Fan Fiction / Zoids Fan Fiction ❯ Of Eagles and Ravens ❯ Screams at Midnight ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: Howdy! ^^ This is my first ever Zoids fanstory, and my very first story outside the Yu-Gi-Oh category. I only watched a few eps of Zoids, and read a few fan pages about it, so I might have gotten some details wrong, or made some people ooc. So, your comments would be appreciated. ^^

*~*Chapter One*~*

~*~ Screams at Midnight*~

A gust of cold air blew across the desert, like a thin wisp of string. It slithered across the sand; then died down. The wind breathed again, as though desperately attempting to gain life, sighing slowly over the wasteland as it yet again perished. Overhead, the stars against the pitch-black sky twinkled brightly, the darkness of night leaching the color from the sand.

Leaning against his Geno Breaker, Raven gazed up at the stars. His hands were neatly folded behind his head, and the smooth metal of his Zoid relaxed him. Lavender eyes traveling to where his coffee brewed, he watched as a flimsy tendril of grey smoke drifted upward, melting into the atmosphere the higher it went.

His gaze returned back to the stars, as for some inexplicable reason calm washed over his body in waves. Usually, he did not savor the sweet moments of peace and repose; only did he give into rest when his body was near exhaustion.

A boy in his late teens, Raven lived up to his name by having a heart as black as midnight. His gray hair ended just above his shoulders, his bangs grazing lightly over his eyebrows. Raven's pale, creamy skin contrasted greatly with the mark below his right eye: a small crimson dot followed by a thin, slightly curved line heading downward; ending beneath his bottom lip. A loose grey tunic covered his body, hardly any protection against the bitter cold night of the desert.

Staring into the vast regions of space, Raven felt himself connected to the world around him. As if his spirit left his body and was everywhere and nowhere at once, touching everything and nothing at all. Raven sensed himself drifting as he closed his eyes, his mind wandering deep into the night. And then as usual, he felt a deep dark hole blocking him as he reached deep into himself, trying to imagine life beyond the planet of Zi.

Raven perceived his past was connected to the stars, just beyond his grasp. Perhaps he could discover the secrets of his origin and life beyond Prozen if he reached deep inside himself. But in the meantime, he couldn't care less.

He was content with his life the way it was: Brutal. Viscous. Satisfying. Dark. Even though he hated all Zoids, he loved the feel of riding one. The rhythm of the machine's mechanical legs moving swiftly while he looked beyond the tinted glass to the outside world, as though he were a god looking upon the pathetic mortals outside. The feel of the power of his Zoid radiating from beneath his hands, divided into the brightly colored buttons and levers.

Even though Raven loved victories, he loved the feeling even more before he went into battle. The familiar rush of adrenaline filling his veins, and the anticipation of facing a new foe - one that might prove a challenge for a fighter of his skills.

Slowly, Raven's brown coffee began to bubble from above the brilliant fire, the tongue of the flame licking the pan it was in. Crawling over to his drink, the Zoid Pilot picked up a canister left on the ground, and poured the java into the container until it was almost flowing over the white sides.

Gulping it down quickly, Raven didn't feel his tongue and throat stinging, or his hands screaming from the heat. He had endured enough pain in his life so that it hardly bothered him anymore. At least physically. Emotionally, he was burning with the fire of hatred and revenge. Almost all directed toward Van Freiheit . . . and Zoids.

He didn't know why he detested the machines. The intense dislike was more of a subconscious feeling, rumbling right beneath his awareness, whispering secret messages. Raven learned to depend on his instinct. It was the one thing he could rely on . . . with the exception of Shadow.

The black Organoid currently patrolled their campsite. Thump thump thump. Shadow walked in slow strides across the desert, his swishing tail leaving oozing marks in the sand. His red eyes pierced the darkness, appearing as beacons of destruction, a forewarning of blood to be spilled.

Sighing with content, Raven slumped down toward the sand, using his arms as pillows. Tomorrow would be a new day, with new battles and new destructions and fear for him to cause.

Just before he drifted off to sleep, the same song that stalked many of his nights rose hauntingly from the grave, rumbling along his subconsciousness, whispering secrets to his mind. This time, the melody was so clear and precise, as though it were sung right to his psyche, entering his closed eyes and gnawing on his bones. Accompanying the song, an image of a girl flickered throughout the pilot's brain, seemingly crying and giggling at the same time, her mouth open in a silent scream.

Barely discernable in the dark, Raven shivered. Thump thump thump.

Not far away from where Raven rested, the Guardian Force traveled across a narrow ravine between two cliffs, their Zoids crashing heavily upon the sand with every footstep. Each time the wind blew, it whistled between the canyon, as though a mournful ghost shrieked its pain and suffering to the living.

Drowsiness overcoming her, Moonbay yawned deeply. "Tell me why again, Van, we're traveling at this late hour when I could be in bed. Sleeping."

Over the speaker, Irvine snarled. "Moonbay, quite your whining. You know full well why we're here."

In her Gustav, Moonbay smiled, glad to have gotten on Irvine's nerves. "Aren't your grouchy Irvine? Could it be you're tired?" Dressed in her usual orange tunic, Moonbay was as sassy as ever. Her dark brown hair was tied in braids with different assortments of orange and aqua bands. Her deep chocolate eyes complimented her darkly tanned skin, as her teeth gleamed like bleached bones.

Irvine retaliated with only a few words before Van ceased their banter. "All right. That's enough you two. We're here to stop a smuggling operation, not fool around."

"Yes sir, Captain sir," Moonbay saluted, causing Van to sigh in exasperation.

Over in his Lightning Saix, the light brown haired Irvine shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever." A red headband kept his spiky hair from his face, as light blue clothes, same color as his eyes - one behind an eyepatch- covered his scarred body.

Behind Van, seated in the cockpit of the Blade Liger, Fiona stared out the tinted window. Worn in an unusual style, her long blonde hair reached her waste, while puffs of hair - shaped like a triangle - loomed on each side of her head. Bangs framed her pale creamy face, while piercing crimson eyes gave her a mysterious edge.

Suddenly, the temperature dropped rapidly, creating condensation on the glass. "Whoa!" Van yelled in shock, shivering slightly from the chill. "That was unexpected."

Everything about Van was dark. His dark brown hair and burnt umber eyes. His uniform made from the dark colors of red and grey. Even his hands were slightly dark, made so by the oil from constant repairing of Zoids. The only thing not dark about Van was his heart. It was shining with the light of a hero, made from compassion and a sense of justice.

"Van," Fiona whispered. Her hands fiddled together with nervousness, faster and faster until soon they looked like ravenous animals attempting to devour each other. "Something's wrong."

The Zoid Pilot looked over his shoulder at the ancient Zoidian, and was surprised to see her face twisted with worry and fear. "It's okay Fiona," Van said soothingly. "What do you think is wrong?"

Fiona shook her head and bit her bottom lip, looking out the window once more. "I'm not sure. It's just a feeling . . . a terrible feeling."

Before Van had time to say anything else, an explosion boomed in the distance, followed by a thick plume of smoke rising in the air.

"Your turn Dietrich," Sergeant Brauer said between puffs of his cigar, blowing out smoke through his nostrils.

At 6' 7", Brauer towered over his two other poker buddies. Ever since grade school, he had been teased for his monstrous size as some would put it. His humiliation didn't cease when he reached adolescence, for his skin was marked with oozing red blemishes. During utter despair, he had learned that he could use his size as an advantage, and squash those smaller and punier then him. Brauer had become the "terror of Amsel Academy" and was quiet proud of the reputation. Not destined to be college bound, he joined the military at an early age where he did well. He exceeded in Sniper shooting and Zoid piloting, and at 21 was heading up the promotion ladder at a rapid pace.

They were amusing themselves outside, under the overhead stars. The two full moons shone brightly, reddish orange in color, as they sometimes were. Assigned lookouts at the military camp, they did what any soldier would do in their situation: play cards.

Dietrich looked up at space. "You know, they say whenever both full moons are red, trouble happens. Like, it's a forewarning of death or somethin'."

Brauer snarled. "Quit stallin'."

Dietrich sighed and put down a pair of eights. "It's the best I got." At a medium height, he looked like a spider; long gangly arms and legs twitching rapidly, as his waxen skin stretched so tight over his face it looked as if it might split.

Their other poker buddy, Kastner looked sorrowfully at his hand, as if looking for a means too win that he hadn't discovered before. After 30 seconds, he folded his cards. "I'm out."

Brauer chuckled, about to put down his winning hand of three Queens when the temperature rapidly dropped.

Dietrich shivered and began to sniffle, as though he couldn't take the cold. He stood up. "It's getting chilly, I'm gonna head inside-" Dietrich convulsed as a metal pipe rammed into his back, rupturing his spinal chord and piercing organs. Blood began to pour from his mouth as he heaved, taking a last breath as he crumpled to the floor.

Kastner screamed and leaned back in his chair, tipping over as he landed on the floor. He yelled again as the pipe rattled from Dietrich's dead body, slowly pulling out his back with a sickening sound.

Screams now mingled with Kastner's as shouts of fear ruptured throughout the otherwise silent night.

Brauer sat still, in shock of the metal pipe hovering now in midair. With a low whistle, the metal pipe turned slowly toward his comrade. Kastner began to shiver, moans coming from his mouth. His legs trembled like a leaf caught in a hurricane, as he took a few steps backwards.

Faster than the eye could follow, the blunt pipe zoomed across the distance between them, and rammed into Kastner's neck. His head separated from his body, wobbling back and forth cartoon like for a moment, then suddenly fell.

Not a man to scare easily, Brauer was surprised by his actions as he found himself shivering under the poker table. One by one the screams died down. Suddenly, Brauer felt something. Something enormous and immense, power radiating from it like a locomotive.

It was coming closer. And closer. So much closer.

Brauer shut his eyes, feeling the presence tap into his brain, swirling his thoughts into a muddied substance of fear.

Closer. And closer. So much closer.

Brauer began to whimper, feeling wetness in his pants. Too frightened to be ashamed, he covered his head with his arms.

Closer. And closer. So much closer.

Then, it was right on top of him. The table rattled slowly, then faster and faster. It's playing with me, Brauer realized. Suddenly, the rattling stopped, and in the wake of silence Brauer wished his death would come swiftly.

A scraping sound shattered the silence, as a card fell from the table. Tumbling through the air, he recognized the card: A Joker.

Suddenly, a piercing scream rang throughout the night, as though the gates of hell opened and let its army out unto the world of Zi. The shriek filled Brauer's head, so loud that his ears began to bleed. Just as he withered away into unconsciousness, an explosion rocked the base.

Whimpering as nightmares filled her dreams, the girl suddenly awoke. She lay shivering against the sudden inexplicable cold, huddling against herself for warmth. Naked and bare, she felt so ashamed, but more than that, she was worried. She had no recollection of her past, no memories or details. She didn't even know her name.

The girl shivered again, placing her long black hair over her shoulders so the strands covered her breasts. Hidden in a cave, the girl didn't feel any safer as when she was wandering about the desert, only hours previously.

Noticing a bright light outside, she inched slowly toward the mouth of her shelter, watching in amazement as fire enveloped a small complex in the distance - some sort of town or village. As she stared at the flames, something invisible covered the distance in a great leap, and slammed into her.

The girl fell backwards, feeling frightened and scared. She kept still for a few minutes, and when nothing else happened, she retreated toward the back of the cave.

Thump thum thump thum thump. The girl jerked, hearing the noise. Zoids. Running real fast. Perhaps three? She thought to herself, then was amazed at her recollection. She had no idea what Zoids were a few minutes ago, and now she could see images of the machines in her head. Maybe my memories are coming back? As hard as she tried, the girl could remember nothing more.

Giving up in despair, she tried to get comfortable on the stone-cold floor. As she drifted off, a song played enchantingly in her head, like calm waves in the sea; receding, and then coming back loud and clear. The girl whispered the melody in her sleep, unaware she was doing so. "Desolate winter lifeless landscape, halls of north frozen. Of eagles and ravens domain, a one-eyed master silently awaits to strike at dawn. Hordes will fight and come forth, from dark hidden places. Ready to kill, march to war, for the eternal Northern Sky."

*~*To be continued

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Their will be plenty more to come - if people review. If I don't get a lot of reviews, I probably won't write anymore for I will think people don't like my story. So please review. It will only take a minute or less from your time. Thankies! And Jesus bless!