Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Outlaw Star Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction / Zoids Fan Fiction ❯ All Death's Children ❯ Chapter 1

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Note: Zoids is the latest addition to my anime addiction, and I owe it
all to Vega and the Berserk Fury. It'd be cooler if the series had
lasted longer, but oh well. Enjoy.

Summary: Upon their passing, Vega & the Berserk Fury are recruited by
an elite group of fighters.

All Death's Children

"So, who wins this one?" Brad asked.

Leon stroked his chin, thinking. "I'll say Bit & Liger."

Brad chuckled. "Care to place some money on that?"

"You betting against your own teammate?"

"You've obviously forgotten how good the kid is."

"No, I haven't," Leon replied. "I just think Bit's better with his
Zoid. He and Liger won the first battle."

"If you mean the Royal Cup, both of them had been weakened by other
fighters. This time, it's truly one on one." Brad smirked. "Anyway, my
money's on the King."

* * * * *

"Buster Slash!"

The Liger Schneider leaped forward, its blades extended and charged.

The Berserk Fury's thrusters fired, forcing it out of the way just in
time.

"You'll have to do better than that, Bit!" Vega laughed. "Fury, whip
`em!"

The Berserk Fury's tail whipped out, slamming the Liger Schneider to
the ground. Then the T-Rex-like Zoid sprinted away and turned, ready
for more.

"Man, he's gotten faster!" Bit muttered, shaking his head. "But we
beat them once, and we can do it again. Let's go, partner!"

The Liger Schneider roared in agreement and got up, ready to continue
the battle.

"Good. He still wants to fight. It's time, Fury." Vega brushed the
dark tresses away from his face and smiled. "Lock down and prepare to
fire all three cannons."

The Berserk Fury spread its large legs, activating the clamps in its
feet. The gaping jaw lowered, revealing the cannon in its mouth. The
shoulder-mounted drills opened up, exposing the other two cannons. The
Ultimate X Zoid began to vibrate as it collected energy for its most
powerful attack.

"He's going to use the Triple Charged Particle Cannon Assault!" Bit
looked worried, but only for a moment. "Guess we'll have to stop him
before he gets the chance. Go, Schneider!"

As the Liger Schneider raced forward, Vega's left hand hovered over
the shield command, ready to raise it the instant the cannons ceased
firing. The right rested on the cannon control. "Here comes my best
shot, Bit. Let's see how you and the Liger handle it." He began to
fire.

Suddenly, a chill went down Vega's spine, and he paused, uncertain of
what to do. Then he smiled slightly. "Adjust the cannons and fire,
Fury."

Bit held in a gasp as the Berserk Fury fired all three cannons. It was
nothing he hadn't seen before, of course, but seeing those royal
violet beams of destruction never failed to take his breath away. Then
he started in shock as the beams screamed past the Liger Schneider,
just barely scorching the Zoid's surface.

Vega was arguably the best Zoid pilot in existence. He didn't miss.
The one time he had, the Berserk Fury had been the one fighting, not
Vega, and Bit defeated them for the Royal Cup. So either Vega was no
longer controlling his Zoid, or he was throwing the battle. The latter
was impossible. Vega's fondest dream was to face Bit & Liger a second
time. He would never throw a fight against them.

So then he was prolonging the battle. The little ace wanted this to go
on for some time. Bit would not disappoint.

The Liger Schneider leaped at the Berserk Fury, roaring in
anticipation. But in the middle of the leap, a loud, ominous sound
echoed in Bit's ears. It was not Liger's roar, but the sound of the
Berserk Fury's clamps releasing. He didn't realize why until it was
too late to stop.

The Berserk Fury lowered its head, then snapped it up in the
equivalent of a perfect uppercut. But the sudden movement brought the
cockpit directly in line with Liger's charged blades.

Bit only had time to glance down at the window on his comlink. The
last thing he saw was a mysterious smile on Vega's face before the
impact.

If the Berserk Fury's powerful shield had been up, the Liger's blades
would've been snapped in two. Instead, the blades met the unprotected
cockpit like a hot knife through so much butter. There was a horrible
rending of metal and shattering of glass.

The Berserk Fury wavered on its feet once the Liger Schneider had
fallen back, and then the T-Rex-like Zoid collapsed to the ground for
the second time in its brief but incredible career.

"VEGA!" Bit screamed, panic in his voice. "SPEAK TO ME! SAY
SOMETHING!"

"Good work, Fury," a soft voice whispered through the comlink. "Good
wo..."

Bit didn't know if the comlink or Vega had failed, but just then, he
didn't care. With a speed formerly unknown to him, he leaped from his
cockpit and hit the ground running, yelling his friend and rival's
name all the while.

The Berserk Fury's cockpit, or more specifically, the remains of it,
was a complete mess. But in the center of the wreck, trapped between
two hunks of metal, was a pale arm in a torn black sleeve.

"Liger, get over here!" Bit called. "I need your help!"

With the greatest care, Liger pried the cockpit open, revealing Vega's
bloody, broken body. Amazingly enough, he was still conscious, despite
the pain that should've sent him into shock long ago.

Bit carefully extracted the boy from the wreck, tears streaming down
his face. "Dammit, Vega! What were you thinking, pulling a stunt like
that?! Why didn't you use the shield?!"

Vega slowly and painfully opened his eyes, a strange smile on his
face. "It was my time, Bit."

"What are you saying?! You're going to die because of me, and I-"

"No," Vega whispered, weakly shaking his head. "It was an honor to die
in battle with you, Bit Cloud, but never think my blood is on your
hands. My actions are my own."

"It didn't have to be this way," Bit muttered. "It shouldn't have been
this way..."

Vega reached up and placed a surprisingly steady hand on Bit's
shoulder. "It was meant to be this way. This is my destiny, Bit. And
you..." He paused to cough, and a thin trail of blood escaping the
corner of his mouth. "You and Liger are the greatest pilot and Zoid
team I've ever had the pleasure of fighting."

"Tell me why," Bit rasped, his voice leaving him. "Tell me why you did
this!"

Vega closed his eyes. "I have to go, Bit. Please...tell Sarah I love
her, and that she is my mother in every...way that..." His hand fell
from Bit's shoulder, hanging limply at his side.

Bit's bottom lip trembled as he stared at the body in his arms, trying
to understand just why Vega had chosen this day, this moment, and this
way to die. The answers did not come, and neither did the inner peace
he'd experienced after his last battle with Vega.

Liger's soft growl broke the silence, and Bit looked up to see
Shadowfox and the Red Blade Liger racing toward them. With tears in
his eyes and a heavy heart, Bit Cloud cradled Vega's body close to his
chest and whispered into the dark hair, "Long live the King."

* * * * *

The word of Vega's death spread like wildfire among the Zoid teams.
Within a day, everyone that had anything to do with Zoids knew about
the terrible loss.

The Zoid Battle Commission acted swiftly. Despite his strong ties to
the Backdraft organization, they declared that Vega Obscura was to be
remembered as the finest Zoid pilot to ever enter a battle (as well as
the runner-up for the Royal Cup). The Royal Cup Tournament itself was
renamed the Vega Obscura Memorial Tournament, and the stretch of land
where he died was preserved as a national monument. The Berserk Fury
itself was entombed in stone and set up as a statue near the site.

Then came the funeral.

* * * * *

"I only knew Vega for a short time, but from the moment we first met,
I knew he was special." Bit paused to collect himself. "After
competing in the Royal Cup, we made a deal with Brad and Leon to have
our own tournament every year. No fame, no fortune, no money. Just
four pilots and their Zoids, battling the way they were meant to. This
was the first year, and...well...it's what brought us all here today."

Bit sighed and went on. "It seems almost silly to say this now, but I
thought of Vega as the little brother I always wanted. I think that's
the way he would want me to remember him. I guess that's it." He
stepped away from the podium and placed a single rose inside Vega's
coffin. "Long live the King. Seeya someday, little buddy."

* * * * *

Sarah stared down at the pale face, wondering why. Why had Vega done
this? Why had he wanted to die? Why had he wanted to leave her?

"It's the worst thing in the world, isn't it?" Bit asked.

"What?"

"Not knowing."

Sarah closed her eyes and sighed. "Yes. It is."

"You blame yourself, don't you?"

"Well, yes. I'm the one who pushed him so hard to be the best."

Bit shook his head. "Vega liked being the best."

"And now he's dead because you were better."

"That's not true, Sarah. What happened out there was no accident. Vega
knew it could happen. He didn't try to stop it. In fact, I've got a
feeling that he wanted it. But he proved to me that he was the best,
not me. I could never have done anything so...so..."

"What?" Sarah asked.

"So brave. To arrange my own death and not fear it at all. I've never
had that kind of courage, and maybe I never will."

"But...Vega loved life. He would never..."

"He did," Bit replied. "You saw the body and the wrecked Zoid. And you
yourself designed the Berserk Fury's defense systems. You know the
only way the cockpit alone could take that kind of damage was if there
hadn't been a shield up, and if the pilot hadn't wanted to live. And
there is no way Vega Obscura could lose like that unless he wanted
to."

Tears ran down Sarah's cheeks as she looked away. "Why are you telling
me this?!"

"Because," Bit said, taking her hands in his own. "I want you to know
the truth about what happened out there." He pressed something into
her hands, squeezing them tightly. "Now you will."

"What is this?" she asked, looking down.

"I always keep a hidden camera on me when I battle. Just in case.
Finally came in handy. It's all there."

"Bit...I don't...know what to say..."

"Say that if you need anything, you'll call me. Say that you won't
keep blaming yourself for this. Say that you'll watch this
tape...because Vega wants you to."

"Would want me to," she corrected.

Bit frowned. "WANTS you to," he insisted.

"I...fine. I'll do that. Thank you, Bit."

"Thank him yourself," Bit replied as he turned away, "someday."