Fan Fiction / Zoids Fan Fiction ❯ The Son Rises ❯ Deal with the Devil ( Chapter 8 )

Sara was anxious for the Berserk Fury to reawaken, but lately her mind had been preoccupied by other matters. The new alliance she formed with the Ice Daggers to bring down the ZBC took her away from the Zoid. Her chief scientist gave her necessary updates on its condition, but other than that, she didn't know what else was happening.

She didn't even know how much time her son had been spending with the Fury. He would sit on the catwalk above the giant tank and talk to his partner. He would encourage Fury to wake up soon so they could have more great battles. Although the Zoid never replied in the conventional way, Vega felt as though they had a true connection.

He grew tired of talking and was getting ready to go to his room when he heard a woman mumble something to herself as she walked over to a table and sat down.

"I don't understand why I can't come up with a plan. It used to be so easy!" Angel's frustration had been increasing lately.

Vega could here her mumbling about the Guardian Force and Bit Cloud. He stayed out of sight, but wanted to hear more about what was happening.

Sara walked in on Angel and told her to come with her to the conference room. Vega took a different route to get to the room and remained hidden.

Angel couldn't believe her eyes as she looked at three people she hadn't seen in years.

"It's about time you got here, we've been bored waiting." Spence was the first to say something.

Nick and Jaq both made comments about it being a long time, but Angel still didn't say anything.

Sara finally spoke up, "It's good to see the most powerful mercenary unit together again. I feel as if I'm witnessing a historical event."

Angel looked at each member of the Ice Daggers carefully. It looked like time hadn't touched Nick or Jaq. Nick still had steel grey eyes that could make you shudder, and Jaq still looked innocent as ever. Spence's eyes really caught her attention, though. They seemed tired and sad, almost out of place on his face. She turned away from the group and looked at the window trying to catch her reflection. Without her knowing it, the same tired look crept into her eyes.

"What's the matter?" Sara thought it was odd that Angel didn't want to be a part of the group.

"Nothing, I was just thinking how long it's been. By the way, how did you guys get here so quick? Last time I checked, we were about as far apart has four souls could be."

"Like you always said, money is a great motivator. Call me curious, but I want to know why our services are being required now, after all this time?" Nick was ready for action, but he was also cautious about new jobs.

"We have some unfinished business to settle." Angel's smirk returned to her face as her head began to fill with ideas.

Sara noticed something different about Angel as she talked among her peers. Something was returning to her that had been lost for a while. She had heard about the battle between the Ice Daggers and the Guardian Force, and she knew that the Daggers had been easily defeated. Warriors can either grow or regress with each battle. In Angel's case, the separation of the Daggers caused her to lose her warrior spirit. Now that they were reunited, it was slowly returning to her, and to them all.

Vega felt like something big was being planned. It made him excited and worried at the same time. He was also anxious to hear the answer to Nick's question.

"It seems we're picking up where we last left," Angel began to explain to them how she met Sara and what Sara's plans were for the Guardian Force and the Zoids Battle Commission. When she brought up the Liger Zero, the other three stiffened.

"I saw him win the Royal Cup, that arrogant little brat. I say it's time we finished this." Nick was most furious with the GF because he was captured, something that had never happened before.

Sara was confused, "What do you four have against Bit Cloud?"

Nick exchanged glances with the rest of his group and they all slowly realized something. "You don't know, do you? It's common knowledge among us, because we were there. I forget most people don't know."

"Don't know what?" Sara sat down as Spence began to tell her a story.

"I'm sure you heard of the last time we fought the Guardian Force. What you probably didn't know was that we saw the Liger Zero become the Ultimate X it is today."

Sara's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. "You saw the Liger become an Ultimate X? That's not possible!"

"Scientists haven't been able to agree on the origins of an Ultimate X. Some say it's the natural evolution of Zoids, that one day they will all have the power of an organoid. Others say they're experiments in forced evolution. I know the Liger Zero has the power of an organoid because we saw Colonel Freiheit's organoid fuse wth it." Jaq stared off in the distance as she remembered that stormy day.

"I'm listening." Sara's interest had greatly increased.

"Sixteen years ago, I placed a bounty on the colonel's son in hopes to catch them off guard. Our plan was to take the Liger Zero because of its ability to transform into three Zoids: one for high speed combat, one for close, and the other for stationary defense. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out the way I planned." Angel's voice still held resentment as she told the story. "To save their son, the Freiheit's ordered Zeke, their organoid, to fuse with the Liger. The fusion between the two was unlike anything any of us had ever seen. He instantly gave that Zoid powers that only a seasoned Zoid should have."

"In short, we lost. Nick and Jaq were captured, and we lost trace of the Liger and their son. On that day, we decided to split up so the Guardian Force couldn't capture us. Some time last year, we got a lucky break." Spence remembered the first time he heard about an ivory Zoid with unusual combat talent and a rookie pilot with blonde hair and green eyes.

"It seemed too perfect to be a coincidence. As the battles continued, we came to one conclusion. Bit Cloud must be the son of Van and Fiona Freiheit."

Sara looked down at the ground in disbelief. She took in all the information carefully before speaking, "That makes sense. It would explain why Bit is the only one able to pilot it. A while back, Alteil had stolen the Zoid. Bit came after it, and he was the only that the Liger didn't eject from the cockpit."

"Let me get this straight, you had the Liger in your possession, but let it escape?" Angel's voice rose in anger.

"I wasn't here at the time. I was with Vega training him to become the best Zoid pilot. I had no idea that Alteil had enough brains to pull off that kind of operation, but he failed. We don't have the Liger, but we can get it back. That's why I need your help..." An odd thought entered Sara's mind as she stood up to face Angel.

"What's wrong?"

"We have an Ultimate X; the Berserk Fury is an Ultimate X. So that must mean it's powered similarily to the Liger Zero. But whose organoid would be powering it?"

Angel's voice returned to its normal tone, "That sounds like something you need to figure out. I'm only here to accomplish one thing. Like I said before, we tried to get to the Guardian Force through the Freiheit's son. This time, I thought we'd take a different approach."

She looked at Nick and as he nodded his head. He understood something without her even saying what she was thinking. "That won't be a problem."

"Good, that's what I like to hear."

"Would you mind filling me in on your plan?" Sara was aggravated that they planned something and didn't even bother to include her.

"All the pilots that fought in the Royal Cup received an invitation to join the GF. I know very well that Mr. Cloud received one, too. After all, how could Van and Fiona resist?"

Sara felt the need to clarify something, "Vega didn't receive an invitation due to his affiliation wth the Backdraft. It doesn't matter though, soon enough, we'll be in command."

"How will we know if he accepted it, though?" Jaq asked a simple but important question.

"I just saw him and a Gunsniper headed in the direction of GF Headquarters. Does that answer your question?"

Jaq smiled and nodded her head.

Sara grew agitated again, "So what's the plan?"

"The assassination of the heads of the Guardian Force. If you weaken the GF, you weaken the power that holds the ZBC together. After that, an assault on the ZBC shouldn't be a problem if they don't have anyone to call in for back-up."

Vega's head was swimming with all the information he just heard. All he wanted was another great battle with Bit, but it was obvious that Sara wanted more. He knew that she'd want him and the Berserk Fury to play a key role in it all. The question he asked himself was, did he want to do it? And something else bothered him as he walked back to Fury. Whose organoid powered his Zoid?