beam struck the soft sand below, creating a massive crater as the shockwave that went along with the blast slammed into the ground, hurling twisters of sand into the air. Finally the Saurer's foot lock gave way to Victor's shelling and it stumbled. The Shield Liger seized the moment to charge the unbalanced Zoid, using its shield as a battering ram.

"Crow! Are you okay?" Victor asked. Searching the crater frantically for his partner. Then he watched the Stealth Viper stick its head slowly out of the sand below the crater. The Zoid's entire body was dented and sparking but the cockpit opened and Crow jumped out, followed by Drake. "Alright boys, good show!"

The Command Wolves pinned the Genosaurer to the ground with shelling while the Shield Liger began tearing away at the Zoid with its hardened alloy claws. The lion-like Zoid quickly wore down the Saurer's broken armor and tore out the chest cockpit. The pilot fell out, his hooded figure collapsing to the earth below. The organoid that had fused with the Genosaurer also came bolting out, but it quickly rocketed toward the horizon and out of sight, leaving its master behind.

Sullivan, Smith, Johnson and Victor all drew their weapons and cautiously approached the seemingly unconscious pilot. Crow and Drake just watched from a far. "Pilot," Sullivan began, "by order of the Republic you are under arrest for illegal confiscation of an organoid. Have you anything to say for yourself?" The pilot just lied there. Sullivan lined up a shot and motioned for his Privates (lol) to grab the man. The soldiers grabbed the man and pulled him to his feet quickly and roughly. Sullivan walked forward and used his gun to pull up the hood.

The pilot cackled lowly, opening his crimson-colored eyes and ravenously thrashing to escape the grasp of the soldiers. But what was worst of all was the man's horribly disfigured face. His skin was a putrid brown color, with marks of discolored, wait, rotten patches of flesh all around. He was also hairless, looking a lot like a cross between a corpse and a burn victim. Scared, the soldiers released their hold of the cackling abomination and backed away.

"Did I not say you were fools?" the undead pilot asked. "Fools to think you could capture a Death Wraith, fools to think you could retrieve the organoid. The boss will turn you all into his personal slaves when we're finished with you!" the zombie-man bellowed. He started to cackle again but was cut short by the sound of a gun shot. Crow watched as the bullet pierced the flesh of the abomination and threw his head back with the impact. The undead pilot leaned his head forward and continued cackling. Then he charged forward, grabbing the Captain's gun and bending the barrel in half.

Sullivan gasped and backed up when the realization hit him, there was no way to kill this thing. They'd never keep it captive long enough to get it back to the base and contain it either. The raving lunatic just continued cackling for a moment before lunging forward and cutting into the Captain's gut with his razor sharp fingernails. The demon stared into the man's eyes with his own and watched with horrific glee as the Captain died. Crow didn't see anything else as metal tentacles wrapped around his body and he disappeared inside Drake's body.

* * *

A/N: I enjoyed writing the line about Sullivan's Privates way too much. It kinda reminded me off Duffman from the Simpsons. "Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem!" I couldn't stop laughing. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and the new direction the story is beginning to take.

	5. Hired Help and Maniacal Minions

CHAPTER 5

Hired Help and Maniacal Minions

The Stealth Viper slithered into the Avalanche Colony weakly, its body tweaking and surging from the damage it had received from the Genosaurer's Charged Particle Gun. The Helcat covered it from behind, Victor ever vigilant in protecting his younger friend as his commanding officer had ordered. Drake burst out of the Viper and landed on the ground just between the first two buildings in the village. His chest opened up and Crow walked out from the blinding abyss inside. The boy turned and looked over the damage his Zoid had suffered.

The body had taken the brunt of the force, but it was better than being consumed by a beam of charged particles. A small segment near the Viper's center box was pushed way to the side, throwing the Zoid off balance and causing most of the tweaking and surging. It would take a few days for the Zoid to be back to 100, a few days that Crow just didn't have. Anytime Craven or more of his lackeys could show up and without some support Crow was afraid Victor wouldn't be able to handle it.

Walking around the village the trio found a man capable of working on the Zoid who had a shop near the center. "I can have it ready by morning if you really need it and if you have the right amount of money" the repair man said. Crow looked the scruffy man over. His short, round appearance seemed to limit his maneuverability but he was covered in grease and oil and seemed like an honest man with experience so Crow OK'd it.

"Now what if Craven attacks?" Victor asked.

"Guess it'll be up to you and Drake," Crow said, turning to the green organoid, "right buddy?" The organoid roared in acknowledgement. Crow cocked a slight smile, at least he didn't have cowards as partners.

"You guys needing some muscle?" a voice asked from behind them. Crow turned around to see a man of just a few years under Victor standing there waiting for a response. The man was tall, with messy red hair and confident eyes. His features were rugged and rough but something about him suggested he wasn't immediately dangerous.

"Who are you?" Crow asked.

"My name is Scar, professional mercenary at your service" the man said.

"What kind of Zoid do you pilot?" Victor asked. "Because we need something capable of standing up to a Genosaurer."

"I'm sure me and the Whitz Wolf can be of some assistance" Scar said, pointing to the other Zoid standing in the repair man's garage. Crow glanced over at it. The dark red Zoid resembled a wolf, hence the name, with features similar to the Command Wolf. But the Whitz Wolf was equipped with a trio of boosters just above its tail, Dual 50mm Photon Particle Rifles and a Dual Impact Cannon. Suffice to say it was a rather impressive Zoid, the color scheme and green cockpit giving it and its pilot some similarities. "After all," Scar said, "the village already paid me to protect it so as long as I'm not stepping on anyone's toes."

"Your help would be appreciated" Crow said, calmly shaking the mercenary's outstretched hand. "So where are you from?"

"New Helic City" came the reply.

"You're a Republican huh?" Victor asked.

"Well, I was born in Republican land, have a Republican Zoid and a Republican attitude but I wouldn't say I'm actually Republican" the mercenary said. Victor just smiled and shook his head. "So, we're up against a Genosaurer huh? How'd you guys make that big of any enemy?" Scar asked. Crow pointed over at Drake and preceded to tell the mercenary the story behind it all. When he was finished Scar just nodded and absorbed the information.

"What made you become a merc?" Crow asked.

"I come from a poor family," Scar began, "we used to live in the roughest part of the city, the part you never saw. Behind the giant White House and all the dazzling lights New Helic is a pretty tough city. With no other jobs available to me or any money to inherit I turned to doing odd jobs for some pretty shady characters, until they screwed me and I turned on them. Ever since then all I've wanted to do is work for decent, honest hardworking people, and I have."

"That's pretty cool," Victor said, giving the guy a low five, "you're alright for a Republican." The two shared a quick laugh.

But the cheers and laughter were quickly broken up by the sound of gunfire and screams. Scar didn't even look to see where the fire was coming from, he just ran into the repair hangar and a second later the Whitz Wolf came boosting out, the trio of boosters rocketing the Zoid forward.

"Victor," Crow said, grabbing the man before he could get away, "don't let them get to this hangar, got it?" The soldier nodded in acknowledgement and ran toward the parked Helcat. "Drake, go help him" Crow said. The organoid roared and shot into the air, morphing into a beam of pure energy and slamming into the Helcat, disappearing inside just as Victor hopped in the cockpit. Crow pulled a pistol from behind his back and cocked it, nobody was getting near this hangar until the Stealth Viper was back in action.

"Scar, what's the deal, who's attacking us?" Victor asked.

"My Infrared Sensors are picking up three heat signatures at the end of the village," Scar reported, "looks like a pair of Zaber Fangs and a . . . wait a minute, what is that?" Victor was suddenly rocked by a blast striking his Zoid's side. He winced and activated the Helcat's Stealth Shield. Then he turned to see what had shot at him. The Zoid he saw was as terrible as the Genosaurer in ferocity, with just as intimidating an appearance. The Zoid resembled a Republican Spinosapper, but with a much closer resemblance to a spinosaur. The Zoid was blood red and black in color, with a dinosaur-like appearance and a massive line of spines running down its back.

"A Dark Spiner!" Victor yelled.

"What's a Dark Spiner?" Scar asked.

"A Zoid with the Charged Particle Gun like the Genosaurer and a multitude of other abilities including the Ionization Field and Communication Jammi-" but Victor was cut off. Scar tapped his screen but heard nothing else. "Damn it!" Victor yelled. The Helcat silently stalked the Spiner while the Whitz Wolf sprang into action.

The red wolf Zoid boosted into the first Zaber Fang, throwing the tiger type machine back. The Zaber dug its claws into the ground to stop but was only met by a pair of shots from the Wolf's Dual Impact Cannon. The shots exploded on impact, tearing the Zaber Fang's own Impact Cannon from its mount. The cat-like Zoid roared and jumped forward, digging its claws into the shoulders of the Whitz Wolf as the other Zaber Fang moved into an offensive position.

"Now I got you in my sights" Jack said, aiming the Dark Spiner's AZ140mm cannon toward the battling Whitz Wolf and preparing to pull the trigger. But an explosion from his rear forced him to turn the Spiner around and see what the commotion was about. A barrage of laser beams cut into his new Zoid's armor, alone not doing much but together beginning to chip it away. Jack frantically looked around to find his attacker but the evening sun blinded his vision and all he could see was a blotch of sunlight as Victor kept firing.

The second Zaber Fang sprang forward just as Scar activated the Whitz Wolf's boosters, throwing the Zoid and the first Zaber forward. Then Scar hit the brakes, the momentum carrying the first Zaber through the air, it landed roughly on its stomach. "Guess cats don't always land on their feet" Scar mused, firing a few shots from his Dual Photon Particle Rifles to finish off the fallen Zoid.

"Show yourself coward!" Jack screamed, firing in every direction possible. The shots blasted into small corners of houses and taverns, reducing them to rubble in instances. Seeing that his stealth was putting innocent lives in danger Victor tried a different strategy. The Helcat de-activated its Stealth Shield and threw itself at the Dark Spiner. The cheetah-like Zoid landed hard on the Spiner's back and began tearing away at the Zoid with its hardened alloy claws. Jack retracted the Dark Spiner's spines into their protective case and shook his Zoid from side to side. When that didn't work the Dark Spiner backed up into a building and threw itself backwards. Victor screamed as the Helcat fell through a few stories of a local inn.

Scar turned to face the remaining Zaber Fang, squaring off with his opponent for a moment before the cat-like Zoid lunged forward again. Scar activated the smoke dischargers of the Whitz Wolf, filling the air with billows of chalky black smoke. The Zaber Fang slashed into the air momentarily before realizing the Whitz Wolf wasn't there anymore. The pilot looked around him but all he could see was darkness. Suddenly a flash of light pierced the shadows and slammed into his Zoid's side. The Zaber Fang turned and fired but only heard the shots uselessly hit the ground.

The Helcat slowly tried pushing itself up, but to no avail. The Dark Spiner turned around and Jack smiled arrogantly. With a snapping noise the Spiner's spines slid back into place and the Zoid leaned forward. Dual foot locks dug into the ground and the Spiner's tail vents opened. "Say goodbye soldier" Jack said coldly.

"Don't think so buddy!" Scar yelled as the Whitz Wolf collided with the Dark Spiner, pushing it to the side just as the beam of charged particles expelled from the Zoid's mouth. The charged particle beam cut through the air and knocked down a few people on the ground with the following shockwave. Jack turned to face the Whitz Wolf but found it had disappeared into the fog of smoke again.

The last Zaber Fang viciously charged through the smoke, clawing the air all around it as it scrambled to get out. Shots flashed from beside it, blowing a hole in the ground just ahead of the tiger-like Zoid. The Zaber Fang tripped and fell forward as the Whitz Wolf jumped forward and pounced on top of the falling Zoid. A few point blank range shots from the Wolf's impact cannon separated the Zaber's head from its main body. "Gotcha!" Scar yelled triumphantly. Just then a beam of blue and purple energy cut into the air just above the Wolf's back, the shockwave tossing it like a rag doll.

"Perfect shot!" Jack exclaimed excitedly. The shockwave had also blown the smoke from the Whitz Wolf's dischargers away, giving the lackey a clear shot at the mercenary. Scar fell limp in his cockpit upon impact with the ground and the Wolf remained motionless. The Dark Spiner bent forward and locked down its feet just as a draconic roar came from behind it. Drake shot into the Whitz Wolf, bathing it in green light as the charged particles began to gather.

The Wolf suddenly stood and sprang to the side, just in time to dodge the CPG but not the shockwave. The tremendous blast of air once again threw the Zoid through the air. But this time when it landed Drake burst out of it and landed exhaustedly on the ground, panting from all the energy he'd been using that day.

"Now just come with me little organoid and I won't have to kill you" Jack said, the Dark Spiner stepping forward. Drake roared defiantly before collapsing in utter exhaustion. Jack just smiled and opened the cockpit of the Dark Spiner, preparing to grab the dragon-like creature.

"Don't move you son of a bitch!" Crow yelled from beside the Dark Spiner, leveling his pistol and aiming it at the minion's head. Jack froze momentarily. "Get out of the Spiner and we'll see who won't have to kill who" Crow demanded. Jack began to climb down from the cockpit when a moan from the skies distracted both pilots. Crow glanced into the sky as the sun was eclipsed by the sight of a Whale King descending from the heavens. Seeing Crow was preoccupied by the sight Jack scrambled toward Drake. A shot from Crow's pistol pierced the man's hand and he fell over screaming in pain before he could reach the organoid.

A familiar beam of crimson colored energy rocketed into the Dark Spiner and suddenly the Zoid came to life, swooping down and grabbing Jack before running toward the open mouth of the Whale King. Crow fired a few shots at the retreating transport Zoid but was just happy to see his friends still alive. He ran over to Drake, helping the organoid up and giving it a bear hug.

Victor and Scar joined them moments later, the group gazing at the retreating enemy and wondering how they were ever going to defeat opponents wielding weapons of mass destruction with just a pistol.

	6. Pitfall

CHAPTER 6

Pitfall

The seven Death Wraiths stood in a circle, staring at each other and remaining perfectly silent as their leader stared down at them from above. Craven sat in his Genosaurer on the high cliff, gazing down at the hooded figures below him. The Death Wraiths and their Genosaurers were quite a sight to behold. With Craven being one of the only beings alive to know what they truly were, and being one himself, the mysterious effect had long ago faded away.

"The master called for a gathering for a reason," Craven said over a megaphone, "there is only one organoid left to recover, one final chosen one. The green organoid runs rampant to this day and it MUST be captured for the awakening to begin. It has banded together with some village boy named Crow, who pilots the Albino Assassin's Zoid. Find the boy and destroy him, then bring his head and the organoid back to me."

The gathering of Wraiths bowed their heads in unison before turning toward their parked Genosaurers and preparing to leave. Craven was sure that they would succeed, the question wasn't if, it was when. The master would be patient, but not too patient. His Genosaurer roared ferociously in the air before activating its boosters and turning to leave. A soldier stared through a pair of binoculars far to the side of the Genosaurer and watched it maneuver through the rocky terrain. He pulled out a walkie-talkie and turned the dial at the top, "Target is heading west by southwest."

"Roger," Colonel Payne said, turning to the platoon of Zoids behind him, "go, go, go! Bring that bastard back to me!" The Zoids, five Red Horn, twelve Royal Zaber Fangs and ten Iron Kongs mobilized, charging to intercept and surround the Genosaurer. Craven's radar blared as it picked up a huge amount of approaching targets, the Death Wraith just smiled and turned to meet them. Hook, line and sinker. The squadron of Imperial Zoids quickly surrounded the Wraith and his Genosaurer, aiming all their specialized Anti-Zoid weaponry at the Saurer's chest. "Craven, for crimes against the Empire by authority of Emperor Rudolph you are under arrest!" Payne yelled.

The chest of the Genosaurer popped open, the Death Wraith gliding down and landing softly on the ground. Craven threw his hands up, making the soldiers flinch until they realized he was surrendering. Colonel Payne himself strolled right up to the hooded Wraith, a massive guard of soldiers behind him aiming at Craven as the Colonel approached. Payne grabbed Craven by the wrist, pulling up the cloak and revealing the rotting flesh beneath. Craven mockingly blew a breath of putrid air at the Colonel as the man went to cuff him.

* * *

Crow looked the Stealth Viper over meticulously, but couldn't find a single dent in it. He smiled and shook the hand of the man responsible for the repairs. "Thanks old man," he said, "here's your payment." The repair man greedily accepted the Imperial currency and patted Crow on his back before turning to leave. Victor walked up from behind.

"Ready to go yet?" the soldier asked.

"Yeah, let's get the hell out of here" Crow said, jumping in the cockpit of the Stealth Viper. Drake took flight, landing softly on top of the center box and went back to sleep as the snake-like Zoid slithered into motion. "Sure you don't want to come with us?" Crow asked as he passed the Whitz Wolf.

"Sorry guys, I've got a few jobs lined up south of here" Scar answered, the Whitz Wolf roaring a goodbye in response. Crow just shrugged and continued on, quickly joined by the newly repaired Helcat from the side.

"So I'm guessing it's back to the original plan of heading to the Waterfall Colony?" Victor asked. Crow solemnly nodded. "I'm a little afraid to go back and see the destruction but no worries, I'm up for the task."

"You've seen hundreds of destroyed villages, it doesn't look much different" Crow said.

"Well sure it does," Victor retorted, "it's our home Crow. We can never forget our roots, they're what define us."

"You're right I guess" Crow said, thinking again about his friends and family that had been slaughtered because he couldn't defend them. He had grown almost emotionless when thinking about them, the only emotion left being rage. He couldn't wait for the battle between him and Craven. A few hours went by with virtual silence between the two travelers, the only real noise coming from Drake's snoring. Crow admired the organoid greatly, the creature had been an essential part of their survival so far. Finally the sun began setting into the horizon, casting a golden aurora down upon Zi and Crow yawned briefly. "If we ride through the night we'll reach the village by sunset, your call" Crow said.

"Hold on a minute," Victor said, "I'm receiving a message from Colonel Payne." Victor transmitted the message to Crow's screen as the Colonel's face came up.

"We've captured Craven and are now attempting to transport him to the nearest base now" the Colonel said.

"Where are you?" Crow asked.

"Just outside of the Waterfall Colony, we've got the bastard detained and in cuffs" the Colonel said.

"No, stop Colonel, he's undead! He CAN'T die with conventional weaponry!" Crow yelled. "It has to be a trap!" Suddenly screaming came from behind Payne and Crow and Victor watched in horror as Craven grabbed the military man by the throat and aimed a bloody pistol at his head. Payne struggled to get out of the Wraith's grasp but to no avail. Crow barely made out a smile on Craven's face under the shadows of his hood.

"Good to see you again boy," Craven said over the intercom, "how about we stop and have a little chat about the organoid?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way, where do you want to meet?" Crow asked.

"Why the burial sight of your pitiful father of course" Craven said, cackling maniacally before the screen went blank. Crow turned on the intercom to Victor.

"You stay behind in case he's got friends with him, but leave Craven to me" Crow said seriously before the Stealth Viper kicked in to its full speed and charged toward the Waterfall Colony, or at least what was left of it. The Helcat ran to catch up and they disappeared into the night sky.

* * *

Morning came and Craven glanced down at all the tied up soldiers he had taken hostage. His plan had been simple, but effective, much like the common pitfall. The Wraith looked up in time to see the albino Stealth Viper come into view. He smiled and activated the Genosaurer's boosters, heading to meet the approaching Zoid. Craven cut Crow off and the Genosaurer and Stealth Viper exchanged growls and hisses.

"I'm here, now if there are no more interruptions can we get to it, I've been waiting" Crow said coldly. Craven smirked.

"So be it, did you bring the organoid?" the Death Wraith asked.

"Drake!" Crow yelled. A roar from behind the Stealth Viper signaled the organoid's approach and in a flash of lime green light Drake disappeared inside the snake type Zoid. "Satisfied?" Crow asked. Craven nodded and the two began squaring off. The Genosaurer and Stealth Viper circled each other slowly, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Craven tauntingly activated the Genosaurer's boosters, making Crow flinch, but quickly de-activated them and laughed mockingly. Crow lost what patience he had and piloted the Stealth Viper forward, using the Zoid's superior maneuverability to slither around the Genosaurer's legs and squeeze.

The Genosaurer collapsed to the ground as the Viper slid around to face the fallen Zoid. The Stealth Viper struck like lightning, lashing down and biting into the neck of the Genosaurer with its hardened alloy teeth. The Genosaurer desperately slashed at the Viper but Crow easily extended the Zoid's body backwards and dodged the attacks. In response the Genosaurer boosted forward, releasing the Stealth Viper's grip on it and pushed itself to its feet. Then it shot one of its grappling arms toward its opponent, catching the Zoid in its mid-section.

"Got me!" Crow yelled. The Stealth Viper hissed defiantly as it was drug toward the tyrannical Genosaurer.

"There's no escape!" Craven exclaimed ravenously. The Genosaurer dug further into the body of the Stealth Viper with its claws and activated its foot locks. The Viper swung its long tail at the Saurer as it prepared to fire the CPG. Realizing it was futile to strike the Genosaurer in its main body, Crow aimed for the foot locks as a cloud of charged particles formed at the base of the Zoid's mouth. Only managing to dent one Crow instinctively threw his Zoid's tail at the Saurer's head, bashing it to the side as the Charged Particle Gun fired. The Stealth Viper lunged to the side, Crow watching in horror as the particle beam sliced through one of the 40mm machine guns located on the Viper's head.

The shockwave of the weapon threw the Stealth Viper back with tremendous force, releasing it from the grasp of the Genosaurer. Crow groaned as his head was slammed against the console upon impact with the ground. Everything became foggy and for a moment all he could make out was the shape of the Genosaurer as it boosted towards him. Drake took command of the Stealth Viper, piloting it back and around the saurian Genosaurer and opening fire with the remaining 40mm machine gun as Crow's world came back into focus.

Craven turned his Zoid but the Stealth Viper moved in unison, keeping out of reach of the Genosaurer and continuing to rain bullets upon it. A small piece of leg armor fell off from repeated fire, crashing to the ground below. The Genosaurer roared viciously and turned its head, firing a few shots from the cannon mounted on its nose. The shots struck the Viper's head, knocking it backward and disabling it for a moment, allowing the Genosaurer to swing around and fire two direct hits with its twin 120mm pulse laser cannons.

The Stealth Viper hissed and collapsed to the ground, bowing before the might of the Genosaurer. Crow looked up to see the Saurer's foot come crashing down on his Zoid's cockpit, the glass breaking and exposing his position. "You're finished!" Craven bellowed. The Stealth Viper sprang to life, wrapping itself around the Genosaurer before Craven could react. The Genosaurer tried desperately to pry the Viper off of it but the Zoid and its pilot were determined. A spray of bullets to the Saurer's face dissuaded any more resistance as gears and armor began grinding together as the Stealth Viper squeezed the Genosaurer roughly. Craven frantically pressed button after button, pulling levers and typing commands in an attempt to release his Zoid.

The Genosaurer bent into itself as its body began breaking, wires snapping and gears grinding against armor. The Zoid's cockpit erupted in electricity as the command systems malfunctioned, trying to send commands to body parts that couldn't react. Craven screamed in pain as the electrical energy surged through his already deformed body, the electricity charring his festering skin.

"Yes!" Crow yelled, revenge in his eyes. "Suffer you son of a bitch!" Suddenly the boy lost control of the Stealth Viper and the Zoid began releasing its hold over the Genosaurer. Crow frantically looked around, confused as the snake-like Zoid unraveled from the mal-formed Genosaurer. "Drake! What is this? Why are we stopping?" Crow barked angrily. "We almost had him! What are you doing?"

The Stealth Viper slithered away, Crow watching as the Genosaurer collapsed into a heap of broken metal behind him and screaming in righteous confusion. "Crow what happened?" Victor's voice asked over the intercom.

"Drake stopped the battle, we're heading for a rock face not too far from here, meet us there!" Crow yelled. The Viper maneuvered between two large jagged rocks, turned and opened its cockpit, ejecting Crow out then closing it. "What's the meaning of this?" Crow demanded. The Stealth Viper hissed and wrapped itself into a coil as a layer of pink colored crystals began covering its body. "What?" Crow asked. When it was done the Stealth Viper and Drake had disappeared, replaced by an egg of crystals.

* * *

A/N: Any thoughts on the battle between the Genosaurer and Stealth Viper? Send them to me in a review.

	7. Evolution

CHAPTER 7

Evolution

Victor bent down and untied Colonel Payne, constantly looking over his back at the wreckage of the Genosaurer. "Thanks soldier," Payne said, "now where'd Crow go?" The Colonel hopped in the Helcat and together him and Victor followed the slither marks left by the Stealth Viper in its unexpected retreat. They came around a rocky carapace and saw it, a massive egg of pink crystals, with Crow standing in front of it like he was hypnotized.

"Crow, what's happening?" Victor asked, jumping out of the cockpit and landing next to his partner. Crow just shook his head, signaling he didn't know.

"The Stealth Viper is evolving" Colonel Payne stated.

"What do you mean evolving?" Crow asked.

"When your Zoid emerges from that egg it will be different, _far _different," Payne explained, "just you wait and see. When a pilot reaches a level of skill that the Zoid can't keep up with anymore it evolves to meet the pilot's requirements for a Zoid. In terms of sheer power, speed and maneuverability the Stealth Viper will become the perfect Zoid for you." Crow gazed at the egg in wonder for a moment.

"But my piloting abilities couldn't have improved _that _much in just a few weeks," Crow said, "it's impossible."

"Perhaps it's Drake" Victor said, pondering the idea for a moment.

"What do you mean?" Crow asked.

"There are hundreds of organoids out there, think about it," Victor said, "why does Craven need yours so badly unless there's something special about it?" Crow had never really thought about that before, he grabbed his chin as he began to put the pieces together.

"Maybe Drake can evolve a Zoid faster than your average organoid," Crow suggested, "that's why they've only been collecting certain organoids. They're trying to evolve something very quickly, and with influence from all different organoids like Drake we'd be dealing with something far more devastating than the Deathsaurer!" Crow heard clapping from behind him and turned to see a familiar hooded figure. Crow and Victor drew their pistols and leveled them at the clapping Death Wraith.

"Very good child," Craven's raspy voice said, "very good. I never thought a simpleton like you could figure out our grand plan. Too bad you don't even know the half of it, the Awakening will be far more grand than anything you could imagine. Haha, if you thought I was bad, you're in for a nasty surprise." Crow and Victor opened fire, the bullets rocketing toward their target. Craven just laughed as the bullets went right through him like he wasn't there.

"It's a hologram! Someone's messing with our heads!" Crow barked. Craven continued laughing maniacally as his image began fading away. "Get back here and face me you unholy piece of shit!" Crow yelled, but there was nothing there anymore. He breathed heavily for a moment as he tried to calm down. Colonel Payne put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I sure hope whatever comes out of that egg is ready for the challenge ahead" Payne said.

"What if Craven comes with the other Wraiths and tries to destroy it or us before the Stealth Viper comes out?" Crow asked.

"You just leave that to me" Colonel Payne said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a square shaped walkie-talkie.

* * *

Craven bowed before his master, kneeling on one knee and removing his hood. "No green organoid," Craven's master said, "why do you return to me?"

"Great Master Necros, please forgive me," Craven said, "the boy destroyed my Genosaurer. Without a Zoid I cannot possibly recover the green organoid as you have decreed."

The green haired, silver eyed man turned to his servant and touched the Death Wraith on his bald head, digging his nails into the undead flesh. "I gave you the chance for a second life slave and all you do with it is disappoint me!" Necros screamed. Craven moaned in pain as black ooze began seeping from where his master's nails pierced his flesh. Necros shoved the Wraith to the ground and released his hold. "Fine," he said calmly, "I will revive the Genosaurer. And what will you do in return?"

"Bring you the green organoid master" Craven said. Necros smiled and snapped his fingers. A roar from behind the Wraith signified the approach of an organoid. A bolt of crimson energy landed next to Necros and shaped itself into a dragon-like creature.

"Rex here was recovered but is not one of the Chosen Ones," Necros explained, "therefore he is a willing sacrifice to our cause." The crimson-colored organoid gave a confused growl and looked toward its master. "Bring me the Genosaurer's Zoid core!" A group of four Wraiths brought over the orb-like heart of the Genosaurer, setting it in front of their master and then scuttling away. In the battle with the Stealth Viper the core had been damaged by too much pressure against it from all angles, causing it to bend inward and then crack. Craven stared at the cracked orb in loathing. Necros snapped his fingers again and Rex obeyed, morphing into a ball of red energy and floating toward the dead Zoid core.

In a flash of light the organoid and Zoid core fused into one and the core began mutating. A puddle of red energy washed over the core, repairing the crack as the orb-like heart began throbbing in all different directions. Then the orb stretched out in both directions and became box-like in shape, with round edges. Craven stared in awe as metal tendrils reached out of the box and combined together, forming a small solid form as they began expanding and mutating around the core. Necros smiled evilly as his plan unfolded. After much more throbbing, surging and morphing a new Zoid took shape around the Zoid core, something that wasn't the Genosaurer or the organoid. Something far more grand.

"Genosaurer no more, it has evolved into the Psychosaurer!" Necros declared with excitement apparent in his voice. Craven stared at his new Zoid, looking it over. The Genosaurer's bulkier body had been narrowed out, leaving the Zoid with a much sleeker form. The armor was crimson colored, as Rex had been, with spikes emerging from the shoulders and to the side of the knees. The Psychosaurer's head was raptor-like, with long, powerful hardened alloy fangs and a much more oval shape than before. On either shoulder an armored case held a concealed pincher blade that could slide forward and be used with devastating effects.

The Psychosaurer's forearms held a pair of powerful AZ188mm repeaters on one side and AZ144mm spine launchers on the other. Like the Genosaurer before it these arms could be fired forward, but with much more destruction possible because of the mounted weapons. The feet concealed boosters and the Psychosaurer boasted no foot locks, allowing it to fire the Charged Particle Gun without having to lock in place due to a Charged Particle Converter on its back. Craven and his master shared maniacal laughs as they stared in splendor at the abomination before them.

* * *

A few days later . . .

A plethora of Imperial and Republican Zoids stood guard just outside the perimeter of the evolution egg. Crow saw Command Wolves, Dark Horns, Gordos, Iron Kongs and even Gojulas and Genosaurers standing guard to protect _his _Zoid. He just hoped they would be enough to stop Craven and the other Wraiths. Colonel Payne stood next to him, staring at the united force he had amassed. "It's always good to have friends in high places" the Colonel said, winking at the boy. Then the military man turned and looked at the egg concealing Drake and the Stealth Viper. "A new Zoid is created about once every decade or so," the Colonel said, "you're about to join the ranks of the first pilots to pilot a whole new Zoid. I hope you understand how great a gift Drake is giving you right now as he works on the Stealth Viper."

Crow nodded. "I do, and maybe with this new gift together Drake and I finish what we started with Craven."

"Sir!" a soldier yelled, running up to the pair. "Urgent message from one of our scouts!" The soldier handed the Colonel a walkie-talkie.

"Colonel Payne, unidentified Zoid approaching!" Victor's voice yelled over the walkie-talkie. "It's horrible sir, if I didn't have my Stealth Shield equipped I'd fear for my life right now!"

"Son, calm down," Payne said, "tell me what you see."

"The Genosaurer, only not," Victor tried to explain, "it's far beyond the Genosaurer sir and it's approaching at a speed of roughly 350 kilometers per hour!"

"Craven" Crow growled, running up a small mountain face and looking into the horizon. He watched as a small red dot came into view, coming closer and closer every second. Colonel Payne turned to see the evolution egg behind him begin to crack. The crystals shattered one by one as they dematerialized out of thin air, giving small glimpses of what was beneath.

"Protect the Stealth Viper with your lives!" Colonel Payne yelled over a megaphone as Crow ran to watch the egg hatch. The entire mixed guard of Imperial and Republican Zoids opened fire at the approaching terror. Republican Supercannons and Heavy Imperial Hyperbeam Cannons rained shots down on the ground all around the Psychosaurer as it boosted through the desert and toward its target. Craven smiled as the Charged Particle Converter began taking in charged particles from the air, a cloud of them forming at the base of his new Zoid's mouth.

"Max Charged Particle Gun!" Craven yelled. The cloud turned into a stream of glowing purple and red energy as it shot forward. Smaller beams of charged particles split from the main one, diverting their courses toward different targets than the original. Separate Charged Particle Beams slammed into the defense forces, slaying each Zoid they hit instantly. A Gojulas moaned as it fell backward, a glowing hole of red imbedded in its chest. A Iron Kong collapsed into a heap, missing half of its original body.

"Return fire damn it!" Colonel Payne yelled. The defense Genosaurer's bent forward in unison, opening their tails vents and locking down their feet. A group of Charged Particle Beams fired back at the Psychosaurer, coming in from virtually every direction. Craven smirked as he saw the oncoming beams of power and shook his head. The Psychosaurer jumped up, activating its boosters and rocketing into the air as the Charged Particle Beams slammed into the ground where it had just stood. The massive explosion of kinetic energy that followed hurled the Psychosaurer even farther into the air and the Genosaurer pilots screamed as the Psychosaurer came down upon them.

Crow stared at the Stealth Viper as it emerged from its egg, shaking its newfound body free of the crystalline shell that held it. The new Zoid was far more draconic in appearance than it had once been, but it still remained true to its snake-like origin in shape. The Stealth Viper had gained a small pair of arms where its center box had once been, with boosters lining its stomach. The new Zoid's body segments were more rounded, allowing for far superior maneuverability and speed. The Zoid had glowing green eyes like those of Drake and a pair of mouth-mounted AZ40mm machine guns inside its jaw, which was lined with rows of blade-like teeth. The Stealth Viper's new tail a sharp octagonal shaped weapon at the end, making it ten times as dangerous as before.

"Come to me Stealth Dragon!" Crow yelled, the Zoid obeying and levitating into the air with its stomach boosters. Drake shot out of the hovering Zoid, grabbed his partner and melded back with the Stealth Dragon after dropping Crow in the cockpit. Crow looked around at the new cockpit controls, familiarizing himself with them briefly through trial and error. He heard a scream over the intercom and watched as the Psychosaurer switched its pincher-like blades forward and cut the head off of a Genosaurer.

Next the Psychosaurer turned and fired its arm mounted weapons at another defense Saurer, blowing a leg off and watching it fall uselessly to the ground. The final Genosaurer pilot locked his Zoid in place and activated the Zoid's CPG. Craven turned to his opponent and did the same. In unison the two super weapons collided, pushing at each other. The Psychosaurer's Max CPG easily overwhelmed the Genosaurer's CPG, throwing it back and breaking into separate beams which in turn sliced into the Genosaurer from all different angles. In a split second the Genosaurer fell into at least a dozen different pieces.

"Craven!" Crow bellowed. The Psychosaurer turned toward the Stealth Dragon, its eyes glowing a crimson colored red.

* * *

A/N: Sorry to end the chapter there but I felt it necessary to build up anticipation. The Psychosaurer is of my creation, but sadly the Stealth Dragon isn't. I also created the Max CPG with inspiration from the Megalo-Max.

	8. Defeat Tastes Bitter Sweet

CHAPTER 8

Defeat Tastes Bitter Sweet

"And so, in conclusion, I would like to thank you for coming to the unveiling of the statue of our Madam President," Necros said, "any questions?" A crowd of gathered people clapped, the man before them bowing a few times before turning to the two men in Republican uniform behind him.

"Ambassador Necros," one of the soldiers said, "the President requests a conference with you to discuss the upcoming anniversary of our fair city." Necros stared at the soldier momentarily with his piercing silver eyes before smiling pleasantly.

"Of course, after you" the Ambassador said, turning to wave at the gathered people one last time before he departed. Then he slowly followed the soldiers, his smile becoming an eerie grimace. He followed the soldiers into the White House and up a flight of stairs before greeting the Madam President herself with a cheery grin. "Thank you for the audience with me Madam President, what is it that you request a conference with me for?" One soldier tapped the other on his shoulder and leaned his head to one side, the other responding by turning to go back downstairs.

"Necros," the President said, "good to see you again. Walk with me for a moment." The two began strolling through the second floor of the White House casually. "There's been a lot of talk about some interesting activities you've been participating in," the President said, a stern look on her face, "I don't recall authorizing the recovery of any organoids."

"Madam President you offend me," Necros started, "why would you assume such a thing?"

"Because I have footage of a group of bandits handing one over to you," the President retorted, "at your secret hideout, oh wait, it's not so secret anymore." Necros's cheery exposition turned cold in a flash.

"Listen here you old wench," Necros said, drawing a gun from his back pocket and leveling it at the woman, "you just opened a nasty can of worms. I think it's about time we took a little walk _outside_." The Ambassador whistled and the two soldiers from before came up, blocking anyone else's view of the President as she was lead out by gunpoint.

* * *

"Ah, the child prodigy," Craven said, "I see your Zoid has evolved, so has mine." The Stealth Dragon roared in bestial rage, spreading its retractable wings and boosting toward the Psychosaurer like a rocket. The evolved Genosaurer boosted to the side just in time to dodge the first half of the Stealth Dragon. The second half on other hand slammed into the head of the Psychosaurer in the form of the Stealth Dragon's hardened alloy tail. The attack tossed the Zoid to the side with great force, sending it flying toward a jagged outcropping. Craven sneered and activated the Psychosaurer's boosters, stopping the Zoid just inches from the potentially deadly terrain.

The Stealth Dragon swooped back around and opened its mouth, revealing the dual AZ40mm machine guns inside. The draconic Zoid spat a wave of anti-Zoid bullets at its opponent, ripping into the Psychosaurer's leg armor. In return, the Psychosaurer shot its arms out like grappling hooks, opening fire with its weapons as well. A few spines from the AZ144mm spine launchers drilled into the Stealth Dragon but it pulled up before the grappling arms could catch it, heading right for the Psychosaurer before it could pull back its weapons.

Crow bellowed a battle cry as the Stealth Dragon head butted the Psychosaurer and activated its boosters, bringing the Zoid along with it as it turned toward the sky. Seeing that the arms of the Psychosaurer were nearly back and knowing the possibility of Craven using the Max CPG was high, Crow climbed a little bit higher and then dove toward the ground as quickly as possible. The Stealth Dragon broke the sound barrier before it curved back up, the momentum throwing the Psychosaurer into the ground roughly.

Craven winced upon impact, his Zoid's parts crunching together as they had done before against the Stealth Viper. Luckily, due to its recent evolution, the Psychosaurer had reinforced hardened alloy along its body to prevent breaking and bending. Crow watched in disbelief as the Psychosaurer emerged from the small crater it had created upon impact. Craven's Zoid roared and revealed the gun barrel in its mouth, making Crow shudder a little bit. An orb of charged particles formed at the base of the Psychosaurer's mouth as the Stealth Dragon swept down, pouring more bullets upon the ex-Genosaurer.

"Max Charged Particle Gun!" Craven yelled deviously. Crow struggled to maneuver the Stealth Dragon to the correct positions as the beam of destructive power fired and split. The Stealth Dragon twisted and bent itself in a perfect wave shape, the beams of charged particles slicing through the air just inches from the Zoid's body. The ensuing explosions threw the Stealth Dragon skyward, but it managed to right itself with some quick thinking from Crow. "Damn it!" Craven screamed. Crow wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and prepared for another attack.

The Psychosaurer boosted into a hovering position and sped toward the Stealth Dragon, pelting the enemy Zoid with fire from the Psychosaurer's arm mounted weapons. The Stealth Dragon belched a volley of bullets upon its opponent again and dove toward the Psychosaurer with outstretched arms. Crow spun the Stealth Dragon as he approached and activated its Gripper Claws, digging into the back of the Psychosaurer as it continued on. The Stealth Dragon's speed faltered as it picked the Psychosaurer up and the mid-section of the dragon type Zoid nearly dropped to the ground but it held. Crow dropped the Psychosaurer as he activated the ion boosters of the Stealth Dragon, throwing the Zoid into a rock face.

The initial impact rocked the cockpit of the Psychosaurer and cracked a piece of armor on its chest. Craven turned his Zoid around and yelled as a cloud of charged particles formed outside the Psychosaurer's mouth once again. Crow quickly moved to avoid the shots again, bending the Stealth Dragon in every which way in an effort to dodge the oncoming onslaught. This time Craven snickered and waited a little longer before firing his beam, the computers signifying a number of lock-ons. "MAX CPG!" Craven yelled once again.

Red and purple energy swirled together and broke apart, the beams of charged particles splitting and heading toward their target sections of the Stealth Dragon. Crow screamed in terror as he tried to move the Stealth Dragon. A split second later a pair of beams struck his Zoid in two different places, the shockwaves and impact throwing it to the ground. A layer of dust and rubble obscured Craven's vision but he knew what was happening. The Stealth Dragon sparked and tweaked as it went to stand up, Crow watching in horror as the Psychosaurer broke through the dust smoke screen.

Craven laughed maniacally as his opponent tried to get a hold of himself. "Time to pay you back for my earlier defeat child" Craven said coolly. Crow sneered and tried a few different controls, the Stealth Dragon wiggling and slithering as it tried to escape. Another gathering of charged particles formed, the Psychosaurer's eyes glowing with power.

"Not so fast!" a voice said over the intercom. Craven turned to see a wave of Zoids approaching him. "Commence Attack Pattern Gama!" Colonel Payne commanded. The line of Genosaurers and Dibison behind his Zaber Fang halted and began activating their ultimate attacks. The barrels of the Dibison Zoids began glowing with golden energy as the Genosaurers charged up their CPGs. Craven turned back to fire at Crow but his Max CPG struck nothing but an empty crater. "Fire!" Payne ordered. The Psychosaurer sprang backwards as numerous beams of energy struck the ground all around it. Craven screamed as his Zoid was thrown around like a rag doll from the explosions.

Crow watched safely from the Stealth Dragon as the Psychosaurer emerged from the after effects of the attacks. The Zoid's armor was ripped to shreds, not to mention dented, and a couple of holes dotted its body. The Psychosaurer roared defiantly as Colonel Payne ordered a second attack. Craven wisely backed off and began boosting away, the second stream of CPGs and Megalo-Maxs falling short of their target. The Colonel's Zaber Fang ran up to the Stealth Dragon, the Helcat appearing behind it.

"You okay boy?" Payne asked.

"No problem I'm fine, you alright Drake?" Crow asked. A resilient growl from inside the Stealth Dragon answered his question and he watched as Drake emerged from the Zoid.

"That Psychosaurer is pretty powerful," Payne pointed out, "do you think it's the result of the mass organoid evolution you were talking about?"

"No Colonel, it was strong, but not that strong" Crow said.

"Sir," Victor's voice said, "we've just received word that the President has been kidnapped!"

"What?" Payne said in disbelief. He stared into the horizon as Craven disappeared into the sunset. "You had something to do with this didn't you?" the Colonel asked.

* * *

"Craven return to base" Necros said over the Wraith's intercom.

"But master, I am yet to capture the green organoid" Craven said.

"Just come back, we have a change in plans, I've waited long enough" Necros said before his transmission cut off. Craven shook his head and directed the Psychosaurer toward his master's secret base.

* * *

"Who has kidnapped the President?" Colonel Payne asked, standing next to a few Republican generals in his command tower.

"We don't know just yet, the security was-" one general started to say before a face appeared on the main command screen.

"Citizens of planet Zi," Necros said, "welcome to my sick little game. You're all pawns in this game of chess and I'm the player. I have the Madam President and she's safe, for now. I decree to the world for all to hear now, you will all bow to my unfathomable power. Think of yourselves as lucky to be part of the beginning of something far greater than you could ever imagine. You will all remember this day as the end of your silly Zoid battles and simple disagreements. No more will you live a life of division, as you will all be united under one banner, mine. Witness the power. Witness the destruction. Witness the Awakening! For all the world to see!" Behind the man a pair of glowing red eyes appeared from the pool of purple liquid a few feet away.

A/N: Yay a new chapter again! We're so excited we're gonna write reviews, right?

By the way, VD, the beginning was for you, altered at the last moment to satisfy your curiousity.

	9. The Awakening

CHAPTER 9

The Awakening

Behind Necros the giant pool of liquid began bubbling ferociously, the shadow of the behemoth below rising closer and closer to the surface as Necros laughed maniacally. The first part of the Death Saurer to emerge was its head, its shocking eyes glowing a sinister red not unlike those of the Death Wraiths. The world watched in horror as the legendary Zoid they had defeated just months ago was reborn, the immense Zoid rising to its full extent and roaring menacingly. Colonel Payne nearly fell back in shock, the Death Saurer was back. He watched as Necros snapped his fingers and the camera pointed toward a line of shackled organoids.

"These creatures shall take the steps necessary to ensure the destruction of both New Helic City and Guygalos!" Necros yelled. There were organoids of all different types, some rapturous, some saurian and some draconic. "The Chosen Ones will awaken the true power of the Death Saurer! Watch as one by one they sacrifice themselves to our cause!" The Death Saurer's chest opened up, revealing its glowing Zoid core. There were nineteen organoids in all and each where a different shape and color, each an individual life and conscience. Jack and the Death Wraiths poked and prodded them with swords and guns to do as they were told. With a small amount of resistance the first organoid obeyed.

The golden colored organoid roared and boosted toward the Death Saurer, breaking its shackles and disappearing into the glowing light. The Death Saurer growled as it adjusted to the new feeling of power that swept through its body. The next organoid, a silver colored raptor type, did the same. It continued on down the line as organoid after organoid bonded with the Death Saurer, each adding to its already immense power. When the final organoid fused with the Death Saurer it bellowed into the air and a swirling vortex of black energy enveloped it.

"Yes! Yes!" Necros yelled. Craven appeared behind him, watching the wondrous light show from the shadows. After a few minutes of this the energy began to slowly come to a halt and reside in a locked position. With that it began sinking to the ground, revealing the new Zoid underneath its cloak of evolutionary energy. The new Death Saurer was far different from the old one, having decreased in size by nearly half. But all the changes it had gone through did nothing but improve it. As a giant behemoth the Death Saurer had been nothing but a big target. Now it was roughly the size of a small building, still bigger than most Zoids, but not too big.

The next change to come was one that the Genosaurer had undertaken, an advanced body shape for more speed and maneuverability. The Death Saurer's newer, sleeker body was draconic in appearance, with a pair of wings for flight capabilities that were also unseen by its former self. Improved black colored armor covered its body, at nearly twice the thickness of what it had been. An array of new weapons had formed on the Saurer, most notably the enormous pair of beam cannons mounted on its back. These beam cannons were of 360mm caliber and were designated as Anti-Zoid weaponry. The next weapon change consisted of a cluster of random caliber mortar cannons just below the Zoid core opening, these weapons having a massive blast radius.

Boosters were mounted behind the Death Saurer's legs, giving it the ability to travel speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour. The tail of the Death Saurer had been equipped with hundreds of spine launchers on either side of it as well as the pre-existing rocket launchers on the top. On the Zoid's nose a pair of 120mm laser repeaters were mounted, giving it destructive power from every angle possible. The new Death Saurer roared, the tremendous force throwing everything in sight towards the walls, including Necros.

"Behold the Chaos Saurer in all its bountiful glory Madam President and watch as your precious capital city is crushed under the wings of my creation!" Necros exclaimed. The President, being held by a pair of Death Wraiths just fell back in awe, nearly fainting as the truth hit her hard. The Ambassador wasn't kidding, the Chaos Saurer was twice the Zoid it used to be, and that meant it was unstoppable. The Chaos Saurer looked up at the ceiling containing it and a cloud of charged particles formed at the base of its mouth. The Charged Particle Converter mounted on the Zoid's back drew in energy as the Chaos Saurer unleashed the Super Charged Particle Beam from inside its mouth. The SCPG blasted through the ceiling and the Chaos Saurer roared in satisfaction at the sight of the sun.

The legendary Zoid reached down and grabbed Necros in its claw, then spread its wings and took flight, using the hole it had created to exit into the world above. "It can't be!" Colonel Payne screamed in disbelief. "The Death Saurer can't be back! Not again! We don't have the resources to stop it!" Crow grabbed his forehead as he tried to comprehend the task that was before him. It was his duty, his holy quest to stop the Chaos Saurer and release Drake's kin. Drake roared viciously and grabbed his partner, boosting out the window of the command tower and toward the Stealth Dragon.

"Sir, what do we do?" Victor asked. Colonel Payne pried his eyes open.

"Deploy all available Zoids to protect New Helic City, we have to make a stand and defeat this abomination now, before it can reach Guygalos!" Colonel Payne ordered. Every available soldier scrambled out of the room and toward the Zoid hangars. Payne grabbed Victor by the shoulder to stop him from leaving. "I'm sorry soldier, but your Helcat can't come along, its not powerful enough," Victor's heart sank to the ground, "which is why I've had it arranged for you to pilot a new Zoid we engineered just for an emergency like this." Victor looked his superior officer in the eye, seeing the seriousness and saluted the man. Colonel Payne saluted back. "Soldier, report to hangar number 0592 and identify yourself, the Attack Arachnid awaits!"

* * *

New Helic City . . .

Every kind of Republican Zoid imaginable lined up in a massive perimeter that surrounded the capital city. On the ground Cannon Tortoises, Gordos, Godos, Dibison, Command Wolves, Shield Ligers and Gojulas lined up. In the air Pteras, Raynos and Storm Sworders flew just outside of the defense perimeter, waiting for the Chaos Saurer to approach. Soldiers scrambled to evacuate civilians in multiple Whale Kings as more Zoids poured into the ranks.

The Stealth Dragon, almost mistaken for the Chaos Saurer by the air units, entered the city. Crow waited patiently like the rest for a shot at the Chaos Saurer. "Crow!" a voice yelled from below the Stealth Dragon. The boy looked down to see the Whitz Wolf awaiting a response.

"Scar, what are you doing here?" Crow asked.

"Just shut up and follow me!" the mercenary yelled back. Crow shrugged and directed the Stealth Dragon to follow its Wolf type partner. A giant staircase leading underground slid open and the Zoids vanished inside. Crow opened the Stealth Dragon's cockpit and with a motion from Scar followed the mercenary to a rather plain looking door. "In here" Scar said. The mercenary opened the door, revealing a group of important military men sitting around a circular table and debating. Scar walked over and sat in a seat next to some Imperial general and pulled a seat next to him for Crow who sat down in response. A man with blonde hair dressed in a Republican uniform stood up and motioned for quiet, which everybody granted him. Crow recognized the man as Herman, the leader of the Republican forces.

"Gentleman, thank you all for coming," Herman began, "please welcome Crow, our final warrior to join our ranks." Everybody began clapping and Crow nodded in acknowledgement, wondering what this whole thing was about. "We have amongst this group gathered the eight warriors to cross paths with the Death Wraiths and survive. Each plays an important role in the mission before them as each has experience unseen by many. These warriors are to be our saviors, our heroes to emerge from the shadows as champions of the light. I deem these eight fine pilots the Peace Paladins, with specific orders to restore peace and stability to Zi in our time of need. First is the Paladin of Righteousness, Scar of New Helic City. Next is the Paladin of Vengeance, Crow of the Waterfall Colony. The Paladin of Virtue, Herc of Guygalos. The Paladin of Might, Oz of the Avalanche Colony. The Paladin of Punishment, Ace of the Blizzard Colony. The Paladin of Dominance, Gabriel of the Hurricane Colony. The Paladin of the Sea, Nicholas of New Helic City. Last, but not least is the Paladin of the Sky, Juliet of Guygalos."

Each warrior stood up and bowed before the clapping group of generals and colonels before them. Crow looked each of them over carefully. Herc was a short man with a powerful upper body and long blonde hair. Oz was tall and slender, with well proportioned muscles and short brown hair. Ace was medium sized, with an average build and messy dirty blonde hair. Gabriel was a tan man with a slightly muscular build and many a scar along his face and arms as well as flowing black hair. Nicholas was short and thin, with slicked back blue hair and a cocky smile. Juliet was tall and athletic, especially for a woman, and had short pink hair.

"Now my Paladins," Herman said, "when the Chaos Saurer shows up it is your duty to protect the city at all costs. Your actions may very well turn the tide against a monster such as the one we're up against.. Go now, and may whatever God you believe in protect you and your cause!" The warriors saluted to the man and began exiting from the room. Crow was glad to know that he had a little bit of back up in his fight against the Chaos Saurer. Each warrior appeared to specialize in one area that the others didn't. Alone they were strong, but united they would face the Chaos Saurer with all the might of the Republic and the Empire.

* * *

Victor entered the hangar he'd been told to and gazed at the small squadron of Zoids before him. The Attack Arachnids were the ultimate in offensive technology. Designed after spiders, each leg was lined with missile launchers which fired Anti-Zoid missiles. Just under the cockpit of the Attack Arachnid were a pair of AZ75mm repeaters, along with a pair of pinchers that stretched out just beyond the barrels of the repeaters. On the back abdomen of the Attack Arachnids, or Attack Arachs as they were called, dual AZ60mm gatling guns rested on either side of an AZ40mm machine gun. Victor jumped into the cockpit of a black and blue Attack Arach and watched as the cockpit closed and the command controls booted up.

Victor looked to either side to see lines of Attack Arachs marching toward the open mouths of a pair of Whale Kings. Armed with the best anti-Zoid weapon on Zi Victor felt confident in joining his fellow Imperial soldiers in preparation for the massive assault on the Chaos Saurer. The Death Saurer had been a nuisance but the Chaos Saurer would be a terror. Victor hoped to God that all this preparation would be enough, he estimated they had about a 1.3 chance of actually winning the battle and anything over half a percent was good enough for him.

* * *

Out of the horizon the abomination appeared, riding on wings of shadows and spewing destructive energy in every which way. The Chaos Saurer roared in anticipation as the defense forces came into its view, the first wave just waiting to die.

* * *

A/N: Lots of new stuff added this chapter, the Chaos Saurer, the Peace Paladins and the Attack Arachs. Give me your opinion on all of them in some reviews. Come on, I know more than Vanya-Dejya reads this fic so don't be shy. I don't bite _that _hard.

	10. The Betrayal

CHAPTER 10

The Betrayal

The aerial defense forces swept forward, led by Juliet, the Paladin of the Skies in her ocean blue Raynos. The pterosaur-like Zoid accelerated through the air at speeds of mach 3, sending a shockwave along the ground far below it, and raced toward the Chaos Saurer. "Falcon's Nest this is Daredevil, I'm engaging the target now" Juliet said over the intercom. The Raynos cut the Chaos Saurer off, maneuvering to its side and opening fire with its trio of 30mm beam cannons. The cannons shot bullets of pure energy, slicing into the Saurer's thick armor but leaving nothing behind but small scratches. "The initial attack was unsuccessful, bring in the bombers!"

A group of Pteras flew over the Chaos Saurer, firing missiles which left trails of smoke as they descended down upon the Saurer. The abomination leaned its body sharply to the side, easily dodging the oncoming missiles, and charged up its Super Charged Particle Gun. Juliet swept down over the squadron of Pteras at top speed, using the shockwave left over to knock the aerial attackers out of the way just as the Chaos Saurer unleashed its attack. "Daredevil this is Falcon's Nest," Herman's voice said over the intercom, "launch full scale attack!"

"Roger," Juliet said, turning back toward the Chaos Saurer, "alright boys, fire at will! It's dogfight time!" The Raynos swept in, followed by a pair of Storm Sworders and shot lines of beams across the side of the much bigger Zoid while the Sworders prepared their Blade Attacks. Energy charged through their hardened alloy blades as they boosted alongside the Chaos Saurer. But the behemoth was more resourceful than they anticipated, suddenly falling back and lobbing rounds at them with its chest mounted mortar cannons. The Storm Sworder pilots screamed as their Zoids were shot out of the sky and began plummeting to the ground. "Damn it!" Juliet yelled.

"Need some help?" Crow asked as the Stealth Dragon quickly approached. The two dragon-like Zoids met midair and scuffled briefly, the Chaos Saurer trying to claw at its opponent while Crow opened fire on the Zoid's chest with his Zoid's AZ40mm machine guns. A quick swipe from the Chaos Saurer fended off its attacker and it began charging up its ultimate attack. Crow smiled at the Zoid's foolish decision and simply maneuvered around the Saurer's head and whipped the bigger Zoid with the Stealth Dragon's hardened alloy tail. The Chaos Saurer easily shook off the attack and began turning as it unleashed the Super Charged Particle Gun. The Stealth Dragon narrowly managed to dodge the oncoming attack, but the shockwave that followed hurled it through the sky and toward the ground in an uncontrollable spin.

The Raynos roared and swooped in, pelting the Chaos Saurer with shots as it flew by. The Chaos Saurer roared in resistance and opened the missile launchers in its tail, a pair of missiles screaming out and rocketing toward their aerial target. Juliet looked down at her radar as it blared, the missiles coming closer and closer. The Raynos whipped to the side, hoping to dodge the missiles, but to no avail they were smart missiles which meant big trouble. Juliet decided the only way to shake them would be to destroy them so she opened fire with the Raynos's tail-mounted 40mm AMD machine guns. The shots flew through the air, missing the missiles by inches as they drew nearer. A lucky shot hit one, sending shrapnel through the air as the missile exploded in a ball of flame.

The last missile came up under the Raynos's wing, matching its speed perfectly before curving up and exploding. The blast caught the Raynos in both its wing and its side, wildly throwing it to the side and rocking it. Juliet screamed. "This is Daredevil! I'm coming in for an emergency landing!" the female Paladin yelled. The Stealth Dragon advanced toward the Chaos Saurer again, this time followed by a flock of Pteras and a few Raynos. The aerial Zoids descended upon the Chaos Saurer, raining rockets and bullets upon the abomination. But when the smoke cleared from each attack there were no dents, craters and in some cases no scratches.

"You fools! Nothing can stop the Chaos Saurer!" Necros yelled, laughing maniacally. The Chaos Saurer charged up and released the Super Charged Particle Beam, immediately annihilating the Pteras and Raynos in one blast. Crow winced; the Chaos Saurer was nearly to the capital now, with only him standing in its way.

"Falcon's Nest this is the Albino Assassin, how are we on aerial reinforcements?" Crow asked.

"Sorry Crow, you're up there alone for at least two minutes until we can launch some more Pteras or until the Empire shows up!" Herman responded. The Stealth Dragon came in close with the Chaos Saurer as it prepared another SCPG, the Dragon clenching on with its Gripper Claws and wrapping its long body around the bigger Zoid. The Chaos Saurer couldn't manage to aim its head close enough to do any damage and the SCPG exploded uselessly on the desert below. Crow's Zoid used its hardened alloy tail club and began beating one of the Saurer's wings, knocking it off balance and sending both plummeting to the ground.

Crow pulled up at the last minute and looked back to watch as the Chaos Saurer slammed into the ground, the ground forces advancing quickly. The Saurer went to turn and run but was faced with five incoming Whale Kings. It roared and charged up its ultimate weapon, blowing a massive hole in the nearest one. The other Whale Kings landed safely and immediately Imperial Zoids began pouring out, with the Republican Zoids coming from the other side. The Chaos Saurer went to flap its wings and try to escape but a bombardment from a squadron of Black Redlers convinced it otherwise.

"Commence Attack Pattern Gamma!" Colonel Payne yelled from a Whale King. The Republican Dibison aimed their cannons and began charging the Megalo-Max while the Imperial Genosaurers bent forward and prepared their Charged Particle Guns. "Fire!" Payne ordered. From either side of it beams of destructive energy slammed into the Chaos Saurer, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air where they impacted. When the smoke cleared a piece of leg armor on either side of the Saurer slid off. Soldiers all around cheered. The Chaos Saurer roared ferociously and blasted the Genosaurers away in a single pass of its Super Charged Particle Gun.

While a whole line of Imperial Zaber Fangs and Dark Horns began firing away the Dibison began charging their attacks again. Republican Gojulas and Command Wolves also fired just as the Megalo-Maxs streamed forward and struck the Chaos Saurer in its exposed leg. The Saurer roared in pain and charged up the SCPG again. The buffalo-like Zoids struggled to move and dodge but only a few escaped the wrath of the Chaos Saurer and only at the cost of other Zoids. Imperial Iron Kongs and Rev Raptors entered the fray, attacking the Chaos Saurer with blades and fists.

Republican air forces teamed up with Imperial Redlers and Zabat, dropping bombs and firing missiles from above. The Chaos Saurer struggled to decide which attackers to target next, then came to a simple conclusion. Attack them all. The Chaos Saurer fired shots from its chest mounted mortar cannons, knocking out frontline Republican ground troops as it fired missiles from its tail at the aerial forces. Then it spun around and disintegrated a line of Imperial Zoids. Both forces took a moment to recover from the losses but kept pounding the Saurer with gunfire to the best of their ability. Confused at its utter lack of progress facing such an overwhelming amount of enemies the Chaos Saurer lost its patience, firing in blind rage every which way.

"Falcon's Nest this is King Kong," Oz said over the intercom as his Iron Kong sprang into action, "time to finish this devil off!" The customized Iron Kong was equipped head to toe with powerful weapons including a Heavy Imperial Hyperbeam Cannon, twin 105mm cannons and quadruple 40mm gatling guns. The Paladin of Might showered the Chaos Saurer with power equivalent to five other Zoids.

"This is the Juggernaut calling Falcon's Nest," Gabriel said, "time to dominate and obliterate!" The Paladin of Dominance appeared in his pitch black Dibison, leading the remainder of the buffalo-type Zoids in an all out Megalo-Max fest. The Chaos Saurer nearly collapsed as the gaping hole in its leg buckled in on itself. "Retreat boys!" Gabriel yelled as the Chaos Saurer took to the sky and aimed a SCPG down at them. The Dibison force was cut in half again just as the Chaos Saurer rose to meet the aerial forces once again, heading for the heart of New Helic City.

It easily shook off a few barrages from Zabat and Pteras before landing next to a Whale King with an Imperial symbol on its side near the White House. The Whale King's mouth opened and a line of spider-like Zoids scuttled out, splitting into five small groups and opening fire. "Our turn now!" Victor yelled, pulling the trigger on his command stick repeatedly as the Attack Arachs fired their anti-Zoid weaponry. The Chaos Saurer returned fire with its chest mortars but the Attack Arachs had great reflexes, dancing around the explosions while continuing their assault.

"Falcon's Nest, Herc here," the Paladin said, his Double Sworder descending from the sky, "engaging the Big Boy now!" Suddenly a barrage of Charged Particle Guns slammed into the Sworder from all directions at once, cutting it to pieces.

"Not for long" Craven said, scuffing. The Psychosaurer launched its Grappling Hook Arms forward, grabbing a pair of Attack Arachs and boring holes into them with its arm-mounted AZ weaponry. "How about a taste of your own medicine!" the Death Wraith yelled. A pair of Attack Arachs turned their attention to the Psychosaurer, pounding the Zoid with their special weapons. Twin Charged Particle Beams obliterated them, revealing the presence of the other Death Wraiths as they moved to protect their master.

"Craven! What is this?" Necros asked furiously. "I never asked for your help!"

"I never offered it to you!" Craven said, pointing at the Chaos Saurer, "I had orders from a higher authority!" Necros looked at the Chaos Saurer in confusion, the Zoid's eyes glowing bright red as it transmitted a psychic message to Craven. "Of course master," Craven said, "he will bother you no more!" The Psychosaurer boosted up, climbing up the side of the Chaos Saurer's arm and to the shoulder where the Ambassador rested.

"You can't do this to me I created you both and I can undo you!" Necros yelled at Craven and the Chaos Saurer. "I will sap you of all your strength! After all, I gave it to you!" Craven just closed his eyes and smirked.

"You may have given me back my ability to live but you also enslaved me for your own personal gain," Craven said, "the Chaos Saurer has offered me more than you ever could. I will reign over all of Zi as the new Emperor once the Saurer and I have proven our power to the world!"

"I should've seen it coming," Necros said, figuring it all out, "just as the Death Saurer betrayed my race long ago it continues to betray me now. I will have my revenge! No one betrays Necros the Reanimator without-". A shot from the AZ188mm spine launcher of the Psychosaurer drilled into the Ancient Zoidian, coming out the other side blood red. The Chaos Saurer's eyes flickered happily at the sight. Craven and the Death Wraiths turned and formed a protective circle around their ultimate master as ground forces began circling in on them from all sides. The Chaos Saurer and its Wraiths fired their ultimate weapons in unison, forming a brilliant light show of purple and blue slaughter.

* * *

A/N: Story will be wrapping up soon. Thanx to all my fans, especially Vanya-Dejya for her support and insight and please look out for The Organoid Chronicles II!

	11. A Paladin Falls, a Demon Rises

CHAPTER 11

A Paladin Falls, a Demon Rises

The Republican and Imperial ground forces were being torn apart by the combined efforts of the Chaos Saurer, Psychosaurer and the Genosaurers. The Psychosaurer and Chaos Saurer would annihilate many a foe at once while the Genosaurers would pick off the stragglers. In short, things weren't looking good for the fate of planet Zi. Crow and the Stealth Dragon swooped down, catching the Psychosaurer off guard and landing a vicious blow to the Zoid's head with its hardened alloy tail club. The Psychosaurer fell back from the impact as Crow followed up with another blow to the Zoid's head, nearly cracking the armor around it.

The Chaos Saurer swung around, firing a Super Charged Particle Gun between the two quarreling warriors. The shockwave threw them both apart, the Chaos Saurer sending a stern message to the Death Wraith that he had other things to worry about than his rivalry with Crow. Though the ground forces had suffered many losses they continued to push forward, hoping to regain the dominance they had achieved earlier. A regrouping of the last Dibison by Gabriel began to turn the tides, as Megalo-Maxs combined with other gunfire tore through a Death Wraith's Genosaurer.

"All we need is one more hit on that damn leg and we can cripple the Chaos Saurer!" Gabriel yelled. The Dibison lined up and began charging their most powerful attacks as the Chaos Saurer turned to finish them off. Golden energy streamed from each Dibison and in unison they struck the damaged leg of the Chaos Saurer with amazing force. The Saurer began toppling over but fired its SCPG as it went down, leaving only Gabriel and one other Dibison standing. The others had disappeared in the massive, smoldering crater next to them.

As the Chaos Saurer hit the ground, its leg lying in two pieces the ground forces pushed forward, disabling another Death Wraith. Soon the Saurer found itself swarmed with smaller Zoids like ants attacking a small dog. Oz and the Iron Kong pounded the armor of the Saurer again and again with the Zoid's hardened alloy fists. Soon a small dent appeared, then widened. Oz was filled with the anticipation of breaking off a piece when the Chaos Saurer rolled, tossing a majority of the Zoids off and crushing a few unlucky ones. Then the behemoth flapped its powerful wings and flew toward the White House, charging the Super Charged Particle Gun as it went.

The attacking forces stopped for a second, none even moved as they watched in awe. The White House literally evaporated from the blast, leaving not even a simple piece of paper left in its wake. Crow nearly stuttered when he yelled "Drake!" The organoid, who up till now had been watching the fight as a safety precaution, rocketed into the air and melded with the Stealth Dragon. A wave of green energy revitalized the Zoid and gave it new fighting spirit. The Stealth Dragon gracefully flew toward the Chaos Saurer, firing with its AZ40mm machine guns and aiming for a wing mount.

The Chaos Saurer whirled around, facing its familiar opponent. The demon Zoid roared in the air and took off as fast as it could, flying toward the horizon. "Don't let it escape!" Crow yelled, flying after it and opening fire. The aerial forces swarmed the retreating behemoth, covering it in a layer of bullet spray. The Saurer annihilated them left and right, continually firing its Super Charged Particle Gun in any direction and killing scores of men and Zoids without remorse. Crow hated it, almost as much as he hated Craven. "Speak of the devil!" Crow exclaimed, searching the ground for his arch foe. All he saw were the carcasses of fallen Zoids and the ground forces as they tried desperately to follow the Chaos Saurer.

"This is Herman, calling off all attacks on the Chaos Saurer, return to base for regrouping" Herman said as he watched the Saurer disappear. The armies of Zoids slowly came back, the soldiers happy for a short reprieve from the fighting.

"Herman! Why'd you call off the attack? We almost had it!" Crow yelled as he stood face to face with the man.

"How many more lives needed to be lost? How much more blood spilled before you would've been happy?" Herman yelled back. "I withdrew the men because we have an opportunity here," Herman began, "now that we've fought it we know it's not flawless. We _can _defeat it, look at the damage we've done. Now we can assess the danger and put plans into action for defeating it and the Death Wraiths. Now come on, we have no time to waste, every second counts."

Crow, Victor and the other Paladins followed Herman down to the secret underground meeting room from before. Crow approached Herman from behind, grabbing the older man's shoulder. "Sorry about earlier, now where's the Chaos Saurer headed?" the boy asked.

"It was last seen retreating into the same underground hideout it came out of, probably getting ready for round two just like us," Herman said, "this Zoid is unlike any other. It has the ability to make decisions that other Zoids can't compare to. It's almost like a person." Crow nodded in understanding, he knew they were up against more than just a killing machine. The Chaos Saurer had a conscience that allowed it to make its own decisions, like ridding itself of Necros. Truly it was much more frightening of an opponent now than before.

"So what's the plan?" Crow asked.

"Well, its not like the Chaos Saurer's going to come back here again," Herman said, "he's headed for Guygalos. I've decided to send you and the Paladins to try and stop it before it can get there, as well as the remaining Attack Arachs. But if you can't defeat it don't take any unnecessary risks, we're going to need you at Guygalos." Crow smiled and saluted the man who saluted back. The Peace Paladins approached Crow from behind.

"Ready to go put a stop to this thing once and for all?" Juliet asked. Crow nodded and the Paladins said their goodbyes, heading toward the Chaos Saurer. "So what's the plan for beating this thing?" Juliet asked.

"I say we just crush it with firepower!" Oz yelled, his Iron Kong pounding its chest.

"Hey meathead," Nicholas said, "we need more of a plan than just go out there and shoot." The Paladin of the Sea's Hammerhead roared in agreement.

"Yeah well I didn't see you out there earlier!" Oz shouted back.

"Silence damn it!" Crow yelled. The other Paladins suddenly got deathly silent. "Stop fighting and listen to me," Crow said calmly, "the Chaos Saurer is crippled. All we need to do is remove a wing and we've got it. Now focus on the battle ahead and quit bickering amongst each other. Juliet, Nicholas and I will cover the aerial attacks while Ace, Oz, Gabriel, Scar and the Attack Arachs handle ground warfare. It's too bad that Herc's Double Sworder was destroyed, he would've been some good help in the aerial department."

The Peace Paladins and Special Force Attack Arachs approached the secret underground base of the Death Wraiths and Chaos Saurer cautiously. "So am I to assume that the ground forces also deal with the Death Wraiths?" Ace asked. The Paladin's Green Horn was a Dark Horn painted green and equipped with dual 60mm Laser Vulcan guns, a chin mounted 30mm machine gun, a 3-shot rocket launcher and a pair of 50mm cannons atop the mount between the Vulcan guns.

"We'll share responsibility for them, remember that we're all in this together" Crow said. Just then the Chaos Saurer rose from the underground base, heading toward Guygalos. "Juliet, Nicholas, we have to cut it off so that the others can get in on the action!" Crow ordered. The other Paladins nodded and the three aerial Zoids rocketed after the much slower Saurer. Juliet reached it first, her blue Raynos screeching and passing by with a casual amount of fire from her tail-mounted machine guns. The attack was enough to catch the behemoth's attention, the Chaos Saurer spinning around and seeing its familiar opponents.

"Right here Big Boy!" Nicholas yelled, his Hammerhead's face mounted rocket boxes opening and firing three anti-Zoid rockets. The projectiles struck the Chaos Saurer just under its wing and the pilot cheered in triumph.

"Don't get cocky just yet, we still have to bring the Chaos Saurer to the ground!" Crow reminded him. The Stealth Dragon flew circles around its opponent in tight up close and personal quarters, spraying bullets from its mouth. Juliet attacked the Saurer from the front, making the Peace Paladins' assault a triangular one. Confused, the Chaos Saurer nervously grabbed the end of the Stealth Dragon's tail. "Damn, he got me!" Crow exclaimed. Next the Saurer pulled the Stealth Dragon up, using its other arm and held the Zoid out, charging up its Super Charged Particle Gun. "Let go you bastard!" Crow yelled, shooting anti-Zoid bullets down the behemoth's throat as a particle cloud formed.

Suddenly a stream of flashes exploded near the Saurer's wing, distracting it momentarily. The Chaos Saurer turned its head, looking down at the Attack Arachs. Crow used the chance to squirm free of the Zoid's grasp. The SCPG fired, taking three Special Forces Zoids with it. Crow winced at the loss, wondering if Victor was one of them. The Saurer swatted around at its aerial opponents, trying to strike one of them from the sky as the Stealth Dragon and Raynos swooped in, Nicholas still barraging it from behind.

Crow's Zoid maneuvered under the giant claw being thrown at it and flew around behind the Chaos Saurer. The Raynos expertly boosted out of the way and accelerated behind the behemoth as well. Together, all three Paladins aimed for the Saurer's weakest wing mount. A combination of rockets, beam fire and anti-Zoid shells ate through the weakened mount quickly and blew the wing off, sending it and the Chaos Saurer plummeting to the ground. "We got it!" Nicholas exclaimed. The Saurer crash landed roughly on a pile of rocks below, sending dust and debris in the air.

"Ground forces attack!" Victor yelled. The Attack Arachs swarmed forward like a colony of ants, opening fire once again. The special shells from their weapons began eating away at the fallen Zoid's armor as the Chaos Saurer struggled to get to its last leg. The Iron Kong, Green Horn and Whitz Wolf descended upon their opponent as well. A beam of charged particles sliced through the Iron Kong's left arm and Oz watched in horror as it evaporated before him. The CPG then split and slammed into the ground all around the Green Horn and Whitz Wolf.

"The Death Wraiths, we'll handle them, you guys just keep your assault on the Chaos Saurer going!" Juliet yelled. The Raynos, Hammerhead and Stealth Dragon turned their attention to the oncoming Death Wraiths and their CPG-wielding Zoids.

"Give it up Craven, how's the Chaos Saurer ever going to win with just one leg and one wing?" Crow asked mockingly.

"Stupid village boy," Craven said, "look at my master very closely and you'll understand its true powers!" Crow looked back at the Chaos Saurer carefully. Small amounts of the leg and wing had already begun to reform, the atoms that made up the Zoid's structure regenerating. "The Chaos Saurer is revived more and more with each shot fired at it, so unless you can cause some massive damage all at once you will never defeat it!" Crow sat back and took a deep breath as a fresh wave of shots from the Attack Arachs fueled the Chaos Saurer's regenerative abilities, the armor absorbing the energy and converting it into atoms to rebuild the Zoid.

"How . . . how do we beat a monster like that?" Juliet asked.

"We don't have enough Zoids _or _firepower to take it out now, the smartest move would be to retreat" Crow said coolly. Craven smiled and charged up his Max CPG, aiming for the Stealth Dragon.

"No way!" the Death Wraith yelled. "You'll never escape!" The Max CPG fired, splitting and slicing through the air and toward its draconic target.

"I've heard that more than once!" Crow shot back. The Stealth Dragon used its wings to beat the air and throw it backward just in time to dodge the ensuing destruction. The CPG's struck the ground, creating small craters all over. "Retreat! Head for Guygalos!" The ground forces confusingly fired a few more shots before stopping and swarming over the top of the Chaos Saurer and toward Guygalos. All except for Oz.

"You disarmed my Iron Kong, you'll pay!" Oz bellowed, the Iron Kong charging toward the Psychosaurer.

"Oz, get over it, retreat!" Crow commanded.

"Fool! Let's finish this freak shall we?" Craven asked. The Genosaurers surrounding the Psychosaurer followed its example as it charged up its most destructive weapon. Multiple beams of charged particles struck the Iron Kong, piercing its chest, head, arm and legs. Crow shook his head in disappointment as he watched what was left of the Zoid collapse into a heap on the ground. As the Peace Paladins headed for Guygalos Crow turned back one last time, watching as the Death Wraiths shot at their master, regenerating the demon as quickly as possible. All the defense forces' hard work, disappearing almost instantaneously.

	12. The End of the Beginning

CHAPTER 12

The End of the Beginning

By the time the Chaos Saurer and the remaining Death Wraiths had reached the city of Guygalos all the citizens had been removed and defensive forces mounted. This time Imperial Zoids made up the bulk of the forces, the Republic nearly completely crushed by the first assault of the Chaos Saurer. It was decided that the aerial Zoid forces would not lead the attack, as ground forces were able to do far more damage. Instead, flight capable Zoids would be used as support units. The strategy for the Peace Paladins was to corner the Death Wraiths and keep them out of the main battle, allowing the ground forces to face the Chaos Saurer unopposed.

Crow had thought this plan to be a good one, giving credit to Herman for his ingenuity. He and Drake were sitting out of sight when the call came. "All forces prepare, the Chaos Saurer is closing in!" Herman's voice said over the intercom. Crow sat forward in his cockpit, booting up his Zoid's main control system as he prepared for the final battle. Beside him Victor and the other Peace Paladins began mobilizing as well. The other Attack Arachs had been deployed with the defense forces this time, allowing for maximum damage against the regenerative Chaos Saurer.

"Drake, let's finish this!" Crow yelled. Drake roared in his metallic voice and boosted up, turning to a bolt of pure energy before melding with the Stealth Dragon. "Mobilize Paladins, its show time!" the boy ordered. In a flash the Peace Paladins took off, springing from their hiding place behind a rock face. Over head the Chaos Saurer flew by, the Death Wraiths just now coming into view behind it. Craven smirked at the sight of his arch enemy.

"The odds are in our favor, seven against six," Juliet said, "but they have superior Zoids, which help balance it out. Good luck everyone, I'm proud to have met you all."

"Same here" Crow said.

"Ready to meet your end village boy?" Craven asked in his sinister raspy voice.

"My name's Crow" Crow said, rage building as his rival approached him.

"So, Herman thought you weaklings would stand in our way huh? Fat chance" Craven said. The Psychosaurer's Charged Particle Converter began taking in energy as the Genosaurers bent forward and locked down their feet. "We'll finish you in one final attack!"

"Attack everyone, you know the strategy!" Crow ordered. The Paladins split in all directions, moving in sync with each other as they came in from both sides in a guillotine maneuver. The Genosaurers tried to turn before they fired but without unlocking their feet they couldn't bend far enough. The Psychosaurer boosted backwards and fired its Max Charged Particle Gun, sending a wave of charged particles at Crow. The Max CPG split and went in all directions, aiming at every Paladin at once.

In the sky Juliet and Nicholas easily evaded the oncoming attacks with a simple evasion technique but Crow was having some trouble. "Guys, I can't shake it off, help!" Crow begged. The CPG followed the Stealth Dragon as it danced through the skies in an effort to evade it. Crow closed his eyes at the last second when he realized it was hopeless, preparing for the worst.

"Don't give up yet kid!" Juliet's voice yelled. The Raynos flew over Crow's Zoid at max speed, the shockwave throwing the Stealth Dragon out of the way of the attack. Crow sighed in relief and quickly got back into the battle. The other Paladins had managed to dodge the Max CPG with the old jump to the side at the last minute move.

"Megalo-Max!" Gabriel roared. The Dibison grunted as golden energy gathered at the base of its cannon array. With a swishing sound the cannons fired their stored energy all at once, sending forth the Megalo-Max. Like the Max CPG the Megalo-Max split and targeted all enemy Zoids at once, even bending and twisting to attack. The golden beams of power slammed into the Genosaurers one by one, hitting each target in a different area. Craven simply boosted out of the way and charged toward the Paladin of Dominance, unsheathing the Psychosaurer's blade-like claws. Unable to match the Saurer's superior speed, the Dibison charged forward as well, firing with its cannon as it moved. The Psychosaurer and Dibison met with a massive crash. The claws of the Psychosaurer pierced the enemy Zoid's chest while the twin Crasher Horns of the Dibison stuck into the Saurer's belly.

Craven pulled his Zoid's claw out of the Dibison's chest and pushed it aside. The other Death Wraiths had suffered significant damage, but were still in the fight. Crow winced at the loss of the Dibison but Gabriel had done a great deal of damage and survived, both good things. The Stealth Dragon blasted the Psychosaurer with anti-Zoid shells as it came down upon it from above. Crow's Zoid tackled the Saurer to the ground and began beating its saurian opponent with its tail club.

Ace and the Green Horn charged one of the least damaged Genosaurers, firing with its Vulcan Laser guns as it went. The Death Wraith inside the cockpit fired the Zoid's Grappling Hook Arms, catching the Green Horn by the leg and causing it to collapse. As the Genosaurer began to reel in the Green Horn Juliet struck from above, shooting with her tri 30mm beam cannons. The Genosaurer locked down its feet and bent forward just as its back exploded and it toppled over in defeat, too damaged to continue. "Thanks Juliet!" Ace exclaimed.

Scar and his opponent, a highly damaged Genosaurer, squared off momentarily before activating their boosters and charging each other headlong. The Whitz Wolf and Genosaurer exchanged gunfire from their back mounted weapons as they closed in. With a loud scraping metal sound the Whitz Wolf sprang forward, baring its claws and cutting into the Genosaurer. An extra boost at the end added additional impact damage and the Genosaurer began short circuiting. It flailed around helplessly on the ground as the Whitz Wolf pulled its paw out of the Saurer's chest.

Victor opened fire on two of the three remaining Genosaurers, his special anti-Zoid equipment tearing up their heavy armor. The Genosaurers boosted to either side of the Attack Arach and closed in. Unsure of which one to target, Victor opened the missile launchers lining his Zoid's legs and fired half of his missiles at each. The first Genosaurer was completely engulfed in explosions by the attack but the other managed to out maneuver the dummy missiles and close in. The Genosaurer stomped down on the cockpit of the Attack Arach, sending an electronic pulse through it. Victor cried in pain. A few shots from behind the Genosaurer caused it to turn around, the Whitz Wolf waiting to face it. Scar smiled and boosted forward.

The final Genosaurer faced off against the Green Horn and Raynos as they attacked, firing its back mounted pulse laser cannons. The shots hit Juliet's Zoid, forcing her to call off her attack, but bought Ace enough time to close in. The Green Horn's Crasher Horn pierced the Genosaurer's underbelly. Ace used his momentum to drive the horn far into the Saurer and toss it aside like a rag doll.

Craven, seeing he was now alone, doubled his efforts to throw Crow's Zoid off. The Stealth Dragon tried desperately to hold the Psychosaurer down but the saurian Zoid was too strong, finally wrestling the Dragon off of it. The Saurer got to its feet and began charging the Max CPG as the other Paladins closed in. "I've had enough of your petty attempts to defeat me! Max Charged Particle Gun!" Craven roared. The attack blasted forward and only split at the last second, catching its targets by surprise. Each Paladin gasped as their Zoids were slain by the Max CPG. Crow watched the scene in horror, the Stealth Dragon reacting to his rage by charging straight into the Psychosaurer with a head butt.

Crow's world blacked out as rage consumed his every thought and he lost control of his body. In his altered state the pilot thought of nothing but attacking, swiping at the Psychosaurer with his Zoid's tail and claws. Craven nimbly dodged the wildly aimed attacks, keeping his cool against his raging opponent. The Psychosaurer shot out its Grappling Hook Arms and caught the Stealth Dragon by its throat, the saurian Zoid roaring in its opponents face. Craven cackled as he charged up his Zoid's most devastating weapon. Crow blindly continued his rage induced attack, the Psychosaurer barely able to hold its opponent steady.

At the last second Drake abandoned the Stealth Dragon, grabbing Crow as he went, and flew out of the way as a stream of charged particles consumed the cockpit of the Stealth Dragon.

* * *

Guygalos roared into action as the Chaos Saurer entered its city limits. The ground forces, led by a platoon of Genosaurers and the one remaining Dibison, opened fire as soon as the behemoth entered their sight. Colonel Payne sat in the cockpit of his ruby red Genosaurer and began preparing to fire the Charged Particle Gun. Waves of bullets struck the Chaos Saurer in a predetermined spot, the Saurer's chest. Colonel Payne and the other leading Zoid pilots yelled as they fired their ultimate attacks in a familiar attack pattern. The attack opened up the Chaos Saurer's chest, revealing its glowing core. "Aim to kill!" Herman commanded from his Dibison.

"Roger that, fire at will!" Payne ordered. The Genosaurers and Herman's Dibison began charging their attacks just as the Chaos Saurer charged its SCPG. The ultimate attacks all fired at once, meeting half way in between the Saurer and its opponents. The clashing energies pushed back and forth, both surging forward or faltering backward at any moment. Then finally the defense forces' Zoids ran out of energy and the SCPG overwhelmed their attacks. The blast consumed both the Dibison and Genosaurers as it struck the ground and sent a massive shockwave through the ground, resulting in a powerful tremor.

The tremor shook the defense force Zoids all around the Chaos Saurer, causing them to fall to the ground. While the Zoids tried to recover from both the attacks and the loss of their two major commanders the Chaos Saurer opened fire on them with every weapon it had. The massive twin beam cannons fired, the mortar cannon array sent explosive projectiles through the air and missiles launched from the tail of the demon Zoid. Countless Zoids fell left and right as the Chaos Saurer continued its campaign of terror through the streets of Guygalos uncontested.

Suddenly the air forces swept down, dropping bomb after bomb and firing numerous missiles all at once. Explosions covered the body of the Saurer as it marched through Guygalos. The Chaos Saurer roared in defiance and aimed its SCPG at the sky, blasting many Zoids away in an instant. The remaining air force tried for one final attack on the Zoid core of the Saurer, most valiantly sacrificing themselves by just crashing right into the chest of the Chaos Saurer. The efforts were unsuccessful though, as when the smoke cleared only one Zoid stood above the rest and that was the Chaos Saurer. It shook off the attack and charged up a final SCPG aimed for the Emperor's Palace.

Craven showed up just in time to watch the show. A stream of charged particles struck the palace, instantly turning it to nothing but flames and rubble. The Chaos Saurer roared in pleasure at the sight. The last thing to fall to the ground and burn away in flames was an Imperial flag, signaling the end of the Empire in all its glory. The cockpit to the Psychosaurer opened and a red energy gathered around Craven, lifting him into the air. The Chaos Saurer took control of Craven through its psychic powers.

"_The world is now mine to rule. None shall stand in my way any longer, for I am to be your new God, I alone am your savior and your executioner._ _All hail your master, all hail the One. Bathe in my glory and be consumed by my madness children. Planet Zi as you know it is now under my control and you will all bow to me_!" Craven shouted. The Chaos Saurer roared one final time and sent a beam of charged particles at the surviving Zoids below, proving its ultimate dominance over them.

* * *

To Be Continued in The Organoid Chronicles II: the Resistance

A/N: If you like the ending please tell me, I wasn't super confident that my readers would react positively to it since it isn't your usual heroic ending. The next Organoid Chronicles will be out soon and will reveal the fate of Crow and the other Paladins. It will take place 10 years into the future, in a post apocalyptic Zi torn by war, destruction and corruption. Hope you like it!

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The Organoid Chronicles I: The Chosen Ones by Might is Write