Pointy Muses Fic 7 - Some Days, Some Nights

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Pointy Muses Fic

Chapter Seven - Some Days, Some Nights

By Rick R.

*****

Stephen quietly snuck through the undergrowth, looking around for his target. He'd just polished off the enemy soldier with a single shot form his sniper rifle, but he knew that there would be another one around here somewhere. There always was. So his plan was simple. Stay low, sneak around and try to find them before they found him.

So far, the battle had been an odd one. His side had been better deployed, had managed to get the high ground, fielded better weapons and generally knew the terrain better. The other side seemed to have no idea what they were doing. Their soldiers fell prey to easy ambushes, they blundered around the landscape and they seemed to be very poorly equipped.

And yet, they were doing better. Their tactics were... odd. They were doing badly, yet they'd also had a devastating effect on his force. They'd been using very unconventional tactics that had caught him off guard, managing to cut down his forces in ways that he hadn't expected.

But now there was no sign of them. It wasn't good. he knew that there was nowhere that would be safe form them. Up a cliff, behind a waterfall, even inside his own bunker, they had been there for him, somehow. He'd managed to catch one of them in the open, and take them out before they could strike. Now if only he knew where the next one was.

Then he heard a noise, the whining of an electric motor in the distance. He reconised it; the same sound had been the last thing all the others had heard before - He spun around, only to find himself face-to-face with an oncoming buggy. He was struck head on and send flying, his mangled body flopping to the ground some distance away.

"RED TEAM WINS!"

"Yeah!" Tasch called out, holding up the X-Cube controller. "I did it! I won again!"

"Uhh.. yeah." Stephen commented, looking at the scoreboard. Tasch had just won her third deathmatch in a row; managing to beat all the others. She'd done rather well for someone who had clearly never played a single game of Corona in her life. Much like the way she piloted her Redler, her play style was unusual. She was terrible with most of the guns; only with a rocket launcher did she ever manage to hit someone, or a machinegun on full auto. But she was devastating with the Buggy.

Not the Buggy's machine gun, no. That’d be too easy. She was devastating with the Buggy itself. She'd get in then proceed to tear around the landscape and run people over. And it didn't matter where you were, she'd somehow manage to get you.

"I'm done." Stephen finished, putting his hands up. "Anyone else?"

"Not me." Neil shook his head. "I'm crap enough as it is. I don’t want to face her again."

"Tell ya what." Rose spoke up. "I'll take you on instead, Neil."

"Well, you'll thrash me, but it'll be better then what she'd do." He replied as he walked over to the couch, taking the controller for, Tasch. She stood, and walked over to the bench where she had kept her laptop.

"Remind me, why did we blow all this money on a used X-Cube anyway?" Stephen asked.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time, I guess." Rose finished. "Besides, its a good way to waste time and blow off steam."

"Well... yeah." He admitted as he stood, letting her take his place.

"Hey guys" Tasch spoke up before the other two got started. "Someone’s sent us an invite." She pointed to a new mail message on her computer's screen.

"Don't open it." Neil commented without even looking. "It’s probably spam."

"Naw, it’s from the ZBC and all." Tasch continued. "And sure as heck it looks official."

Stephen peered over her shoulder, looking at the screen. "Hmm... it does too." He commented. "Mind if I take a look?"

"Sure. Go ahead." She added.

Stephen took her place, opening up the E-mail. "Aha!" He began. "Looks like its a sponsorship event."

"A wha?" Neil asked.

"Yeah." Stephen bought up the info form the message. "Short version is that its a party of sorts for pilots, held at one of the city's bigger and flashier pubs."

"Party sounds good." Rose commented.

"It’s being sponsored by Schleiter Wulf Breweries." He commented. "I suspect that they see it as a chance to push their name around the Zoid warrior community and get some recognition. And if a few Zoid pilots turn out to like their stuff, it’s a bonus."

"Well that ain't gonna work." Tasch commented. "Cause I don't drink."

"It’s cool, Tasch." Neil commented. "Come along for the atmosphere and the socialising. We'll drink your share."

"I like the sound of it." Rose spoke up. "I figure that the place will be crawling with sponsorship scouts, looking for some names to sing up to push their products." One of the bigger advantages of being an official ZBC Zoid Warrior was a certain degree of fame that came with it. Zoid warriors were, after all, sports stars. Through the sports news, they got their names and faces on television and newspapers across the word - after all Zoid battling was the biggest and most glamorous sport there was. And while there were national and even regional Zoid battling circuits, the ZBC was the biggest and most prestigious orgnaisation.

There were often numerous advantages to this fame. Many pilots had gotten second careers out of doing commercials and product endorsements; be they for shoes, drinks, clothes, food or whatever else. The holy grail, of course, was to do Zoid endorsements; nothing said that you had made it big more then being asked to promote the Zoid that had got you there. Potential sponsors were always out for new faces to push their products, giving them yet another incentive to perform well.

"Events like this were a chance for sponsors to get to meet the warriors and see who could be their next public face." Rose explained. "So this could be a big chance for us to get some recognition."

"You're real big on all this publicity stuff, aren't you?" Neil needled.

"Well, dad managed to land a few great product endorsement deals." He explained. "He met my mum while they were shooting a commercial and hit it off from there." She smiled. "So you could say that I owe everything to such deals."

"Well then yay for the power of capitalisim and market forces then." He smirked.

"Well, I must admit that I like the idea." Stephen concluded. "We can get a little publicity and a lot of drinks, as well as a chance to rub shoulders with other Zoid pilots and get to know them better. And who knows, we may yet pick up something useful from solcialising."

"And it’s not like we’re ever gonna host a party here." Rose noted. 'Not unless we decided that the theme was sort of industrial grunge and you all had to come in your worst gear."

"Well..." Tasch commented. "You know, I got this old specialty hazmat suit back at home. Its both old and industrial... would that do?"

There was a brief pause. "That would be..." Rose finally spoke up. "It would be very you, Tasch."

"You think?"

"Oh yeah. Very distinctive look. Nobody else would think of it."

Tasch considered this and then nodded. "Well that’s okay then." She finished. "I might have to get it sent over, jus' in case we ever decide to hold this party."

"...I'm sure it'll be fine." Stephen finished.

"So when is this little shindig happening?" Neil asked.

"This Thursday night." Rose finished. "So that gives us a full day to recover form our hangovers before our next battle."

"Except for me." Tasch added. "I ain’t gonna be recovered form my hangover, 'cause I ain’t gonna get drunk to start with."

"Your logic is, as ever, flawless." Neil added with a smirk.

*****

Ron McGonnagle sat patiently on the park bench, watching the ducks as they slowly swam around the pond. Unlike a lot of the meetings he took part in, he'd actually arranged this one. He'd seen an opportunity come up, one that he knew his 'associates' would be interested in. Certainly, they'd be interested enough to pay him off for it.

He casually watched a mother and two children by the edge of the pond, then glanced around, doing a routine check for possible ZBC or PKB staff. The park offered a surprising degree of anonymity; people didn't expect you to do this sort of thing in broad daylight. At the same time, however, it paid to be careful. He hadn't gotten this far acting as the NUBG's top source of insider information for nothing.

He spotted Heywood approaching, doing his best to look casual. Casual in this case meant a shirt with buttons that were clearly straining to stay on, baggy pants, a disgusting flannel jacket and a baseball cap. Ron had to admit that the image worked; he didn’t look the part of the leader of an illegal Zoid battle orngaisation. Rather, he looked like an overweight, disgusting slob.... which wasn’t too far from the truth either, actually.

Heywood sat down next to him, Ron noting the food stains down the front of his shirt. Does he practice at being disgusting, or is it just something that comes naturally to him? he wondered. "Nice day, isn't it", he causally began.

"Definitely." Heywood replied, looking straight ahead.

Glancing around, Ron could see that he was checking out a pair of sunbathers on the far side of the pond. Typical. "A bit of news has come up, one that I felt you might be interested in, given your current interest in one of our teams."

"Do tell."

"There's going to be a big sponsorship event at the Wild Elephander." He began, naming the club. "Most every team in the ZBC are invited, including that one you were watching."

"Huh..." He replied. "Could be good. We could get to know our opponents so to speak. See if we could find out more about them."

"Exactly." Ron stated. "I’ve heard the buzz; your backers are interested in seeing a ZBC versus NUBG battle sometime soon. I think that the particular team would make excellent opponents for some of your finest."

"They would, yes."

"Especially after what happened with those two pilots of yours." He commented. "I got a look at the PKB's report. There was nothing to definitively link your boys to what happened beyond the two witness statements of what they said. But, at the same time, they found a lot of debris on-site." He commented. "Whatever happened to those two did a very thorough job of it."

"Yeah, well we're still looking into that ourselves." Heywood grunted. "But the betting has certainly picked up as a result."

"And you haven't even secured a battle yet." Ron added. "Still, it would be interesting. Gonna use those two again?"

Heywood shook his head. "Both Zoids are still in the shop. The damage was very extensive."

"I'm surprised the X didn't just use its EMP attack to knock out those two to start with and get it over with."

Heywood glared at him for a second. "X doesn’t have an EMP weapon." He began.

Ron blinked, relaising he'd just made a mistake. "I meant the Spiner. Sorry, I was confused for a second."

"Right." Heywood muttered. "So what would it take to get, say, four invites to this little party?"

"I think a fair donation to the retirement fund would go nicely." Ron answered, giving his usual cover. His 'retirement fund' was a special private account that had been lined with bribes from various sources. "Oh, and one other thing too."

"Which is?"

"Tell me what team you're going to be using to whack those guys." Ron finished. "Trust me, I'm gonna be putting a big amount on them."

"Betting against the ZBC?"

"Well..." Ron commented. "Those guys have made my life very difficult, just as they have yours. I'm going to enjoy watching them go down hard."

*****

The Wild Elephander was normally one of the favorite hangouts of ZBC pilots. A large, modern and roomy place, it was run by a former Zoids Battle champion who had named it for his Zoid of choice. The walls were decorated with memorabilia; everything from photos of various Zoids and pilots to pictures of team logos to original registration forms and the like. Many of the pictures were signed by the warriors themselves, and it was considered to be something of an achievement to get your face up there.

The Broken Chairs casually stepped out of their taxi, walking straight up to the front door. After much debate, they'd all decided to go with a 'casual' look for the evening, pretty much going in their standard wear. It didn’t help that between them, Neil and Tasch didn't have anything beyond shirts, pants and their pilot suits.

The bouncer gave their invites a quick once over, then let them into the pub. It was already pretty full when they entered, with various Zoid warriors milling about, talking and, form the looks of things, consuming copious amounts of the sponsor's products. "I can see they're getting their money's worth out of this deal." Neil observed. "I figure you'll be the last person standing, Tasch."

"You reckon?" She began.

"Definitely"

"Right, here's the plan guys." Rose began. "Everyone get a drink and mingle. Talk to whoever you can. The more you pick up, the more good you can do our team."

"Being a little pushy, huh?" Neil commented. "Whatever happened to 'have a good time'?"

"Look, guys, this could be our big chance. Let's not blow it." Rose began. "We've got a good hook already, being the rookie team who have managed to get a string of victories despite the odds. It’s a great way to get stated."

"Just don't overdo it, Rose." Stephen added. "We're here to have a good time. Getting noticed is a bonus."

"Yeah, yeah." She muttered.

"Come on. You're being a bit too serious about this all." Stephen continued. "Lighten up."

"Did Stephen just tell someone to lighten up?" Neil whispered to Tasch.

"Yep, he did." She replied.

"...true." He realised that he wouldn't get any further. "So come on guys. Drinks and mingles."

Collecting their first round of drinks (Two expensive beers, one light beer and one lemonade) the four of them wandered into the bar, mingling in with the crowd.

"Well lookee here." A voice began as Stephen was slapped on the back. "If it isn't our giant robot monkey friend, Stephen." He turned around to see the source of the voice. Standing there was Miles Slate, the leader of the Firestorm team. He had a beer in his hand, and was looking to be a little tipsy already. "How's it going there, Stephen?"

"Not bad," he began, deciding not to mention what his team had been through in the last two weeks. "Yeah, we're all doing pretty well. And you?"

"Fan-bloody-tastic." He replied. "You shoulda seen our last battle. Four-one against the Lethal weapons; we kicked their arses and beat them down real good." He grinned. "And that was after a four-nil against the Winter Wolves." He grinned. “We rock, Stevie-baby."

"Good to hear." He replied. He had known for some people to get edgy about loosing the odd battle or carry grudges, especially if they blew a winning streak. But so far, Miles seemed to be doing okay. "We've been doing pretty dammed good ourselves; two wins in the last two weeks and all."

"So I heard." He replied. "You beat down them losers in the milk and whatsits team real good." Miles grinned. 'And then, what, three-one against the Venom team, blowing their winning streak out of the water. Pretty good work there."

"Well, thanks."

"'course, I heard that ... what’s her name.." He paused for a sec. "Rose, yeah, that was it. Rose got her Liger trashed by a Cannon Spider. Imagine that, huh? Top of the line pointed cat taken out by a crappy little Cannon Spider. You wouldn't have thought it, would you?"

"Well, no." He admitted. Damn it, he's not going to shut up about that, is he? Miles had a wedge he could use to needle the team with, in effect getting some degree of leg-up to compensate for their loss.

"Well, you know... these things happen." He continued. "And, well, the Gunsniper and Redler managed to win the battle for you guys in the end, so it’s all good."

"True that. I mean, Tasch did manage to finish off the Cannon Spider. She also did a pretty good job against that Koenig Wolf, if I recall."

"Yeah..." He took a siwg form his beer. "But then, I heard you guys have been having some other troubles." He continued.

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Miles grinned. "News is the tone of your people got in trouble with the NUBG and now they're gunnin for ya." He took another swig. "I mean, imagine that. A team that have the NUBG after them. BOy, oh boy, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when they come after you."

Stephen tightened his grip around his bottle, trying not to think about it. "Well, the NUBG have been pretty silent. They got two of their Zoids trashed trying to come after us, so maybe they'll leave off. After all, those Zoids are going to be expensive to repair, and in the end, it is all about money."

"I dunno." Miles continued. "I mean, if I was NUBG, that's what I'd do. I'd lie low, pretend that I've lost interest. Then, when my target lest expected it... bam! I'd come up and get them then. And they wouldn't be able to do a thing about it." He took another sip. "Boy, would I hate to be you."

Stephen quietly snarled to himself. Miles was deliberately trying to provoke him, trying to get some bad response. It was the sort of thing that had almost cost him his old job. Instead, he remained as calm as possible. ReMember, out think them. "Well, I think we can take care of ourselves." He commented.

"You sure about that?" Miles asked. "I mean, I took out your Kong real good."

"Yeah." He casually admitted. "But then, Rose took out your Death Raser pretty easily. And that was the girl who got trashed by a Cannon Spider, as you said." He took another swig form his bottle. "Funny how it works out."

Miles didn't respond, instead finishing off his beer. "Yeah, funny that." He muttered.

"And if Rose got trashed by a Cannon Spider, and you got trashed by her, then what does that say?" Stephen continued.

"Yeah, well..." He turned around. "Hey Eliot!" He called out over the bar. "Another beer here!"

"Sure thing, buddy!" A voice called back over the crowd.

He casually put the bottle aside. "So how about a rematch some day?" He asked, suddenly sounding a lot more serious.

"I'll have to see." Stephen replied. "Both are teams are pretty high up the ladder, and it's not likely that we'll both get into another match." He explained. "Unless we end up on the same amount of points in he last few rounds or something."

"Yeah, well..." he began. “It could happen. And I must admit, I wouldn't mind a rematch against you guys."

A chance to get some revenge for your loss, right? "Well, you never know. It could happen." Stephen shrugged. "And it was a close battle last time... maybe this time you guys will make it." He finished, deciding to emphasise the point. You lost. Admit it.

"Well, yeah." Miles muttered. "Scuse me." He turned around, heading back to the bar where his teammate was waiting with fresh beers.

"Thought so." He finished. Just after a cheap shot, I guess. Still ,I did well, all things considered.

*****

Of the four Members of the Broken Chairs, Neil was the only one who had any real apprehensions about this event. He would have happily admitted that he was not the most sociable of people. In any given party, he was the guy hanging around the back near the snack table, muttering the odd thing and then having another orderve. So this wasn't quite the place for him. And while he knew that everyone here would be another Zoid pilot, that didn’t help him much. What do I do, keep talking about Zoid battles all night?

Beer in hand, he wandered around, looking for a group to latch onto or, at the very least, some snacks to scarf. So far he hadn't had much luck. Great. Maybe I'll have to pay for bar snacks. And that should only cost a limb or two.

"Scuse me." A man muttered as he barged past him. Neil got a brief look at the man as he scurried off, recognising him as the Stealth Viper pilot from the Venom Team.

"Wonder where he was going in such a hurry?" He asked himself as he looked around. There was a woman standing nearby with rather big, blatantly coloured red and black hair, who seemed to be searching for someone. Figuring what was going on, he quietly slipped away, deciding to leave them be.

Instead, he walked into another part of the bar, where he immediately spotted the girl who had lead the Venom team. She looked rather different her, her black synth-leather ensemble replaced with a rather plain cardigan and thick-rimmed glasses. She was talking to another girl, a rather attractive young woman with long black hair that sported several brown streaks and dark blue eyes, dressed in an overly tight, belly-baring shirt and rather stretched jeans.

Wonder who she is? He asked. Well, might as well butt in and say 'hi' at least. He walked over to the pair of them, a weak smile on his face. "Hey." He began. "Laura, from the Venom team, right?"

"Oh hey there." Laura began. "Neil, right? I reMember you. You got two of my team... and came up with that brilliant plan."

"Well, Tasch did all the work." He admitted. "I just leached the kills."

"And the XPs too, right?" The black-haired girl asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Laura began. "This is Nadia Sverdolva, from the Iron Giants. She pilots an Elephander."

"Nice to meet you." Neil squeaked out. The Iron Giants were one of the top teams in the ZBC. And Neil had a healthy respect for Elephanders. They were very big. Then something clicked. "Wait, leached the XPs?"

"You know how it goes." Nadia continued. "One guy does all the work and whacks the monster, but they all get an equal share of the experience for it."

"Oh yeah, I know how that goes." He replied, suddenly interested in her. "There was this one guy, we called him agent wallflower. All he ever did was lob the odd rock at passing thugs, then hide when the actual fight began."

Laura nodded. "I had something like that happen in one campaign too. I was paying a barbarian who always went 'me go crazy nuts and whack things now' - and yes, I did do it with a silly voice and all, and smash everything up quick smart. And there was this total wusse of a Gnome who would go 'I'm backing you up! Really!' while he cast his best spell."

"Which was?" Nadia asked.

"Invisibility. Only, he cast it on himself."

"Nice." Neil began. "He didn't do anything, did he? He just cast ran away and showed up when it was time to divvy the loot and XPs, right?"

"Yeppers." Laura smirked. "Course, there was the one time we ran across a Sanggletoothed Hornswallger..."

"...Which see invisible" Neil continued.

"…and can swallow small creatures whole." Nadia finished. "Oh, very nice."

Neil grinned broadly. "So what's your deal with all this?" He asked Nadia.

"Oh, I know Laura from a PBEM game. I'm thinking of staring up a face-to-face one... seeing if i can get inter-team rivalries to translate into tabletop ones.

"Sounds fun." Neil continued. "Need more players?"

"Certainly." Nadia nodded. "So many Zoid warriors are obsessed with being cool that they don't want to play tabletop games... what with them being geek games and all."

"Oh, I know how that goes." Neil nodded, thinking immediately of Rose.

"Heya Neil." Tasch began as she walked over to him, drink in hand. He was glad to see that it was still lemonade. "How's it goin'?"

"Not too bad, actually." He replied. "You reMember Laura from the Venom team, I'm sure."

"Good too see y'all again." She said. "Especially after that last battle."

"Ah it's nothing." Laura replied. "We just do what we need to... and you're the one who deserves all the credit after that insane little move you pulled."

"And this is Nadia Sverdolva, from the Iron Giants team." He introduced her. "She pilots an Elephander."

"Elephander huh?" Tasch asked. "The guy who runs this place piloted an Elephander too. Ain't that a coincidence?"

"Funny that." She replied.

"You'll get used to it." Neil added. "Nadia, this is Tasch Stroermer. She's on my team."

"Nice to meet you." Nadia replied. "Hmm... that name... you're not form around here, I can see..." She looked at Tasch's eyes. "You're Nyxian... you’re not related to that Gilvader pilot, are you?"

"Why does everyone ask that?" She replied. "'cause I ain't."

"She gests that a lot." Neil added.

"Hey, its that team." Tasch suddenly spoke up as another group stepped in through the front door. "Yeah, the Black Hands."

Looking around, he could see Karl Schnautzer, Bill Peterson and Kuro Onishi stepping into the bar. "Oh great." He muttered. "It’s the cheese monkeys."

"More like a bunch of cheese-lovin' surrender monkeys." Tasch commented.

"The what?" Laura began.

"Cheese-lovin' surrender monkeys." Tasch repeated. "'cause they seem to be so good at loosin'."

Nadia burst out laughing at this response. "Wow!" She began. "Oh, great, that is the perfect description for them!" She slapped Tasch on the back. "How'd you think of that?"

"Well..." Tasch commented. "They act like monkeys, they are real cheesy with the rules and they loose a lot." She shrugged. "So they're cheese-lovin' surrender monkeys."

"You possess a very singular wit." She continued. "And having faced them before, I must agree with your nickname for them."

"And it’s a very amusing one." Laura added. "Where did you find her?"

"Well, I jus' thought of it, that's all." Tasch replied.

"She does that a lot." Neil added. "In fact, all the time."

"Your lives must be very amusing." Laura noted.

"You have no idea." Neil commented. Then he hoped that Laura didn't extend the gaming invite to Tasch.

*****

[Deadborder]

Another group of four pilots approached the pub, seemingly indistinguishable from any of the others. Only their leader stood out because of his mode of dress. Whereas most Zoid warriors went for casual wear (and a few for a Pseudo-military look), he was dressed in a rather sharp black suit; he sported a plain black tie, white shirt, black slacks and a black jacket, topped off with black sunglasses. He was rather tall and slim, with sharp, angular features and short, spikey black hair. "Right men, reMember the plan. Blend in, gather information and do not draw attention to yourselves." He passed each of the other three a card with an invitation on it.

"Yes, Jean." The woman behind him replied. Almost as tall as he was, she had short-cropped blond hair and narrow steel-grey eyes. Her features, while not as harsh as Jean's, were still rather sharp. She was dressed in a rather plain grey sleeveless top and dull grey pants, a contrast to her leader's attire. "And the ones we're looking for are here?"

"They already arrived, Karen." He replied without looking at her. "I waited until they were inside to move in and limit our exposure."

"What do we do if there's any trouble?" The third Member of their group asked. Bigger then Jean, he was very muscular, with dark skin, a goatee beard and long hair worn in several long braids. He was also dressed in a sleeveless shirt, with baggy camouflage pants, as well as sporting a barb-wire tattoo pattern around his arms. "I mean, I know that it’s a friendly gathering-"

"And we will keep it that way, Tyrone. I know what you were thinking." He snapped. "And Mortimer, that goes for you too. Do not open your moth any more then is needed."

"Uh, yes, boss." The last Member of their group commented. Nearly as tall and slender as Jean, he had somewhat feminine looking features, empasised by his long black hair and grey eyes. He was dressed in a long black coat over a grey shirt and black leather pants, as well as thick combat boots. "Whatever you say."

"Now be quiet." Jean finished as they approached the doorman. He showed them their invitations, the group stepping into the pub behind another group. "And go to work." He finished. The four of them split up, heading off in different directions. Jean himself went straight to the bar, collecting a drink before he began his work.

Walking over to one side of the room, he noticed one of the targets immediately. Probably the most distinctive of them with her striking good looks and numerous tattoos, she was also the one who had inadvertently started all this. Well, that was not true, he thought. It was that idiot Mychelle who actually was the root of all this. He'd never liked her, seeing her as an underage piece of fluff that had no place in the NUBG, only favored by Heywood for her looks. That's not going to do her any good now.

He could see that the woman was talking to someone, a long-haired man. He decided that this would be an excellent opportunity, and listen in closer to what she was saying.

"So that's her up there." She began as she pointed out a photo. Looking up, he could see that it was a picture of Violet O'Bannon, a former champion. The pilot had darker hair then Rose that she wore differently, but the resemblance between the two was clear. "And that's her Zero Phoenix, I guess."

"I see..." The man replied, turning around. Jean recognised him as Drake Storm, a one-time top contender and now a Member of a team. Their two teams had clashed recently, Jean finding the battle rather interesting. "I fought her in the finals in her championship year. It was a very... exhilarating match."

I wonder if there's a connection there between them, he thought, Something more then two Zoid pilots. It wouldn't be hard to believe. Both were young, talented and attractive. He had a lot of respect for Storm's skills, and was impressed by what he had seen of the younger O'Bannon.

"I saw the match live." Rose commented. "You did rather well, all things considered, what with her having a Fuzor and all."

"She was still the superior pilot." He shook his head. "I was outmatched by her. Still, it was a very close battle and a great challenge."

"Don't sell yourself short." She continued. "You did pretty well."

"And so have you." Drake offered. "I've seen your battles. You have shown a lot of skill as a pilot. And while I will say that you do lack experience, its not as bad as it seems; you've shown a lot of potential. I think that with experience, you and the others in your team, could be quite formidable."

"You really think so?"

Interesting, Jean thought. Definitely ones to keep an eye on. He began to formulate plans and strategies in his head as he continued to observe them. This should prove to be a most interesting battle.

*****

Aside from socilaising and drinking, the bar had been fitted with several other sources of entertainment (as well as providing more ways to get money out of pockets). Besides the usual pinball machine and a small room of slot machines, its centerpiece was a top-of-the-line virtual reality combat game. The latest in the Swordfighter Pro series. The game had become very popular for its customisation which allowed the players to in essence, create their own characters and use whatever fighting style they wished.

So far tonight, the machine had been dominated by a single man. Akira from the Renegade Legion had so far managed to cleave a virtual bloody path through a number of other Members of the ZBC, having racked up a considerable number of victories without even a scratch. Many found this amusing, given that he was on what was considered to be a looser team. Porshca and "Chopper" Dave, two of his teammates had been especially enjoying the show; the pair of them had been running bets on him all night.

Akira stepped down from the machine for a second, sitting down next to them. "Well.." He panted out. "I think I’m done for now."

"Have a drink." Porscha replied as she handed him a bottle of overpriced water. "You're doing great."

"Don't give up now." Dave added. "There are still plenty of other mugs for us to go through."

"Us?" He asked. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing." Porscha replied, shooting a withering glare at Dave. "You're doing great, really."

"I'm not sure. I think I need a break." He shook his head.

A figure approached the three of them. Taller then any of them, he had spiked black hair and a muscular build that was empasised by the skin-tight blue suit he was wearing. "I hear you’re some master virtual swordsman." e began.

"I have that reputation, yes." Akira admitted.

"I wish to challenge you to test your skills." He replied. "You may have defeated all other comers so far, but I think that i will provide a better opponent."

"...who are you?" Porscha asked.

"Don't you know me?"

"Nope." Dave offered.

The man sighed. "I am Slash, the leader of the Black Hands team and the master of the Blade liger."

"Hey, we fought you a round ago." Dave spoke up. "We actually won that match."

Slash snarled as Akira stood. "Very well then." He began. "Slash, I will fight you. I am interested in seeing your true skill."

The pair of them inserted their data disks into the machine, then donned the headsets and gloves that were a part of the system. The gloves helped transmit their movements to the system, while the headsets allowed them to perceive the completely computer-generated world as if it were real. As the system booted up, Porscha turned to the small crowd around them. "Akira versus Slash! Come on people, place your bets!"

The program loaded up their virtual personas. Both of them had used their own appearance as a basis, but with different attire. Akira was dressed in a traditional red kimono [or whatever it is] with a black trim. In his hand, he held a rather plain looking katana. By comparison, Slash's outfit was rather distinctive. He was dressed in a rather bizarre blue and black bodysuit with a plunging neckline and mesh sleeves. The lower half of his face was hidden by a blue mask, while his arms sported lengthy ties with gold ends. He retained his bright red headband, while also sporting innumerable buckles along his legs. He carried an overly-elaborate, detailed Katana in each hand.

"READY!?" The system announced. "FIGHT!"

It was over in an instant. It seemed like Akira hadn't moved; one moment he was in his ready stance, the next, he was standing with his back to Slash's, partially crouched with his sword out behind him. Slash turned around, then keeled over onto his side.

"BATTLE OVER! AKIRA JET WIN!"

"Hooyeah!" Poscha called out, then burst out laughing as she collected money. "Oh, Akira, your performance was excellent!"

"And he did good with the sword too." Dave added.

"You cheat!" Slash called out as he pulled of the headset. "It's obvious what you've done. You've cheated... you put in a code or altered the system to allow yourself to win so easily!"

"I have done no such thing." Akira replied. 'However if you wish for a rematch, I will be glad for one."

"No way!" He replied. "I'm not going up against a cheat like you!" He finished as he walked off.

"Sure thing... looser!" Porscha called out. "You hear me, you looser!"

"Excuse me." Another woman cut her off. "I would like to fight him if possible."

The three of them turned to face the newcomer. "Certainly." Akira replied. "I will gladly take you on ms..."

"Karen Hildebrand." She replied as she inserted her disk into the system. "I've been watching you fight. I think that this could be enjoyable." She finished as she donned her gear.

The virtual world activated again, Akira still wearing the same outfit. Karen's attire surprised him, however. She was dressed in chain mail armour, with metal gauntlets, and plates over several areas, with a white tabard covering much of her body. She held a rather large, broad-bladed sword in both hands. This surprised him; most people seemed to prefer Asian styles of sword fighting; those who preferred European styles usually went for fencing.

"READY!?" The system announced. "FIGHT!"

Akira found that he was rather unprepared for her style. She managed to make good use of her weapon's longer blade, managing to keep out of his reach. Her own strikes, however, were quite incredibly powerful. She swung down towards him, giving him only the barest of chances to deflect her blade. The two clashed with a loud clang, the weight of the sword and the force of the blow forcing his blade downwards. Karen grinned for a moment, then thrust forwards.

"BATTLE OVER! KAREN HILDERBRAND WIN!" Chopper and Porscha just looked on in mute horror.

"Well done." Akira began as he took off the goggles. "I was quite impressed."

She nodded. "And you did very well too. You gave me quite a workout there. We'll have to have a rematch some day."

"I look forward to it." He finished as they both collected their data. "Until then."

Karen nodded and walked off. Akira sighed and turned back to his teammates, then noted the looks on their faces. "What's wrong with you two?" He asked.

*****

Besides its main room, the bar sported several outside areas for its customers. one of them a verandah separate form the rest of the bar, had earned the nickname of the Cancer Lounge for being the only place where patrons were allowed to smoke. As a result, it had become the home for the night of a number of ZBC warriors.

Mortimer McSmith was a Member of the NUBG, but for tonight had to pretend that he was a part of the ZBC in order to get more info n a ZBC team. The very thought of being a ZBC pilot grated on him; he saw them as weak-minded cowards who couldn't handle themselves in a real fight, unlike a proper warrior. He was a proper warrior in his mind, one who risked his life in real military conditions and wasn't held back by their stupid rules and restrictions. Or at least, that's what he liked to think.

The truth was, when Rose called the NUBG's Members "low life criminal scum who think they're tough", she might as well have been referring to him. Mortimer was the sort who got his thrills off doing "bad" things, seeing himself as being better simply because he was a Member of NUBG. He'd never shot at another pilot's cockpit before and he'd never had someone shoot straight at his. But, because he thought the danger was there, he felt tough.

He stepped out into the Cancer Lounge where there were several ZBC pilots drinking and smoking. The nearest one of them was a large, barrel chested man with short-cropped blond hair, who was smoking a thick cigar. Taking out one of his own cigarettes, he approached the man. "'scuse, can I get a light?" He asked, figuring this to be the best way to get the ball rolling.

He lit his cigarette off the man's expensive-looking metal lighter, then inhaled. After coughing and hacking up what seemed like half a lung, he turned back to the man. "Thanks for that." He gasped out. "Mortimer McSmith."

"CK, leader of the Renegade Legion." He replied. "This is my pal, Hendrick." He indicated towards a large, overweight man with a shaved head and small eyes who was also sporting a thick cigar.

"Leader of the Black Warriors." Hendrick added. "We were just talking about the various teams we'd faced so far this season, comparing notes and all. We've been round a few times, so we were looking at comparisons to other teams we've fought."

What an opportunity! Mortimer thought. This is exactly what I'm here for! He nodded. "So you guys ever heard of a team called the Broken Chairs?"

Hendrick nodded. "Yeah, I heard of them. My tem fought 'em back in the first round. They were... decent." He rolled his cigar between his fingers. "Just decent, I'd say."

"I see.." Mortimer considered this. "So what did they do?"

"The usual sorta crap you get outa kids these days." Hendrik shrugged. "They run around, show off and try to look all cool and crap like that." He finished, then took another drag off his cigar. "Nothing too special, really."

"Right" Mortimer nodded. "So... easy opponents?"

"I wouldn't say easy, no." He replied. "I'd more say that they were average. Just average though."

"About the same as the Firestorm team, actually." CK added. "They were pretty average opponents too."

"And when those two fought, it was close." Hendrick finished. "So it makes sense, they're an average team."

"Thanks for that." Mortimer said, noting their comments. He figured that Jean would find this to be very interesting. Stubbing out his cigarette, he headed back into the bar. Tyrone was waiting just inside the door, leaning against the frame. "How's it going there?" He asked.

"This place is a total bust." Tyrone replied. "I mean, I feel like I just wanna go crazy and punch someone out, you know? Maybe show some of these ZBC losers a lesson thing or two about how we do things in the NUBG."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Mortimer replied. "I think we could take anyone in this place easy."

"No kiddin'." He nodded. "Damn it, Jean said for us not to cause trouble. What the hell am I meant to do in a place like this surrounded by all these wusses?"

"Don't worry about it." He replied. "I got us some good info. We can see Jean, report what we got, then get the hell outa here."

"Good." Tyrone nodded. "Man, I hope we got to actually take those guys on. That ought to be real fun, pounding the living crap out of them."

"Damn right it will be." Mortimer replied, and grinned.

*****

Jean was still at the bar, watching the various Members of the target team as they moved through the bar, patiently observing their actions. He was learning more about them through their conversations and the way they acted, while assessing their abilities and looking for weaknesses that he could exploit. It was early days so far, but it was a start.

Right now, he was observing the Redler pilot as she was ordering drinks while carrying on a rather disjointed and nonsensical conversation with someone else at the bar. He had found her to be particularly interesting; she had proven to be very hard to read, with Jean unable to get a good grip on her personality so far. But that wasn't what had really caught his attention. It was her eyes. He could tell from her odd greenish-yellow eyes that she was from the Dark Continent. Tat struck him, there were very few Nyxian pilots in the ZBC.

This bears closer watching, he thought. Nyxian and with that name. I wonder if-

"Jean Templar?" A woman's voice began from behind him began, interrupting his thoughts. "Is that you?"

Damn it. He turned around, glancing at the woman behind him, and almost immediately recognised her. "Oh, its you..." He began. "I didn't expect to meet you here."

She shrugged. "Well, former champ and all, I felt I should be here." She said. "And how about you? I haven't seen you since that last time in that little Blood Pit in Darklonia. I had a Great Saber and you had..." She trailed off.

"It has been a while yes..." He replied. "I heard you were the champion. Well done there."

"Thanks." She smiled. "And what have you been up to, Jean?"

"Keeping busy..." He started. "And damn it, I have to be going. But it's been good to see you again."

"You too." She finished. "Hope to see you again soon." She grinned at him, a broad, toothy grin.

Jean nodded at her, then barged his way through the crowd to the door. As he stepped outside, he pulled out his cellphone, quickly dialing a number. "Karen, its Jean." he hissed. "I've been made. Collect Mortimer and Tyrone and get out of there now!" He quickie stashed the phone, then walked away form the bar, trying to look casual while checking over his shoulder. This... complicates matters, he thought as he walked.

*****

[Deadborder]

Like the battle against the Venom team, the Broken Chairs' scheduled battle for this round was being held outside of the arenas. Instead, it was being held in a dry lakebed well outside the city. The Broken Chairs had hired a pair of Gustavs to haul their Zoids out to the battlefield, the battle against the Venom Team having proved exactly why they were a good idea.

Everyone had been in a pretty good mood after the party; the night had gone off well with everyone having a good time. "So, guys." Rose began, sitting behind the drivers seat of one of the Gustavs. "How are we all feeling about this one?"

"Pretty good." Stephen replied from the cockpit of the other one. "The Dark Panzers are an experienced team, but their gear isn't as good as ours. And if we can take out the Gordos, then they don't have anything that can take out my Kong, at least not easily."

"Admit it, Rose. You're still hyper over that party." Neil spoke up, sitting in the cockpit of his Gunsniper which was in turn riding on the trailer. "I know you had a good time."

"Yeah, it was pretty cool." She admitted.

"I wonder if Drake felt that way about things..." He added, then smirked. "After all, you were practically glued to him all night."

"Hey!" She called out. "We were just talking that's all."

"Yeah, like you were with those two girls." Tasch added, also in the cockpit of her Zoid. "You were talkin' to them all night."

"Soooo Neil." Rose replied. "Two Girls? What were you up to?"

"I..." He began. "Well, I, uh.."

"Okay, people, that's enough." Stephen replied. "But it was a good night. Let's just stay focused and pay attention."

The two Gustavs arrived at the edge of the battlefield and halted. The pilots manned their Zoids, stepping off their platforms and looking around as they walked onto the designated arena for the battle. There were a few dry, dead trees nearby with a veritable forest to the south of them, but not that much else. The lakebed itself was pretty much flat and open with nowhere to hide, much like the regular arenas.

"Nice place." Neil commented. "Do they hold fights in spots like this just because they know there's nothing for us to wreck?"

"Hey, where's the other team?" Tasch asked. "I can't see 'em anywhere."

"Maybe they're running late." Rose commented. "They could have gotten held up or something like that."

"Or maybe... maybe they got lost here." Tasch added. "Like they took a wrong turn and have wandered out into the desert... never to be seen again."

"Don’t worry about it." Stephen spoke up. "They'll be here."

"And if they don't show, then we win by default." Neil added. "So its a bonus either way."

"Hang on, guys." Tasch spoke up again. "I think I see something comin' through the trees. Maybe they aren't lost in the desert after all."

A pair of Zoids stepped out of the forest, striding onto the battlefield. The first was a massive Gojulas that towered over even the Iron Kong. Its gigantic frame bristled with weaponry, but the most notable were the twin Supercannons affixed to its shoulders. Next to it was a second Zoid, a white and blue Liger with a gold crest on its head and a large blade folded across its back.

"What's that thing?" Neil asked.

"It’s..." Tasch looked down to her display, reading it off. "It’s an Unevenness Shark Liger!"

"I've heard of it." Rose spoke up. "It’s another wild Liger derivative, like the Zero. It’s called a Murasame Liger."

"That's what I said!" Tasch called out.

"This isn't right..." Stephen commented. "This does not match with the info we got from the ZBC on the Dark Panzers."

"What's going on then?" Neil asked.

A third Zoid joined the other two, a bizarre and sinister looking Lord Gale. "What is going on is that the NUBG are taking over this battle." The pilot began. "Your team will fight mine - under NUBG rules. The winner and his team get to walk away."

"And what if we refuse to fight you?" Rose called out. "You creeps can't make us fight."

"Yes, my dear, I can." He replied, the Lord Gale letting out a loud gurgling growl. a pair of forms emerged form the tree line on either side of the battlefield. each one of them a squat, dull-red, silver and black quadruped. The two Zoids looked even more bizzare then the Lord Gale; less a whole Zoid and more of a mess of parts from different ones. "These two Zoids are the reason why. They are here to enforce the battle. If you choose to run, I will set them on you and you will have to face them and my team. If you attack them, then I will set them on you. If you leave the battlefield for whatever reason before the outcome is determined, then I will set them on you."

"And, unlike us, the Chimera Dragon has no mercy, no compassion, no scruples. They will fight until you are destroyed, or they are. If your team wins, then I will withdraw them and allow you to leave." The Lord Gale glared out at the other Zoids. "Do you accept my offer?"

"We don't seem to have much of a choice." Neil commented. "We get to fight you guys if we say yes, and fight you guys and the Chimeras if we say no."

"I can't raise the ZBC." Stephen added. "So we can't call for help."

"And there are only three of them. I think that we could take them." Rose began. "At least, if the Chimeras don't get involved."

"Yeah, but it's NUBG." Neil added. "How do we know the Chimeras won't get involved anyway?"

"Well, we know they will get involved if we don't fight, and we think they will get involved if we do fight." Tasch spoke up. "So it makes the most sense to fight and hope they don't get involved."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Tasch is right." Rose finished. "I say we go for it. We don't have much of a choice otherwise."

"That's true." Stephen finished. "Very well then. We will battle you."

"Excellent." The Lord Gale's pilot finished.

A small drone, resembling a ZBC remote monitor flew over the battlefield. “The Crimson Claw versus the Broken Chairs.” The electronic voice of the battle monitor began, a lot deeper and menacing sounding then the ZBC drone. “NUBG rules: No restrictions. Both teams confirmed. Arena confirmed. Contestants ready… fight!”

No sooner had the judge spoken, then a streams of golden light burst from out of thin air behind the Broken Chairs Zoids. The energy shots tore through the housing for the Iron Kong's Imperial Hyperbeam Cannon, ripping the weapon apart. "Scatter, now!" Stephen called out, the Iron Kong launching into the air on its boosters away from its unseen attacker. The Gunsniper and Liger Zero both burst into runs, while the Redler simply launched itself into the air.

"Hey!" Tasch called out as she looked down. She could see a shape blurring as it chased after their Zoids. "It’s a Shadow Fox! It snuck up behind us!" She yelled over the communicator.

"You rotten cheat!" Stephen called out. "You never said anything about there being a Shadow Fox."

"I didn't need to." the Lord Gale pilot replied as his Zoid took to the air. "You should have assumed that I would be smart enough not to fight you at uneven odds. And besides, these are NUBG rules. There are no restrictions on what you can do; the only rule is that the winner takes all."

On the ground, the Murasame Liger burst into a run, heading towards the fleeing Zoids. The Shadow Fox, its optical camolfage less capable now that it was in motion, also closed in on them form behind. The Gojulas, on the other hand, remained in one place, not moving. Instead, it simply opened fire with its Supercannons the instant that Stephen's Iron Kong landed from its jump.

He slammed his feet down on the thrusters, the Iron Kong leaping into the air again and suddenly swerving sideways just before the shots landed. The blasts tore up the ground where his Zoid had been, shaking it in flight and showering it with dirt and debris. The Iron Kong landed in a very unsteady looking crouch, barely having time to recover before the Shadow Fox ran at it. The smaller Zoid opened fire again, shots from the Vulcan cannon tearing into the Iron Kong's shoulder. Both the impacts and the landing jarred Stephen, throwing him against the side of the Zoid's cockpit.

Stephen grunted as he opened up the throttle, the Iron Kong loping away from the Shadow Fox. "Plan!" He called out. "Rose, try to tie up the Murasame Liger so I can get close to that Gojulas and take it out. Neil, see if you can at least distract the Shadow Fox."

"Oh sure." He replied. "He's got it all over me as it is."

"I need it, Neil. If I can take out the Gojulas, then we'll have a huge advantage. And the pair of you, both keep moving so he can't get you with the Supercannons!" He continued. "And Tasch..." He glanced up at the Redler which was twisting and turning its way through the Lord Gale's fire. "Uh, just keep at it."

He activated the boosters again as the Gojuals opened fire with the Supercannons once more. The Iron Kong was more successful this time, managing to completely avoid the blast, and actually managing to close the distance between the two Zoids to a degree. It wasn't much, but it was a start. As long as he kept moving and got very lucky, they might just have a chance.

*****

Rose had opened up the Zero's throttle all the way, springing away form where she figured the Supercannon shots were going to land. Her plan was rather simple; try to get closer to the Gojulas where it couldn't use the big guns. Of course, she figured that this meant it could just use its smaller weapons, but she could deal with that. It was those big guns, which had the power to knock her Zero out of action in one blast that she didn't want to deal with.

Besides, she figured, if she got close to the Gojulas, then she could get a shot at knocking it out of action. And if the Gojulas was knocked out of action, then things would go a lot better for the team. Unfortunately, the enemy team's leader seemed to have thought of that as well.

As she sprinted across the dry lakebed, she spotted the Murasame Liger running towards her. The enemy machine was clearly screening the Gojulas from attacks, and its pilot was probably looking to take her out. The Zoid was moving faster then her own Zero, she noted, and wasn't using any boosters. Instead, it was relying just on its own running speed. So it's fast, she thought. Let's see how agile it is.

The hilt of the Murasame's blade swung around, opening fire with a pair of beam cannons concealed within it. The shots peppered the ground around the Zero's feet, but didn't hit the Zoid. Rose wasn't expecting it to; she figured the enemy pilot was trying to either throw her off or distract her.

Ain't gonna work, she thought. The Zero turned straight towards the Murasame Liger, Rose squeezing off the trigger on the Impact cannon. The shots streaked towards the enemy Zoid, which managed to leap out of the way. The shots blasted into the ground behind it, sending chunks of dried mud flying. The Murasame Liger retaliated with a shot form its own impact cannon, which Rose only narrowly avoided.

The Murasame's blade swung out to attack, the Zoid roaring as it charged forwards and leaped at her to strike. Yanking on the controls, Rose managed to swerve the Zero out of the path of the blade, her own Zoid leaping away form the attack. As she leaped, she opened fire with the tail cannon, the shots blasting into the Murasame's side.

The enemy Zoid landed and swung around rather quickly, managing to put itself on right behind her Zoid. The Murasame broke into a run, opening fire again with the Impact Cannon. This time the shots struck home, slamming Rose's Zero in the back. Her Zoid stumbled, lurching forwards as it ran. Rose grabbed the control stick, trying to bring the Zero under control before-

The Murasame leapt at her again, its claws outstretched and fangs bared. It crashed down on the Zero's back, he two Zoids rolling over and crashing to the ground. Checking her monitors, Rose could see that the Murasame had dig into the Zero's body, and didn’t plan on letting go... Unless... In desperation, Rose fired the Zero's boosters again. The thrust from the boosters slammed into the Murasame's underside, causing the Zoid to roar out in shock. At the same time., the Zero stumbled forwards, rolling over and sending the Murasame crashing to the ground.

Rose was slammed into the side of the cockpit as her Zoid rolled over, bouncing on its side. Managing to wrest control of the stick. she managed to get her Zoid to its feet, just as the other Liger also got up. For a moment, the two Zoids stood, snarling angrily at each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move.

Then, abruptly, the two of them ran at each other again, their Zoids snarling at each other. The Murasame liger swung at Rose's Zero with the blade, aiming to slice straight through it. She managed to swerve the Liger out of the path of the attack again, only to be spiked in the side by the Murasame's tail blade as she ran past it.

Her own Liger turned around, trying to slash at the Murasame with its strike laser claws. The Claws sliced through the Murasame's flank, shredding the armour over its shoulder but not doing anything more then superficial damage to the Zoid. The Murasame swung around with the blade again, Rose managing to leap away form the Zoid before it could strike.

Her Zero landed in a crouch on the other side of the Murasame, turning as quickly as it could to face the other Zoid. Again she ran at it, ready for another Strike Laser Claw attack. The Murasame reacted quickly, swerving out of the way of her attack then swinging back with its own claws. Seeing what was about to happen, Rose managed to leap out of the way of the enemy Zoid's attack.

This is nuts, she thought. We're that close to each other. What the hell am I meant to do about this guy? She had one plan, and that was to simply keep close where he couldn't maneuver the main blade. Of course, that didn't really help her any, as the pilot seemed to be pretty good with the Strike Laser Claws as well. Which means that neither of us has a real advantage here. It's just going to come down to whoever gets lucky first.

She sized up the other Liger as it stared her down. And that doesn't sound too good.

*****

"How do I let myself get talked into this kind of thing?" Neil asked as his Gunsniper ran towards the partially-visible Shadow Fox. The enemy Zoid was faster and more agile then his, and possessed better melee weapons. And while he carried more firepower, he knew what the Laser Vulcan could do to his Zoid's thin armour. The Fox also wasn't showing up on his sensors, which meant that he couldn't use his missiles against it.

So that left him stuck with what was almost inevitably always his main battle plan. He ran at the Shadow Fox, firing the Gunsniper's twin wrist cannons at the enemy Zoid. Several shots struck its side, managing to get the enemy pilot's attention. Neil had a pretty good idea of what would happen next, and swerved his Zoid out of the Fox's expected line of fire.

To his surprise, the Fox's pilot fired off the Zoid's smokescreen as the Zoid ran away from him, enveloping it in a cloud of dense black smoke. The Zoid sprinted away, leaving both the Gunsniper and the Iron Kong behind. "Hey!" Neil called out. "Come back here!" He was instantly worried by what was going on. Why the hell would a Shadow Fox run away from a Gunsniper?, especially a Gunsniper that was in the open and couldn't snipe at him.

As far as he could figure out, it meant one of two things. Either first, the Shadow Fox's pilot had some plan; he may have been trying to get away from Neil to go after either Stephen or Rose, both of which already had their hands fill. Or, he could have been aiming to get Tasch in a crossfire and knock her out of action, this freeing up their air support.

Or he could be an idiot. Neil hoped for the latter.

The Fox continued to head away at speed, laying down a wall of smoke between itself and the Gunsniper. Between the smoke and its Stealth systems, Neil knew that he had no chance at all of locating the enemy Zoid. So instead he tried something else. The Gunsniper opened fire with its two wrist cannons, spraying shots into what he figured was the head of the black smoke cloud where the Shadow Fox presumably would be.

His shots seemed to have some effect; the Fox suddenly turned around and burst out from the smoke cloud, running back at his Zoid at high speed. The pilot opened fire with the Vulcan on its back, less shooting at Neil as repeating his own plan of spraying shots in the general vicinity of the target. A shot grazed the Gunsniper's leg, momentarily staggering it but not doing any more then armour damage.

Neil was more worried about what was about to come. He opened fire, spraying shots at the Fox again as it continued to run at him. This time the pilot seemed a little more capable, managing to evade the bulk of what Neil set at him. The Fox ran at his Zoid, clearly preparing for a laser claw attack. Neil swerved the Gunsniper out of the path of the Fox as it charged, the Strike Laser Claws neatly scything through the air where the Gunsniper had been.

Rather then following up, the Fox broke into a run the instant it landed, again sprinting away from the Gunsniper. Neil scurried out of the Zoid's path, firing a few stray follow up shots, more to keep it away. The Fox's pilot didn't seem to care, instead sprinting off to hide in the dispersing smoke cloud.

"Well, fine then." Neil muttered. "Run away from me. See if I care." Actually, he did care. The Fox may have been trying to loose him so it could go after one of the others. "Damn me and my sense of responsibility." He muttered as the Gunsniper ran after the Fox.

The enemy Zoid pivoted the Vulcan back to face him, again opening fire with the cannon. Neil swerved the Gunsniper, the Zoid performing a strange, almost dance-like series of hops and skips as he tried to avoid the enemy pilot's fire. Grunting as the Zoid skipped around, he scurried to one side of the Fox. Again, the enemy Zoid chose to run rather then fight, vanishing into the smoke cloud.

"Okay, who is this idiot?" Neil asked himself. "And, more to the point, why am I complaining?"

*****

As soon as the battle had begun, Tasch knew exactly what she had to do. The enemy team had an airborne Zoid, which meant that she had to knock it out of action. She knew exactly what a flying Zoid could do for a battle, and the sort of damage it could wreak if it was not opposed. And as the pilot of the only flying Zoid on her team, she was responsible for stopping it.

It was doubly important, she figured, because the enemy Zoid's pilot was apparently their leader. Not only was he their air support, but he was also in command. That meant, as near as she could figure, that eliminating him would be a big boost to her team. So she had to knock him out or, at the very least, keep him busy in order for them to win their battle.

"Okay, Tasch." She muttered to herself. "You got to get it together. You got to do this." She was more nervous now then she had been before her first battle back in the tryouts. This was her first ever real dogfight; while she’d had plenty of simulator time and even some mock dogfights, this was the first one for real. It was made worse by the fact that her opponent was an NUBG pilot and, as such, would not hold back form aiming at her cockpit or other such things. She knew that her life was at risk here. But at the same time, she knew that she couldn't back down from this.

The Redler sped towards the Lord Gale at high speeds, rapidly closing in on the enemy Zoid. She lined it up in her sights, opening fire with the twin beam cannons on the Zoid's wings. The Lord Gale was ready for this however, twisting and turning its way through her shots, using its considerable agility to evade her fire. The enemy Zoid retaliated, firing off the quad cannons on its right forearm.

Tasch stomped on the foot pedals, twisting them herd to the left. The Redler swerved out of the Lord Gale's line of fire, climbing away from the other Zoid as the flexible boosters swung around, then snapped back to their default position. "Now I got ya." Tasch began as she dived on the Lord Gale from above and behind it, the best place for a kill. She squeezed the trigger, opening fire with the twin beam cannons.

Again the Lord Gale managed to roll away from her, twisting around in flight to bring its claw arm up, then opening fire with its beam cannons again. The enemy Zoid sprayed shots at the Redler, several of which slammed into its body and sides. Tasch yanked back on the control stick, the Redler swerving out of the line of fire of the other Zoid, managing to evade the rest of the volley. As she slewed the thrusters around, she opened fire again, shooting rather off bore. The Lord Gale reacted quickly, twisting to avoid the shots while managing to keep her in its sights.

She bought the boosters back to the center again, firing them up to full thrust while climbing away form the Lord Gale. The Redler was already faster then it, and with the boosters, she gained a lot of acceleration as well. Unfortunately, the Lord Gale was more agile, and had other advantages. Its Blox construction meant that its body was a lot more flexible, and its arm-mounted guns had a much wider degree of movement.

A quick evaluation also told her that getting close to the Lord Gale wasn't a good idea either. The Zoid's two large lances and scissor-like claws were more then a match for her Redler's claws and tail blade. Furthermore, as they were also mounted on the arms, they were a lot more mobile then her melee weapons.

"Dangit." She muttered. "Why do ya'll have to be so nasty?" She bought the Redler around again, diving towards the oncoming Lord Gale, and opening fire with her beam cannons. One of the shots scored the armour on the Lord Gale's shoulder, but it managed to weave its way through her shots. She broke away before the Lord Gale opened fire, the Redler's boosters veering around to quickly boost it out of the path of the other Zoid.

"Okay, so his left side's his blind spot... an' his guns are not as long-ranged as mine." Tasch observed as the Lord Gale swung around to face her. "Right. I think I got somehtin' there." She knew what his weaknesses were. Now all she needed to do was figure some way to exploit them.

The Lord Gale climbed towards her Zoid, opening fire again with its twin cannons. The Redler twisted and weaved its way through the enemy Zoid's fire, managing to make it through unscathed. She opened fire in retaliation, the Lord Gale managing to swerve out of the way of her shots. The enemy Zoid dashed towards hers, its twin lances outstretched to impale her Zoid. Yelping in surprise, she pulled back on the stick and twisted the boosters, the Redler again swerving out of the enemy Zoid's way.

"Okay..." She began as she climbed away form the Lord Gale again. "I Know what I gotta do. Now I just gotta get a chance to do it."

*****

[Deadborder]

Stephen grunted as the Iron Kong again took to the air, leaping out of the way of another pair of blasts from the Gojulas Cannons. The weapons were yet to hit his Zoid, but there had been a number of close calls. And while he had gotten close to the enemy Zoid, he was still a long way from where he wanted to be.

The Iron Kong landed with a bone-jarring thud, Stephen opening up the throttle as soon as he was down. The huge Zoid thundered across the dry lakebed, knuckling its way towards the Gojulas as fast as possible. Checking his status board, Stephen could see that he still had all four of his heavy tactical missiles left. And while they were easily able to outrange the cannons, he needed a chance to stop and launch them; one that the Gojulas wasn't going to give him.

What he needed was a bit of cover so he could launch. The forests on either side of the battlefield would provide that cover, but he suspected that, if he tried to use them, the enemy team leader would declare him to be out of bounds and, more to the point, set the Chimera Dragons on him and the rest of the team.

The Gojulas could keep firing with impunity, able to hammer him at long range. With the Murasame Liger in front of him and the Shadow Fox behind him, there was an effective screen to keep him occupied and help line him up for the Gojulas cannons. And about the only thing that would stop the Gojulas form opening up on him was if he got too close to it or one of the other Members of the team. The former was unlikely due to the supercannons, and the latter was not going to happen due to how fast and agile those two were.

He needed to get up close to the Gojulas and try to kill it in hand to hand combat. The Iron Kong was very potent in close combat, thanks to its strength, agility and the sheer power of the Iron Hammer Knuckles. Problem was, the Gojulas was still very dangerous up close; it was surprisingly agile and was very strong, its fangs especially so. And the Gojulas could use its secondary weapons at point blank range, giving it and advantage.

He launched the Iron Kong into the air again as the Gojulas rippled off another volley from its cannons. The massive Zoid leaped forewords as the ground behind it blasted apart, twisting away form the impact. After a few moments, it slammed down onto the ground in a crouch, again breaking into a knuckling run. I can't keep this up forever, he thought. Sooner or later, the Gojulas will get lucky. Checking the monitors, he could see that the enemy Zoid may not even need that; both engines were already wandering into overheat territory from too much use.

What I need is some cover, or some way to take that thing out up close. Now how to get it... He checked his scope, noting the relative positions of both his team's Zoids and the enemy units. He couldn't locate the Shadow Fox, but he was getting a good idea from Neil's location. An idea began to form in the back of his head; it was desperate but it may just work. I have been talking to Tasch too much if I'm considering this. But then... would they expect it?

"Rose!" He called out over the communicator. "Can you keep the Murasame contained for a little longer?"

"Contained?" She asked. "How so?"

"Pin it down; keep it where it is." He replied. "I think I have a plan."

"Well sure." She replied. "Neither of us are going anywhere fast... We're both more focused on poking each other then anything else."

"Perfect." He finished. "Just hold on for about a minute."

"No problem." Rose muttered angrily. "Anything else I can do while I'm here?"

"Trust me, its fine." He shook his head, keeping an eye on the Gojulas. The Zoid shuddered as its twin supercannons belched fire, the brilliant purple plasma energy balls sailing through the air. Again he fired the jets, leaping away form the shot, but now heading towards their source, rather then to either side. The Kong climbed into the air on twin thermonuclear flames, leaping higher then it had previously.

"Now Rose!" He called out. "Move!"

"Right!" She yelled back. The Zero turned from the Murasame Liger, bolting away at speed.

The enemy Zoid, is pilot momentarily confused as to what was happening, turned to face her, swinging out the blade to use the cannons. It wasn't until it was too late that she saw why Rose had run off. The massive Iron Kong dropped out of the sky, smashing into the Murasame Liger with its twin fists, simply crushing the Zoid under its weight. The Liger was pressed into the ground, its legs buckling as the Iron Kong drove it down.

For a moment, both Zoids were still. Then the Kong reached down to the top of the disabled Liger, wrapping one of its massive fists around the base of the blade, while the other one flattened itself on the Liger's back. The Kong pulled up on the hilt of the sword, ripping it free from the Murasame Liger's body, and clenching it in one of its massive hands. Flipping the sword around so it was facing outwards, the Kong leaped off the downed Liger's body, sprinting off.

"Thanks for that, Rose." He called back. "Go help Neil and keep that Shadow Fox off my back."

"Hey!" She called out. "What are you doing?"

"Taking care of things." He replied. "Now go help Neil before he gets the kill." The battered Liger turned and sprinted away, heading towards the far end of the Battlefield. Stephen, on the other hand, headed straight for the Gojulas, bearing down on it as fast as possible.

The Gojulas pilot, seeing him coming, lowered the cannons to point straight at the oncoming Iron Kong. The weapons fired again, the shots heading straight for Stephen's Zoid rather then taking their regular ballistic arc. This time, rather then leaping, he boosted the Kong to one side, swerving away from the oncoming shots. Keeping the throttle open, he charged at the enemy Zoid as fast as he could.

Targeting the Gojulas, he opened fire with the missile pod concealed within the Iron Kong's left shoulder. The missiles flew at the Gojulas, slamming into its body and wreathing it in smoke and flames. The shots scored its amour and caused the Zoid to shake for a moment, but didn't seem to do too much more. But it distracted the enemy pilot, and that was what Stephen wanted.

The Gojulas retaliated, opening fire with the quad-barreled cannon mounted on its right arm. The shots ripped across the Iron Kong's heavily armoured chest and right shoulder, smashing the armour but not doing too much else to it. He followed up with the twin double-barreled cannons, the shots tracing lines across the sand and marring the Kong's armour but not penetrating it. The Gojulas stood its ground as he ran towards it, its pilot determined to weather whatever he had planned.

Stephen fired the boosters, the Kong leaping at the enemy Zoid. The right arm swung out at the Gojulas, slamming into its massive jaw and causing the Zoid to stagger in place. The Gojulas retaliated, lashing out at the arm with its claws, shredding their way through the armour. That suited Stephen fine; he had other plans.

The Iron Kong's left arm swung around, ramming the Murasame Blade into the Gojulas' side, driving it well into its body. The Gojulas bellowed out as the attack struck home, piercing its body and driving towards its core. The Kong released the blade, then slammed the Zoid in the side, causing it to totter, then simply keel over onto its side. The Gojulas crashed to the ground with a loud thump, shaking the ground around it.

In the cockpit of his Zoid, Stephen allowed himself a brief moment to catch his breath as he looked over the fallen machine. His own Zoid's status board was a mess, but he knew that it was enough that his machine was still operational. Two down, he thought. Not bad, actually.

*****

Jean grunted as the Lord Gale twisted through a sharp turn, barely avoiding the shots fired by the enemy Redler. He twisted around, leveling the cannons at the enemy Zoid as it retreated. He squeezed the trigger, the four guns belching fire at the retreating Redler. To his considerable annoyance, the Zoid suddenly twisted in flight, veering out of the line of fire of his guns, then climbing away at high speed.

He opened up the throttle, climbing after the Redler as it fled. To his annoyance, their battle had been like this so far; both of them had weaved and twisted and turned their way around each other, but hadn't had much success in hitting each other. The Redler's pilot was proving to be surprisingly good for an alleged amateur, which made him wonder if his speculation about her background may not be correct after all.

Certainly her piloting style was... unusual to say the least. He'd never seen a Redler using CP-24 before, and certainly hadn't expected to fight one that used them like this. Additionally, she didn't seem to act in ways he expected a rational pilot to act, instead pulling all manner of bizarre stunts. It had made predicting her actions rather hard, as well as responding to what she did. The fact that the Zoid's stealth systems meant that it couldn't be easily detected only made things harder.

As if to prove his point, the Redler suddenly pulled into a sharp loop, using the flexible boosters to bring it around quickly then dive straight at him at high speed. The Zoid opened fire with the twin cannons, closing in a lot faster then he expected. He veered off course, desperately climbing away from the Redler's attack. As the Redler leveled out, he turned towards it, opening fire with the beam cannons at the extreme edge of their range. The enemy Zoid suddenly climbed, speeding away from him.

"Jean! I'm in trouble!" Mortimer called out over the communicator.

"What is it?" He snarled in reply as he looked down over the battlefield, trying to keep track of what was going on. He hadn't anticipated the battle against the Redler taking so long; he'd figured for a quick kill against an amateur pilot, rather then the drawn-out twisting duel it had become. He sighted the Shadow Fox at the far end of the battlefield, being hounded by the Gunsniper and the Liger Zero on either side of it. Wait, if there's two of them attacking him, then...

Glancing around, he could see the other two Members of his team. Karen's Murasame Liger was pressed into the ground, clearly out of action with its blade missing. What had happened to it become obvious when he saw Tyrone's Gojulas, which was lying on its side with the blade sticking out of it. Damn it, I'm going to have to deal with this myself. He knew that his team were at a severe disadvantage, but, at the same time, he saw ways he could salvage the battle.

He dived towards the Gunsniper, dropping his sights on the smaller Zoid. He figured that if he could take it out, them Mortimer could escape and would have a chance aginst the Zero. He was about to squeeze the trigger, when the Lord Gale was rocked by a hit from behind.

He didn’t have to look back to tell what it was; he knew straight away that it would be the Redler. He opened up the Zoid's throttle, pulling into a steep climb away from the Redler. Glancing down behind him, he saw a burst of cannon fire from the Liger Zero blast the Fox in the side, sending it sprawling, He couldn't tell if Mortimer was down or not, and didn't want to check. He had other proprieties right now. Instead, he glanced around, looking out for the Black Redler that should have been after him.

Suddenly, a loud beeping noise from his systems filled his ears. Checking his systems, he could see a pair of missiles were heading straight towards his Zoid, coming in on his six. Damn it's the Iron Kong now! He thought to himself. The Zoid clearly hadn't used all its missiles against the Gojulas, and had instead picked him as a target.

He watched the RWR as the missiles climbed towards him at high speed, quickly closing in on his Zoid. He abruptly yanked on the stick, turning across the path of the enemy weapons, knowing that they couldn't follow his movements. As he predicted, the two missiles went straight past his Zoid. Then, as he watched, the pair of them shed their initial stages with their second stages looping back around towards his Zoid.

Cursing under his breath, he turned towards the two missiles, again cutting across their paths. One of them veered off course, losing track of his Zoid. The other one, however, managed to keep its lock and stay on his Zoid's tail. Seeing no other choice, he swung the Lord Gale around to face the oncoming missile and opened fire with the quad cannons. The shots struck the weapon, tearing into it and causing it to detonate in mid-flight. The force of the blast rocked the Zoid, but it was a lot less then it could have been.

"Now where's that-" He began as he searched around for the enemy Zoid, but it answered the question for him. The Redler shot straight up from out of nowhere, flying across the Lord Gale's path. There was a brief metallic screech as the enemy Zoid passed in a black and green blur that sent the his own machine reeling. Looking around, he watched in horror as the Lord Gale's claws, complete with its guns, broke free form the body and fell away.

"Hey, check it out." The Redler's pilot called out over the radio. "I guess yer a big Hemmingway fan, right?"

Jean blinked, stunned by what she had just done, as well as her rather cryptic comment. "Wha..." He asked, his glasses sliding down his nose to reveal his firey orange eyes. "What?"

"You got a farewell to arms." She finished.

"Damn it!" He snapped as he checked over his own Zoid's status, while the Redler circled around him. He was down to his lances only, which wasn't enough to take down the Redler, let alone any of the other Zoids. And while all four of them were battered, his situation was far worse. He couldn't see any situation under which he would be able to achieve a victory on his own.

"Fine then." He snarled over the communicator. "You win. You can go." He glanced down at the two Chimera Dragons that were still waiting, the only witnesses to the battle. He could let them loose, but that wouldn't really gain him anything; he had still lost the battle. All he could do was let them withdraw and at least retain some dignity. He pressed a button on his console to signal his surrender to the judge drone

“The battle is over!” It announced after a brief pause, its electronic voice betraying no hint of emotion at what had happened. “The winner is the Broken Chairs.”

The Black Redler passed by him again, as if it was watching him. How interesting, he thought. Another Nyxian. For two of us to meet like this is... unexpected. He frowned as he watched the Redler go. We shall have to battle again... now that I have analysed the way you fly, I'm sure that our next meeting could be more to my advantage.

*****

The leader of the Crimson Claw team had proved to be true to his word. The Broken Chairs had been allowed to leave with out being attacked by the Chimera Dragons or any other NUBG forces. Three of their battered Zoids had been loaded onto the Gustavs, while Tasch had agreed to fly overhead and keep an eye out for anyone following them or any signs of an ambush. Their precautions seemed to have been unnecessary, the team making it back to the city without any further encounters.

The instant they got into the city, they'd gone straight for the PKB's headquarters. The team had been taken in and had spent the next few hours going over what had happened. The information from their Zoid's data recorders had been used to verify what had gone on during the battle and to confirm their stories.

The Dark Panzers had shown up at a different battlefield, waiting for a battle that never started. Both teams had been interviewed by the PKB and both had shown proof of the battle details they had received. As near as anyone could tell, one team or the other had been deliberately misdirected by the NUBG, with the intention being to set up the Broken Chairs. The question remained as to how the NUBG had arranged the misdirection.

An inspection of the battlefield had revealed a similar scenario as to what had happened with the last NUBG run-in; the disabled Zoids had been removed before anyone could arrive, their tracks well-covered. There was plenty of debris, but not too much else.

After a few hours, the PKB had decided to simply let the Broken Chairs go home, but had arranged for someone to watch their base just to make sure. However, when they got inside, nobody on the team could think of when they’d ever been so happy to be back here.

"Well that was fun." Neil commented as he flopped on a couch. "Remind me never, ever to get into an illegal battle again. Two is more then enough for me."

"We did pretty well out of it, all things considered." Stephen added. "While all of them were damaged to some degree, none of our Zoids were taken out. And we managed to give a good showing of ourselves against the NUBG Pilots."

"Oh big whoop there." Rose commented as she sat down next to Neil. "Most of those guys were incompetent clowns who probably only joined NUBG because they couldn't hack it as real Zoid warriors."

"Including the Murasame pilot who fought you to a standstill and the Lord Gale pilot who managed to match Tasch?" Neil needled.

"I said most, didn't I?" She replied.

"Well, I think that wasn't too bad." Tasch commented as she came in. "And that Lord Gale guy was polite enough to let us go after without settin' the Chimeras on us, so that’s not too bad."

"You can be surprisingly optimistic some days." Stephen noted. "And you did very well up there I saw some of what you managed to do there. You had that guy matched move for move."

Rose nodded. "I was pretty surprised too." She admitted. "So what's your secret. How many dogfight victories does this make now?"

"Well, let me see..." Tasch considered this. "Not includin' simulators or trainin' battles or stuff like that, then... none."

"None?" Everyone was equally surprised by this.

"Ayup." Tasch nodded. "'cause this was my first ever air-to-air battle, y'see. And I didn't actually beat him; he surrendered. So that makes for none."

"That was your first dogfight?" Neil replied, somewhat surprised by this. "What is your secret?"

"Well, I practice a lot." She admitted. "And I trained real hard too."

"Amazing." He whistled. "You never cease to surprise me."

Stephen nodded in agreement. "Just don't get too cocky there, guys." He began. "ReMember, our Zoids got busted up pretty badly in that battle, and since it wasn't a ZBC official battle, we don't get any prize money for it. So all our repairs will be coming out of pocket."

"Well, I can take a look at that." Tasch commented. "I've got some experience with Zoid repairs."

"You do?"

"Oh yeah. It's what I trained fer initially." She explained. "And I put it all to work when I set up my Redler like that."

"You did that?" Neil asked. "Amazing. Is there anything you can't do?"

"Make sense?" Rose offered.

"Well..." Tasch considered this for a moment. "I ain't no good at tongue twisters."

"That'll do for me." Stephen continued. "But thanks, guys. You all did a great job out there today. And hopefully, by beating their team down like we did, we will have discouraged NUBG from any further idiocy like we had today."

*****

Michael Heywood sat in his office, going over the footage that the monitor drones and the various NUBG Zoids had taken from the battle. Right now, he was busy studying the battle, looking for the best shots that could be used for the video highlight package. Even though the NUBG team had lost, there would be a lot of people interested to see this battle. That wasn't enough to make up for his generally foul mood, however.

He'd had high expectations for Jean and his team. Jean was one of his better pilots, and the Crimson Claw were one of his better teams. Jean was meant to be good at analysing the enemy, predicting how they would react and devising counters to them. He was not supposed to go down with three losses to no victories. Heywood had predicted a win, and the betting had reflected this. Now there were a lot of people out a lot of money.

Jean had volunteered to fly recon, just to make sure that nobody had followed him or his team back to the NUBG. Heyqwood had agreed to let him, knowing that there were people who would not be happy to see him when he got back.

And the worst part of all this was that they had failed their original objective, which was to teach the Broken Chairs, and that one girl in particular, not to mess with NUBG. The last thing he wanted was for them to have any sort of victory, any sort of win over him. At the same time, he knew he needed a reason to keep going after them.

"Excuse me." Rachel began as she walked into his office. "But I've got the figures on today's betting here." She handed him a sheet. "As you can see, we made a fair amount of our betting fees alone. And with the amount of pre-orders for the video package, we're looking pretty good in spite of everything else."

He gave the sheet a once over. 'Thank you for that, Rachel." He finished with a grin. He had just found his reason.

*****

Shots hammered into the wings of Jean's Lord Gale, literally slamming the Zoid out of the sky. Battered, it crashed to he ground, slumped against a section of ruined wall. Looking ahead, he could see his attacker coming slowly towards him, clearly intent on finishing him off.

Checking over his systems, he could see that the Zoid was in bad shape. The wings were shredded, which meant that he couldn't fly. One of his Zoid's legs was damaged in the crash, which would reduce his ability to run; not that he would be able to outrun his attacker. His lances were still functional, but he knew that they would be of only limited use against the attacking Zoid.

As far as he could tell, he had only one option. "I surrender!" He called out.

The only reply he got form the other Zoid was a low growl as it approached, apparently ignoring his cry.

*****

Author’s Notes:

I will give a million billion trillion squintillion Southern Republic Dinars to whoever figures out what Nadia the Elephander pilot is a reference to.