Scott was sitting in the field of dandelions, Liger Zero sitting behind him. The City in the distance was on fire. Scott looked confused. Hadn’t this happened already? No matter. Gotta put out that fire. He was in Liger faster than even he could notice, and was racing towards the city. The fire was on the other side. He ran thru the streets at a good speed, made a left turn, and was knocked over from the side. This was familiar too. Regaining his senses, he looked up to see a Lightning Saix aiming for Liger’s head. Quickly, he pushes the controls forward, making the Zoid leap forward and out of the line of fire. He turned back to the Saix, which had tracked him after missing with the first shot. Scott opened up with the Twin Shock cannons mounted on the chest of Liger Zero, taking the Saix down. Turning back toward the fire, he now saw a gigantic thing moving across the horizon where the fire was highest. As he tried to figure out what it was, it turned its head toward him, it’s eyes glowing bright red. It opened it’s mouth, and even at that distance, the roar was loud. Liger roared back in challenge. Scott said something, but he couldn’t here what it was, even though he was the only one here. His lips moved, but his voice didn’t come. Even so, the Liger roared, and he charged it forward. Suddenly, the monster’s mouth was glowing, charging. Scott had only a second to ponder what it was, when the world was enveloped in a white light. There was no sound, but Scott heard, very plainly, two words in a voice that sounded like Fiona‘s: Death Saurer.

 

            Scott Cloud bolted upright in Liger‘s cockpit. He had fallen asleep while checking the weapons systems. Now that he knew where he was, he looked around. No one was around, and it seemed that even Liger was sleeping, as it didn’t move when he awoke. Turning back to the controls, he tried to remember the dream. It had started the same as before, but the new ending.. What was that thing? And what was a Death Saurer? Shaking his head, he decided to finish the check tomorrow. He hopped out of the cockpit and watched as the hatch closed.

            “Good night, Liger,” he said aloud, and was replied to with a metallic growl that was Ligers. He walked out of the cargo bay, and was about to head to his quarters when he passed Fiona’s room. He wasn’t going to stop, but the door was slightly open. Intending to look in on her, he opened the door so he could slip his head in. Fiona was sleeping, as he expected, but she was tossing and turning and calling out, “No.... stop.... please... let him go... “

            He was about to close the door and leave when she called out his name. Boy, I must be in trouble in her dream, he thought. Instead of closing the door, he slipped in and sat down next to her. Seeing that she hadn’t woken up, he lightly stroked her fore head, hoping that it would put her at ease somehow. It did, and she calmed down. He stood and was about to leave, when she called out to him again. He turned and saw that she was still asleep. She called out to him again. This time he answered quietly, “I’m here, Fiona.”

            “Please,” she said in her sleep, “don’t go away from us... “

            “I won’t,” he said. She must be hearing him in her sleep,  or at least sensing somehow that he was nearby.

            “Please,” she repeated, “don’t go away from us...”

            “I’m not going anywhere, Fiona. I promise.”

            “Promise?”

            “Yes.”

            “Good,” she replied, and rolled over.

            Guess she’s ok now, he though, and left the room, closing the door quietly. He walked back to the cargo hold, and looked up at all the Zoids there. What could she have meant by him leaving?

 

            Brad monitored the controls in front of him as Jamie drove. It was morning, and they were the only ones in the room. The horizon before them was barren except for the mountain range in the far distance.

            “The map showed a town about forty miles south-west of here,” Jamie said from his station. “No affiliation with the Union known.”

            “Ok,” Brad replied. “We’ll head there for provisions and supplies. Should be ok.” He hated being a leader. Sure, he was good at it, but he preferred to be carrying out orders and commands, not giving them. Unfortunately for him, no one had stepped up for the job, so he took it reluctantly.

            “Roger. Laying in course,” Jamie said. “At current speed, we’ll be there in about two hours, maybe less.”

            “Works for me,” Brad said, leaning back. “Make it happen.”

            Naomi walked in noiselessly behind Brad’s chair. She saw him sitting there, and walked up quietly. When she was close enough, she threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug.

            “I’m sorry I didn’t do this sooner,” she said into his ear, and kissed him on the lips, a long, deep, passionate kiss. When she backed off, he looked at her and said, “I missed that so much.”

            “Me too,” she replied. Jamie, who had seen the whole thing, just smiled and turned back to his screens.

 

            Banner Town was, to the untrained eye, a quiet, western styled town. It has a saloon, a drug store that doubled as a grocery store, it even had a blacksmith shop. The hotel wasn’t too shabby in itself, with 24 hour service, and a decent kitchen. Brad took one step into the town, and instantly knew what was really going on.

            Scott, Fiona, Naomi, and himself had come into town in a jeep the Hover Cargo had in one of it’s outer cargo areas. They had left Jamie and Vince in the Hover Cargo about half a mile back, hidden behind a large rock formation.

            The people of the town, for the most part, ignored the new-comers. Some, however, took a small interest in their arrival, and watch with scrutiny the group as it walked down the street. Scott strode ahead of the group toward the grocery store as the rest dispersed to collect other essentials. As he stepped onto the porch-like sidewalk, two men stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

            “Excuse me, gentlemen,” he said, trying to walk around them. The moved with him, keeping him from entering the store.

            “We don’t like your kind here,” one man said. “In fact, we hate your kind.”

            “What’s my kind,” Scott asked, starting to get offended.

            “Strangers,” the other man said flatly. “You strangers always mess up our town.”

            “We’re just passing thru,” Scott explained. “We only need to buy a few supplies, and then we’re on our way.”

            “You’re on your way now,” the first man said, grabbing him as he tried to pass again. The man yanked Scott backward, throwing him to the street. Instantly, Scott was back to his feet facing his attackers. The one that threw him was hanging back on the sidewalk, while the other was advancing on him. “Get outta town before we get serious.”

            The man took a swing at Scott, who easily ducked it. “Hey,” he said, ducking another swing. “we just want to get some supplies, and then we’ll leave in peace.”

            “You’re gonna be leaving in pieces,” the man retorted, and swung again. Out of the corner of his eye, Scott saw, down the street, Brad having the same problems. The girls, who were only window shopping, had troubles of their own. The store lady had come out with a broom swinging. Her co-worker had followed, and was trying to lay in to Naomi and Fiona.

            Turning his attention back to his troubles, he noticed a crowd of people had gathered behind his attacker. A fair fight this wasn’t going to be.

 

            “I’m bored.”

            Vince had been sitting in the kitchen of the Hover Cargo ever since they had left. He had gone thru three cups of coffee and two comic books, and was halfway thru the third book. Jamie sat across from him playing Solitaire.

            “Chill out,” Jamie said, not looking up from his game. “They’ll be back soon.”

            “I just don’t get why Mystique has to be a bad girl,” Vince said, looking at the comic book. “I mean, why can’t she just pick one form and stay that way?”

            “Takes away from her persona.”

            “Yeah, well....” Vince started to say when the radio buzzed. Jamie got up and answered it.

            “Jamie,” Brad’s excited voice said, “we need some help. These people aren’t friendly.”

            “Finally, something to do,” Vince said as he got up and ran to his Viper.

            “Vince, wait,” Jamie shouted, but he was already gone. With a sigh, he informed Brad that help was on the way.

 

            Liger’s main systems were on stand-by. His core was doing calculations on how to upgrade his speed without external modifications, when it felt the Hover Cargo’s forward hatch open. Instantly, it’s systems lit up as it’s sensors registered the Viper leaving quickly. Thinking much quicker than any human could, it activated it’s remote sensor, and raised the platform it was on into launching position. It then opened the launch doors, and, a few seconds later, was jetted into the air. It landed and was immediately running past the Viper, leaving Jamie trying to figure out exactly what had just happened and Vince wondering the same.

 

            Scott was not having an easy time. He had finally been able to link up with Brad, but that had only doubled both of their troubles. Together, they fought their way over to the girls. They were majorly outnumbered, with nowhere to go.

            From behind the crowd, a deafening roar sounded as Liger came into town. It ran straight down the street to where the group was surrounded, scattering the town people. It roared again as it came to a stop, looking around for threats. Scott was just as puzzled as the rest of the group,

            “How, the hell did you get here,” he shouted when Liger looked down at him finally. It didn’t reply, but lowered it’s head and opened the cockpit. Scott was a bit confused, but then got an idea. “No, Liger,” he shouted over his shoulder so everyone could hear. “You don’t need my help. It’s just a small town. You could waste it by yourself.” Just to be sure, he gave Liger a wink. It must have understood, because it raised it’s head back up and closed the cockpit and roared again. He turned back to the people, who were cowering behind benches, in trash cans, and inside stores, and said, “We don’t want trouble. We just want to buy some supplies from you people. We’re even gonna pay for them.”

            Some of the people started to come out of their hiding places, but most didn’t budge. Vince was just arriving on the scene when a tall, burly man came out of his spot. He stopped when he saw the Viper slither up, a look of terror in his eye. “We don’t want any trouble,” he said, fear in his voice. “Just leave ok?”

            “Why are you afraid of newcomers,” Naomi asked.

            “Just go ok?”

            Shaking his head, Brad turned and started to walk away, saying, “Fine, let’s go. Let the sissies have their town.”

            Scott, Fiona, and Naomi turned and followed him, followed by Vince in his Zoid, and finally Liger, who gave one final roar before turning away. From the shadow of a nearby building, a green haired woman watched them go.

 

            For three weeks, they were unsuccessful in getting resupplied. The food stuffs onboard already were holding out, but there was only enough left for a week. Everyone was tightening their belts. Scott and Fiona had grown quite close. So close that you hardly ever saw one without the other. Her Hell Cat and his Liger Zero were stored on the same tier. Scott often thought about asking her about what she had been dreaming about that one night, but he never got around to it.

            They had two days worth of food left when they ran into a town called Rock Ridge. Scott decided to take no chances this time. He launched in Liger Zero two miles away and Fiona in her Hell Cat while Brad and Vince took the jeep. They came roaring (literally) into town, sliding to a stop in front of what looked to be a supply store. Children who had been playing on the sidewalk and in the dirt street ran for cover, but re-emerged when the dust had settled to stare at the two Zoids standing in the middle of town. Brad and Vince met no resistance while entering the store. The employees seemed to be happy to help. A little too happy, Brad silently observed as they helped fill Vince’s shopping basket. Unbeknownst to them, the manager was in the back store room, calling authorities. Namely, the local Backdraft Union garrison.

            “Ok,” the clerk said as he rang up the order. “That’s fifteen pounds of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, ten pounds of beef, half of it ground, five pounds of bananas...” He rattled off the list, stalling for time as the manager completed his call. “That comes to... uh.... $274.38. Will that be cash or charge?”

            “Cash,” Brad said, reaching for his wallet. Vince carried the bags out to the jeep as Brad paid. Suddenly, one clerk smacked Brad over the head with a broom handle, making him drop to the ground. Vince, hearing the commotion, ran back inside, only to be met with a whack of his own.

            “Tie them up,” was the last thing he heard before the darkness took him.

 

            “This shouldn’t take that long,” Fiona said over the comm. “Something must have happened.”

            Scott was about to reply when a projectile slammed into Liger from the right. It caught both of them off guard, and blew Liger off his feet. Fiona turned her Hell Cat toward the attacker, and was met with a blast of her own. She held her Zoid steady, but was rocked with another hit. It proved too much for her, and she too fell. Liger was just getting back to his feet, roaring angrily, when a Lightning Saix stepped around the store.

            “Hmm,” came a voice over the broadband comm. “And I thought the Liger Zero was gone for good.”

            “Pal, you’re gonna wish you hadn’t done that,” Scott spat. “Get ‘em Liger!”

            Liger roared in response, and leapt at the Saix. Only the Saix wasn’t there. It was now to his right. It had moved much faster than he could track. Liger took another round in the side as he landed, spinning him into an empty building, which promptly collapsed. Fiona, finally back on her feet, brought her weapons to bear and fired. The Saix side-stepped, turned and fired again. She was ready this time. She leapt backwards, and set herself for another shot at the Saix. Her finger was about to squeeze the trigger, when she took a round from behind that dropped her. Behind her, a Zaber Fang had gotten into position and taken her down.

            Liger was just emerging from the rubble. “Kid, you’ve got to do better than that,” the Saix pilot said. “You’re way too slow. Surrender and you’ll live.”

            A high pitched whine could be heard coming over the mountain, but no one paid it any attention.

            “Somehow, I’ll end up wishing I was dead once I’m in your hands,” Scott replied.

            The Saix pilot smiled. A fight it would be then. It had been a long time since he had gone up against the Liger...

            Liger roared loudly, and charged toward the Saix. It growled a reply and charged forward. They met a second later, claws and jaws slicing and biting into each other. Liger was thrown back, but was quickly on its feet again. It was about now that the whine of a high speed engine got more noticeable. Scott was about to look up when he was hit hard and thrown again. Liger skidded to a halt on it’s side. The Saix walked cautiously toward it’s fallen enemy, a slight smile on it’s pilot’s lips.

            Suddenly, from over the mountain, a Zabat appeared, guns blazing at the Saix. The Saix pilot, caught unaware, was bounced around his cockpit as impacts violently shook the Zoid until it dropped to the ground. As the Zabat passed overhead, the Zaber Fang fired on it. It evaded the attack beautifully, rolling left, then right, then a complete counterclockwise barrel roll. It then flew out of range. The Zaber Fang’s pilot readied himself for another pass, but was surprised to be hit from behind. As it dropped, a Reynos streaked overhead.

            Liger Zero and Fiona’s Hell Cat had gotten back to their feet. “Nice shooting, Jamie,” Scott called, but was a little confused when he heard, “Don’t call me Jamie. I’m the Wild Eagle!”

            Scott scratched his head for a sec. “Um... Right. Anyway, thanks to the Zabat too.”

            “No problem,” a female voice said. “Let’s get outta here. “

            “Not yet,” Fiona said. “Brad and Vince aren’t out yet.”

            “I’ll handle this,” Jamie’s Wild Eagle alter-ego said, landing in front of the store and shooting the entire front wall off. “I hear you have some of our friends in there,” he said over the external speakers. “I suggest that you let them go.”

            Slowly, the store manager crawled into the open, a small cut on his forehead. “Ok ok,” he said, as his employees dragged the two out and untied them. Vince was awake now, and before putting Brad into the jeep, punched one clerk right in the face, knocking him cold.

            Scott watched as he got back into the jeep and drive off without further incident. He then turned back to the Saix.

            “You work for the Union, right?” he asked.

            “I have that honor, yes,” came the reply as the Saix shakily got back to it’s feet. It was done running for today.

            “Well, go back to your people, and tell them that Scott Cloud is coming. And it won’t be pretty.” With that, he turned Liger and ran back to the Hover Cargo with Fiona following closely behind.

            When they were gone, the Saix opened it’s cockpit. Jack Sisko stood and looked towards where they went. So, he thought. Bit Cloud’s son has come looking for revenge. Well, I don’t think I’ll get in his way for a long time yet.

 

            Brad awoke a few hours later on a couch in the Hover Cargo. The first thing he saw was the ceiling. Next he noticed a blanket covered him to the shoulders. Seeing that all his limbs worked, he reached up and put his hand over his eyes, rubbing them. As he sat up, he noticed Naomi sleeping in a chair a few feet away.

            She must have been here all night, he thought. Quietly, he stood, a little shaky at first but finally steady, and covered her with his blanket. She didn’t even twitch. Smiling, he returned to the couch and sat down. For hours, he just sat there, watching her and thinking. He replayed past events with her in his mind. Battles when they were on the same team with Leon and his Red Blade Liger, fun times, tough times, and the fourteen years they had been apart. He was still angry about it, but had come to terms. The past was the past. No point in dredging it up again. Not like the last time back at Jamie’s shop. He had really gone off on her, and hated himself for it. She had already forgiven him. It was apparent in the way she acted when he was around. But still he felt guilty. He wanted to make it up to her, but he didn’t know how. He tried to think of ways to show her that he loved her, but no great ones came. He finally decided that there was only one way to show her.

            Morning on the Hover Cargo was, as usual, slow. Jamie manned the controls, having already eaten breakfast. Scott awoke next and cooked breakfast for him and Fiona, who was usually ten minutes behind. Vince awoke forty-five minutes after that. There were two things different about this morning though: 1. Brad was still out of commission and Naomi was staying with him. She  only went to the kitchen to get two bowls of cereal and a quart of milk, then returned to the living room. 2. There was a new face onboard. Jaime, for one, was glad to see her.

            Pierce stepped onto the bridge, where everyone had gathered. Jamie noticed her, and stood to greet her.

            “Nice ship you have here, Wild Eagle,” she said with a smile.

            “Thanks,” Jamie replied, a little flustered. “I try to keep it clean...”

            “Can we get back to the business at hand,” Scott asked from the lower level. Jamie said sorry, and sat back down. He had moved up here when the problem arose.

            “One Whale King, about ten miles away,” he said, bringing up full magnification. “They must know we’re here by now. It’s in hover mode, but it might have dropped troops and lifted off.”

            “Can we outrun it,” Vince asked. He had been aboard a Whale King once, and he knew it was a monster, both inside and out. It could carry twenty times the number of Zoids they currently had, including the Zabat Pierce brought.

            “No,” Pierce said. “Whale Kings are one of the fastest transports available. It would overtake us within minutes, even at that distance.”

            “Then we fight,” Scott said.

            “Also not an option,” Pierce replied. “Your shields on this transport are adequate, but your offensive capabilities leave much to be desired.”

            “Then what do we do,” Fiona asked.

            “We capture that thing,” came Brad’s voice from the doorway. They all turned and saw him standing there, Naomi standing next to him, holding his hand. He had finally told her how he really felt, and they were back together again.

            “Care to tell me how,” Scott said.

            “Sure thing....”

To Be Continued.....