Fan Fiction / Zoids Fan Fiction ❯ The Son Rises ❯ Time Can Do So Much ( Chapter 9 )

Van had taken extensive security measures to ease Fiona's mind. It was getting late and he had only seen the arrival of five out of the seven pilots that accepted the invitation. He was bursting with excitement at the idea of seeing his son again, but he knew he had to remain neutral towards Bit, for now.

His last inspection of the new security stopped at his office. He stepped in for a second to see if Fiona was there. He didn't find his wife, instead he saw a man sitting in his chair.

He relaxed as he saw who it was, "Don't you know it's not polite to enter someone's office without them being there, Raven?"

The man with black hair remained seated as Van approached him. "Don't you think the leader of the Guardian Force should have a better lock that keeps out intruders?"

"Are you telling me our security is lax? I just spent the entire day boosting it!"

"Relax, Freiheit, I'll admit your security is impressive. All you have to do is change the code to your door to something a little less obvious."

"Obvious to you, maybe, but hardly anyone else know's that I even have a son, let-alone his birthday." He softly spoke the words.

Raven nodded his head in agreement, "He should be arriving any time now."

"So my stomach tells me. It's been in knots all day."

Van's former enemy got up and walked over to the far wall where all the pictures hung. There were several pictures of Fiona, of course, and he saw Thomas and Catherine's wedding pictures. Moonbay and Irvine had their share of pictures on the wall, as did he and Riece. Sadly, Van couldn't put any pictures of Bit on the wall. Those were kept hidden from everyone.

"You did some redecorating, I see."

"Fiona did. She told me that our strength lies with our allies. Don't you agree?"

"She's always been smarter than you, Van."

Raven turned around in time to catch a small grin on Van's face. He turned his attention back to the wall and picked up a special picture of his favorite two girls. Riece was in the cockpit of the Genobreaker guiding a beautiful fifteen year old girl with long black hair and piercing blue eyes. Ava and Riece were the only things that Raven felt was right in his life.

"You've done a lot to atone for your past, Raven." Van knew what was going through his mind every time he looked at those pictures.

"I don't think I've done enough. I don't know if I ever can do enough."

It was a touchy subject for them both. Van had spent the earlier part of his piloting career trying to defeat Raven. As they grew up, the fighting continued to a point where Van wondered if it would ever end. When Hiltz threatened the fate of Zi, Van couldn't have asked for a better ally. After that, they had formed a friendship that hadn't always been easy to maintain.

Van didn't know what to say, but luckily he didn't have to worry about it. Thomas broke up their conversation and announced the arrival of the last two Zoid warriors. He exchanged a quick glance with Raven, and with that, Raven informed them that he was headed home.

"You'll have enough problems without me hanging around, Freiheit." As Raven left, Van could have sworn he heard him mumble, "Good luck."

Fiona was waiting in the Blade Liger's hangar as she saw the Liger Zero and Gunsniper approach. "I can't feel anything, Van. I don't know what to do."

Her husband held her in his arms for a minute as he comforted her, "I know everything's going to be fine now. We have to take things slow, and then maybe some day he'll be ready for the truth."

"I hope that day comes soon, Van. I can't wait too much longer."

The Gunsniper entered first and was instructed to park at the opposite end of the hangar. The Liger was instructed to park next to the blue Blade Liger.

Fiona tried her best to keep tears out of her eyes as she slowly approached the Liger. Zeke went nuts the minute he saw her, and Van raised a hand carefully to tell him to calm down.

Bit looked around confused, "Sorry about that, colonel. Liger might be a little apprehensive about being in a new surrounding."

"It's fine, cadet. It's perfectly understandable in these circumstances." Van was thrilled to see Zeke again, but he knew he had to keep a military manor.

"Hello, Bit Cloud. My name is Fiona Freiheit and I'll be taking care of the Zoids during your stay here. Don't worry; I'm an expert in my field." Her smile seemed so comforting to Bit. He always found it hard to trust other people with Liger.

Leena joined the group and introduced herself. "We're very excited about this opportunity, colonel. We traveled all day to get here."

"I find your commitment encouraging, Leena Torros. To be a member of the Guardian Force, you'll need to keep a high level of commitment. If you two will follow Colonel Schubaltz and me, we'll lead you to your rooms. Fiona, I'll trust you to stay with the Zoids." Van gave his wife a quick wink and she returned it.

She looked up at the magnificent Liger Zero and let the tears flow freely. When Zeke felt like the coast was clear, he lowered his head toward her and opened his cockpit. She took the invite and entered.

"Zeke! I can't even begin to thank you enough for taking care our son. I've followed your adventures since the beginning of the Zoid battles, and I'm so proud of you! You really came through for us!"

Fiona desperatly wanted to spend time with Bit, but she knew she must fully compose herself; otherwise she'd fall apart in front of him. It was too soon for him to know, but that was hard for her to accept.

Meanwhile, Thomas and Van gave Bit and Leena a tour of the place. They pointed out the different hangars, laboratories, and sleeping quarters. Van also added where his office was located in case they ever needed to talk.

"Any questions?" Thomas felt it was odd for the two leaders of the Guardian Force to be giving the tour, but he knew there was a special reason for it.

"When will we start the training?" Bit didn't even look tired after his long journey. Van was proud of the fact that he was eager to get started.

"Orientation begins at 8 in the morning. There, you'll meet your fellow cadets and learn what's to be expected of you while you're here. The Guardian Force is an elite unit, but we also realize it's going to be a big adjustment for you. Don't worry about making mistakes because everything here is a learning process."

Bit and Leena nodded their heads and the two colonels departed. Van let out a deep sigh as he and Thomas walked away.

"How did I do?"

"You were very professional. I know it's not easy for you, but you just gotta hang in there. Everything will happen when it's supposed, too. Remember that."

Van nodded in agreement and hurried back to the hangars. "There's someone else I've been anxious to see, too."

Bit began unpacking his things and looked around his room. He was surprised to hear a knock at his door, and was even more surprised when he saw Leena standing on the other side.

"Need something?"

Leena all ready felt like he was annoyed with her, but she let it go. "What do you think of this place?"

She came in and sat on his bed as he finished unpacking. "It's nice. For some reason, I was thinking they were going to stick us in some hell-hole."

She laughed and nodded in agreement. "Didn't it seem weird to you that Colonel Freiheit and Colonel Schubaltz gave us the tour, personally?"

"I hadn't given it much thought, but now that you mention it. It is kind of odd. Maybe we're getting special treatment for actually winning the Royal Cup." The same cocky attitude Leena thought he had lost gave another appearance.

"Maybe. I'll just be glad to get these tests over with. I want to see the full capabilities of my Gunsniper. I only wish we were allowed to keep the configurations."

Bit rolled his eyes at her, "Just wait until they see how much ammo you wasted in that disc I gave them. It ought to be interesting."

"Very funny, Bit. We'll all be evaluated, so don't think you're getting away with anything."

Leena was glad that they were able to have a regular conversation without yelling at each other. She was afraid if she stuck around much longer, it might turn out that way. Still, she liked having the opportunity to talk to him.

As Bit listened to Leena talk, he felt the same thing. He was also glad to have a normal conversation with her. Maybe he would finally learn something about her that he didn't know. From the few minutes they spent together in his room, he all ready knew that she wasn't as invincible as she liked people to think. All this time, it seemed like she wanted someone to reassure her.

Van couldn't find Fiona anywhere in the hangar. All of a sudden, he looked up at the Liger Zero. The Zoid laid his head down and popped open the cockpit. Fiona sat there with a huge smile on her face.

"It's good to see you again, buddy. We've missed you both terribly. Thanks for all you've done." Van leaned over the cockpit and looked inside. It had been years, yet everything came back to him fine. They stayed the night in the hangar just talking. All three of them like it was sixteen years ago.