Fan Fiction / Zoids Fan Fiction / Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction / Outlaw Star Fan Fiction / Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ The Reaper ❯ Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? ( Chapter 22 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids

Okay, here it is, chapter 22. Sorry for it taking so long, but those damn SATs, damn them to hell. The amount of studying I did, and it was all for nothing. The test was so simple, so completely simple. All that time for some stupid fill-in-the-little-circle test. Probably the stupidest thing I did was memorize the periodic table, or was it finding out how quickly a slug dissolves with salt? Oh well, I have been taking those tests all my life, I thought it would actually be somewhat challenging. So much wasted time, time that could have been spent on you, my readers. Anyway, some new people in this chapter, including a character sent to me from a fan, Mans Lanette. One more thing, I'm changing my format of writing just a tiny bit, hope you don't mind.

" " speech

` ' thought

( ) author's notes

***** scene change

The Reaper

Chapter 22: Oh Brother Where Art Thou?

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We open this scene at the Zero team's Whale King, where Nate is searching his mind for memories, which he has lost. The other teams were there, the Blitz, Imperial, Lightening, Blade, and Mary. Nate is in the hangar, working all the controls at once with his mind. All around him the noise is deafening, but he stands calmly at the center of it all. The sounds of the grappler arms, the Zoids roaring and growling, the boars rifling the gun barrels of the weapons, the doors opening and closing, and he was right in the middle of it. He could feel a memory resurfacing in the very recesses of his mind. A memory of a boy; a boy with dark hair, dark eyes, and an almost sinister grin.

"Mans," Nate whispered to himself. Sensing someone entering he stop his work and the Zoids became quiet. "Hey Mayuka."

"What are you doing in here, we can hear the noise all the way upstairs," she said stomping up to him.

"You still ask that question, you know it helps me concentrate," he responded.

"I know, I know, I just feel I need to ask," she sighed.

"You didn't come down here just to complain about the noise."

"No, I didn't, I came to tell you supper is ready."

"Thanks."

"Any memories?"

"Yeah, one, but it's not important," he said knowing that this memory was just as important as the location of their base, but he didn't want her worrying.

As they walked through the bowels of the massive carrier, Mayuka asked him the question that had plagued his mind since Daken first challenged him.

"What do you think they're after?" she asked sounding so much like that little girl he had met so long ago.

"Honestly I don't know, at first I thought it was to dominate this planet again, but with the amount of power the Omegasaurer has, and the satellite cannon, I'm wondering why they haven't done it yet."

He was cut short when they entered the room with the rest of them. It was just Bit, Leena, Brad, Naomi, Jamie, Danni, Ricki, and Leon in the room; Isalina, Eric, Kana and the children were outside, and Stigma (I got tired of calling him Stoller, besides everyone else is being called by their first name) and Pierce were out on a recognizance mission. They were currently helping the ZBC quarantine the hole, which the massive Zoid came from. But enough about that, onto what was happening in the Whale King.

"Nate," Bit said, "we realize noise helps you concentrate, did you ever consider music."

"Yeah, but it doesn't give me the same kind of vibrations that machines do. And those are what I need if I'm going to figure out what Sigren is up to."

"Anything?"

"Nope."

It had been three weeks since the Omegasaurer made itself known, and gave Nate and Mayuka a run for their money. Three weeks since there had been even one sighting on the Zenebas. The ZBC had cancelled all battles, including the Royal Cup, and turned all their attention to the threat at hand. It didn't matter if the Zenebas had an army, with a Zoid like that, who would? But that was what was troubling everyone who knew about it, if they had a Zoid that powerful, why not use it.

*****

Out in space, high above Zi, the satellite began to charge up. Thrusters all over its hull fired in three second burst, positioning it just right. The sides opened and out spread long struts, that held it power cores. If you've ever seen Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, the Tegran cannon looks just like the Zeus Satellite. Lightening began to flash down the inside of the barrel, quickly building toward breaching.

From the control room Sigren gave the order to fire.

The light blasted down from the satellite, instantly traversing the distance between its source and the planet below. The beam connected right in the heart of Tenraya, completely obliterating the massive city. The people had no time to react, to evacuate, to do anything. This was truly a day that would live in infamy (I forget who said that first, I think it was Nixon, but I'm not sure.).

*****

Nate fell to the floor, grabbing his head. It was as if he had just been shot by a firing squad. The pain was intense, to intense to bare, but he didn't dare scream. The agony of this flood of knowledge was practically tearing him apart inside.

The round table in the middle of the room began to crack, the metal plating on the wall started to warp and shift. Pictures fell from their hooks and the lights above them shattered, raining pieces of Plexiglas on them. He continued to clutch and claw at his head, ripping some of his hair out. Finally, the walls couldn't take it anymore, and they cracked. It was as if there was a dome being forced out around him (I would have said sphere, but the floor wasn't moving; and I'm hoping you've all watched enough anime to know what I'm talking about).

*****

Outside the children were teaching Kana how to play soccer. They were doing pretty good, until Isalina, who was referee, collapsed, clutching at her head. Her eyes squeezed shut as tears leaked out. She didn't know how, but she knew that millions of people had just died, all in one fell swoop.

"What's wrong?" Kana asked running over to her, throwing off her goalie gloves.

She knelt down next to the crying Isalina, and placed her arms around her. Whenever she was upset her mother would do this to her, when she was young. Isalina's vocal crying had stopped, but she still sobbed into Kana's shoulder as the others came running over.

"Isa, what happened, are you okay?" Rita asked.

"She'll be fine," Kana said standing up, and lifting Isalina in her arms. "We should get her inside, though, I think the heats gotten to her."

Kana was, of course, lying, she had no idea what had happened to her new friend.

"Let me take her," Eric offered.

"No, I got it," she said, "um…could someone get the door for me?"

Eric opened the door and they all filed into the Whale King, making their way to the room where they knew the others were. Kana hoped that Nate could tell them what was wrong with her, he usually had the answers. The little ones were all tagging along behind her, not making any noise, for fear being yelled at. Eric was in the lead, opening doors where they needed to be opened. They, at last, entered the right room.

Kana immediately saw Nate sitting on the wrecked couch, still holding his head. He looked up at them and his eyes fell upon his daughter. Standing up, Mayuka walked over to them and took Isalina from Kana, placing her on the couch next to Nate. He removed one of his hands from his head and placed it on her back.

"I know, I felt it to," he said to her, this was meant just for her, but what he said next was for everyone, "He fired it, he fired the cannon."

"What are you saying?" Leena asked.

"Tenraya is gone," he said shaking his head, as if to make himself disbelieve what he knew was true. "Everyone and everything is gone, they were there just a few seconds ago, now I don't sense anything."

"The Omegasaurer's cannon?" Mayuka asked. "I didn't think it had that much power."

"It could have, if it was there, but this was done with something much larger, and much more deadly. The Tegran cannon."

"Tegran cannon?" Danni asked.

"Remember the satellite I told you about, well that's the Tegran cannon. Its power is greater than any cannon ever made, enough power to destroy this entire planet if they wanted to. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

"How do you know this?"

"My memory came back, and that means we have work to do," he said looking at each of them in turn.

Isalina, by now, had long since stopped crying and was silently staring at the floor. Her chest heaved with the after effects of the episode she just experienced. So many people had just died.

"Isa."

"Huh…yes?" she asked looking at her father.

"What happened to you?"

"I don't know, I just felt a pain in my head that I could take. It got worse and worse till I just collapsed," she said with confusion in her face and voice. "What's happening to me?"

"I wish I knew."

"So what do we do?" Leon asked stepping forward, Ricki stepped up next to him, Kirstin walked over and grabbed her mother's hand.

"Mom?" she said.

"Yes?"

"What's goin' on?"

"Nothing too important, go play with the others," Ricki said pointing at the retreating minors.

"Okay," she said happily and ran after the others.

"Eric," Leena said, "You and Kana take Isa to her room, and put her to bed, then go with the others."

"But Mom, we wanna help," Eric protested.

"Do as your mother says, Eric," Nate said placing his hand on Eric's shoulder. "Please, just take Isalina and put her to bed."

"Oh alright," he said and help Isalina to her feet.

"But, Dad," Isalina said trying to stand on her own, "I feel fine, really I do."

She stumbled forward against Kana, who slipped her arm under Isalina's shoulder to support her.

"Get some rest, Fioria," Mayuka said with a tone that told Isalina the argument was over.

When they were gone, Nate turned to the others saying, "Why do they always have to argue, even when they know we're right?"

*****

"You called me, Father?" a boy asked, walking into the control room.

Sigren was seated in a large chair in the center of the room, and swiveled around to see his son. The boy appeared to be about the same age as Kana. He was about 5'8", with black hair cropped just below his ears (you never told me what you looked like Mans, so I hope you don't mind if I guessed), his red eyes roamed over the room, noting what was on the screens. He wore red, baggy pants, and a black t-shirt. This was different from the normal, gray uniform the other pilots wore; he was allowed to wear what he wanted because he was their best pilot.

"Yes Mans, come in," Sigren said.

"What did you want to see me about?"

"Well, you've been really anxious to get into some combat, so how about going and getting rid of that traitorous Tyran?" Sigren asked with a slight smirk, he's insane remember, so it's not like he's going to feel remorse about his sons fight each other.

Mans smiled, he had been waiting for this since he had been awakened.

`The prophecy is wrong,' he thought, `it is not Tyran who is the warrior to bring us to victory, I am.'

TBC

There, chapter done, so very sorry for it taking so long, but there were so many things to do. I would have gone further, but due to lack of information I can't. I would have had a battle take place in this chapter, if I had the info I need (**author glares at Mans**). Well, I'm hoping for it so I can upload the next chapter. Anyway, before I leave, I have a question for you: what does an ancient zoidian/zenebas crave more than anything else in the entire universe? If you can answer that, then you've discovered the ending of the story. I'll give you a week to answer. Well, I'm off.