Even now, after the threat from Hiltz and the Death Stinger/Death Saurer has ended they are still in a panic. When Reese and I have to go to a town for supplies we have to make sure to keep our Organoids hidden as well as my Geno Breaker. They're too well known from all the reports that spread to the bases during our reign of terror. Not that I'm too proud now about what we did. But the past is the past and it's a well known fact that between Reese and I, mostly myself, did was enough to destroy many bases. I avoided the towns, unlike Hiltz. I went for the bases knowing it would draw Van out. Also they were the biggest threat to me and the greatest challenge.

Well, for the most part. There were times where the bases were so poorly defended that I could simply walk in there, even without Shadow, and steal a Zoid. It didn't matter what kind of Zoid it was as long as it could deal out death and destruction. When Van defeated my first Genosaurer and I had lost Shadow and my memories, I would sneak into a base, steal the first Zoid I could find and level the place. Once the Zoid ceased to be of function I would leave and walk to the next base and so on and so forth. It wasn't until seeing Van in his Blade Liger that my memories returned. He managed to disable the Dark Horn I had taken and against a Blade Liger and Dibison I knew I was out matched. When I remembered who I was and who the boy looking at me was, I shouted for Shadow and he took me away.

Do I feel any remorse for what I did? Do I feel any pain at the lives, both human and Zoid I took? The answer is no. I don't. It's not that I don't understand the ramifications of what I did it's just that after all that time, after everything that's happened, my soul can no longer feel pain or remorse. Reese is lucky, she can still feel. Her soul hasn't been corrupted like mine has. I'm glad, in a way, that she can still feel. It means she's still alive inside, that she has a chance to recover from what happened to her through Hiltz. Me, there's no hope of living again. Inside I'm dead. If the loss of my parents at Ambient's hands hadn't done it then loosing Dan Flyheight would have done it. I know it seems strange for me to say that considering his son is my mortal enemy, but it's true. To lose your parents then who would become your foster father in the space of a couple of days is not easy, especially how young I was. And then there's what Prozen did to me and the training he gave me. Then Hiltz decided to use me and my amnesia of the time to his advantage, so I'd be nothing more than just another pawn in their games.

Well, you know what? I'm sick and tired of being anyone's pawns. I'm tired of being forced to do what others want. From now on I'm a free person and I'm going to live my life the way I want to, no matter what anyone else says.

If I meet Van again will I challenge him? Of course I will. My goal is to defeat him once and for all and that's just what I'll do. I already know I'm the stronger of the two fighters. I can handle the Geno Breaker far better than he can handle his Blade Liger. Mine is the stronger Zoid, too. His shields, no matter how advanced, can never stand up against my charged particle gun.

But, until then Reese and I will wander Planet Zi, encountering the craters that were once cities, the villages that survived by some rare chance, the people who lived to tell the tail of Hiltz's reign of terror. And we'll keep on searching until we find a place that calls to us, that beckons us as a home. A place we can settle down without anyone fearing who we once were, not realizing that, in the wake of everything that happened, we are both changed people.

Where do I begin? What do I say? If asked to give a detailed story about where I came from and where I'm going, how could I answer?

I could tell them the cold, hard facts; that I'm an orphan twice over, that I was not only robbed of my parents by a monster but then again by the man who would have adopted me. I could tell them that I was taken in by a madman with a thirst for power and glory, one who would make me into a cold-blooded killing machine.

Then again, I could start at the beginning, at least as much as I can remember, as much as Reese freed from the dark confines of my mind.

I could tell you the story of a boy, one who loved his parents with all of his heart and soul. One who came from another world, a planet where there might be no Zoids. You see. I hate Zoids. Why, you ask? Simple. Zoids or, more importantly Organoids, took my parents away from me while they were alive. They both devoted themselves to researching Organoids, sentient, metallic constructs that can fuse with Zoids and give them countless strength.

I learned to hate Zoids because they were what stood between my parents and me. They cared for me but their research was more important, took up most of their time. I came to hate the one thing that had caused my parents to turn from me.

It's ironic, however, that on the very night I lost my parents my father promised me a vacation. The one thing I had been looking forward to was taken away from me. I remember hearing the shattering of glass, the screams of my parents. When I ran into the room there was the monster standing over the bodies of my parents. There was blood . . . lots of it. I remember how angry I was at the beast, an Organoid my mind had cast in inky shadows, not wanting to remember this. But the beast wasn't shadow, it was crimson, like the blood it had spilled. It was Ambient. And if I had known that I would have taken Hiltz down before he could have revived the Death Stinger and fused it with the true Death Saurer.

Ambient could have killed me, but he didn't. And I know why now. Hiltz wanted me as part of his twisted plan, his own goals to rid the world of everyone but his own kind, the Ancient Zoidians. He knew I would grow up to be the best Zoid pilot around, that I would be able to use any Zoid to its full potential even without an Organoid. He knew I'd be able to beat anyone, even an entire army unit single handedly. He knew I'd follow orders, no matter what they were. However, he failed to realize one thing.

I don't take orders from anyone.

I might have destroyed the targets Prozen wanted me to, but, in the end, I did it only because I wanted to, not because he told me. I do as I please and no one is going to tell me otherwise.

So how did I come to be in Prozen's hands? It's a long story that will take very little time to tell. Republic soldiers found me and brought me to their camp. One solider, very kind and caring, whose name escapes me now, tried to get me to talk, but I refused. The light in my soul had died when my parents had died. Then another came in, one who said he was going to take me home, one who said I was going to his home where I'd have another my age to play with, his own son. But he died taking out Imperial forces when they tried to take the Organoid from them, the same Organoid that had killed my parents. Twice I was robbed of a life, twice I was dealt pain in a very short period of time.

In my anger I went to confront the man in charge of the Imperial forces, the one I knew responsible for this. Prozen. I tried to shoot him but I had no idea the safety was still on. He struck me down then took me back to base. He taught me everything I need to know how to fight, how to pilot a Zoid, how to kill and not feel.

And I did train. I trained hard. And, as a reward Prozen gave me an Organoid on one condition, if I could tame it. They brought in the black Organoid they had been after. It snarled and threatened and eventually charged me. I dodged its tail easily enough then lunged, landing on it, knocking it backwards. I held tight to its throat as it lashed out, trying to get free. Then it stilled and I could see a subtle shifting of its ice blue eye. I rose and looked down at the Organoid. My Organoid. I told Prozen what I had not told anyone since the night my parents had died. I hate Zoids. I then commanded the Organoid, Shadow, to follow and thus started our reign of terror in a blood-red Zaber Fang.

That reign, however, was halted when I met a young pilot, one in a Shield Liger. His name was Van. Van Flyheight. He was in the company of a young girl, one I would learn was an Ancient Zoidian without her memories. He also had a silver Organoid named Zeke. He was weak. He relied on his Organoid to fight. He didn't know how to do his Shield Liger justice. He couldn't use his Zoid to the fullest of its abilities.

So then how did he defeat me? Even with Shadow giving strength to my Zaber Fang he still managed to defeat me. I wasn't strong enough to punch through his shield without destroying first the outer shielding to my Zaber then the actual Zoid itself. If Shadow hadn't been fast enough I would have died along with the Zaber. However, I proved how weak he was. Even at the death of the Zaber I managed to punch through his weak shield through just sheer, physical force.

But that wasn't the end. Prozen had other plans for me. He had a new Zoid, one never seen before. One that was so strong and powerful nothing could stand against it. It was the Genosaurer. It had a particle cannon that was so strong it could destroy anything in its path, including annoying Shield Ligers. And with Shadow powering it, nothing could stop me. Not even Van Flyheight.

We ended up tangling many times, each with Van running away. Until one fateful battle. He thought he could dodge my cannon and he found out just how powerful I was. I struck his Liger dead on, fried the core, nearly killed his Organoid. I had finally defeated Van. Nothing could touch me. Nothing could stop me.

Then I learned the bad news that the silver Organoid Van had fused with the shell of the Shield Liger and forced it to evolve into the Blade Liger. But, it was little different. Still a weak Liger compared to my Geno. We tangled more times until he got lucky. He used the resonance of the blades in tandem with his shield and he punched through the charged particle beam and speared the barrel of the cannon, causing a chain reaction that destroyed my Genosaurer. I remember the fear, the sheer horror that consumed me, not at the thought of a loss to Van, but at the thought I was going to die. Shadow saved me once again but this trauma, on top of my forgotten past, was enough to give me amnesia again.

I wandered the countryside with Shadow, not knowing who I was or what I was supposed to do. The only thing I did know was that Zoids were merely a tool of war and I was to use them for death and destruction. It didn't matter what kind of a Zoid I had taken, I used it until it could function no more then I abandoned it. Base after base I destroyed, taking as many lives, both human and Zoid, as I could. I left nothing standing.

Then I encountered another who was my match. I remember, now, that I had taken a Dark Horn. It had been badly damaged in a fight with that cursed blue Blade Liger but I refused to stop. Eventually, when the systems froze I was forced to surrender the battle. But it wasn't over yet. I lifted the canopy and stood there looking at the other pilot with dead eyes. Flashbacks started assailing me and I realized who it was that had stopped my Dark Horn. He was my hated and sworn enemy. Van Flyheight. I called to Shadow and he came, taking me away in a flash of light. I knew once more who I was and what I had to do. I was Raven, a killer created and let loose into the world unchained.

I still have the burn marks on my hand from where the sheer raw energy released by the dying Genosaurer nearly killed me. That's something I'll never let Van get away with. I will beat him once and for all. But. There is another problem. One that I had never realized, had forgotten, until Reese had opened up my mind.

The man who would have taken me in as his son was none other than Dan Flyheight . . . the father of Van, my mortal enemy.

What makes this ironic is the boy who could have been my brother is now one I hate with a passion. One I wish to defeat once and for all.

But can I?

Can I destroy the one person who might be able to save the last few shreds of what soul I have left?

Then again, do I want him to save me or am I comfortable the way I am, wandering with only Shadow, Reese and her Organoid Specular as companions. I still don't think of the red Geno Breaker that Shadow had to rebuild from the final battle with Hiltz and the Death Saurer a companion. It is merely a tool of war, one which I wield with the utmost precision.

Ever since the battle, ever since Hiltz betrayed us, I had been on my own. Prozen was the only one who could claim any control but when he died I became free. Reese worked with Hiltz until he saw no more use for her. Then he tried to kill us both. Shadow managed to save me and the Geno Breaker and Specular saved Reese. We ended up in an abandoned house, one where I could help nurse the fever from Reese. We then wandered the countryside, hearing the news of Hiltz and his Death Stinger as well as gathering supplies. Could we fight him? Should we? Our answer came when Reese took us to Zoid Eve and the battle between Van and Hiltz. There was no way the Blade Liger could withstand the might of the Death Saurer.

Without thinking I saved Van from certain death. I said it was because I would be the one to defeat him, but was that the real answer? We worked as a team to help bring Hiltz down. I helped punch a hole in the Death Saurer's shield so Van could attack, shot out of the gravity cannon attached to the Ultrasaurus. I told him the weakness of the Death Saurer and he did the rest of the work.

And even though my Geno Breaker failed in the end, Shadow no longer able to keep it going, the Blade Liger was able to run away as the Death Saurer exploded, the city of the Ancient Zoidians sinking back under the Earth and hopefully to be long forgotten.

Reese, surprisingly, after all we had been through and the tenseness between us, came to my aid, helping me despite my injuries, our Organoids watching over us, as always. And now, even though she has no Zoid, we wander the planet.

But for what? Why do we roam? What is it we are looking for?

Maybe the future can tell us? Maybe the answers can be found in a young man I wish to destroy once and for all? Maybe the answers will never come to us and we'll be left to wander, mere specters, free of any control. Free to be our own people. Free to find our own path in life now.