Zoids: Call of the Fire 3 Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@hotmail.com) http://www.angelfire.com/art/rcxshizuka/index.html Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Zoids, I am borrowing the names, settings, etc. under fair use and without making a profit. This work cannot be sold for profit or retransmitted and reposted without my express permission. Continuity: After the Royal Cup takes place. ------------------------------------------------ Wasteland, 1500 Hours, Day 1 The great, lobster-like Dragoon Nest served as the mobile command base of the Fire Wheel Team-- eight strong in number, of great skill. For a while it looked as if such a promising, large team would drop out of Class A due to lack of accumulating points in battle, but after their successful upset against the Blitz Team their battles have been going up in frequency. Mizuki, leader of the Fire Wheels, sat back in her command chair behind her station on the bridge, watching eagerly as her warriors defeated Zoid after Zoid. The Royal Cup competition, the event which all Class A teams aspired to conquer to move on into Class S, was within reach, after many years of waiting and planning. Although the Fire Wheels was made up of eight Zoids only four, by regulation, could compete in actual battles during the event, and it was with careful thought that she chose her four most able warriors to fight: Shizuka the Silencer, in her Stealth Viper; Kanna the Spider, in her burrow-modified Warshark; Johan, in his mach-speed modified Sinker; Rowan 'Ziel', in his polished Storm Sworder. The others-- Chika, Ayame, and Shion 'Warlock'-- remained on board the Dragoon Nest as support crew. The battle has gone on for most of the day; the Zoid Battle Commission required that a team win a grand total of five battles before the location of the goal could be revealed. To that end, at the start of the competition Mizuki paired-off Johan and Ziel, then Kanna and Shizuka, mainly because their Zoids complemented each other well. The Sinker and Storm Sworder pair had already picked-off three battles on their own without suffering too much damage, while the Warshark and Stealth Viper pair was in the midst of their second battle. Admittedly, though, the Warshark was doing very little work, serving as a mobile tactical supplement for the Stealth Viper. Kanna in particular was a vicious strategist; when she encountered the Wolf Team, consisting of three Command Wolves, she and Shizuka forced down two of them and made the third one flee the field, allowing it to escape. The third Command Wolf stopped once it was convinced it was away from the opponents and Judges, but Kanna and Shizuka dogged it into running into one of the Judge circles, and now they intended to put the poor Zoid out of its misery. She watched on the monitor as the Stealth Viper purposefully revealed itself to the Command Wolf. As predicted the Wolf's attentions were fully on the singular threat, as it started to turn and fire at the snake's direction. Shizuka squeezed off several pulse laser shots for good measure, just as the burrowed Warshark began to surface. It was over in a few seconds; one Command Wolf was no match for two hit-and-run guerilla units. "Congratulations," Mizuki aired over the comm. "We are receiving the coordinates from the Judge." "We're recalling the other team," Warlock added, sending notice to Johan and Ziel. "Um... Boss, we've got a problem." Mizuki's attention perked up. "What?" "The goal location is in the opposite direction from where we're headed. If we don't get there fast enough someone closer is going to beat us," he reported. Losing her calm composure, she slammed her fist on top of the desk. "No!" she seethed. "We were this close!" Taking a deep breath, she said, "Ping the ZBC and see if anyone's won yet." The technician shook his head. "Nope, not yet. But we'd better get a move on. I'm sending Johan and Ziel ahead to the goal point; they can get there faster." She nodded. "Do it. I haven't gone through four years of training just to have the Royal Cup snatched away from me again!" Wasteland, 1600 Hours It was already too late. The bridge of the Dragoon Nest was completely silent, save for the constant hum of machinery. The eyes of the five gathered warriors were on Mizuki when Ziel and Johan reported that the Blitz Team had already claimed the Royal Cup, narrowly defeating the Backdraft Group's entry. She kept her head low, in a futile attempt to hide her tears. Mizuki was no stranger to defeat, but it was nothing like the total defeat handed to her four years ago, in the previous Royal Cup; this time her team had a chance. This time her team was ready. This time, she was robbed of victory. Over her thoughts, Shizuka, one of the veteran team members from that time, said, "I'm sorry." Mizuki sighed, then wiped her eyes with her left arm. Slowly, she raised her head. No, not all of them knew of the humiliating defeat of four years ago, but they did feel the heavy weight of the loss, just as much as she did. Even Ziel, poker-faced as ever on the main monitor, seemed to express his understanding. "We're not taking this lying down," she announced, swallowing her emotions. "I cannot accept that the Blitz Team-- a team younger and more inexperienced than us-- has won." "I'm with you," Shizuka voiced, ever supportive of her mentor. The others nodded in agreement. "The Blitz Team may claim Class S," Kanna stated, "but that doesn't mean we can't still fight them if they agree to it." She walked over to one of the consoles. "Shall I put it through to the ZBC?" Mizuki nodded. "In this situation, there's only one thing that'll satisfy me, and that won't be a three-on- three battle." The strategist looked back at her, surprised. "You're not seriously considering using the Death Stinger, are you?" "There's a time for ethics, and a time to set them aside," the boss replied. "Its power prevented me from entering it into battle before, but now, I don't feel that restriction holding me back anymore. It has been six years in the making, but I think now it's time to show the world the power of the Fire Wheels." Toros Base, 1900 Hours, Day 2 Despite the fact that the Blitz Team was still in debt, they wasted no expenses in throwing a party. Steve Toros, the leader of the team, took the opportunity to step aside from the party to take a call. Sitting down at his desk, he turned on the video phone. At the other end was a young woman, around twenty- five years of age. He vaguely remembered the face. "Congratulations, Blitz Team, on your victory in the Royal Cup." "You're the leader of the Fire Wheels, right?" Toros remembered. Assuming airs, he replied, "I appreciate the gesture, really!" Yet the woman did not look as if she were sharing the jovial air. "The Zoid Battle Commission has approved our request-- our team against yours." Instantly, Toros cast the jokes aside, realizing she was serious. "A battle... already? Your team is only in Class A; there's not enough incentive to accept your challenge." "Oh yes you do," the Fire Wheel replied, holding up a data card. "The Commission has approved an all-out battle royale-- all of our team against all of your team. Feel free to invite others into your ranks, up to a maximum of eight warriors per team. I assure you we've already filled that quota; it is up to you to fill in the rest." That caught his interest immediately. "When you put it that way...." "The battle starts in three day's time at these coordinates," she added, transmitting data across the line. "Know this: you may have won the Royal Cup, but you still aren't the best." * * * "You WHAT?!" Each of the four warriors making up the Blitz Team's fighting force had their turn to yell and protest at Toros' decision, killing the party mood. "We haven't been in Class S for a day and we're already fighting a Class A?" Brad said in disbelief. "Give me a break." "It'd figure they'd be jealous," Bit added, feigning calmness. "Doc," complained Jamie, "we haven't even fixed all our equipment yet!" "Well, it is in three days..." Toros excused, twiddling his fingers. "And the prize money is three times the usual for such a prestigious match...." "Dad," Leena added, "we don't even have that many people? Where are we going to find four more people on such short notice?" "And that is why I volunteer the Champ Team!" came a familiar voice. Harry Champ jumped out, causing Leena to jump herself in surprise. "Harry, when did you get here?" Bit asked. "Whenever there's something my dear, sweet Leena might want, I'll always be there!" Harry proclaimed. Leena laughed nervously, waving him away slowly. "That's not what I had in mind...." "We could ask Naomi and Leon to help," Brad suggested. Instantaneously, Leena's expression changed into excitement. "That's right! With Leon on our team, we'd be unbeatable." "Even if we did get them, that means we're still short two people..." Bit said. "Wait, don't you mean 'one?'" Harry interrupted. "Come on, Harry," the other warrior said, "it's not like... well...." "So, you don't think I'm good enough for her, Bit Cloud?!" Harry yelled, angry. "By this time tomorrow, you'll be begging me to help you!" All eyes watched as Harry rushed out. Leena blinked. "What was that all about?" Toros Base, 1700 Hours, Day 3 "Well, you've got to hand it to Harry," Bit said, standing outside the hangar with the rest of his teammates, "he sure knows how to throw money around." Harry Champ laughed to himself, obviously proud of what lay in the hangar of his Whale King. Lined-up in neat rows were weapons-- each custom for any Zoid imaginable, from pulse lasers to hyper cannons. Beyond that were missiles of varying hardpoints, bundled together neatly and polished for presentation. In other words, he knew exactly how to win both Doc Toros and his daughter. "All of this can be at your disposal if only you give me this one chance to fight side-by-side with my dear Leena!" Harry proclaimed. Toros leaned to whisper to his daughter. "I think you should take it." "This could help solve a lot of our problems," Brad added, knowing the ammo stockpile was more than enough to coerce Leena. "But... with Harry?!" Leena complained. "It's not like he hasn't done this before, so you should be used to it by now," Bit added. "We do want to win, right?" Toros added. "Even if Harry's not that good we can put some of those weapons to good use," Jamie said, joining the bandwagon. "Okay," Leena said, talking to herself, "what's just one little battle with Harry compared to all the ammo I want?" Her face reddened at the thought. "How can I say 'no' to all that ammo?" Warriors' Bar, 1400 Hours, Day 4 "So that's what it's like, huh," Leon said, taking a sip from his coffee mug, his attention full on Bit, seated across the circular table from him. "You guys are asking me to come back now." "Well, you don't have to come back permanently," Bit explained. "We're just asking for your guys' help." To Leon's left, Naomi Fluegel, seemed interested. "I think this could be a good change of pace. It's not often you can have such a large team battle like this." "I don't know," Leon admitted. "The Blitz Team doesn't feel as if it's my team anymore. It's your team, Bit; the team you lead to Class S." "It's not like you didn't help or anything," the other warrior said. "You're a great warrior; I'd love to fight alongside with you, even if it's just once. Besides, Doc and Leena are excited to have you back." Leon chuckled, closing his eyes as to recall the memories of times past. "Yeah, I know." Gathering himself, he added, "Tell you what, Bit. I'll join you guys this one time. If after that time I don't wish to remain, you'll allow me to walk away." "Well, it's not my position to...." Bit shrugged. "Ah, what the hey." He extended his hand. "Good to have you aboard, Leon!" * * * "That's a shame," Jack Sisko, mercenary Zoid pilot of the Lightning Saix said, "my plans include staying with the Lightning Team for a while." Across from him was Harry Champ, a former client. "Remember last time when you said you'd fight another battle for me for free? I'm calling in that favor." Jack smiled. "Oh? You aren't planning on fighting the Blitz Team, are you? They're way beyond your league now." Harry shook his head. "It's not that; I'm asking you to fight for them." That caught the warrior's curiosity. "Oh really? I think they're capable enough, don't you think?" The richman slid a data card across the table. "The Zoid Battle Commission approved of a battle royale between the Blitz Team and the Fire Wheel Team. An eight-on-eight battle with no restrictions. Naturally my dear Leena asked for my help, and I want to make sure I fulfill her trust!" Jack whistled. "So, you're doing this for a girl, huh? I guess this is your lucky day, then. Sure, I'll win this battle for you, this one time." He picked up the data card, and punched a few keys. "That's a good amount of money going around there." A few seconds later, alarm struck him. "They can't be serious." Harry leaned closer. "What is it, Jack?" "Did any of you see what the Fire Wheels have registered?" he asked, putting on a serious tone. "As expected they asked for a team limit of eight because that's the number of warriors they have total. Their registrations have been updated only a couple days ago. They're using some serious hardware here." Harry leaned back, perplexed. "I don't see how that can be a problem...." "I'll still fight, there's no mistake about it," he assured Harry. "I want to see what this infamous 'Death Stinger' can do first-hand." "'Death Stinger?' I thought all of those were destroyed." "Not according to the Zoid registry. The Fire Wheels have a Death Stinger of their own. If it's anywhere near complete as those Geno Saurers were the other day, we might have our work cut out for ourselves." Undisclosed Location, 2000 Hours Ever since the event, a few days prior, when the Zoid Battle Commission destroyed all the Backdraft Group Judge Satellites, the Backdraft Group has been scattered to the winds. While the Zoid Battle Commission ordered the immediate surrender of all Backdraft operatives, many elected to take flight, and many of them were in hiding. That was more than they could say for the top brass: people such as Altile were in custody. The Berserk Fury and the Geno Saurers were confiscated, and many of the other Zoids were lost in the confusion. For Colonel Martin of the Backdraft Group's Raijin Team, it was like becoming a fugitive. He was annoyed that the top brass would dare to attack the Zoid Battle Commission head-on during the Royal Cup battles, and disappointed that it brought the organization's downfall. Now as a 'resistance cell leader,' Martin felt as if it were his duty to somehow bring prestige back to the outcast Backdraft Group. Beside the sudden lack of equipment, there was also the unmistakable lack of funding. The shadowy backers of the Backdraft organization vanished whence they came; their greedy gambling habits and high society bluster took flight the moment things started to look bad. While it was very likely those same people wouldn't mind funding another organization like the Backdraft Group, Martin realized, if he wanted to keep the organization clean, he would have to do some of the important tasks himself. Before the organization's fall Altile was charged with obtaining an Ultimate X Zoid for the Backdraft Group; with such a Zoid financial backing would be a non-issue, and clients' faith in the organization would effectively become unwavering. The Liger Zero and the Berserk Fury were both Ultimate X Zoids; the Zoid had to be exceptional in every way. Which is why the Fire Wheels suddenly caught his interest. Before, Martin kept tabs on the Zoid team, as one of its members stole a Helcat from his team. By sheer luck, a possible Ultimate X may have fallen into his lap-- a new Death Stinger model, probably found in the Fire Wheels' base somewhere. It was obviously a well-kept secret if they've had the Zoid for so long; Martin wondered why they hadn't used it until now. It probably could have won the Royal Cup for them. "I've only heard legends and folk tales about the Death Stinger," he murmured. "It is said to be a fantastic beast if used in the correct hands; its tail- mounted particle beam cannon was extremely potent. In one tale, it was launched into outer space, orbiting the planet, and the cannon incinerated an entire city." He raised a clenched fist. "I would have that power if it means restoring the organization!" Battle Zone, 0800 Hours, Day 5 The Zoid Battle Commission deployed four Judge capsules to the battlefield that morning, as the one- hundred mile radius battle area needed good coverage on all sides. In particular it was difficult for one Judge to keep track of sixteen Zoids at once for such a large area. The battlefield itself was divided into four quadrants, one under the jurisdiction of each judge, centered at their respective quadrants with little overlap. The first quadrant, taking up the northwest area, consisted of rocky canyons. It was expected that most of the battle would take place at the bottom of the network of canyons, and whoever got to the high ground would have the area covered. There were also plenty of places to hide. The second quadrant, in the northeast area, continued the rocky canyons, but tapered-off into the wasteland. Rocky outcroppings still dominated here and there, but it was not as dense as the canyon itself. Directly to the south of the second quadrant was the third, a vast expanse of wasteland, nearly all flat. It was expected that many of the high-speed battles would take place in this area, as it was the most open space available. Finally, the fourth quadrant in the southwest area housed a mostly-open stone ruin, believed to formerly be a city lying against the canyon in the north. Although there was much open area here as well there is also a number of craters dipping below the foundations, where one could easily become trapped and disabled. Such unfavorable ground made this the area least likely to be traversed. In the Royal Cup the Fire Wheels were one of the favored teams to win the tournament, but it was the Blitz Team, who upset many favorite picks, that won. Warriors everywhere flocked to bars and stadiums to catch what was termed the 'Rematch' battle, so soon after the Royal Cup concluded. This time it was the Blitz Team that was favored to win, as word spread around fast that they gathered the strongest of warriors to participate in the battle on their behalf. Early on the Blitz Team agreed to the Fire Wheels' choice of battleground; it essentially gave the Fire Wheels a 'home' advantage, as they knew the battle terrain better. In fact, the Fire Wheels already deployed their Zoids in each of the four quadrants before the battle started, while the Blitz Team and its allies were only entering from the third quadrant. So, as many expected, the initial three hours or so would be a game of hide-and-seek, despite the fact that the Dragoon Nest was deployed at the edge of the second quadrant. It was a fairly impressive gathering of Zoids for the Blitz Team: two Ligers, one the Liger Zero, armed with its Jager armor, and a red Blade Liger. Two Gunsnipers, one red, one blue with a heavy arms loadout. A teal Raynos, a black Shadowfox, and a dark Lightning Saix, then finally a black Darkhorn. For the most part each of the Zoids retained their usual loadout, but Harry arranged for ammunition depots to be set up around the battlefield when necessary, as the battle was expected to be long. The only obvious waypoint was the Blitz Team Hover Cargo; the rest the Fire Wheels had to find and capture, if they could. It was expected that the Fire Wheels, who own at least three aerial Zoids, would put a lot of pressure on the Raynos. If pattern followed, however, only the Storm Sworder and Salamander would join such an aerial dance, as the Redler usually remained near the ground. However, none of those were detected in the air, making it obvious that they were still on the ground somewhere. "So, are we splitting up, or sticking together?" Naomi asked, breaking the silence. "Splitting up," answered Jamie. "Stick with the plan for now," he added. "Right," the other warrior replied. * * * "They're splitting up, as expected," Kanna reported, broadcasting her transmission on the Fire Wheels' personal frequency, her eyes on her custom periscope. "Looks like... both Ligers and the Raynos are heading for Q2. The Shadowfox and Lightning Saix are heading for Q4, and the Darkhorn and two Gunsnipers for Q1." "Good," Mizuki replied. "Let the Shadowfox, Saix, and both Ligers go; pick off the Gunsnipers and Darkhorn before they get to the canyon, if you can. Don't get too reckless; you're on your own right now." "I hear you," she said, retracting the periscope. Relaxing against the seat Kanna waited silently below the earth as the blips for the Blitz Team and friends dwindled down to the slower Zoids. It was a very sound strategy to supplement each of the Zoids in such a manner; it was only her luck of the draw that the Spider would have to deal with the three most armed Zoids on the battlefield. If she wasn't careful, while Kanna was taking out one Zoid the other two could pop her. She called up a tactical readout on her console, then determined she ought to take her chances against the red Gunsniper. Its pilot was a crack shot sniper, and, if Kanna wasn't careful, she could take her out in one shot. That is, if the Warshark even allowed her to get into a sniping position. The other two relied heavily on ammo consumption to get their way, and Kanna wagered they were lousy shots. She hoped. * * * The attack came without warning as the red Gunsniper's left leg fell into a sinkhole, throwing the Zoid off-balance and onto its side. The other two pilots became alert. "It's got to be the Warshark," Leena explained, her eyes scanning the sandy field. "There's such things as Warsharks with burrow modifications?" Naomi wondered, trying to get her Zoid upright again. "It's here!" Harry cried. Sure enough, as Leena was accustomed to the sort of attack by now, a black-armored Warshark burst out of the sand, into the air, attacking with the morning sun against its back. Trusting the targeting computer to do the work for her Leena fired off several missiles in the enemy Zoid's direction, squinting. However, the computer did not register any hits. She heard a loud cry from Harry, and it was apparent that the Warshark was taking this opportunity to taking out his Darkhorn. Several explosions erupted from the missiles launched from the pod on the fish's back, each hitting the Darkhorn in all the vital spots-- its legs. A wave of sand tossed against the cockpit window, and Leena knew the Warshark burrowed again. "Whoever that is," Naomi said, her Zoid's leg free of the sinkhole, "sure has this hit-and-run thing down." "I'm okay, Leena my sweet!" Harry declared. "My Darkhorn suffered moderate damage, but don't worry! I'm okay!" "Great," Leena muttered. She waited several heartbeats. "So why isn't the Warshark attacking again?" "Isn't it obvious?" the other Gunsniper pilot said. "That warrior is taking his time on us, probably soften us up for whatever else we run into." "You've got to be kidding." "At least, that's what I'd do if I were the Warshark pilot." * * * Kanna called up the Darkhorn's technical readout. "Although it's heavily modified with more weapons and maneuverability, the Darkhorn wasn't designed to carry the amount of weight it's hauling around." She magnified the support mechanisms on each of its four legs, with red areas marking the areas which she hit earlier. "If I let nature run its course, the Darkhorn will fall over by itself in less than an hour, provided it keeps up this marching pace." She sat back against her chair. "The blue Gunsniper knew where I was attacking from; I'm going to have to watch out for both of them, it seems." Quadrant 2, 0900 Hours "Things are too quiet," Bit complained. "They're likely planning an ambush," Leon agreed. Directing his attention to Jamie, he asked, "Do you see anything from up there?" "Nothing," the Raynos pilot answered. "The Dragoon Nest is nearby, and it... wait a minute. It's launching the Storm Sworder!" "Just the Storm Sworder?" Bit asked, confused. "I'd have thought they'd have the Redler and Salamander along with it." "That means whatever the Storm Sworder is being sent here to support, it's on the ground with us!" Leon realized. As if to punctuate on that fact, a large explosion threw both Ligers onto their sides, a huge crater replacing the dirt that stood between the two. "We're being shelled," Bit knew. "It came from the west!" "It's probably hiding out in the canyon," Leon guessed. "Seems we're going to have to come to them, doesn't it?" "I'll take care of the Storm Sworder," Jamie said. "You guys should go after the mortar unit." "Gotcha," replied Bit. Quadrant 1, 0900 Hours "I'd think you'd want to fire up their nose, not across it," Shizuka noted, transmitting her comm to the Sea Panther. The hermit crab-like Zoid Sea Panther, armed with a plasma mortar on its back, craned down a couple degrees. "That was only a warning shot," Chika, the pilot, assured the Stealth Viper pilot. "You missed," the other warrior insisted. "Well, it's not like you're doing any better. Crawl back under whatever rock you're hiding under, and I'll deal with the Ligers." "Yeah, right. As if a mortar could take out the top Zoid in the Royal Cup." "Knock it off, you two," Mizuki said, cutting in. "Not only are the Ligers heading your direction, but so are the two Gunsnipers. Kanna took out the Darkhorn, but she's not nailing those other two fast enough." "So you want me to go get 'em?" Shizuka asked. "Remain where you are; lure them into your den, not lure yourself out of it," the leader of the Fire Wheels insisted. "This story's only beginning; no need to throw yourselves recklessly before the climax." Quadrant 4, 0900 Hours The Shadowfox and Lightning Saix tread carefully over the ancient stone grounds of the ruins, careful not to break a hole into the ancient sewer system. Ancient ruins such as this was an unpopular location for Zoid battles because one false step could knock a Zoid enough to freeze the computer system. Some people attributed this to shoddy engineering of Zoids in general, while others attributed it to the operating system, but one thing that was agreed upon, it happened quite frequently when falling in ruins. "Those Fire Wheels must've been crazy to pick this area as a battlefield," Brad complained. "It's as much of a hazard to them as it is for us." "They're certainly not amateurs," Jack warned. "I wouldn't take their choice of field lightly." A strong heat source registered on their computers, and both warriors guided their Zoids away from a powerful heat jet leveled at them. Without anything around to burn the flames quickly died, disappearing as suddenly as it appeared. Tracking with his computer, Brad shouted, "Salamander nearby using its flamethrower! Three o'clock!" Sure enough, the blue dragon Zoid's neck craned out from the hole where it had been hiding, large enough to conceal itself, and, most likely, also large enough for it to take off at a given instant. The Salamander's jaw opened wide, spewing another flame jet in the Shadowfox's direction, threatening to overheat the Zoid's systems. "Pretty bold of you to take us on, two-on-one!" Jack said, swinging the Lightning Saix around for a shot. Twin beams lanced across Jack's path, and the warrior tore his eyes from his target long enough to recognize the Salamander's backup: the violet Redler, mounted with twin pulse cannons, having emerged from its own hiding hole. "I'd say this'd even the odds," Ayame, the Redler pilot, said. Jack snorted. "Interesting. You think you can keep up with my Lightning Saix?" "Jack, behind you!" Brad warned. Just in the nick of time the Lightning Saix leaped forward, then broke off in a sprint as a third attacker appeared-- the Sinker-- from behind. "Nope," Johan said, "I'll be the one that dances the highway with you!" "Hmph, three-on-two now, huh?" Brad noted, amused. "I didn't know I was that popular." Dust kicked up quickly as the Salamander took off from its hiding hole, and Brad took the opportunity to flip on the Shadowfox's smokescreen generators, hoping to make the opponents lose him in all the smoke. He kept an eye on the Redler, knowing he would have to take that out while Jack took care of the Sinker. It was then obvious why the Fire Wheels chose to duke it out in this terrain: none of the three Zoids had to deal with setting foot on the ground if they had to. The Redler was equally adept at fighting on all fours or in low-level flight, the Sinker hovered, and the Salamander's strength relied on its flight abilities. That only made the battle more interesting. Quadrant 2, 0900 Hours The Blitz Team Raynos was within his sights as the Storm Sworder rocketed toward its aerial adversary. Ziel could barely contain his excitement at the thought of getting revenge against the so-called Wild Eagle who forced them into a draw the last encounter. In his mind's eye he remembered frantically pulling up on the stick as the ground became larger in the cockpit, desperately trying to avoid a straight nose- dive plummet. Ziel barely escaped with his life, as he only remembered the Storm Sworder's nose scraping against the ground, and forcing him to flip over several times. He remembered, by the time he woke up, that his Zoid was upside-down, and the paint was scratched everywhere. He ground his teeth together, formulating plans in his mind that would bring the Raynos to a similar fate. "Raynos pilot," he broadcast, "this is your adversary! My Storm Sworder is itching to take a bite out of you." The other end came up with the cockpit view of the same guy, yet, somehow, he looked different. "Excuse me?" he said. "It took me a week to repaint this sucker," Ziel continued, "and another to polish it! Every moment of it was spent thinking of ways I could make you suffer the same fate!" Yet the kid on the other end looked like he had no idea what Ziel was talking about, and seemed ready to panic. Killing the transmission, Ziel found himself already in strike range. He thumbed the console for two light rockets, and waited for the tracking ping. The moment the Raynos was locked-on, he fired. Already the Raynos was banking away from the two missiles, and the chase began. Ziel kicked on the afterburners, moving out ahead of the rockets to take a few shots of his own, confident the radar tracking would maintain lock on the opposing Zoid. He powered on the wing blades of the Storm Sworder, rolling the stick for a sideways, vertical slash against the Raynos. Disappointed that the Raynos was making straight line escapes, Ziel kicked the afterburners on and dove for the left wing. He felt the satisfactory grind of his left wing into the Raynos' wing, followed by the dual impact of the two missiles. Glancing out the cockpit, the Raynos was spiraling downward toward the ground, just as predicted in the best case scenario of the simulator. "This is rather disappointing," he muttered. "I expected more of a challenge." Yet, when he was ready to write-off the Raynos to plummet to its doom, it suddenly started to recover from the death dive despite damage to its left wing and engine. Smoke trailing behind, the Raynos pulled up and away from the ground below, then shot back up on afterburners. "Thought you could count me out that easily?" the familiar, cocky voice of the Raynos pilot said. "You've had your fun, and now it's my turn!" Ziel snorted. "Foolish; you're not going to beat me crippled like that, kid! Once you're out of afterburner fuel, you're history!" "Heh, guess I have to finish this quick," the Wild Eagle replied, unfazed. "It takes more than guts to win this battle!" Ziel screamed angrily. He lined up the Raynos' ascent with his gatling cannon, and squeezed the trigger. Already moving at its top speed the Raynos could do little to avoid getting pelted by the shots, yet the Storm Sworder had to compensate greatly each moment to maintain line of shot. The teal Zoid shot up and out of firing range, looping over Ziel's head for a shot in the rear. Getting a taste of his own medicine the Raynos unloaded its own hail of bullets, and Ziel spun the Storm Sworder off to the right to avoid the shots. "Ameteur!" Ziel cried, killing the thrusters and pulling the stick back. The Storm Sworder initiated a steep climb for which the Raynos was unprepared for, and shot past underneath. Ziel pushed the stick forward, only having to wait two heartbeats for the lock-on ping before unleashing a heavier missile. Although sluggish, the heavy missile propelled much faster than the lighter missiles used earlier, and easily caught up with the Raynos. The Zoid's engine erupted into flame, and Ziel was certain this time the enemy wasn't going to get another extension on life. Quadrant 3, 1000 Hours "Leena, wait up!" Harry shouted. Both Naomi and Leena looked back toward Harry's Darkhorn, lagging behind in formation. Although it looked to be in fine shape before, slowly, before their eyes, the Darkhorn collapsed under its own weight, and it pitifully dragged itself along the ground. Now, however, it seemed that it could go no further. "Geez, you're hopeless," Leena said, turning her Gunsniper around. "If it wasn't for the fact that the Judge didn't disqualify you we'd leave you behind." "You know," Naomi added, "some people think it's merciful to put a dying animal out of its misery." "T..that's cruel!" Harry protested. "Maybe, but this is even crueler!" replied an unidentified voice. "It's the Warshark!" Leena warned, alerted. This time the black fish burst out of the ground from behind the Darkhorn, using their own teammate as cover for an attack. Naomi froze for a second, but Leena was on the ball, firing both her gatling cannons without hesitating, over Harry's protests. She felt a few impacts against her own Gunsniper, but as light as they were Leena knew it wasn't the missile box this time. Sand rained over her cockpit window once again, this time directly in front of her. She felt the Gunsniper sink into the sinkhole slightly, but soon the hole plugged itself up. "I know I got her that time," she said. "Remind me why we're on the same team?" Naomi asked. "Oh, come on!" Leena protested. "Harry in the way is only good reason for them to attack us that way!" "Leena, I understand," Harry said, seemingly sure of himself. "Sure of what?" she asked. "I'm only holding you back like this," he replied. "I can't stand the thought that I would be at fault if you lost this match, so you should go ahead without me." "Harry...." "Mighty noble of you," Naomi noted. Pulling the Gunsniper away, she added, "See you." As Leena's Gunsniper followed suit, Harry lost his composure. "Hey, wait! Aren't you going to give me a good-bye kiss?" "Bye, Harry," Leena purred. "Take care of the Warshark for us." Hearing the sound of her heavenly voice, Harry mellowed out instantly. "Anything for the pursuit of love...." Seconds later, the Warshark surfaced, and put the Darkhorn out of its misery. Quadrant 4, 1000 Hours The Shadowfox leaped into the air at the oncoming Redler, ignoring its laser fire, and dove with its left Strike Claw. Metal tore through metal as the Redler passed quickly through the path of the strike, ripping armor away like a can opener. Landing hard on the stone, Brad quickly spared a glance backward, glad to see that the Redler was smoking on its right side and losing control. "The Redler's bugging out," Brad informed Jack. "Now for the Salamander!" Destruction rained from the heavens, hailing bombs all around the Shadowfox. Bracing himself, the warrior knew the Salamander had missed him, but when the ground started to give way underneath the Shadowfox he knew the aerial threat did that on purpose. * * * "Damn Shadowfox," Ayame cursed. "I'm heading back for the Dragoon Nest." "I think I got it," Shion said. "I can't tell from all the dust, though." "That's nice," Johan replied, "but how about nailing the Lightning Saix while you're at it?" Bringing the Salamander about, Shion answered, "I'm coming." An explosion rocked the flying dragon, and the warrior knew he was under attack. "God dammit, the Shadowfox is still functional." Several more shots fired from the middle of the dust cloud where the Shadowfox disappeared earlier, each taking good hits at the Salamander's fragile wings-- its obvious weak spot for such a heavy Zoid. Cursing his luck Shion brought the blue dragon into descent, pulling back against the stick for a controlled landing. * * * Jack regarded the Sinker as both his and the opposing Zoid sped across the ruin. He had no idea that a Sinker could have such a high thrust as to keep up with him, and he considered ramming its wing to tip it off balance. Such an action would probably kill the pilot, however, and it simply wasn't Jack's style. The only true advantage the manta ray Zoid had was that it didn't have to rely on contact with the ground, and that was offset by its poor balance. The Lightning Saix's guns only fired forward, which meant Jack had to get the Sinker ahead of him somehow. The other guy looked as if he had no intention of giving up on this pissing contest. Smirking, Jack braked the Lightning Saix, and the Sinker zoomed on ahead. "Right on target," he said, lining up the Sinker in his sights and firing. * * * The other Fire Wheels called him 'Warlock' because at times he seemed to weave miracles like magic, but Shion felt at a loss as the situation deteriorated quickly. The Salamander plod toward the north, away from the enemy quickly, having been grounded swiftly after underestimating the opponent. All three members of the ambush party were routed, and that looked poorly on himself as a field commander. "My drive's going to fail any minute," Johan complained. "I covered my retreat with a few missiles, but if that Lightning Saix decides to chase after me I'm through." Yet Shion was only a technician, not a strategist; his forte was not on the battlefield, but in the confines of a computer. Certainly, his tricks were implemented in all the Fire Wheel computer systems, but the damage they were suffering now was physical in nature. There was nothing he could do about that. "Pull back to the mountains, if you can," he ordered. "If we get to the Dragoon Nest we may be able to service our Zoids and get out again." * * * "Shall we go after them?" Jack asked, even though both warriors knew the answer to that question. Brad shrugged. "I want that Salamander; it's got to get me a lot of points." Quadrant 1, 1100 Hours "So Shion and Kanna failed," Mizuki said neutrally. "Don't worry, boss," Shizuka assured her, "we'll pick off the leftovers. They've been fighting for the last few hours, and we're still fresh." "Speak for yourself," Chika said, amidst the sound of mortar shots. "If I keep this up my power supply is going to run dry soon." "Have Ziel bring the Dragoon Nest closer," Shizuka asked. "Since we're all going to be in this localized area anyway, we may as well have our maintenance deck close by." "I see," the leader of the Fire Wheels said. "I'll pass it on." * * * Naomi and Leena heard the Redler pilot crying over the common link, obviously torn up at having her Zoid, already damaged in battle by something, blown full of holes by two Gunsnipers. The pair came upon the fleeing dragon on its low-level flight up the mountain, likely heading for the Dragoon Nest up north for some quick repairs. Whatever the Redler had problems with before, it wasn't going to get the chance to fight back now. "Let's go," Naomi said. "That should make up for losing the Darkhorn." "I suppose," Leena conceded, "but I don't think that was such a big loss...." * * * Cruising near the surface, the Warshark came upon the smoking wreckage of the purple Redler. Its pilot, Ayame, stood outside several meters away, staring blankly at her Zoid, oblivious to the Warshark surfacing from its burrowing mode. The once-proud royal Redler, mounted with the twin pulse lasers stripped off the Helcat, would not be able to get back up on its own power. At least, not without some good servicing. Opening the cockpit, Kanna stood up, confident that no Blitz Zoids were coming her way. "Hey, you okay?" she yelled. Turning slowly, Ayame wiped her eyes on her arm. "I'm out. You're still in; get those Gunsnipers for me." Kanna shook her head. "Wish I could. The one with the Wild Weasel unit is a lot more dangerous than I thought; she damaged the drive a bit when I was taking out the Darkhorn, so it's going slower than usual. I was thinking about going back to the Dragoon Nest and get the Maccurtis... want a lift?" Ayame snorted, then shrugged. "I guess it beats standing around out here." * * * "I see it!" Bit cried. "It's a Sea Panther!" Rushing through the bottom of the canyon, both Liger pilots looked up and ahead, to the hermit crab Zoid that stood sentinel at the top of the canyon, near the edge, its plasma mortar aimed high in the air to keep the Ligers in its area of effect. However, the distance was closing fast, and soon the Sea Panther would be in trouble. In fact, it already was. "If we take out the ground from under it, the Sea Panther will lose its height advantage," Leon suggested. "Would you do the honors?" "I thought you'd never ask!" Bit replied, readying the Liger Zero's impact cannon. Beams of energy lanced out across Bit's cockpit, exploding to his right. Bringing Liger Zero to a halt, he cast a glance toward his left, toward the assailant unseen on the tracking computers. Sure enough, emerging from behind a corner, was the black Stealth Viper. "You're the only one who can bring Chika down easily, so you have to go out," Shizuka said in greeting. "So naturally I chose you as my opponent." "I had a feeling it would be you," Bit said. "You're mine, then!" "I'll get the Sea Panther," Leon said. "Then the two can't support each other." The Stealth Viper allowed the Blade Liger to continue its path, followed by more shots missing it and blowing up dirt everywhere. It reared back its head and barred its maw, revealing polished fangs and a small launcher within. "Back then I was using a Zoid I was off with," the Viper pilot explained, "but this time it's not only my home turf, but it's my Zoid. Don't hold back on me." "I don't plan on it," Bit assured her. * * * "Oh my god!" Chika cried, near panic. "Get away from me!" She pulled the Sea Panther back, away from the cliff edge, and lowered the mortar, as the Blade Liger used its speed to make quick progress up the side of the canyon. Quickly she flipped switches to arm the missile box and smaller cannons, and aimed them toward her initial position. Instead, the red Blade Liger emerged to her left, on the blind side of her cannons. Screaming frantically, she unloaded the missile box. A cluster of small missiles launched out, each impacting the ground behind the Blade Liger as it danced around to her rear. "With such lousy support, no wonder you're going down," the enemy pilot said. Chika felt the Blade Liger ram her in the back, free to do whatever it pleased, as all the weapons were mistakenly facing forward. Each shove put her closer to the edge of the cliff, and she braced herself for the inevitable fall. "Someone help me!" she cried. * * * Jack surveyed the wreckage of the fallen Sinker, having crash landed by itself halfway up the mountain. "Well, he didn't get far." Beside his Lightning Saix, Brad's Shadowfox surveyed the area. "No sign of the Salamander. That thing is moving faster than I thought." "You may have clipped its wings, but its boosters are probably still good," the mercenary said. "That would help pick up its otherwise terrible running speed." "Don't I know it," Brad replied, remembering how terrible the Salamander's smaller cousin, the Pteras, did on the ground. "Let's meet up with Bit and the others, and then we'll deal with the Salamander." * * * Leon peeked over the edge of the cliff, and looked down at the Sea Panther, lying on the mortar side of its shell, unable to get up. The local Judge had not declared disqualification yet, indicating that the Sea Panther's computer didn't freeze from the fall, which was unusual. "All that's left is to finish the job," he told himself. "Not so fast," said another, and Leon tore his attention to the newcomer behind him. Towering over the Blade Liger was a blue Salamander, its wings folded out and its weapons pointed directly at him. Parts of the wing looked damaged in areas, indicating that it was unable to fly. While it suffered a distinct disadvantage on the ground, the Salamander was still far from helpless. "Picking on little girls?" the warrior said jokingly. "The only one who gets to do that is her brother... me!" "Hey, I'm not a little girl!" the Sea Panther pilot protested. "And you're late!" "So now it's your turn," Leon said, smiling. * * * Liger Zero Jager dashed in a wide arc around the Stealth Viper, bullets biting into the cliff wall behind it. Bit turned hard, aiming his forward cannons at the mechanical snake. The Viper slinked back against the initial barrage, but flinched hard when the shots hit their mark. The serpentine beast fell over backward behind the rock which it hid. "Gotcha!" he cried triumphantly. Without hesitating Bit guided Liger Zero around the rock, wishing to make certain that the Stealth Viper really was down. But the moment he cleared the bend, the only thing left was a quick trail in the sand left by the snake's wheels. "You've got to be kidding." His eyes followed the trail left by the Stealth Viper, trying to figure out where Shizuka ran off to, but it abruptly ended at the cliffside. Looking up and around the cliff face, he saw no sign of the Stealth Viper. * * * "Dammit," Shizuka hissed, breathing hard and heavy. The only thing keeping her in her seat was the seatbelt, as the Stealth Viper, cloaked under its secret weapon, stared down at the Liger Zero as it clung to the cliff face. The blood drained from her arms and legs, effectively freezing Shizuka in place as the Liger stared dumbfounded by the vanishing trail. So long as the Stealth Viper remained perfectly still, she couldn't break loose some rocks and draw attention to herself. So long as her body remained numb, that was not a problem. Shizuka knew she was very close to losing the battle, as the numbers showed that her Stealth Viper was no match for the armored Liger Zero at all. Over the comm she heard her mentor demand to know what happened, but Shizuka could not wrench her hand free of the controls, her fingers deadlocked along with the rest of her arm. Her lips parted, but no words formed. * * * "Something's wrong," Mizuki decided, worried that Shizuka wasn't responding. It was very likely her apprentice was frozen in shock; it seemed to occur with disturbing regularity these days. It wasn't as if it was Shizuka's fault, really; it was a psychological reaction from when their hometown was attacked by bandits using Zoids. Ten years ago Mizuki stole her dad's Guysack and fought them off skillfully. Yet, Shizuka was still a young and impressionable kid back then, and the attack left an emotional scar on her. It always happened when she was on the verge of losing, effectively equating that with dying, losing everything. The last one left. Being alone. Mizuki had to convince her that she wasn't alone. The others had to keep fighting. She keyed in the video feed from the Salamander and Sea Panther, just in time to see the Blade Liger slash the Salamander's left leg, causing it to fall over. It was more than obvious that the situation was deteriorating on every front. There was only one solution, and that was to lead the charge herself. "Kanna," she said, keying in her comm, "I'm going out." The Warshark pilot appeared on the screen, her cockpit stuffed with another passenger, Ayame. "I hope you know what you're doing," Kanna said. "You show 'em!" Ayame shouted, and Kanna winced from the noise. "I'll have to go get them before they take Chika out, too. Get Ziel to launch again, and Kanna... get Shizuka up and running again." "Roger." * * * "What happened to the Stealth Viper?" Leon asked, careful not to move over to the cliff edge where the Sea Panther fell earlier. "Beats me," replied Bit. "It just... disappeared." "While you're down there, how about taking out the Sea Panther?" he suggested. Leon heard a loud rumble. Quickly surveying the area around him, he checked the grid. "Bit! Something else is down there with you!" "What?!" * * * Bursting from the ground before the Liger Zero emerged the blue sea scorpion Zoid, its thick armor reflecting the afternoon sun. Liger Zero took several steps back involuntarily as the great beast's tail, towering overhead with its mounted charged particle cannon, stared downward. "What the heck is that?" Bit cried. "You know," he heard the pilot of the beast say, "I never intended to use this creature in battle; it would be so unfair to use a legend like Death Stinger in a fair fight." "'Death Stinger?'" he echoed. Liger Zero roared, and the pair knew they were in trouble. "Can such a thing still exist?!" "Get out of there, Bit!" Leon shouted. "You don't have to tell me twice!" Bit replied, turning Liger around and kicking on the boosters. Beams and bullets streaked past Liger Zero Jager as it attempted to flee, and fear overcame him, as Bit knew the Death Stinger was simply buying time to power up the charged particle cannon, which could fry him and Liger in one shot. Unlike previous bouts with such a weapon his confinement in the canyon only served to hamper the running room. Liger rocked as one of the beams lanced through the left booster, killing the overall running speed. He guided Liger Zero up the cliff face, hoping to hit the high ground. "I'm heading back to the Hover Cargo," Bit informed Leon. "Stay out of that thing's way until I get back!" "I'll be waiting," Leon said. * * * "That's one nasty guy," Naomi said, perching in her snipe position. Putting the Death Stinger in her sights, she aimed for the charged particle cannon, and fired. The shot only served to get the Death Stinger's attention, as the shot seemed to only bounce off the creature's tank-like armor. "I didn't even dent it?!" she hissed in disbelief. "I'll just have to show you how it's really done!" Leena declared, opening up all her missile boxes. She guided her Gunsniper near the mouth of the canyon, seeing the blue monster heading their direction. "Weasel Unit Total Assault!" Bullets and missiles rained down on the Death Stinger, converging for one huge explosion concentrated on the center of the beast. Long before the smoke cleared, Leena declared victory. "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" "Leena, pay attention!" Leon ordered. "You barely scratched that thing!" "That sounds typical," she heard Brad say. "Your sister sure knows how to waste ammo." "Doesn't look like you dented it much," Jack added. "When did you guys get here?" she asked. "Heard this was where all the action was," Brad said. "Looks like we outnumber that Death Stinger thing by a lot." "Don't underestimate it," Leon warned. Sure enough, as the smoke cleared the Death Stinger was already on its way up the cliff face. Both Leena and Naomi ran their Gunsnipers in opposite directions, unwilling to fight the legendary beast directly. * * * "Get a grip of yourself, Shizuka!" Kanna shouted over the comm. "Where the hell are you?" Eyes closed, she spoke wordlessly, repeating to herself, "I'm going to die." "Come on, I know you can hear me," the other persisted. "It's not that bad! Just relax. Relax. It's going to be okay." "He SHOT me!" she screamed, and for the first time she realized she was crying. "I can't beat him!" "Stop being such a big baby!" she heard Ayame say. "You can at least still get up and move around, so do it! Avenge my Redler! Remember how to breathe!" "Just calm down," Kanna insisted. "It's not any different from the other battles. So what if he's won the Royal Cup. So what if his Zoid can turn your Zoid into snake skin. That's not what you're good at. Just remember to calm down, relax, take a few breaths, and go help Mizuki and Chika. Ziel's on his way out, so you're not alone this time. Do what you do best." Shizuka swallowed her words, forcing herself to count her breaths. She opened her eyes, stared down at the ground in front of her, and noticed that the Liger Zero was gone. "Hit and run," she told herself, knowing it was now high time to utilize the cloaking field to its fullest extent as a secret weapon. * * * "It's moving much better than in simulations," Mizuki noted, having cleared the canyon. The Gunsniper that attacked her earlier had retreated back a distance, regrouping along with another Gunsniper, a Lightning Saix, and the Shadowfox unique Zoid. The Blade Liger was also coming up from behind, but the Liger Zero was retreating to its home Hover Cargo. She deployed the extra blades on the Zoid's claws, and opened up the rear missile boxes. "Come on, Death Stinger. Let's see if you can surpass simulation further!" The enemy Zoids were all taking snipe shots at her, but the Death Stinger heavy armor deflected the attacks easily. Mizuki launched a flurry of missiles at each of them, forcing each of them to scatter. By this time the Blade Liger was already approaching melee range, so she switched on the rear cannons and fired to keep it away. She thought better of it, and brought the Zoid around to face off against the Blade Liger, her own blades ready. "Come on," she purred, "prove to me the lion type is superior after all!" The red Blade Liger deployed its infamous blades, and rushed head-on. Mizuki raised the right claw to meet the joust, and held it in place to parry the Blade Liger. Much to her surprise, however, she felt nothing as the Blade Liger's right blade snapped clean off in the first pass, despite its power charge. "That was... a little too easy," she noted, turning the Death Stinger around as the other Zoids kept shooting at her. The Blade Liger fell on its side, but was getting up quickly. She looked to the right claw's extended blade. "It didn't even dent it." She brought the sonic wave cannon turret on the Zoid's back to bear on the Blade Liger, and fired. An invisible wave of force, visible only on sensors and through the dust, blew the red Zoid off into the distance, and down into the canyon. Mizuki shook her head, disappointed. Turning to face the others, she found they were scattering. "If I could take out one of their best this easily, then the rest, other than the Liger Zero, are no match for me." She pulled back the controls, raising Death Stinger's claws up and down. "We don't have time to play with small fries." Activating the burrowing mechanism, she raised the comm for the rest of the Fire Wheels. "The Liger Zero is mine. The rest are yours. Take 'em out." * * * Leena maneuvered her Gunsniper back down into the canyon, hoping to ditch the Death Stinger by hiding from view. Thumbing the comm, she said, "Leon, are you okay?" "Yeah, I think so," he replied, shaky. "I don't think Blade Liger can take much...." There was a loud explosion, and the comm went dead. Before she could have time to worry about what happened the local Judge announced that Leon was no longer able to battle. "What the heck?!" she cried. Fate chose the moment to dish out a similar fate as a plasma mortar hit her Gunsniper dead-on. * * * "That's two," Chika announced, having gotten her Sea Panther back in an upright position. While sitting at the bottom of the canyon limited her field of attack, and limited her scanning computer's range, it also obscured her from being a target to something like the red Gunsniper. Over her head, the crippled Salamander, with her brother at the helm, continued to give her a tactical feed. While the Blade Liger did manage to kill its left leg the Salamander was still kicking, if unable to move quickly. Only Mizuki's timely appearance on the battlefield prevented the Salamander from being finished off completely. "That's good," Shion encouraged. "Lay low for a couple minutes; the others are sure to be cautious now. It doesn't help to fire continuously like that." "I know," she replied. Continuing his guidance, he added, "Herd the red Gunsniper to the following coordinates...." Not knowing what Shion was up to, unable to see what he saw in the computer, Chika resigned herself to trusting him. She squeezed the trigger, launching another plasma shell. * * * Naomi Fluegel's heart raced as the plasma shell barely missed her Zoid, but three shots was good enough to triangulate the Sea Panther's current position. She spied the crippled Salamander on the cliff just above the hermit crab, and when she was certain she was out of range from its attacks Naomi assumed the sniper position. Aiming for the rocks just beneath the Salamander, she declared, "It would be poetic justice if you knocked out your own partner...." A split second before she could squeeze the trigger, however, the power seemed to drain from the Gunsniper. Alarmed, she pulled out of her snipe position, and checked the computers, but found that they had died suddenly. "This can't be happening...." * * * The needle-like projectile was the only true evidence of any attack on the red Gunsniper, as it stood there dead in its tracks, its computer crashed. Well, that was what the Lancer was for, anyhow-- it delivered a operating system command glitch that caused the standard Zoid computer to crash, and is the tech geek Shion's finest weapon, once you got past the Crash Guard program installed in each of the Fire Wheel Zoids. Standing right in front of the Gunsniper, cloaked under field, Shizuka turned her Stealth Viper about to search for another target-- preferably the Liger Zero. * * * "Where'd that Death Stinger go?" Brad shouted, scanning the area around him, but picking up nothing but disappearing Blitz Team blips. It was very apparent that, after taking on five Zoids at once, the Death Stinger was no pushover, and the Panzer unit was the only thing that had enough firepower to break through the hardened tank armor. Yet, while the Jager was quick the Panzer was very slow, and so Brad retreated toward the Hover Cargo to regroup. Apparently, Jack decided to do the same, but on a different route. He then picked up an enemy blip on the computer, and Brad had only seconds to maneuver out of the way as sand flew in the sky. The enemy Warshark fired down on him from the air, missing with each shot as the Shadowfox was too quick, then submerging again. "I don't have time for this!" he cried, keeping his eye on the computer for the Warshark's next entry attack. He brought the Shadowfox to a halt, intending to rely on the turret to attack. It was coming from the left. The Shadowfox hopped forward once, bringing the turret to bear, and fired. Brad was rewarded with black plumes of smoke as he nailed the Warshark the moment it surfaced, beating back its attack run, and slowing it to a halt. "That's another down," he said, satisfied. Quadrant 2, 1300 Hours Jack snorted in amusement as the Storm Sworder appeared from behind his Lightning Saix. "So you want to play the speed game with me?" He accelerated, pushing against the sound barrier as much as possible as the Storm Sworder continued to gain on him. The human body could withstand only so much at such speeds, and it seemed to Jack that the pilot was draining himself just trying to catch up to him. Jack was betting that the Storm Sworder would exhaust himself a lot sooner than himself. Bullets flared from behind, but too slow to hit the Lightning Saix. Jack jockeyed the stick left and right, weaving around obstacles and avoiding the Storm Sworder's attacks easily. He almost wished he was up against the Sinker again. A few moments later the Storm Sworder's speed seemed to slow, and that was indication to Jack that the pilot exhausted himself. Slowing the Lightning Saix as he turned Jack oriented his cannons on the silver Zoid, and squeezed off several shots. Each shot hit their mark, and the Storm Sworder wavered in its flight as it zoomed past him without attacking. Looking over his shoulder, Jack celebrated quietly. "Have a nice landing." * * * "How could the situation get this bad so quickly?" Bit wondered, the Liger Zero Panzer moving out just ahead of the Hover Cargo. "Only Brad and Jack are left." According to the Judge information, the Fire Wheels now only had four Zoids left, as the Storm Sworder only moments before was disqualified. According to Leon the Salamander was crippled, but not out, and add the Sea Panther to the list of 'deal with later,' as it could not move very fast. That left the Stealth Viper and Death Stinger, whenever they arrive. "That Stealth Viper's probably cowering in the rocks as usual," he reasoned, "so that only leaves the Death Stinger." "How perceptive," he heard someone say, and Bit jumped in surprise as said Zoid emerged from the sand, its gun ports opening quickly. "So, how 'bout we get this pissing contest over with?" "You won't be so cocky soon enough!" he countered. Standing his ground, he allowed the Death Stinger to unload ammunition on him, as the Panzer armor easily deflected such minor offerings. Bit squeezed off a few shots of his own, but they were having similar effectiveness against the Death Stinger's armor. The only thing he really worried about was the charged particle cannon, which could fry his Panzer armor in an instant. Well, the whole Zoid, he amended. "Charging Hybrid Cannon!" he announced, and the Liger Zero arched its back as its shoulder mounted cannons powered up. Bit felt the chargeup build on both sides of the cockpit as Liger braced itself against the dirt for the inevitable kickback, but his confidence faltered as the Death Stinger started moving out of Liger's forward attack arc. The blast of the Hybrid Cannons blew Liger Zero back several meters, unleashing deadly bolts that flew past the Death Stinger, past where it used to be right before the chargeup. "Give me a break," the Fire Wheel said, "do you seriously think I'm going to stand still for that?" "It used to work before," Bit replied. Liger Zero roared. "Alright, Liger," he said, speaking to his Zoid, "you think we should attack the armor behind the cockpit, too? I agree!" "Bit, wait up!" he heard Brad shout, and the Shadowfox appeared behind the Death Stinger. "No use wasting all that ammo on the party if you don't have backup, kid," Jack added, his Lightning Saix appearing to the right. "Glad you two could make it!" Bit replied. "Attack the soft spot I make." Liger Zero prepared for the attack, and Bit squeezed the trigger. "Burning Bigbang!" All at once Liger Zero seemed to heat up as all the missiles and explosives launched at once, concentrating on a single point in the Death Stinger's armor. But the moment the missiles cleared, as if on reaction, Bit felt a shock blowing against Liger Zero, probably from the sonic wave cannon, knocking him and partner back and away. He got up as the smoke billowed over him, and gunfire from both the Shadowfox and Lightning Saix gave Bit the indication his attack was successful. Jettisoning the Panzer armor, Liger roared triumphantly, but it was cut short, turning into a cry of pain. "What is it, Liger?!" Bit cried, concerned. The computer responded by showing him a schematic of Liger Zero, then diagramming a needle-like projectile sticking out of its exposed left. "What the heck is that?!" "Liger Zero is most vulnerable after its Panzer transformation after it unloads its ammo," he heard a familiar voice say, calmly. "I reviewed the tapes of the Royal Cup, and that much is apparent to me." "Shizuka," he hissed, although he could not detect the Stealth Viper. He brought Liger about to retreat to the Hover Cargo for the Schneider armor, but the controls felt sluggish. "Darn it, why are we going so slow, Liger?" "Looks like your Zoid's resistant to the Lancer," the enemy pilot continued, as the smoke thinned. This time Bit could see the Stealth Viper, its maw open, revealing a cannon with another harpoon weapon within. "I'll just have to pin you up a bit more." "Oh come on," Bit complained, "at least let me get some decent armor." "I still owe you for the last time," Shizuka said, puncturing Liger Zero with another Lancer. "I'm disgusted; how could YOU win the Royal Cup when you keep playing around with such bold tactics as this?" She unloaded several more Lancers into Liger Zero, and with each shot Liger grew less responsive and the painful howls seemed to dull, as if it was getting used to the pain. Bit protested against the controls, knowing he had to make it back to the Hover Cargo to stand a chance against the Stealth Viper. Without armor he was just as weak as the snake Zoid. Risking a glance behind him, he was flabbergasted that the Death Stinger was still standing, and was only lowering its claws after having just clobbered the Shadowfox and Lightning Saix with its blade attacks. "How are we supposed to beat such a monster?!" he wondered. "That thing's like the Berserk Fury; could it be an Ultimate X?" A viewscreen flared to life, revealing the mug of the Fire Wheels' leader. "'Ultimate X?' Tell me, Liger Zero pilot, what is this?" "You ought to know," he replied. "You know, black box, organoids, Zoid learns from mistakes... stuff like that." "'Black box?'" she echoed. "Hardly. We went over this thing eight times, and there wasn't anything like an organoid in this thing." * * * Colonel Martin was shocked, stunned, as he listened in on the conversation, tapping into the line from his listening post just outside the battlefield. "What does she mean, not an 'Ultimate X?' That's impossible!" Yet, in the legends, the greatest Zoid pilots used organoids to augment their abilities, but there also existed warriors who fought without such things. Some saw it as an unfair advantage, some thought it got in the way of the purity of the Zoid. Or some people were just so good they didn't need one to unlock a Zoid's full potential. Like this Mizuki, perhaps? It would take someone of extraordinary talent to harness such thing as a Death Stinger so well without assistance. * * * "I'm sorry to say, I don't feel as if I've won this battle," Mizuki continued. "Six years ago I intended to lead the charge to victory with my partner, my father's Guysack that is no longer with us... not this horrid, overpowering beast. What was I thinking?" She closed her eyes. "Judge, I request a withdra...." "Mizuki, you can't do that," Shizuka protested. "Even though you're our leader, you're only cheating the rest of us if you surrender now. Why are you throwing away OUR accomplishments because of your selfish reasoning that you don't feel good about the fight?" The leader chuckled. "Just as your pride dictates you have to beat the Liger Zero with a Stealth Viper, so does my pride dictate I haven't won." "But that's different," the apprentice countered. "The former was a personal vendetta; the latter takes the rest of our fates into your hands." "There's no reason for you to surrender," Bit added, jumping in on the conversation. "You guys took advantage of us at each opportunity, exploiting all our weaknesses we still have as warriors. Sure, we won the Royal Cup, but that doesn't mean you guys are worse than us; you might even be better." "He's right," Shizuka said in agreement. "We didn't train for six years and lose both times because we are bad warriors. We ARE good. You were exceptional even when you still had the Guysack, and you're phenominal with the Death Stinger; you don't overhandle it or waste its potential at all, like newbie kids would do. Newbies would depend entirely on the charged particle cannon, and you haven't fired a single shot of it and still beat five Zoids at once. The Death Stinger's greatest strength is its phenominal defense; all the fancy-pants weapons are just icing on the cake." Mizuki was surprised at the two of them. "You guys are crazy," she said, smiling. She killed the transmission to the Judge. "I pushed all of you guys hard because I wanted to prove we were the best. I couldn't convince myself that we were ever good enough, or even great. You're right; we don't need recognition and praise to know we're good." "I hope to meet challenges like this in Class S," he continued. "If anything, thanks for the wake-up call; better we see it now than later, huh?" Bit added with a laugh. But then Shizuka was noticing the Liger Zero was still slinking off to the Hover Cargo. Her guns spinning to life, she hissed, "Oh come on, you're not getting off THAT easily." * * * It was now obvious to Martin why the Stealth Viper girl and the Liger Zero pilot beat him the other time: they really were good warriors. He chuckled to himself, wondering if the Backdraft Group would be in its current state if it had more skillful warriors in lieu of money-grubbing noblemen. Martin sighed, realizing something plainly obvious: the Backdraft Group has outlived its usefulness. It could do nothing to compete against true warriors of skill, as the Blitz Team proved time and again in numerous unsanctioned battles. Disabling the transmissions, Colonel Martin, formerly of the Backdraft Group, turned to his gathered remaining soldiers of the defunct organization. Some of them were his own Raijin Team, others from different teams lost in the mixup of the power struggle, but all looked toward him, the highest-ranking officer, for direction. "We aren't worthy to harness such a superior power," he declared. "It's obvious to me that the Death Stinger already has its best pilot. I think it's best if we don't bother those people any longer... and find another way to achieve our destiny." ----------------------------------------------- Author's Rant This is a wrap-up to the battles against the Fire Wheels, due to lack of reader interest and my decision to move on. Ah well, when the muse strikes again.... Thank you for reading. -- Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@hotmail.com) http://www.angelfire.com/art/rcxshizuka/index.html