Pointy Muses Fic 10 - Revenge Road

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Pointy Muses Fic

Chapter Eleven - Revenge Road

By Rick R.

*****

"Morning Rose." Neil cheerily chimed as his teammate walked into the team's kitchen. He was up bright and early on what promised to be a nice, shiny day, and was looking to have a good time of it. He was planning to meet Laura and Nadia together to have a brainstorming session over their game, and run through ideas. Even though Neil was 'just a player' like Laura, it turned out that Nadia really liked their style. Which wasn't too bad, actually.

He'd been spending some time going over artwork he could steal to use on Nadia's page. It had been a largely futile search; it was amazing how little stuff he could find that said 'male druid' to him. Most artwork of druids depicted improbably shaped women in clingy, semi-transparent robes lounging around with random improbably sorted animals. And while he wouldn't complain about it, it didn't do his character much good.

Rose muttered a reply, then walked straight past him. She looked very tired and angry, and a lot 'shabbier' then her usual self; her hair a mess and her eyes barely open. "I said, morning, Rose." He added, then paused. Still no response.

Maybe she's had enough of willowy girls with swords and wolves too, he jokingly thought to himself. He figured if he saw another one, he'd scream a little. Still, she shouldn't be that grumpy. Unless... He decided to pry a little. “How did the big date go last night?" He asked.

"Oh, shut up." She snapped, grabbing a box of cereal from the cupboard.

"Ah." He began. Clearly, she had not had a good night. "So what happened? Was there a bunch of NUBG guys at the next table who decided to hijack your meal?"

"Oh for christ's sake. I'm sick of the damn NUBG and everyone mentioning them every second damn sentence." She turned around. "Why can't they go off and bother some other team like... like the damned Firestorm team, for example?"

"Heh. So you wouldn't mind seeing Drake smacked around a bit then?" He asked.

"Neil!" She snapped. "Just... just piss off, okay? It's no wonder you're so defiantly single. You can't even talk to people!"

"Hey, I'm not always like this." He commented. "I've had... a girlfriend." He smiled. "I'm near mint in box. Contents taken out of packaging, played with once and then sealed away for resale."

"Oh forget it."

"What the hell is going on in here?" Stephen began as he stormed into the room. "I can hear you two from the Zoid hanger."

"She stared it." Neil began.

"I did not!" Rose snapped.

"Well whatever it is, can't you two just stop shouting and act normal for once?" He began.

"Listen you!" She continued. "I want to know what exactly it is that makes you think that you’re in charge here and can tell us what to do."

"What?"

"Oh come on!" She snarled. "You've been in charge, bossing us around since day one. It’s not like we voted you leader or we were given any other choice. You just waltzed in and took over acting like you were the big man around here and we should all just do whatever you told us to."

"Well I haven’t exactly heard too many complaints about it so far." Stephen replied. "And it’s not like it’s the easiest job in the world, what with some of us running off and blindly wandering into an illegal battle. Since then I’ve-"

"Don't you dare bring that up." Rose snarled. "Like I said, I had no idea of what was going on that day. So don't blame me for all our problems." She stormed out, stepping into the living room.

"Oh, hey there." Tasch began, seemingly oblivious to all the shouting inside. She was sitting at their counter with her laptop.

"What are you looking at?" Rose snapped.

"An e-mail form the ZBC." She spoke up. "They want us to come in for a meeting today."

"They what?" Stepehn asked as he stepped into the room. "Where? What's all this about?"

"Well, it’s in the big ZBC headquarters in town." She replied. "And they didn't say what it was about, but they said it was important and that it'd be a good idea for us to be there."

"Well that was unexpected." Neil spoke up. "Now I'm really interested."

"Yeah." Tasch spoke up. "Me too.... I gotta know what's going on." She paused. "Hey, is that an old-type Guylos logo?"

"A what where?" Neil asked.

"The old Guylos empire symbol." She spoke up. "The black dragon on the green triangle shield. They say it’s meant to be Gilvader, but then... it'd be a Wyvern on the shield."

Rose was trying to figure what Tasch was saying. Then it struck her. She'd been wearing those thong briefs with the Guylos logo on the front last night... and had ended up going to bed fully dressed. So if it was visible, even a bit, at the front then the back...

"I'll be ready in a second!" She squealed out as she pulled up her pants as far as they could go, then darted from the room, all anger long gone.

"What in the heck was that about?" Tasch asked.

"I think Rose's date went bad last night." Neil commented. "And I suspect that it was not due to a wardrobe malfunction."

"Yeah." Tasch commented. "I mean, even if the door got stuck, I don’t think that'd ruin things." She nodded. "Unless... unless you'd put something inside it, then couldn't get it out."

"You're amazing." Neil smirked. "Don't you ever change."

"Well, I wouldn't if the wardrobe's door was stuck." She finished. "'cause then, what would I wear?"

*****

After arriving at the ZBC headquarters, the Broken Chairs found that their meeting was being held in the same room that they'd been in when they were last there. While this had lead to some comments that this may have been another special match, when they entered the room it became clear that it was anything but.

There were two people in the room; they all could recognise one of them as Elisa Claybourne, the woman who had been behind the city arena. The second man was less obvious; he was a large, muscular man with short-cropped brown hair and brown eyes. Most notably, however, he was dressed in a PKB uniform.

"Thank you all for coming here, especially at such short notice." Elisa began. "If you could all please be seated, we'll begin."

"If this is about all those parking tickets, there's a reason." Neil spoke up as he sat down. "Really." He glanced around, but got no reaction. "Tough crowd." He muttered.

"This is Commander Mal Loup, citywide chief of the Peacekeeping Bureau." She continued, indicating to the man standing next to her. "Mal has asked for the help of both you and the ZBC with regards to a particular matter."

"It’s the NUBG, isn't it?" Rose asked.

Elisa nodded. "Mal, if you could, please."

Mal stepped forwards. "I'm going to be blunt and to the point." he began. "The PKB have become somewhat tired of this whole situation between the ZBC and the NUBG, and your team in particular. The last thing we want is a group of criminals running around in Zoids, out and attacking Members of the legitimate Zoid using community. At the same time, we understand that your team are the victims in all this, and want to do what we can to help you out."

"It's about time." Stephen commented. "No offence, but we were beginning to feel like we were all on our own."

"You must understand, Mr Chesterton, that the ZBC's forces are limited by law to security only." Elisa spoke up. "Normally in the advent of an NUBG attack, we need to contact the PKB for assistance."

"Likewise, the PKB's forces are nominally for defensive and law-enforcement use only." Mal continued. "However, in this case, we feel that something needs to be done about the NUBG."

"So what is it that you're thinking of?" Stephen asked.

"And am I the only one who is worried why we're being invited to this?" Neil added. "I mean, really, worried?"

"Shh." Rose replied, elbowing him. "I, for one, just want this mess to be over."

"I understand your apprehension." Mal continued. "What you must understand is that we normally wouldn't do this. However, the fact that the NUBG has continued to target the ZBC and, more specifically, your team, means that we have to do something about it. And that's why we need your team."

"At the start of next round, your team will take part in a battle outside the city." Elisa spoke up. "Specifically, in an area where the NUBG used to launch battle invasions during their first attempt at attacking the ZBC several years ago. Based on the way they normally act, we belive that the NUBG will again attempt to go after your team."

"This will give us a chance to act." Mal spoke up. "The area will be crawling with PKB Zoids and officers, all ready to deal with any possible NUBG incursion. So when they move to take out your team, we will be ready for them. The PKB will move in and disable the NUBG attackers. Not only will this send a message to the NUBG that we're not willing to sit back and let them do whatever they want, but hopefully any prisoners we get from such a battle will be able to provide us with information on the inner workings of the organisation. With some luck, this operation could not just serve to stop them from their attacks on you, but could be enough to knock them out of action once and for all."

"This is why we've come to you." Mal continued. "Your team are the ones they've been after since this whole mess started. Putting it bluntly, we want you to be the bait for the NUBG, the ones that get their attention. With the way they think, we feel that they wouldn't be able to pass up another opportunity to get at you guys. I know it sounds like a crappy job but, well, it may be our best chance to stop them."

"The ZBC and the PKB do not want to force you into this battle." Elisa continued. "We're asking for your cooperation, not demanding it. In the end, it’s your choice as to whether you want to take part in this. You will be rewarded for your actions; the ZBC will pay you the equivalent of your full prize money for a battle, with each of you receiving individual bonuses as if you had all survived the outcome. In essence, you'd be getting a four-nil victory payout."

"Well, guys, what do you think?" Stephen began as he glanced over the other Members of his team. "I'm not going to force anyone into this. I want to know how you all feel." He would have been the first to admit that he was a little apprehensive. This almost sounded like the sort of escalation that Gregor warned him about. At the same time, it was a chance to stop the NUBG from ever trying to attack them again. "I'll admit that I prefer the more active approach, but if any of you have issues..."

"Well, I think it's a good thing." Tasch spoke up, having been strangely quiet all meeting. "'cause, they're criminals, and we shouldn't let criminals get away with doin' bad stuff. 'cause if we do, then, well, that's bad too. So I say we stop 'em."

"Huh." Neil commented. "We could be like our own cop show. We stage an undercover sting, set up the badguys, have a few explosions and walk away with a cool freeze frame on the closing credits. Of couse, the question is if we're going to be the dashing leads or their stunt doubles."

"You wouldn't want to do that." Tasch added. "'cause then you'd have to spend all yer time making sure that yer face didn't get on camera."

"I have to agree with Tasch." Rose spoke up. "As strange as it sounds."

"Sou you mean you don't wanna be a stuntman either?" She asked.

"Er... no." Rose continued, shaking her head. "What I mean is that the NUBG have been making our lives a misery for far, far too long. I know that I'm responsible for all that's happened to us so far; I was the one who walked into that arena without thinking what I was doing. At the very least, I want to help fix some of that mistake. And, frankly, I wouldn't mind a chance to beat up on NUBG, rather then it being the other way around like it always is."

"Rose, nobody blames you for what you did." Neil commented. "I probably would have been suckered by her as well. Hell, given that it was that whatsherface from the Black Hands, I would have been going 'uuhh, boobies, sure anything you say' all night and not even noticed till I was NUBG champion or something." He smiled at her. "Hell, by running out on her, you were a lot braver then a lot of people would have been."

"So the question is, Neil, how do you feel about it?" Stephen asked. "I'm not willing to go unless we all agree to do this. I don't want to drag anyone in unwillingly."

"Well..." He shrugged. "Ah hell, why ever not? I get to save the world from the NUBG and be the hero of my own cop show. That’s cool with me."

"Yeah but..." Tasch spoke up. "What kinda cop show are we? Are we an action-adventure one with lots of car chases and shoot-outs, or are we an investigative cop show where we have to think it all through and then find the clues and confront the bad guy, or are we a kinda drama series that's set in a police station and we chase crooks and have personal problems?"

Rose sat there for a moment, as if she was trying to think of a comeback to Tasch. Neil cut in instead. "...don't you love it when she does that?" He asked.

"Does what?" Tasch asked.

Neil turned back to Stephen. "That's a yes, then."

Stephen nodded, then turned back to Mal and Elisa. "We'll do it." He simply stated. "We all want this to be over, and I think its best that we end this on our terms, not theirs."

Elisa nodded. "Thank you very much, all of you."

"Right." Mal added. "We'll get you the details when we finalise them, but I know you'll all want to get yourselves as ready as you can." He looked over the team. "Because this weekend's battle is going to be a big one."

*****

Ron McGonnagle sat down on the park bench, obstinately not looking at the man sitting next to him. It wasn't a hard act to try; Heywood seemed to have reached a new level of awfulness in his appearance. He was slouching on the bench, several food stains decorating his shirt.

"Nice day." He began, casually.

"It stinks." Heywood muttered out in reply. "I'd rather be anywhere but here."

The feeling is mutual, you foul slob, Ron thought. He'd begun to realise that as much as he liked working for the NUBG, as much as he liked the illegal battles and as much as he liked the considerable cash kickbacks he was receiving for his work, he actually despised Heywood himself. Of course, it was a good idea not to say that if he wanted his flow of 'donations' to continue. "Well, I can think of a lot worse places to be."

Heywood grunted before speaking up. "So what's up, Ron?"

"The ZBC have changed their attitude towards our lot." Ron explained. "They've reached the conclusion that you guys are now a threat to both their own safety and the lives of their pilots. In short, they want to do something about you, make some move towards shutting you down."

"So what are they gonna do about it?"

"In short, they're trying to trap you and use that particular team you've been gunning for as the bait." Ron explained. "The idea being that they use them to lure your guys out then the PKB jumps on 'em and brings 'em down."

"Devious bastards." Michael replied, rubbing his chin. Ron was sure he could see bits of food stick in his beard. "So if we tried to attack, we'd end up facing two groups instead of one, huh? Got the details on their next battle?"

"Sure." Ron placed a small envelope on the bench, and slid it towards Heywood, who took it. "Everything’s in there."

"Right." He sat back. "It’s good to know that we're that notorious. We could use it as an angle for our next line of promotions. 'The PKB tried to stop us... now see the fights they didn't want you to know about!' We'd make a killing."

"Probably." Ron continued. "Its just a pity you don't have that 'breaker around anymore. You could use it to take out the whole team in one go. Just fly over 'em and vape 'em with the particle cannon... Wouldn't be much of a match though."

Heywood glared at him. "You do know that a Genobreaker can't fire its cannon while in flight, right?"

"Yeah, well..." Ron replied, caught out. He had been sure that they could. "Anyway, I was just saying."

"Speaking of the Breaker..." Heywood continued. "One of your pilots has been having a go at one of ours. We had a whole team wiped out by some guy the other day. Four Zoids were trashed and two pilots wound up in one of our back-room clinics. Now this sorta thing isn't good for business, Ron. I want you to put a stop to it."

"I would if I could." He replied. "The last thing I want is someone complicating matters, and a vigilante running around ripping into your Zoids is a severe complication indeed. Thing is, I have no idea who it is, so I couldn't stop them if I wanted to. And unless you want to take it to the PKB, which I doubt, I can't really go around ordering people to tell me where they were on that night. As far as the ZBC and the PKB are concerned, that attack never happened. Hell, I only know about it because you told me."

"Right." Heywood muttered. "But do me one favour, Ron? If you hear something, let me know. The last thing I want is some maniac running around making my life hell."

"Me too, Michael. Me too."

*****

In preparation for their battle (and the PKB operation), Tasch and Stephen had been going over their Zoids to make sure that everything was in peak working condition. Looking over things, they'd found that there were a fair few parts that were either becoming worn or in need of replacement. Neil's Gunsniper in particular seemed to be little more then a mess of second hand parts and leftovers that had been slapped together into a workable Zoid. Stephen had commented that he wouldn't be surprised if at least one of its limbs hadn't come from a different machine altogether.

Armed with a shopping list of components, Tasch had gone out to pick up some replacements for numerous small but vital items. Form her point of view as an experienced mechanic, she knew that many people often overlooked the little, simple things that made a Zoid tick. She could reMember one Zabat that she'd had to work on after it did a belly flop emergency landing after loosing power; the fault was traced to a single power board that should have been replaced ages ago.

Because ZBC pilots didn't have to stick to strict military schedules, they often would up overlooking a lot of things until they were absolutely necessary or, more often, too late. She'd actually been working on a plan to overcome this by figuring a regular maintenance cycle for the team. But for now, she was just shopping for parts.

While she was looking over power couplings, she was distracted by a loud clattering noise from nearby, punctuated by some muttered swearing. Something nudged against her foot; looking down she could see that it was a cylindrical power regulator. She knelt down, picking it up and looking over it. While she couldn't recognise the exact model, she knew the design. It was similar to, but a lot larger then, the ones used in the legs of Rose's Liger Zero.

"Must be a specialty order" She commented to herself. "Probably not much that uses this."

"Aha!" A voice came from nearby. "There you are." Tasch stood, seeing another woman approaching. She was taller then Tasch, and far more heavily built; somewhat along Stephen's lines. She had short cut black hair which partially covered her striking violet eyes. She was dressed in a sleeveless purple halter top and matching pants, and was carrying several other parts. "I dropped it and it rolled off. Thanks for that."

"It’s cool." Tasch began as she handed over the converter to the woman. "Hey, yer from Nyx too."

"I what?" The woman asked. "Oh yeah." she grinned, then indicated to her eyes. "You got me there."

"Yeah. I just noticed that." She added. "I only noticed 'cause, well, you don't see too many other Nyxians 'round here. So yer eyes kinda stood out. Its weird, 'cause at home they'd be normal. But here, everyone's got really weird eye colours, so yours look abnormal, y'know?"

"I know how it goes." She continued as she stuffed a couple of parts into her basket. "Too many people just look at my eyes, like they're weird or something. I guess we just stand out." She shrugged. "But then, that can be useful."

"How so?"

"Well..." She began, not quite looking at Tasch. "Its helpful if you’re looking for another Nyxain. Helps them stand out a bit."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." She continued, still looking at a point a few inches right of Tasch's head. "Actually, I've been looking around for this one old friend of mine. I know he lives here but... well, I haven't seen him in ages." She continued. "You might no him, actually, what with him being another Nyxian and there being so few of us about here."

"Don't think so." Tasch commented. "What's he like?"

"His name's Jean." She continued. "Tall guy, rail thin, wears snappy suits. He's got those firey orange eyes that all the cool people seem to have."

"Naw, I ain't seen him." Tasch shook her head. "In fact, yer the only other one I've seen since I've been here."

"Ah well, it was worth a try." The other woman shrugged. "Thanks anyway."

"Ah, its fine." Tasch finished.

The woman nodded. "Yeah. And good luck too, okay?" She finished as she turned and walked off.

"Well she was nice." Tasch commented to herself. So many people seemed to think that Nyxians were weird; not just their eye colours, but because they supposedly acted strange. However, Tasch hadn't been able to see anything any more strange about herself then any other person around. Then, shrugging to herself, she went back to browsing parts.

*****

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"Hey Rach." Heywood began as he walked into his office, a cigar in hand. "Hear the news?"

"What news?" She asked, looking up from the row of financial figures on the screen.

"Its great." He continued, grinning broadly. "We're now considered to be notorious."

"I though we already were, sir." She calmly replied, not sure if she liked where he was going with this."

"More so." He continued. "Get this, the PKB are trying to set up a sting to force us out of hiding. They're gonna use that team we've been after to lure us out, then move in and try to bag one of our teams. I guess the premise is that if some of our men get locked up then we'd loose interest."

"So we're going to go easy on the ZBC team then?"

"Go easy?" He snorted loudly. "Hell no, Rach. I'm going to go after them." He stuck his cigar in his mouth and, much to her annoyance, lit it.

"I don't understand, sir. Surely that's what they want you to do."

"Rach, it’s a crying shame that someone as hot as you could also be so incredibly dull." He replied with a sigh. "You probably find that screen full of figures exciting."

That was true, she would admit. But then, it was probably not for the reasons he thought it was. She was far more interested in where the money was coming from.

"You see, Rach, it's an angle." He continued, not waiting for her to respond. "Think about it. The NUBG's brave pilots manage to outwit both the PKB and the ZBC and evade their carefully laid trap. Then, once they have their chance, they need to finish off the enemy team before the PKB can send reinforcements. Its exciting, edge of the seat stuff and I know for a fact that our audience will pay through the nose to see it. The odds will go through the roof when they learn that the PKB is involved... the amount we'll make off the betting alone will be incredible."

"I see sir." She replied. "I suppose so."

"And it won't stop there." He continued. "If we pull this off, then the PKB will be trying harder to get us. We'll become even more illegal and dangerous in the eyes of the public, which in turn will make us seem more attractive. The public loves criminals, Rach. They love the thrill of the forbidden, the chance to do or see something that they shouldn't, something that Johnny Law won't allow them. And we can provide that option, Rach."

"So by eluding the PKB, we become more attractive to our clientele." She continued. "I think i see the reasoning."

"Good on ya, Rach. There may be hope for you yet." He grinned.

She considered things for a moment before she continued. "This will be a lot more difficult then a usual battle, sir." She spoke up. "I was wondering if you had a team in mind."

"Hmm..." He considered matters. "Less a team, more of a few individuals who have done me well in past, as well as a special little project or two. Yeah, I think that would work well." He looked around the room. "Rach, I think that its time that our little Guest earned her keep. Despite what she did to this organisation, she may yet be useful to us still."

Rachel knew who he was talking about, and began to follow his reasoning. With the way her mind worked, she'd be very much willing to take part in this battle. In fact, she'd probably leap at the opportunity to avenge herself on a perceived slight. In fact, Rachel knew just what she needed to say to get her attention. "Do you want me to go and get her, sir?" She spoke up.

"Yeah, you do that, Rach." He replied. "Get her cleaned up too, and get her into my personal lounge, 'kay?" He grinned as he continued to chomp on his cigar. "This is going to be good, Rach. This is going to be real good."

"Yes, sir." She replied as she stood up. Stepping out of the office, she descended several flights of stairs down to the lowest depths of the NUBG facilities. Down here was the guts of the arena; all the machinery that was needed to keep it running. It was also where then NUBG's dirtiest secrets were kept. Some of them were known only to the group’s leader and his 'inner circle' of top warriors. And, of course, his assistant who did a lot of the day to day work in running the organisation.

She headed down one hallway which stood out from the others by the presence of an armed guard. He was clad in the NUBG's unofficial security uniform; a supposedly menacing set of black fatigues with a silver trim, the NUBG logo on the shoulders. He carried a gun over his shoulder, and looked surprisingly alert for a low-paid goon with very little to do. Maybe these men are better then I thought. Or maybe he saw me coming.

"I'm here for the prisoner." She began as she walked towards him. "Heywood's orders." She added. She didn't need to say the latter; theoretically she would only be here if he'd ordered her to come down.

"Yes, sir." He replied. "I'll lead on."

"Thank you." She casually added. The pair of them walked through a particularly dark and dank hallway where every second light seemed to be flickering or off. The doors were a lot heavier then the others around the rest of the facility's; being metal instead of wood, with viewing silts at eye level. The NUBG normally didn't have much need for prisons; most of its pilots were criminals in and of themselves. However, every now and then, somebody did break one of their unwritten rules. When such a thing happened, they needed to be dealt with. This was the place for them.

Or for those who are too stupid to consider the consequences of their actions. She thought to herself as they stopped in front of a cell. She slid open the slit, looking inside. Sitting on the tiny cell's bed was a young woman, her features partially hidden by the darkness inside the cell.

"What do you want?" the young woman snapped.

"I want to give you a chance." Rachel replied. "You have an opportunity to get your revenge on the honourless woman who betrayed your trust. You have the opportunity to prove your true capabilities as a warrior by defeating her - and her team - in combat. You can do this for the NUBG, or you can remain in your cell. It’s your choice."

There was a pause, and then the girl spoke, her angry blue-green eyes glaring straight at Rachel. "Let me." She began. "I want to prove just what I can do."

Rachel smiled to herself. She knew that wording it like that would work.

*****

After several days of hard work, everything was as ready as it could be for the forthcoming battle. The Members of the Broken Chairs had been over their Zoids, checking and re-checking that everything was in perfect running condition. Tasch and Stephen had spent innumerable hours working on anything they found, no matter how minor it was, in order to make sure that nothing could go wrong. They'd planned for battling the team they were scheduled to fight, any of the NUBG teams they'd fought in past and several hypothetical situations that Stephen had devised. (He hadn't said where he'd gotten his force compositions from, but he'd based them on info that Gregor had given him.) Finally, they'd logged a number of simulator hours with PKB officers while attending several briefings, just to make sure that they and their allies were ready to work together under fire.

The result was that, by the night before the battle, they were all exhausted. But, at the same time, they were also as ready as they ever would be.

They four of them were sitting in their living room, pretty much slumped in their chairs. Only Tasch seemed to be alert, quietly tapping away on her computer as normal. "An' that looks like everything." She suddenly spoke up, announcing, well, whatever it was, to the entire room.

"What's up?" Rose asked.

"Jus' goin over the plan for tomorrow, that's all." She finished.

"So how are we looking?" Neil asked.

Tasch handed the computer to Stephen. "Pretty good, actually." he commented, looking over the screen. "We'll follow the usual plan for the Gustavs; Tasch and I will drive, while Neil and Rose will be in their Zoids. Neil, I want you to keep an eye on your radar, just in case anything happens."

"Sure thing" he commented as he stood, walking into the kitchen.

"So what's the deal with the PKB?" Rose asked.

"They'll be in the area." Stephen continued. "They won't be immediately with us, but rather following at a distance. The idea is that they will keep their eyes open for any activity and act on it. There will also be troops in position at the battlefield.:"

"Wow." Neil added as he returned, putting a bowl of chips down on the table. "Sounds like we're really well loved today."

"Well, I guess they jus' don't want NUBG runnin' around and messin' up all the battles." Tasch spoke up. "I mean, people runnin' around illegally usin' Zoids ain't something you want. I don’t know about here, but back home its very much against the law, an' it’s heavily dealt with."

"Hey, don't they have Zoid battles on Nyx too?" Rose asked. "I, uh, heard about them from someone once."

"Yeah, they do." Tasch replied, looking up from her screen. "Though they ain't as big or as involved as what we have here."

"So is there anything like NUBG there?" She continued. "You know, a group that runs their own illegal battles with their own rules and tries to attack the legitimate pilots?"

"I don't think so." Tasch shook her head. "I can't say I've ever heard of one."

"So, um, what'd happen to an NUBG guy if he got caught on Nyx?" She asked. "Like, if he's been doing NUBG-ish stuff there."

"Hmm..." Tasch thought about it. "Well, if he’s illegally pilotin' a Zoid, that's so much... an' I guess its like, well, assault or destruction of property, since its an illegal battle... an' being a Member of a banned or subversive organisation." She continued thinking about it. "Probably lifetime imprisonment with no parole for a first offence." She nodded. "Death penalty for a second one."

"Like she said, no NUBG on Nyx." Neil added as he grabbed a handful of chips..

"...really." Rose finished, somewhat surprised sounding.

"Sometimes it sounds like they've got the right idea." Stephen muttered. "I figure that we'd have a lot less of those NUBG clowns running around, making our lives a misery, if more could be done about them."

"So what would you suggest?" Neil asked, a pile of chips in his hand. "That the PKB should be allowed to stomp around town and poke random bystander people to see who's side they're on?"

"I'm not saying that." He replied, a touch angry. "All I’m saying is that they need to do more about the NUBG."

"I guess the thing is that NUBG mainly keeps to itself and doesn't bother other people." Neil commented between chips. "It’s just that they’re being particularly annoying right now."

"More like particularly stupid." Rose added. "Smarter people would have given up by now."

"What is it with you and this whole 'NUBG is full of rockheads' thing anyway?" He continued.

Rose shrugged. "Most of it is stuff that I heard from Violet and... other people." She shrugged. "It's not like the ones we've met have been exactly awing me with their stunning intellects. Especially that... that stupid girl in the Genosaurer. I mean, what did she think was going to happen? That I would walk out of there and stay quiet and pretend that nothing had happened?"

"Well, perhaps she thought that you'd be nice to her." Tasch spoke up. "You did make a promise to her."

"Desperation." Rose shrugged. "I wasn't going to go head-to-head with a Genosaurer, especially not in an illegal arena. And she should have known what would have happened if she let me go free unharmed." She took a couple of chips. "Like I said, stupid."

"So what, you'd rather she'd blasted you on the spot?" Neil asked.

"Well, it would been the smart thing to do." Tasch spoke up. "'cause that way, there'd be no chance of you escapin' and, say, desotryin' the doomsday bomb before it could be activated. Which you'd only know about 'cause they’d told you rather then killin' ya on the spot."

Rose tried to figure out what Tasch had said. It didn't work.

"Look, we can go over the hypothetical and the what ifs later." Stephen spoke up. "Right now, we need to get ready for tomorrow. And I, for one, think that we should be getting some sleep."

"So let’s get a good night's rest, then." Neil finished. "We gotta be up nice and early to put our heads on the chopping block."

*****

"I heard..." CJ Tan began. "I hard that there's someone in a powerful Zoid has been going around, killing off NUBG Members."

Brock Hartford rolled his eyes as he sat in the reception area. He'd been called here by Michael Heywood himself, the leader of the NUBG for some special meeting. He was surprised at this; he was only one of the newest Members of the NUBG, being only recruited a few months ago., True, he'd done well, since then but...

He glanced around at the quartet of pilots waiting with him. Two of them looked barely old enough to shave; CJ, a kid with spikey hair that sported several coloured highlights and way too much jewellery, and Butch, one of the most erroneously named men he'd ever met. Butch was tall and rail thin, with spiked hair and an earring that spoke of vain attempts to look cool. He had quietly wondered if CJ and Butch were a couple. They looked it.

"I heard that they attacked the Obsidian Demons and killed two of the pilots." He continued, glancing around. "One Zoid ripped four apart, man." He glanced around. "And you know how Shane and Julian were off for a while? That's because they only barely survived being attacked by it."

"Stop being a *Watch your language!*, CJ." Gavin Fort spoke up. The oldest and second biggest of them, Brock could buy that he actually was an illegal Zoid battle pilot and not some kid out for yucks. "If this guy had been killing off NUBG pilots, then where are the casualties? It’s not like there's dozens dead." He had a shaved head, pointy beard and ears that stuck out too much, but at least his battered jacket and jeans looked authentic. CJ and Butch looked like their clothes had been ripped when they got them off the rack.

"Yeah, well... what about Jean?" Bruno Wallace, his right hand man began. "He out and vanished, and they found his Zoid... and it had been ripped apart. I think that whoever it was, they got him." Bruno was a large, imposing man with a scarred face, brutish features and short brown hair. Right now, however, he was failing to live up to his looks. "First he bumps off one of us, then a team... what's next?"

"Will you bloody well shut up, Bruno?" Gavin continued. "There is not some deranged killer out to get you. You’ve been shaking like a small girl."

"You know what?" Butch spoke up. "I heard that one of these ZBC pilots that NUBG has been after is called Stroemer... like... that guy who piloted the Gilvader in the old war." He paused, as if he was awaiting the response. "What if... what if they’re related? What if she's using his Zoid to take us out?"

"Oh for Christ’s sake, Butch." Gavin snapped. "If it was a bloody Gilvader, then we'd all be bloody well dead by now. He wouldn't bother knocking out one team or one man, he'd just bloody well take out all of us in one swoop. So stop going on about it. And if there was someone out to get NUBG, then they'd hardly bloody well bother going after a bunch of inbred cretins like you miserable lot."

Brock shook his head, quietly wondering who the hell these guys were and, more to the point, what they were doing here. He hoped that he’d have an explanation sometime soon.

The door to the office opened, which made him perk up. He hoped that whoever this was, they'd provide some answers to his query. Instead, a large woman stepped into the room, seating herself next to him without saying a word. Almost as big as he was, she was heavily muscled, and sported numerous scars across her arms and face. Her eyes were hidden behind dark glasses, while her hair was cropped short and coloured fiery red. She was dressed in an ugly red scale-pattern shirt and leather pants.

Stuck between a butch *Watch your language!* and the queerest men in town. Great. He checked the woman again, and then realised who she was. Sheila Devlin, another NUBG pilot and, if the rumours were true, some sort of streetfighter turned 'enforcer' for the NUBG. Now he was really interested as to what was going on.

After a few more minutes, the inner door opened, Michael Heywood stepping in. "Right." He began. "Now that you're almost all here, we'll begin. Come on in and take a seat."

Not needing to be told twice, Brock stood and entered the room. He found himself in a large lounge, one dominated by a massive flat-screen display. There were several comfortable couches around the room, one of which was occupied by a pair of men with a third standing behind them. He realised who they were, recognising two of them from his first night with NUBG. Shane Adams, Julian Hatchett and Cole McGuire. Those are three of the biggest names in the organisation. What the hell is going on here?

"Gentlemen, lady..." Heywood began. "Please, take a seat." Brock sat on one of the couches, Sheila silently settling in on the same couch, albeit at the other end. The four others took places on various couches, while Heywood stood at the front of the room. "You may be wondering why I've called you here today." He began. "The reason is simple. There's a problem with NUBG. A problem that only you can resolve for us."

"Several months ago, a ZBC Zoid warrior got into one of our arenas. She then managed to escape, and ratted on us to the ZBC" He continued. Brock instantly knew what he was talking about; he had been there that night. He'd thought that he was going to be killed for sure; instead, he'd wound up being allowed to join and participate in the NUBG.

"Since then, gentlemen, we've been at war. We've been going up against this team, wanting to show them and the whole ZBC, that nobody, and I mean nobody, messes with the NUBG. We've done well so far; we've made a fortune off these battles, and those benefits have flowed down to the brave warriors who have been at the frontlines."

"So now it's your turn. I have gathered you all here today so that you can also have the chance to take part in this and reap the benefits. Each one of you has a reason why you're here, something that you can bring to this battle." He started with the group of pilots. "Gavin Fort. You and your men have worked together as a team, developing the ultimate in coordination, teamwork and tactics to fight as a unit. Your skills and your Zoids are a vital part of this victory."

"Sheila Devlin. You have been a long time, faithful Member of the NUBG since our earliest days. You also possess a certain brutal, relentless style that very few opponents are ready for. I want you to turn that brutality towards our enemies, and deliver unto them your particular brand of pain." Sheila didn't react at all, remaining impassive throughout.

"And, as for you, Brock Hartford..." Heywood beamed. "Since you joined us, you’ve tracked up an impressive string of victories. You've defeated every challenge that has been thrown at you and managed to become one of the NUBG's rising stars. And even though you only joined us very recently, and under very controversial circumstances at that, you've proven that you have a place mongst NUBG's best, its most elite warriors."

This took Brock by surprise. He had no idea that he'd done so well in the NUBG. While he knew that he'd achieved some degree of success in the last few months, this was well beyond what he'd expected. He glanced around at the group of NUBG 'big names' seated nearby, amazed that he would be counted amongst their ranks. He was also now strangely curious as to what exactly Heywood had planned.

"You will be a part of a new, special team, one that will strike at our enemies and show them that NUBG will not be opposed. You will face the ZBC and defeat their top team, proving your own skills and the superiority of the NUBG's style of battle." He smiled. "For you, the brave men who faced the ZBC head on, there will be honour and glory... not to mention a huge cash bonus."

This got a round of laughs from some of the other pilots. Brock, however, remained impassive for the time being, as did Sheila. "So, as soon as the last Member of your team arrives, we'll go over what we're going to do."

Last Member? Brock looked around, somewhat surprised. He wanted to know who this person was, and what was their role in all this.

A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. "That will be them now." Heywood began. "You may enter."

The door opened to reveal a pair of figures. Brock immediately noted and recognised the first of them, completely ignoring the other one. She was short, but generously shaped, with long platinum blonde hair and green eyes. She was dressed in a skin-tight, revelling outfit, that showed off her figure.

"Allow me to introduce former NUBG Underground Champion, one-time ZBC top contender and the last Member of your team, Ariel Mychelle." Heywood continued as the woman silently walked into the room, then sat down next to him.

Its her! He thought. Ariel had been the girl who had lead him here and gotten him into the NUBG. She had also been the root cause of all that had happened since then; she'd allowed that other ZBC pilot to leave unharmed with an empty promise of silence. What is going on here? And what is Heywood planning? A look at the NUBG leader's face revealed nothing beyond a broad grin. All of a sudden, he didn't know if he should be enthusiastic, or worried.

*****

[Deadborder]

The Broken Chairs' two rented Gustavs trundled through the desert, weaving a path between the rocky outcroppings that dominated the area. The desert west of the city had played host to several of their battles thus far, including one with the NUBG. Hopefully, today’s would be the last of them.

Despite the fact that it was a desert, the skies overhead were grey with a storm slowly rolling in. It wasn't raining yet, but it was obvious that it would be just a matter of time before the heavens opened up. This only seemed to add to the already tense atmosphere between the team Members.

"How far is it?" Neil asked from the cockpit of his Gunsniper, which was sitting on one of the trailers. "Its not that I’m having an attack of the 'are we there yets', mind you. I just want to know when we can expect to get shot at."

"The plan is for us to get to the battlefield early, then be attacked there, Neil." Stephen replied from the cockpit of the lead Gustav. "We went over this in the briefing."

"I know, I know." Neil replied. "I just don't like waiting."

"So you'd rather have them shooting at us?" Rose asked, riding in the cockpit of her Zoid. "I'm sure they can arrange that.

"Ah... that's not what I mean." he replied. "Its just the tension, that's all."

"Yeah, I know how you feel." Stephen admitted. "Right now, I want to pound something flat myself. But that isn't gonna happen until the designated time. So, for now, everybody relax and try to stay focused, okay?"

"Yeah." Tasch replied. “We got to make sure that we’re ready to get ambushed. We want to be ambushed at the right time and right place, an' be ready for it. We don't wanna show up at the ambush unprepared fer it."

"...do you know how that sounded?" Rose asked.

"Like… I said it?" Tasch replied.

"...about that." Rose finished, shaking her head.

"Okay everyone, just keep calm." Stephen continued. "Let's just stay focused and stop talking about the hypotheticals. It will happen when it happens, and not before. Hell, we don't even know if they will show up."

"Of course they will." Rose commented. "We're out here in a perfect situation for them to ambush us. They're too dumb to think otherwise."

"Geez, you're being charitable." Neil butted in. "You're pretty convinced that NUBG are all a bunch of inbred schmucks, aren't you?"

"Give me reason to think otherwise." She replied with a grin. "You've got to admit, they haven't struck us as the sharpest tools in the shed thus far."

"I dunno..." He continued. "The first team that ambushed us were pretty good. We got lucky against them, Really."

"And' that Lord Gale was plenty sharp too." Tasch continued. "Especially his lances. Yeah... they coulda got me but good. I don't wanna get poked with one of those. Good thing I chopped his claw off. That was pretty sharp too." She considered things for a moment. "'course, since they had a Murasame Liger, that means they're even sharper. It’s a pretty sharp cat."

"That’s not what I meant, Tasch." Rose continued.

"Well I thought they were sharp." She continued. "I dunno what you think is sharp then."

"Sorry to interrupt." An new voice entered the conversation. "This is the PKB. We've just received word that the Scarlet Crusaders have come under attack. Additionally, our scouts have sighted several Zoids in the area that could be NUBG units. They're definitely active in the area, and we suspect are moving to take over the battle as we predicted."

"Right. What should we do?" Stephen asked.

"We'll investigate. You keep heading to the battlefield for the moment ands await further instructions. Two of our units will meet you there."

"Affirmative." Stephen nodded. "You heard him. Keep going and remain casual."

"And try to pretend that we don't know that there are NUBG guys out there trying to kill us." Neil finished. "Gotcha."

The convoy continued on its way, progressing through the rocky desert towards their objective. Even though they all knew what was going on, the four pilots remained cautious, constantly watching the area around them for any signs of potential attackers. Above them, the skies darkened, the occasional bolt of distant lighting breaking up the grey. After what seemed like a short eternity, the team reached the battlefield, on time according to the PKB's plan.

As they approached, they could see something odd; a pair of smoke columns rising up from the desert floor. Eantering the battlefield proper, it became obvious where they had come from; a pair of PKB Zoids, a Gorheks and an Arosaurer, lay on their sides, huge holes blasted through their armour.

"Guys..." Neil began. "I think we're not alone."

"I can't see anything on my Gustav's scope." Stephen began. "Tasch?"

"Nope." She replied. "I ain't got nothing."

"What's the plan then?" Rose asked. "Do we assume that they've been and gone or what?"

"You and Neil get ready." He replied. "I'll contact the PKB." He activated the Gustav's long rage communications system, but got only the loud hiss and pop of static. Skipping channels, he got the same on every line. "This isn't good." He began as Rose's Zero stepped past his Zoid. "It looks like we're being jammed."

"It’s gotta be a Dark Spiner." Tasch spoke up. "Or a Dimetro, yeah. Somehtin' big and wide-area, somehtin' that could be out of our sensor range."

"Right." He commented. "Tasch, get to your Zoid. I'll join you as soon as possible." He leaped out of the cockpit, sprinting towards his massive Zoid that was sitting on the Gustav's trailer. A few minutes later, his Zoid stepped off, its head turning as it searched the area, slowly knuckling its way towards the rest of the team. "I can't see anything on the composite sensors."

"And my radars can't see jack either." Neil added. "But then if we are being jammed, then they could be hiding right in front of us and I wouldn't see 'em."

"What now?" Rose asked, an anxious tone in her voice.

"Just stay sharp." Stephen replied. "And stay here. The PKB know where we're supposed to be, so if we remain here then they can find us, jamming or not." He cautiously looked around, wondering where exactly the PKB were. Apart from the two downed Zoids, he hadn't seen any signs of them since they'd reported the enemy activity.

"Great." Neil commented as a few drops of rain splattered off the Gunsniper's canopy. "It seems that they're smarter then they lo-"

Before he could finish, a massive blue-white beam appeared out of seemingly thin air in front of the team. The beam tore straight past their Zoids, instead striking the pair of Gustavs, literally blasting them apart, reducing them to twisted messes of debris.

"The hell?" Rose called out, glancing around for any sign of their attacker. "What... what was that?"

"That was our damage deposit going out the window." Neil commented. "I can't see what did it though. I've got nothing on radar, nothing on visual..."

"It's a charged particle cannon!" Tasch called out as her Redler took to the air. "Like what you'd get from a Genosaurer!"

A hollow laugh echoed across the battlefield. "You're right there." A woman's voice began. "You ZBC warriors... you can't handle the unexpected, the unsensual. Your reliance on your rules and regulations of battle have dulled your warriors instincts." Ahead of them a shape slowly appeared in the rain, initially just a blurry grey form but then resolving itself to the shape of a Genosaurer.

"A Holotech Genosaurer?" Rose asked. "The hell?"

"They're very rare." Tasch replied. "And really scary."

"You betrayed me." The pilot called out as she looked over the Broken Chairs, and at the Liger Zero. "I made you promise not to tell anyone about what happened. You betrayed that promise, and for that, you must suffer."

"Ariel?" Rose asked.

Before she could get an answer, there was a loud whirling noise form behind them. A second Zoid, a Gravity Saurer, leaped onto the top of a nearby rocky outcropping, the bizarre machine looking down on the team below. A third Zoid joined them, a Rev Rapter armed with a pair of Pile Bunker units emerging from behind a different rock.

"We're surrounded." Stephen glanced around. "It looks like we're going to fight our way out."

"We've got the numbers." Rose commented. "And it looks like they don't have an airborne Zoid, so that's an advantage."

As if on cue, a fourth shape entered the battlefield, swooping down over it. A dark blood-red colour with bright golden claws, the Zoid had a strange, almost skeletal look to it. Taller then the Genosaurer, it looked to be comprised of parts of other Zoids stuck together. "A Matrix Dragon!" Tasch called out. "Great. Now we're outnumbered to boot."

"Nice call, Rose." Neil added, a sarcastic tone in his voice.

"What do you want?" Stephen called out. The question was answered for him as a small drone hovered over the battlefield, midway between his Zoid and the Genosaurer. He and the rest of the team could instantly recognise the drone for what it was, a judge drone, like the ones used by the ZBC... and the NUBG.

“The Bloody Fang versus the Broken Chairs.” The deep, and menacing sounding electronic voice began. “NUBG rules: No restrictions. Both teams confirmed. Arena confirmed. Contestants ready… fight!”

*****

As soon as he'd gotten up onto the mesa, Brock had been ready for the battle. His Gravity Saurer's drive system gave him the ability to get to places a lot of other Zoids couldn't, and this mesa made for the perfect firing position. He’d already dropped his sights onto the Liger, and was waitng for the signal to start.

As soon has he heard he judge drone signal to begin, he squeezed the triggers. All six of the Gravity Saurer's cannons opened fire, spitting beams at the unsuspecting Liger. The shots had the desired effect, slagging armour off its back and sides, causing the machine to stagger in place under the force of the blows.

"Yeah!" He called out as the white Zoid burst into a run. "Come on, kitty." He sneered. "You can run bur you can't hide." He'd picked the highest spot on the battlefield to atack from. Up here, his Gravity Saurer's long-range beam guns could be used to rain down damage on the Zoids below him, while he would be relatively safe from counter attack. Up here, only the Iron Kong or the Redler could get to him, and even then he knew that they'd have enough to deal with themselves.

He opened fire again, spraying shots at the Liger. This time the enemy pilot was ready for him, managing to weave her way through the bulk of his fire. It didn't really matter to him if she did; he'd get her eventually, and all she could do was run around and look stupid. The Zero's lack of long-ranged firepower was a flaw that so many people overlooked, but he wasn't one of them. He could blaze away all night if he wanted to, it wasn’t like he'd run out of ammunition. The only thing he didn't want to throw at her were the Paznerfausts; he was saving those for if he could get a chance at the Iron Kong.

It'd serve her right too, he thought to himself. Stupid cow... she shoulda taken up Ariel's offer when she had the chance. He smirked. Or she shouldn't have gone with her. He didn't know exactly what it was that Ariel had offered him initially, but was willing to take the chance, He and the ZBC were far from friends anyway. To him, joining NUBG had been merely an end that had been coming for some time.

And now here I am, one of the team's elites. Not bad, huh? From ZBC bottom-feeder to NUBG king. He grinned as he opened fire again, another pair of shots narrowly missing the fast-moving enemy Zoid. "Won't be too much longer now," he thought. "Me, Brock Hartford, NUBG champion."

A volley struck the Liger in the side, causing the enemy Zoid to skid and slide, stumbling as its pilot tried to regain control of the machine. Inside the cockpit, Brock grinned to himself as he watched the enemy Zoid go. He was particularly glad that it was this Zoid that he was taking a shot at, the woman who had caused all of NUBG so much grief. It was her, more then any other one Member of the team that had been a problem for them.

"And now she's mine." He added. "Come on, girl. Come and get it." He'd almost wished that she'd joined NUBG In a way. He'd found her to be quite attractive, and he'd definitely wanted to get to know her better. Of course, she would have been competing for his attention against Ariel. And Ariel, well... She had that whole 'underaged hottie' thing going and, well he didn't care how blatantly fake her boobs were. He just wanted to get his hands on them.

"Well, maybe she can thank me later after I take out this Liger." He continued. "Yeah. I'm sure she'd like that." he lined up his next shot as the Liger broke into a run, heading straight for him. He squeezed the trigger, his beam cannons shooting just over the Liger as it took off. Muttering to himself, he continued firing, trying to draw a bead on the Zoid that was probing to be so elusive. "Come on..."

The Liger vanished from his sights, dropping under the rim of the mesa he was squatting on. He glanced around, trying to figure its next move. She can't get up here, can she? He asked himself. No way...

No, he figured that he was safe for now. He could remain up here indefinitely, and she would have to move at some point or another. Once she did, then he'd be ready for her. And when she moved, then he'd be able to take her out.

"Come on. Come to daddy." He continued with a sneer. "You can't hide from me forever. So why not come on out and get what's coming to ya." He snorted to himself. "I'll make it quick and painless... course, I might go easy on ya, if you want to... make me feel good about it. Show me what you have... and I don't mean with the Liger."

He kept watching the area around him, waiting for the Liger to emerge. For the moment, she was the centre of his world, the only thing he cared about. For he knew if he took her out, then the world would be his.

*****

Ariel remained fixated on the Iron Kong, staring at the massive machine opposite her. She recognised it as being the same loathsome Zoid that had defeated her twice before. She would not let it happen again. Her personal honour needed to be satisfied, and it demanded that she defeat this one Zoid. Once she was through with it, she figured, then she could deal with that craven coward in the Liger Zero who had dared to betray her.

As soon as the siren sounded to start the match, she charged forwards, opening fire on the huge enemy Zoid with her twin pulse cannons. The long-ranged weapons spat fire at the Iron Kong, which used its huge boosters to leap sideways out of her way. She twisted the cannons to follow it, turning as she went to keep tracking it. Shots peppered into the Iron Kong's chest, smashing into its armour but not appearing to do any serious damage. At least, not yet.

The Iron Kong landed from its jump, opening fire on the Genosaurer with its shoulder-mounted Hyperbeam launcher on her Zoid. Taking a leaf out of the enemy pilot's book, she fired the Genosaurer's own boosters, leaping up and away from the enemy Zoid’s line of fire. The Genosaurer landed, then broke into a run as soon as it was down. She opened up the throttle, pushing her huge machine as fast as possible to close the distance between the pair of them.

She and the enemy pilot both opened fire at the same time, Ariel squeezing the trigger for the pulse cannons at the same time as the Iron Kong's pilot opened fire with the cluster of missiles concealed in the Zoid's left shoulder. Firing the thrusters again, she tried to twist away form the enemy weapons. She was partially successful, the several of the weapons slammed into the Genosaurer's side, shaking the Zoid and blasting armour form its flank. However, the damage was only superficial, her Zoid still fully functional.

"That will not stop me." She hissed. "This time, I will destroy you." The Genosaur let out a loud bellow as it charged forwards, lunging at the Iron Kong. Several more shots from the Pulse Cannons staggered the massive Zoid, gouging more armour off it and staggering it back. Seeing an opportunity, she moved in for the kill, aiming to take down her opponent in one fell swoop.

Her Genosaurer surged forwards, its massive jaws open and fangs bared for the kill. It lunged at the Kong, aiming to sink its teeth into the Zoid’s body. The enemy Zoid managed to respond at the last second, bringing its right arm around to block the strike; the Genosaurer's fangs sinking into that instead. Snarling to herself, Ariel pushed the throttle forwards, her Zoid surging against its larger opponent while sinking its fangs in.

The Iron Kong raised its other arm, opening fire with the twin-barrelled cannon mounted there at near point-blank range, Several shots struck the Genosaurer's head and neck, causing the Zoid to stagger back. There was an ear-piercing shriek as the Iron Kong ripped its other arm free, the armour all but shredded by the Genosaurer's attack. Recovering quickly, Ariel lunged at the enemy machine with her Zoid's claws, aiming to capitalise on the damage she'd done.

The claws scored into the Iron Kong, shredding into the Zoid’s forearms. One of them sliced through his forearm cannon mounting, ripping apart the weapon and reducing it to so much scrap. Grinning to herself at her minor victory, Ariel pressed on her attack, lunging at the huge Zoid again, aiming to finish it off.

Before she could strike, an ear-shattering thud resonated throughout the cockpit, the Zoid suddenly shuddering and staggering to one side. Before she could recover, a second strike drove the Genosaurer down, causing it to stumble. She glared at the Iron Kong as it raised its fist for a third strike, one that could finish off her Zoid - if she let it.

She swung around the Pulse Cannons, opening fire again on the Iron Kong as it reared back for another strike. The shots stuck the Zoid in its chest, causing it to step back for a moment. That was enough time for her, the Genosaurer leaping away form its opponent and breaking into a run.

Though damaged, the massive Zoid charged after her, knuckling along at high speed after her smaller, faster Zoid. The enemy pilot opened fire again with his Hyeprbeam cannon, the shot only narrowly missing her Genosaurer. She swerved the controls, the shot narrowly missing her Zoid. Spinning the Genosaurer around, she ran back towards the Iron Kong, the Zoid bellowing as it charged.

"This time, I will not be beaten." She hissed to herself, glaring at her massive opponent.

*****

The Rev Rapter, its pilot apparently free from any overt concerns of vengeance or tactical needs, had decided to pick Neil as her primary target. The enemy Zoid had charged forwards, hissing and spitting as it ran, rapidly closing in with Neil's Gunsniper. For his part, Neil had no real desire to get any closer to it then he already was; he knew what the Zoid's array of claws, fangs and scythes could do to him, and didn’t want to think about the two Pile Bunkers.

He raised the Gunsniper's arms, opening fire on the Rev Rapter as it charged at him. The enemy pilot seemed to be ready for him, however, and suddenly leaped out of his way, ducking bheind a rocky outcropping. Neil's shots tore into the rock around their Zoid, but didn't seem to do much else.

Neil knew that his best chance against the Rev Rapter was not to get too close to it, which fortunately was something he had a lot of experience in. The problem would be to get the enemy pilot to fight the way he wanted them to. "Okay... time to think." he began as he glanced around the battlefield. The rest of his team were all already tied up with other Members of the enemy team, which meant that he couldn't rely on them for support. In fact, each of them looked like they could use some help.

"So I've got to finish this clown off as fast as possible." He muttered to himself. "Right. Let's get to work." The Gunsniper broke into a run, sprinting away form the Rev Rapter's last known location. His plan was simple; force the enemy pilot to come to him, where he could battle them on his own terms. The secret was to get them to play the way he wanted to.

As he'd expected, the Rev Rapter charged out form its cover, sprinting after his Zoid. Though it was normally slightly faster then a Gunsniper, Neil noticed that the Rev Rapter had been having trouble with keeping up with him, and even seemed to be lagging behind. He immediately put that down to the weight of the twin piledrivers, something he felt that he could use to his advantage.

That didn’t; seem to be deterring the Rapter's pilot, however. Their Zoid chased after his, sprinting across th landscape, trying to lcose the distance between the pair of them. This could almost be fun, Neil thought to himself. If not for all the sharp claws and teeth that he wants to sink into me.

"I'll rip you apart with my bare hands!" The female pilot of the enemy Zoid called out as she chased after him, her Zoid snarling as if to emphasise the point.

"Oookay then, maybe not." He finished. "Okay, I think that now would be a good time to end this. Definitely now."

The Gunsniper fired its boosters, leaping into the air and landing on a nearby rock. Spinning around, Neil dropped his sights onto the approaching Rev Rapter. Lining it up, he opened fire with one of the rocket pods on the Zoid's back, just as the Zoid leaped up to get onto the rock. The results were rather dramatic; the rockets slammed into the oncoming Rapter, literally smashing it out of the air and sending it crashing to the ground below. He peered down at the Rapter as it lay there, flat on its back, its legs sticking up.

"Oookay, I'm going to assume you're out of action now." He began. "Let me know otherwise, and I'll be sure to, um, run away."

The Gunsniper hopped down from its perch, sprinting away from the downed Rapter to the other side of the battlefield. Looking over his radar scope, he could see that the situation did not look good. Rose was pinned down by the Gravity Saurer, Stephen was still tried up with the Genosaurer, and Tasch was engaged in an ongoing dogfight with the Matrix Dragon. None of them looked to be doing terribly well out of it.

Of course, there was the question of what he could do to alter the situation. He could do relatively little against the Matrix Dragon, and he didn't fancy his odds against the Genosaurer. That left just one enemy Zoid he could try at...

Ah hell, why ever not? He asked himself as a plan began to form in his mind. Opening up a channel, he called out to Rose. "Rose, it's me. I've got a plan!"

"Anything would be good right now!" She called back.

"Cool beans. Now just sit tight, and here's what we're going to do..."

*****

[Deadborder]

The Matrix Dragon swooped down towards the fleeing Redler, spitting fire from its various weapons at its smaller target as it closed in. The Redler twisted in the air, executing a surprisingly tight roll as it weaved through their shots; several bouncing off its hull as the Zoid climbed away. Save for a few marks, the Zoid seemed to have escaped unharmed for now. The Redler fired its boosters climbing away from its larger attacker.

"Damn you." Gavin began. "Come back here and fight like a man!" He pushed the throttle all the way open, the dragon's quad iron boosters roaring to life as the Zoid climbed after the Redler. "You're not getting away this time!" He added as he opened fire with the trio of guns mounted on the dragon's neck; the two small AZ Handguns and the larger AZ Assault Rifle. Several rounds form the rifle struck the Redler's back, the enemy Zoid managing to peel away before it could take any serious damage. "DAMN!"

"What's wrong?" Bruno asked. "Having problems with one tiny little Zoid?"

"Oh shut up you." He snapped. "I'm trying to do all the work here. You're just sitting round in our collective crotch, twiddling your thumbs!" The Redler swung around on a tight, booster-assisted turn, trying to cut inside the Matrix Dragon's path. Not willing to let it get away, Gavin twisted the controls, the Zoid coming around after it.

"Hey!" Bruno shouted out. "Lay off the crotch bit! I'm sure I could do just as well in the Nightwise as you do!"

The Matrix Dragon closed in on the Redler, its head twisting to track the enemy Zoid. A gout of flame bellowed from its mouth, narrowly missing the enemy Zoid. "We've been over this enough times already." Gavin continued as the Redler rolled away form his Zoid. He winged over, the Zoid twisting as it rolled to keep its eyes and weapons pointed at its target. "I was chosen as the Nightwise pilot, and thus leader of this team, because I was better at it then any of you were. End of argument."

The handguns twisted to follow the Redler's path as the Zoid dived away, opening fire on it. The two weapons spat twin streams of fire at the other Zoid, narrowly missing it while carving a pair of gouges in the side of a rock. The Redler sped away, the pilot opening the throttle all the way to escape from the Matrix Dragon. "If you're so damned good, then why are you having so much trouble with one damn Redler?"

"Look, this Redler's a rather good pilot." He replied as he opened up the throttle, the Matrix Dragon barrelling after its smaller prey. "That's all that it is. But that's all she has. Just keep your eyes open in case she or any of her chums do anything stupid, understand? That's all of you louts, not just commander crotch."

"Hey!" Bruno called back. Gavin didn't care, being entirely focused on the matter of the Redler. He wanted to bring it down and fast. It wasn't done for the leader of NUBG's most elite team to be having problems with a single enemy Zoid, and a weak, outdated one at that. He watched the black dot ahead of them, trying to predict what the enemy pilot would do next while quietly wishing he had two more missiles.

The Redler answered the question for him, the enemy Zoid suddenly making an incredibly sharp booster-powered turn, bleeding off speed as the Matrix Dragon accelerated towards it. He violently twisted the controls as the Redler opened fire, its beam cannons spitting out energy bolts at his fused Zoid. The Matrix Dragon rolled out of the way, the shots narrowly missing it.

As he'd expected, the Redler pilot used this chance to close in, tyring to use her smaller size and greater speed against him. "Hold on!" He called out as the Dragon pulled back, its whole body bending as it rolled out of the Redler's path. Unable to match the Dragon's flexibility and agility, the Redler powered past him, its pilot trying to keep her nose on their Zoid.

Seeing a chance, he twisted the machine around, opening fire again with the two Handguns. The shots sped past the Redler, only narrowly missing it. Keeping one eye on the enemy Zoid and the other on the altitude, he rolled the Matrix Dragon over, diving then suddenly shooting back up towards the Redler.

"She's good." He muttered. "She'd damned good."

"Well, she managed to take out Jean." Bruno muttered. "And that takes skill, so I’ll give her that much."

"Definitely." Gavin replied as the Matrix Dragon climbed over the Redler, shooting down on it as they passed. The Redler accelerated away, again trying to get away. He'd fought Jean in past, and knew what it took to match skills with him, let alone beat him.

"And Jean disappeared afterwards." CJ spoke up. "After fighting her!"

"What?" He snapped. "What are you babbling on about, you microcephalic moron?"

"Well, Jean fought her, and afterwards... well, he vanished, and all they found was the wreckage of his Zoid." He continued.

"It’s her, man." Butch added. "She's a skilled pilot, she's in an airborne Zoid, it’s a black dragon and her name is Stromer!" He continued, a nervous edge in his voice. "Don’t you see it?"

"See what?" Ha snapped. "What are you going on about?"

"The Gilvader that's been out to get us!" Butch continued, sounding like he was about to panic. "It's her man! It's her!"

"Bloody hell!" He snapped across the communication link. He was having enough problems trying to track and bring down the Redler without having his team going to pieces on him. "We are a team! We work together in order to support each other and make ourselves the most potent force in NUBG. We cover each other and act as a single well-oiled machine! We do not spend our time arguing and we do not spend out time going on about some non-existent super Zoid that is supposedly trying to kill us all!"

"But-" CJ spoke up.

"No buts!" He snapped. "Now just stay focused and help me kill this damned Redler. And stop worrying like a bunch of bloody old women! There is no super Zoid or Gilvader or whatever out to get u-"

Before he could finish, the Zoid was rocked by a series of hits from above and behind it. Twisting the controls, Gavin was able to pull the Dragon out of the line of fire, as the sound of wailing sirens filled his ears. "What happened?" Bruno called out.

"Something just bloody well shot us in the back!" He continued as he fought with the controls. The unseen attacker had pulled away, but they'd done their damage. The Matrix Dragon's airspeed was dropping rapidly, while the controls were feeling sluggish and heavy in his hands. "Bloody hell! I've got red lights all over the board. We're loosing structural integrity!"

"It’s the Gilvader! I told you!" Butch called out.

"Shut the hell up before I come down there and bloody well kill you myself!" He snapped.

"No way!" CJ added. "I want to be out of here before that thing comes back!"

Gavin snarled as he checked his status board. The Dragon was done for, its systems shot to hell. And, as near as he could tell, the Redler had circled around and was coming back to make another run on them. The situation looked hopeless, but there was one chance. "All right then! Everyone, prepare for separation in three... two... one... mark!"

The Matrix Dragon's body seemed to explode into a mess of smaller components in mid air, but yet at the same time seemed to retain something of its overall shape. The parts began to shift in the air, sliding and rearranging themselves into a quartet of smaller shapes, each one of them an individual Zoid that had previously been a part of the Matrix Dragon. And while each of them were badly battered, they were far less damaged overall then the combined Dragon had been.

All but one of them, that is.

The Unenalgia and Leoblaze hit the ground running, both sprinting away at high speed. The Mosasledge followed after them, just hovering over the landscape. Gavin's Nightwise, however, trailed behind them, its engine spluttering and coughing as it struggled to remain airborne. "Bloody hell." he muttered to himself as he checked over the damage display. The Nightwise had apparently taken the brunt of the assault, enough to compromise the individual Zoid as well as the Fuzor.

"CJ!" He snapped over the communicator. "I need an emergency pickup now!"

"Roger that!" he called out, his Leoblaze looping back towards the Nightwise, then running under it. The Zoid came around again, sprinting towards the Nightwise, then leaping into the air.

"NOW!" Gavin called out. The Nightwise split apart in mid air, its body, wings and cockpit then connecting onto the Leoblaze in mid leap. The new combined Zoid hit the ground running, sprinting a lot faster then it had before.

"So what now, Boss?" CJ asked.

"Now?" Gavin replied. "We get the hell out of here before that bloody thing comes back!"

*****

In the cockpit of her Liger Zero, Rose patiently waited as she counted down. If Neil's plan came off, then they had a chance of getting out of this. If. She still didn't like Tasch's odds against the Matrix Dragon, but at the very least things would be looking better on the ground. "Any second now, Neil..." she quietly said to herself. "Any second."

There was a series of loud explosions, followed by a rumbling noise from nearby. That was her signal to go and launch her stage of the plan. "Okay, let's do this!" She called out to herself as she opened up the throttle, the Liger roaring as it broke into a run around the base of the mesa. Ahead of her, she could see a mess of rocks sliding down the side and crashing to the ground, blasted loose by a volley of rockets from the Gunsniper.

She pushed the throttle all the way open, the Liger's boosters firing as the Zoid bounded up the rock pile, leaping its way towards the top of the mesa and, more importantly, the Zoid that was standing right on top of it. Neil had done a great job, she figured, the path he'd cleared giving her a straight run up to it.

The Zoid bounded onto the top of the mesa, opening fire on the Gravity Saurer as soon as it came into sight. The shots blasted into the enemy Zoid's heavily armoured flank, the Saurer wavering on its feet before it could recover. While it in no way equalled the amount of damage he'd done to her Zoid so far, it was a good start.

"Surprised to see me?" She began. "Come on... you've got no place to run. Let's see how you like things now that we're on my terms." The Liger roared as it ran forwards, the golden glow of the Strike Laser Claw system building up as it ran.

The Gravity Saurer's pilot reacted well. His Zoid started tunning away from hers, leaping off the edge of the Mesa and into the air. Its Gravity Wheel hummed and glowed bright blue as it took off, sending it sailing across the distance from the top of the mesa onto another smaller hill. As the Liger ran after it, she yelled into the communicator. "Neil! Its working just as you predicted!" She began. "He's waiting for you!"

"No need to shout, already." Neil called back. "But thanks for the hot tip of the day. I'm ready for him!" The Gunsniper burst out from cover, running towards the Gravity Saurer, its chest and arm cannons blazing. The Gravity Saurer had turned to face Rose in perpetration for her following him, and wasn't prepared for the array of shots from the smaller Zoid. The cannons carved armour off the Zoid's flanks, eating into the thick, well-protected side.

The Saurer turned to face Neil, which was Rose's signal to act. The Zero charged forwards, its boosters open at full burn. The Zoid leaped into the air, tracing a golden arc through the dull skies as its claws lead its decent towards the enemy Zoid. This time, the enemy pilot seemed to have some idea of what was going on, however. The Gravity Saurer leaped away, bounding off its rock and breaking into a high-speed run just before the Zero landed.

"Don't let him get away!" Rose shouted out as she opened fire with the tail cannon, sending a few shots after the fleeing Gravity Zoid. "We've got him good now!"

The Zero leaped off the rock, sprinting after the other machine. Neil followed it, quickly dropping behind as the Zero easily outpaced him. Before she could close with the Gravity Saurer, however, the enemy machine launched itself into the air again, lading on another rock and spinning around to being its weapons to bear. A wave of fire, including one of the Panzerfausts, burst off its back-mounted cannons, raining down on Rose's Zoid from above.

The Zero took several hits, smashing intro it as it ran. The Zero stumbled, clods of wet sand flying up as it crashed to the desert floor, unbalanced by the force of the attacks. Rose was thrown around in the cockpit, her safety harness grabbing her and slamming her into the back of her seat before she hit the console. Shaking her head to recover, she tried to get the Zero back to its feet as quickly as possible.

"You’re gonna wish you'd joined the NUBG, you stupid cow." The Gravity Sauer's pilot called out. "You were stupid not to join. You were even stupider to run off to the pigs."

She blinked for a moment, recognising the voice. "Hey... you're that Brock guy... the one who was with me that night and... oh hell."

"Yeah, you finally figured it out." He sneered. "Maybe you're not so dumb after all. Maybe I should give you a bit of credit." The Gravity Saurer made a low, gargling sound as it looked down at her Zoid. "Tell ya what. I've got an offer for ya. Join us now... and I'll let ya live."

Rose glanced around, looking for options. Once again, he had the high ground and the range advantage, and, unlike last time, there were few places he could hide. "Come on..." She began. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Look at me, Rose." He called out. "I used to be a looser, a bottom rung in the ZBC ladder. I was a nothing, a nobody." There was an edge in his voice, one of genuine anger. "And then I joined NUBG. And you know what? It was the best damned move I ever made."

"It made a world of difference, Rose." He continued. "In their world, with no rules. no restrictions, no artificial limitations to hold me back, I was king. In the time since you last saw me, I went from a nothing to one of their best. Think about that. Think about what you could have been, and consider it."

Yeah, you only did well because you've got an ounce of brain... which is more then the rest of them could boast. She hated to admit it, but he was one of the most capable NUBG pilots she'd ever met, and was certainly handling his Gravity Saurer a lot better then she'd expected. "I"d have been a criminal, Brock. A criminal like you."

"Criminal is merely a point of view, Rose." He called out as he swung his weapons to bear on her Zoid. "Now what's your answer?"

She glanced at his Zoid, and smiled. "I'd say that my answer is that you can go shove the NUBG, Brock."

"Why you-" He began, but was cut off as the Gravity Saurer's legs and feet were peppered with shots. The ground underneath the Zoid cracked as Neil's Gunsniper, which had closed the distance with the enemy Zoid while its pilot was shouting at Rose, poured fire into it and the Zoid's legs. The ridge the Gravity Zoid was standing on cracked, and then crumbled, the Zoid slipping down the slope with the shower of rocks.

The Gravity Wheel whirred to life as the Zoid broke into a strange, hopping run down the slope, its pilot trying his best to reign in its uncontrolled slide. However, as it was sliding, Rose was using the opportunity to her advantage. The Zero broke into a run, sprinting up the slope towards the Gravity Saurer. Firing its boosters, it leaped into the air, its claws glowing a brilliant golden colour as they prepared to strike.

Brock must have seen what was coming at the last instant, the Gravity Saurer desperately trying to twist out of the way of the attack. He was successful to a degree; the Zoid managing to twist out of the way of the main part of the strike. Rather then cutting through the Zoid's neck, the claws instead crashed down, ripping through the array of cannons on the Gravity Saurer's back, slashing straight through them and tearing them apart.

Unbalanced by the loss of the cannons as well as the fall, the Gravity Saurer crashed face-first into the ground, sliding down the slope. Rose's Liger skidded on the hill as it turned, before barrelling downhill after it. "So, how are you feeling now?" Rose asked. "A bit less confident, huh?"

The battered Gravity Saurer leaped to its feet, glancing back at the damaged Zero. For a moment, the Zoid seemed to be glaring at her. Then, letting out a loud gurgling cry, it broke into a run, its gravity wheel glowing a brilliant blue as it sprinted away.

"Do we go after him?" Neil asked. "Gloop him in the back for bonus points?"

"Naw." Rose replied. "I think he's had his fill. 'sides, I think that Stephen could use some help about now."

*****

Right now, Stephen couldn't have agreed more with Rose's statement. Checking over his status board, he could see that his Iron Kong was not looking good. While most of its systems were fully functional, the armour on his arms and chest was more gone then there. Too much more punishment from the Genosaurer, and he'd be in a lot of trouble.

He was rather surprised by the way that the situation had developed; he'd fought Ariel twice before, and after that hre'd thought he knew what to expect this time round. Clearly such was not the case. The enemy pilot was a lot more violent, a lot more intense then she'd been last time that they'd fought. He couldn't think why, but suspected that it related to this being an NUBG Battle as opposed to a ZBC one. Either that, or her position within the NUBG was in peril.

And after what Rose told me about what happened in the arena, I wouldn't be surprised. Even though he didn't know the full story, he doubted that NUBG's management would be happy with her bringing a complete stranger into the arena and, more to trhe point, letting them walk straight out. I know I wouldn't be. I'd have her arse in a sling for that.

The Iron Kong broke into a run, knuckling away form the Genosaurer as it lunged at him again. Snarling, seemingly out of frustration at having missed its prey, the enemy Zoid opened fire with its twin pulse cannons on him. One shot scarred the armour on the Kong's back before Stephen could leap out of the enemy Zoid's line of fire. The twin boosters firing, the Zoid leaped away from the enemy machine, coming down ontop of a nearby rock.

As soon as he was down, he swung the Kong around, dropping his sights onto the enemy Zoid. Lining it up, he squeezed off a shot form the Hyperbeam cannon at his opponent. The Genosaurer seemed ready for this, however, and leaped into a run, the shot only narrowly missing its flank. The black and purple Zoid charged forwards, firing again at the Kong as it closed in, aiming for the kill.

Using the manoeuvrer vanes to twist the Zoid aside, Stephen was barely able to avoid the enemy machine's fire. As he came around, the Genosaurer lunged at him again, its jaws snapping at the Iron Kong. He bought up the left forearm, using the now useless cannon to block the attack as the enemy Zoid closed in. The Genosaurer's jaws smashed down on the arm, crushing the remnants of the cannon and digging into the armour.

He swung around with the right arm, aiming to slam the enemy Zoid in the side like hew had before. This time she was ready, her Zoid's claws raking across the Kong's forearm, slashing through the armour. Undeterred, he swung again, this time with the hand open. The force of the hit seemed to stagger the Genoaurer this time, its grip on his arm weakening.

"Damn you!" He snapped. "Will you just damn well give up already?" He swung around with the left arm, aiming to throw off the enemy Zoid. This time he had some success, the Genosaurer releasing his Zoid's arm. The enemy pilot leaped back from him, clearly not wanting to get any closer to his Zoid's fists, at least not for now.

The enemy pilot opened fire, again spraying shots form the main cannons. Several struck the Kong's chest, tearing into what little armour remained there, before Stephen managed to get the Zoid out of the line of fire. Any more there and I'm through, he thought. I've got to figure her out... look for some weakness some chance to act. The enemy pilot was proving to be surprisingly sharp or, at the very least, very desperate. What he needed was some kind of opening, something that would give him a chance. He almost wished she would use her Charged Particle Cannon, simply because it would give him a shot at her while she was immobilised.

Several shots struck the Genosaurer's flank, scorching the armour but not doing much else to it. However, they were enough to grab the pilot's attention. The Genosaurer turned to face its attacker, the black and green Redler almost blending into the dark clouds above it.

"Tasch?" he called over the communicator. "I thought that you were dealing with the Matrix Dragon."

"Yeah, I was." She replied as she looped around. "But it kinda exploded. That's not to say that it de-fused, which it did do, but it kinda exploded before that."

"Uh, sure." He replied, not entirely sure what to make of Tasch's comments. "Well, I appreciate the help."

"She's not the only one!" Rose called out as her Zero charged in, opening fire with its impact cannon. Several shots slammed into the Genosaurer's side, smashing through the armour on its hip. "My partner left early, so I'm free."

"Same here." Neil commented over the communicator. "So you're not alone, Stephen. We're all here for ya."

"Thanks." he replied, forcing a smile. "Right then.." The Iron Kong tuned to the Genosaurer, which was snarling at Rose's Zero. "Ariel, you're outnumbered and surrounded. The rest of your team have run off or have been knocked out. Give it up now; there's no shame in admitting defeat in a situation like this."

"Never!" She shouted back. "I would never shame myself by surrendering to the likes of you!" The Genosaurer fired its thrusters, leaping straight at the Iron Kong, its jaws open to strike. The Iron Kong barely avoided the strike, only to be slammed in the side by the Genosaurer's tail. The force of the blow knocked him back, leaving him vulnerable for a moment.

The Genosaurer’s pulse cannons swung around, aiming straight for the Iron Kong's head. For an instant, Stephen could see that it was all over. Then, before they could fire, the cannon turret literally exploded, shattering into a pile of debris. The Genosaurer shuddered, but remained standing, the damage apparently confined to just its weapons.

"Neil?" Stephen asked.

"Better believe it." He called back. "Admit it, you love me."

A loud bellow from the Genosaurer cut off any reply that Stephen could have offered. "How dare you!" Ariel shouted out. "For that, I should destroy you all!"

The Zoid again charged in, closing the distance between the pair of them quickly while snapping with its jaws. Stephen only just avoided the strike, the Iron Kong stepping around the enemy machine and then opening fire with the Hyperbeam cannon at point-blank range. The weapon blasted into the Genosaurer's damaged hip, ripping through the armour and shredding the structure and power systems below it.

Despite the damage, however, Ariel kept going. She lunged at him again, the Genosaurer managing to drag itself around and striking again. The claws raked into the Iron Kong's side, tearing into the armour. In reply, Stephen raised the Kong's right arm, then drive it down on the Genosaurer's neck. The enemy Zoid crumpled, but refused to go down, the Genosaurer roaring as it again snapped at the Kong.

"I've had about enough of you!" He shouted. The Kong grabbed at its jaws with its two hands, prying them open. He wedged the Kong's elbow into the back of the Genosaurer's neck, pulling against the enemy Zoid as it tried to pull away. There was a horrible metallic tearing as the Iron Kong pried the Genosaurer's jaws further and further apart, pushing them well beyond their structural design limits. "Just stay down already!" He called out as the Kong put all of its weight onto the Genosaurer's body. There was a loud snipping noise, followed by a shattering of glass as the Zoid's jaws simply broke, both snapping off their joints.

The Kong released the Genosaurer, which simply flopped to the ground. The Zoid didn't respond, instead lying flat on the ground with its jaws limply hanging off it, the barrel of the charged particle cannon hanging out of the mouth like a swollen tongue.

"Wow." Neil commented as his Gunsniper hopped over to the two Zoids. "That was hardcore, man. Remind me to never, ever piss you off."

"You okay there, Stephen?" Rose asked, her Liger also walking over to the two machines.

"Yeah, I guess." he muttered. The Iron Kong slumped, then simply crouched down, as if the Zoid was reflecting the pilot's mood. "I just got a little angry... I wanted her to give up, and not keep fighting like that. What did she think was going to happen?"

"Don't worry about it." Rose replied. "We'll pull her out and give her to the PKB. Maybe something will come out of this all."

"Sure." He muttered. "What about the rest of them?"

"They all ran off." Rose finished. "Well, the Gravity Saurer ran off, and so did all the individual parts of the Dragon. Neil knocked the Rev Rapter down, but we lost track of the pilot."

Stephen nodded. "That's okay." he finished. "I think we've done more then enough for one day."

*****

[Deadborder]

Elden Vanderlinen had been about to head out for the evening when his phone rang. What he didn’t like was that it was his 'business' number, the one that he usually only used during office hours. More work was the last thing he needed; he was about to head out to a new club he'd discovered and meet up with Drake, with whom things were going very well. It as amazing how well he'd taken to a little bit of sweet talking.

Grabbing the phone, he picked it up and checked the number that was dialing. He recognised it instantly as being one of his more 'discrete' clients, one that tended to ask him to do things quietly. They didn't want anything illegal, they just preferred it if matters were handled as discreetly as possible without too many people knowing. The result was that they sometimes tended to call him at odd hours.

It was annoying, but it was one of the drawbacks to being the city's best accountant. And given that it paid for his lifestyle, especially his near-new townhouse in the best part of the city, he could live with it.

"Hello?" he began.

"This is Rach." The woman on the other end began. "Sorry if I've caught you at a bad time."

"Not at all." he replied. He didn’t mind Rach, actually. She paid him well and didn't ask too many questions, which made his life a lot easier. And, while he had never met her in person, he liked the sound of her voice. She sounded like a quite attractive young woman and, while that wasn't his thing, he could appreciate it. Besides, what little he'd gathered told him that she had impeccable taste, something else he could appreciate. "So how can I help you?"

"I've had a couple of..." she began, a little nervous sounding. "Well, bad business dealings would be the best way to put it." She almost sounded guilty. "So I'm going to need to create some cash, preferably quickly."

"Ah, you need some liquid assets." He began. "Not a problem."

"Thank you for that." She replied, a relived tone in her voice. "I'm sorry to have caused you any trouble."

"Not at all." he finished. The truth was, he liked a challenge. And to his mind, manipulating finances was a far greater challenge then running around in a Zoid and trying to blow something up, and far more rewarding. "I'll get onto it soon and let you know."

"Sure." She finished. "And thank you again."

"It’s all cool. Later." He finished as he closed the call. Smiling to himself, he pocketed the phone. Sure it was a little more work, but he could live with it. And besides, he was in a very good mood.

Author’s notes:

Peter Jackson is entirely to blame for this chapter ballooning out.

[Orange]

That's so like you, always blaming Peter Jackson. Give the man a rest! And Orlando says 'please stop following me, it's kind of creepy'.

I enjoyed it. But it needs more explody!