1. A New Beginning

The Night Warriors
A New Beginning

Two young women, in black uniforms, were typing away at computers, hoping to find some information. The two were on a secret mission for the Empire.

"Nothing," the blonde cursed, "when the enemies heard that we were on the way they cleared out of here. Whoever they were, I'll give them credit for doing a good job of covering their tracks. Rache! Say something!"

The brunette looked up from the keyboard as she heard a faint ticking. It was a time bomb set to go off in five minutes. "Ash we leave now!"

The two friends ran out of the deserted building, with just one minute to spare. While the blonde watch the building explode, the brunette headed to her black Hel Cat to report in. "Captain Rachel Elizabeth Schubaltz reporting in, the enemy has evacuated and blown up their own base."

"How did you escape, Captain Schubaltz?" the Major asked narrowing his ugly purple eyes.

Rachel smiled, "I was able to find the bomb, but did not have time to disarm it," she said.

The Major scowled even more. "Where is Captain Ashley Borwick?"

"Still staring at the explosion," Rachel answered.

"Get back here now Captain!"

"Yes sir!" Rachel saluted. The Major scowled deepened once more before he cut the link. Rachel sighed, mission failure. "Ash, lets go home!" The blonde warrior nodded and ran to her black Zaber Fang.

Rachel Schubaltz and Ashley Borwick had lived in the military most of their lives. Rachel had brown hair, unlike her two younger brothers who both were blonde. The one feature Rachel shared with her brothers, Karl and Thomas, was her vibrant green eyes. Her father had been a well respected General before he was killed in combat. Before his death, he had moved eleven year old Karl and Rachel and the twins' six year old younger brother Thomas to the base he worked at because of the recent death of their mother. When Rachel's father died, the base had taken in the Schubaltz children.

Ashley Borwick, unlike Rachel, had no biological family. When she was only a few years old, whoever her real parents were, they left her in an alley. She was then found by a Colonel who adopted her, along with another boy named Alex who the Colonel found a year earlier. Ashley had natural blonde hair, but the ashes in her, when she was found, earned her the name Ashley. She was about the same age as Rachel when she was brought to the same base, and the two girls spent their teenage years like twin sisters.

Ashley's adopted brother, Alex, was discovered in another alley way. He had black hair and was a few years older than Ashley. Surprisingly, the two really came to depend on each other as siblings when the Colonel who adopted them was killed in combat. Once again the base took the children in.

Now, several years after their fathers' deaths, these children, raised by an Imperial military base, have made great contributions to the Empire. Karl Schubaltz, now a Colonel and twenty-six in age, has been a very inspirational leader and assisted in the defeat of the Death Sauer and Death Stinger. At the age of twenty, Thomas Schubaltz was a computer genius, a Lieutenant, part of the Guardian Force, and was instrumented in the of defeat in the Death Stinger.

Ashley was not as lucky as Rachel. During an important battle between the Empire and Republic, Alex was killed. Before his death, Alex had asked if anything should happen to him if he could count on Karl and Thomas to protect his little sister. They had both promised. At his funeral all three Schubaltz kids promised Ashley to be there for her. A few days after the funeral Rachel found several new pictures of Alex hung up in Ashley's room.

No matter how hard she tried to understand that the life of a soldier was dangerous, Ashley never could forgive the Republic. When peace was established Ashley did not try to ruin it like others. Instead she refused to work with, or give respect to, Republican soldiers.

"That mission wasn't a failure you know," Ashley commented. Rachel just laughed; Ashley always could read what was on her mind. "No I'm serious," Ashley, continued, "they had erased all their files so there was nothing to find."

Rachel sighed. "Those enemy soldiers have done something and I want to find out what."

"They're from another country. The Republic is acting on a tip from an unknown stranger that if we're not careful an unknown, enemy country will attack us. Who knows, maybe it's a trap," Ashley pointed out.

"The Republic is our ally," Rachel pointed out, "I don't think they would try to lead us into a trap. And if they did, Karl would be the first to sound the alarm."

Ashley snorted, "Then both you and your twin brother are going soft."

"Ash," Rachel groaned, "we've been over this. We are no longer at war! There are many other people in the Republic who've lost family to Imperial army. We've all had to give something up during the war. At least we're at peace. At least we are not sacrificing our family over a worthless cause!"

"I see what you mean," Ashley murmured.

"I know how you feel," Rachel continued, "but I know that my dad would rather us be at peace with the Republic than trying to gain revenge that would end up in more lives lost. And the same goes for your father and Alex."

Ashley sighed and let a tear roll gently down her cheek before wiping it away. "Okay, no more talking about the Republic betraying us. I'll also try to be more cooperative with the Republican solders. I promise"

Rachel laughed remembering the last time some Republican soldiers came to the base they were currently stationed at. Whenever she had her back turned, Ashley was doing something to make the poor men miserable. She even had the courage to talk back to a Republican Colonel.

"That's good to know," Rachel whispered so Ashley couldn't hear. Then she went back to the bigger problem of a new enemy.

	2. A New Mission

Hey everyone! The name's Element Guardian, or E.G. for short. This is the second chapter to my first story ever. Sorry I didn't introduce myself or add a disclaimer the last chapter. I forgot to add one on before I posted my story. If you read my next story, "The Wolf," and then it's sequel, "The Element Battles," you'll understand my name a little more. I'll try to get those posted as soon as possible. They'll have nothing to do with "The Night Warriors."

This story will be different from those you've read on fan fiction before. You'll get to choose what happens to Rachel, Ashley, Herman and the rest of the gang later on. If you want a say in what happens, you have to review. (It's my way of making sure you review) I won't ask for what should happen until the fourth chapter, then I'll give you previews on the two different ways the story can go, then the one with the most votes is the next chapter published.

Disclaimer: I don't own zoids, but Rachel and Ashley are my characters, and Travil is my idea as well.

The Night Warriors
A New Mission

Rachel could see the familiar base growing beyond the horizon. It was good to be coming back to the base and soldiers stationed there. The feeling that came every time Rachel returned to this particular base started to flutter in the bottom of her stomach. White Spirit Base to be exact.

White Spirit Base got its name from the ghost that supposedly haunted it. No one had seen the ghost, but things thought to be lost would turn up somewhere, and there was always a mysterious helper on the battlefield when the battle was nearby base. This had been going on since a few years after the base was built, and the base was well over a hundred years old. Like everyone else, Rachel had no idea who the friendly spirit was, but on clear nights, when everything seemed perfect, Rachel could hear the faint laughter of a young woman.

As the two friends ran into the hanger they noticed some extra zoids that weren't there when they left. An Iron Cong, a DiBisaon, a Blade Liger, a Lightning Siax, a Gustave, and a fleet of Command Wolves stood proudly off to the side. Rachel knew the Iron Cong belonged to Karl and the DiBiason to Thomas, she wasn't sure to whom the other zoids belonged, but the Command Wolves meant that.

"Republicans are in this base. Why here?" Ashley was flustered and she did nothing to hide it in her voice. Rachel just rolled her eyes and went to repairing some leg damage that the Hel Cat acquired from the long distance run she had to put it through.

"Captain Schubaltz? Captain Borwick?" Rachel turned around to see a soldier she didn't recognize.

He was very muscular and looked like a skilled planner. He was a Republican by the look of his uniform, which made him look very handsome. The only thing that kept her from saying he was the best looking man Rachel had ever seen was the fact that his gray eyes gave off a cold feeling that made Rachel shiver.

"Yes," Rachel said in a serious tone, "I'm Caption Schubaltz. And you would be?"

"Major Herman."

"Forgive us Major, but we didn't know who you were," Ashley said as she saluted. Rachel saluted as well, but she was trying to hold back a laugh.

The major snorted. "Follow me."

The two Captains followed the Major to a discussion room. Rachel recognized Karl, Thomas, Colonel Freedmen, and several officers from the base. There were also several Republican officers that Rachel did not know. Colonel Freedmen was currently in charge of the White Spirit Base and the main reason Rachel and Ashley hadn't killed any of the men stationed at the base. The look on his face, and Thomas's as well, said Rachel and Ashley would not like what they were going to be told. Karl's face was emotionless; the less time Rachel spent with her brother, the less she felt like she truly knew her twin inside and out. The officers' expressions were what Rachel didn't like the most, for all of them wore smirks.

The Republican officers had this happy, almost proud look on their faces. "What's the report Ladies?" Rachel looked to see a very old looking Republican Colonel. Both young women saluted.

Rachel cleared her throat. "As you might have been informed, we were sent to what was thought to be a Travil Base to see if we could get any kind of information."

"The new enemy country you're all worried about," Ashley added. Rachel nudged her and gave a look as if to say not to push it.

"When we got there, the base had been evacuated," Rachel continued. "They also erased any files and then blew up their own base, trying to take us with it."

"Do you believe we should be worried about them, or is it an empty threat, Captain?" The Colonel was wearing a smile like he could see right through the two Captains' souls.

Rachel cleared her throat again. "No one covers their tracks as well as they did unless they don't want to have something or someone found."

The old Colonel nodded to the two spies to let them know he was listening. "I'm Colonel Kruger, and you'd be?"

"Captain Schubaltz and this is my partner Captain Borwack."

Colonel Kruger smiled. "I see you've met Major Herman, and this is Captain O'Connell," he said while pointing to a teal haired man.

"You are not just introducing us for the fun of it," Ashley said angrily as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes had become two daggers and Rachel was surprised that no had died from them yet. That's when it hit her -- why Colonel Freedmen and Thomas had worried looks on their faces; why Karl seemed emotionless; why the rest of the Imperial officers were trying hard not to laugh out loud. Most importantly, why the Republicans looked proud.

Colonel Kruger looked straight into Ashley's dagger eyes. "The four of you will be working together on a spy mission to find out if we are in for another war or we just have an empty threat." A look of surprise came across Rachel's face while the anger in Ashley's eyes became even greater.

Next Time: Changes

What do you think? Does it deserve the Pulitzer Prize? Probably not, but was it still good? Did I leave any important information out that you think should be included?

Later,
Element Guardian

	3. Change

Hey everyone, E.G. here again. It's chapter three and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you Shadow Vixen for your suggestion. Now everyone can review.

Disclaimer: I don't own zoids, but Rachel and Ashley are my characters.

The Night Warriors
Changes

The Imperial soldiers waited for Ashley and Rachel to slaughter the Colonel on the spot. Ashley clenched her fists and Rachel shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Is that all?" Ashley was doing her best to keep her voice steady.

"Yes, everyone is dismissed," Colonel Kruger said. Everyone below his rank got up and saluted him, then left. Karl watched Ashley to make sure she didn't do anything she would regret later as she stormed out of the room with Rachel close at her heels. The Imperial soldiers were quick to jump out of their way.

Colonel Freedmen and Karl sighed and leaned back into their chairs; they had expected World War III. Colonel Kruger smirked. "And you were worried about me getting killed by those two."

"We just saw a miracle," Colonel Freedmen sighed while letting his head hang over the back of the chair.

Meanwhile, Rachel and Ashley went into the gym to have a martial arts battle. The two knew each other's style well and easily blocked one another's punches. "I don't like this one bit! They shouldn't do this to me!" Ashley said as she tried to land a punch on Rachel.

Rachel laughed as Ashley continued to fume. "I'm sorry my problem is so funny!" Ashley nearly yelled in Rachel's face.

That's when Rachel heard something clang outside the small gym door. She pulled away from the fight and yanked the door open. Thomas and the rest of the Guardian Force fell to the ground. "How many times must I tell you not to eavesdrop on people, Thomas Richard?" Rachel demanded.

Ashley fought to hold back a laugh that was erupting in the bottom of her stomach. "And how many times have I told you not to spy on someone who can hurt you, in case you do get caught."

"Ash," Rachel said as she helped the Guardian Force to their feet, "you're not helping!"

Fiona smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Captain Schubaltz. I'm Fiona. Thomas has said many great things about you."

Rachel shook her hand. "Thomas has told me great things about you, too, but you don't have to call me Captain Schubaltz. I go by Rachel."

"I'm Van, and this is Irvine and Moonbay," Van said pointing to each in turn.

"I'm Ashley," Ashley muttered. Rachel gently nudged her. "It's nice to meet you too."

"You two are Captains in the Imperial army?" one rude Republican soldier teased. "Man, the Imperial army must be getting desperate."

Rachel and Ashley whirled around to face him, death glares emitting from their eyes. In two seconds the soldier was on the ground, unconscious, from the strong punch that the two mighty spies had given him.

Meanwhile, Herman and some other men where busy in the zoid hangar. "So, what's the story with the lady Captains?" a Republican captain called out.

An Imperial soldier looked up from his work on Rachel's Hel Cat. "Be very glad they did not hear that."

"We call them Rachel and Ashley, just so you know," another Imperial soldier added.

"Wait," O'Connell called out, "they go by their first names, even with other military men?"

"Only a few people address them by Captain Schubaltz and Captain Borwack," Colonel Schubaltz said, not looking up from his work.

"You guys are famous for being uptight with your uniforms," one Republican commented, "so what's the deal with their outfits?"

Herman nodded. Ashley had been wearing long black cargo pants and a black tank top that showed her midriff. Rachel's outfit was quite a bit different. She was in long, black, bellbottom pants. She had cut off the right pant leg a good few inches above her knee. Her long sleeve, black shirt had also been cut off at the right shoulder.

Schubaltz laughed. "Everyone is too scared to tell them they should be in uniforms."

At that moment, Rachel stormed into the room with Ashley right behind her. "Good afternoon, Lady Captains," one Republican soldier said, pressing his luck. The two young women whirled around to face the foolish man. Both pairs of eyes had become deadly daggers again.

After one heart-stopping minute, Rachel turned away. "Calvin, what are you doing to my zoid?" she asked the Imperial soldier working on the back of her Hel Cat.

He looked up from his work. "The joints are pretty worn out and the boosters need to be replaced." With that, he jumped down from the zoid. Rachel walked towards him so they could continue the discussion about the mighty zoid.

"I know, I've been experiencing leg trouble after long runs, and the missions that I go on now require long runs." As Rachel talked to Calvin, Ashley snorted before turning and walking away to work on her Zaber Fang.

"What's with that Calvin guy?" Herman whispered to Colonel Schubaltz.

Schubaltz turned to face Herman so their conversation wouldn't be heard by anyone else. "Calvin Rhodes. He's our third best spy; he's part of the Day Warriors group with his brother Jacob. Ashley and Rachel make up our other spy group, the Night Warriors."

"So, who's your best spy?" Herman asked.

"Rachel is," Schubaltz said, continuing to whisper.

Laughter could be heard throughout the hangar. "I can't imagine you, Rachel, taking on such a petty mission," Calvin said in between laughs. "It's such a waste of your good talents."

Rachel's face took on a sad look. "You know I no longer go on undercover missions. Besides, that was my first mission in about seven years."

Calvin looked at her in a funny way and then shook his head. "When you find a guy who can understand you, make sure you have him explain to me what goes on in your head." Now it was Rachel's turn to laugh. She shook Calvin's hand and thanked him for working on her zoid before Rachel went to see if Ashley needed her help.

Herman and Schubaltz were close enough to hear the end of Rachel and Calvin's conversation. "Or at least she was our best spy until she got in a bad accident," Schubaltz concluded, while giving Herman a look to tell him not to bring the subject up again.

Next chapter you will be able to decide in which direction the story will go.
Later,
E.G.

	4. Old Nightmares

Hi guys and gals, it's time to give you a choice how the story will go. You will see a choice one and a choice two. Write in a review to tell me which choice you want.

Disclaimer: I do not own zoids, but Ashley and Rachel are my characters.

The Night Warriors

Old Nightmares

He had her backed up to the top of the falls of Blood Waterfall. Rachel was standing at the very edge; one more step and she would be over the high and rugged cliff; one more step and she would plunge into the ice cold water where sharp rocks were most likely waiting for her.

It started out like any other mission that she had gone on before, but this one would end differently. She had been sent to try to hack into, and then destroy, all Republican communication systems. Instead, she had found out what Lord Prozen was really up to. He was going to try to take over the Empire, and then the entire Planet Zi.

Even though she hardly made mistakes on her spy missions, Rachel had forgotten to cover her tracks, and now Prozen had sent someone to finish her off. A Major named Marcus was the one to do the dirty work, and for the fourth time in her life, Rachel was completely helpless. There was no Karl to save her, no Thomas to give her courage, and Ashley still was at the hospital in a coma.

"Any last words?" Marcus said with his usual slime filled voice.

"Yeah," Rachel said with confidence, "tell my brothers and Ashley I say goodbye, sorry, and that I love them." Marcus snorted in disgust as his finger began to pull the trigger.

The shot rang out and time stood still as Rachel watched the bullet soar through the air. Suddenly, time regained its normal speed as the bullet pierced her left shoulder, barely missing her heart. She stumbled and fell off the cliff.

Rachel woke with a start, giving a small scream. Her breathing was deep and harsh, and from the looks of her nightwear and sheets, she had been turning violently in her sleep. She looked at the clock; it read 3:45 a.m. As her breathing slowly returned to normal, Rachel decided that it was pointless to attempt going back to sleep after that nightmare.

After taking a quick shower and changing into some casual clothes, Rachel headed out of her room. As she walked into the kitchen to get some coffee, Rachel tried to erase all thoughts of the haunting nightmare. Rachel sat down to sort out some confusing thoughts as she added sugar and milk to the comforting liquid.

After awhile, Rachel crossed her arms on the table so she could rest her head on something softer than the cold, hard wood. She was too tired and preoccupied to even hear Herman enter the room. For a while he just stood in the doorway, admiring her beauty.

Her dark brown hair waved and curled around her face, drawing attention to her bright green eyes. To him, Rachel's eyes were like two emeralds shining through mounds of dirt and mud. Many of the other men didn't feel the same way about the strong girl.

They thought she was a gothic queen with no emotions. Herman wished they could see her now. Instead of the black uniform, Rachel was in a modest pink tank top with a pair of blue jeans that had not been ripped up. Hunched over the table, she looked sad and defeated.

"Morning Rachel, what are you doing up so early?" Herman said in a quiet tone of voice.

Rachel turned around slightly in her chair so she could see him. "I could ask you the same thing," she snapped.

"I have the room next to yours, and I'm a pretty light sleeper," Herman said, keeping a gentle voice. "I heard you yell and then leave ten minutes later." Rachel turned around again and wrapped both hands around her coffee mug. Herman walked over to the counter, made himself a cup of coffee and then took a seat next to Rachel.

That's when Rachel looked up at him. She never noticed how sweet and caring Herman's eyes looked. They no longer sent chills down her spine like they used to; instead they made her feel like something she couldn't describe with words. His smile made her feel safe and warm; a strange feeling for Rachel since she was no longer the happy and trusting child she use to be.

Herman gently peeled one of Rachel's hands away from the coffee mug and held it gently in one of his own. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently. Rachel nodded.

"Ashley was in the hospital with a coma. Karl had just been promoted to major and was stationed at the Red River Base. Thomas was at school at an excellent college and no one had heard from him in a while. So that left me alone for a mission. It was a simple mission, nothing I couldn't handle, I thought. I simply had to hack into and then destroy the Republicans' communication systems.

"When typing in a password, my finger slipped and I somehow gained access to some of Prozen's secret files. It was there that I learned about the resurrection of the Death Sauer, as well as Prozen's plan to try to take over the Empire." Rachel sighed and wondered why she was telling someone she hardly knew what had happened to her.

"Prozen learned that I knew what he was up to and decided to have me killed. He sent a man named Marcus after me, and I nearly was killed. Luckily, he had some of the worse aim around and only hit my left shoulder. I fell down Blood Waterfall and my memory is blank until I woke up in a spy camp.

"They had taken care of my wounds during the time I was unconscious and helped hide me till Prozen was killed in the Death Sauer battle. During the two years I was in hiding, I secretly gave information, in pieces to Freedmen," Rachel finished.

Herman looked at the female spy with a new respect. "Wow, that must have been tough."

Rachel shook her head. "Not as tough as coming back to find that everyone thought I was dead."

Herman gently began to rub her hand as he finally noticed the large scar on her left arm. With the other hand, Herman gently traced the scar with his fingers. He felt her slightly shiver under his soft touch.

"Whatever happened to this Marcus person?" Herman asked, taking his hand away from Rachel's scar and holding her one hand in both of his.

A very small smile played on her lips. "I heard he burned to ashes when your army blew up the volcano at Mt. Osa Base."

Herman laughed softly and then looked deeply into Rachel's eyes. Cautiously, Rachel took her free hand and gently combed her fingers through his hair. After quickly glancing up at the clock, which read 4:25 a.m., Rachel moved her chair and body so she could lean up against Herman, resting her head on his shoulder.

"If you want to, you can call me Rob when no one else is around," Herman whispered into her ear,

Rachel's smile grew bigger. "I'd like that, Rob."

With that, Herman cupped her cheek with his hand. Rachel turned to face him, placing her own hand on top of his. Their faces moved closer together. Rachel could feel her breath mix with Herman's. He moved forward, and his lips caught hers in a soft, yet sweet, kiss.

For a few moments, all Rachel could think about and feel were Herman's lips against her own. Then sad memories she had kept at bay came rushing back: her mom dying in front of Rachel, but not before reminding the three young children how much they were loved and leaving a necklace for Rachel, her dad dying in a lonely hospital bed, doctors and nurses doing all they could to keep him alive and keep his three kids out of the way, Alex dying in battle, not even getting the chance to say goodbye.

Rachel jerked away from Herman and stared at him for one more moment. Without another word, she left the kitchen and went back to her room. Herman watched her leave the room, cursing himself for rushing things with Rachel and making her feel uncomfortable. Herman decided not to go after her, in case Rachel needed some time to herself. But he promised to apologize and make it up to her later.

Making it to her room, Rachel knelt down by her bed and reached for a small wooden box safely hidden underneath it. She got off the floor and onto her bed, bringing the wooden box with her. Treating the box as if it was made of glass, Rachel carefully lifted the lid to reveal some of her most precious items.

On top of everything in the small box was a heart-shaped locket that had belonged to her mother. Before she had died from an illness, Rachel's mom had given the locket to Rachel. The locket had once held pictures of Karl, Rachel, and Thomas, but now those had been removed and were replaced with pictures of General and Mrs. Schubaltz.

Reaching behind her neck, Rachel clipped the silver chain. Next in the box was a General's military hat; it had belonged to her father. Rachel picked up the hat and then held it to her face, her tears soaking into the material. The hat had been too big for her when she first received it, and was still too big for her.

As she gently set the hat to the side, Rachel saw the few pictures at the bottom of the wooden box. The first picture was of a thirteen-year-old Ashley and Rachel being chased around by a much younger Captain Freedmen. In the picture, Freedmen did not have wrinkles from stress or age, and there were no gray streaks in his sandy colored hair. The next picture was of Alex. His jet-black hair was wind swept and his blue eyes had a sparkle of laughter to them. The picture had been taken a few weeks before he had been killed. In the last picture was a family. On a park bench sat the mother, her brown hair being blown by the wind, her hazel eyes watering. Next to her sat her husband. His handsome blonde hair and green eyes made him look as kind and gentle as he really was. On the ground in front of them sat their three kids. The two young boys were almost exact replicas of their father; the young girl had her mother's brown hair, but her father's green eyes.

"Rachel!" Ashley yelled, pulling Rachel out of her dream world, "didn't you hear me the first five times?"

"No," was Rachel's simple answer.

Ashley looked at the pictures in Rachel's hand, the hat off to the side, and the locket around her neck. "I should have known you were taking a very long trip down memory lane," Ashley muttered.

Rachel smiled. "Is something up?"

"Yeah, Kruger wants us, so suit up," Ashley said in disgust. Then Ashley took a better look at Rachel. "Is something wrong, Rache?"

"No."

Ashley gave Rachel a look that told her Ashley knew better than that. "It's ok to think about the past, just remember to keep up with the present and the future."

Rachel laughed as she threw a pillow at Ashley, who used the bedroom door as protection. After Ashley had left, Rachel put the pictures and her father's hat into the box again, leaving the locket around her neck. She put on her black uniform. All the while, Rachel was thinking about Rob, her family and friends, and her past.

Here are the two choices for the direction the story can go. 1) Rachel was glad to finally get to the discussion room. All along the way, soldiers had given her looks that sent shivers down her spine. Even Calvin and Jordan - men whom she had worked with for years and knew very well - would not catch her eye. She began to unconsciously rub the scar that reminded her of the one mistake she had made when she was still a spy.

The minute she stepped into the room, Van and O'Connell pounced on Rachel and forced her hands behind her back, handcuffing her. During this, Karl had gently grabbed Ashley so she wouldn't do anything stupid.

After they thought Rachel was secure and had no chance to escape, they took her to another, more private room to be questioned. She was thrown roughly into a hard wooden chair; no one dared take off the handcuffs. The Guardian Force stood ready at hand with O'Connell. Herman was also there with Karl and Ashley as Freedmen and Kruger began to question their friend, or maybe their enemy.

2) Rachel and Ashley ran to the battle strategy room, getting stares from many of the men. The locket was safely tucked underneath Rachel's shirt. When they arrived, the Night Warriors were surprised to only see Freedmen, Kruger, Karl, the Guardian Force, O'Connell, and Herman. Rachel and Ashley expected to find more than a few officers waiting for them. Everyone in the room was staring at a large screen; on it were pictures of a ruined town. "What's going on?" Rachel said.

O'Connell turned from the screen to face her. "An Imperial colony has been attacked and almost completely destroyed."

"Raven?" asked Rachel.

"Actually, no," Herman said, "he tried to stop whomever it was from destroying the town."

"Was it the Travillian army?" Ashley asked.

"If it was, they're attacking their own towns and colonies because a Travillian town was attacked a week earlier by the same group of people," Kruger sighed. He looked more like the old man he was because of the huge amount of stress lately.

	5. New Dreams

Okay, I decided to update. Thank you Shadow Vixen! You're the only one who reviews. So we'll go with your suggestion. Choice two it is!

Disclaimer: I don't own zoids, but Rachel and Ashley are my characters.

The Night Warriors
New Dreams

Rachel and Ashley ran to the battle strategy room, getting stares from many of the men. The locket was safely tucked underneath Rachel's shirt. When they arrived, the Night Warriors were surprised to only see Freedmen, Kruger, Karl, the Guardian Force, O'Connell, and Herman. Rachel and Ashley expected to find more than a few officers waiting for them. Everyone in the room was staring at a large screen; on it were pictures of a ruined town. "What's going on?" Rachel said.

O'Connell turned from the screen to face her. "An Imperial colony has been attacked and almost completely destroyed."

"Raven?" asked Rachel.

"Actually, no," Herman said, "he tried to stop whomever it was from destroying the town."

"Was it the Travillian army?" Ashley asked.

"If it was, they're attacking their own towns and colonies because a Travillian town was attacked a week earlier by the same group of people," Kruger sighed. He looked more like the old man he was because of the huge amount of stress lately.

"Rachel, you and Major Herman will go question Raven, then place him under arrest," Karl said in a stern voice.

"If Travil wasn't the one to attack us, who was?" Van whispered." I mean, it's as Rachel said before, no one does a thorough job of covering up their tracks unless they have something to hide."

"I highly doubt Travil would attack their own villages to make us think they are being attacked, too," Rachel whispered. "Travil is a war torn country; they have nothing to gain by going to war again."

Ashley's eyes lit up with an idea from Rachel's comment. "Isn't Cravane between Republic territory and Travillian territory?"

"Yes it is," Freedmen agreed. "If we did end up with a war against Travil, Cravane would benefit greatly."

"So we need to make peace with Travil before Cravane throws us into another war," Fiona sighed. Everyone looked disappointed; they had been looking forward to a time of peace.

Rachel looked at every person in the room with a new respect. They had just lost the threat of the Death Stinger, Death Saur, and Prozen, and already they had a new enemy to deal with. "Well, let's get going!" Moonbay cried with encouragement. The Guardian Force ran to prepare their zoids for the long journey.

"No," Kruger said, stopping the Guardian Force in their tracks, "we need you to stay here incase another town is attacked."

Freedmen turned to Rachel and Herman who were waiting to be told what to do. "Get ready to leave ASAP!"

"Yes Sir!" the two said in unison.

Rachel was packing supplies into Herman's Command Wolf while Herman was making adjustments to his zoid. "Rob?" Rachel asked from the zoid's cockpit.

"Yeah?"

"My Hel Cat's legs are being repaired," Rachel called to Herman. "So I'll have to ride in the co-pilot's seat. Is that ok?"

Herman smiled warmly. "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Rachel blushed. Then Herman noticed that Rachel didn't have many supplies packed. "What I'm not ok about is that we only have enough food for half the journey."

"Don't worry, I know a place where we can gather more supplies."

"Now, do you?" Herman laughed.

Rachel also laughed. "A spy needs to know these things, because you never know what might go wrong on a mission."

"Rachel?" Freedmen said walking towards the Command Wolf. "I need to talk to you."

Rachel jumped out of the cockpit where she had finished packing the supplies. "What's up?"

"Are you going to be ok?" Freedmen asked, referring to the fact that Rachel hadn't been on a real mission in seven years.

Rachel laughed. "Yeah, it's time I faced my fear. Will you make sure Karl and Thomas are alright for me?"

"Of course" Freedmen smiled. "It's good to see you returning to your old self."

"Rachel, let's go!" Herman called. Rachel saluted Freedmen and ran to the Command Wolf. As soon as both Rachel and Herman were safely strapped into the cockpit, the zoid roared to life and took off running.

Off to the side stood Karl, a pained look on his face. "Take care of her, Herman."

I'll get chapter six up as soon as I can. I'll also try to give you another chance to choose the direction of the story.

PS: I read your story Shadow Vixen, I looooooooooove it!

	6. The Kings

Night Warriors
The King

"Stop here, Rob!" Herman rolled his eyes. Traveling for three days with Rachel behind him was doing bad things for his physical and emotional health. There were several bruises and bumps on the back of his head from where he had said the wrong thing to Rachel and she had used him as an easy target. Still, he could not stop himself from falling in love with her. It was killing him inside to know that Rachel considered him a brother or a close friend.

Herman stopped the zoid and turned around in his seat. "Why here?"

"For lots of reasons," Rachel said with the flick of her hand. "For supplies, information, and I need to catch up with some old friends."

"We don't have time for idle chit chat."

"I know, so lets get going," Rachel said as she jumped down from the Command Wolf.

Rachel walked behind a small clutch of hills and Herman had to run to catch up with her. Behind the hills he saw a mansion. Rachel walked to the door, opened it, and strolled in. Herman quickly ran after her.

"Hey, Night Cat!" a young man with several face piercing and tattoos called to Rachel.

Rachel acted as though she knew -- and liked -- him. "Scar? It's been awhile since I've seen you."

"Yeah," Scar said with a smile, "I've been here, but I keep missing you."

"Listen, where's King? Are Sammy and Danni here?" Rachel did not want to waste any more time with the unusual Scar.

"Yeah," Scar said, his smile dropping, "They're all upstairs, in the lookout room."

"Thanks," Rachel said quickly before dragging Herman upstairs behind her.

She led him through a maze of hallways and doors. Herman began to lose his patience. "What is this place Schubaltz? Who was that Scar person? Who are Sammy, Danni, and King, and why in the world did Scar call you Night Cat?"

"To answer your questions in order, this is a relief point for spies and mercenaries. We come here for food and medical attention; I've had to come here a few times for both reasons, but I've also met new friends when I've stopped here to rest. There are spies and mercenaries from all over Planet Zi. Scar is a spy from another country, though no one knows which one. Sammy and Danni are the two spies who saved my life when Prozen sent Marcus out to kill me. King is a former Imperial spy and he runs this place. He was and still is the best spy on Planet Zi. People call me Night Cat here because very few people go by their real names. Sammy and Danni are pretty much the only ones who do. Night Cat is my nickname because I dress in black and my zoid is a black Hel Cat," Rachel finished the quick review, leaving Herman stunned. Shaking her head, Rachel walked into the room.

"Hello Night Cat, how are you?" asked a man who was older than even Kruger.

"Night Cat, what's up?" a young girl with dark blonde hair called out.

A young girl with sandy hair looked up from some work. "Where's Night Zaber?"

"Not bad, I'm on my way to Free Will Town. Freedmen decided that he needed Ashley at White Spirit Base, so I've got a temporary new partner," Rachel said answering the questions in order. "This is Major Herman, who's assisting me with my mission."

"A.K.A. my brother, Rob," the sandy haired girl smirked.

"Danielle?" Herman looked at his older sister, Danni. "Samantha?" Herman looked at Sammy. The three young women snickered.

King smiled. "What can I do for you, Night Cat?"

"We need supplies to get us the rest of the way to Free Will Town" Rachel replied.

"Ok, they will be ready in a few minutes. But how about you stay for the night to rest up?"

"We can't," Rachel said simply. "A mysterious group attacked Free Will Town, and Raven got caught in the attack. We're being sent to further investigate what's happening. Sammy, Danni, I want you to go to White Spirit Base to see if you can help Kruger, Freedmen, and my brother in any way."

Everyone nodded and walked off to do what Rachel had asked of them. Herman was surprised to see that the two Republic spies were listening to an Imperial spy without even asking questions.

"Hey Rachel," Herman said.

"Yeah," the young woman answered.

Herman sighed. "How well do you know those two?"

"Pretty well," Rachel said. "As I said, they saved my life and helped hide me. Even enemies can become friends when you force them to work together." Herman nodded.

In a few minutes, Sammy and Danni had the new supplies in the Command Wolf for Herman and Rachel's trip to Free Will Town, and the girls' own zoids were ready for the journey to White Spirit Base. They quickly said good- bye to King and left. Herman and Rachel were about to leave when King stopped them.

"I have a gift for you, Night Cat" King said. A white organoid stepped from behind King. On her back were featherless, angel-like wings and her tail had spikes similar to Ambient's tail. "This is Starlet; I want you to take her with you."

"But King." Rachel tried to protest, but King held up a hand to silence her.

"Starlet ages only one year for every four thousand that passes. If she stays here with me she'll grow lazy," King said with a smile. "Besides, she's been wanting to see combat for awhile."

Rachel nodded and the organoid, in a bright streak of white, flew into Herman's Command Wolf. The two soldiers also got into the zoid and waved good-bye to King. King stayed and watched them run towards the horizon until the zoid was barely a speck in the distance. He entered the huge house once more to find Scar gone. Rusty spy instincts kicked in telling King that Rachel and Herman were headed straight for trouble. King called Sammy and Danni. Something was wrong, and he feared for Night Cat's life, as well as for Danni's brother.

Rachel and Herman were silent for several minutes. Rachel was staring at the back of Herman's head. The two were alone, except for Starlet, who wasn't paying attention to them. Rachel wanted to tell him how she was feeling, but after pushing him away with no explanation when he kissed her, she wasn't sure what he would do or say.

"Rob?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Yeah?" he said. He let Starlet take complete control of the Command Wolf, unbuckled the safety restraints, and turned around in his seat so he could face her.

Rachel lowered her face so Herman could not look her in the eyes. "I wanted to apologize for kissing you back at the base and then leaving you without an explanation."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Herman said with a smile. "I shouldn't have kissed you if you weren't comfortable with it, or if you didn't want it in the first place."

"I like you; it's just that I was confused. I had so much on my mind. I was having flashbacks of sad memories, and when you kissed me, I felt helpless, something I haven't felt in seven years. I couldn't explain it to you at the moment, Rob. But I loved the kiss, and I love you." Rachel was silenced when he gently began stroking her cheek.

"It's okay. I understand what it's like to go through so much pain and relive it at the worst times." Herman's voice was gentle.

The tenderness only lasted a moment longer. Suddenly, the zoid began to shake from several hard attacks. Herman did not have enough time to turn around in his seat to try to fight back, and Starlet, who had not faced real combats for years, was having a hard time getting the Command Wolf to do what she needed it to do.

Rachel held on tight as several missiles shook the zoid again. Finally the attacks ceased. Breathing a sigh of relief, Rachel thought it was over. The next thing the two warriors knew, the zoid was hit by one last missile, striking the worst place possible.

The attack slowly ceased and a well-hidden zoid came into view. It was an Imperial Zaber Fang, but the weaponry and armor had been changed dramatically. The armor was lighter, making the Zaber more maneuverable. The weaponry was also lighter and had more firepower. All of the new additions came from Cravane.

A Command Wolf ran up beside the Zaber Fang. The Command Wolf was like the Zaber Fang; it came from the Republic, but Cravane had made alterations to the armor and weapons. The cockpit opened and a female pilot exited. Her strawberry blond hair was cut short, and her green eyes looked sharper than the killing glare for which Ashley was famous.

"Not bad, huh Thorn?" Scar asked the young woman as he jumped out of the Zaber Fang.

Thorn snorted. "We were told to capture them. Your attack might have killed them. General Norman wants them alive, especially the Schubaltz girl."

"They're not dead," Scar said. "They're only injured."

"Whatever, let's just grab the two and get out of here. When they don't report in, you can bet that Freedmen will send someone to find them," Thorn said, ending the conversation. Scar nodded. He and Thorn worked quickly and got Rachel and Herman out of the totaled Command Wolf. A Cravane transport came and retrieved the Command Wolf so it could be repaired and used in the Cravane army.

Danni and Sammy were traveling to find Rachel and Rob. King had called them to say he had a bad feeling about Scar, Night Cat and Rob. In her many years of being a spy, Danni had learned to trust those kinds of feelings. It was one of those feelings that told her to save and trust Rachel all those years ago at Blood Waterfall.

"Why are we going on what King feels?" Sammy demanded.

Like Ashley, Sammy didn't feel right if she didn't have something to complain about. Sammy's full name was Samantha Kruger. Her mother died giving birth to her, and her father was never around enough. As life went on, Sammy was introduced to overly energetic Robert and exceptionally quiet Danielle. No one expected twelve-year-old Sammy to become best friends with thirteen-year-old Danielle and eleven-year-old Robert. Sammy was used to being free and doing what she wanted. Danielle and Robert were used to walking in line. That changed quickly as Danielle became Danni and Robert became Rob.

Like Rachel, Danni was always there to make sure her partner didn't do anything she would regret. Danni was thirteen and Rob eleven when Sammy was first introduced to Danni's family. Only a few years earlier, Danni's father had died from the stress of running the Republic. Sammy became the one Danni depended on when she was going through tough times. In the partnership, Danni was the more cautious of the two.

The awesome pair from the Republic met Rachel and Ashley on Sammy and Danni's first mission. They had been sent to stop anyone from stealing secret information from the Capital building. Rachel and Ashley, who had been on countless missions before and were used to sneaking around crowded places, easily outsmarted the rookie spies. After that, the four girls would constantly see each other on missions. They never missed a chance to see who was the better zoid warrior when they met. Rachel and Ashley normally won.

It was Danni and Sammy who saved Rachel after Marcus tried to kill her. After taking care of Rachel's wounds, Rachel took Danni and Sammy to meet King for the first time. For the two years when Rachel was in hiding, Danni and Sammy helped her find out more about Prozen and the Death Saur. They also made friends with Ashley, which was impossible for a Republic soldier during the war.

Sammy sighed. "DANNI! SNAP OUT OF IT!" Danny was thrown out of her dream world and came to a crash landing back in reality. "They're not here so let's head towards White Spirit Base."

Danni nodded and turned her Shield Liger around. Something in the pit of her stomach was telling her that something was wrong, terribly wrong.

	7. Far From the Past

Sorry, I know I haven't been updating lately. I've been grounded, ungrounded, and then grounded again. So that's my story since I've last updated. I hope you understand my case here. Well here's the next update.
Really important!!!!!! Read this chapter very carefully!! Otherwise you wont understand the next chapter.

Disclaimer: Zoids is not mine. Ashley, Rachel, Danni, Sammy, King, Thorn, Scar, and Starlet are MY characters.

The Night Warriors
Far From the Past

Ashley sat in a chair, staring at the screen of a computer. For the past hour, she had been digging up files on different Republican soldiers; she was trying to keep herself busy until Rachel came back. Right now, O'Connell's file was open, and Ashley was carefully reading it as she drummed her fingers on the desktop.

While Ashley was still reading the file, O'Connell himself walked into the room. He saw her reading something carefully and came over to the computer to see what she was doing. He was a little surprised to see Ashley reading his file. "Why are you looking at my file?"

Ashley looked up from the screen to see O'Connell standing over her. "No reason . just needed something to do." Ashley went back to reading the words on the screen. Then something caught her eye. It stated that O'Connell no longer kept in contact with his family. "You don't keep in contact with your family?"

"No, not really," O'Connell said.

Ashley stared at him. "That's stupid."

"Why?" O'Connell asked.

"Because," Ashley responded, "I know people who no longer have a family."

"Who?" O'Connell asked.

Ashley continued to stare at him. "Me." It was O'Connell's turn to stare. "My mom died from cancer when I was eleven and my dad bled to death in battle when I was thirteen; my brother died nearly eight years ago in battle. I would give anything to have a family to fight with, to worry about me when I'm gone, to care about me."

O'Connell turned his head so he did not have to look into Ashley's eyes. He had seen tears slowly forming in her eyes; gone were the daggers to which O'Connell had become accustomed. They had been replaced by the dull blades of pain. He didn't like her like this. Though he barely knew her, O'Connell had come to like Ashley best when she was about to strangle one poor soldier or another.

Thunder clashed and rain began to bombard the base. "It was raining the first day I met them," Ashley whispered. O'Connell was surprised that Ashley was speaking again. He looked up at her; Ashley was staring out the window into the rain. She stared into the rain as though it held a hidden message that, if broken, would provide the answer to a long forgotten question.

Ashley wasn't paying attention to O'Connell; her mind was lost in the past, her past. Her mind was lost in a memory from some fifteen years ago.

An eleven-year-old Ashley stood out in the rain, unwilling to go inside the large base. It was larger than she had imagined. The garage door of the hangar was open and Ashley could easily see into the base. Her fifteen- year-old brother was already looking over one of the zoids and her father was talking to another man.

"Alex," Ashley's father called to her brother, "go get your sister before she gets sick."

Alex nodded and ran out to get his kid sister. Ashley's blond hair was being plastered to her head and face and her clothes were becoming soaked. It didn't take much for Alex to pick Ashley up, for she was small and lightweight. He dragged her inside the base then shook the water out of his black hair. Alex went back to examining the zoid.

"So how have your kids been, Borwick?" Ashley heard a man ask her father.

"My son, Alex, is doing okay, but Ashley I'm not really sure about," her father responded. "How about your kids, Schubaltz?"

"Great, considering my daughter, Rachel, loves to play tricks on Freedmen," the man Schubaltz answered. "Here she comes now with my boys."

Ashley turned robotically to where Schubaltz had indicated. Three kids were coming their way, one of the boys and the girl looked about her age and the other boy had to be around eight or nine. The girl was the first to reach her. "Hi, I'm Rachel," she said extending her hand for a friendly handshake. Ashley took her hand and shook it while looking Rachel up and down. She had blond hair and bright green eyes. "This is my little brother Thomas," she said while pointing to the younger boy, "and this is my twin brother Karl," she finished.

At that moment, Alex popped up out of nowhere. "I'm Alex and this is my sister, Ashley."

"Nice to meet you," Karl said while he shook Alex's hand. Thomas's bright green eyes stared at Alex's friendly face. The children's fathers smiled, glad to see their kids had already made friends.

A green haired man walked over to the small group of kids. "That's Freedmen," Thomas said.

"Freedmen," Ashley's father called out to his friend, "isn't your hair blond?"

Freedmen looked angrily towards Rachel. "I got it dyed thanks to Miss Schubaltz."

Rachel gave a small cry and took off running. Freedmen ran after her. Ashley noticed a small can of oil; without a second thought she dumped the oil in Freedmen's path. He slipped on the oil-covered tile for a few minutes before falling flat on his face.

As Freedmen began to get up, Rachel grabbed Ashley's hand and pulled her farther into the base. The fathers of the two girls laughed; this was going to be interesting.

"Ashley! Ashley!" O'Connell was gently shaking her shoulders and calling her name. Ashley shook her head and started to come out of the past. It had been a long time since she had taken the time to sit and think about one of her memories. "Ashley, are you all right?" O'Connell asked her.

"Alex?" she whispered, still half in her memories. O'Connell had kneeled down so he was eye level with Ashley.

O'Connell chuckled. "I thought you read my file. My first name is Brian." Ashley just continued to stare into O'Connell's eyes. How had she not noticed before that his eyes were the same purple-blue shade that Alex's had been?

Without even thinking, Ashley reached out and hugged O'Connell. At first O'Connell didn't know what to do. Ashley was holding on to him, almost in fear of what would happen if she let go. She was also crying into his shoulder. Crying for the first time in a long time.

After a few moments of sitting there feeling stupid, O'Connell reached out and hugged her back; Ashley's tears began to stop. Even when her eyes were dry O'Connell stayed with Ashley, listening to stories about the times she had shared with the Schubaltzs and her brother. The whole time O'Connell stayed with Ashley, he thought about what she said about his family.

Some hundred thousand miles away, a young man in his late twenties flopped down on a chair, groaning. Every muscle, bone, and fiber ached from the beating he had received that day. A song played on an old beaten up radio, one he didn't recognize; it had to be Travillain. Alex groaned again and closed his eyes trying to block everything out.

A cold cloth was placed on his forehead. Alex opened his eyes to see May Stiffer standing over him. "Are you okay?" she asked in a whisper. Alex nodded, pressing the cold cloth harder onto his forehead. May gave him a look while she rubbed her own neck.

"How hard did you get whipped?" a man named Ace asked, while taking a seat across from Alex.

Alex shrugged. "Not that bad." He had lied; they had whipped him until Alex was sure he was dead, but he couldn't complain without permission. Almost everyone in this Cravanian base was a slave.

May had been a Travillian nurse when Cravane had captured her. Unlike the soldiers, she wasn't used to the backbreaking work that she had to do here, but her talents to cure anything from cuts to illnesses were greatly appreciated. She was also very beautiful with her long hair and blue eyes, but everyone knew she liked Alex -- that is, everyone except Alex. 'She looks like my sister,' Alex had thought the first time he and May had met, 'but she doesn't act like my sister.'

Ace was the best air pilot the Republic army had ever seen, or that's what he said. He had a great sense of humor that kept everyone laughing. Ace's jokes were what kept everyone from going insane, and he knew it, too. Ace was also known for stretching the truth a little too far. Still, Ace loved telling stories of grand adventure and jokes that would make people laugh until their sides ached.

Suddenly the door swung open and Cravanian soldiers walked into the room. Four of them were supporting a Republican soldier and a young woman dressed in a black uniform; both the Republican and woman were unconscious. The other two Cravanian soldiers were Scar and Thorn, the two most feared spies in Cravane.

"What's up?" Ace whispered.

Alex scowled. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

	8. Unraveling the Mystery

Time to update again. Recently I've been told Herman is a Colonel after the series ends. I'm not going to fix his ranking in the earlier chapters, but I will for now have him as a colonel.

Disclaimer: I don't own zoids, but my characters are my characters.

The Night Warriors
Unraveling the Mystery

Rachel's eyes fluttered open. Her head was killing her, and so was her left arm; it had been deeply cut by a piece of glass from the cockpit of Herman's Command Wolf. She tried to move, but found herself bound to a chair by heavy rope. "Good, you're up," a cold female voice spat out.

Rachel snapped her head to the sound of the voice. "Thorn!"

"You were right Scar, she's alive," Thorn complimented her partner. "Though I am curious where you got brown hair, Rachel. Last time I saw you, you were blonde."

"It was brown when I was younger. It turned back a few years ago," Rachel growled.

Scar got up from the chair where he sat and walked to Rachel. He took her hair in his hand and pulled the thick brown hair off, revealing it was nothing more then a wig. Chin length, choppy, blonde hair fell down, framing Rachel's face. "Such a shame that you cut your hair," Scar said with a hint of laughter. "It was so beautiful."

"Where's Colonel Herman?" Rachel demanded.

Thorn smirked. "He's fine, but don't worry about him. The only person you should worry about right now is yourself, Night Cat." Scar laughed and twirled the brown wig around his finger. Rachel tried to shift in the hold of the tight ropes.

Back at White Spirit Base, Ashley was watching O'Connell drill some of the new soldiers. Ashley laughed at the surprised look of a soldier. He was to trying to fire a gun with the safety on. Other soldiers had the safety off, but not one of them had hit the intended targets. O'Connell told the soldiers to take a break.

"Wonderful training, Captain O'Connell," Ashley teased.

O'Connell groaned while sitting down next to Ashley. "Put a sock in it Ashley."

Ashley laughed harder. "You sounded a lot like Karl a minute ago."

"Colonel Schubaltz says 'put a sock in it'?" O'Connell said. "That seems a little impossible."

"Now it is, but before he became a Lieutenant, Karl was more easy going. Kind of miss how he used to be," Ashley stated.

The two turned away from each other. At times Ashley could talk easily to O'Connell. Other times the conversation would end and both would feel awkward.

"Captain O'Connell, Captain Borwick, you're needed in the control room," a soldier said, while approaching the two. Ashley sighed with relief. The awkward moment was becoming almost unbearable.

Ashley nodded and told the soldier he was dismissed. She and O'Connell walked to the control room. As they neared the room, Ashley could hear voices of people she knew, but didn't think would be here.

"Thomas, that's rushing in blindfolded and with our hands tied," Freedmen told someone in the room.

Sammy disagreed with Freedmen. "Yeah, but that might be our only plan."

"No, it's not the only option," Danni said. "The loss of communication means the two were captured by Scar and Thorn."

"Who's been captured?" O'Connell asked as he and Ashley walked into the room. Ashley looked around the control room. Freedmen, Kruger, Karl, and the Guardian Force were there. Sammy and Danni had just arrived.

"Rachel Schubaltz and Rob Herman," Danni said.

"Now back to the original topic," Kruger said.

"Let me guess," Ashley said, "Something went wrong."

"Something went wrong," Sammy agreed.

Time to give you a chance to choose which way the story should go.

1.) While Ashley, Sammy, and Danni were planning her rescue, Rachel was facing more trouble than she ever had. "Don't bother trying to get out of those ropes," Scar told Rachel, who was still trying to wiggle free.

"You should know me by now, Scar," Rachel spat out. "I don't give up easily!"

Thorn walked into the room. "Scar, dose the girl and lets get going. Her friends will be here any minute."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going, I'm going," Scar said in a bored voice. He pulled a gun out of his jacket and aimed it at Rachel's arm. He shot and a dart made contact with Rachel. Scar followed Thorn out of the room.

Rachel's vision blurred, but she didn't give up. She had managed to free her right arm. She reached down to her boot where a dagger was artfully hidden. Clumsily, Rachel cut the ropes that bound her. As soon as the ropes were cut, she fell from the chair, her body giving in to the toxic dart that Scar had shot. In seconds she was unconscious.

2.) While Ashley, Sammy, and Danni planned how to rescue her, Rachel was facing more trouble than she ever had. Scar cut the ropes from around Rachel and placed handcuffs on her wrists. "Come on," Scar said while pulling Rachel up from the chair.

"We're not leaving you here while we take care of your friends," Thorn said. "You'll be going to your precious Colonel Herman who's in a more secured area."

Rachel was roughly pushed down a hallway to the prison cells. Herman was already in one of the cells waiting for her. The door of his cell was open and Rachel was thrown in. Scar and Thorn left quickly. "Rachel?" Herman asked.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I was wearing a wig to hopefully throw them off my trail, but it didn't work."

"Don't worry, we'll get out of here," Herman said gently.

"I'm sorry, Rob," Rachel said. "I shouldn't have gotten you involved in the first place."

	9. More Problems and More Answers

The Night Warriors
More Problems and More Answers

Freedmen, Kruger, Karl, Ashley, O'Connell, and the Guardian Force were in a discussion room trying to figure out how to save Herman and Rachel. Pressure was building between everyone.

"What about attacking the place?" suggested Van.

Danni snorted. "Van, unlike you some of us have friends and family in that base and want to see them alive again."

"You've been turning down all of our ideas," Irvine nearly screamed. "You come up with something."

Sammy ran her fingers through her sandy hair. Ashley got up from the chair, knocking it down. "Listen carefully, Lame Brains one and two! I have been on this mission for three years and Rachel has been on it even longer. If you mess up just because you want to rush into this, I will personally remove your spleens, preserve them, and hang them on my wall."

Van and Irvine cringed with fear; they knew Ashley would follow through with her threat. Ashley sat back down in her chair, silently massaging her temples. "What about Free Will Town and Raven?" asked Fiona.

"There is no Free Will Town," Ashley said simply.

A wave of questions came from the Republican soldiers, but Sammy and Danni seemed to know what was going on. Ashley looked at Freedmen, silently asking him a question. He nodded his answer.

"When the war was still going on, Rachel got into an accident as a spy and had to go into hiding. When she came back, the Imperial army were adamant that she was no longer going to be a spy," Ashley started.

Irvine smirked. "She gave up?"

"No. While she was hiding, she found that Cravane was taking soldiers from the Imperial, Republican, and Travillian armies. I also pretended to leave the army. With people thinking we were no longer spies, we were free to move around the Republic and Empire without suspicions," Ashley continued.

"So you wanted people to believe that you were no longer spies so you could spy?" O'Connell summarized. Ashley nodded.

Moonbay played with a strand of her hair. "What about Free Will Town."

"Like I said before, Free Will Town never existed. When an unknown stranger told us to watch out for Travil, we took that as our clue that we needed to watch out for Cravane," Ashley continued. "Pretending that Rachel and Herman were going to investigate an attack was only a means to get Rachel out of base without being suspected. Rachel and I knew that if she left, she might be captured. The loss of communication means that Cravane's two best spies -- Scar and Thorn - have interfered."

"What do you mean when you say 'we'? Who planned this entire thing?" Fiona asked.

Danni smiled. "Rachel, Ashley, Freedmen, Sammy, and I had planned this about four years ago."

"Wait!" Ashley shouted. She had a look in her eye that scared everyone. "Van, what was your last plan?"

"Attacking," Van said.

Sammy held up a hand to keep Ashley quiet. "You're not saying that we charge up to a base where Scar and Thorn are holding Night Cat and Colonel Herman hostage and attack with our best warriors, risking killing hundreds of people. Have you lost your mind Night Tiger?"

"No," Ashley said. "We do it the way a spy would."

"I get it, we sneak into the building," Danni said.

Ashley smiled. "Bingo."

While Ashley, Sammy, and Danni planned how to rescue her, Rachel was facing more trouble than she ever had. Scar cut the ropes from around Rachel and placed handcuffs on her wrists. "Come on," Scar said while pulling Rachel up from the chair.

"We're not leaving you here while we take care of your friends," Thorn said. "You'll be going to your precious Colonel Herman who's in a more secured area."

Rachel was roughly pushed down a hallway to the prison cells. Herman was already in one of the cells waiting for her. The door of his cell was open and Rachel was thrown in. Scar and Thorn left quickly. "Rachel?" Herman asked.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I was wearing a wig to hopefully throw them off my trail, but it didn't work."

"Don't worry, we'll get out of here," Herman said gently.

"I'm sorry, Rob," Rachel said. "I shouldn't have gotten you involved in the first place."

"I would've found a way to come with you," Herman said.

Rachel rubbed her forehead. She could hear footsteps getting closer. "I've messed this mission up completely. There are hundreds of Imperial, Republican, and Travillian soldiers being held as slaves here. It was my job to find a way to get them out."

Suddenly a man's voice began to speak from outside the cell. "Did you mean what you said?" it asked Rachel. "You were sent here to free us?"

"Yeah," Rachel said simply.

"So you are going to need a little help," another man said. "It's not like this is the first time I've had to get you out of a sticky situation."

"Alex!" Rachel cried.

Alex smiled. "Good to see you too, Rache."

Alex produced a slim piece of metal from his pocket and used it to unlock the cell door. When Rachel and Herman were out of the cell, a young woman quickly wrapped the wound on Rachel's left arm that was still bleeding freely, as well as the wound on Herman's leg.

"Now, care to tell me what's going on?" Alex asked.

"I'll tell you what I know if you tell me what you know," Rachel said.

	10. A Battle Renewed

The Night Warriors
A Battle Renewed

"So this whole mess is part of a plan that my sister, her best friend, Ashley, and you made up?" Rob asked Rachel. She had finished telling everyone what was going on.

"No," Rachel said, "it was not part of the plan to get you, the Guardian Force, O'Connell, Karl, or Kruger involved, and it was not part of the plan to lose communication with White Spirit Base."

May looked from Rachel to Herman; both were struggling for command of the mission. Herman was a colonel, naturally putting him in charge, but Rachel was the one with the most knowledge of what was going on and what to expect. At the moment, they were both glaring at each other. A sharp, killing look was in both sets of eyes, a look that May knew was common among soldiers who were experienced in battle.

"Would you kiss already so we can get going?" Ace said in an annoyed tone. Rachel and Herman turned their attention to Ace who was about ready to bolt back to the slaves' quarters. Alex stopped him.

May smiled. "They do make a cute couple, but that's not the reason they're staring at each other. Neither of them wants to follow orders from the other."

"How can you tell?" Rachel asked.

"We've had several people attempt to run away," Alex said. "They never make it because no one is willing to listen to an officer from a country other than their own."

"Fine, we'll work together, for your sake," Rachel said. "I'll go take care of Scar and Thorn, you go see how many soldiers they have here."

"I don't like the idea of you going after some dangerous people with no means of communication if you get injured," Herman said.

At that moment Starlet came streaming down the hall with two Travillian spies hanging off her neck. When Starlet stopped in front of Rachel, both men dropped to the ground. "A.C. and M.C.," Rachel said while standing over the men, "what are you doing here?"

"Probably the same thing you are doing," A.C. said.

Rachel smiled. "Okay Herman, you can go with Ace, May, and Alex while I take Starlet, A.C., and M.C. to go take care of Scar and Thorn."

"Be careful, you're injured," Herman said.

Rachel saluted. "Yes sir."

"This plan is suicide," O'Connell said as he watched Sammy and Danni pack for the trip.

Sammy laughed. "It's my experience that the insane plans normally work best."

"Yep," O'Connell sighed, "you're Kruger's daughter." Sammy and Danni laughed.

Ashley walked in, dressed in something similar to the uniform of an Imperial major; she was wearing the uniform of an Imperial spy. She was quietly cursing Freedmen and Kruger under her breath.

"Hey Ashley, what are you wearing?" O'Connell asked.

Ashley stopped muttering curses to answer O'Connell's question. "My uniform. I haven't been wearing it because I had to pretend I wasn't a soldier any more."

"Everybody ready to go?" Karl asked as he and the Guardian Force joined the group.

"Nope," Ashley said simply as she began going deeper into the hangar. She walked over to Rachel's Hel Cat and did something in the cockpit and then rejoined the group.

Van raised an eyebrow. "What did you need from Rachel's zoid?"

"This," Ashley said holding up a disc that looked much like Thomas's beek system. "This is something Thomas designed for Rachel awhile ago to assist on spy missions. We'll need it when we get closer to the base."

"How long is it going to take to get to the Cravane base?" Fiona asked.

"Five hours at the most," Danni said.

Thomas looked a little shocked. "It took Herman and Rachel nearly four days to get there."

"They took the long way around," Sammy said. "We'll be taking a very quick short cut."

"I hope you're right about it being a short cut," O'Connell sighed.

	11. The Battle Begins

Sorry, I've been busy. I lost the floppy disc that has my story. My computers have been giving me trouble. Sorry. I have also been writing a power rangers story.

Disclaimer- I don't own zooids but my characters are my characters.

The Night Warriors
The Battle Begins

"Here we are," Danni said, looking at the opposing base.

Karl shifted the position of his hat. "How tight do you think security will be?"

"Tight," Ashley sighed. "Thorn is in there; where ever Thorn is, there will be soldiers everywhere."

"So how do we get in?" Moonbay wondered.

Sammy smiled. "We use the back door. Do we have the code, Night Tiger?"

"60110073," Ashley said.

"So we're going to use a secret code to get into the base without being noticed," Irvine said. "Pretty good plan, and I mean it."

Sammy rolled her eyes. "We'll be noticed."

".But we have a distraction," Danni finished.

"Who?" Van asked. The eyes of Sammy, Danni, and Ashley fell on the Guardian Force.

"You," Ashley smirked.

A few minutes later Van, Fiona, Irvine, Moonbay, and Zeke were running from some Cravanian soldiers. Karl and Thomas were searching for the main computer room to try to shut down the base. Sammy and Danni were going to find the soldiers being held as slaves. Ashley and O'Connell were going to find Rachel and Herman.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Herman, Alex, Ace, and May made it to the slaves' quarters at the same time as Sammy and Danni. "Rob. You okay?" Danni asked her little brother.

"Fine," Herman said. "It's only a leg wound."

"He's lost a lot of blood," May said.

"He's not the only one who needs medical treatment," Sammy said. "I have never seen people so thin."

"Please tell me you are not the only ones here to free us," Ace begged.

"Don't worry about it," Danni said. "The Schubaltz brothers are going to shut down the power source to the base and Ashley and O'Connell are going to go help Rachel. By the way, where is Rachel?"

"She went after Scar and Thorn with two men called A.C. and M.C.," Alex said.

Sammy and Danni looked at each other. They turned back to the others, and together yelled, "What are those two knuckleheads doing here?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Karl and Thomas had found Rachel, A.C., M.C., and Starlet. Both brothers were glad to see their sister. "Rachel, you're okay!" Thomas cried, hugging Rachel.

Rachel gently patted Thomas on the back and looked up at Karl. Karl nodded, letting her know that he was glad to see her alive without saying anything at all. In seconds, the twins became the strong military officers they were proud to be.

"A.C. and M.C., you guys go capture all the zoids in this base with Starlet. I'll go with my brothers to capture Scar and Thorn," Rachel said forcefully. They nodded and soon the Travillian spies and King's organoid were running towards the hangar. "Lets go boys, I'd like to get this done quickly."

Karl and Thomas nodded. Soon the three blondes were running deeper into the base.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ashley and O'Connell were slowly making their way to a heavily guarded room. When they got there, they found tons of explosives. "Should we have fire works tonight O'Connell?" Ashley asked with a smirk.

"Wait," O'Connell said, "you're not thinking of blowing this place up?"

Ashley's smirk grew. "That's exactly what I'm thinking."

	12. Silent Battle

Hello, it's E.G. I know I haven't been updating as regally as I have been, and I won't be really. I will be very busy till about mid March. I will try to update as much as possible.

Disclaimer: I do not own zoids, but this my story and my characters are mine. You CAN NOT USE THEM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION

The Night Warriors
Silent Battle

"Ashley," O'Connell pleaded, "what happens if you blow us up with the base."

Ashley looked up from the wires she was dealing with. "First of all, O'Connell, I majored in explosives and wiring. Second of all, I'll make sure everyone is out of the building before I detonate the explosives."

"Please," O'Connell continued, "stop. Otherwise I'll hit you over the head and drag you out of here."

"Better not," Ashley warned. "No one has ever been able to stop one of my bombs from exploding, and I don't plan on one of my bombs not going off today; our lives may depend on it."

O'Connell looked at the bomb safely tucked under Ashley's arms. O'Connell sighed and thought about the many different parts of Ashley's personality: the one that mourned for her family, the one he could joke with, and the one that took her job as a spy for the Imperial army seriously. He realized he could trust her, no matter which part of her personality was in control. "Where do we need to place it for it to go off properly?" When O'Connell asked this, Ashley reached out with one arm and hugged him.

"Thank you, I knew I could count on you," Ashley said as she released O'Connell.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~

Danni rubbed her forehead as she gave up reasoning with the captive Republican soldiers. Sammy, Herman, and Ace had also failed to make the Republicans agree. May had not had any more luck with the Travillian soldiers. Alex was still trying to convince the Imperials to cooperate.

"Listen to me, all of you," Alex said standing on a table for the whole room to hear. Before he had only spoken loud enough for the Imperial soldiers to hear. "Don't any of you remember what it was like to be free, to do what you wanted when you pleased, to say what you felt and not need permission from others to say it, to be free to feel the sun on your face. Don't any of you remember?

"There are officers from all of our countries here trying to help us. Let's make them proud and show them we are still strong, loyal soldiers by following orders, even if we don't want to," Alex finished. The soldiers talked among themselves as Alex got down from the table, massaging his head. Ace gently patted his friend on the back as Alex slumped into a chair. May squeezed his shoulder to let him know he did wonderfully. While the soldiers continued to talk, Danni's radio made a low buzzing sound, indicating someone was trying to reach her.

"Danni," she said into the radio.

"It's Ashley," the Imperial soldier said back. "I'm planting a seed in the hangar by your brother's old Command Wolf. By the way, tell him it's beyond repair. I also found A.C., M.C., and Starlet here."

"What's King's organoid doing with them?" Danni asked.

Ashley continued. "A.C. said she came with Rachel."

"King must have given Rachel his organoid before she and Herman left the resting point," Danni concluded.

"Brilliant conclusion," Ashley said, sarcasm present in her voice. Danni could almost see her friend roll her eyes.

"Where is Rachel? Rob said she was with A.C. and M.C." Danni asked.

Danni could hear voices in the background, but Ashley continued. "Rachel is with her brothers. Have the Guardian Force help you to get the captive soldiers out of the base. Freedmen and Kruger have arrived with back up, and King is with them, so we've managed to round up most of the soldiers. Call the Schubaltzes and tell them to get out of here. With any luck, Thorn and Scar will blow up with this place."

"All right, over and out," Danni said.

"Over and out," Ashley repeated.

Danni then used her radio to contact Van. "Van, get over to the East end of the building to help the captive soldiers out of the base. Ashley is going to give us a fireworks display. Over and out," Danni said, not giving Van the chance to respond.

Danni tried to then contact Karl. She tried a few more times before giving up. "I can't contact Colonel Schubaltz," she said finally.

Sammy took Danni's radio and messed around with the wires. She got the same result as Danni. "Something must have happened to their radio," Sammy said.

"That means something has happened to the Schubaltzes," Rob finished. Only Alex got the full concern that Herman had for his friends' safety, especially the safety of a certain Imperial spy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~

"What did Danni say?" Irvine asked Van.

Van scratched his head. "We need to get to the East part of the building to assist her and something about Ashley and fireworks."

"She probably means that Ashley is going to blow our base up," Thorn said. The Guardian Force turned around to see Thorn and Scar standing behind them. Irvine slowly reached for his hidden gun while Van went for his father's knife. Danni would have to wait; the Guardian Force had more important things to deal with.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~

Thomas looked at the destroyed radio and then at the unconscious Cravanian soldier who had destroyed it. Karl and Rachel had quickly taken care of him after they realized the soldier was guarding something important. Thomas sighed, no point in worrying about something that he was powerless to fix.

At the moment, Rachel was picking the lock with a thin piece of metal. "This is taking too long," Karl hissed.

Rachel stopped and stared at her twin brother. "Unless you have the key, then this is the fastest way to get the door open." Thomas laughed as Rachel got the lock to click open. "Something funny, Tommy Boy?" she asked Thomas, using his childhood nickname.

"It's nothing," Thomas said, holding back his laughter, "I almost forgot how much you and Karl could bicker at the worst moments."

Rachel slowly opened the door to reveal a tied-up woman. Karl went to untie the woman as Rachel prepared Thomas's gun to fire. "Put that away," Karl told his sister sternly. In a gentler voice, he questioned the woman. "What happened to you?"

"Rose, that's what happened to me," the woman sobbed. She had strawberry blonde hair, similar to Thorn's, making Rachel suspicious.

When the woman was free and was going to leave the room, Rachel held the gun up to where the woman's heart was. "What's your name," Rachel demanded.

The woman looked scared. "Kara Koaler."

"Show me your inside, right wrist," Rachel continued. Kara didn't hesitate to follow Rachel's order. Rachel looked at it, then rubbed her thumb over the skin before she nodded at Kara, telling her everything was okay. Rachel lowered her gun.

"What was that all about?" Thomas asked.

"Insurance," Rachel said simply. "Koaler is Thorn's last name, and Rose is her real first name. I wanted to be sure that this wasn't some trap."

Karl raised his eyebrows. "By looking at her wrist?"

"Thorn has a tattoo of a rose on her right, inside wrist," Rachel said.

Kara pushed a strand of hair back. "Do many spies have tattoos?" she asked.

"Most of us," Rachel answered as the group started down the hall. "It's a way you can tell one spy from another, or identify yourself when you're in a jam. So, Lady Kara, tell me more about yourself."

"Did Rose tell you our father holds rank in Cravane?" Kara asked.

"No," Rachel said, sounding bored. "I've researched every spy, mercenary, and bandit I've come across so I could be more prepared the next time I meet them in battle. Also when you're a spy, you try to give as little personal information as possible. It's safer that way; so Thorn told me nothing of her personal life. Everything I know about her I learned through research or reliable sources."

"What is your father's ranking in Cravane?" Karl asked Kara.

Kara smiled slightly. "He's the King. Rose is the first in line for the thrown, but she has been getting power hungry. I'm sorry for my sister's actions."

"Don't worry about it, Lady Kara," Rachel said easily. "It's not like it's the first time we've had to deal with a leader who wants more than they can ever get in their life. Personally, I'd rather deal with Thorn than Prozen."

When the group turned the corner, red lights began flashing and a loud buzzing sound could be heard. "I think that means we're going to be getting one of Ashley's fireworks shows," Thomas said over the noise.

"Let's not stay to find out if you're correct," Karl said as he grabbed Kara's hand and began pulling her towards an exit. Rachel and Thomas were right behind him.

They made it outside quickly, not wanting to be near the exploding building. The explosion started when the group was a good twenty feet away. Thomas and Rachel dropped to the ground and covered their heads with their hands. Karl used his body to protect Kara, in case of flying debris; he was unprotected himself. A small piece of concrete came hurling towards him, hitting the back of his head. Kara felt Karl's body drop next to her.

Rachel quickly ran to her brother's side. "Karl, Karl stay with us! Karl wake up! Karl!"

Karl could hear someone call him as cold blackness took over. He drifted between the voice calling him and the light at the end of the blackness.

	13. Not Quite Done

The Night Warriors
Not Quite Finished

Major Karl Lichen Schubaltz was helping remove all the damaged and destroyed zoids from the Capital City. Another thing he had to help remove were the dead bodies of the men from his unit. He had sacrificed so much for the fight against Prozen, and now it had finally come to an end. Rachel was gone and Prozen had kept Ashley imprisoned for two years.

Ashley's name was cleared and she would be released from prison immediately. Rachel's name had also been cleared as well, but she wasn't alive to know. Karl remembered his last conversation with his sister. She had said she had information that would make him think twice about to whom he showed his loyalty. She must have found out about Prozen and the Death Suar long before anyone else had.

When Karl had heard that his sister had been executed for betraying the Imperial army, he began to lose his trust in Prozen. When Emperor Rudolph had asked Karl what he wanted as a reward for showing the Emperor loyalty, even in the face of death, Karl had asked for someone to find the body of his sister so she could have an appropriate burial, but the search crews were having no luck.

"Major Schubaltz," a soldier called for Karl. "Lt. Borwick has arrived, and she brought someone she wants you to meet."

Karl sighed and went to see Ashley and her friend. They meet him half way. Prison had not agreed with Ashley; she was extremely thin and looked tired. The young woman with Ashley was the one person that Karl had been thinking about.

"Rachel?" Karl asked his sister. Rachel smiled; she looked like she did the last time Karl had seen her. He didn't see the scar on her arm or her pride at that moment. Karl hugged his twin sister tightly, thanking the Gods of Zi that she was safely home.

"Well look at this boys," a soldier called out. "Our Night Warriors are back."

Men came to see the two women who had made their place among the men. They begged Rachel for stories and teased Ashley about how thin she was. Karl smiled; he should have known that Prozen could not have stopped these two from doing what they set their hearts on. That included protecting their country, friends, and family.

"Karl," Rachel called for him, but that wasn't part of his dream. "Karl." Karl slowly opened his eyes.

"You're awake," Rachel said when she saw Karl's eyes open. "You had us all worried there, Kar." She was sitting by his feet; Ashley was sitting next to Rachel. Both girls were on the bed. Thomas was sitting in a chair near the bed. Someone was standing farther away in the shadows, but Karl could not make out whom it was because his vision was still a little blurry.

"How long have I been out?" Karl asked.

Ashley shrugged. "About three weeks."

Karl noticed that Rachel's hair was no longer brown, but blonde. He tried to remember everything that had happened at the Cravane base, and then he realized Rachel's hair had been blonde there, too. Both girls were in Imperial uniforms. Karl also noticed that both Rachel and Ashley had genuine smiles on their faces, they looked calm and peaceful; they looked like they had come back from a successful mission. "So I take it the mission was a success?" Karl asked the two girls.

"Mission complete," Rachel agreed.

"So, what was everyone's reaction to your hair?" Karl asked his sister.

"They actually didn't say anything about Rachel's hair for awhile," Thomas said. "They were too busy helping Lady Kara, dealing with Thorn and Scar who Van and the others had captured, and taking care of your concussion. O'Connell was the first to mention anything about Rachel's change in hair color and style."

"Speaking of Lady Kara, she says you are such a brave and handsome gentleman to put her life before your own," Ashley teased.

Karl scowled. "Put a sock in it."

"That concussion must have triggered your old self, Karl," Rachel said smiling. "I haven't heard you say 'Put a sock in it,' since we were twenty."

"It almost feels like old times. It would be more like old times if Alex weren't dead," Karl said sadly.

The person who had been hiding in the shadows stepped foreword. "Who said anything about me being dead?" Alex asked.

"I've got to be dead or dreaming," Karl said, stunned. "I was at your funeral; it wasn't an open casket because they said there was nothing left of your body but ashes" Karl stuttered. Rachel got up from the foot of the bed and pinched Karl's cheek. "I felt that," he said. "Can't be dead, can't be dreaming."

"Exactly," Alex said.

Karl smiled. "Good to have you back. Now, where's my uniform so I can change."

"On the chair," Rachel said pointing to a chair next to Thomas. "The doctor says you should stay in bed for a few weeks," Rachel continued as Ashley, Alex, and Thomas left the room so Karl could change.

"When has a Shubaltz ever listened to a doctor?" Karl asked his sister. Rachel smiled and left to wait outside with the others. A few minutes later Karl joined the gang outside. "So what has been happening while I was out of commission?"

"Madame President, Emperor Rudolph, and the Travillian leaders have been discussing what to do with Thorn and Scar, or should I say Rose Koaler and Andrew Norman?" Alex said.

"So what's Lady Kara's part in all of this?" asked Karl.

Thomas smiled. "She's going to tell Emperor Rudolph exactly what was going on."

Karl looked at Rachel and Ashley; both looked uneasy. "Something wrong you two?" he asked them.

"Yeah," Rachel said, "Ashley didn't blow up the entire building; she had positioned the bomb in the right spot so the computer room was undamaged. When Ashley, Danni, Sammy, A.C., M.C., and I looked through the files, we found that Cravane had secret information from the Empire, the Republic, and Travil."

"Information like routes and secret bases, and information that only Generals were allowed to know," Ashley continued.

Rachel sighed. "We're worried that there are more spies collecting information for Cravane."

"The Empire, Republic, and Travil had all been a part of Cravane Empire at one point. Then the current Empire took over and finally the Republic and Travil broke away from that. Cravane lost about 75% of its Empire during that time. Scar and Thorn were trying to restore Cravane to its former glory. It seems that Thorn and Scar had a few friends who were Lords, Colonels, and Generals." Thomas added. "The King of Cravane is too old and sick to know what's going on. He should have stepped down from his throne and given it to Lady Kara a long time ago."

"Who do you think could be a spy?" Karl asked.

Alex sighed. "We don't know and that's the scary part."

"I bet it's Calvin and Jacob," Rachel said. Everyone, including Ashley, looked confused. Rachel continued, "While Ashley and I were cut off from the Imperial army, Calvin and Jordan were the Imperial spies with all of the secret information. They didn't seem as happy as everyone else when Ashley and I returned."

"Rach, I've rarely doubted your instincts, but you have no proof," Karl pointed out.

Rachel fell towards the back of the group as the others continued to discuss who the traitors could be. "Who says I don't have proof?"

Sorry friends, I know I haven't updated in a while. I lost my floppy disc, again. Not to mention I've been busy nearly every day of the week, I have a Power Rangers story in the works with my friend Green Jade, and I have been working on another zoids story that will have no relation to this one. It's called The Wolf. Here is a quick preview.

Lily looked at the zoid pilot named Megan Stellar. Her teammates: Stephanie Jewels, Justin Sisco, and Andy Skyer stood behind their team leader proudly. Megan had the look of a wolf about her: proud, cunning, and strong. She was a living Gloria Howl, the answer to a four thousand year old prayer. "Do you really believe that you can stop a fight that has been going on since before the very existence of The Ligers, Wolf?" Lily asked Megan.

"If I don't try," Megan said bravely, "no one will."

Lily cocked an eyebrow. "Someone did try and she ended up becoming a part of her zoid, Wolf. She became part of the Daggor Wolvina."

Hope you check it out when it's up. E.G.

	14. Dangerouse Ideas

The Night Warriors
Dangerous Ideas

"I don't like this," Ashley whispered. She and Rachel were quietly slipping into the empty computer room early in the morning. They were out of their Imperial uniforms and in comfortable clothes for traveling. As always, Rachel was careful to keep her left arm covered because of her scar.

Rachel looked at her best friend. "I don't either, but it's the only way."

"I can think of two hundred other ways to do this," Ashley said, continuing to whisper.

"And put everyone we know and love at risk?" Rachel snapped. Ashley fell silent, knowing that Rachel would not reason. To her, this mission -- a mission that should have ended with Ashley blowing up the Cravanian base -- had taken on a whole new meaning. Rachel quickly hacked through and opened her and Ashley's files, something Rachel could have done in her sleep. She went down to a portion called markings, where spies were required to list all scars, tattoos, and any other markings that set them apart. As Rachel had told Lady Kara, a spy's tattoo, or any other marking, was mainly used to identify them with allies when in disguise. The marking Ashley had listed was a tattoo of a black tiger on her right shoulder blade. The markings Rachel had listed were the scar on her left arm and a tattoo of a panther on her right shoulder blade.

Rachel quickly deleted all the information in that area and closed her and Ashley's files. For a moment, Rachel sat at the computer, horrified at what she had done. She quickly shook those thoughts away; she had a job to do. The two female spies made their way to the zoid hangar without a problem, stopping at the main room to leave a note.

Ashley packed supplies into her Zaber Fang while Rachel made adjustments to her Hel Cat; it was still not in the best condition, but it would get Rachel to where she needed to be. Rachel also used the BEEK-like program Thomas had made for her to find the quickest route to her destination. When the two young women were ready to leave, Starlet fused with Rachel's Hel Cat. By the time the trio was a good ten miles away from the base, it was 3:30 a.m. No one knew they were gone.

"Ashley, get up! It's 7:30 and Kruger wants to see you," Alex said pounding on Ashley's bedroom door. "Ashley, are you listening to me?" Alex continued as he went into his sister's room; it was empty. Instinct took over as Alex searched for Rachel. Where Rachel was, Ashley was nearby. He ran into Karl down the hall.

"Have you seen Rachel?" Karl asked breathlessly.

Alex shook his head. "No I haven't, but do you have a clue where Ashley is?"

"No."

"Karl, Alex," Thomas called as he came running towards them. "We're needed in the main room."

The three men made it to the main room in record time. Sammy, Danni, the rest of the Guardian Force, Herman, O'Connell, Kruger, Freedmen, A.C. and M.C., Ace, May, Lady Kara, and King were already there. Karl stopped and looked at how many people had become involved to complete the mission. At first, it had been only the Night Warriors, Sammy and Danni, and Freedmen, but the mission had taken on a whole new meaning at the end.

"Where are Ashley and Rachel?" Thomas asked.

"We were just going to figure that out," Kruger said holding up a letter in Rachel's spidery handwriting.

To whom it may concern: As I doubt you've noticed, this mission has acquired the help of many talented people, more people than we would like involved. A few days before Colonel Karl Schubaltz had awoken, the enemy contacted me. Ashley and I have gone to meet them. We've left early so there is no possible way for you to follow us. Our tracks have been covered; we're the best spies in the Empire for a reason.

Please try to trust that we know what we are doing. If we don't come back in two weeks, consider us dead. Don't send anyone looking for us. This mission has become deadly.

Karl and Thomas, know I love you two with all my heart. Alex, Ashley sends her love. Freedmen, thanks for giving us a chance in the first place. Sammy, Danni, A.C., and M.C. will take over the mission if we don't finish it. The two of us have escaped death before; perhaps we can do it again.

Love Always
Rachel E. Schubaltz
&
Ashley Borwick

An uneasy silence hung over the room, heavier than a dense fog. "Have their rooms searched immediately," Kruger barked out the order. "Maybe they've left a clue to where they are going."

"No. Rachel and Ashley don't leave information in their rooms. They hide it carefully," Karl said calmly, or as calmly as a man who had heard that his twin sister had predicted her own death could. His hands covered his face.

"I know where they hide their information," a sweet sounding female voice said. Karl's head snapped up. It was the voice he and Rachel had listened for as kids, on nights that were just perfect. The woman who had interrupted the meeting had an eerie silver glow to her, as though she were a ghost.

	15. The White Spirit

The Night Warriors
The White Spirit

"Who are you and who let you in?" Kruger asked the eerie woman, forcefully. Sammy sighed in disgust. Her father, at times, could be a little too forceful.

The woman simply smiled. "I am Lane Derksin, ghost of White Spirit Base."

"You don't look like a ghost," Ace commented.

Lane shrugged. "Most people think ghosts are horrifying monsters, but in reality, we look like normal people, except we're a little see-through."

"I knew breakfast tasted funny," May said, massaging her temples. A.C. and M.C. nodded in agreement.

"This is serious, guys," O'Connell said. "What I want to know, if you really are a ghost, why are you haunting White Spirit Base?"

"For someone who spends most of his time arguing with Ashley Borwick and cursing her very existence, you certainly act a lot like her. May I also add that you may even like her?" Lane said in a smug tone of voice. O'Connell paled; he knew no one really heard his few private conversations with Ashley. In the background, he could hear Lady Kara, Moonbay, Fiona, and May giggling. Lane also laughed before she continued. "To answer your question, Brian O'Connell, a ghost begins to haunt a place when they feel they haven't accomplished something before they died. For me, my village used to be on the very spot that this base is now. My village was destroyed by Cravane soldiers, and so I help you fight them now."

"You know where Rachel and Ashley are going?" Thomas asked impatiently.

Lane shook her head. "No, Ashley and Rachel can not be seen or heard when they don't want to be. Still, as kids I watched them carefully and it has proved useful. The place that served as their hideout still serves that purpose."

"You don't forget things quickly, do you?" Danni said kindly.

"I've been dead for over two hundred years," Lane said with a smile, "and I still remember ever face of every person from my village."

With that, Lane floated out of the room. The group slowly followed her, one by one, down the hall to a part of the base rarely used. They came to a dead end; a picture of a long dead Emperor hung on the wall. "Remove the picture and go down the stairs," Lane said before walking through the picture.

A.C., M.C., and Alex slid the heavy picture aside to reveal some well- hidden stairs. "How did they find this place?" Freedman asked.

"You people seem to be asking lots of questions today," Lane said, reappearing out of nowhere. "Ashley and Rachel found this area while looking for a hiding place."

The group followed the stairs to a crowded room, filled with files. A.C., M.C., Danni, and Sammy let their spy instincts take over as they searched the room for a clue to where their friends were headed. "I found it!" Sammy exclaimed.

"You did?" Karl said, relief woven into his voice.

"Yeah," Sammy said, continuing to look over more papers. "You'll never guess where they are going..."

Where are Ashley and Rachel headed? That's up to you. It's another choose which way the story goes. As always you get two choices, and they are...

1) Ashley looked up at the boulders that blocked the pass Rachel had planned to use. "Hurrah! We don't have to go through Blood Pass," Ashley yelled in happiness. Ashley, who loved taking chances, avoided places that had blood, death, torture, and similar words in their names. Rachel could care less; to her Blood Pass was like any other pass.

"Of course not," Rachel said. "Blood Pass has been cut off for over ten years."

Ashley sighed. "Then what are we doing here?"

"This is where we told you to meet us," Calvin Rhodes said with a smirk. Next to him was Jacob. To the Night Warriors, however, they no longer had those names; Calvin and Jacob were simply the Traitors.

2) Ashley and Rachel walked into a nightclub. Both girls were in black clothing again.

"This is a pretty cool club," Ashley said as she and Rachel entered the nightclub. Blinding lights and pounding music were everywhere. Rachel, who was less of a party girl than Ashley, could feel a headache coming on.

Rachel looked around for the traitors, Calvin and Jacob Rhodes, as she pushed past the dancing people. "Hello, ladies," Calvin said, grabbing Rachel and pulling her from the crowd as Jacob grabbed Ashley. "We're so glad to be here, to witness Rachel Elizabeth Schubaltz and Ashley Borwick fail."

"He thinks the Night Warriors are going to fail in a nightclub," Ashley said.

	16. We're Here

Last Time: Karl and the others back at White Spirit Base find that Rachel and Ashley have left to finish the mission alone. Lane Derskin, the ghost of White Spirit Base, leads the crew to the answer to the question "where are the Night Warriors going?"

The Night Warriors
We're Here

Rachel sat in her cockpit as she tried to sort out the mess that had become her life. It started when she and Ashley came back from looking over an evacuated, enemy base that they had nearly been blown up with. They had returned to White Spirit Base to find a unit of Republican soldiers: Colonel Kruger, Colonel Herman, and Captain O'Connell among them. Karl and the Guardian Force had also arrived at White Spirit Base.

Now Rachel and Ashley were going to finish the mission that should have finished with the end of the Silent Battle, but continued because there were traitors among them, Calvin and Jacob Rhodes. This battle was either going to end with the death of the Night Warriors or the capture of the Rhodes brothers. Still, Rachel couldn't help but think that she was making the biggest mistake, her final mistake.

"Rachel, you can't wonder if you did the right thing," Ashley said. "We need to concentrate."

"Ashley, have you ever kissed O'Connell?" Rachel said out of the blue.

Ashley got a funny look on her face. "I haven't let him get close enough to hug me."

"Liar."

Ashley sighed, she had never been a good liar to Rachel or Freedmen. "Okay. I hugged O'Connell once, but I've never kissed him. Why do you ask?"

"Herman kissed me a couple of times and I've been thinking how this adventure could be written down to be a very bad romance story," Rachel said shrugging.

"I'll get back to the fact that you kissed Herman later," Ashley said with a somewhat disgusted voice. "We're here."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*

Night Cat and Night Tiger. We challenge you to a dual at Blood Pass. Unlike you two, we have no problem killing those who are not involved, so don't think about not coming or coming with backup because we will kill all those close to you, whether they are involved or not.
Signed
White Kong
&
White Horn

"Who are White Kong and White Horn?" Thomas asked. Everyone was gathered in the strategy room. Lane Derskin had disappeared a while ago to return to her normal haunting; many were suggesting it never happened that a ghost led them to Ashley and Rachel's hideout.

Sammy lowered her gaze slightly. "Calvin and Jordan Rhodes."

"In other words, our Traitors," Danni said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Come to think of it, Rachel has never been fond of the two. She kept talking about how untrustworthy they were."

"Then why would she trust them with her zoid?" Herman asked.

A.C. began tugging at one of his ear lobes. "A spy's last resort is his or her zoid. Rachel is basically telling Calvin and Jordan that she's not scared of them."

"That had to be a good blow to the pride," M.C. said, scratching his nose. After that the four spies got up to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Moonbay demanded.

Danni smirked. "Just follow our lead and try not to mess us up." The Guardian Force followed the spies out of the room.

"Colonel Freedmen, Colonel Kruger, King, I would like to go see my father, the King of Cravane, so I can inform him what's going on," Lady Kara said.

Kruger nodded. "I agree. Ace will go with you to make sure that you arrive safely."

"I'll go too," May added.

"Thank you," Lady Kara said. "Now I'll see to the preparations."

Lady Kara swept out of the room. Ace and May followed as soon they said good-bye to Alex, a handshake from Ace and a hug from May. Arguing could be heard up the hallway between the Guardian Force and the four spies. Kruger and King followed the voices to keep anyone from being murdered by Sammy and Danni, who had hung around Rachel and Ashley long enough to pick up their worst habits.

"You've become close to Ace and May, Alex," Freedmen observed.

Alex shrugged. "We arrived at the Cravane base around the same time and we've been working together for awhile."

"And Herman and O'Connell have become close to our Night Warriors," Freedmen continued. Herman, who had been staring out the window made eye contact with Karl and shuddered. O'Connell avoided eye contact with Alex all together.

"So almost all of us have a reason to do our best," Karl said. "I just hope we're not too late."

"I do too," Herman said.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ashley looked up at the boulders that blocked the pass Rachel had planned to use. "Hurrah! We don't have to go through Blood Pass," Ashley yelled in happiness. Ashley, who loved taking chances, avoided places that had blood, death, torture, and similar words in their names. Rachel could care less; to her Blood Pass was like any other pass.

"Of course not," Rachel said. "Blood Pass has been cut off for over ten years."

Ashley sighed. "Then what are we doing here?"

"This is where we told you to meet us," Calvin Rhodes said with a smirk. Next to him was Jacob. To the Night Warriors, however, they no longer had those names; Calvin and Jacob were simply the Traitors.

	17. Blood Pass

Hey everyone, last chapter. Sorry I took so long, but I've been pretty busy. Some thank you: Shadow Vixen MiMiPenguin GamamFox Pnek Meks Disclaimer: I don't own zoids, but my story and my characters are mine.

Last Time: Rachel and Ashley have arrived at their destination. Lady Kara has left for her home in Cravane with Ace and May to speak to Lady Kara's father. Mean while, the Guardian Force, Karl, Alex, and the four remaining spies prepare to leave for Blood Pass to assist Rachel and Ashley.

The Night Warriors
Blood Pass

Rachel watched as Calvin raised a gun to fire at her heart. The Rhodes brothers had backed the Night Warriors up against the edge of a cliff. Rachel didn't need to be able to see to know that if she and Ashley were to fall off the cliff, they would have no chance of surviving.

For a few hours, Ashley and Rachel had led the traitors on a wild goose chase. The entire time, Calvin would yell for the two black kitties, Rachel and Ashley, to come out and play while Jacob remained his usual silent self. The chase ended when Rachel and Ashley found they could not go any further without falling off the edge.

"Any last words?" Calvin asked. Rachel bit back a laugh; she couldn't help remembering how she had been in the same situation before with Prozen and Marcus.

Ashley stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. In a streak of white, Starlet pushed Calvin and Jacob away from the Night Warriors, giving them the chance to run. Before they could get very far, two Terases landed in their path.

"Rob," Rachel sighed in relief when the cockpits opened.

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Oh, my knight in shining armor, Brian, is here to rescue me, the helpless damsel in distress."

"Quit the sarcasm Ashley," O'Connell said as Ashley got into his zoid and Rachel got into Herman's. "I can leave you here if you don't." Ashley rolled her eyes again.

The two aerial zoids took off and Starlet followed after them. Looking through cockpit glass, Rachel could see that Karl, the Guardian Force, and a Saber Fang - - most likely Alex - - had also come with Herman and O'Connell. The other four spies were nowhere to be seen, but Rachel knew that they were probably going over files in Calvin and Jacob's zoids.

Smiling, Rachel reached around, hugged Herman from behind, and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "I don't care what Ashley says. You are my knight in shining armor."

Calvin and Jacob, who had quickly realized that they had lost the battle, were trying to sneak away. A rather large unit from Cravane stopped them. The unit was escorting the King of Cravane. Madame President, Emperor Rudolph, and leaders from Travil had also arrived.

"King Koaler, we're sorry to have failed you," Calvin said as he and his brother bowed in front of their king.

King Koaler looked disgustingly at the Rhodes brothers. "You are under arrest for crimes against the Republic, the Empire, Travil, and Cravane. I, and the entire country, would not profit from gaining the lands of our allies. If you cooperate, you might not be executed." With that loyal Cravanian soldiers grabbed the two traitors.

Above the small group, a Storm Sworder flew overhead. It landed and May bolted out of the cockpit. Ace soon followed, laughing. Herman and O'Connell landed their own Terases nearby. Soon the Night Warriors and the two Republican officers joined Ace and May. The Guardian Force, Alex, and Karl joined the small group. As soon as everyone was there, May announced that she would never ride in an aerial zoid being piloted by Ace. Everyone laughed at May's comment, all tensions being lifted from the group.

Meanwhile the different leaders were meeting. "Please accept my apology for Rose's actions and all those who were loyal to her," King Koaler said, leaning heavily on his cane and Lady Kara, who was with her father.

Emperor Rudolph smiled. "We've had to deal with these situations before..."

"...And we will have to continue to deal with soldiers who think that they are helping their country, but in reality they are harming it" a leader from Travil continued.

"However, there is no need to worry," Madame President said. "We have some powerful allies."

The group of leaders turned to look at the group with the Night Warriors. Alex and May were sitting on the foot of Alex's Zaber Fang while talking about their plans for the future. A.C., M.C., Sammy, and Danny, finding nothing worthwhile in Calvin and Jordan's zoids, had joined the group and were talking to Ashley and Rachel. Herman and Karl were talking while O'Connell and Guardian Force were listening to and laughing at one of Ace's outrageous stories.

"They are a great group of allies," King Koaler agreed. All around the leaders, soldiers from different countries were talking friendly with each other; they had forgotten that they were nearly thrown in to war by Thorn, Scar, and so many others from Cravane.

The End

Oooh, by the way, if you have any ideas for the sequel, I'm willing to listen. I'm having a bit of a writers block, but I'll try to get over it quickly.

End file.

The Night Warriors by Element Guardian