Be My Escape, [Closed]

[Timber Okami]

When great things are finally put into motion, it always starts somewhere dramatic. Like a dark castle, framed by storm clouds and lightning, perched precariously on a pointed peak, with bats and crows flying around. Or maybe in a dark, dusty basement somewhere, with machines spewing electricity into the air, cobwebs hanging from the corners, maybe some kind of big ugly creature perched off to the side.

But, no, this was none of those things. Not a dark and stormy night, but a bright and sunny afternoon. It was hot to the point where even the lizards were taking shelter under rocks and in the cracks and crevices of the valley to try and keep cool.

That, and Otto was notorious for keeping his lab spotless, and free from any electricity that could potentially, you know, shock him to all hell. He wasn't much a fan of that.

Missed a spot, the orange velocidragon on the floor pointed out with a grin, blank black eyes covered by his blue and orange goggles, while he watched his slightly crippled creator dust off a large green pod. The liquid swirled, murky, making it hard to see what was within, though obviously there was something alive inside. Otto, carefully holding onto the wires and oxygen tube that fed into the top of the pod, turned slightly so he didn't aggravate his bad back, to look at the Organoid.

"Where?" he asked, looking around to see where the Organoid was talking about. Dagmar laughed a little, flipping his goggles back to rest on his horns.

I was giving you a hard time, you didn't miss anything, the Organoid said, giving the human a kind smile. He didn't think he'd be taken seriously with such an obvious statement.

Otto made a face at him, and stepped down his stool to get to the ground, but he missed the step, and as he started to fall, he reached out and grabbed part of the cluster of wires above. It saved him from falling too far (though he grimaced at the pain of his back getting jarred around), but he heard something crinkle and snap up above his head at the top of the pod.

"Oops," he mumbled, using Dagmar's face to right himself, since the orange Organoid had raced over to catch the man when he started to fall. Once back on the top step, he went back to connecting and checking what had snapped, while Dagmar stared into the tank... something was moving within, an angry swishing motion, like a tail or something.

"Sorry about that," Otto seemed to say to the pod as he reconnected everything, seeing that nothing looked to be broken. He started to step down again, holding onto his Organoid this time, and paused at the bottom to peer into the tank, since the angry thrashing hadn't stopped. Otto almost looked sad for a second, leaning against his Organoid and pondering. "You are such an angry individual. Still haven't figured out where you came fr-"

What appeared to be a tail smacked right into the front of the tank, with enough force to make a small crack... that got a little bit bigger with another heavy tail smash.

Unknown to the alarmed pair, the four white BLOX Zoids in the hangar activated, despite being on another end of the base. They threw their little heads back, roars ripping from their jaws that would be more expected of Zoids five times their size. The white Leoblaze, Unenlagia, Mosasledge, and Nightwise all screeched and roared, orange eyes blazing with fury.

(I've got to get out of here.)

[Dragon Koradaku]

Dragon knew the Valley of the Rare-Hertz as well as she knew the back of her hand. It was pratically her back yard. She had been here so many times it was simply impossible for her to get lost....physically. Mentally, Dragon would go off on her own, recalling not-so-fond memories of lives lost, but also of better memories here lives had been found and given a second chance.

Dragon still didn't like coming here. If it wasn't for something as important as this, she wouldn't have come at all. But she had no choice. Something living in this valley killed Saber and Darius, and she was going to find out who, or -what- commited such an atrocious act.

Fenrir's paws left heavy echoes as he walked. At only 73 tons, the King Baron was one of Dragon's smaller Zoids, but by no means the weakest. With over 12 heavy duty cannons and machineguns, the Lion type Zoid was a monster to be reckoned with and Dragon felt insanely safe in his cockpit. No Zoid could withstand the barrage of weaponry from a King Baron.

What if we don't find anything? Fenrir rumbled, tilting his head back to watch the sun vanish behind a towering rock peak. Besides, something tells me Saber isn't quite dead yet.

Dragon picked at the nail on her thumb. "Then I'm shit outta luck 'cause I have no idea what to do next," A bit of nail fell to the floor and Dragon made a 'bleh' face. Picking nails was not a good habit. "Maybe we'll find her." The pilot muttered. Fenrir snorted, unimpressed.

Lies. Dragon, you are 18-years-old. Revenge is something kids your age should not be thinking about. The old Zoid gruffed, shaking his head lightly. Dragon braced herself as the cockpit shook around her, causing vision to swirl for a bit.

"I've been through a lot of things a normal 18-year-old woul never go through," She chuckled, leaning back and propping her feet up on the control panel. "The joys of being a Zoid pilot in the middle of nowhere on Nyx with only crazy freaks for friends."

At least you aren't....I dunno, a fast food worker.

Dragon grinned. Fenrir may have been older then dirt but he still had a keen sense of humor. Leaning foward, Dragon dropped her cheek onto her hand and watched the familiar sight of brown and tan rocks slip by her eyes and Fenrir galloped deeper into the heart of the Valley.

[Timber Okami]

At least she doesn't work retail.

The cacophony of noise only got louder out in the hangar, with the other Zoids present not sure what to do, or what to think. The regular set of four for the Matrix Dragon bundle scuttled away from their brothers and sisters as they worked themselves up into a rage, their Core BLOX glowing gold.

Escape!

Get them!

Rip them to shreds!

Smash the glass!

Silent to all but one person, the voices urged him on, mirroring the cacophony of noise going on in the hangar, just with words instead of screeches. The other two in the room were deaf to it, getting over their shock and trying to secure the pod before something bad happened.

Destroy!

The heavy lizardly tail slammed into the glass again, the chainsaw in the last segment hit the glass and caught, chipping away bits of the clear crystal and weakening it further. Dagmar whipped his head back to look, the various sensors in his goggles wigging out as he took all the information in. He barked out a roar suddenly, flinging his wings open just as the tail came down on the same spot again and finally shattered the tank into a million pieces.

Dagmar roared over the hostile hiss of the tank's occupant as he perched on the remains, mind racing with thoughts, not all of them his own. Bright orange eyes darted around, taking in the Organoid and the man that he was protecting, narrowing briefly as he took in the man and his stooped posture, as if there was something wrong with his back. The cane didn't help to shake that feeling either.

"Who..."

At that moment, something pulled the four BLOX Zoids together, and in a flash of gold-white, a stoic looking white Matrix Dragon was left behind, calmly peering at one of the far walls. Lips-that-didn't-exist were pulled back as he snarled, somewhat calmly, before throwing his head back in a bellow.

The human and the Organoid heard it from where they were, looking over their shoulders at the door behind them, taking their eyes off of the winged-and-tailed human experiment thing before them.

Run! a single, calm, booming voice roared from somewhere above the base of his skull, and instead of thinking about it, he was off like a shot. Instincts were put into motion, wings fanning out and expanding into bright white 'feathers', tail adjusting for balance, grabbing for something as they passed it and the two surprised individuals. He didn't care, all he wanted was to get the hell out of dodge.

Unfamiliar hallways, lights, sounds, space! A hangar. Seeing a familiar white form, he beelined right for it, meeting the Matrix Dragon as it turned and cracked the cockpit open, the Zoid's own wings flinging open in preparation. Feeling the canopy snap closed, and his pilot nice and safe, Kaiju the Matrix Dragon roared and shot off, blasting a hole in the hangar door with his fire breath and his shield, shooting down the long hall till suddenly there was sunlight and an open canyon before them.

He didn't stop, not for a while anyways, not till he felt an irritated thought in his mind that wasn't his own.

"Stop, stop!"

The Zoid did as he was told, floating onto a plateau and standing on all fours, head tilting off to one side so he could at least attempt to peer at the cockpit on his back as it was flung open, and the man stood up to look wildly around, still confused.

Yes, Lazarus?

The once thought to be dead Chimera madman looked in the direction of his Zoid's voice, tail waggling in the air to help him maintain his balance, wings still out slightly for balance, but with the bright charged feathers gone from them.

How... when... he couldn't remember anything, really, though things were starting to filter back to him. The rain, the desert, a bright flash of light, claws falling from the sky... Azazel! (Nightshade!)

Unknown to him, his eyes had flashed and he was growling at seemingly nothing, with his Zoid still watching him curiously. Even with their minds linked to intricately as theirs were, the white dragon chuckled a few times, getting his other half's attention again. "What?"

You do realize you're naked, right?

Lazarus blinked a few times, and looked down to realize that his Zoid was, in fact, correct in his observation. He wrinkled his nose at the Zoid, holding a hand out and having his tail deposit into his hand what it had picked up in the lab. A simple lab coat, though it was much thicker and more like a coat then the average lab coat was. Either way, as he went to put it over his shoudlers, he realized it snagged on somethong on his back, and he looked to see the wings before, suddenly remembering a lot more then he had just a few seconds ago.

Wings, claws, teeth, fins. Barely human. Tossing the coat over his shoulder, he realized that he was, for the most part, human again. Something about his frame seemed as dense as it had been before, but there were no hooked claws, no random bits of armor, nothing that he could find as he patted himself down.

Though he hadn't noticed it right away, as his fingers touched the cool metal of the tail on his backside, he yanked his hand away and looked over his shoulder as best he could, seeing the tip of the tail waggling as if it was waving hello.

"...what is this,"

It appears to be a tail,

"Thank you, Kaiju. It's somewhat different then my last one," he snapped at the Zoids sarcasm, finally looking at the coat and wondering how he was going to wear it with the hunks of metal on his back. They seemed to provide an answer, folding up neatly enough that he could put it on at least, if not have a weird looking lump on his back. "I suppose that works for now," he said quietly, putting the coat on and buttoning it up. There... decent, at least, if not uncomfortable. So, clothes next.

...then what? He didn't know where he was, but one thing bubbled to his mind in an angry haze. Revenge... no screwing around this time.

The Matrix Dragon looked around while his other half was sorting himself out, piecing things back together. No rush, he reasoned.

[Dragon Koradaku]

Dragon, tired of sitting the normal way in cockpit seats, had changed her body so she could sit side-saddle but still look out Fenrir's canopy glass. Not that the landscape had changed at all for the last few minutes. Rocks, rocks, broken rock, more rocks. This Valley was so boring on the outside.

Fenrir had taken to hopping onto outcropping, then leaping off of them for a bit of thrill. Normally, he would just fly but he didn't want to miss anything on the ground. The Baron grumbled something, wishing he could tell Dragon this was a complete waste of time. But that would only bring on anger that he didn't want to deal with.

"The thing that came out of Darius....TD says she can see it in her dreams. That has to be Saber, only why did she revert back to a mental insanity?" Dragon muttered to herself, her fingers clicking and tapping a pattern on the skin of her phone. "So how can we-"

The pilot groaned and cut herself off. "This is hard!" She complained, dropping the phone behind her and wriggling around in the seat. It really was cramped, and Dragon swore a colorful word when her elbow smacked the hard metal of the control panel.

Fenrir chuckled. You holding up okay back there?

"Bite me."

Still nursing her bruised elbow, Dragon started when she heard the beeping noise of the radar. Twisting her head around, Dragon blinked at the yellow dot for a moment before she fully understood what it was. Unknown, a Zoid neither friend nor foe. "I haven't seen many ferals around lately. Wonder what it-"

Realization hit. Maybe this was the creature that killed Saber and Darius! Dragon felt the hot, frenized rush of her heart starting it's frantic beat as the idea dawned on her. Fenrir let out a warning growl, claws flexing for battle.

"Let's go."

The Winglider on Fenrir's back revved up, four black wings popping out for stability. Engines began to roar and the feline Zoid crouched, wiggled his rear, then exploded upward. Dragon was sucked back into her seat, pressure ripping at her body as Fenrir rockete dup a nearly a 90 degree angle.

The second h cleared the rock walls, the Baron leveled out and tucked his paws to his body. The thrist for battle lit up his black optics, and the Zoid let out one deep-throated roar before zooming off in direction of the yellow dot on radar.

[Timber Okami]

Eventually the white Zoid settled down, tucking his arms and legs under his body and enjoying the sun. The white Zoid was simply happy to be back outside in the sun, and in one ordered piece instead of four chaotic parts. The majestic white Zoid's eyes dimmed, though he did not shut down, instead just basking in the sun for the time being.

He knew, unless something happened, that Lazarus wasn't going to want to do anything for a while.

The man was sitting on the edge of the cockpit, the canopy still up, tail down and resting on the seat below as he looked deep in thought. His mind was clear enough to think beyond the borderline irrational rage and thoughts of revenge. He had realized that he really had no idea where he was, much less where Jacob Nightshade was.

(Thus, there is no point in worrying about it... at the moment,) he finally concluded, deciding that now was the time to figure out where he was. Also, he needed some pants at some point or another.

A faint beep reached his sensitive ears, and the Chimera leaned back to peer at what had made the noise; the radar. Leaning and balancing on his tail, Lazarus studied it for a second, realizing that whatever it was, just so happened to be heading towards them.

(...this could be a good thing or a bad thing,)

If it was someone stronger then him, then they would have to take off running, but if it was someone weaker... well, he'd have something to take his frustration out on, one way or another, depending on if there was a human being involved...

Swinging his tail to the side, he slid down into the cockpit, sitting on his tail and jarring his spine. "This is not going to work," he hissed, fidgeting in the seat to try and get comfortable, which seemed to be an impossible task.

Instead of taking up a threatening posture, the Matrix Dragon continued to bask in the sun, but his eyes flickered back on again, so he could see what was coming for them, hopefully before anything happened.

[Dragon Koradaku]

Normally, Dragon didn't charge in to investigate every single beep on her radar. Whatever someone was doing in the Valley was nobody's business but their own. However, this was different. There was a monster on the loose and any dot on the radar could be it. Dragon didn't particulary enjoy intruding on someone else's privacy, but she was willing to take chances to make sure her Base was safe.

Fenrir, not a Zoid built to fly, was as awkward as ever. To a newer pilot, the top-heavy cat would be too much to handle. Yet Dragon had a fair share of Zoids-who-should-never-leave-the-ground-but-do-anyway. King Baron aside, Dragon's Battle Cougar, Gil Vader, and Gul Tiger all proved to be strange additions to the air. She was use to it.

Going as fast as they were, it took no more then a minute for Dragon to find herself right on top of the dot. She peered out the cockpit glass as Fenrir slowed to a hover, his paws stretching out for balance.

"I don't see anything. Maybe it has stealth?" Dragon braced herself. A stealthy attack could mean the end for them; one well placed shot to the Winglider and Fenrir would be spirlaing down to the ground with no chance to recover.

The Baron roared. There! He said, angling his body down. Dragon got a split second glance before the world around her suddenly pitched. The pilot was thrown back in the seat as Fenrir dove down, Winglider emitting a high pitched keening that was never a good sound.

As soon as it started, it stopped. Dragon bounced in the seat, hands flying up, then falling to smack the console. "Fenrir! Never again." She snapped, pulling hair from out of her eyes. The mecha grumbled something.

Dragon's heart fell as soon as she it. A Matrix Dragon. No way could a Matrix Dragon stop a Bio Carno. With its lack of strong weaponry, the Dragon would barely be able to dent Darius' near invinciable armor. "Its probably a feral, Fen. Lets keep looking...." Dragon sighed. The Zoid refused to move.

Hold on, maybe this fellow can help us, Fenrir rumbled. He was a rock point right across from the Dragon, and he tip-toed to the edge to get a closer look. Hello there! Nice day for a bask, isn't it? The Baron called cheerfully.

Dragon groaned. "Holy Ra.....Fen, you sound like an idiot."

Shush. You never know, maybe he saw something that day....

Dragon huffed and stared out the window.

[Timber Okami]

The dragon tilted his head back, tracking the dot up in the sky with his eyes as it flew along, nearly flying over them. He did a curious little tilt of his head, kneading his claws in the ground where they were tucked under his body. Kaiju felt no fear from the flying Zoid, and was completely content to just lay there while it buzzed around.

His pilot was also having a hard time sitting down. Lazarus eventaully found himself curling his tail around and letting the end rest on the floor, finally noticing the buzzsaw on the last segment. Which was resting down near his feet. Some part of his mind decided that this was less then ideal, while another part acted on this, and the pointed links retracted into the armor, which closed and left him with a smooth tail tip, only barely able to see the seam.

"Useful,"

Meanwhile, Kaiju had continued watching Fenrir, rearing his head and torso up a little bit, taking a more regal posture as the cat inched into view.

Always a good day for a bask, he smoothly rattled, buzzsaw tail twitching. Being cooped up in a dark hangar for Eve knew how long made every moment outside afterwards a great treat.

(What do you want, Zoid?) the man thought quietly, slouching down into the seat as if he was trying to keep himself from being seen... somehow, since it wasn't like they could see him anyways. Kaiju too hoped that they'd get to that already... since they had their own questions to ask.

[Dragon Koradaku]

Fenrir grinned, pleasently surprised that he had not gotten jumped or attacked or otherwise assaulted to death by the Matrix Dragon. Feeling a bit more confident, the Baron sat back on his haunches and watched the Dragon. In all his years, Fen had only seen a handful of albino Zoids. Something about pure white armor looked both majestic and creepy.

I hate to be a bother and intrude on your nice day, Fenrir started. Dragon rolled her eyes and poked the control panel with the toe of her shoe. Fenrir talked like such an old man. But I wanted to know if you happened to see any strange occurances lately? Fenrir lifted a paw and gestured to the Valley.

"Shit, Fen, could you be anymore vogue?" Dragon grumbled. The Valley as a whole put her in a bitter mood, and Fenrir's antics proved to add to the stress. The Zoid rumbled loudly, an animalistic "shut up."

Something here killed a Bio Carno a few weeks ago and we need to find it. Fenrir finished lamely. Okay, maybe this hadn't earned to manifest into a great idea, but at least Fen tried.

Who knows, maybe the Dragon did know something.


I wrote this whole post in E-Prime, lol! =D

[Timber Okami]

I feel stupid 'cause I had to look up what e prime was.

Finally, it looked like the other was going to get to the point. The only indication that he was eager to hear what the Baron had to say, was a slight perk of his pointed metal head, and an eager shifting of his claws under his body to push his body a little more upright.

Lazarus was also listening through his Zoid, hands clasped together in front of his face as he pondered. He knew the Barron type of Zoid rather well, having done a failed experiment long ago with one.

His trip back in time was interrupted by his Zoid, who gave no outward indication of what he was doing, but Kaiju's voice fed back through his mind quietly, What should I tell them? he asked inside the man's skull. The answer came easily.

"Simple. Lie,"

I'm sorry, but we are just travelers, and only recently came to this place, the Zoid responded, as if he hadn't just had a private little thought with his pilot. We've only been around for a few days,

The obviously odd part of this statement was the we bit, unless he was referring to all four parts as their own entity... which is something that Kaiju would never do. He was One.

Catching onto this, the man's hand lazily reached over, the move practiced to the point where he didn't even need to think. The audio link clicked on silently, and he leaned forward slightly.

"But, perhaps we might be of some help to you," Lazarus spoke aloud finally, his voice soft like silk. Scheming already, and he wasn't even fully aware of the situation. It couldn't be helped... part of his plan was to discover exactly what they were in for with this place. And what/where they were, period.

[Dragon Koradaku]

At first, Fenrir thought it rather fishy to hear that the Dragon decided this chaotic, barren Valley would be a good place to visit. With legions of wild Zoids, the parasitic Rare-Hertz Pulse, and general ne'er-do-wells, the Valley proved to be a less then ideal spot for a nap in the sun.

Then again, Zoid Eve lurked around here somewhere.

Ah. Word of caution, then. This place is filled with rogues and bandits and the like. Not a good place for a lone Zoid, The Baron gave the ivory beast a once-over. Even for a Matrix Dragon.

Dragon, however, picked up on the key word despite the fact that this meeting proved entirely useless thus far. "Hold, up. We?" Dragon asked, sitting up in her seat. She didn't see anyone. Maybe a Zoid in camo.....or one in the air, too high for radar. Or perhaps, the much too obvious...

Not expecting to hear such a sleazy voice on the comm-link, Dragon froze. Warnings went off in her head. This voice sounded like it belonged to the men Cloud always warned her about before she went galloping around on acid trip adventures. Dragon, on high alert, leaned foward to speak:

"I don't see how you can." She responded, voice a little on edge to hopefully get the point across; she had no interest in getting help from random guys who crept scary valleys in their Matrix Dragons.

[Timber Okami]

Kaiju put on his best grin, ivory points in his mouth gleaming in the sun. While some inner part of his ego (the likely squishy and living part, sitting in his cockpit) took offense at the thought that they couldn't handle anything, outwardly he simply bobbed his head in response. I figured as much, with something able to take down a Bio Carno roaming around out here, despite the fact that he really didn't know what one was in the first place.

Lazarus knew exactly what could take them down, and was reminded by four hissing voices in the corner of his mind, which were quickly silenced by a booming mental roar from the Matrix Dragon. Though the voices continued on like whispers, all was silenced at this new voice.

...oh goodness, it had to be a female, the Dragon said in to himself, nearly hanging his head in defeat. He didn't, because that would mean something was up. And something was up enough, for his pilot was silent, and plotting.

Do not get distracted by the Four. Keep your mind on the prize. We need to figure out where we are above all else.

The voice reverberated above everything else he was thinking, and he focused, simply to get rid of it. "Fine," he hissed, turning his attention back on Dragon and Fenrir. He could likely easily get what he wanted to know simply by telling the truth and just asking; it would get them out of the girl's face the fastest, but something about the Zoid before him struck him as... familiar, perhaps. He shook his head.

"Because four sets of eyes are better then two, and we can fly better then you can?" he pointed out. He would have flicked on the visual link just about now, but considering his current state of dress... and the fact that he swore his hair was still wet, he wasn't sure he wanted to be seen right now. "And besides, if you do find your mysterious beastie, do you really think you can take it alone?"

[Dragon Koradaku]

Fenrir heaved a sigh that complimented his old age. And we live so close by here. What's to stop this thing from hunting the rest of us? The Baron mumbled mostly to himself, turning his gun-heavy head toward the Valley. All sounded quiet, despite Fenrir's anxiety at some beast or critter or monster leaping out at him in a bloodthristy ambush.

Dragon let the male's words swim around in her head. Her brain told her, calmly and pointedly, No. Working alongside a strange man and his oddball white Matrix Dragon screamed rapist in bolded capslock with a million "!!!!" points.

But he's right. And Fenrir sucks at flying, Dragon thought, tapping a finger on the ripped section of her jeans. Yet finding the Matrix Dragon sitting here, like it had been waiting for them, filled Dragon with unease. Maybe I'm overthinking...

The pilot stood up, opened Fenrir's canopy hatch with practiced ease. "I don't do 'damsel in distress'," She answered with all the pride of an 18-year-old girl piloting a Zoid with more beam cannons then a Deathsaurer. "I could take it alone, no problem." The canopy lifted, opening just enough for Dragon to step out and get a faceful of fresh, clean, Nyxian air.

"I don't mind you tagging along and helping, but I'm gonna have to see your face." Dragon crossed her arms and tilted her head, a light breeze blowing her bangs as Fenrir rumbled something unsavory under his breath.

[Timber Okami]

Kaiju dropped back into a far more relaxed pose with his neck and wings, almost like he was going to start dozing off again. But his mind was alert and racing, ivory jaws snapping at the mental voices when their jeers and thoughts on the matter became too loud. Even with the tiny war going on in his mind, Lazarus was quietly leaning against the side of the cockpit, peering out the glass while Dragon debated and angsted.

(My reputation precedes me, even here it seems,) he thought, dweling on the silence for a second. Not that he cared, but this was the first person he could possibly get some answers out of. Had to stay a goodie goodie, at least till he knew what was going on.

(If you could just casually mention where we are, that would be a monumental help,) he thought absently, perking up again when she finally spoke. Heh... damsel in distress. He could fix that one...

"I never said you were. But you never know what you might find," he warned, earning a full body snort from Kaiju.

The pair of them, in unison (If Kaiju had the required anatomy), raised both eyebrows at her request. As if she could stop them from following if they really wanted to, but still. It was a simple request. Aside from one, little thing.

[You're still not wearing any pants.]

[...she said my face, Kaiju. I shouldn't even have to get out of my seat,]

[Good thing, too. I think she'd notice the tail,]

Dead silence for a second, while Lazarus just glared at the console in front of him. Rolling his shoulders, he made sure the coat was buttoned all the way up before just flicking the visual comlink on and blinking blankly at her.

"Good enough?"

[Dragon Koradaku]

Fenrir dropped his huge body downward, forgetting Dragon happened to be standing up on his head. The pilot squeaked, flailed, and nearly lost her balance at the suddent violent change in gravity.

Oop, sorry. Fenrir apologized, crossing his paws.

Dragon stood up, a little shaky. "Not cool." She frowned her displeasure in almost being up-ended by her own Zoid.

Not to be nosy, but what brings you to the Valley of the Rare-Hertz? This is a hardly a good place for a picnic. Fenrir questioned, red optics fixed on the Dragon as he uncrossed his paws and stretched.

With Fen making buddy buddy friends with the Matrix Dragon, Dragon let her own attention focus fully on the pilot. She did not like his little warnings, and while it made her brain and common sense scream omg hes a rapist! murderer! thief! bad man! run away!, the pilot found herself unmoving.

Dragon peered under her arm, watching her comm-link brighten to life. For the smallest, tiniest, nanosecond her heart stopped beating upon seeing the man's face. Dragon slowly leaned back and fell into her seat, gaze intent on the visual image before her.

"Good enough," Dragon repeated. She gave the smallest smile she could muster. She really had to stop being so uptight and paranoid; it was bad for the liver. "My name's Dragon."

At this, Fenrir grumbled and got back onto his paws. Well, I figure we should go now? He asked.

[Timber Okami]

Once Kaiju realized that Fenrir's question was directed at him, the Matrix Dragon's head lifted back up, eyes blazing to life. We actually haven't seen anyone out here today, so it seemed like a good place to take a short break,

Rare-Hertz... Rare-Hertz... something about the name sounded slightly familiar, but he couldn't put a place to the name... beyond what he was seeing around him right now. So essentially, they were still lost and didn't really know where they were. Pity.

(May as well follow them now,) he sighed a little through his nose, though that was the only thing he did that could have betrayed what he was really thinking. Her tiny little attempt at a smile was met with a blank stare for a second, before he figured he should stop being such an antisocial bastard, and he smiled back a little too. "Good,"

The white Zoid Dragon tilted his head a little at them, and this colorful haired girl with an odd name. Lazarus cautiously reminded the Zoid that the name he used now was just as strange. "Lazarus. A pleasure, I'm sure,"

The voices in the corner of his mind went into fits of giggles that made him twitch a little. Offering a calming rumble, both inside and out, the Matrix Dragon put his talons and claws under his body and pushed himself upright, ivory armor gleaming in the sun. The little pointed armor plates on his back fanned out before their edges and tips exploded with bright white light, and flapped a few times to lift him into the air.

So, do we have a direction or a lead? he questioned, eager to just be doing something. Now, even if they didn't follow Dragon, he would simply be allowed to fly around at his own leisure, since his pilot was absorbed back into his own thoughts.

(Essentially we have learned nothing from this. The only thing that is known for sure the name of our location, and that without reference is only a name, and that we are alive. I'm not even sure what's happened to us. So... it all boils down to a deceptively simple question: Now what?)

He wasn't a very talkative person in the first place, and now with something on his mind that he had to figure out, he was going to be rather quiet... unless someone started pestering him or something.

[Dragon Koradaku]

Nobody comes to this Valley. Fenrir responded bluntly. Aside from the stock treasure hunters and bandits, the Valley's reputation earned it as the planet's Bad Lands. The Baron found himself a little wary of the Dragon; what kind of creature had never heard of this place?

Dragon nodded at the mention of his name. Lazarus. It sounded sharp, a clutter of letters that rolled from Dragon's tounge in an unknown matter. These people I meet. Dragon thought, rolling her eyes. Emily and the majority of her friends were like, the only one's with normal names.

"Nice to meet you," She answered, settling back in Fenrir's cockpit and closing the hatch. The wide, endless expanse of the Valley loomed before her, and Dragon found herself deflating as she remembered; Oh hey, I should be looking for that SOB who killed my friend.

Holy Ra was the Valley a big place.

Fenrir glanced over his shoulder, Dragon's angst already seeping into his circuits. No lead, actually. We were just running around loose before we saw you, The lion Zoid shrugged. This is pointless. It's been too long and there's nothing out here to find.

Dragon knew his words were meant for her, and she sighed in defeat. But just as she slumped backward, a lightbulb went off. "Wait, Darius' memory! Maybe the data is still stored in him?"

Before Fenrir could ask, his paws had lifted off the ground, his boosters had roared to life, and he was flying. Awkward at first, the Baron warbled and twisted in mid-air, paws flailing before he could right himself.

Dragon spared a look at the comm-link. She could only hope Lazarus was a decent guy, not some crazed psycho bent on killing her and stealing all her Zoids. One of those was enough for any lifetime. "Change of plans. You can follow if you want." She said simply, pushing the controls foward. Fenrir huffed, tiny Winglider wings shuddering as he sailed forth.

[Timber Okami]

(That explains a lot.) the Dragon huffed. This place was barren and lifeless, with nobody around... now that he thought about it, this place was perfect for a hidden base like the one they'd just escaped from.

Or committing murder.

...among other things.

Kaiju ascended a little bit, letting himself stretch out in midair once he was high enough off the ground. He... wasn't exactly disappointed in the lack of a lead, but it really didn't matter to him. Once he was high enough, the white dragon dipped forward to get closer, flapping through the air and pausing while the other two spoke.

The sudden roar of flight engines jolted Lazarus out of his thoughts, his head tilting upwards just enough to watch the big cat take to the air like a brick. He felt his Zoid quivering, held back from flying after them since he wasn't sure what his master wanted.

"Go on," he whispered, and the Dragon was off after the Barron.

The Zoid who was killed is alive now? he asked, flying next to the other Zoid and looking over at him. That sort of got the man's attention, he looked over at the other Zoid and looked it over from up close like they were. He remained thoughtfully quiet, though.

[Dragon Koradaku]

"Yeah. I'm guessing you know what Organoids are?" Dragon asked. Her tone of voice suggested that if Lazarus didn't know what an Organoid was, then he was a complete moron.

"Anyway, one of our Organoids revived Darius. Wasn't good for her, but whatever," She shrugged. TankDragon was weird and nothing short of a lack of steak sauce could kill her."Darius is a Bio Carno. Not many beasties out there can kill one."

Fenrir tilted his head in agreement. We wanted to chase it away, or kill it ourselves before something worse happened. With any luck the bugger got up and left on it's own.

Dragon's resulting silence spoke enough; she didn't believe that whatever monster was out there simply decided to leave. The thought was chilling, spooky, and the pilot surpressed a shudder.

We don't live every far away, if you were wondering, Fenrir pipped up. Just a few miles, it won't take long.

Great. That gave Dragon plenty of time to think up a decent excuse about bringing a stranger and his white Zoid home. Dragon herself knew she was pretty nuts about creepers and pedophiles, and her she as breaking her very own rule. Irony.

(Blaaaaaaah D:)

[Timber Okami]

Lazarus was tempted to turn off the radio completely so he could have some peace and quiet, but kept it on just in case Dragon said anything that could be of use to him. He did, after a second, turn the visual link off completely. He didn't like the feeling of being watched... not at all.

"Of course I know what Organoids are," he said after a bit of a pause. He only knew of one, that had belonged to that rat bastard, Valon Nightshade. The thought of that family made his blood boil again, just about to the point where he didn't hear what Dragon said.

This seems like a big place, it could be anywhere, the white flier pondered, scanning the ground as it passed by below them. It was a very quiet place, and he could figure why. Not only was it barren, but he felt a strange pulse slamming against his core that wanted to take control of him. Make him crazy. Luckily, he had experience with that, and could simply resist it, Pulse Guard or not.

There was one piece of interesting information to be had, though. They were going to where she lived? Interesting...

"I can see why you'd be particularly worried," he said suddenly once he trusted himself to speak without betraying his inner rage at memories of the past, "Living so close to something like that must put you on edge," he said, pondering. They were going to where she lived... which made him wonder. It got him away from his angry thoughts, at the very least.

[Dragon Koradaku]

"Well, you didn't know you were in the Rare-Hertz Valley." Dragon retorted. She followed her remark with the classic eye-roll a second too late, and she fuzzled out a bit upon seeing the visual link turned off.

What an antisocial bastard. Every guy I meet. Dragon huffed in her thoughts. It could be testoserone, or just guy intelligence complex or whatever, but be it Dragon's luck that all the creeper non-talking fellows had the habit of following her home.

Fenrir had the amazing ability to tune out any and all Massive Angst, so Dragon's inner flailing went unheeded as the over-armed cat nodded his head at Kaiju. This place is even worse when it's dark. Seems ten times bigger.

Dragon shrugged, even though Lazarus couldn't see it. "This is Nyx. Home to 90% of Zi's criminals, killers, psychos, and general freaks. Most of whom spawn out of this Hell pit," She grimaced down at the Valley. "I wouldn't say I'm worried. I just don't want some murdering reject running around."

An image of Saber, who had been a murdering reject-ish type thing, popped into her head and she felt a wave of sadness. Karma, or something like that.

The Valley thinned below them, and Dragon could see the far away picture of mile-high Deochalcum spikes ripping loose from the heart of the continent. She personally loved the great pillars, but others? Not so much. Dragon coughed lightly.

"I....uh, live in a patch of Deochalcum," She muttered. Seeing as Deochalcum was radioactive, it probably would have been a more useful fact ten minutes ago. "I hope thats okay?"

[Timber Okami]

His hand sprung back to the outgoing audio link before he realized what he was snapping about, "I never said that I didn't know where I was," he said, leaning over the microphone with his wings mantling over his shoulders.

Kaiju wasn't that far off from Fenrir's special power either. Or he could just ignore anything without too many problems, whichever. He didn't respond to the Zoid, but tilted his head to listen to Dragon, You make it sound like there would be more then one out here anyways. And what makes you say it was a single Zoid that killed your friend? he asked curiously, scanning the ground below them. He thought to the stories that he could remember of their home world, where there were packs of Zoids occasionally running around places.

The far off spires of green crystal rock caught the chimera's attention before it caught Kaiju's, and Lazarus frowned slightly.

[You do realize that you're going to have to come out of there at some point, yes?] Kaiju said suddenly, from some corner of his mind.

[...yes. What is your point?]

[You're still not wearing any pants,] he finished with a chuckle.

[...stop reminding me,)]

Kaiju chuckled aloud this time, shaking his head, No problem at all,

"You don't get sick from that much radiation?" he piped up, suddenly curious. From what he remembered of the green stuff, a rarity where he came from, it was horrible to be around for too long.

[Dragon Koradaku]

"Well, I kinda assumed you didn't when you asked me the name of this place," Dragon answered, with all the "stfu I'm a teenager" attitude that kids her age were just excellent at. "And I'm letting you into my home, so don't get all snippy."

She made a mental note to let Tank have some fun with this guy. Fun being leaving him possibly emotionally scarred. Or physically destroyed. Whichever. Tank loved guys and had big claws, so.....

At Kaiju's question, Dragon bit her lip. "Part of my prays to Eve that it's only one. I don't think I could handle a bunch of evildoers," She paused. Images of the fearsome Gil Vader, towering King Gojulas, unstable Deadborder, and completely bat shit crazy Brastle Tiger played a movie in her head. "Okay, I could handle a bunch of monsters but I'm seriously hoping there is only one."

Zoid, human, Organoid, whatever. We just have to find this thing. Fenrir grumbled to himself.

Unaware of the Pantless Crisis, Dragon leaned forward, eager to get home. "Um. I did, in the begining. I guess it helped that I piloted a Deadborder for about a year before I came here. It doesn't effect me at all anymore," She shrugged. "I live in this old military Base, and the walls were built to block out most of the radiation so it wouldn't hurt the soliders stationed there. So you should be fine."

Sure, radioactive rocks were a hazard. But Dragon had been very careful to leave out the other hazards that lurked her Base. The bigger problems, with pointy teeth, sharp claws, and tons upon tons of armed and loaded weaponry.

Oh well.

[Timber Okami]

"I never asked you where we were," he said back to her, raising an eyebrow. It was true. He didn't. He thought it, but he didn't say it. It made him wonder if Dragon could read his mind, because at this point... nothing would really surprise him.

[If she could read your mind, she would certainly not be inviting us to her home,] the dragon reminded him in a corner of his mind, [I'd be more inclined to think that she'd be trying to kill you.]

Lazarus slouched just a little bit, but straightened up when his wings painfully pushed up against his back. He was adjusting himself in the seat while Kaiju took care of the flying.

The dragon made a thoughtful noise and pondered what she said for a bit, since he had nothing to say.

Sitting comfortably again, Lazarus looked at his tail curled up near his feet, still thinking about his wings while Dragon spoke.

"I'm not too worried about radiation," he said, completely sincere for once. He was worried about the fact that it was a base and generally there were more then one person living at a base. "Does a group live at this base or is it just you?" he asked, feeling ever so slightly nervous now. Confidant as he was, he still had the sense to realize that he was morta- ...well. At this point he was starting to question that, but whatever. He was still one man with one Zoid.

"...and are there any Geno Breakers there?"

Just being cautious.


I need to go back and fix things in my posts, but yeah, stuff in () is thoughts and [] are directed thoughts. Sorry if I confused ya. xD

[Dragon Koradaku]

lol, I'm dumb! ~dies~

Dragon paused. "Oh, you didn't? Thought you did. Sorry, Fenrir has this really old comm-link and everything...." She banged on the thing twice. "Or maybe I'm psychic? Some late disease from having a parasite monster living in my head."

The flat tone of her voice made it near impossible to tell if she was being serious or not. Dragon kinda liked screwing around with people.

"A big group. I dunno, like six of us?" Dragon did a quick mental check. "Yeah, five people, but two more who stop by at random. Everybody is pretty chill, and as long as you don't mind....uh, possible rape, you'll be fine." Dragon looked up, watching the big spikes of Deochalcum come closer. She could see the thick outline of the Base.

The Genobreaker question threw her a bit. ".....Yeah? But just one, and he's a big softie. Or a womanizer, whatever." The pilot answered, as Fenrir chuckled at the idea of Zelos getting rejected by every lady al....oh wait, that was real.

The Baron started to slow, the massive, foreboding figure of the Base rising above them as the Deochalcum spikes sent waves of toxic green over them in welcome.

[Timber Okami]

Lol, it's fine. xD


"I'm somewhat inclined to think that you're not psychic," he said, towering his fingers and... daydreaming for a second, with the thought in mind that if she was, she'd try to prove it and... well. His mind was the last place that Dragon wanted to be.

The whole parasite monster thing was curious sounding, though, "Parasite monster?" he could... somewhat relate to that.

[I am not a parasite monster.]

"Either way, no harm done?" he smirked over at her, turning his attention back onto the looming green and black heading for them. Six people? That did make him nervous.

He did turn his head to stare over at the Baron flying next to them after the comment. Wait... maybe she could read minds? No, no. She must have meant something else. "I'm not worried," he said simply, and the tip of his tail gave a twitch side to side, as if in emphasis and to remind him of the chainsaw in there.

A softie didn't describe either of the Breakers he was thinking of, so he figured he was safe, "Just curious," he said quickly, feeling Kaiju slow down to match Fenrir's dropping speed for a landing. Lazarus entertained the thought of just... continuing on and going about what he wanted to do (after he figured that out), but figured there was no harm in stopping for now.

Perhaps he could find some pants, at the very least.

[Dragon Koradaku]

Dragon threw her arms in the air in mock-surrender. "Okay, I'm not psychic. I just have a very keen sense of what people are thinking." She ignored the monster comment. Saber wasn't a parasite...it was wrong to think of her as that.

Fenrir rumbled. You're acting....funny. He said slowly. Dragon blinked, arms dropping.

"How so?" She asked.

The Baron didn't answer. Which made Dragon mad for realz. But there was jack she could do about it, so the pilot settled for easing her Zoid in for a nice, calm landing with no problems, no crashing, no-

FENRIR!!! HI! :D

Had Fenrir been just a foot lower, he would have lost his legs to a bouncing, over joyed Konig Wolf who was currently running circles below them. The canine yipped and tottled on his hind legs, jaws parted in a silly grin.

You brought a friend? Hey, he looks like Element! Is it Emily? Or Reiner? Achilles? Someone get a new Zoid? Or hey, a NEW friend! The Wolf babbled on, faster then his jaw could allow. Dragon rubbed her eyes.

"Go away, Roukyou."

There was a snarl, and a Gul Tiger padded out and slapped the Konig Wolf away. C'mon, peabrain, let's go annoy Tiny or something... The Tiger snarled. But not before giving Dragon the evil orange eye. Fenrir whuffed.

"Damn, sorry about that. There's....lots of Zoids here. Like, a lot. I mean, seriously OD Zoids," Dragon apologized as Fenrir landed and started to walk toward the Deochalcum. "Just don't wander off, stay behind me, and thank Eve you aren't piloting a Genobreaker yourself."

[Timber Okami]

(No, you don't,) he thought, a grin coming to his face. But, he wasn't going to say any more on that matter... it might prompt some questions and other weirdness that he'd really like to avoid.

The white Matrix Dragon came down with more finesse then the brick-with-wings King Barron did, though any and all finesse flew out the window when there was suddenly something black down below them. Instinct acted before his mind could interject that it was just a Konig Wolf, and Lazarus reached and wrenched the Dragon's controls back, making him ascend a bit further suddenly to hover and hiss.

It's just a Konig. A black and blue one. he hissed, flicking his buzzsaw tail. A hyperactive Konig, but he didn't even need to say that one.

"No problem," he said, voice steady. The intellectual part of his brain noted how easy it was for him to calm himself down after the scare, and wondered what that was all about. Wasn't in the original idea he had, but it sure worked... Then again, nothing that had happened in a while was according to plan.

Kaiju came in for a landing, going down onto all fours and folding his wings protectively over the cockpit on his back, shielding it from view. The white dragon was glowing green as he looked over the spires, and padded on all fours after Fenrir.

Lazarus chuckled at an absurd thought in his head, but voiced it in a sneaky way, "What, do you have problems with Geno Breakers too?" he asked, as Kaiju walked right past a little sign stuck into the rocks without even seeing it. Castration indeed...

[Dragon Koradaku]

"Most of them don't really care for strangers, but some of these idiots just have to poke their noses out...." Dragon rambled. Cue a hard glare from Fenrir, directed at a pillar of Deochalcum that had a Fox snout poking from behind it. The figure squeaked, and the snout vanished.

Blissfully unaware of the castration sign (despite the numerous attempts to take it down, the little bastard always popped back up), Dragon shrugged at Lazarus' Genobreaker comment. "No, not Genobreakers in particular. I mean, they are pretty cool Zoids. But a year of two or something ago, one of those stupid B units tried to kill my friend and I." Dragon frowned at the memory. But when Alfred wasn't been controlled by a bloodthristy Organoid bent on some sort of revenge, he was chill. And Murtagh was just....anti-social and boring, so whatever.

Dragon knew it was coming, but still wondered why it took so long. There was a flurry of black and green, a quick spit of fireballs, and a heavy shape thudded behind Kaiju. Slanted green optics gleamed with all the toxic fury of the Deochalcum patch itself as claws sharper then a Gil Vader's teeth gripped the ground. The square, blunt head, loaded with ripping, massive fangs, lifted with deadly slowness, a bout of steam gushing from the parted jaws.

Well, Strife growled, the deep octave of her voice causing several surrounded shadows to scurry away. Breaking your own rules, Dragon? The Brastle Tiger questioned, stomping around the Matrix Dragon.

"I invented them, so that gives me permission to break them. Besides, rules suck," The pilot responded. Strife glowered. "Just.....I don't know, keep everyone else from being creepers, or something." Dragon went on.

The Tiger stepped away, hissed loudly, and dissappeared in the Deochalcum without a backwards glance. Dragon exhaled. "That is my Brastle Tiger." She said, as if tat were introduction enough.

Charming thing, isn't she? Fenrir muttered, rolling his optics.

True to her word, Strife kept most of the Zoids away. Closer to the Base, Eseri snoozed beside a wall as Jasper chattered some deep discussion with a group of beasties Dragon could not see. Tiny was missing. Just as well, for TankDragon had not made herself known.

The Hanger, like always, was open. A few Zoids were gathered aside, but paid no mind when Fenrir stepped inside. "Anywhere's good, there's plenty of room." Dragon said as Fenrir took a spot beside a napping white Blade Liger Mirage.

[Timber Okami]

Can't say that I care, aside from not getting shot at, the dragon said as he plodded along behind Fenrir, looking around at the various shapes milling around just outside of view. He wasn't intimidated or afraid, but more curious then anything else. There were a lot of Zoids here, weren't there?

Silently sneering at her positive comment about Geno Breakers, but sat up a little as she continued. It had to be a B, didn't it? "B Breakers are nothing but trouble," he grumbled, suddenly gripped by the urge to actually go do something instead of sitting here, following some teenager into her radioactive home.

Kaiju barely paused at the Tiger's sudden appearance, only halting his movement and calmly looking over his shoulder at her, moving off to the side when she stomped over to Fenrir. Lazarus raised a curious eyebrow at the Brastle, noting her color and behavior.

"I thought all the Deochalcum Power Plants were destroyed a long time ago," he said after Strife had left. Kaiju snorted at the charming comment, deciding it was better to not respond, and simply plodded after.

They reached the open hangar door, and Kaiju stopped outside it, rearing back up onto his hind legs and looking around. Lazarus was slightly awed by all the Zoids, but not too much. Hard to impress.

Kaiju had stopped because he felt his master's hesitation on going into the hangar, and even going into the base itself. This was not where he needed to be, no. He had other things to do.

"As much as I... appreciate your hospitality," he started, "I shouldn't stay. I have other things that need to be tended to," he sent a sharp thought at Kaiju before he put in his two cents on the matter.

[Dragon Koradaku]

"Strife is kinda different. Geez, how did she even become like that......some mess a few years back and she needed the Deochalcum to survive." Dragon answered, not hearing the Genobreaker B comment. Which was all good anyhow; Dragon hated to remember that not-so-awesome period of her life.

Not like her current situation was any better....

Halfway to getting out of Fenrir's cockpit, Dragon frowned to herself. Dang, her Base really was a big sort of mess if nobody ever wanted to stay. As if sensing this thought, a few of the Zoids let out their own parade of noises; a grumble or a snort, harsh chuckle or dark snicker. A Death Razer in particular lifted his spiked head, emerald optics fastened on Kaiju's form.

"Well, I can't keep you from leaving," Dragon replied after a while. She glanced over her shoulder at the door that lead to the Base's Main Room. Surprise, surprise; no bumble of pilots had ran out to meet the new arrival. Slackers. Dragon thought bitterly.

Fenrir hissed a comment as he got back to his paws, looking a bit pissed off at being pulled from his nap. "Do you know where you need to go? I can show you what direction you'll want to head in," Dragon offered as Fenrir strode toward the Hanger door. "I'll go with you anyway, so you don't get attacked or something." Her tone clearly stated there would be no arguing with that statement.

[Timber Okami]

The white dragon dropped his hind end down to sit on the rocks, rearing upright and scanning the creatures that made noise at him, but didn't otherwise do anything in response. His pilot was already quietly contemplating what they were going to do, when he heard Dragon, and frowned. She was going to make sure he didn't get attacked? How absurd.

"I don't... need any help," he said simply, crossing his arms and tapping his foot against the pedal in the dragon's cockpit. He was a little surprised to hear the Matrix Dragon huff.

[What harm could it do to get her help? She's a native, she'll know where things are,]

[The problem is that we don't even know where we need to go,] he stopped then, as if saying it mentally aloud to his other half cemented the reality into his mind. They really didn't know where they were going, or even what they were doing. They didn't even have a direction.

[Look around. This place is perfect. There are quite a few Zoids and she trusts you, for whatever reason. Until we know exactly what we are doing, it would not do us any harm to stick around a little while,] the white creature insisted from the back of his mind, his eyes glowing a bit brighter outwardly.

Very slow agreement came to Lazarus, and the Matrix Dragon plodded into the hangar, waving Fenrir back down. We'll stay, he rumbled, settling down and curling his front claws under his chest. A whole lot of nothing happened for a few seconds, since it hadn't occurred to Lazarus that he would have to get out of his Zoid.

[She's going to think you're weird if you don't get out of there,] he pointed out, tail twitching. The dragon outwardly grinned a second later, [Better hope it's not too breezy out here,]

Lazarus had been contemplating popping the hatch (his hand on the release and starting to push it up) and just getting it over with, when his Zoid said that. It clicked after a second, and he slammed the cockpit door shut. "You could have reminded me of that sooner,"

The dragon faceclawed.

[Dragon Koradaku]

Dragon raised a brow at the comment. Men, geez. Ra forbid they accept any invitation of help. "I didn't say you needed help," She retorted. "I'm showing you the way out, if you like it or not." Fenrir looked out at the field, where the less-then-civilized Zoids roamed.

While Dragon awaited an answer, the door leading to the Main Room creaked open veeeeeeeery slowly. Curious, a metal-toothed face popped out, silver eyes gleaming with interest. Tank pulled the door open a bit wider, her body starting to quiver with excitement.

"Guys! There's someone new out there! With a Matrix Dragon!" Tank squealed, her voice barely compressed to a whisper. Still in the shadows behind her, an older girl scoffed and lazily flipped through the novel she held.

"Are you sure it isn't your Matrix Dragon, Tank?" Radium asked, flipping the page. Tank deadpanned.

"I think I know that Element isn't white, thanks." Tank gruffed. Radium didn't answer, so Tank turned back to the Hanger, watching quietly like the Creep she was.

Fenrir thudded back into his place, yawning widely before dropping his head to his paws. Good. He rumbled. Satisfied, Dragon popped open the hatch and clambered outside, swingig her legs and shimming down to sit on Fen's nose.

"Well come out then, so I can give you the Grand Tour," She waved weakly behind her, toward the boring door that opened to the Base. "Or something like that. We don't get many visitors." She finished with a careless shrug.

[Timber Okami]

So there was some kind of panic but-not-really going on in the dragon's cockpit, since there was some degree of truth that he was going to have to come out of there at some point. The Zoid himself didn't much care, but wiggled around as his pilot peered outside the cockpit, wondering how he was going to manage this.

There is something itching under the seat, the dragon grumbled quietly, wiggling again. For lack of anything better to do right this second, Lazarus reached under... surprised when his fingers felt denim material. Frowning, he pulled out... a pair of pants? He could have sworn he heard a fairy yelling somewhere but...

Yeah, I just pulled a Sarda and jackassed things to be the way I want them. Sorry!

After quickly cutting a small hole to thread his tail through, he pulled on said pants, were pleased that they fit well enough, and reached up to pop the cockpit open finally. His wings were safely hidden under the lab coat (though it gave him a funny shaped lump on his back), which was buttoned up in the front, and... he had pants. No shoes but... well. Maybe she wouldn't notice.

(Who am I kidding? I give this whole charade five minutes,) he thought, making sure his tail was curled up out of sight under the lab coat before finally pushing it up and quickly moving to sit on the edge of the Matrix's cockpit, sliding down to the ground and landing lightly. Now, out of his Zoid, he almost felt... nervous. It was a feeling that he wasn't familiar with at all, either way.

Looking around quickly, as if seeing where the exits were, he took a few steps closer to Fenrir, and stopped again. He was starting to count the seconds till the cat was going to be out of the bag. The lab coat was long, yeah, but his tail was still painfully curled up to keep hidden under it, and he didn't figure that would last very long.

[Dragon Koradaku]

The Zoids watched with varying degrees of interest. Some looked totally uncaring, but a select few peered at the Matrix Dragon -and his strange pilot- with near hostile glares. Two Bio Tyranno, one with armor of flame and the other with armor of ice, bared massive canine fangs at the ivory Dragon. A Battle Cougar lifted his head, rolled his shoulders, simply went back to sleep. A Rayse Tiger watched warily.

In the corner, a bright red, stock Genobreaker snoozed peacefully.

Dragon gave Lazarus a once over.Standing a bit to the side, she could see the funny, hunchback-esque lumps on his back, but what held her attention wasn't that, or even the fact he was shoeless. His eyes, an orange so bright and intense, something she had never seen before. Of course, living on Zi, she had seen some pretty funky eye colors, from neon green to pure silver. But orange?

"Okay, before we go any further," Dragon started, her voice heavy with authority, a tone of this is my Base, my rules, buddy. "I want to know. Are you some sort of half-machine, demon, beastie, metal creepy chimera Zoidian or something?" Dragon asked, painfully blunt.

Fenrir snorted.

Dragon shrugged. "Not that I care. Been there, done that; I was a Gilvy for a few days, even. But anyway. My best friend has wings and claws. My other friend glows, and this guy who lives here can drink like, six handles of vodka without dying," She turned and jogged up the steps. "As long as you don't shoot lasers or cause decompressions in gravity, we'll be cool."

The tiny open crack in the door stuck out like a Blade Liger in a field of Genosaurers. Dragon fought thr urge to roll her eyes (a habit she just needed to break) and glanced down at Lazarus. "Maybe its best if your something pointy. You'll need it to fend off rabid idiots."

Tank made a mock-upset noise from inside the room. Dragon could see the glitter of her eyes, the faint shine of Radium's skin. Without waiting, Dragon pulled the door open the rest of the way and fled inside.