Pointy Muses Fic II - Reconnecting

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Pointy Muses Fic II

Chapter Two - Reconnecting

By Rick R.

*****

One of the things that had amazed Neil was how quickly the four of them had gotten back into habit. As soon as they had moved back into their base, it was like they hadn't left at all. Within a day or two, everyone was following through the same routines, the same patterns and the same behaviour as they'd displayed the previous season.

To him it wasn't a bad thing, per se. In fact, he kind of liked it. Predictable, humdrum, day to day existence had a certain appeal to it. While many might say that following the same routine was drab or lifeless, to him it was a nice mote of stability. He liked it when things were calm and predictable. It meant that nothing bad was going to happen, which was always a plus.

And besides, he was sure an anthropologist would find it a very interesting study. Or something.

This morning was no exception. Stephen and Tasch had just spent several hours going over their repairs form the last battle and figuring out what parts they'd need to order for future. As the team's only two qualified Zoid mechanics, it was one of their most important jobs, vital to keeping the team running. It was also something that Neil would gladly admit that he had no clue about at all, so he didn't even try to influence the procedure.

Frankly, he was just glad that they knew what they were doing as well as they did. It meant the team stayed alive, which was good.

Rose, on the other hand, was engaged in her morning workout - something that she was rather fastidious about. He could understand the logic behind it; her appearance was important to her, especially given that she was trying to sell herself as a "face" for product endorsement. Her keeping fit and working out seemed perfectly reasonable to him. Again, however, he was glad that he wasn't doing it.

So that left him with a morning to waste on, well, nothing really. Except to ogle Rose as she walked past after her workout, clad in her skin-tight exercise gear and all hot and sweaty. Yeah, life's good.

"Do you still play that silly game?" Rose asked as she walked back form the kitchen, a can of drink in her hand.

"Depends on which silly game you mean." Neil replied. "The silly computer game, or the silly pencil and paper game?"

She paused for a moment, clearly trying to figure it out. "Uh, the computer game. The one where you pilot a Zoid."

"Zoids World Online?" He shrugged. "Not in three months, no. I gave it up when the company behind it made it clear that it hated all us users for making them spend their time running the game. So I moved onto greener pastures."

"What do you mean?"

"Different game, my dear." He explained, opening up his own can. "Because of the overt hostility displayed by an odious parent concern, I have decided to move onto playing a completely different game. So goodbye Zoids World Online and ZOE's irritating habits, and hello Battlecraft World. At the very least, I figure that the parent company will be less awful." He shrugged. "I’m just surprised you were interested."

"I heard about it from a fried of mine." She casually replied. "Just thought you'd know more."

"You play BCW?" Tasch asked from across the room, looking up from her battered laptop.

"Last two months, yeah." He explained. "Why do you ask?"

"What server are y'all on?" She continued.

"Uh, Crimson Guard."

"Ah... well that's nice." She continued. "'cause that's the server I'm currently playin' on. I started playin' on Thunderhammer, but it got too full an' all laggy. So then I tried Mog'rosh, but I didn't like havin' to PvP all the time. An' the lag on Darkshore was too much, given that it was about the only Nyxx-based server. So then I got onto CG, 'cause I wanted to give the RP side a try an' I think it worked out really well."

"You play BCW too?" He asked, spinning around in his chair.

"Uh-huh." She nodded. "I mean, why else would I be talkin' about all the servers I've been on?"

He shook his head, surprised by this revelation. "Really, I mean, uh, for how long now?"

"About two years." She said.

"Two years?" he spluttered. "But that'd mean that you'd have been playing since not too long after the launch and... Wow"

"Okay." Rose interjected. "You two are freaking me out way too much with all the geekness. So, uh, I'm gonna step out and try to get far way." Without waiting for a reply, she stepped past the pair of them, shaking her head. "Just when I thought you two couldn't get any weirder..."

Either ignoring or not noticing her, Tasch continued. "Yeah, I got a whole bunch of characters, but I only keep a couple active at the moment."

"Well, uh..." He glanced around. "Hang on, I'll get my own compy, and, um... I guess we could, like, uh, get together and do stuff?"

"Well sure." Tasch nodded. "I jus' gotta finish this last e-mail to my sis an' then I'd be glad to help y'all out."

Neil grinned. "Awesomesauce. Give me the names of your characters and I'll get my stuff together." He was grinning enthusiastically, split ear to ear almost. "Suffice to say, Tasch, you've made me a very happy man."

And all of a sudden, the predictability was broken and new random elements were thrown in. However, they were good elements, ones that were desirable. So he was, again, happy.

*****

While the Broken Chairs’ team base was a converted building (and somewhat shabby), many other teams used purpose-built facilities. A team’s base was often a status symbol, a sign of just how successful they were and, as a result, how much wealth they had.

The Firestorm team’s base was a good example of this. Built in a purpose-designed Zoid team district of the city, it boasted extensive servicing and maintenance facilities, training facilities, a briefing room and reasonable living quarters for the pilots. Miles Slate, the team’s leader, had cosen it for two reasons. The first was to ensure the success of his team. The second was to ensure that they would look good.

And it had very nearly worked. In the previous season, the Firestorm team had been one of the most successful teams - and looked good while doing it. They had suffered only two defeats in the entire season (as well as a third match which was ruled no contest due to outside interference) and gone all the way to the quarter finals. It was no mean feat to say the least, especially in a year of rather stiff competition.

Unfortunately, Miles Slate, the team's leader, hadn't seen it that way. To say that he had been upset would have been an understatement; he'd furiously lashed out at the rest of his team, blaming them for their defeat. For a while, it looked like the team would have broken up there and then.

Except they hadn't. Instead, Miles had sent the Members out politely worded invitations, asking if they would rejoin him for another season. The result was that the four Members of Firestorm had reunited and entered into the new season's competition, seemingly unsure of what to expect.

Drake Storm sat in the team's briefing room, watching the footage from their previous battle. As he watched, Krystal's customised Arosaurer charged forwards, blasting into the flank of a much larger Genosaurer with its twin booster cannons. As the Genosaurer turned to face her, several rounds from Eliot Morgan's Parablade also struck it. Miles paused the display, pointing at what was going on.

"This is good." He explained. "This is just what I was hoping to see, actually." He restarted the display, the Genosaurer looking around as fire from the two smaller Zoids distracted it. Then, just as it was turning to the Arosaurer, a new Zoid entered the fray. Miles' Death Raser charged forwards, its blades tearing through the flank of the unsuspecting Genosaurer. He again paused at the point of impact.

"We worked together on this one." He explained. "Each and every one of us contributed to this victory. There was no grand-standing, no glory-hogging, no debating over who got to kill what. We simply focused on our objective and followed it through."

He smiled as he walked around to the front of the meeting table. "Even though this was only our first battle of the season, I'm feeling very encouraged about our odds. If we can stay this tight, keep it this close together, then I'm sure that we can take it all the way."

"You know." Krystal Lake whispered to Drake as she leaned closer. "I think I liked it better when he was all angry and shouty."

Drake raised an eyebrow, but gave no overt response. He himself had been initially wary to return to Firestorm; after their being knocked out of the competition, Miles had pretty much out and blamed him for the team's loss. However, on reflection, he had chosen to come back. He believed that Firestorm and Miles had a lot of potential, even if Miles' people skills were lacking. However, the way he'd worded the invitation suggested that maybe Mr Slate was a changed man; a lot more humble and willing to listen to his men.

"I mean, I'm glad he's not shouting at me." She continued. "Its just that, well, you know, his being nice is a little... wrong."

"People change, Krystal." Drake finally spoke up as he lifted her hand off his thigh. "And I for one am interested to see where this change goes."

"Okay." Miles spoke up. "This week we're going up against the Blue Destiny team. They're a bunch we faced last year, but their layout has changed a bit. Their Blade Liger has been upgraded with a CP-12 unit, while they’ve added a Rayse Tiger. This is going to change things quite a bit." He looked over the room. "So, I'm looking for some suggestions on how we're going to handle matters."

Drake nodded. And this is the chance. Miles has shown that not only is he a capable pilot, but he's becoming a capable leader. If this is an indication of how he's grown, then I think that we may indeed be unbeatable. "I have a few, if I may."

Miles nodded. "Drake, go ahead."

"Thanks, Miles." He replied. it is up to us - all of us - to make that happen.

*****

As much as he'd enjoyed getting to see the rest of the team, there was one person who Neil had been hoping to hear from that was outside the team. Last year, he'd become good friends with Nadia Sverdolorva, a Member of the Iron Giants team. He'd liked her a lot; the two of them had a lot in common and liked a lot of the same things. That she was rather cute didn't hurt matters either.

They'd spoken once since he'd gotten back into the city, calling to deliver some information that was already proving to be very useful. This had made him happy. But then she'd called him, asking to meet, which made him even happier. He'd picked a decentish cafe not too far from her team's base, then bolted over there to meet her.

"Hi Neil." She began casually as she sat down at his table. "Good to see ya again."

Cute smile. Can't resist. Must keep brain focused. "Er, heya." He began. "Long time no see."

"Well, off seasons and all..." She casually remarked. "Everyone wanting to get away from the people they’ve been cooped up with for the last six months and all that. You know how it goes."

"Oh yeah." He nodded then smiled. "I love the rest of my team to bits, but even I have to get away from them every now and then. Spending the off-season with them would have probably driven me nuts."

"Tell me about it." She replied. "Jeroen, well... he's a great team leader and a great planner and an awesome pilot, but he's really not a people person. Last thing I'd want to do is spend my holidays hanging around him."

"And instead you just come back for the pre-season pressure-cooker, right?"

"Got it in one." She added with a smile. "He's not happy unless we're back into training with at least a month to spare. And as much as I may *Watch your language!* about it, I know that he's just trying to get the best out of the team, which works for me."

"Well, you have been champions two years running. So he must be doing something right."

"True, true." She finished. "But enough about work. How ya been, Neil?"

"Living in a rampantly unexciting life of visiting my six dozen or so near relatives. I'd tell you all about how my holidays went but, well, I know that it'd bore you to tears. No, really."

"That good?"

"Well..." he began. "You know how the movies always seem to show Europa as being nothing but run-down farms and small towns filled with country bumpkins?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't complain about that depiction because I know it's true. Trust me."

"Fun." She smiled. "Then I won't torture you by telling me how good my holiday was."

"Go on. I don't mind pain. If you met my family, you'd know why."

She laughed, then smiled gain. "It was horrible, Neil. I splashed out all my prize money on a beach resort holiday and a new car. All I did was spend my time getting a tan while being surrounded by buff lifeguards in speedos."

"Torturous, I can tell." He smirked.

"I whinged all about it on my Blog." She continued. "You should take a look."

"Nuh-uh." He shook his head. "I swore off those things after I once snuck a peak at Rose's LW."

"Oh?" She asked. "Do tell. I love juicy gossip."

"I won't reveal intimate details of my team." He replied. "Suffice to say, the best thing about it is that she doesn’t maintain it anymore. She lost interest halfway through last season."

"Poop. Ah well, I was thinking about things..." She began, trailing off for a moment. "And there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now, Neil. I guess... well, I never got the opportunity before now."

He was momentarily lost for words, a rare occurrence to say the least. Swallowing loudly, he managed to squeak out a "yes."

"Would you be interested in continuing with the game?" She continued. "Laura said she was good to run it, but I wanted to ask you about it. You were a lot of fun to play with, Neil, and I'd really want you back."

"Uh, yeah, sure." He spluttered out, realising she was saying something completely different to what he'd expected. "Um, anytime, yeah. That'd be great. Really."

"Cool beans." She replied, flashing another cute smile. "I meant to ask you earlier but, well, I spent most of my holiday bumming and having a good time and not thinking much... and then I get back here and I've got Jeroen all over me, which means that I don't have any time to think at all."

"Ah, its cool. I had other stuff on my mind as well." he defensively replied.

"Like getting tooled over by the 'Enhanced Game Experience', huh?" She asked, wryly.

"You could say that." He smiled. "I got so pissed off at ZOE over it that I quit playing Zoids World Online altogether. That’s why you wouldn't have seen MiniMooMoo in the last few months."

"I know what you mean." She nodded. "Nice going on their part to turn a laid-back and enjoyable game for serious mature people into a point and click fest for spotty teenagers."

"While at the same time trashing all the social options." She snorted. "Yiffie was manager of a neutral tavern for a while. And while it still exists, most of the socialising is out the window. But it gets worse."

"Worse?" Neil asked. "Worse then forty eight zillion kids who have Bio Megaraptors spamming fireballs left right and centre and tagging all the mobs on their own because their Hell Armour has been buffed to the moon?"

"Yeah well..." She shrugged. "With another of my alts, Pantus, I had been shooting for the big time."

"You mean-" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I was doing the Darth Grind." She continued. "I’d done all the training, power-levelled all my skills, including all the worthless ones, looked for all the hidden clues and done all but the last quest on the chain."

"And then they go and make Darth a starter character class." Neil finished. "Yow."

"So not only can Pantus never become a Darth, he also spend a lot of time and moneys doing, well, nothing." She shoot her head. "Meanwhile, there are swarms of damn Zombiekids running around with black cloaks and red laser swords-"

"And Bio Megaraptors"

"-and Bio Megaraptors." She fumed. "Thanks for that, ZOE."

"Yeah, that was a great call." He continued. "Make all these changes without even bothering to tell us, and instead sneak them through during the festive season rush. That must have done them wonders."

"Did me wonders." She finished. "So I also quit and got me a new MMO."

"Don't tell me, Battlecraft World?" He smirked.

"Yeah, right. Like there's a choice." She smiled. "I mean, I could have chosen Bloodlines III."

The pair of them burst out laughing. "Naw, Nadia, you wouldn't have done that." He continued. "I mean, you're a human being, not a gold-farming bot. You're overqualified."

"You kidding? I could spam 'u bai gold kthnkx bai' in my sleep." She laughed again.

"And spend all your day staring at Catgirl bottoms in leather thongs?" He added. "Yeah, real mature. I've oft wondered why they don’t just call it 'Boobies the game' and be done with it."

"Yeah..." She finished. "And you?"

"BCW as well." He finished. "On the Crimson Guard server, because it’s supposedly newbie friendly."

"Wow." She seemed to almost squeal with delight. "That's the same server I picked, actually."

Oh wow! He added. This is too good to be true! I'm totally geeking out here, and it’s in a good way too. "Really?" He asked. "Because If you need in to a good guild, I can get you in. I just joined one myself."

"Thanks, but I'm in a good one myself, the Black Dragon Brotherhood. I know it’s got a wanky as all hell title, but its got surprisingly good leaders and decentish people."

"Uhh..." He began, the burst out laughing. "Oh man, that is just too good."

"Wha?" She blinked. "Do tell, Dr Fruitloop."

"That's the guild I just got in on." He explained. "Did you see Bobette, the little mage girl who joined the other day?"

"Wait... that's you?" She squinted. "Little useless girl who spams frostballs and runs around like she's on fire?"

"Doesn't it make sense?" He grinned.

"Well... yeah." She smiled. "And I'm-"

"Kane, the outrageously camp Warlock in the pimp hat with matching robes, right?" He grinned. "Yeah, that's you."

"How did you ever guess?" She slurred, dripping with sarcasm.

"Most silly character in the guild, easy." He stated. "Frankly, it couldn't be anyone but you, especially after I eliminated the only other option."

"Other option?" She raised a conspiratorial eyebrow.

"Well, you know the guild boss-"

"Rayvenne, the kind of flaky Elf Priestess?" She asked. "Good at what she does, but any conversation with her - IC or OOC - ends with your brain being tied in a knot?"

"Yep." He finished. "Well, I know who that is."

She glared at him. "Either you're blatantly lying to kiss up, or this is more screwed-up then I can imagine." She paused. "It's Tasch, isn't it?"

"Yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah." Neil blurted out as he nodded vigorously.

"Well... that explains a lot." She shook her head. "Freaking hell."

"I figure that this will be a very funny season." He finished. "Both on and off the field." And hopefully, we might get beyond RPGs and MMOs. Oh please, oh please...

*****

[Deadborder]

Ron McGonnagle counted down the numbers as the lift descended through the ZBC headquarters. He was trying his best to remain patient and calm, knowing full well that he'd volunteered for this job, despite the fact that he knew it was going to be an annoyance at best. However, it was also a chance for him to find a way to deal with something that had been annoying him for some time.

The lift opened out into a spacious lobby, Ron stepping out and immediately noting the number of people around. However, these weren't the office workers that predominated elsewhere in the ZBC officers. These people were, for the most part, competition Zoid pilots who had business here.

Besides running the Zoid battles, the ZBC centre provided numerous extra services for the pilots that its business relied upon. It provided simulators, conference centres, training facilities, recruiting faculties and even access to ZBC-Approved Zoids, parts and muntions dealers. Many teams would spend their time here practicing or preparing for battles, as well as engaged in more mundane, day-to-day functions that were needed to keep their groups running.

And, because it was full of Zoid pilots, it was the part of the building Ron hated the most. However, he had a job to do here. It was one that he could have just as easily done without ever coming here; however, matters meant that he wanted to attend to it in person, no matter how distasteful the idea may seem.

Swallowing his pride, he stepped into one of the Simulator rooms where a team was waiting, reviewing footage of one of their virtual battles. "Excuse me." He began as he stepped into the room. "The Cave Dwellers team, correct?"

A tall, blonde-haired and blue eyed woman who looked like she'd just stepped out of a fashion shoot nodded as she stood and approached him. "Yes, we are."

"Ah. Good too meet you." He replied. "Ron McGonnagle, ZBC-"

"Alya Ellen-Sue." She replied, cutting him off. "Team leader. Pleased to meet you." She indicated around the room. "These are the Members of my team; Ranc Jackson, Jon Lars Wang and Bart DeBeers."

"Uh, thank you." Ron spluttered out. "I've come by to give you the details of your next battle and-"

"Oh! Thank you very much!" Alya again cut him off, pretty much squealing with delight. "That's very nice of you, Mr McGonnagle. Usually we just get an e-mail from your people, but it's very polite for you to come around in person and deliver it to us just because we're here today."

"Don't see why he couldn't have e-mailed it to us anyway." A large, beared and slightly intimidating looking man muttered from one of the seats. He hadn't even bothered to get up, much less look away from the monitor.

"Oh Bart." Alya replied, sounding more like a lecturing mother then a team leader. "It's very nice of Mr McGonnagle to come by himself. It's not often that you get that sort of personal service out of a ZBC official. I, for one, think that we should make him feel welcome amongst us, even if he is only here for a short visit."

Is she in love with the sound of her own voice? Ron wondered for a moment before continuing. "It's nit just that you were here, actually." He began as he produced a Data disk. "I thought it fair to discuss with you some of the, uh, ramifications of this battle."

"What's that?" Another Member of the team began as he stood. Tall, dark skinned and heavily muscled, he had a shaved head and goatee beared. Combined with his sleeveless shirt, the point was definitely to make him look as intimidating as possible. Ron would have agreed that it worked. "What's he talkin' about, Alya?"

"I'm not sure, Ranc." Alya replied, a little absently. "It sounds like there's something special about this battle, something that would make it different from a standard preliminary round battle. I have to wonder what it would be, given that it's too early in the season to be doing anything really interesting."

It’s like she thinks out loud, Ron thought. "I assure you that there's nothing any different about this battle then from any other battle you may be in this round." He offered. "It’s just that, well, you’ve drawn an interesting opponent team this round."

"Interesting?" Ranc asked. "How so? You better not be messing us around here."

"I assure you that I am not." He spat out, not only to reassure his accuser but also to head off any verbal assault from Alya. "Your team, one of the more... established ones in the competition has drawn the Broken Chairs for this round of battle." Which was a polite way of covering the Cave Dwellers' reputation; they had been a perpetual bottom-half team for several years, ands had even managed to loose to the Black Hands during last year's competition. "As you're well aware, the Chairs finished in the quarter finals of last year's competition, and are one of the top picks for this year."

"I know them." A blond man lounging on a couch spoke up. Tall and fit, he was tanned and, for some reason, wearing his shirt unbuttoned to show off his toned body. He could only assume this was John Lars Wang, the last Member of the team and, if some of the information on his file was to be believed, a former Porn star. "They're good."

And you have a talent for the obvious, he mentally added. "As preparation for the battle, I've compiled a dossier of all you'd need to know about the team. I've also got simulator profiles for them as an opponent group if you wanted to test yourselves against them. It’s all on the data disk."

"Well that's very nice of you, Mr McGonnagle." Alya spoke up. "I mean, its going to be a really big help in this forthcoming battle, because I know It's going to be a challenge to face of with such a high-ranking team. But I'm sure that we'll be able to manage it, both with our skills and with the information here."

"We don't need this." Ranc interjected. "You saying that we can't handle them on our own?"

"Not at all, sir." Ron raised his hands defensively. "All I am saying is that I’m sure that the information contained here would be useful to the team. Think of it as me doing all the research on them that you would have done anyway, and thus saving you the bother."

"Relax, Ranc." Jon added. "And appreciate this wonderful gift that we have been given."

"You're just happy that it means that you're not doing any work." Ranc cut him off. "As usual."

"Well what can I say?" He replied as he stood. "It means that I’ve got more time for what's important." He draped his arms over Alya's shoulders, kissing her on the cheek.

I'm going to be sick. Ron mentally added. "Very well then. I'll leave you to it." And get out of here before you two begin making out right here. "Good luck."

Without giving them a chance to reply, he turned around and stalked out of the room, heading back to the lifts. As much as he disliked the team he'd met, he couldn't argue with the idea behind it. Allowing another team to get a win over the Chairs would make him feel a lot better, regardless of who it was. Anything that set back the one team that had given him so much grief...

Even if the woman on the phone hadn't politely suggested that he do it, he would have done it anyway.

*****

The Energy Liger wheeled around, skidding as it made a tun that belied its speed and bulk. Snarling loudly, the Zoid ran forwards, charging at its last remaining foe. In the face of this attack, the Brachiozilla pilot seemed to be unsure of what to do. His Zoid stopped its run, and now seemed to be desperately looking around for an escape.

They didn't get the chance. The Energy Liger's cannons spat fire, the shots slamming into the Brachiozilla's chest, shredding through its armour and structure. Something inside cocked off, fire and smoke erupting from a rent in the machines formerly pristine armour. Letting out a loud roar that trailed off into a weak gurgle, the Brachiozilla keeled over backwards under the assault, crashing to the ground. A moment later, the Energy Liver leaped over it, coming to a halt behind it.

“The battle is over!” A monitor drone announced as it passed over the downed Zoid. “The winner is the Red Shadows team!”

"And another spectacular victory for the Red Shadows team." Henry called out from the announce booth. "Or, should I say, the single Red Shadow who's shown so far."

"Well, with Jill Constantine behind the wheel, its' not like they need a team." Jim Beef offered. "An excellent pilot, a good tactician and a very powerful Zoid makes for a rather unbeatable package."

"And that's something that the Overlords have just found out the hard way."

Rose shook her head as she watched the screen. "That thing scares me." She commented. "Really."

"Scares you?" Neil asked. "Rose, your Zero has a chance to run away from it. Conversely, my Gunsniper probably looks like a tasty kitty treat from its point of view."

"Okay everyone." Stephen interjected. "Let's stop watching other teams and focus more on our own, okay? We've got a battle to get to." As he finished, he began clambering up the entry ladder to the Iron Kong's cockpit.

"Ah come on." Neil quipped as he walked over to his Gunsniper. "Let us quake in fear just a little longer, okay? I want to know exactly what my doom will look like."

"Well y'all could do that with a reference guide or the like." Tasch added as she strapped herself into the Redler's cockpit. "I mean, there's lotsa places where y'all could get pics and info on an Energy Liger from."

Neil smiled as he clambered into the Gunsniper. "Again, Tasch, you say the most sensible thing while at the same time completely changing the subject. I wasn't referring to the Zoid as such however."

"Well in that case y'all should talk to Rose." Tasch continued as the Reder bought its cockpit up. "I mean, Jill's her sister an' all that, so she's gonna know her better then the rest of us."

"That doesn't help either, Tasch." Rose commented. "I don't talk to Jill that often and I see her even less. And yes, there's reasons for that."

"Okay, kiddies." Stephen interjected. "Let's focus here. We have a battle to win, reMember?" The Iron Kong's canopy shut and sealed itself, the sensor on its head lighting up as it self-tested.

A few minutes later, the four Zoids emerged from the arena doors, striding out into the open space that was their familiar battleground. No sooner had they arrived then the doors at the far end of the arena opened, allowing the opponent team to enter. On first examination, they seemed to be just as mis-matched as the Chairs were.

The centre of the team was a massive dull green Gordos, looming over the other Member Zoids of the team. To one side was a bulky Bearfighter, while to the other was a sleek, deadly-looking Houndsoldier. Backing the Bearfighter up was a compact Gorillatron, resembling nothing so much as a miniature version of Stephen's Zoid.

"What is it with us and Dog Zoids?" Neil casually asked. "We fight a team of them last week, then one this week... and that Koenig Wolf that spent so much of last season chewing us up... and that NUBG guy with the Fox..."

The arrival of the ZBC monitor drone managed to quieten him down for a moment. “The Broken Chairs versus the Cave Dwellers.” The electronic voice announced. “Both teams confirmed. Arena confirmed. Contestants ready… fight!”

The chairs leapt into action, splitting up as they took off form their start position. Tasch's Redler leaped into the air, taking flight immediately. Behind it and to either side, the Liger Zero and Gunsniper both broke into high-speed runs, heading off downfield towards the enemy team. Stephen's Iron Kong was last to react, writing a moment before taking off in a knuckling run. The enemy team didn't react quite the same. While the Bearfighter and Houndsoldier both leaped into action, the Gorillatron chose to stand its ground with the Gordos.

Seeing a chance, Stephen opened the engagement with the Kong's twin tactical ballistic missiles. The two massive weapons launched form its back in clouds of flame and smoke that momentarily obscured the Iron Kong from sight. Soaring into the air, they arced up and over the battlefield, heading towards the Gordos. If things went well, he figured, he could knock their hardest hitter out of the battle in a single blow. The Gordos was far too large and clumsy to get out of the way, leaving it vulnerable to such a strike.

Instead the Gorillatron reacted, hunkering down before unleashing one of its shoulder missile batteries. A volley of five guided missiles shot into the air, speeding towards the larger Tactical Missiles as they descended. Lacking the agility (and programming) to evade, the Kong's weapons were easy prey; detonating in mid-air in a spectacular, yet harmless fireball.

"Missiles are intercepted." Stephen called out. "I'll try to take the Gordos out; you guys keep the rest of the team busy." He dropped his sights onto the enemy Zoid, but before he could fire the Gordos' twin Railguns opened up, Hammering the controls, Stephen fired the Kong's boosters, leaping out of the way of the shot before he could reply. The twin slugs shot past his machine, slamming into the back wall of the arena.

A moment later, the Gorillatron's other shoulder lit up, sending another volley of missiles skywards. This time, however, they were chasing after a specific target - Tasch's black Redler. "Tasch, Incoming!" He called out as he watched them rise.

"I see' em." She called back. "Ya gonna have ta wait on a minute while I try an' shake 'em."

"Gotcha." He nodded. They've neutralised our long-range strikes and our air cover. Very well planned. Let's see what else they have. "Neil, try to take out that Gorillatron!" he yelled. "I'll see what I can do form back here."

The Kong's Hyperbeam Launcher fired, a searing beam of blue and white energy streaking towards the enemy Zoid. At the same time, the Gordos replied with its twin Railcannons, not even attempting to evade the shot. As the Hyperbeam cannon tore armour form the Gordos' thick flanks and furrowed into its structure, the Kong was struck twice in the chest, the force of the blows enough to rock the heavy Zoid.

And it looks like they're not messing around.

*****

Neil's Gunsniper sprinted downfield, doing its best to keep out of the firing arc of the Gordos' main guns. He knew the enemy Zoid was rather slow and clumsy, and that its main cannons only faced directly forwards. This was a good thing, as he also knew that a single volley from either of them would probably be enough to put his Gunsniper out of action.

Spinning around, he sighted the Gorillatron that had been giving them so much trouble, hiding in the shadow of the larger Zoid. The two racks of missiles that crowned its shoulders were mostly depleted, but there was still a few left, meaning that it was still a threat. Hopefully he'll be ignoring me like everyone else does, he thought. Well, it's nice to think. He twisted his Zoid around, the Gunsniper hissing as he opened fire with one of its wrist-mounted beam gattling cannons. Hopefully I can get his attention and give Tasch a chance.

The shots peppered the Gorillatron's barrel-like chest, but didn't seem to have any obvious effect on the armour. Instead, a large orb imbedded within the chest began to glow with red energy, increasing with intensity as several more rounds splashed over it. Fort its part, the Gorillatron didn't do much to hide itself, instead maintaining its place in the Gordos' protective shadow.

"Hey guys!" he called out. "My guns don't seem to be doing much. Don't Gorilltrons have some sort of shielding or something."

"They got an energy absorption core." Tasch grunted back over the communicator, the sound of her Zoid's engines filling the background with noise. "It absorbs energy then can be used to transfer it to a- grrr - to an Energy Liger when they're fused. That boosts the power of the Liger's Energy Charger."

"Pleasant thought..." He replied. "You okay up there?"

"Got missiles. Workin' on 'em." She replied back.

"Neil, try to get it with your rockets." Stephen cut in. "Don't try to go to melee with it; those Knuckles would mess you up."

"Gotcha." He replied.

As he turned to face the Gorillatron, his sensors beeped to warn him of a new contact. Almost immediately, a volley of fire streaked past the Gunsniper before a few shots scored armour off the flank. Spinning his Zoid around, he could see the new threat; a Bearfighter that was barrelling towards him, roaring loudly as it charged. Not wasting any time, Neil fired his Zoids boosters, the Gunsniper trying to get out of the enemy machine's line of fire.

To his annoyance, the Bearfighter's pilot seemed to be ready for him. The enemy pilot bought his machine around, bearing down on Neil's smaller Zoid with an alarming speed. While a lot larger and bulkier, the Zoid seemed to be just as fast as his machine was. "Okay, okay, I get the impression. I’m gonna have to go through you, right?"

The Gunsiper twisted around, Neil spraying fire from the wrist Vulcans at the enemy machine. The rounds slammed into its shoulders, marring the armour but not seeming to do any severe damage. In return, the Bearfighter's pilot opened up with the back-mounted cannons, spraying fire back at him. A few shots struck the Gunsniper's flank, throwing Neil around and chewing into its thin armour.

With Neil off-balance, the Bearfighter pilot saw their chance. The machine charged forwards, bearing down on the smaller Gunsniper. Again bellowing, it reared up onto its hind legs, exposing its very large and very sharp claws, as well as a six-barrelled cannon on its chest. The weapon opened up, shots slamming into the Gunsniper and the area around it. Neil was again sent reeling, the Zoid staggering back as red lights came on across his control board.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Bearfighter swooped down with one of its claws in a broad arc. Neil recovered at the last moment, the Gunsniper ducking just under the attack beofre the Bearfighter could strike. "Okay, no decapitations!" He called out as he fired the booster, his Zoid leaping past the heavier machine. As it leaped past, the Gunsniper lashed out with one of its claws, carving into the Bearfighter's side.

"Now if only that slows him down a bit." Neil commented. "Where's that Gorilla got to?" He glanced at the scope, noting the relative positions of the two teams. The Gordos loomed up large in his scope, the Gorillatron just by it. "Okay, time to-"

He was cut off by another volley of fire, several shots slamming into the Gunsniper;'s back, sending it stumbling again. "Oh, sod off and die, you lousy old pervert!" He yelled as the Gunsniper wheeled around, turning to face the Bearfighter that was again running after it. I can't keep running form this guy; he's too fast and too persistent.

He opened up with the wrist and chest guns, managing to actually do some damage to the Bearfighter as shots tore into the forelegs and shoulders. With an angry roar, the Zoid weathered the attack and reared up, again opening up with the chest cannons. This time its fire was more accurate; shots tore into the Gunsniper, slamming into its chest and shoulders. With a loud screech of twisting metal, the right arm was sheered off while the right hip skewed awkwardly. The Gunsiper staggered, then stumbled down to one knee.

"Tool!" He called out. "Ah, damn it..." Seeing its opponent weakened, the Bearfighter advanced, claws again rearing back for the kill. Glancing around, Neil could see that he was low on options; he couldn’t run and it was unlikely that his remaining vulcan and chest gun could take the Bearfighter out fast enough. The enemy Zoid loomed over him, poised for attack.

"Ah stuff it. I was saving these for the monkey." He muttered as he squeezed the trigger. Both rocket launchers sprang open, belching forth their loads into the Bearfighter's chest at near point-blank range. The warheads detonated in a spectacular bloom of fire and debris, the force of the explosions puncturing the armour and tearing into the systems inside. Its angry roar turned into a cry of shock as the Zoid stumbled back, then collapsed on its back.

"Woo." Neil began. "Too close." He checked over his systems, noting the damage the Gunsniper had sustained. "Course, now I'm equally screwed."

****

[Deadborder]

Rose had evaluated the situation as it stood. From what she could tell, the Gorillatron was keeping Tasch busy and, as such, stopping one of their greatest assets from entering play. Neil's attempt to get to it wasn't working, the Bearfighter managing to provide an effective obstacle for the moment. And with Stephen tied up with the Gordos, that meant matters fell to her to deal with the enemy Zoid.

Her Zero charged downfield, heading towards the Gordos. However, she wasn't interested in the larger Zoid, at least not for the moment. Making sure to keep out of the line of fire of its larger guns, she charged down on its flank. All she had to do was get around it, and she'd have the Gorillatron dead to rights.

Easy.

Unfortunately, the Cave Dwellers had other plans. A single Zoid dashed across the field, heading towards her Zoid. From what she could see, the machine was moving a faster then her own Zero, something that caught her off-guard. Even in its basic configuration, the Liger Zero was one of the fastest-moving Zoids on land. Glancing over the displays, she could see that it was the enemy Hounsoldier, a compact machine not too much bigger then a Command Wolf.

The enemy Zoid's chest erupted with fire as it bounded forwards, shots streaking out form the cannon. Several slammed into the Zero's flank, blasting into its armour and throwing the Zoid around, while others tore into the arena's floor. Damn it, she thought to herself. Can't ignore him now.

Twisting the controls, the Zero skipped and danced out of the line of fire, using its agility to weave between the shots. Firing the boosters, Rose sped up, bringing her Zoid around past the enemy machine. You're faster, but I'm more agile, she thought to herself. Gotcha now. The Zero wheeled around, charging at the enemy Zoid's flank.

The Houndsoldier continued to turn, but it was clear that Rose was pulling well inside it. Instead, the enemy pilot traversed the main gun, the twin-barrelled weapon opening up with a volley of heavy shots at her Zoid. Rounds burst off the Zero's chest and shoulders, slamming into the machine and sending it reeling.

Seeing a chance, the Houldsoldier pilot managed to bring their Zoid around, then bote down on her in a fast charge. As it ran, a pair of lances mooted on its shoulders swung forwards and locked into place, pointing straight ahead. It left no illusions as to the pilot's plan; run down the liger and skewer it on the two, wickedly sharp weapons.

Rose recovered, quickly analysing the situation. The Liger leaped up, bounding out of the path of the Houndsoldier's charge. This time, the enemy pilot seemed not to be completely prepared, the enemy Zoid shooting through the space Rose had been before reacting. Again the rear-mounted cannon swung aorund, opening fire on the Liger as it ran. The shots went wide, scoring the arena floor but going well clear of their mark.

The liger skidded on the concrete, then charged forwards, Rose opening up with the Impact cannon on the Houndsoldier as the smaller Zoid tried to turn. Several shots slammed into its flank, shredding armour over its shoulders but not doing enough damage to cripple the machine. Instead, the Houndsoldier came around, again bearing down on Rose's Zoid. The chest cannon opened fire again, sending several rounds towards her machine.

"Not this time." She muttered as she pulled the Liger through a tight corner, the shots narrowly missing her Zoid as it came around. Dropping her sights onto the Houndsoldier, she opened fire with the impact cannon again. The rounds burst over its side, capitalising on the damage she had done before, ripping off more armour. Another few rounds narrowly missed the Zoid as the enemy pilot fired their own booster, trying desperately to break away from her Liger.

"Gotcha, sucker." She grinned as she pulled around, giving chase to the enemy machine. While it was faster then her Zero, her Zoid accelerated better, allowing her to close the gap between the two of them. A few shots form the impact cannon slammed into the Houndsoldier's back, causing it to slip and stumble, giving her a chance to close the distance. At this range, she figured, she couldn't miss the enemy machine.

"All right... let's finish this." The Zero roared as it charged in, a brilliant golden glow building up around its claws. She could be onto the Houndsolider and bring it down before they could recover, and that would then leave her with a clear path to the Gordos and Gorillatron. "Too eas- whoah!"

The rear of the Houndsolder erupted into a cloud of flames and smoke as a half-dozen missiles sprang form behind it's shoulders. Quickly deploying the stabilisers, Rose twisted the boosters, bringing the Zero around in the tightest turn she could possibly perform. Stomping on the pedals, she opened the boosters to full, trying to get as far from the enemy weapons as possible -

- and then seeing the missiles fly straight past her Zoid, instead climbing into the sky. Looking up, she could see that they were headed straight up to Tasch's Redler.

Putting aside her anger at being faked out, she instead yelled into the communicator as she tried to bring the Zero around to catch the fleeing Houndsoldier. "Tasch! You've got another flight incoming!"

*****

"Gotcha, thanks!" Tasch called back. Glancing over the display, she could see what Rose had meant. A half-dozen missiles were rising towards her Redler, closing in at speed.

She'd had to admit, the enemy team's tactics had been good. After shooting down the missiles from Stephen's Kong, the Gorillatron had been perfectly content to stand its ground. Instead, the small Zoid had been volleying missiles at her Redler, keeping up a steady stream of fire rather then trying to go for the quick kill.

The logic was simple; this way, the enemy team could effectively eliminate her from the battle. They kept her too busy trying to dodge their fire to be able to actually do anything to support the rest of the Chairs. While the odds of a single missile bringing her down were relatively small, it was a risk that she wasn't willing to take. The only problem was that every time she shook one weapon, another came after it.

And now she had six at once, not an easy situation at the best of times.

"Okay, Tasch. Keep it together. You can do this." As the missiles climbed towards her, she quickly pushed forwards on the stick while twisting the footpedals. The Redler suddenly dived, the boosters twisting to speed its decent. The missiles, instead, climbed past her Zoid at speed, seemingly shaken.

Then, as one, they rolled around and dived at her, still closing the distance.

"Dangit." She muttered as she pulled into a tight turn, again twisting the boosters to bring the Redler around. She'd used this move plenty of times before, managing to throw off warheads that were seeking after her. Letting out a soft grunt as the G-forces pressed her into the seat, she checked the display for the missile's progress.

The scattered, feathering out as they tried to follow the Redler's impossibly tight turn. Then, as one, they regrouped, clumping up and continuing to chase after her Zoid. Tasch's hard turn had bought her a few seconds, nothing more.

"Think, Tasch." She told herself as she pulled around another turn. "Those missiles are from the Houndsolider. It was built to fight in the Devil's Maze against Zeekdobers. So its weapons are gonna pull tight and be good against a low radar signature and lotsa clutter." She shook her head. "So they ain't gonna be easy to shake, unless..."

An idea formed in her head, one that most other pilots would dismiss as crazy. Of course, the thought never occurred to her.

She pushed the throttle open, twisting the rudder pedals and forcing the Redler into a steep dive, straight at the Gorillatron. Getting it loosely in her sights, she opened up with the twin pulse cannons, streaming fire at the general vicinity of the Zoid. Few of the shots connected, but they were enough to keep it pinned in place. It also caught the Gordos' attention, the large Zoid opening up with the dual AA cannons on the base of its tail.

"Jus' perfect." She nodded to herself as a couple of rounds skimmed off the Redler's side. Ingoing them for the moment, she remained focused on the Gorillatron. Again, the smaller Zoid's shoulders were wreathed in flames as it launched the last of its missiles straight up at her.

"Now!" She slammed the foot pedals, pulling up and away as fast as the Zoid could go. The missiles on her tail streaked through the space she had occupied as they tried to register the change and respond. Instead, however, they flew straight into the path of the weapons launched by the Gorillatron. Both flights detonated, erupting in a brilliant fireball that shook the Redler, but left it relatively unscathed.

The Redler looped up and over, coming around before diving at the Houndsoldier. Before the enemy Zoid could open fire with its remaining missiles, Tasch opened up with the twin cannons mounted on the wings. Shots peppered the Houldsoldier's head and shoulders, shredding the armour and staggering the enemy machine. As the machine tried to recover, Tasch swooped down, the Redler rolling over as it extended its tailblade.

The Houndsolider's pilot tried to twist out of the path of her attack, but it was too late. The Redler's blade sliced through the Zoid's shoulder, cleaving through the damaged armour and then severing the Zoid's foreleg. As the Redler pulled up and away, the Houndsoldier collapsed, crashing to the ground flat on its face.

"Okies, the Houndsoldier's down." She finished over the communicator. "And the Gorillatron's open."

*****

"Roger that." Stephen called back. "I'll take him. Rose, you keep the Gordos busy for a moment."

"Nuh-uh." Rose protested. "I've got a clear shot at the Gorillatron. I can take him now."

"Rose!" He yelled over the communicator. "He's not as open as he looks. There's still-"

"He's out of missiles, and my Zoid can walk all over his." She finished. "Don't sweat it." She opened up the throttle, the Liger bounding past the disabled Houndsoldier and heading towards the remaining two enemy Zoids. The Houndsoldier made no effort to stop her, the pilot realising that they were out of action and not to push things any further.

Sprinting around the Gordos' bulky frame, she bore down on the smaller Gorillatron at speed. The Impact cannon opened up on the enemy machine, hammering into its chest and sending it reeling. While the energy core absorbed some of the shot's energy, it was still enough to effect the enemy machine. Staggering, the Gorillatron tried to regain its footing and react while the Liger bore down on it.

"I have him!" Rose called out as the Liger roared, its strike laser claws ready for the kill.

"Rose!" Stephen called back. "Break off! You're right in the line if the-"

The Liger's claws crashed down on the Gorillatron, shredding its right shoulder and cleaving into the energy orb in its chest. The red light inside the orb fizzled and died as the energy inside it discharged and dissipated, the Zoid's systems rendered inoperable by the assault. The Zero leaped past the Zoid, roaring in triumph as it landed on the other side of its downed foe.

And then being caught in the underside by the Gordos' tail spikes. The massive club whipped upwards, smashing into the liger and tearing through its systems. The Zoid was flipped over, crashing to the ground on its side while one of its stabiliser wings, along with a good portion of its flank, were ripped free.

"Dammit!" Stephen called out. "I warned her... Tasch! Try to distract him!"

"Gotcha." She replied with a nod, the Redler swooping down on the Grodos as it turned to face the wounded Liger. She opened fire on the massive machine, the beam cannons spitting rounds into the huge Zoid's flank. While they didn't appear to do too much, the shots did at least get its attention.

The ponderous Zoid stopped in the middle of its turn, then opened fire with the array of secondary wepaons on its back and side. Shots filled the air around the Redler as Tasch pulled up and away, junking to avoid the barrage coming after it. For the most part, the shots from the Gordos went wide, only a few managing to clip the machine as it escaped.

But it had the desired effect. Stephen's Iron Kong slammed its knuckles into the ground, hunching down before opening fire with the massive Hyperbeam cannon. The beam of brilliant energy slammed into the Gordos' flank, ripping into the leg structure but not dropping the machine. However, as it turned to face him, Stephen could see that he'd wounded it. The machine seemed a little unsure of itself, liming as it attempted to turn to face him.

He wasn't going to give it the chance. The Iron Kong broke into a run, keeping out of the line of fire of the Gordos' main guns while also keeping its damaged flank in sight. As he ran, Stephen opened up with the pulse cannon, the shots peppering the side of the machine, capitalising on the damage that he'd already done. The Gordos stumbled, its foreleg buckling and driving it down to one knee.

As good a chance as any, he thought as he fired the manoeuvre thrusters, quickly spinning the Iron Kong around. He dropped his sights onto the Gordos as the damaged machine struggled to rise, then opened fire again with the Hyperbeam cannon. The shot slammed into the Gordos' flank, blowing apart the damaged leg mechanism and tearing into the structure of its torso. With a loud bellow, the Gordos shook, then toppled over, crashing to the ground on its side.

For a moment, the battlefield was silent as a ZBC monitor drone inspected the various downed Zoids. Then, it spoke up. “The battle is over! The winner is the Broken Chairs!”

"Phew." Neil began from the cockpit of his damaged Gunsniper. "That... was a lot closer then it needed to be."

"Indeed." Stephen nodded. "I think... I think we need to talk about this. Otherwise, this season's gonna be a lot tougher then it should be."

*****

Despite being the Zoid Battle capital of the world, and the wealth that came with it, there were still poorer sections of the city. Found on the outer fringes of the city, while small they still were impossible to ignore. These places were the refuge of the poor, the desperate and more then a few fugitives.

Jean Templar was one of the latter. A year ago, he had been one of the NUBG's best pilots. The leader of one of their top teams, he had wealth and power, and lived for the promise of more. He had a reputation for his savage nature in battle, which only seemed to make him more popular amongst the NUBG's fans. It helped disguise a keen tactical mind that was the true source of his success; he usually out-thought his opponents, which then allowed him the liberty of finishing them off in a showy and crowd-pleasing manner.

And then everything had fallen apart. His team had been sent to 'deal with' a problem. It seemed simple enough; they would isolate a particular ZBC team and then challenge them to an illegal battle -a battle his team would easily win. Except they hadn't won. In fact, it had been a crushing defeat, with three of the Zoids on his team disabled against none of the opponents. Jean had only survived because his crippled Lord Gale had fled the battlefield after being savaged by the enemy Redler.

Not that it had done him any good. A few hours later, his Zoid was intercepted and taken out by another machine, an Energy Liger. The Zoid had shot him out of the sky and then proceeded to rip his Lord Gale apart. They'd done more then just disable it, however. They'd gone to great lengths to ensure that his Zoid was utterly, destroyed, reduced to beyond the point where it was even any good for salvage.

And yet he'd managed to escape unharmed.

He'd fled into the underbelly of the city, not wanting to go back to the NUBG after his defeat, and believing that the PKB would be after him. Abandoning most of the accoutrements of his old life, he'd instead blended into the failures and rejects that inhabited this part of town. Working a menial job for a small amount of cash-in-hand income gave him enough to live off, but was anything but luxurious.

The only upside to this situation was that he'd been overlooked when the NUBG appeared to fall apart. He'd seen it all happen; the PKB attacked the NUBG arenas, capturing the majority of their pilots and personnel. In many ways, his early defeat had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. By fleeing from the NUBG, he'd been away from it when it had folded, and thus evaded capture. Of course, he was still stuck in the city, not willing to risk travelling for fear he may be found.

He trudged back into the apartment building that was his home; a decrepit structure that he was sure was in violation of numerous building safety regulations. His tiny, two-room apartment was in one of the upper floors; this only made it more annoying to get to as he had to slog his way up several flights of stairs to get there. However, it was his sanctuary, the one place that nobody could find him or nobody could get to him. He was safe, just another anonymous reject.

So it was a shock to him when he opened the door to find someone already in there. A tall, blonde woman, dressed in an anonymous black suit and wearing dark glasses was present, standing in the middle of the room as if she had always been there. "Who-" He began as he sized her up, trying to figure why she was here and how much of a threat she represented. Certainly she didn’t look to strong physically, but he knew not to underestimate her because of that.

"It’s been a long time, Jean Templar." She replied, a confident tone in her voice. "I can understand why you don't recognise me."

He peered at her. "Rachel Golden?" He began.

A small smile indicated that he had guessed correctly. "I hadn't expected to find you here." She began. "One of the NUBG's best and brightest reduced to this? It's hardly what I expected from you."

Something seemed odd to Jean about all this. Rachel had been the assistant to the NUBG's manager, but had never been more then a number-cruncher and go-between. Certainly if the NUBG had been dismantled, then she should have nothing left, much like he did. However, it was clear that the situation was anything but. She was speaking with a tone of confidence and superiority that seemed to belie the meek and relatively quiet woman he reMembered. "Circumstances have been against me." He stated, regaining his composure.

"They were against us all, Jean." She continued.

"What do you want?" He demanded, trying to take control of the situation.

"You, actually." She stated. "As I said, you were one of the NUBG's best. Not only as a pilot, but as a leader and a planner. And you had a ruthless streak that had done you well. These are all traits that I could use."

He furrowed his brows. "And what do I get out of this?"

She laughed, quietly. "Isn't escaping form this hellhole enough for you?" She waved around the room, then reached into a pocket. "You would get your old role back as a team leader, ranking pilot and enforcer. Additionally, you would be well paid, better then you ever were with NUBG. And there is one other incentive I could offer you."

"What is it?" He asked, attempting to disguise his eagerness. Despite his concerns about Rachel's reappearance and her demeanour, he couldn't help but find her offer enticing. It was all that he had missed from his old life, all that he wanted back.

She pulled out a small palmtop computer from her picket, holding it out in her palm. Pressing a button on one side, a three-dimensional projection emerged from the screen. It displayed a Zoid, bipedal winged machine with a sinister, almost dark demeanour that belied its bright colours. He recognised it instantly as being a Lord Gale, the Zoid that he had previously piloted.

"A new Zoid." She stated. "And pets to go with it. They will be your minions, Jean, your weapons."

He knew instantly what she meant. The Lord Gale had the ability to control unmanned Chimera Blox, turning the normally feral creatures into precisely-directed implements of destruction and terror. "I see." He finished. "In that case, I agree to your terms."

Rachel smiled confidently as she closed the display. "I thought you would."

*****

Author's notes:

Thanks to Rantinan and Steve for providing the inspiration for the Cave Dwellers team. Thanks also to Rayzeel and Kole who inspired Tasch and Nadia's online personas.