Fangs of a Zaber

[Crimson]

Chapter 1 - The Liger Battle

So there I was waking up from my slumber after a good night of sleep. I let out a yawn and gave my limbs a good stretching. It was your typical day: Sun shining, blinding me, The sound of shoots being fired off in the distance from a Zoid battle going on. It was 9 in the morning and I was hungry.

I set out for the kitchen, passing by the hanger and see my Red Zaber Fang sitting there in all of its glory. My Zaber Fang has been with me ever since my Helcat was destroyed in battle a few months back. It was a gift from my father, early birthday gift if you will. It was equipped with the standard double barrel Beam Cannon and the shock cannon on its underbelly. The Beam Cannon was the primary weapon and used to great effect in battle, whereas, the Shock Cannon was used for secondary support fire..

I get passed the hanger and continue to the kitchen where I prepare some cereal when I hear a beep come from the computer. It was Zoid Battle Commission. "Jason, your battle request to fight Bit and his Liger Zero has been approved. Your battle is set to take place at 2 p.m. this afternoon in the desert about 15 miles from the Ruins. Battle Mode 0992 - One on One combat"

"Good, 'bout time this cleared." "I have been wanting to fight the Liger Zero for a while." Bit Cloud was the hero of the Royal Cup, and an old friend. He was able to stop the Berserk Fury from going...well...berserk. I rush through my bowl of cereal and immediately go to the hanger and begin preparations for the battle.

It was hard getting up to a rank high enough to challenge Bit because I am a freelance pilot. Not quite a mercenary, but I don't mind getting paid. Since I am not part of a team, all battle have been 1-on-1, but those kinds of battle don't offer as many points towards rank as 3-on-3 battle do. Now that I am finally A Rank, I can challenge S rank teams, but it has to be 1-on-1. My reputation of a solo pilot precedes me. Most people know me recognize my zoid on the battlefield as the "Crimson Fang."

I made it to the hanger and begin checking the OS. "Operating Systems looking good, weapon ammo is full, all plugs equipped. Looking good Zaber!" By the time the OS check and weapon check was done, it was 11:30 a.m. and I was hungry again. I eat up quick and set out for the desert.

I arrive at the location with time to spare, so I give the OS one last look down when I see a figure in the distance. It was the Liger Zero, but he looked a little...different. It was equipped with a cannon on its back. I open up a channel to Bit for a bit of conversation.

"Sup Bit?"

"Hey Jason, how's it been"

"Things are good so what is with the gun, thought the Liger couldn't support it?"

"Well, Doc did some work on the Liger after the Royal Cup, added some stabilizers and other vents to help with balance and prevent overheating."

"And why is the armor grey?"

"Oh, well, Doc also upgraded the armor a bit too...he has been very busy. haha"

I close the channel as the judge slams down onto the desert floor. (to self) "Great...I have to face this upgraded Liger, things are looking grim."

"The area within a 15 mile radius is a designated Zoid battle area. All others must leave the area at once. I repeat, all others must leave the area. Battle mode 0992. The Liger Zero versus the Zaber Fang. Battle mode approved, area scanned, battle field set up...readyyy...FIGHT!"

The battle starts and boosters flaring. I try to close distance quickly so I can lockon. Once in range, I lock on and figure a couple of shots from the Shock Cannon. I didn't care if the lasers hit or not, my main focus was to get the Liger's attention early on to keep it on its toes. As my beams approached, the Liger effortlessly dodged the beams and kept pushing forward.

"Damn, that thing is faster than usual. Doc made one hell of a upgrade to that Zoid."

The gun on its back flipped over and extended over the Liger's head. It looked like a sniper rifle, but the Liger did not have to be stationary to fire it. Bit fired the weapon and a beam of solidified energy skated towards my Zaber Fang. I perform a quick dodge and close distance.

"That was close, what the hell kind of weapon is that?"

"It is a Dual Sniper Rifle, but unlike other sniper rifles, I don't have to anchored to the ground to use it. You can thank Doc for this once again."

(To self) "Grrr...Doc and his inventions, what happened to him playing with Zoid models and sleeping?"

When I get in striking distance of Liger, I dodged his initial strike and countered back with a strike of my own. It was a dead on, clean strike, but it did not seem to phase the liger in the least. Mouth wide open from how effortlessly he gets up after my assault, I open a channel in the middle of the battle.

"Ok...and why did that seem to not do a lot of damage?"

"Well, the Liger was equipped with an UltraZ plug...and"

"Wait, wait. Lemme guess...another Doc invention?"

"Now you are catching on. It increases my mobility, turning, defense, and other various things."

"Dammit, just when I thought things were already difficult..."

Back to the fight, I shoot my Beam Cannon hitting the Liger on the mark a few times, while trying to dodge its DSR to the best of my ability. A few shots hit the joints of my Zaber Fang cause a small limp to insue. It didn't stop my pursuit of the Liger, and I got it again with another series of melee hits.

About 10 minutes into the battle, smoke is in the air, my Zaber Fang is a nice burnt red now instead of nice, vibrant red it was when I came to the battle. The Liger was starting to show signs of "fatigue" as well. The armor was starting to turn darker, and its right leg showed signs of wear and tear."

"You sure have improved Jason, putting a good number on me and the Liger here" Bit said huffing.

"huff, huff...yea I have. Been looking forward to this for awhile now. Can't be a pushover all my life eh?"

"That's for sure...but here I come!"

The Liger pivots around and charges me. I shoot it a few more times with my Beam Cannon as the Liger hits me with hits claws yet again. This time getting me down to a critical point. I knew my Zaber couldn't take much more, but I had a feeling neither could the Liger. The Zaber staggers back to its feet and turns around to face the Liger. I push forward on the throttle causing the Zaber to move yet again. I flank to the Liger's right side, firing upon it with my Beam Cannon; taking advantage of the good pivot radius my gun has. I continue to fire and get in close for another melee hit. I take advantage of the time the Liger is on the ground to charge my special attack.

The Zaber opens its mouth and gapes it open. Light of purple brilliance begins to accumulate within its mouth until it gets to a point that is glows brightly.

"Just what are you doing?" Bit asked in a state of shock.

"Getting ready to beat you my good man."

With my attack fully charge, I begin to move and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. I flank back to the Liger's left and charge to its blind spot and unleash my attack upon the Liger, the Killer Saber. My attack hits the mark and Liger hits the desert ground with a great crash. Breathing heavily, I am happy that the battle is over. At least until the Liger staggered back to its feet and gave off a mighty roar.

"There is no way...my Killer Saber hit dead on..." I am in utter disbelief from the Liger's resiliency to keep going. My Zaber Fang is on its last legs. My Beam Cannon is down to 7 shots, my shock cannon was out of commission, and the limp in the leg has become a problem.

When the Liger gets up, I see its claws being to glow. That immediately told me he was going for his infamous Strike Laser Claw. The Liger charged at me, claws continuing glow a more vibrant yellow with each step it took. About 100 feet from me, the Liger lunged out and swung it's right arm. I quickly dodge to my right and the Liger missed with its attack and shoot the Liger in its leg twice in quick succession. The Liger's leg crumpled, and the battle was done.

"The battle is over, the battle is over. The winner is, the Zaber Fang!"

I walk over to Bit and Liger and hop out. Bit is still a little surprised at the outcome of the battle, but I was overjoyed and tired.

"Phew, that was fun. Not everyday me and Liger get beat in battle. Impressive stuff you did out here today. I still have to get used to this improved Liger. Gotta give it time."

"Thanks Bit, those upgrades to the Liger were crazy...Doc should stop building and inventing things...haha"

"Yea, well, looks like me and Liger got some repairing to do. Looks like your Zaber Fang is in rough shape too."

"It is, but it is nothing I can't fix. Fixing the Shock Cannon will be a pain in the ass though."

"Yea, I can imagine. Hey, have you ever thought of joining us on the Blitz Team?"

"Hmm, thanks, but no thanks. You guys don't need me. I mean, Leon is back now since Brad left to join Noami with her team. You guys are more than prepared for anything ya'll will face. I will find a team to join in the future, when the time is right. I am gonna go now, that battle made me hungry and my Zaber Fang needs fixing. See you later Bit."

"Alright Jason, take care."

I get back into my Zaber Fang and leave for home with a good feeling of complishment.

[Crimson]

Chapter 2 – The Search for a Team

The following morning, Jason started to think about what he said to Bit about joining a team when the time is right. “Maybe I should start or join a team. It will help me with rank, and team battle gets me more money.” After he was fully awake, Jason went to the computer and put up a bulletin on the ZBC main website. If anything this bulletin will help him find a couple of people to start up a team with.

“This is Jason Robinson, some of you know me as the Crimson Fang, and I feel it is time for me to get away from this solo life and start up or join a team. Reply to this telling me where and when you want to meet up. I am available at anytime past 1 p.m.”

With the bulletin up, Jason left the computer for the kitchen for breakfast. Walking past the hanger, like he always did on the way to the kitchen, he sees my freshly repaired Zaber Fang. Jason was up until 1 a.m. fixing the Shock Cannon that was damaged in the battle yesterday against Bit.

“I think things will start to pickup Zaber. If we find a good pair of teammates to join up with, we will be leaving this place. Doesn’t that excite you?” Jason asked the Zaber Fang. The Zaber’s green eyes lit up slightly, giving its approval of what I said. “Good, that is what I hoped.”

Jason continued on to the kitchen for a quick breakfast of eggs and bacon with toast, and headed back to his room to see if there were any replies to the bulletin yet. When he got to the computer, his eyes gawked at the number of people that replied. Over 25 people replied in the span of 30 minutes.

“I guess the news of me beating the Liger Zero spread fast because I often saw posts like ‘you just beat the Liger Zero didn’t you?! I would love to be on a team with you, you will make it so powerful!’ Needless to say, I avoided those kinds of posts.”

Jason continued to scroll when I got to one post. “Well, well, the Crimson Fang, pilot of the Red Zaber Fang. This is Kirkland, from the Fierce Zaber Fangs.” “Oh jeez, not these losers” Jason thought as he read the post. “Omari’s Zaber Fang is out of commission and we need someone to replace him, and quick! This is a critical battle because if we win we get up to Class A. Someone of your caliber will help us immensely. The battle is this afternoon at 3. Please let me know.”

Jason sits there, thinking. “The Fierce Zaber Fangs eh? Well, it is better than a few rookies and fanboys I guess. I just don’t want to be associated with a crap team.” Jason continued to thinking when he checked the time. “12:30 eh? I guess I can agree to help him and his team.” Jason thought as he found Kirkland’s number from the ZBC website.

Jason called Kirkland and told him that he agreed to help him, but he wanted to meet up with them at 1:30 at the bar in town. Kirkland agreed, without hesitation, and they hung up. With an hour to spare, Jason took a shower, got changed and ready to depart to town.
Jason got the bar a little early, so he ordered a drink to stay relaxed. He found a spot at a table by the window and began to gaze out the window when he noticed Kirkland, Omari, and Lineback arrived.

“Good, you guys made it in time. Punctuality is a great first impression.” Jason said to the trio.

“Glad to see you here too Crimson; glad you took us up on our offer.” Kirkland said with a bit of relief in his voice.

“Now exactly what happened to Omari’s Zaber Fang for ya’ll to need my help?”

“Well, last week we were in a battle against the Lightning Team, and their speed overwhelmed us. They took advantage of it to cause something similar to sonic booms to hit us as they passed. They took a pass at Omari and the leg joint on his Zaber broke. We just got the replacement today, but it will take time to replace it, and we have another battle today.” Kirkland said in anguish, and frustration.

“Who is this battle against?

“The Desert Wolves. They are partial to their Command Wolves. It should be easy to win, but we needed a 3rd member.”

“Okay, that is understandable. Where is the battle scheduled to take place?”

“Dragon Valley, just southeast of here.”

“Okay, that is all I needed to know. See you on the battlefield.”

“Hey! If that is all you needed, then why did you insist on meeting us here? We could’ve discussed this over the phone.”

“Well, I needed an excuse to come to the bar and get a drink.” Jason said with a good laugh. With that, they parted ways. Jason went back to this hanger and got prepared to head out to the battlefield. He went through his routine OS and Weapon checks. Everything was cleared to go.

“You ready for this Zaber? This is one of last times we will come back here. Let’s go!”

Jason and the Fierce Zaber Fangs got to the battlefield around the same time the Desert Wolves. The Desert Wolves were a trio ordinary Command Wolves, but the leader of the group added assistance boosters to this Command Wolf.

“Wow, the Crimson Fang. How did they manage to get you to join?” The leader asked.

“I will tell you, but first let me get your name.”
“The name is Marcus Deter. I am the leader of the Desert Wolves.”

“Well, Marcus, I joined up with them because I am ending my solo career and looking for a team to join. This is nothing permanent as of yet, but if it works out with them I may stay.”

“That is good to know. I have been wondering how the great Crimson Fang would fare in team competition.”

“We are about to find out now aren’t we?” Jason replied with some sarcasm in his voice.

The judge hits the ground causing dust and debris to fly everywhere.

“The area in a 20 mile radius is a designated Zoid battlefield. All others must leave the area. I repeat all others must leave the area. Area scanned, battlefield set up, The Fierce Zaber Fangs versus the Desert Wolves. Battle mode 0982. Readyyy…FIGHT!”

With the judge giving them the go, the combatants split. Kirkland and Lineback head towards the other two Desert Wolves and begin battle. Jason heads towards them for support fire when he is cut off by Marcus.

“Me and you, right here.” Marcus said with determination in his voice.

“You want to face me in 1-on-1 combat knowing how capable I am in the aspect?”

“Yes, I want to see how I compare with the best in the world”

“That is good for you, forever improving, but I hope you can keep up man.” Jason said as he pushed forward with his Zaber.

“OK, Here I come!” Marcus exclaimed as he pushed his Command Wolf forward with boosters flaring.

The Command Wolf begins to fire his long range cannon at the Zaber Fang, but was dodged effortlessly by Jason has he hit the Command Wolf with a strike of its claws. The Command Wolf hits the ground and Marcus thrashes about in his cockpit. Jason followed up the assault with a shot from his Shock Cannon and another strike from the Zaber's claws. Jason kept moving in such a way that it looks like he is stalking his prey. Much like tigers do when they stalk prey in the wild.

When Marcus gets back to his feet, he hits Jason with a few rounds from his Cannon, and catches Jason off guard with a melee attack from his Wolf’s claws.

"Heh, good shot Marcus." Jason said picking his Zoid off the ground.

"Looks like I am not that bad eh Crimson?" Marcus said with a some confidence.

"Oh, the battle is still young. You haven't seen my best yet." Jason said as the boosters on his Zaber begin to flare.

===============================================================================

Kirkland and Lineback were having one hell of a time fighting off the other two Command Wolves. They maneuvered in such a way that Kirkland and Lineback couldn’t keep up. The two Wolves weaved in and out and fired with their Rifles repeatedly at the two unsuspecting Zaber Fangs.

“God, we can’t keep up Lineback!” Kirkland yelled.

“I know this! I am on the receiving end of this assault too.”

The Command Wolves continued to charge the Zaber Fangs with hot pursuit as the Zabers tried to retreat to safer grounds.

“Where should we go?!” Lineback exclaimed in terror.

“Uh…uh…There!” Kirkland said as he found an opening in the valley for them to run through.

“Ok, I will play your little game, but you two aren’t getting away that easily!” The pilot of the Command Wolf stated.

“Beat your ass we are!” Kirkland quickly retorted.

The two scared members of the Fierce Zaber Fangs continue to run ‘with their tails between their legs’ until they got the caught in a corner of the valley. They came to a skidding halt and turned around to face the charging Command Wolves.

“Did you forget we were in a valley you fool? If you don’t know your way around you are bound to lost and reach a dead end. Anybody with common sense knows that.” The Command Wolf pilot said.

“Yea…kind of did hehe…” Kirkland said nervously.

“Well, this is the end of the road for you two twits!” The pilot of the Command Wolf said as he charged the Zaber Fangs with his partner. They made short work of the Fierce Zaber Fangs with a combination of claws and gun fire.

“The names are Axel and Robert, be sure to remember it.”

They felt a good sense of achievement when they realized that Marcus was alone with Jason.

“Hurry, Marcus can’t handle the Crimson Fang on his own.” The two hustled back as fast as they could back through the valley the two Zaber Fangs led them through.

===============================================================================

Marcus and his Command Wolf were in rough shape, and Jason has barely sustained any damage in his Zaber Fang.

“Gosh, you are as good as your reputation says you are. No wonder you were able to beat the Liger Zero.” Marcus said as he staggered his Command Wolf back to his feet. “I expected no less from you.”

“That is good to know, but now it is time for me to finish you off so this battle will end. Hopefully Kirkland and Lineback finished off your two companions.” Jason said as he pushed the throttles forward and his Zaber Fang charged, Beam Cannon ready to fire.

“Don’t think so…” Axel said as he fired his Rifle at Jason and hit the leg.

“Argh, dammit. Looks like the Fierce Zaber Fangs are still garbage as ever.” Jason said as he stood his Zaber Fang back up. The trio of Command Wolves surrounded Jason in a triangle formation. His only way out was to blast his way through.

“So Crimson, we have you surrounded, what do you have to say about that?” Marcus said.

“What do I have to say about that eh?” Jason said as he tightened his grip around the throttles. “Sigh…I forfeit. I am not going to risk my Zaber Fang for this crackpot team.”

“I respect your decision.”

“The battle is over, the battle is over. The winner is…The Desert Wolves!” The judge says as he raised his hand to show the victory to the Desert Wolves.

“Alright Crimson, I can see you aren’t going to stay with the Zabers, good luck finding a team that fits your standards. I hope to see you again when you find that certain team.” Marcus said as him, Axel, and Robert all left the battlefield.

Jason turns off the combat system and turns around and begins to walk out of the valley, when a shot grazed in front of him. Jason turns around to see it is Kirkland and Lineback back from their encounter with Axel and Robert.

“Where the hell do you think you are going?” Kirkland said huffing.

“I am leaving, you guys are garbage. I refuse to be part of a losing team with no hope of winning.” Jason said out of frustration.

“Oh really? You aren’t leaving here unless you can disable us. You didn’t even put a fight against those guys. You know how important this battle was for us.”

“If it was so damn important, you wouldn’t have run away from your enemy like a couple of scared little kids.” Jason retorted back to Kirkland, and Kirkland kept quiet for a bit.

“Still, you have to get past me and Lineback here.” Kirkland said in a smug way.

“Don’t forget me!”

“Omari?!”

“Yup, I got the joint on my Zaber’s leg fix and now you have three Zabers to take care of Crimson…can you handle us?”

“We will just have to see won’t we?”

Jason reactivates his combat system, and the eyes of his Zaber Fang glow a vibrant green.

“Prepare yourself…”

[Crimson]

Chapter 3 – The Ring of Red

The stage was set. Jason had to leave this valley to continue his search for a viable team to join and the Fierce Zabers had to retain a little bit of their pride from losing the battle to the Desert Wolves.

“Alright Crimson, how you expect to get past the three of us?” Kirkland said in a snide manner.

“Oh that is simple you dumbass. I am going to blast my way past you bunch of flunkies and get out of here.” Jason said as he prepared his Zaber for battle.

“Ohh...flunkies? We will see about that. Bring it!”

“With pleasure.” Jason said as he started up his boosters and headed towards Lineback. He knew the Fierce Zabers for a while now and he knows that Lineback is the weakest link of the trio. Jason figured that if he could reduce their numbers, he have a significantly better chance of winning this impromptu battle. Jason got to Lineback in no time, and unleashed on him with his Shock Cannon. Lineback didn’t have much time to react due to the speed at which Jason arrived to his position.

“How…how did you get here so fast?!”

“I used my boosters evidently you twit.”

“Aw man, things are looking bad from here.”

“Damn right they are.” Jason said as he struck Lineback with the claws of his Zaber Fang. While Jason was preoccupied with Lineback, Kirkland and Omari got Jason themselves in his blind spot. Jason’s Zaber hit the ground hard. The Trio of yellow Zabers stood confident as the dust dispersed from around Jason. Jason staggered his Zaber back to its feet and shook off the excess dust.

“Think you got me huh?” Jason asked out of frustration.

“Think, oh we know we got you. There is no way in hell you will past the three of us.”

“Okay, we will see about that. I am not called the Crimson Fang for nothing.”

Jason activated his boosters and jumped over the three Zabers, pivoted around quickly and fired his Beam Cannon at Lineback. Jason still wanted to take out Lineback to push the numbers closer to his favor. The thin, piercing beam of energy streaked at Lineback and hit Lineback’s Zaber on the shoulder making the leg all but useless.

“Argh dammit. I am very close to being out of commission guys. I won’t be much help for the remainder of this thing.” Lineback said with some disappointment in his voice.

“It is alright Lineback, you did fine. We will get this guy…he isn’t getting away from the Fierce Zaber Fangs!” Kirkland said trying to reassure his friend and teammate.

“Omari, let’s get ‘em!”

“Alright Kirkland, let’s show him the true power of the Fierce Zabers!”

Kirkland and Omari turned and began to push towards Jason with increased ferocity. They split up in an attempt to catch Jason on both flanks. Jason noticed this and fired his Shock Cannon at Omari to take him off his path, then immediately ran straight ahead to split their offensive.

“Good strategy you flunkies, but you guys aren’t executing it correctly.” Jason said as he successfully split the offensive of Kirkland and Omari. Jason pivoted around and took aim on Omari.

“I got you know Omari!”

“Don’t think so Crimson.” A beam of energy came whizzing at Crimson and came in contact with his Zaber’s hind leg knee joint.

“Ugh, Lineback, you bastard, I thought you were out of commission.” Jason said as he cursed himself.

“I said I was –almost- out of commission. I can still move, but I only have three functional legs.” Lineback said as he came trudging up to Jason. “Looks like you are the one that is near out of commission now Crimson.”

Kirkland, Omari, and Lineback all surround the wounded Zaber Fang, stalking it like it is their prey. They are feeling a great high knowing that they grounded the fabled Crimson Fang. All that was left to do was finish the job.

“We are going to damage your Zoid so bad it will not be recognized by any means.” Kirkland said with his anger increasing. “You will be sorry for costing us that battle against the Desert Wolves.”

“Yea Crimson, time to break your…AHH!” Omari was cut short when his Zaber Fang was struck by a piercing bullet

“What the hell was that?!” Kirkland blurted out.

“Strike Laser Claw!” Just as Kirkland turned around to see what was happening, his Zaber Fang was struck with a vicious attack that ripped his Beam Cannon clear off the body of his Zoid.

“BIT?!” Jason said out of excitement.

“Bit? Ha, I guess you also forgot my Zoid can perform that attack too eh?

“Wait…I know that voice…Brad?”

“Yup Brad, in the flesh. We were passing through and we heard gunfire and was came to see what was going on. We saw you were in trouble and decided to help.” Brad said after he successfully disabled Kirkland.

“We? Who this we you are referring too?” Omari said out of fear and bewilderment.

“He meant me…goodbye.” That was the last thing Omari heard before his Zaber was shot down from a considerable range. The bullet pierced straight through the Zaber without much effort. Omari and his Zoid hit the ground with a great impact that caused dirt to scatter.

“Oh God no…Naomi Fleugel, the Red Comet?!” Omari uttered before he collapsed in the cockpit.

“Heh, those guys are chumps.” Naomi said as she took her Gun Sniper out of sniper mode, and gazed upon the battlefield. “Brad, there is one more Zaber Fang to your right. It has only three good legs; you will make short work of it.”

“Gotcha Naomi” Brad said as he turned his Zoid around and chased down the injured Zaber and took it out with a combination of his Gatling Gun and claws. Brad turned back and approached Jason and his downed Zaber. Brad got out of his Zoid, as did Jason.

“Jason, long time no see man.”

“That it has been Brad, glad to see you know though.” Jason said with a good laugh.

“Yea, exactly why were Kirkland and crew attacking you in the first place?”

“Long story short, I am looking for a team to join and I accepted to help them to get my feet wet in the ways of team battle, but they got defeated so fast that I was outnumbered three to one against the team we were facing and I forfeited. I wasn’t risking my Zoid for them.”

“I see, so they attacked you out of revenge?”

“Exactly, but that is in the past.” Jason said as he gazed up to check out Brad’s Zoid. “What exactly is that Brad? It looks like the Shadow Fox, but it is different.” Jason said out of bewilderment.

“Well essentially, it is the Shadow Fox, but it is improved now. I upgraded the armor and gave it an improved Gatling Gun on the back. I decided the color the armor Red because of Naomi. She insisted…” Brad said glancing back at Naomi up on the Cliffside. “I would like you to meet my new Zoid, the Fire Fox”

“That is very cool Brad.”

Naomi came skidding down the Cliffside to join up with Brad and Jason. Her Gun Sniper was a dinosaur type Zoid that specialized in long range combat. Back in the day Naomi Fleugel was referred to as the Red Comet because, much like Jason now, she was a solo pilot and was well versed in 1-on-1 battles. Now she has a team, the Fleugel Team, which is very successful. At first it was her and Leon Toros, son of Doc, but now it is her and Brad.

“The Crimson Fang, fancy seeing you here” Naomi said hopping out of the Gun Sniper.

“Hey Naomi, thanks for the help back there. Things were looking grim.”

“Looks like even the greats succumb to the numbers game eventually”

“Heh, I guess so…” Jason said feeling a little embarrassed.

“Anyways, I saw your bulletin about you looking for a team to join, and based on what I see before me here…looks like the Fierce Zaber Fangs just couldn’t cut it for a man of your stature. So how about you come join me and Brad here on the Fleugel Team?”

“Seriously?” Jason said in a state of confusion.

“Yes, with you on the team I know we will soar through what Rank A has to offer in preparation of the next Royal Cup.”

“I will be honored to join up with you and Brad. Is that ok with you Brad?” Jason asked looking for both of their approval.

“Yea, it’s cool with me as long as I get paid of course.” Brad responded in a way true to his mercenary ways. Brad was a mercenary when he joined up with the Blitz Team a long while back. He will only accept battle challenges that have a good payment involved.

“Alright cool, now that that is settled, let’s get Crimson’s Zaber to the transport.” Naomi said in an approving manner.

“Please, Naomi, call me Jason. All my friends call me Jason. Also, my Zaber Fang is fine to walk to your transport. It will be at a much slower rate though.”

“Ok Jason, hop in your Zaber and we will meet you at the transport. It is just at the end of the valley. Go though this gorge here and you will see it. We are going to go up ahead and make space for your Zoid in the holding space of the transport.” Naomi said while she pointed to the specified gorge.

“Ok, see you there.” Jason said with a huge smile on his face.

“The Fleugel Team eh? What you think of that Zaber?” Jason said looking up at his Zoid. The Zaber Fang let out a mighty roar that echo through the valley.

“Heh, I will take that as a ‘yes’…good. Looks like things are looking up for us.”

[Crimson]

Chapter 4 – The Journey Begins

Jason climbed his way into his Zaber Fang and activated its systems so he could make it through the gorge to Naomi’s transport, and start his journey with the new team he just officially joined. Jason began his way towards the gorge, walking past the broken Zaber Fangs of the Fierce Zaber Fangs team of Kirkland, Lineback, and Omari. Jason couldn’t help but laugh as he saw the trio arguing over the circumstances as his Zaber Fang limped past them.

“Catch you flunkies later…” Jason said with a huge laugh following.

“Grr…we will get you later Crimson.” Kirkland said as he kicked the dirt.

“Mhmm, ok Kirkland. We will see about that. Come looks us up when you get you and your Zaber Fangs improved.” Jason said as he finished past the group and on through the gorge.

When Jason made it through he saw a relatively big transport that looked a lot like the Blitz Team’s Hover Cargo except this one was painted with more Red. Jason saw the transport from the backside and took notice of entry points on both sides and the back for three Zoids to fit inside. The two side entry points housed Naomi’s Gun Sniper and Brad’s Fire Fox sitting on supports. The supports slid back into the transport for easy deploying. The back hatch was another story all together. That is where Jason noticed things being chucked out the back without a whim and crashing into the desert sand.

“I guess that is where my Zaber Fang will be stored. That place sure is junky.” Jason said as he zoomed in on the back of the transport.

He saw Brad, Naomi, and another women pushing and throwing things around to make space for his Zoid. Jason took notice of the women and her appearance. She has long, flowing brown hair down to her mid back. She also had piercing blue eyes that looked like they could see into your very soul and a nice body to complement her.

“Wow…she is beautiful. I am a sucker for pretty eyes.” Jason said almost dumbstruck.

“I guess I should keep going, they must be waiting.” Jason said as he continued to walk his Zoid towards the transport.

===============================================================

“We got to hurry, he is almost here!” Naomi said to keep the other two working.

“Jesus Naomi, it’s not like he will care that much for a spotlessly clean place to park his Zoid.” Brad said mostly out of frustration to do backbreaking labor.

“Shut up Brad, this is our new teammate and I want him to feel at home. The more comfortable he is, the more likely he is to stay.” Naomi said hitting Brad in the ribs with her elbow. “And I think Rachel over there will approve of that.” Naomi said chuckling.

“Huh?! Well…yea I would.” Rachel said nervously.

“No need to be nervous Rachel, he is a sweet person.” Naomi said to reassure her. “Now, let’s finish getting this place tidied up. He Zoid may be limping over here, but it won’t take him forever to get here.”

“Okay, let’s throw all of this old Zoid junk we don’t need anymore.” Brad said still rubbing his side from the elbow he received earlier.

The trio continued to scrub and clean the back hatch hanger out to make sure Jason and his Zoid was most comfortable. Junk was tossed out the back hatch that wasn’t needed anymore and boxes were pushed over to the side so the Zoid would have enough space to not crush anything.

“Huff, huff, good…I think we are good and not a moment too soon because I see him coming over the horizon.” Naomi said and she slowly straightened her back out to stand upright.

“I hope he likes what we did.” Rachel said with a smile on her face overlooking the job they did.

“I am sure he will…” Naomi said before she was interrupted by an incoming transmission from Jason.

“This is Jason, am I clear to come on in?”

“Yea, you are good. We just finished, so bring your Zoid on in.” Naomi said and closed the transmission.

===============================================================

Jason finished bring his Zoid onto the transport. It proved to be difficult due to the injured leg on the Zaber Fang, but it got done after some time and struggling. Jason successfully secured his Zoid down to the transport so it wouldn’t move or tumble while the Transport was in motion. Jason hopped out of the Zoid and onto the ground with Naomi, Brad, and the unknown girl was waiting.

“I take it things went well through the gorge Jason?” Naomi said.

“Yea, it was all good. That messed up leg was a pain. I will repair it later down the road.”

“Sounds good…let’s get going…oww…” Naomi said when she was suddenly elbowed by Rachel.

“Oh, almost forgot. Jason, this is Rachel Monaro. She is my best friend and she is a big fan of yours. She also drives the transport for us.” Naomi finished and rubbed her side.

Rachel looked a little flushed in the face when Naomi said she was a big fan of Jason’s, but she did not deny it in the least. Rachel approached Jason slowly and extended her hand in hope of Jason shaking it.

“Oh, hello Rachel, nice to meet you!” Jason said placing his hand into her hand and shaking it softly. Rachel’s heart skipped a beat and she turned a light red color.

Jason thought to himself about Rachel. ‘I don’t know if she likes me or not, but she does seem to blush a lot when I am around. She is not the typical fan. She does not jump around losing her mind when I am around…I like that.’

“Now that I am all anchored down…I sure am hungry.” Jason said with a laugh.

“Alright, let’s head upstairs to the command center and let’s head back to my place for some food.” Naomi finished before the group set out for the command center.

“Hey Zaber, I will be back soon to fix that leg of yours ok?” Jason added before left. The Zaber Fang simply flashed its eyes a brilliant green in approval of Jason’s question.

After a long trip, the transport arrived at Naomi’s place. Her place was a good size place for people to live. It was a house with a big hanger attached where all Zoids were repaired and stored until it was time to load it on the transport for a battle. The house section of Naomi’s place had everything to offer: Hot water, kitchen, and most of all a bedroom for Jason. Jason was shown his bedroom shortly after arriving. It was the guest room seeing that it was the only room left to sleep. It was not a bad place in all actuality. It had a queen sized bed, 20 in TV, and a bedroom attached, but it was shared with the room next door, which was Rachel’s.

“I guess you are next door neighbor Rachel.” Jason said with a smile.

“It sure appears that way, it should be fun Jason.” Rachel replied with a smile on her face too.

“Good, since you agree with your living arrangements, let’s go eat.”

Rachel, Jason, and Naomi walked into the kitchen where Brad was waiting for them. He did not look too happy because he was hungry too, and they took a while getting downstairs from Jason’s new room.

“Jesus, I am hungry, let’s go ahead and eat already.” Brad said as his stomach continued to rumble.

“Okay, okay. Rachel can you help me prepare something quick to eat?” Naomi said.

“Yea, sure. How does soup and sandwiches sound you guys?”

“Yea that will work, hell, I would eat elephant ears right now…” Jason said rubbing his stomach waiting on the food.

The food was prepared quickly and eaten by the four in a prompt fashion. It was now about 7:30 p.m. and Jason excused himself from the table. He let out a small burp as he stood up and gave a second ‘excuse me’ in response to the burp.

“I am going to take a shower and then head down to the hanger to repair the leg on my Zaber Fang. I will see you guys later.”

Everyone else gave their approval and farewells and Jason left. He took a nice hot shower that he enjoyed to the highest degree. After his shower, he put on some older clothes that he did not mind getting dirty to go fix the leg. He made his way to the hanger and found a toolbox on the far right side of the hanger.

“Alright Zaber, let’s get that leg fixed shall we?” Jason said as he assessed the damage and began the repairs. Luckily the damage was only done to the knee joint so Jason only needed a regular sized ladder to get up there.

“Okay, a little tweak here, and here, and that should be the end of that.” Jason said wiping the sweat off his brow. Jason had to make sure the leg was back in working order, so he had to get into the cockpit to run a systems check. Once Jason got into the cockpit, he went ahead and ran the system check which would take about 10 minutes to finish.

“Damn, 10 whole minutes? That is what I get for not running the check for such a long time.”

While Jason was grieving over his misfortune over the length of the system check, Jason heard a chuckle come from near the entrance door to the hanger.

“Who is there…there…ther? Jason’s question echoed through the hanger. “If your goal was to spook me, then you succeeded.”

“Jeez, I can’t believe the Crimson Fang can be spooked so easily.” Rachel said sarcastically while coming around the corner.

“Gosh Rachel, that was wrong…and I didn’t take you for the sarcastic type.”

“I have my moments, but how are the repairs going?”
“They are going good. I am running a check now to make sure everything is good, but it will take 10 minutes.”

“I know…I heard you complaining about it.” Rachel said chuckling.

“Yea, yea laugh it up, but why are you here.”

“I figured you could use some company, and I felt weird being around Brad and Naomi because they were being all lovey-dovey.”

“Haha, I understand that. I was wondering how long you have been here.”

“I have been here for about 3 years since the Royal Cup. She needed someone to drive her new transport that she got, and I offered my assistance. I am glad I did.” Rachel said while taking a seat on the ground and looking up at Jason.

“So what made you decide to look for a team?”

“Well, I was tired of being of my own. I felt it was time to go out and join a team. Explore the world a bit. I made a name for myself in 1-on-1 battling, but 1-on-1 battling will only take me so far. That and I was starting to feel a little lonely.” Jason said looking back at the check screen to how it was progressing.

“Aw, that is a little sad, but now you joined up with us here on the Fleugel team, so things will much less lonely now.”

“Yea, I bet it will. I got one more question though. Why exactly are you a big fan of mine? I don’t really have many female fans. It is mostly dude that aspire to be like me.”

“I think it is because you remind me a lot of Naomi. You and she are a lot alike, the loner that became famous relying on their own strength. You, like Naomi, got tired of the monotony of 1-on-1 battle and sought a team. I guess that is why she wanted you on the team. You remind Naomi of her.” Rachel finished.

“You know, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks Rachel, you helped out a lot. Oh…the systems check is done, and all looks good.” Jason said as he let out a sigh of relief.

Jason hopped down from the cockpit and saw Rachel up close for the first time since dinner. She looked as beautiful as ever in her green shirt and sweatpants. Her long flowing brown hair shined in the natural lighting provided by the moon. Jason was slightly at a loss for words. After a second of hesitation, Jason found something to say.

“Look who is ready for bed.” Jason said towards Rachel.

“I would assume so since it is 11:25 p.m. right now.”

Jason’s jaw dropped at the passage of time. He couldn’t believe it took that long for him to finish a simple leg repair.

“I guess that leg repair was more sophisticated than I thought.” Jason said rubbing his head and laughing.

“Well, I guess I need to take another shower now. Let’s head on back. I would say I would walk you back to your room, but since we are next door neighbors it is a thing that doesn’t need to be said.” Jason said laughing nervously.

“Haha, sounds good.” Rachel said as the two departed the hanger.

Jason and Rachel made their way back through Naomi’s house up to their respective rooms. They stopped at their doors for a second and said a couple words to each other.

“It was good spending time with your in the hanger tonight. You really make doing repairs more enjoyable Rachel. Thank you” Jason said look into her deep, piercing eyes.

“Yea, you are welcome. I would love to do it again sometime…umm…I am really glad you joined the team Jason. I feel things will be more enjoyable with your around.” Rachel mustered up the strength to finish her statement when she paused.

“Thank you, I hope things will be enjoyable. Now it is time for me to take that shower and go to bed. You have a good night.”

“You too Jason, see you in the morning.”

With that said, the two departed into their rooms for the night. Jason quickly to into the shower, washed up, and got out. He put on his bedtime clothing and fell into the sanctuary that was his bed after finishing up a tiring day.

“Rachel Monaro huh? Yea…she is a keeper.”

[Crimson]

Chapter 5 – Unexpected Interruption

Jason woke up the next morning with a good yawn and a big stretch; he was ready to get the day under way. Jason got out of bed and headed to the bathroom where he used the bathroom, washed his face, and brushed his teeth. Jason got out the bathroom and left his room and went downstairs to the kitchen. When he got to the bathroom, he saw Rachel down there drinking coffee at the table.

Rachel was wearing white pajamas with Teddy Bears on it. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and it was a little messy. It was easy to tell she got up not too much sooner than Jason did. She was also wearing glasses, giving evidence that she usually wore contacts. Jason thought she looked as beautiful as ever. Jason decided to talk to her a bit before getting his breakfast.

“Hey Rachel, you are looking good this morning.” Jason said looking at Rachel. Rachel looked at Jason and turned a slight red color.

“Haha, why are you blushing?” Jason asked as he noticed her expression.

“Umm..well…you see…” Rachel stammered and just gave up trying to talk and just pointed towards Jason.

Jason looked down and noticed he was shirtless and put the parts together. Jason quickly puts his hands over his chest and nervously headed back to his room and quickly found a shirt to put on. Jason headed back to the kitchen and got a bowl of cereal and sat at the table beside Rachel. Jason tried to initiate conversation with Rachel while eating his cereal.

“So how are you doing this fine morning?”

“Well…umm…shooo.” Rachel stopped herself to prevent further embarrassment and collected herself. After a few deep breathes to suppress her nervous tensions, she continued. “I am doing fine Jason, how are you?”

“Haha, seems I got her all flustered.” Jason thought to himself before answering her question. “I am doing well. Thank you again for spending time with me last night while I repaired my Zaber Fang.”

“It was no problem really. I had fun with you.”

That made Jason smile because he was starting to develop feelings for Rachel and he was hoping she was developing feelings for him as well. Jason continued to eat his cereal and finished it quickly. As he got to the sink to rinse it out saw that Brad and Naomi were sleepily walking into the kitchen.

“Good God, ya’ll look out of it.” Jason told the couple as they walked in. “It is pretty evident what they did while me and Rachel were in the hanger last night.” Jason said to himself chuckling a bit. He didn’t want to mention it though.

“Yea, tell me about it. Naomi is wild…agh!” Brad started before taking a shot to the ribs from Naomi.

“Will you shut up? They don’t want to hear about it!”

“Calm down wills ya? We are all adults hear. It is okay, right Jason?”

“I am okay with it…as long as you stay away from being overly descriptive. You get my drift?”

“I hear ya on that. Let’s just say the night was tiring. Oh, how did the repairs on your Zaber Fang go last night?”

“Yea, everything went well. Time flew by because when I finished it was close to midnight, but it was all good because Rachel was there with me.” Jason said as he motioned towards Rachel. Naomi looked at Rachel and noticed she was blushing. Naomi simply smiled.

“So you are good to go in case we have a battle later today right?” Naomi questioned.

“Yup, we are good to go.” Jason said giving Naomi the thumbs up.

“Alright good, well I am awful hungry now so…Imma get me something to eat.” Brad said as he made his way to the refrigerator. Brad ended up having toast with jelly and some juice.

Soon after everyone was finished with their respective breakfasts, everyone was sitting around the table tending to their own matters. The silence was getting to Naomi because with four people in the house, things shouldn’t be this silent. After some pondering on her own part, she decided to propose her question.

“Hey guys, how about we have lunch together?”

“Why the hell are we talking about lunch at nine in the morning?” Brad asked in protest?

“It is called planning ahead. Not everyone functions off of being spontaneous like you do Brad.” Naomi threw back at him.

“I am all for it, where do you want to go Naomi?” Jason asked.

“I am thinking of going to Zalo’s. They have a good Zoid pilot scene over there, so it will be good to see of any potential battles in case one doesn’t come our way.”

“Sounds good, Brad, Rachel what do ya’ll think? Jason asked for Naomi.

“Eh…I guess it is okay.” Brad said as he sat back and folded his arms across his chest.

“Yes, I am okay with it Jason.” Rachel said looking at Jason.

“Good, now that we are all in agreement, let’s see what is on the TV.” Naomi said as she turned around towards the TV and turned it on.

“We have breaking news in the world of Zoids. Before it was mere speculation, but now it is official. We have news that the Crimson Fang has joined with Naomi Fleugel and her Fleugel Team. You all may know the Crimson Fang as the pilot who shot his way through the ranks to Class A just by fighting in 1-on-1 battles. He is recognized by his red Zaber Fang with black shoulder plates. With someone of his caliber on their team, the Fleugel Team sure is a force to be reckoned with. Naomi Fleugel in her Gun Sniper, Brad Hunter in his newly reconfigured Fire Fox, and now the Crimson Fang in his Zaber Fang, teams look out!

This is Trisha Rayne reporting”

“God, news travels fast doesn’t it?” Jason said with a laugh

“Yea, it does doesn’t it? Brad said back.

“Eh, I don’t mind really. This kind of stuff happens all the time.”

“Do you still feel comfortable going to Zalo’s for lunch?” Rachel asked nervously as she looked at Jason.

“Huh? Yea, I am cool with it. It is no big deal really.” Jason said to reassure her and everyone else. “Well, I am going to back to bed. I am really tired still.”

“Alright Jason, sleep well. Should I come wake you when we are getting ready?” Rachel asked.

“Yea, that sounds good.” Jason said with a smile.

===============================================================

The night was young and everything was silent. A clock could be seen and it read 10’o clock. A man could be scene in appeared to be a laboratory working on something. He held up the item in a light to inspect it. The item in question was small in size, but looked very high tech. It was clear the part was for a Zoid. It seemed like it was a component to help the overall performance of the Zoid it was equipped on.

“Honey, can you get me the wrench? I got to tighten this bolt.” The man asked.

“Yea, sure be right there!”

The man continued to inspect the component when a woman came in with a wrench in hand.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks babe, how are the kids doing?” The man said as he turned back to tighten the bolt on the component he was holding.

“You know I don’t like it when you call me babe, but the kids are sound asleep.”

“Heh, I know. I did it to get a rise out of you. And…there. I think this should do it. Are you ready to test it out?” The man said as he finished with the bolt.

“Yea, let’s put it into the core and see how it goes. Hand me the plug and I will put it into the core, you head over to the control panel and get set up. Okay?” The woman said suddenly taking charge.

“Well now, who told woke up and made you the man in this family?”

“Haha, just do it.”

“Yes ma’am”

The man headed over to the control panel as his wife put the plug into the core and prepared for activation. The core was a Zoid core that they found from the remains of a destroyed Zoid out in the desert.

“Alright, the plug is ready, are you ready?”

“Yup, now get back here.”

The man pushed a button on the panel to activate the core. The core flickered with light than began to get brighter and brighter with each passing second. The core was now fully activated and everything was going good so far. Now that the initial phase was done it was time to initiate the plug to see it was fully functional as well.

“Alright, here goes nothing.”

A button was pushed was on the control panel and the plug was successfully activated. There were gauges on the control panel that monitored the stability levels of energy of the core. The gauges start to flutter as the plug activated and the core began to glow a more brilliant white. Pressure continued to rise on the core and the laboratory start to rumble.

“I think we should cut it off, this is making me nervous.” The woman said.

“Just a bit more, if this is successful, we will revolutionize the Zoids world!”

With that said, the laboratory continued to rumble and the core continued to glow. Suddenly a fuselage close to the core ruptured and burst. The fuselage fluttered around on the ground with uncontrollably and started to crash into other experimental equipment stationed around the laboratory.

“CUT IT OFF NOW!” The woman exclaimed as loud as she could, but it was too late. The damage had already been done.

“I can’t cut it off, it is going to blow!”

The couple immediately ran out of the laboratory and it exploded.

“NOOOOO!”

=====================================================

“No, mom, dad, someone help them! HELP THEM!” Jason said as he shot up in a cold sweat. Huffing, Jason looked around to see what it going on. He noticed Rachel sitting at his bed side looking at him in a worried manner.

“You were having a bad dream…a pretty bad dream.” Rachel told Jason as she tried to calm him down. She went into his bathroom and got him a towel and wiped him off.

“I came in to tell you it was time to get up, but I guess you were in the middle of your dream and wasn’t waking up. It looked pretty bad and I was worried, so I waited until you woke up.” Rachel continued as she wiped him down.

“Thanks a lot. I guess I will go ahead and get dressed then.” Jason smiled and got out of bed.

“I will see you guys downstairs shortly.”

“Umm…alright. See you soon.” With that, Rachel walked out the room and Jason got dressed. He put on his black sweatpants, black shirt, and red hoody. He put his Du-rag on his head and put a black toboggan on top. This is what he typically wore when going out. With his clothes on, he met up with everyone downstairs and they departed for Zalo’s.

The group got to Zalo’s and entered. The second they entered, the entire place went quiet. It was evident who they were. They were just in the news and they were still the hot button topic going around. The mummers could be heard going around about them and their new team acquisition. The group didn’t feel too comfortable being there because they felt they wouldn’t get a moment’s peace with all the people in there.

“Yea…let’s leave. There has to be a smaller, lesser known place to eat.” Brad said.

“Yea, I agree…let’s get out of here.” Jason said in agreement.

The group left Zalo’s about as fast as they got there, and began to look for another place to eat. After about ten minutes of searching, they found a place that fit their needs. The place was called Ritory’s. Right before they entered, someone yelled out to them.

“Eh Crimson! Looks like you finally found a team that met your expectations.”

“Marcus?! Nice seeing you here. You brought Axel and Robert with you.”

“Like he would leave us behind…HA!” Axel yelled out.

“Yea, I did find a good team to join. Let me introduce you to each other. Naomi, Brad, Rachel, this is Marcus, Axel, and Robert. They are the Desert Wolves. This was the team I was facing when the Fierce Zaber Fangs attacked me.”

“About that, if I knew you were in that much trouble, I would have come back to help. Or Robert and Axel would have because my Command Wolf was nearly out of commission.”

“Don’t worry about it. If ya’ll have come back, I wouldn’t have been able to get together with Naomi and her team. So don’t beat yourself up about it.” Jason laughed.

“Yea, true. So how about that battle? You said we would battle again when you found a team.” Robert said almost anxious.

“Okay, how about today? We are about to go eat, so you set up everything with ZBC, and we will meet you on the battle field, say three this afternoon?” Jason asked. “Are you guys okay with that?” Jason motioned towards Brad and Naomi.

“As long as I get my cut of the money.” Brad said in true mercenary fashion.

“Yea, I am okay with it.” Naomi said.

“Alright, looks like everyone is in agreement Crimson. Have a good lunch, and see you on the battlefield.”

“Alright Marcus, see you then.”

With that, the two groups split to take care of things before their engagement later in the afternoon.

[Crimson]

Chapter 6 – Old Rivals, New Circumstances

Jason, Rachel, Naomi, and Brad had their lunch in Ritory’s so they would have energy for the match later that afternoon. Ritory’s was a small Italian place to eat. It worked for them to get away from the masses of people around them. People still eyeballed them in Ritory’s, but a lot less than what it would have been at Zalo’s.

“So what kind of info you have on these guys Jason?” Naomi questioned.

“All three of them pilot Command Wolves. They are desert yellow, so I would imagine they will pick a spot in the desert for the battle. Sort of like camouflage for them. Marcus is the leader of the team and his Command Wolf is outfitted with Assistance Boosters to aid in speed. The boosters are attached to its hind legs. I don’t know what Axel and Robert have equipped, if anything, because I did not fight them.”

“How was Marcus fairing when you guys faced off?”

“It was easily a one sided fight when we last squared off, but that was about two weeks ago. I would think he improved somewhat in that time frame.”

“Alright, so what do you think would be our game plan for this battle?”

“Naturally, I would say split things up into 1-on-1 battles and take them out like that, but judging by how Axel and Robert took out Kirkland and Lineback, they are a good team. So Brad and I will take on Axel and Robert, and you, Naomi, can take on Marcus using your range to your advantage. But watch out, he does have a Long Ranged Cannon equipped on his Command Wolf.”

“That sounds good and all, but how are we going to go about that?” Naomi asked.

“The best thing to do is for you to get a good vantage point before the battle starts. That way you can single out Marcus right after the battle starts and we can focus on Axel and Robert.” Jason said while motioning towards Brad.

“Alright Jason, we will run your plan. Let’s go ahead and go and get prepared. It is about 1:30 now. We should get to the location at about 2:30 so I can get my vantage point.” Naomi said looking at her watch.

“Alright, let’s get going.” Jason concluded as the group got up and left Ritory’s to head back to Naomi’s place.

Soon after they got back to Naomi’s place, Naomi got the notification from the ZBC about the battle location. The battle was set to take place in the desert by the stony edge. Jason, Naomi, and Brad got into their respective Zoids and Rachel took her place in the transport. The Zaber Fang, Gun Sniper, and Fire Fox took their place in the back hatch, left side hatch, and right side hatch of the transport respectively. Rachel started the engine and set out for the desert.

The transport stopped about 2 miles short of the battle so it would not get caught in the crossfire. The Gun Sniper, Fire Fox, and Zaber Fang all deployed and made their way to the battlefield. Naomi found a good rock cliff to set up on, and Brad and Jason just stood there waiting. Jason ran another systems check on his Zoid to make 100% sure that leg was good. The check turned out to be beneficial for Jason because the leg read to be good. Soon after the check was done, the Desert Wolves could be seen coming over the horizon. The judge bot came down shortly after to start the battle.

“The area in a ten mile radius is a designated Zoid battle area. All unauthorized vehicles and others must leave the battlefield. I repeat, all unauthorized vehicles and others must leave the battlefield. Area scanned, battlefield setup, the Fleugel Team vs. the Desert Wolves. Battle mode 0982. Readyyy…FIGHT!”

With the battle officially underway, Jason and Brad made their move towards Axel and Robert. Jason began to fire his Shock Cannon and Brad was firing his Gatling Gun towards Axel and Robert. Axel and Robert dodged the fire and ran towards Jason together. Marcus began to converge on Jason as well, but he was cut off by a bullet that hit the ground in front of him.

“What the hell was that?” Marcus yelled out.

“It should be pretty clear what it was, or did you forget that I, Naomi Fleugel, was on the Fleugel Team.”

“Heh, guess I should have known you went and got a good sniping point. I guess I just gotta take care of you before you become a problem.”

Marcus took off away from the others to look for Naomi and her Gun Sniper. Meanwhile, Axel and Robert were singling out Jason. They began to weave in and out, back and forth, dodging Jason’s fire while still approaching him at a good speed. Axel’s Command Wolf took a swing at Jason with its claw. Jason dodged backwards, but Robert came overtop Axel and caught Jason with a strike from its claws. The strike sent Jason backwards, crumpling to the ground.

“Yo, that was good. I totally did not expect that.” Jason said struggling to bring his Zoid back to its feet.

“HAHA, You will never get back out our tandem attack.” Axel blurted out.

“Oh really? There is one weakness to your tandem attack that I found out already.”

“HAHA…wait…what? Agh!” Axel said before interrupted by Brad’s Fire Fox.

“Did you forget I was here you twit?” Brad yelled out.

The Fire Fox came up and rammed Axel’s Command Wolf with the head of his Zoid. The brunt of the attack sent the Command Wolf to the ground and Brad continued to pummel the Command Wolf in Gatling Gun fire. Jason turned and focused his attention on Robert. Jason charged forward, blasting his Beam Cannon at the Command Wolf. Some of the shots hitting their mark causing some damage to the exterior. Robert attempted to counter back with cannon fire of his own, but Jason evaded that and caught Robert with a melee attack.

“You better come better than that if you want to take me on 1-on-1 Robert.”

“Arg, I need some help. AXEL! Get over here!” Robert exclaimed out.

===============================================================

“WHERE ARE YOU AT?!” Marcus cried out in frustration.

Marcus was still pursuing Naomi, and has yet to get any closer to finding her. Marcus was taking pot shots around the rock base in hopes of catching her off guard. He let out shots left and right, and there was no evidence of him hitting her. No cries, no sound of metal hitting the ground, no nothing. Marcus continued to walk along the rock base, it was dead silent, and he was feeling uneasy.

“Gotcha.” Naomi said as she pulled her figure on the trigger. The sniper shell soared through the air and approached Marcus’s Command Wolf at high speed. Just as the bullet was about the reach Marcus, he began to turn his Command Wolf around and the bullet grazed the underbelly of his Zoid.

“Gah. Lucky little dude. If you hadn’t turned your Zoid when you did, you would be out of commission.”

“Heh, I know where to look for you now. I heard the gun fire, so I figured I would position my Zoid, so I would know when I did get hit I would know where you were. And judging by where the bullet hit me you are to my…left!” Marcus activated his Assistance Boosters and began to run up the rock base.

He zigzagged back and forth up the rock base in hopes of scoping out where Naomi is positioned. Once he got up the top of the base, he jump and started to turn his Command Wolf in the air.

“What the hell are you doing?” Naomi asked out of desperation. Naomi was so dumbfounded by the maneuver Marcus pulled off that she couldn’t react fast enough with her Sniper Rifle.

“I am trying to find your elusive ass.”

“And you plan on doing that by jumping off the rock base?”

Marcus turned his Zoid in the air in such a way that it looked as if he was parallel to the ground below. Marcus kept spinning until he saw and Red Zoid off in the distance.

“Looks like I found you Fleugel.”

“What!?”

Marcus landed on the ground and started to run towards Naomi. He turned on his boosters and charged ahead at top speed. Once he got to Naomi’s sniping post, he began to run up the rocks again. He zigzagged up the rock base once again. Once he got up the top, he jumped and turned towards Naomi.

“I got you now! I am taking you out!”

“I highly doubt that.” Naomi said as she fired her Sniper Rifle at the Command Wolf.

Marcus fired three quick shots in succession from his Long Range Rifle at Naomi right before he got hit by the Sniper shot. The bullet hit the Command Wolf right under the head and came out the back of the Zoid. The three shots Marcus fired caught the Gun Sniper on the sniper tail, blowing it off. Both Zoids were out of commission.

“That was one damn good move you pulled off kid.” Naomi said in congratulations

“Heh, I guess so. At least I took you out even though I was taken out myself.”

“Yea, but now my Gun Sniper is ruined.”

“I’m sorry about that, really” Marcus said a little hurt.

“It is alright, it is all part of battling with Zoids.”

“Yea, I just hope Robert and Axel can pull off the victory.”

“I don’t think so, not with Brad and Jason being their opponents.”

===============================================================

Robert and Axel were in rough shape by this point in the battle. Brad’s Fire Fox was running low on Gatling Gun ammo, as was the Shock Cannon on the Zaber Fang. Jason and Brad pushed forward heading towards their enemies, firing the remains of their weapons running low on ammo. Axel and Robert dodged to the best of their ability, but were caught by some bullets none-the-less.

“Man, we are in trouble. Things are looking bleak for us Axel.”

“Don’t like that, EVER. We can beat these weaklings.” Axel refused to accept defeat.

Axel rushed forward at Jason and Brad. He took a strike at Jason and Jason quick dodged to the left and Axel missed. After the dodge, Axel was now caught between Brad and Jason. He was now essentially caught ‘between a rock and a hard place.’

“Oh boy…”

“Yea…that was a dumb move you just pulled fella.” Brad said to further break Axel’s spirits.

Jason fired his Beam Cannon and caught Axel’s Command Wolf on its hind leg, immobilizing it. Jason and Brad activated their boosters and ran towards Axel. They took a wide sweeping motion out away from his Zoid, then turned back and prepared to strike Axel. Brad was running towards the head, and Jason running towards the tail. They hit cut Axel from head to tail and from tail to head. The Command Wolf crumpled to the ground, its Command System froze.

“That was our version of the Tandem Attack.” Jason laughed.

“For something completely impromptu…it worked.” Brad laughed back.

“Yea, now it is time to take care of Robert.”

The duo turned around and worked their way back to Robert. By this time Robert was very scared of what was ready to come. The Zaber Fang and Fire Fox both stopped in front of the cowering Command Wolf.

“You know what is about to happen don’t you?” Jason asked Robert.

“Yes I do, and I choose to go down fighting!” Robert said as he took a swing at Jason’s Zaber Fang. The strike hit the Zaber Fang across the shoulder, but no major damage was done.

“That was the wrong decision. Brad, let’s set up for our attack again.”

“Gotcha.”

The both activated their boosters again and split up, leaving Robert in the middle. Jason performed a slide turn and fired his Beam Cannon. The cannon hit dead on with the knee joint of the front and hind legs on the right side of the Command Wolf. With the Command Wolf now immobilized, Jason and Brad took the wide sweeping motion outwards and turn to come back for their attack, the Tandem Claw. Hitting the Command Wolf on their respective sides, the Zoid buckled and fell, ending the battle.

“The battle is over, the battle over. The winner is…The Fleugel Team!” The judge said raising his hand. The judge bot soon lifted off, back to the ZBC satellite.

With the battle officially over, the three Zoids from each team met up in the middle of the battlefield for a quick chat before departing.

“That was one good battle. I never expected you, the Crimson Fang, to work so well with your partner in your first team battle.” Marcus said almost dumbfounded.

“Yea…we were gelling very well out there.”

“Yea, and that Tandem Claw attack you guys pulled off was phenomenal.”

“Thanks, we made that up on the fly. That is just how we do things, right Brad? Spontaneously.” Jason chuckled.

“You got that right haha.”

“Only bad thing about thing about this battle is my Gun Sniper is a wreck now. No way we can fix the Sniper tail.” Naomi said a little sad, and a tear in her eye.

“Oh really? Don’t worry about that Naomi. I will hook you up. Give me about a day or so.” Jason said reassuring her.

“OK! Thank you so much.”

“Alright, I think it is time us to get going. I will catch ya later Marcus.”

“Alright, see ya later Crimson, or can I call you Jason?”

“Yea, sure, no problem.”

"Alright, cool. I will see you later"

The two teams departed and went back to their respective transports. Jason left with the knowledge that he can coordinate closely with his new team to an effective degree. Jason, Naomi, and Brad loaded up their Zoids in their particular holding places, anchored them down, left the Zoids, and got the command center. They said their hellos to Rachel and they departed for Naomi’s place.

[Crimson]

Chapter 7 – The Truth Behind the Cat

The team returned to Naomi’s place after their victory over the Desert Wolves. Soon after they got back they unloaded the Zoids and stationed them in their respective holding places. Jason examined the damage done to the Sniper Tail on Naomi’s Gun Sniper.

“He hit it right on the joint of the tail. This will take some extensive work to get done. Brad I am going to need some help on this, you mind?”

“No, it is no problem. I will require payment for my services though.” Brad said winking towards Jason.

“Fine, whatever, we just have to get this fixed. I will be right back; I am going to make a phone call.” Jason said as he left the hanger. Jason ran up to his room and called up one of his friends in hopes of getting some assistance on his repair.

“Hello?” The voice on the other end said.

“Hey man this is Jason; I was wondering do you have any Sniper Tails for Gun Snipers available?”

“Jason?! I heard you joined up with the Fleugel Team.”

“Yea, that is why I need this tail. Naomi got hers busted in the last battle, and we need a replacement.” Jason told the voice.

“Oh ok, let me go check to see if I have one.” The man said as he left to check his inventory. He returned shortly after leaving and told Jason what he found. “I looked and we do not have any Gun Sniper tails, but I do have a Sniper tail from a Snipe Master sitting around. Will that work?”

“Wow, a Snipe Master. Yea, that will work. Be sure to include reinforcements to the toe locks for the Gun Sniper. I know the power of the Sniper Rifle is greatly improved, this will help.”

“Alright, I will be right on it. We can talk details of payment later. Need anything else?”

“Yea, bring the crane with you, need a way to get the Tail onto the Zoid.”

“Alrighty, see you soon.” With that, they hung up.

Jason made his way back to the hanger and told everyone else that the replacement tail will be coming in shortly. Naomi looked pleasantly surprised and gave Jason a big hug. The tail came in about ten minutes after Jason got his congratulations from everyone. The truck rolled up with the tail on the back. Jason and Brad directed the truck into the hanger and Naomi questioned Jason.

“Umm…that isn’t a Gun Sniper Tail.”

“I know, it is Snipe Master Tail. That is why I also got you the improved toe locks so the increased power won’t knock you back so far.” Jason told her as he and Brad prepared the crane to raise the tail to the back of the Gun Sniper.

Naomi simply said ‘okay’ and left the hanger for them to their job. Rachel hung around because there was something she had to ask Jason. She was up on the crane with Brad and Jason, making this easier to pull off. The drilling, banging, and hammering echoed throughout the hanger as Brad and Jason began to work on the new tail

Rachel waited until Jason and Brad were a good ways underway with the repair before she got permission to ask her question. “Jason, I have a question to ask you.” Rachel anxiously said. Jason kept drilling bots into place and gave Rachel the nod to continue.

“How did you get to where you are? I mean, like, you were a loner before getting here. No one just becomes a loner; usually something bad happens for them to become a loner.” Rachel asked.

Jason was a little surprised by the question, but obliged. “Oh, that is a really long story. I will give you the short version of it. Is that okay?”

“Yes, that is fine. Start when you are ready.”

Jason put the tools down, and sat up looking at Rachel. Jason got a stern look on his face. Do you remember when you walked in on me having that bad dream?”

“Yes, what about it?”

”Well, that bad dream was essentially what happened to my parents. They’re both scientists and they were working on a way to improve the capabilities of a Zoid, but things went haywire and their laboratory blew up. This happened about five years ago when I was 17. The fire from the laboratory spread over to the house, since it was connected, much like this hanger and Naomi’s house. So the fire spread over into the house and set the house ablaze. My brother and I were sleeping. They came in and got me up, and got me out of the house. They tried to get to my brother out of the house, but the door was locked. By this time the firefighters were there and broke through his window and a firefighter picked him up and started to descend down the ladder. Before they could make it down the ladder, the rest of the house exploded.” Jason said. Jason had a tear accumulate around his eye. It was clear that this hurt Jason to the core.

“Oh my God, that is terrible. Did he survive?”

“We have doubted that. None of the firefighters made it, and when we came back the next day, his body was not found. So that is when I set out to find him. Five years and still no success.”

“That is just terrible, I hope you do find him, but until then we hope you enjoy your time here on the team.” Rachel said in attempt to reassure Jason.

“Thank you, now I must get back to work on this Tail.” Jason said as he wiped the tear and got back to work.

The work on the new Sniper Tail on the Gun Sniper was nearly done when Naomi called Jason up to the command center. Jason climbed down off the crane and met up with everyone else. Brad left the hanger a bit before Jason so he was already there.

“Jason I called you up here to tell you that we have a battle scheduled for tomorrow. It is against Jack Cisco and the Tasker sisters, the Lightning Team.” Naomi told Jason.

“Oh ok, that is cool. Everything should be done by tomorrow for the battle. It is almost done now all I have to do is install the new toe locks.”

“Alright, that is all I wanted to know. Is there anyway you can finish it tonight so I can test it tomorrow?”

“Yea, I will have it done for you tonight.” Jason said as he grabbed a snack and prepared to head back to the hanger. “I am going to finish things up now. Brad, if you are tired I can finish things myself.”

“Yea, I am calling it a night, catch ya’ll in the morning.”

Brad, Rachel, and Naomi turned it in for the night and Jason went back to the hanger to finish installing the toe locks onto the Gun Sniper. It took Jason nearly an hour and a half to replace the two old toe locks with the new ones. After finishing his work, Jason went up to his room, took a quick shower and went to sleep.

===============================================================

“Good move sir, good move.” Said a man who was watching video footage of Jason’s previous Zoid battles. “I never expected you to be this good.”

The man was watching intently on the videos he was watching looking for any pattern to Jason’s attacks.

“I have been waiting a long time to get my crack at you, searching this planet up and down, and back and forth looking for your ass. I finally found you. You made a big mistake joining up with the Fleugel Team. Your face has been plastered all over the media, giving me the chance I needed to track you down.”

As the man sat at his desk, another man walked in and began to talk to him. “Keith, I have good news for you. It seems the Fleugel Team has a battle tomorrow against the Lightning Team.” The other man said.
“Thanks a lot Michael that really made my night so much better.”

“No problem, I am heading off to bed now.” Said the man as he left Keith’s room.

“Haha, tomorrow eh? Tomorrow will be your day of reckoning Jason.”

===============================================================

Jason woke up next morning to the sound of gunfire. It kind of bothered him because he was sound asleep.

“Heh, Naomi must be testing the new Tail and toe locks.”

Jason rolled out of bed, used the bathroom, put on his clothes, and went outside to where Naomi was. Naomi noticed Jason outside and got out of her newly improved Gun Sniper. She ran over to Jason and gave him a massive hug.

“Thank you so much, the new Sniper Tail is so much better than the old one.”

“It was no problem really; least I could do for giving me a chance on your team.”

“I owe you a big one Jason, at least let me repay you.”

“Repay me when you see fit, but I am good right now.”

“Okay, sounds good, let’s head on up. It is almost time for our battle.”

Jason and Naomi went up the command center and found Brad and Rachel sitting there. Naomi gave Brad a kiss for his help on the Sniper Tail and Rachel whispered in Jason’s ear was he okay after revealing a lot of himself to her. Jason simply nodded and sat down at the table. They discussed battle strategy for the Lightning Team battle. They agreed to implore the same strategy they did against the Desert Wolves since that seemed to work best. After the team meeting, they went to the hanger and loaded their Zoids onto the Transport and left for the battlefield.

The battle was scheduled to take place in an abandoned city near the border of the desert. The Transport arrived a little bit before the Lightning Team did. This gave Naomi enough time to get a good sniping post to prepare for battle. The judge came down soon after we got there.

“The area in a ten mile radius is a designated Zoid battle area. All unauthorized vehicles and others must leave the battlefield. I repeat, all unauthorized vehicles and others must leave the battlefield. Area scanned, battlefield setup, the Fleugel Team vs. the Lightning Team. Battle mode 0982. Readyyy…FIGHT!”

“Alright girls, let’s ge…agh!” Jack said before getting shot.

“JACK! AHH!” Both of the Tasker sisters said before they got shot as well. The shear power of the blast caused a great booming sound to ring through the ears of everyone in the immediate area.

“Warning, unauthorized Zoid has entered the battlefield. I repeat, an unauthorized Zoid has entered the battlefield. You must leave now, or expect dire consequ…Ahh. Bzzt, must…leave…bzzt…bztt…bzzt…field.” The judge bot was rendered useless by the mysterious Zoid.

“Who the hell did that?!” Jason yelled out, searching for the culprit.

Jason turned to see a black Zoid coming from over the horizon. The Zoid was a spectacle to behold. Its black armor glimmered in the sun that was beginning to set. Its piercing blue eyes looked as though it was ready to kill any pray that came its way. The Zoid kept approaching and as it got closer it became easier to distinguish what the Zoid really was.

“Wow, it is a Konig Wolf. That is a very rare Zoid.” Brad stated as the black enigma became a tangible object.

The Konig Wolf, the rare Wolf Zoid that was, like the Liger Zero, directly based off a wild Zoid type. It is equipped with Double Barreled Multi-discharger, which was the weapon used to disable the Lightning Team and the judge bot. The DBM-d was a shotgun based weapon which shot a spread of bullets at the opponent. It has an impressive array of melee capabilities that give the Konig a definite edge in close ranged combat.

The Konig Wolf approached Brad and Jason and stood there, waiting. Jason was brimming with anger because the pilot of this Zoid just ruined their battle, and Jason took a great offense to that.

“Hey, bastard, just who the hell do you think you are interrupting the battle like that?”

“Haha, well isn’t this a pleasant surprise. Looks like my people were right when they said you were fighting the Lightning Team today. They sure fell easily didn’t they?” The man said mocking the Lightning Team.

“AHH, shut up! I don’t care who you are anymore, your ass is mine!” Jason said, overflowing with ferocity.

“Why, that isn’t the way to say hello to your brother now is it?”

[Crimson]

Chapter 8 – Unexpected Reunion

Jason was dumbstruck that the brother he thought was dead was now in front of him. It was almost too good to be true. Jason didn’t truly believe this guy that said he was his brother; he just couldn’t fathom it.

“Why the hell should I believe you are my brother. Prove to me you are who you say you are.” Jason said questioning the suspected man.

“I am not surprised you are questioning me, after all you thought I was dead judging by your reaction. My name is Keith Robinson, your brother, I was supposed to have died five years ago in the fire from our old house, but I didn’t.”

Jason’s eyes widened when Keith told him what he did. There was no question in Jason’s mind now that the man was indeed his brother Keith. What bothered Jason the most was how he survived the fire, and subsequent explosion of their old house?

“Yes, all that is true, how did you manage to survive the blast?”

“I survived because the firefighter that was carrying me absorbed the vast majority of the blast. We managed to get to the ground before the blast and he covered me up, acting as a human fire blanket for me. I survived, but did not come out of there unscathed. The flames burnt me along my back and all along my left arm.” Keith said as he felt the burn scars along his arm. The scars extended from his left shoulder all the way down to his elbow. The scars felt like old wood because the scars have hardened over time. They were rough, rigid, and raggedy because of constant wear and tear on Keith’s part.

“That sure is am impressive tale, but why are you here Keith? It is great to see you though!” Jason wondered still trying to grasp the situation in front of him. Despite the haziness of the situation, he was happy to see his brother after all this time. Jason always felt he wasn’t dead, and here they are reuniting for the first time in five years.

“I wish I could say it was great to see you too brother, but I am here to kill you.”

Jason’s heart skipped a beat when he heard Keith’s response. Why would he want to kill me? What did I ever do to him? These questions crossed Jason’s mind.

“Why do you want to kill me?” Jason asked a little hesitant.

“All you need to know is that you will die today!” Keith yelled out towards Jason.

“But, but…”


“SHUT UP!” Keith blurted out and interrupted Jason. Keith did not want to hear what Jason had to say. In his mind, Jason did an injustice to him and now it was time for repentance.

“Are you ready for your final battle brother?” Keith said as he positioned his Konig Wolf for battle.

“If that is the way you want it.” Jason said as he readied his Zaber Fang.

“Jason, we are here. We have your back.” Brad said over a connection.

“Thanks, but not thanks. This is my battle do not get involved!” Jason yelled back. Jason still felt that the situation was a little weird. It all felt surreal to him, but he had to keep his wits about him because if he did not fight back, he would die today.

“Good, now that there will be no interruptions, here I come!” Keith said as he made his Konig Wolf charge Jason.

The Konig Wolf rushed at the Zaber Fang at good speed. It closed the distance between the two very quickly. Keith pushed the throttles forward and made the Konig Wolf perform a melee attack. Jason managed the dodge it and slid the Zaber Fang over to the side. Keith turned and fired the Multi-discharger at Jason. The shot scattered and pelted the Zaber Fang all along the right side. Smoke dissipated from the multiple holes. The shot stunned the Zaber Fang long enough for Keith to get in a melee attack. The sharp claws from the Konig Wolf shredded the Beam Cannon off the back of the Zaber Fang. The Zaber Fang crumpled to the ground from the assault.

“Jeez, you are good.” Jason said struggling to get the Zaber Fang up to its feet.

“I have been preparing for this day for a long time now. I would not be here now if I didn’t think I would kill you today!” Keith exclaimed out.

“I am NOT dying today!” Jason screamed as he got his Zaber Fang afoot.

Wires hung out along the back of the Zaber Fang where the Beam Cannon once stood, but that did not stop Jason from pursuing Keith further. He activated his boosters and equipped his Shock Cannon on the underbelly of the Zaber Fang. The Zaber Fang ran around the Konig Wolf in an attempt to flank it from the right. Jason fired the Shock Cannon and hit the Konig Wolf causing the cockpit to rattle and Keith was getting agitated. Keith turned the Konig Wolf around and gapped its mouth open. It lunged at the Zaber Fang, mouth open, and latched on to the Zaber Fang’s neck. The Zaber Fang swiped at the Konig Wolf and knocked it off its neck and placed its foot on the head of the Konig Wolf.

“You are as good as I have heard and seen brother.” Keith said almost mockingly.


“You can shut the fuck up!”

“Ohh, someone is finally upset. Looks like this will be an interesting battle after all.” Keith as he turned his Konig Wolf around on the ground enough to shoot the Multi-discharger at Jason. The shot gave Keith the time he needed to bring his Zoid to its feet.

“Let’s go ahead and take this battle to the next degree, shall we?” Keith state nonchalantly.

===============================================================

“Sir! Sir! I have some news you may want to hear!” A man dressed in soldier attire came barging in.

“Ugh…how many times must I tell you, don’t interrupt me during my break?” The man said.

“Sorry sir, but I think you this news will please you.”

“Okay, what is this ‘oh so important’ news?”

“Keith Robinson has come back, and it seems he found his brother and is fighting him now!” The man said excitingly.

“Wow that is some news. It would seem he has finally decided to go after his family. Have you found the coordinates to where he is fighting? I would really like to see how much he has improved.” The man intrigued.

“Yes sir, I will bring it up now.” The man began typing on a keyboard close to his boss and pulled up the fight against Keith and Jason.

“Hmm, so it is true. You really have comeback Keith. This is good; this will really help put my plan into action. I will sit back and watch this battle between you and your brother, but tomorrow we will reunite and you will get you own ‘blast from the past’.” The man said reclining back into his chair, taking a sip of wine.

===============================================================

Both Jason and Keith were pushed to their limits out on the battlefield. They were in a fight for their lives. Both the Zaber Fang and Konig Wolf were on the ground, functional, but motionless due to their last exchange. Both Zoids were a shell of their former self. One of the Konig Wolf’s Multi-dischargers was ripped off; leaving the electrical wires to dangle. Along with the Beam Cannon that was torn off earlier, the Zaber Fang now has a limp in its left front leg. This significantly decreases the Zaber Fangs’s mobility.
“Huff…huff, goddammit, this is getting difficult. My mobility is nearly shot, but at least I got one of his shotguns” Jason said kind of tired from the battle against Keith.

“Huff…huff, no lie, I may be tired, but that still won’t stop me from killing you! Here I come!” Keith said charging at Jason.

The Konig Wolf came charging at the Zaber Fang at great speed. The Konig Wolf lunged at the Zaber Fang with claws extended and the intent to kill. As the Konig Wolf came down to strike, the Zaber Fang pivoted and hopped backwards, dodging the potential blow. Jason followed up the dodge with a quick shot from his Shock Cannon into Konig Wolf’s front and hind legs on the right side causing the Zoid to buckle under the weight.

“It’s time to put an end to this…” Jason said activating his boosters and sending his Zaber Fang into a wide sweeping motion. He was moving in for a variation of the Tandem Claw used by him and Brad, except this time he was flying solo. Everything was in place for Jason to strike. Jason turned the Zaber Fang around and ran towards the right side of the crumpled over Konig Wolf. The Zaber Fang lunched forward and brought its arm out to slice the Konig Wolf from tail to head, hoping to take off the other Multi-discharger in the process. As Jason swung the arm of the Zaber Fang, Keith activated the left side booster. This gave Keith enough power to dodge Jason’s attack. Keith followed up his attack with a shot from his Multi-discharger taking out the left hind leg of the Zaber Fang.

“But…how? How did you dodge my attack?” Jason was awestruck.

“Brother, you are very predictable. I have seen all of your previous battles and I figured you would try that move. That and you have been attacking me from my left side all battle, whether I was facing you or not. Now you will die…” Keith said slowly approaching Jason.

“So this is where it all ends huh? Life over before it truly ever started.” Jason said to himself.

Keith got to Jason and raised the claw of his Konig Wolf. “Now, Jason, time for you to di-“ Keith said before he was interrupted by a shot that crashed into the ground in between him and Jason.

“What the hell?! You!” Keith yelled out knowing who it was.

“I know you told us to stay out of this Jason, but it is not your time to die yet.” Naomi said; smoke dissipating around her new Sniper Tail.

“UGH! You are one lucky bitch, if my Zoid was still 100% functional, your ass would be mine!” Keith yelled from frustration. Keith retracted the claw of his Konig Wolf, and back away from Jason, figuring he would never get a chance to take Jason out with his teammates still around.

“You are lucky this time Jason, but next time you WILL die. Better get your last prayers in because you do not when I will be back.” Keith turned his Konig Wolf around and walked away into the setting sun.

“Don’t count on that too much Keith…”

[Crimson]

Chapter 9 – From the Shadows

Keith was very upset at himself for letting Jason get away from his grasps. He had Jason right where he wanted him, but he still got away. Keith was sitting at his desk brooding over the past events.

“DAMMIT! How could I be so careless?!” Keith shouted pounding his fist into his desk. “I knew he was part of the Fleugel Team; obviously Naomi could hit me at will. That really cost me.”

Keith further complained over his mistakes when he got a knock at his door. “Oh dammit, who could this be?” Keith went and opened the door. His heart skipped a beat at the image standing in front of him.

“Vin…Vincent?” Keith stammered out.

“Keith, it sure is good to see you again. What has it been three or four years?” Vincent said to Keith.

“No, it has been more like two years since I left your place and set out on my own.” Keith corrected him as he welcomed him in and they had a seat. Vincent Flamberge is an accomplished scientist, with many experiments that has helped the development of Zoids over the years.

“My, it has been a long time since we found you in the desert passed out and severely burned.” Vincent said.

“Yea, I owe you a lot. You helped me heal, you trained me in piloting Zoids with your training exercises, and most of all you gave me my Konig Wolf.”

“I am glad you said that…you owe me a lot, because that is why I am here. I am here to ask for your assistance in something.”

“Anything for you Vincent, I owe you my life.”

“You see, I have heard rumors about new Zoid in existence. I don’t know the exact details, but I know it is of the cat species. I have reason to believe that your father is involved with this Zoid. I want that Zoid destroyed! Once it is completed, it will be a threat to society.” Vincent said. He continued to say “only problem we have is that we have no idea where your dad is located now. He has stayed hidden since the explosion. That is where you brother comes in, he should know where your father resides.”

“My…father…I WILL kill that man!” Keith said with increasing intensity. “Him and Jason, those two are solely responsible for who I am today! They left me to die from the fire of our old house…the bastards. And now they will die by my hand!”

“So I take it I will have your cooperation on this? But do know that I will need your full cooperation, no backing out once you have committed.” Vincent said sternly to Keith.

“Oh yea, as long as Jason and my dad die in the process, I will follow you to the end Vincent!” Keith vehemently stated.

“Good, let’s get going, I am taking you to my headquarters.” Vincent said as he signaled for the two guards following him to lead them out. Once they go outside, Keith noticed there was a Gustav there with a Zoid carrier on the back. Almost like Vincent knew he would get Keith’s cooperation.

“Would you please load your Konig Wolf onto the carrier? Once we get to my headquarters, just unload it and move it into an empty holding spot in the garage.” Vincent motioned towards the Konig Wolf. Keith loaded his Zoid onto the carrier and they set out for Vincent’s headquarters.

They arrived at Vincent’s headquarters relatively quickly, which was loaded on the west side of town. Soon after they stopped, Keith unloaded his Zoid and moved it over into an empty spot in the garage just like he was told to by Vincent.

“Good, now that you are all set, I have a present for you.” Vincent said as he pointed behind Keith. Keith turned around and noticed new weaponry sitting near a crane ready to be placed onto a Zoid fortunate enough to wield them. Keith was in awe at what he was looking at, he had never seen anything like it. One was a clearly a back cannon because of its size. It appeared it flipped over when activated. The two other components were smaller and looked like missile pods, but modified. It had two barrels, a bigger one on the bottom and a smaller, more slender one on top.

“What exactly are these?”

“The gun is a Dual Sniper Rifle. I helped Doc Toros design it a little while ago. What is so special about it is that you don’t have to enter ‘Scope Mode’ to use it. You can fire it while on the move, but it still has its long range capabilities. The two things beside it are Weapon Binders. They are mounted on the side of your Konig Wolf. They will replace your Double Barrel Multi-discharger. You may have noticed the two barrels. The bottom barrel fires missiles which are pretty powerful, and the top barrel fires a laser at the enemy. It fires this missile and laser at the same time upon activation. So what do you think? Satisfied?” Vincent asked after breaking down the weaponry.

Keith was still in awe at what stood in front of him. “Yea…this will work finely.” Keith managed to squeeze out. “This will surely put an end to Jason in our next battle haha.” Keith followed up with a little sinister laughter as if he got his wits about him again.

“Good, we will install these immediately. It should take all of 30 minutes; go explore the headquarters while you wait.” Vincent stated as he directed Keith to leave.
Keith left and found him a place to set up shop, got familiar with the headquarters a little bit, then returned back to the garage.

“That was fast, thought I told you you could leave?”

“Nah, it is okay. I will wait here, gotta keep an eye on my Zoid.” Keith said sitting down.

Once the new weapons where installed on the Konig Wolf, Keith immediately hopped into the Zoid, ran a quick systems check, and started it up. It was pretty clear what he was going to do.

“Wait, we have to talk about plans of getting your father!” Vincent yelled up to Keith.

“That can wait; I am going to go test these babies out. We can talk about a plan after I return.”

“Okay, but don’t kill your brother until I get the whereabouts of your father from him first!” Vincent said as Keith left the garage en route to Jason

===============================================================

“WHY? Why? Why now?” Jason said pacing around Naomi’s. Jason was still distraught at the reemergence of his brother after five years of thinking he was dead. It was starting to eat away at him. “Why is he targeting me? What did I do to him? Why come out to reveal yourself now?” Questions were running through Jason’s head at an extremely face pace.

“Jason! You need to calm down. Pacing back and forth won’t help the situation. Now is a good time to be calm and rational here before you do something brash and get hurt or worse…killed!” Rachel screamed at him. Jason was shocked at her for screaming because she never did it before. Although he was still fuming over the circumstances, he began to calm down.

“We can talk here, I have Naomi driving the transport, so it is all good.”

“*Sigh*, I just don’t know why the hell he wants to kill me. It’s not that I am scared or anything, it’s just…it is my brother…my brother!”

Rachel really felt for Jason. If a sibling of hers had a vendetta against her and she didn’t have any reason to support it, she would be eating away inside as well. Rachel gently rubbed Jason’s back, saying things to try and calm him.

“The only thing I can think of to why he wants you killed is the fire from your old house.” Rachel said. Jason eyes widened.

“That must be it! I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier. He must think I am the reason he was left in the house and that I wanted him dead!” Jason said coming to some rationale for Keith wanting to kill him. “Now that I have that knowledge, the hard part will be convincing Keith I didn’t do it.”

Just as Jason was feeling a sense of joy, the alarms on the transport went off. The buzzing reverberated throughout the entire transport. The incessant buzzing caused shooting pain to go in and out of Jason’s and Rachel’s ears. Behind the buzzing, a voice was heard. It was Naomi’s. “Guys, get up here immediately!”

Everyone entered the command center as fast as they could. Naomi through up a display screen and zoomed in on the situation. Everyone was in shock in what they saw. The remains of two Shield Ligers and a Blade Liger could be seen. Their frames were mutilated from what appeared to be severe claw strikes and piercing weaponry.

“Who could have done something like this?” Brad said.

“It had to have been Keith, that heartless bastard!” Jason exclaimed.

“How so, look at the wreckage. Look at those bullet marks those couldn’t have been done by his Multi-discharger. The bullets from that scatter and those shots on those Zoids were more concentrated on that spot.” Naomi pointed out for everyone.

“Yea, you are right. No way could Keith’s weaponry hit a Zoid like that. So it seems we have another heartless bastard on the loose.” Jason said slightly saddened.

“Haha, that is just what I would expect from someone as downtrodden as you are right now brother.”

“KEITH! Where are you?!” Jason said as everyone looked on the monitors trying to locate him.

“Quit looking for me, I will save you the trouble…” Keith said came from behind a nearby rock; revealing his Konig Wolf and its new weaponry.

“No way…he got a Dual Sniper Rifle…and what are those things on the side?” Jason said in shock.

“Heh, seems to know about my DSR, get in your Zoid and come out here. I will show you what ‘those things on the side’ can do. And remember that I said the next time I confronted you, I would kill you!”

“Agh…asshole, I will be right there! I won’t lose to you this time. Count on that!”

[Crimson]

Chapter 10 – Up Under Their Noses

Keith stood outside in his newly equipped Konig Wolf while Jason got into his Zaber Fang to join him. Naomi and Brad stayed back, but were on standby should things turn ugly. Jason made it outside and confronted Keith.

“So brother, ready to die today?” Keith said with little emotion.

“Hmph, whatever, let’s get this shit going already.” Jason said back agitated.

“Oh, you seem confident. Don’t think you are going to win, you barely escaped last time, and now I have this new equipment to kill you with.”

“Yea, and don’t think you will win just because you have the new weaponry. Now, let’s go!” Jason said pushing the throttles forward causing his Zoid to charge at Keith.

“Alright, it’s you funeral.” Keith said pushing his throttles forward as well.

Keith extended his Dual Sniper Rifle in preparation to fire as he continued towards Jason. The DSR had great piercing ability to the armor of a Zoid, and Jason knew this well since Bit had a DSR on his Liger Zero. Keith lunged at Jason with the Konig’s claws when he was within range. Jason quickly dodged and fired his Beam Cannon at the Konig Wolf causing minor damage.

“That thing barely scratched me. That weapon is laughable; let me show you what a real back cannon can do.” Keith said as he turned his Konig Wolf around and fired the DSR at Jason. The piercing shell connected with the side of the Zaber Fang stunning the Cat type Zoid, giving Keith enough time to hit with a Melee attack.

<i>“Shit…I forgot how effective that gun was…”</i> Jason said to himself in the cockpit. The shot caused some a little damage to the side of the Zaber Fang which hindered walking to a small degree. Jason brought the Zaber Fang back to its feet, and faced Keith.

“Good, don’t you to give up on me!” Keith said sarcastically.

“Heh, you can kiss my ass!” Jason said activating his boosters and began to run around Keith. He was attempting to flank him so he can regain the upper hand in the battle.

“Oh, that is nice, but can you back up that big talk?” Keith said turning to look at Jason again. He flipped to ‘those things on the side’ as he continued to rotate around to keep the Zaber Fang in his sites. Once the lock-on solidified around Jason, Keith fired. Four simultaneous shots came at Jason. Two were lasers and two were missiles.

“What the fuck…ugh!” Jason saw the shot and froze due to sheer surprise. That momentary freeze caused the attack to hit spot on. This gave time for Keith the time to flip back to his DSR and hit Jason with a quick shot. The Zaber Fang fell to the earth below, causing Jason to rumble around within the cockpit.

“What the hell are those things?”

“These are Weapon Binders. They fire lasers and two missiles at the same time. The missiles are quite accurate I might add. And now, it is time for you to die.” Keith said approaching Jason, DSR extended, poised to fire.

“Any last words brother?”

“Yea…bang.”

“What? Ba-” Keith was cut off when his Konig Wolf was hit by a shot from Naomi’s Gun Sniper. The shot cause the Konig Wolf to hit the ground beside Jason.

<i>“Dammit, it’s the bitch again. When the hell did she sneak out? She is really starting to piss me off”</i> Keith said to himself picking his Zoid off the ground. “Alright, I am about to kill your little red ass because you keep meddling in shit that doesn’t concern you!” Keith yelled at Naomi. He turned his attention away from Jason and turned to Naomi who was on top of a shallow cliff.

“Shit that doesn’t concern me you say? Jason is part of my team, so this is definitely my business.”

“Heh, killing yourself over that poor excuse of a brother is funny, but whatever…now die!” Keith positioned himself to fire. “Goodb-ahh!”

“Don’t think so…thinking you are going to hurt Naomi. Get that idea out of your head!” Brad said with smoke streaming off his Gatling Gun.

“Oh this is great; I can take out the whole crew now in one swoop! Prepare your…bzzt.”

<i>"Keith, this is Vincent, time for you to come back. You can have more fun later, we have to discuss the plan"</i> Keith got from a transmission from Vincent.

“Fantastic…looks like you got lucky again Jason. I will be back later, count on that.” Keith said walking away the way he came. Jason hopped out of his Zaber Fang and Naomi and Brad followed suit. Rachel came out of the transport and ran up to Jason and gave him a massive hug.

“Just who is that?” Keith said taking notice of Rachel hugging Jason. “Haha…I just thought of great plan. Vincent will definitely like this idea.”

“Jason, are you alright?” Rachel asked Jason.

“Yes, I am fine. I am just tired of losing to him. If only I had more power…ah what am I saying, I will definitely get him next time; God as my witness.”

“Good, stay positive, let’s load up and head out.” Rachel said reluctantly. She knew Jason was truly hurt losing to Keith again, and the comment of Jason needing more power rang in her head. She had an idea.

===============================================================

“Vincent, I just got a great idea. This will undoubtedly help us get to my father.” Keith said opening a link to Vincent.

<i>”Alright Keith, I am all ears. Coming from you I know this will be good.”</i>

“Jason clearly has a girl that has fallen for him on Naomi’s team. We should devise a way to kidnap her and interrogate her. I have a good feeling Jason told her information on my father’s whereabouts, and it is a whole hell of a lot easier to get info out of her then Jason.” Keith said proposing his plan.

<i>”You know, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Get on here and we will discuss the details of this plan. It is 3:30 now. Let’s schedule to get this underway around 8 when it is dark, taking advantage of the dark color of your Zoid.”</i>

“Sounds good, I will be in shortly. Keith out.”

Keith closed the link to Vincent with the confidence in knowing he has the upper hand on his brother. <i>”I am going to steal that little bitch of his, get the info I am looking for, and on to killing him and Father.”</i> Keith thought to himself with a huge smile across his face.

===============================================================

Jason was in his room thinking of ways he could battle against Keith. He was very deep in thought when he got buzzed over the intercom.

“Jason, we really need you to come down to the Hanger. This is important. Come quickly!” Rachel exclaimed to Jason over the intercom.

“Ugh…dammit. I don’t have time to deal with this.” Jason said grudgingly getting up and heading down.

“Okay, what the hell was so impor…what are those?!” Jason said before interrupted by his own intrigue and amazement.

“These are new weapons for your Zaber Fang!” Rachel said excitingly

“Wow, where did these come from?” Jason said looking at the new weaponry. One was a double barrel gun that is clearly mounted on the back. The other piece of machinery resembled a missile launcher that is mounted on the shoulders

“Rachel bought these with her own money…you should thank her Jason.” Naomi said motioning to Rachel, who was now a light red color.

“Really? I really appreciate this Rachel. Just how can I repay you for this?” Jason was definitely surprised by the present from Rachel. He had no idea she had that kind of money to pay for machinery of this caliber.

“Well…you could always take me out to dinner.” Rachel sarcastically told Jason and letting out a chuckle. “Seriously though, just go out there and give Keith hell! Let him know what it is like to deal with the Crimson Fang!” Rachel continued on. It kind of scared Jason the level of fervor she was giving off.

“Uhh…yea…of course I will! Now, what did you get me?” Jason asked with the look on his face similar to that of a kid on Christmas morning.

“The double barrel weapon over there is a Dual Long Range Pulse Laser Rifle. Mouthful I know. It fires high caliber laser rounds at the enemy at high speed. This weapon is rumored to be more accurate than the DSR Keith is wielding, but less range. This Laser Rifle has a rotation radius of about 70 degrees, to both sides. This comes in handy when you are flanking people like you always do.” Rachel said explaining what the cannon did.

“The other thing I got you is clearly a missile launcher. Unlike other launchers though, this launcher can fire missiles rapidly in quick succession with each press of the trigger. Meaning you can press it once to fire two missiles, or multiple times for more missiles. You can’t be too frivolous with this though because ammo is kind of limited.”

“Jesus, this sounds too good to be true. Let’s get this stuff mounted already; I can’t wait to try it out!”

Jason and Brad got to work on mounting the weapons and the girls went up to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Around 7:30 the Zaber Fang was finished being outfitted with its new weapons. A check was run to make sure weight distribution was okay and to make sure everything was green; it all cleared. Jason and the others were now prepared to relax the night away.

***

“Alright, let’s get this plan underway.” Keith said waiting outside Naomi’s place. He was positioned on a shallow cliff with his DSR elongated and ready to fire. The shot fired and soared and connected with the Hanger.

***
Alarms began to buzz through the entire house. Panic shortly ensued.

“What the hell was that?” Brad blurted out.

“It seems the Hanger has been shot. My money is on Keith.” Naomi notified the others of the current situation.

“That bastard attacking at a time like this, Naomi, Brad let’s go out there and confront them. Rachel you stay here and provide support.” Jason said taking command.

“Gotcha, be safe. I will cut on the overhead lights to give you guys better visibility.”

Jason, Naomi, and Brad all got into their respective Zoids. Jason and Brad went out the front entrance to the Hanger while Naomi hopped onto an elevator which ran up to the top of the Hanger. This was her designated sniping post should something like this happen. Jason and Brad walked outside and Keith stood there waiting.

“What the hell you want now?”

“Same reason I have attacked you previously…you are dense aren’t you brother?” Keith said.

“Shut it, your ass is mine this time, especially since I have this new weaponry.” Jason said motioning to his weapons.

“Oh, baby got new toys eh? If you are so confident now, bring it!” Keith exclaimed.

“I am all set up, let’s kick his ass!” Naomi told Jason and Brad. She was poised to attack.

<i>“Heh, won’t be that simple little lady</i>

“Wait! Who said tha-AHH!” Naomi said before she was shot out of nowhere. Naomi was officially out of commission.

“What! Naomi! What the hell just happe-ugh!” Brad said before him and Jason were bombarded why enemy fire. “DAMMIT! We are being ambushed!” Brad said grunting.

“Keith, I can’t believe you would stoop this low. I know you want to kill me, but I figured you would want to do it yourself. You are truly are a bastard Keith.” Jason said trying to belittle Keith.

“Trust me, I will be the one to kill you. This is just to…soften you up a bit. Bring you back to reality. This is to show you that you are vulnerable at all times, and you don’t know exactly when I will come seeking the kill.” Keith said back to Jason.

<i>”AHHH! Jason hel-mmmm.”</i>

“No…Rachel! It was Rachel you were after wasn’t it you fucker?!” Jason said brimming with anger.

“Hahaha…it seems I am found out. Oh well, too late for you to do anything about it now.”

“I will kill you…LET’S GO!” Jason said charging at Keith. He saw red…fueled by anger of knowing that Keith was trying to get Rachel. Jason was about to reach Keith when he was shot down upon by the fire of Command Wolves with Long Range Rifles.

“Give it up, we got the girl. The Command Wolves won’t fire on you as long as you don’t move. So unless you want to die here and now, don’t move forward an inch while I leave with the girl and don’t think of firing on me either. Don’t worry…she is in good hands haha.” Keith said turning his Konig Wolf around and walking away from Jason. Before Keith was completely out of view, the image of another Zoid appeared beside Keith. It was a Helcat.

“So you used stealth mode of a Helcat to get in and get out eh? And used to Command Wolves to distract us while he infiltrated…you dirty bastard.” Jason said slammed his fist into the control panel cursing and yelling loudly. He didn’t know what to do with himself.

<i> “Keith, if Rachel is harmed while you have her God as my witness I will kill you shortly after I get back. And best believe I will come get her back!” </i>

[Crimson]

Chapter 11 – Infiltration to Realization

“That son of a bitch, I am going to kill him! I am going to kill him dead!” Jason said pacing back and forth. He was speaking funny out of shear anger. He was clearly upset because Keith kidnapped Rachel right from under their noses and he felt solely responsible.

“Jason, Jason, calm yourself. We will think of something so we can get her back safe and sound.” Naomi said trying to console him. She was also scared what could happen to Rachel while with Keith, but she knew how Jason felt about Rachel even if he didn’t show it all the time and he could get drastic with his decisions. She had to keep her head cool.

“Yea, whatever. I am going to the hanger to think.” Jason said still heated up.

“Oh no your not. In your current state, I don’t exactly trust you behind the throttles of a Zoid. You are coming with me, so I can keep an eye on you.” Naomi said sounding like a mother controlling her child.

“Uhh…yes ma’am.” Jason said giving in to Naomi and her persuasive, yet aggressive demeanor.

The two walked into the command center where Brad was waiting with a cup of coffee. Naomi and Jason sat down and Brad and Naomi began talking about a way to get Rachel back. Jason was merely tuning them out, thinking about Rachel.

“I just hope you are okay…”

===============================================================

“Just the hell did Jason tell you about his past? I know that boy is attached to you, so he must’ve told you something important?” Keith said looming over Rachel as he questioned her. Rachel was positioned in an interrogation room typically used by the police when questioning criminals. Rachel was scared, but not helpless.

“He didn’t tell me…anything…” Rachel said with her voice trailing off.

“Okay, now I know you are lying. Never let your voice trail off at the end of a sentence, it shows you are hiding something. Now spill it!” Keith said with increasing intensity.

Keith was becoming belligerent because Rachel wasn’t talking. He was getting in her face and yelling for her to give him the information he desired.

“Okay, okay. I will tell you what I know. Jason told me that you should have died in a fire and explosion from your old house. He told me your bedroom door was locked, so your parents couldn’t wake you up to escape and the firefighter rescued you.”
“Okay, that is a load of bullshit. They left me in the house to die and I would be dead had it not been for that firefighter…they wanted me dead! Anyways, did he tell you anything about our father?” Keith said calming down a bit since Rachel started to talk.

“All he said was that he was scientist.”

“Did he mention anything about his whereabouts?” Keith said getting closer to her.

“No he didn’t, I swear!”

“I see, alright we are gonna keep your ass in a holding cell until Jason comes to rescue you. I know that idiot of a brother will come here trying to be the hero” Keith said yanking Rachel up by her arm and leading her to her holding cell.

“Don’t worry, when he comes, we won’t kill him yet. His purpose still hasn’t been fulfilled.” Keith said walking off.

“I know Jason will come, and he will kill you!” Rachel yelled down the hallway as she pushed a button inside her blouse.

===============================================================

Jason, while tuning out Brad and Naomi, eventually fell asleep. Naomi woke him up about an hour later because she had something important to tell him.

“Hey, we came up with a great plan to get Rachel back.” Naomi said kind of happy.

“Oh yea?! What is it?”

“I will let you know once the others get here!”

“Wait…others?” Jason said puzzled.

“Yea, others. We convinced the-” Naomi was interrupted to by the door bell. She ran down and returned with some unexpected guests.

“No way…Jack Cisco and the Tasker Sisters?!” Jason said dumbfounded

“Crimson, how’s it hanging?” Jack asked. Jack was formerly a mercenary that fought solely for the reward, just like Brad, but eventually came across the Kelly and Chris Tasker and joined them to form the Lightning Team. He chose them because they understood the full capabilities of the Lightning Saix, the fastest land based Zoid.

“We will deal with formalities later, we need to get the details of the plan down and get Rachel back.”

“Yea, and this is our way of repaying that bastard that interrupted our battle with you guys and trashed our Saix.” Chris yelled.

“Okay, the plan is simple. It will run in three phases. First the Lightning Team will use their high speed Lightning Saix to run along the outside of the base and cause turmoil and destroy any Zoids positioned around, as well as getting the attention of any possible exterior defense system. We plan to attack at night so it will harder to spot them. Phase two will consist of Brad and me blasting into the base and destroying any opposing Zoids there. Phase three will be Jason going in, finding Rachel, and escaping with her. Jason, please try not to fight in the base. We have no idea how stable the base is and it could come down, killing Rachel. If you must fight, try to end it as quickly as possible. So there we have it, our plan…Pyramid Strike!” Naomi said.

“Pyramid Strike eh? The name is lame, but the plan seems well thought out.” Jack stated possibly hurting Naomi’s feelings over the name. “One question, how do you know where this base is?”

“Rachel has a homing beacon in her blouse should something like happen. I and Brad also have one. Jason doesn’t have one, but he really doesn’t need it.” Naomi said laughing. “The base is about 40 miles southeast of here, so we don’t need the transport this time.”

“Alright, good, we will leave at 7:30 and be there by night fall.” Jason said casually

With that, everyone left to do prepare for the attack since they had two hours before the plan would be in action.

7:30 rolled around faster than expected, but everyone was outside ready to depart. The light from the moon illuminated all 6 Zoids in a spectacular manner. The group departed in two groups of three with Jason, Naomi, and Brad in the front and the Lightning Team in the back. All six Zoids made haste to get to their destination to achieve their objective.

“Do you really think this will work Crimson?” Jack asked over a link.

“Of course we will, why wouldn’t it?”

“We, The Lightning Team, don’t really know what we are getting ourselves into.”

“All you need to know is that the guy that interrupted our scheduled battle was my presumed dead brother, and he is plotting to kill me. However, I feel he has another agenda…” Jason said with his voice trailing off.

“Okay, I won’t ask anymore, let’s just get the girl back.” Jack said closing the link.

The group made their way across the desert and soon made it to Vincent’s base. The outer wall of the base was just as expected. It had many automatic turrets stationed on top that fired whenever a stranger approached. The base looked very big from a far, and gave off an ominous feeling.

“Alright, there it is, you guys ready?” Naomi asked

“Hell yea we are ready!” Jason answered for the group.

“Alright Jack, time for phase one.”

“We are good to go.” With that, Jack and the Tasker Sisters ran off at high speed towards the base. The automatic turrets immediately started to fire once they were within range. The speed of the Lightning Saix caused the turrets to miss repeated with their fire. There were four of them positioned outside the base and had to be disposed of.

“Jack, think you guys can take out those turrets?” Jason asked over a link.

“Yea, sure thing.” Jack said bringing his Zoid into good position and fired off a shot from his Pulse Laser Rifle. The Pulse Laser Rifle fired off a shot of solidified red energy toward the turret. Upon impact, the turret immediately exploded. The Tasker Sisters followed suit and destroyed turrets two and three and Jack finished off the last turret.

“Coast is clear, phase two is a go!” Jack said loud and clear and Brad and Naomi kicked into action. Naomi activated her booster and jumped up onto the wall and landed on the platform that used to house the turret. She locked turned her Zoid around into Sniper Mode and snapped down the toe locks; she was ready to go. Brad and the Fire Fox ran into the base and quickly scanned for the presence of Zoids. He would a few Command Wolves in the southwest corner of the base and made short work of them. Naomi shot down a few Helcats on her own.

“Jason, get ready to get in there!” Naomi said yelling over the link.

“Alright I am preparing. Rachel…I am coming for you.”

===============================================================

“Sir! Sir! We are being attacked!” An officer stated to Vincent. Vincent was in his office sipping at a glass of wine and Keith was nearby sitting. He looked less than surprised by the news.

“Looks like Jason and his flunkies finally came. And they struck the same time we did a few nights ago…can’t they be a little original?” Keith said standing up taking a stretch. “Looks like I should head to my Konig Wolf. Jason will breakthrough any second now.”

“Alright Keith, just don’t act foolish and die out there.” Vincent said taking another sip.

“Me, die? Haha, like that will happen any time soon.” Keith laughed as he walked out the room.

“Don’t underestimate your brother Keith; he is improving by the day…” Vincent said lightly.

===============================================================

“Jason, get your ass in gear!” Brad yelled to get Jason’s attention. “We aren’t risking our lives for you to be lethargic; get in there and Rachel!”

With that jolt from Brad, Jason headstrong into the base, past Naomi and Brad, and into was appeared to be a hanger. The hanger was very vast, but it did not house any Zoids, or non at the current moment at least. It had stacks upon stacks of boxes that contained Zoid parts, it was definitely a sight.

“Just where the hell do I go from here?” Jason wondered as he scanned the area.

“Looks like you are lost brother.” Keith stated stepping from behind a sliding door. His Konig Wolf looked as vicious as ever. Its blue piercing eyes stared the Zaber Fang down intensely in preparation for battle. “Just so you know, the girl is down this hallway behind me. I don’t you to get distracted in our battle because you are focused on finding her, but you will have to get past me to get to her.” Keith said readying his Zoid.

“Don’t get in my way Keith, I am just here to get her and get out. Move out of my way!” Jason said brooding.

“Like I said, you gotta get past me first!” Keith said charging at Jason. Keith closed the distance quickly between the two and lunged at Jason. Jason performed a quick dodge, evaded the attack and shot Keith with his LRPLR. Jason turned around and hit Keith with a melee attack of his own. The Konig Wolf hit a stack of boxes and the stack wobbled.

“Well now…that is interesting…” Jason said to himself noticing his surroundings.

Keith staggered back to his feet very upset at what just happened. “That was just a lucky shot that shit won’t happen again!”

“Okay, then come at me again.”

Keith charged at Jason with his DSR ready to fire. Jason activated his boosters and ran to his right and began firing his LRPLR. Shots from each back cannon hit their respective target, but as well at the surrounding area of the hanger. Jason knew he had to finish things up quickly because he didn’t want to risk Rachel’s life because of this battle. Jason continued to flank Keith to the left and right and pecking away with his cannon, using its great pivot radius to his advantage.

“Ugh! You are pissing me off!”

“Good he is getting mad, this is working to plan.”
Keith lunged at Jason and connected with a melee attack which sent Jason flying back and crashing into the ground. Jason struggled to get his feet and noticed that the boxes were now perpendicular to his right side. Keith hit Jason with a few more shots from the DSR as Jason tried getting up and lunged forward for the finishing blow.

“This is it brother, you can die now!” Keith said lunging in.

“Nope, not this time, I have a girl to save.” Jason said as he moved to his left, dodged the strike and quickly shot two shots into the side of the Konig Wolf, sending it flying into the boxes. The boxes waxed and waned, but eventually toppled and landed on the Konig Wolf.

“Ugh…you bastard…”

“Looks like I win this won Keith, I can’t kill you today…got a more important thing to take care of.” Jason said running off down the designated hallway.

Jason got to Rachel’s holding cell. Rachel was undoubtedly happy to see him there. Jason told Rachel to back away and blew to cell out. Rachel climbed up the leg of the Zaber Fang and into the cockpit, where the couple shared a short kiss, and left the base. Jason emerged from the base with Brad, Naomi, Jack, Kelly, and Chris all there waiting for him.

“About damn time man…thought I would have to bust in there and save your ass.” Jack said laughing over the link.

“Oh shut up…let’s get going.”

The six Zoids made their way back to Naomi’s slowly but surely. Something was still bothering Jason. Why exactly did Keith want to kidnap Rachel? What purpose did she have in trying to kill me?

“Rachel, what went on while you were there?”

“All he really did was question me about what you told me.”

“Really? Is that all he questioned you about?” Jason said anxiously

“Well, that and he asked me about the whereabouts of your father…”

“My father...? No…he wants to kill him too?!”

[Crimson]

Chapter 12 – When the Unthinkable Happens

Jason, Brad, and Naomi made it back to Naomi’s place and the Lightning Team went their separate ways. Upon getting back Jason went up to the command room and got on the display. Jason planned to contact his father and planned to tell him all that was going on with him and Keith. Jason had placed the number and waited for his father to answer.

“Hello? Jason my son! How have you been my boy?”

“I am doing good Dad.” Jason said grimly.

“What is wrong?”

“Well, this will come as a shock to you, but Keith is alive and he wants to kill you!” Jason said getting increasingly louder.

“I see, I had a feeling he was still alive, and I assume you two have fought right?”

“Yea many times. He has been out to kill me ever since he found where I was located. He wants to kill us because he felt we left him in the house to die when it burned down in the fire all those years ago.”

“I see. Your brother has always been the determined type and once he set his mind on something, there is no undoing it. Our only option is for him to die.” Dr. Robinson said with a sad face.

“Yea, I guess so…but where are you located now? It would be best for me to know so I can come and protect you.”

“I am now located in Zenebas, son. How long would it take for you to get here?”

“Wow…Zenebas, that is nearly a day’s travel from here. I will leave tomorrow morning. I will notify you if anything happens. Bye Dad.”

“Alright Jason that is fine, but what about your teammates? I know you are part of the Fleugel Team.”

“I don’t want to get them involved.” Jason said looking away.

“Alright Jason, see you in a day or so. Take care.” Dr. Robinson said closing the display.

Jason, after closing the display, went upstairs and went to bed. Jason got up early the next morning, made his way down to the hanger and get into his Zaber Fang. He cut on the engine and made his way out of the hanger and started making his way towards Zenebas. Jason knew he had a days walk to get there so he wasn’t in a hurry.

“Sorry guys, but I need to do this alone. I hope you guys understand.” Jason thought to himself before making his down the valley.

About two hours into his journey back to Zenebas Jason got hungry and needed to stop and eat. He stopped in a small town that along the route and parked. Jason found a diner and sat down and waited to be serviced on. Jason checked out the menu looking for something to eat when the TV got his attention.

“We have breaking news in the realm of Zoids. The Liger Zero, the Zoid of legend, the hero of the Royal Cup has been destroyed. It was reported to us yesterday that a mysterious Tyrannosaurus had encountered the Liger Zero and destroyed it mercilessly. This is truly a grim day. Beware of this mysterious Zoid. It has been characterized as being red and having claws. If you see something that fits the description, it is best to steer clear, but for those that feel they can defeat this monster a 1,000,000 BP reward will be granted to the one that takes it out. That is all for breaking news, this is Trisha Rayne signing out.”

Jason was in shock. Never in his mind could the Liger Zero be defeated. Jason shook off his stupor and ordered his food. Jason ate quickly and returned to his Zoid and continued his journey to Zenebas.

===============================================================

“Hey, where did Jason go?” Rachel asked Brad and Naomi when she came down the stairs the next morning. The two had just said their first kiss together the previous day and now he mysteriously disappeared.

“I don’t know, he may be out experimenting with his Zoid or something.” Brad said trying to reassure her.

“Yea, his Zaber Fang wasn’t there when I went to see if he was in the hanger this morning.”

“I am sure he will be back shortly, there is nothing to worry about. What are you worrying about Rachel?” Naomi asked.

“That’s right, I only told Jason about what Keith had asked me.” Rachel thought to herself before continuing. “I am worried about Jason because while I was kidnapped Keith had all but revealed to me that he was out to kill their father. I have no idea how that affected him, but when we got back, he immediately went to the command room. I guess it was to tell his father of all that happened.”

“That makes sense, but that doesn’t explain where he is right now.”

“Let’s go check the command room.” Rachel suggested.

The trio went up the command room, and once they got there they noticed that the display was flashing. That signified that there was an unanswered message. Rachel stepped up to the display and pressed the button. The image of a man appeared.

“Who is that?” Rachel questioned

“No idea, but let it play.” Brad answered.

“Jason, I hope you got this before you left, but when you get to Zenebas. I am located on the eastern side of city. You will see my house plain as day. See you when you get here son.”

Rachel just dropped to the floor, she was shocked and distraught. She couldn’t believe that Jason left without notifying them of his actions. She didn’t feel betrayed, but she was undoubtedly hurt by his actions.

“I can’t believe he would up and leave like that. Why would he do something like that?”

“I guess he didn’t want to get us involved. He knows that if Keith wants to kill their father, he would have to kill Keith to prevent that from happening. I bet he needed to search himself to see if he was up to killing his own brother.” Brad said clinching his fist. Brad had developed a brother like relationship with Jason over the time he was with the Fleugel Team and was also hurt by his unexpected departure.

“Why are you guys over here moping, let’s get our asses in gear and let’s go find him! Jason is important to all of us and we can’t just sit around while his is out there risking his life. We have to support him any way we can. Let’s get going.” Naomi said raising spirits

With Naomi’s pep talk, they all ran down to the transport, loaded up the Gun Sniper and Fire Fox and started to make their way to Zenebas. It was now noon, so they figured Jason was a good ways away by now.

“Jason, I hope you are okay…”

===============================================================

Jason was about 10 miles away from the last town where he ate lunch when he saw a shadowy figure over the horizon. Jason couldn’t quite make out what it was so he zoomed in to get a better look. Jason couldn’t believe his eyes.

“A red Tyrannosaurus Zoid…with Claws…that’s the Zoid! That’s the Zoid that destroyed the Liger Zero!” Jason said breaking into a cold sweat.

“Ahh, Jason Robinson, fancy meeting you here.” The pilot said.

“Who are you?”

“The name is Vincent Flamberge. I am the mastermind behind what Keith has been doing up to this point. I am responsible for outfitting his Zoid with the DSR and Weapon Binders. I am also the man that took care of Keith after you guys left him for dead in the fire!” He said with increasing emotion. Jason was shocked. The man that took care of Keith for these past years now stood in front of him, albeit a distance away. He didn’t know what to say. Was he responsible for Keith’s mindset or was it Keith’s alone? Jason couldn’t ask that at the moment, so he asked him the other thing on his mind.

“What are you doing here and what is that Zoid?”

“I am just on my way back from destroying the Liger Zero. I needed to test this Zoid out, and what better way then attacking the Zoid that previously defeated its previous form.”

“Previous form? Are you telling me that that Zoid is an evolved version of the Berserk Fury?!” Jason screamed.

“Not necessarily an evolved state, but it is a definite improvement from the Berserk Fury. I would like to present to you the Strum Fuhrer my greatest creation! We found the Berserk Fury after the Royal Cup and took it in. We painstakingly researched its capabilities and developed a new set up armor. This arm has increased its abilities ten-fold. It is a lot faster and much more destructive. The Liger Zero crumpled under its power! And now, I happen to run into you. Since I am here, how about you tell me the whereabouts of your father?”

“No fucking way! I will never tell you where my father is located.”

“Fine, be that way. Since you won’t tell me, I will have to beat it out of you. Prepare yourself Jason!” Vincent yelled as he activated the Strum Fuhrer’s boosters and sped towards Jason.

“Fuck…”

[Crimson]

Chapter 13 – Fight for Survival

Jason watched as the Strum Tyrann sped hastily towards his position. There wasn’t much time for Jason to devise a plan of action given the speed of his opponent. Every thing would have to be done off instinct. The Strum Tyrann sped across the desert, claws poised ready to attack the Zaber Fang. As it sped closer, the red beast opened its claws as if showing it would munch away at the Zaber Fang.

“You will tell me where your father is!” Vincent said as he lunge the right claw at Jason and the Zaber Fang.

“Like I said, I will never tell you where he is bitch!” Jason said as he performed a quick dodge to the left to dodge the lunging claw. While he dodged, he turned in the air to face the claw. When he landed, he fired the Long Range Pulse Laser Rifle into the claw, hoping to disable it. The shots deflected off the armor of the claw. The claw swung out and smacked the Zaber Fang. The force of the impact sent the Zaber Fang tumbling across the desert sand. Jason was flung left and right inside the cockpit.

“Shit…that shot didn’t do anything. They really increased the armor didn’t they?” Jason said trying to bring the Zaber Fang back to its feet.

“Oh no you don’t, I am going to torture you until you give me the information I seek.” Vincent said as he pivoted the Strum Tyrann around to face the now struggling Zaber. He activated his booster, which cased the Strum Tyrann to hover above the ground, and he made his way over to Jason’s position. He quickly made it over and instantly put the claw over the neck of the Zaber Fang. Jason froze in his current position.

“Now, you stubborn bastard, where is your father? WHERE IS HE?!” Vincent said clearly agitated.

“I am not telling you where he is. There is nothing you can do to change that fact.” Jason said defiantly.

“What if I kill you?” Vincent threatened.

“Then you won’t find out where he is, or did you forget I am the only one that knows his location?” Jason said refuting Vincent.

“Then I will just get the information out of that bitch of yours.”

“She doesn’t even know where I am headed. I left on my own accord.”

“Ok, then I may as well take you out here and now. You are better gone anyways with all the trouble you have been causing.” Vincent said opening the claw that was near the neck and readied to clasp it down on the Zaber Fang.

“Like hell you will!” Jason said pivoting the Laser Rifle around and shooting the Strum Tyrann in the eyes to cloud its vision. This gave Jason the opening he needed to get away from the menacing Tyrannosaurus for a little bit.

“How the fuck am I going to beat this guy?” Jason said pondering his situation.

===============================================================

Rachel, Brad, and Naomi had been proceeding steadily for a while now. They were now making their way through a valley near the desert when they heard gunshots being fired off into the distance. This immediately got their attention and rushed the transport to the end of the valley. Upon making it there, they used the radar to scope the area until two blips were shown and used the visual display to zoom in on those blips.

“I can’t quite make out who those two are…” Rachel said squinting her eyes hoping that would make it better to see the Zoids in question.

“Then we have to get closer evidently. Let’s move the transport along the valley cliff until we can see how those two are.” Naomi suggested.

“Yea, that should work.” Rachel said putting the transport into gear and turning the transport down the valley cliff. As she kept moving, she kept her eyes on the visual display as well until she could clearly make out who was fighting. Whoever it was, she knew it was best to stay out of the fight if at all possible. The further she moved along, the closer the two combatants got until she suddenly stopped. This caused Brad and Naomi to stumble and fall to the ground.

“What is it Rachel?” Brad asked picking himself up off the ground.

“It’s…it’s…J-Jason!” Rachel managed to get out.

“No fucking way…who is he fighting?” Brad asked.

“I am not entirely sure. What should we do?” Rachel questioned.

“Wait.” Naomi said.

“What, what? Why wait?”

“He has no idea we are here, and if he finds out we are here, he will undoubtedly get pissed at us. After he finishes off the guy he is fighting, we have to make it seem like it was an accident we bumped into him. For now, let’s just keep our distance and watch him fight.” Naomi finished

“Alright…”

===============================================================

Jason fired off a few shots from the Missile Launcher towards the Strum Tyrann. The missiles scorched towards its target with great haste. As the missiles made their way towards the Strum Tyrann, Jason noticed it didn’t move and this puzzled him. When the missiles were near, the red monster put its claws together and an energy shield appeared. The missiles deflected off of the shield with ease and the Tyrann sustained no damage.

“Haha, you attempts to attack me are futile. You might as well just quit while you are behind before you foolishly kill yourself.” Vincent said mocking Jason. Vincent once against activated the booster and sped towards the Zaber Fang. This time, Vincent had both claws poised to attack.

“God dammit…” Jason said watching the Tyrann come towards him. The right claw of the Strum Tyrann lunged towards Jason, and Jason performed the same dodge maneuver as before and prepared to fire his Pulse Laser Rifle again.

“Not this time…” Vincent said as he turned the Strum Tyrann towards Jason and latched onto the body of the Zaber Fang and started to squeeze it. As the Tyrann continued to put the squeeze on the Zaber Fang, crunching noises were audible. The Zaber Fang let out cries of pain, and Jason fought at the controls to try and free the Zaber Fang from the clutches of the assailant.

“Tell me where your father is, or I will break this fucking thing in half!” Vincent yelled

===============================================================

The three were intently watching the battle between Jason and the unknown opponent.

“Whoever that is he or she is good.” Naomi stated.

“Yea, no doubt…think we can a bit closer to hear in on what they are saying to each other?” Brad asked.

“That’s eavesdropping! We can’t do something like that…yea we can.” Naomi said changing her mind. “Rachel, squeak us in closer, but be careful to not get us noticed.”

“I gotcha.” Rachel said moving closer into position. When she was close enough to get a read on the comm-link signal, she stopped and patched over a connection.

”Tell me where your father is, or I will break this fucking thing in half!”

===============================================================

“NO! Now stop asking me-agh!” Jason managed to get out before an electric current coursed through the cockpit due to the damage sustained from the claw of the Strum Tyrann.

“So be it…” Vincent said as he clasped the other claw onto the body of the Zaber Fang and began to pull away at it. The body of the Zaber Fang could be seen being stripped away under the weight of the claws. Crunching metal and dangling wires were also seen as Vincent mercilessly tore away at his wounded prey. The Zaber Fang continued to roar out in pain from assault, but there was nothing the cat could do. Due to Vincent pulling, the core of the Zaber Fang was finally exposed. If Vincent were to destroy the Zoid, not only would the Zaber Fang be destroyed, but Jason would die in the subsequent explosion. Vincent let one claw release the Zaber Fang and positioned it over the now exposed core, preparing to destroy it in one swoop.

“This is it, goodbye Jason…” Vincent said closing the claw on the core. The Zaber Fang cried once more before the green in the eyes faded.

“HE LIVES IN ZENEBAS!” Rachel exclaimed as the transport came flying closer.

[Crimson]

Chapter 14 – Zenebas

Jason was shocked to hear Rachel’s voice blare out the information he was fighting so hard to protect. Vincent, upon hearing the information he sought after, dropped the Zaber Fang to the ground and turned to face away from the downed combatant. The Zaber Fang sparked and crackled with electric pulses coming from the center where the core is. The core is the very heart of the Zoid, and if damaged, the Zoid will probably not survive.

“Alright Jason, see you in Zenebas, I look forward to see your father’s newest toy when I get there, I suspect it will be in your hands.” Vincent said before taking off in the Strum Tyrann.

“Bastard…” Jason said opening the hatch and getting out. Jason walked around to the where the core was to assess the damage. Upon seeing the damage the Strum Tyrann caused, Jason immediately broke down and let out a blood curdling scream to express his anger and heartbreak. “That son of a bitch! He destroyed my Zaber Fang! AHHHH!” His Zoid had successfully been destroyed by the hands of Vincent. Jason, in the midst of his misery, heard the transport come to a hult. Rachel got out of the transport and made her way over to Jason. Needless to say she was nervous.

“Jason I am so-“

“Why the fuck did you tell him where my dad was located?! Also, how the hell did you know he was in Zenebas in the first place?!” Jason asked visibly pissed off.

“Uh…uh…he sent a message to you after he left telling you where in Zenebas he was. And I told him where he was because if I didn’t he was going to kill you!” Rachel yelled back to him then running back to the transport. This was the first time Jason had shown this emotion towards her and she wasn’t at all prepared for it.

“Jason, we are going to load your Zaber Fang onto the back of the transport, let us swing it around.” Naomi said taking the controls and moving the transport into position. She opened the side hatch and maneuvered the claw to pick up the Zaber Fang. She gently placed the Zaber Fang down and closed the hatch. Jason got onto the transport and made his way to the garage to see his downed companion. Jason, in his heart, knew that the Zaber Fang was out of commission, but he didn’t want to accept it. Jason walked back over the Zaber to continue accessing the damage.

“You know she did what she did because she was worried.” Brad said walking into the garage.

Jason let out a sigh and lowered his head. “I know she was. I was just upset with what transpired and I took it out on her. But now Vincent knows where my dad is and I bet him and Keith on are on their way over as we speak. We need to get a move on, and I need to call my dad now.” Jason said leaving the Zaber Fang and heading in the direction of the command center. Before leaving the garage Jason turned and looked back at the Zaber Fang. Jason sighed then clinched his fist, “Vincent, your ass is mine for destroying my Zaber Fang…”

====================================================================

Vincent returned to his base to gather some materials before heading out to Zenebas to confront Jason’s father. Upon his arrival, Keith was standing there, waiting. Vincent parked the Strum Tyrann, got out, and approached Keith.

“Why Keith, to what do I owe this honor?”

“Where the hell have you been?”

“I have been off collecting information. I confronted Jason and fought him.” Vincent said. Vincent wasn’t one to hide anything.

“You did what?!” Keith vehemently asked while grabbing a hold of Vincent’s shirt and bringing Vincent’s face closer his in the process. “You could have killed him! Killing Jason is what I am going to do; I do not need your help in accomplishing that!”

“Whoa, calm down, I was merely finding out where your father is now located.” Vincent stated knocking Keith’s hand off and continuing. “That is what you want right, to kill Jason and your father?” Vincent said shutting Keith down.

“Psh, whatever. Did you get the information?” Keith said swallowing his tongue.

“Sure did. He lives in Zenebas. Get ready, we will be leaving in the next couple hours. I will be waiting Keith.”

“I bet you will…” Keith said walking out of the garage. ”Bastard, how dare he attack Jason without me knowing. If he had killed Jason, I would have killed him. He knows killing Jason is what I am back to do, and taking that away from me would be unforgivable!” Keith thought to himself while walking back to his room to gather his things. Just the thought of Jason dying by someone else’s hands made Keith’s blood boil. He wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen. Keith returned back to the garage where Vincent was waiting. Upon his arrival, they got into their respective Zoids and took off.

=====================================================================

Jason walked up to the command center to call his father. He saw Naomi and Rachel in there already. Rachel looked away from him instantly, and Naomi was being her normal self. Jason made a note to talk to Rachel later, and then made it over to the display and called his dad.

“Jason my boy!-Oh, what’s wrong?” Dr. Robinson asked taking away his fervor.

“Dad, my Zaber Fang has been destroyed.” Jason said looking away from the display.

“How did this happen?”

“This bastard Vincent did it in his Strum Tyrann…”

“Strum Tyrann you say…this must be Vincent’s latest experiment.”

“What? You are telling me you know Vincent?!” Jason asked in a state of shock.

“Yea, Vincent and I go back. We have been competing with each other in Zoids since we were young. Both of us decided to go into Zoids research and that is when our rivalry reached new heights. We have been trying to outdo one another with the latest thing in Zoids technology. It all came to a pass when I developed the Ultra Z. It was the pinnacle of Zoids development, able to increase the capabilities of any Zoid it was equipped to. I secretly put on in your Zaber Fang to as well. That is why you have been able to defeat your opponents up to this point. It seems that Vincent used the Ultra Z to evolve the Berserk Fury into its present state of the Strum Tyrann. I can’t believe Vincent was able to do that, but I won’t be outdone that easily.” Dr. Robinson said finishing up his speech

“Now that you say that dad, Vincent mentioned a new toy you had, but I couldn’t understand where he was coming from.”
“Ahh, I know what he is talking about, take a look at this…” Dr. Robinson said before pushing a button on the display and a Zoid popped up. Everyone’s jaw dropped. They had never seen a Zoid like that before: shimmering red armor, nice sleek build, and blades sitting on top. It was truly a spectacle to behold.

“{gulp}What is that dad?” Jason asked swallowing hard.

”This, son, is the Liger Zero X, developed especially by me. You know the Liger Zero Bit piloted right?”

“Yea, it also got destroyed by the Strum Tyrann.”

“Well, that wasn’t the only Liger Zero on Zi. The one they had, I sold it to them, but I had another one here that was identical to this one, Organoid System and all. I used the Blitz Team as a way to monitor the capabilities of the Liger Zero so I could develop something to make it better. When I saw the CAS armor, I got an idea. Make a CAS armor that would surpass those, and here I have it, the X armor. It combines the speed of the Jager with the power of the Schneider into one piece. The Liger Zero X uses electronic emissions as both weaponry and a defense mechanism. The only problem is that we have no combat data because it only sat here. I have a favor to ask of you Jason, can we use the combat data from your Zaber Fang for the Zero X?

“Umm…well…give me some time to think about it, I will give you my answer when we arrive in tomorrow.” Jason said sullenly then walked off.

”I hope I didn’t say anything wrong…”

“Nah, it’s just Jason loved that Zaber Fang, and it will be hard to part with it, that’s all. See you tomorrow Doctor.” Naomi said.

“Right, I understand, try coaxing him into it; he is the only one capable of piloting the Zero X.”

“Understood.” Naomi said shutting down the display.

Jason returned to the garage and sat down next to his Zaber Fang. He nestled against it for support and began reminiscing on old times: The battle against the Liger Zero, fighting the Fierce Zabers and the Desert Wolves, teaming up with Naomi and her team, all those good times. Jason stood up and placed his hand against body.

“It has been a good run pal, and I am going to miss you. I told myself that I would get Vincent back for taking you away from me, and the only way for that to happen is to give you a new body. So when we get to Zenebas, I am going to allow them to transplant your battle data into the Zero X…just don’t forget me.” Jason said before removing his hand and wiping away the tears. He walked out of the garage and on his way to bed he passed by Naomi and stopped.

“Let’s do the damn thing.” Jason said and kept walking.

”Heh, guess he did all the coaxing by himself..” Naomi said with a little chuckle heading off to bed.

Jason woke up the next morning to realize that the transport had stopped. He got out of bed and made his way down to the garage to see the Zaber Fang. When he got there, he was surprised to what he saw, or rather what he didn’t see.

“Where the hell did my Zaber Fang go?”

“We already took it to the lab.” A voice from behind said.

“Dad? How did you know I agreed?”

“Naomi told me.”

“Heh, ok. Let’s go and check out this new Zoid.”

“Right, follow me.” Dr. Robinson said heading towards the exit and Jason following behind. They walked through the lab and arrived at the main area. Jason’s eyes widened when the door opened to reveal the Liger Zero X.

“Wow that looks so much better in person.” Jason managed to get out.

“Yup, the Zero X, my greatest accomplishment, and we are in the midst of transplanting the battle data from the Zaber Fang over to the Zero X. I even had it painted Red for you because I know it’s your favorite color.” Dr. Robinson said with a laugh before continuing. “Once the transplanting is done, I will notify you so you can run some tests.”

“Alright,” Jason said walking to the kitchen and grabbing something to eat. He wanted to return to the garage quickly because he wanted to see how things were going. On his way back, he walked past Rachel who seemed to be avoiding him. Jason stopped to talk to her, but she initiated conversation.

“I am sorry-“

“Don’t apologize; I am the one who should be sorry. I shouldn’t have cussed you out because you did save my life. I was stubborn and was about to get myself killed in the battle against Vincent. I was just upset, it’s not your fault” Jason said before walking on.

”Thank you Jason.” Rachel said silently with a smile following.

Jason arrived at the garage right after the transplanting finished.

“Jason, everything went smoothly, it is time to do some tests.”

“Ok.” Jason said walking to the Liger Zero X and getting into the cockpit. Jason strapped himself in and got ready to go. “You like it here buddy?” Jason asked. Even though he knew only the battle data got transplanted, he feels the very essence of the Zaber Fang is now in the Liger Zero X. The lab door opened and Jason took off in the Zero X. Jason did some simple maneuvering, pushing the speed and pulling some turns. Jason extended the blades to check the length and cut down a few nearby trees no problem.

”Jason, the blades can also fire a beam when they are folded over on the head. They can also disrupt the trajectory of missiles when you run the electric current through them when they are extended down.”

“You don’t say?” Jason said turned a blade handles to place the blades on top of the head. The blades folded up onto their original holding place on the back, then flipped forward to assume their firing position. Jason fired a few potshots and was impressed with their power and velocity. He returned to the lab and got out of the Zoid.

“Whew that thing is great. The speed, power, agility, I never imagined I could pilot something like that.” ”I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did buddy. Jason thought feeling a little sentimental towards his Zaber Fang.

”Ho Ho, so is that the big secret you have been holding from me?

“Vincent!” Everyone blared at the same time.

“Doctor, there are 2 blips on the sensor.” One of the assistants stated.

“So Keith is here too.” Jason said with a grimace.

===

“Vincent, let me fight Jason. I know you want to destroy whatever Zoid our father made, but I want to kill Jason. I will be able to fulfill both of our desires in one fight.” Keith proposed.

“Alright, but if you fail, I am taking over.

“Your assistance won’t be needed. And when Jason is out the way, my father will die shortly thereafter.” Keith said in an arrogant manner.

===

“Everyone, we are heading out. This will be the final battle. I Imagine Keith will want to take me on, so you guys fight Vincent.”

“Right!” Naomi and Brad said in agreement as they ran off to their Zoids and made their way outside. Naomi took position on a nearby cliff and was ready to snipe. Brad and Jason waited for Keith and Vincent to arrive.

“Time to do work!”

[Crimson]

Chapter 15 – Showdown

Keith and Vincent began making their way towards Brad and Jason for the all important final battle. Keith was brimming with excitement, he felt today was the day he would final fulfill his goal of taking out Jason; Vincent was excited with the possibility of finally laying his long time rival to rest. Now he would prove that HE was the greatest Zoid scientist in the world. The Strum Tyrann activated his boosters and pulled away from Keith as he went to engage Brad and Naomi. Keith kept on straight as he was prepared to attack Jason.

“It’s time brother.” Keith said over comm.

“Yes it is, bring it.” Jason said as he ran off towards Keith. Jason had enough familiarity with the Liger Zero X that he felt ready to fully engage Keith. Jason flipped the blades onto the head of the Zoid and energy began to collect and the Electron Driver was readied.

“Eat it bastard!” Jason exclaimed as he fired the Electron Driver. Electric energy crackled as it sped towards Keith with great velocity.

“What the fuck is that?!” Keith shouted as he couldn’t fully react to it fast enough. He did manage to dodge enough to avoid a full on hit that would have definitely put him out of commission, if not, killed him. The Electron Driver made a direct hit with the Konig Wolf’s left flank. The blunt force of the attack sent the Konig Wolf barreling into the sand below. Keith got up as fast as he could because Jason was heading his way.

“That was…{huff} good brother, but you need more than that to take me out.” Keith said as he activated his own booster and flipped his DSR over and aimed at the Zero X. Keith planned on flanking Jason and using his back cannon’s pivot ability to fire at Jason from all sides.

Jason saw Keith begin to run around him and turned to follow him, but Jason was not used to turning at such speeds and lost control of his Zoid. The Zero X slid and tumbled and Jason was tossed about in the cockpit, cursing at himself for his stupid maneuver. Keith knew this was his chance and used it to take a few free shots at Jason and get closer for a melee attack. The shots made direct hits on the back near the blades of the Zero X and made a few holes. Keith was in range for his melee attack and made his lunge with claws extended.

“Ugh…dammit, c’mon buddy, let’s move….MOVE!” Jason yelled moving the controls and hit the button to activate the boosters. The boosters flared and Jason moved out of the way as Keith descended down, missing with his melee attack. The Zero X slid to a stop and Jason faced Keith. “This isn’t over yet fucker. We are just getting started.”

===============================================================

Naomi was poised, ready to attack and Brad was ready, yet scared, to engage Vincent and his overpowered dinosaur. Brad started off by firing his Gatling gun at him. Vincent took the fire head on and the bullets bounced off of the Strum Tyrann with ease and it continued on toward Brad. Vincent readied the claws as he opened them up ready to grab hold of the Fire Fox and clinch it until it busted like he did with Jason.

“Time to die.” Vincent said as he was in range and extended his claws and got hold of the Fire Fox. The Strum Tyrann began to apply pressure to the torso region. The sound of crunching metal was very audible, especially for poor Brad who was in the cockpit.

“Let me go you bastard!” He exclaimed.

“Sorry, but you are-ugh!” He managed to get out before the claw was shot by Naomi who was perched on her cliff.

“Did you forget about poor little ol’ me up here?” Naomi asked condescendingly. The shot had enough oomph on it make Vincent drop the Fire Fox. The Fire Fox was successfully freed from the grasp of the Strum Tyrann, but the damage was down. The Fire Fox was out of commission. With the Fire Fox out of the way, Vincent took the initiative and made way towards Naomi up on the cliff. He felt that as long as she was still in the fight, she would cause more headaches. He sped off towards the cliff with incredible quickness. Naomi began to panic.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” She said repeatedly as she began firing on him in hopes of taking him down. As each of the snipers shots raced down in hopes of taking out Vincent, he maneuvered the red behemoth out of the way and dodged them all. It took Vincent little to no time to make his way of the cliff and make short work of Gun Sniper. He swooped in and used the claw to clip the tail off of it; instantly making the command system freeze.

“Good, that is taken care of…time to make way to the base!” Vincent said loudly to himself as he moved down the cliff on his way to the base.

===============================================================

Jason and Keith were still going toe to toe with each other, trading blows. Jason was still getting a knack for piloting the Zero X. He had just received it that day and wasn’t used to everything it was capable of. Jason flipped the blades back onto the head and allowed the energy to collect. He activated the boosters and made enough space between him and Keith to perform a slide turn and fire. The shot his Keith in the left side again, and wires began to fall out due to repeated fire to the area. Jason then motioned for the blades to rest at side of the Zero X, in attacking position. He channeled the energy into the blades and made way towards Keith.

“JASON! Vincent is making his way here! Get here and fast!” Jason’s father blared to him over comm. Jason immediately changed course and made way towards the base, hoping to cut off Vincent.

“Jason! Where the hell do your think you are going?!” Keith yelled making chase.

“With dad in danger, I don’t have time to deal with you right now.” Jason said putting the boosters on full burn and leaving Keith in the dust. The Zero X clearly had the superior speed, but was it enough to catch the Strum Tyrann?

Vincent kept pushing, with the lack of ranged weaponry on his Zoid, needed to get to the base to start tearing it down. The base was in sight and getting ever closer. He knew his dream was about to be realized upon the destruction of the base and the death of Dr. Robinson. He could almost taste it as he got clear and closer.

“Not so fast Vincent.” Jason said as the Zero X slid in position between Vincent and the base.

“Ah Jason, should have known you would show up at the last possible second. Let’s get this going shall we? The longer I sit here, the longer it takes for my dream to be realized.” Vincent said heading towards Jason, claw extended.

“I won’t allow your bullshit dream to come to fruition.” Jason said as he performed a quick dodge to dodge the claw to set up a shot with the Electron Driver.

“You really are predictable.” Vincent said as he turned and latched onto the Zero X like he did the Zaber Fang when he ultimately destroyed it. A déjà vu moment. Jason struggled to free himself as Vincent again applied more pressure to the body of the Zero X.

“Jason, why do you always get yourself in these situations?” Jason wondered to himself as he thought of a way to get himself out of this predicament. Jason was pounding his head to produce something when he was hit with a “Ah ha!” moment. Jason powered the blades and activated them. They performed their normal activation motion of coming off the back, up into the air vertically, then down to the side. When they came down, they hit flush on the head. Since they were powered, they had a lot of force behind them. Jason continued to apply force to try and break through the cockpit to kill Vincent. Vincent, with his life in danger, let go of Jason to regroup. There was a huge dent in the head of the Strum Tyrann from the recent attack.

“Well, that seemed to work, but he nearly got me.” Jason said assessing the damage. Everything was still in working order. Jason immediately wanted to take advantage of the Vincent staggering, flipped the blades to the head and charged for the Electron Driver. Jason began to run around, flanking Vincent and pegging at him with it. The shots began making noticeable dents in the dense armor of the Strum Tyrann, and Vincent was getting very pissed at the whole thing.
“What the fuck?! Why won’t you just die? That’s it, I am going to settle this here and now!” Vincent said rising up and locking down the footlocks on his Zoid. With him anchored in place, the mouth of the Strum Tyrann gaped open and energy began collecting in it. Jason slid to the stop in amazement.

“No way…the charged particle cannon?! How could I forget he still had that up his sleeve, the Berserk Fury had it after all. How am I going to get out of this situation?” Jason said aloud, cursing his luck. Out of all the things he could have done, he always came back to the best open, run.

“Time to die.” Vincent said unleashing the wrath of the charged particle cannon on Jason. Jason instinctively activated the booster and began running around Vincent. He figured that it shouldn’t be able to turn since it was anchored in the ground, but he was terribly wrong. The Strum Tyrann began to pivot around to try and catch Jason. “You aren’t getting away that easily!”

“It may not be easy, but I am getting away nonetheless.” Jason said as he continued to run around Vincent, away from the cannon, when the particle cannon suddenly faded away. “Whew…time to counterattack” Jason said moving the blades to the side and ran towards the Strum Tyrann, his aim: the footlocks. Jason made a pass at Vincent and leaned his blade down towards the footlocks and successfully cut off one of them. There wasn’t much Vincent could do about because the Tyrann was stuck momentarily from the attack. Jason turned around to get the other one to completely eliminate the possibility of the charged particle cannon firing again.

“Just die dammit!” Vincent said activating his booster and swinging around to face Jason. The boosters were still flaring, and Vincent rammed Jason head one. Vincent had the definite momentum advantage and that resulted in Jason barreling to the ground and sliding to the stop. “You WILL die, here and now.” Vincent said opening the mouth of the Strum Tyrann again and energy started collecting it. The energy crackled as it prepared to fire.

“Jason is my prey bitch!” Keith said as shots from the DSR connected with the gaping mouth of the Strum Tyrann. The shots hit and destroyed the particle cannon and resulted in the head exploding. With the cockpit in the head, Vincent was instantly killed.

“I told that fucker I would kill him if he tried to kill you.” Keith said seemingly spitting at Vincent.

“Whew, that was close.”

“What the hell are you celebrating for? It is time to finish where we left off. Get prepared Jason.”

“I always am.”