Fury of the Fuhrer (Working Title)

[D00mLiger]

Okay, I have decided to try my hand at fiction. Bwahaha... ha.
This isn't my first idea-made-crappy-attempt-at-writing, but it's probably my best (which is rather sad.) It was born of watching the Royal Cup episodes of NC0, and really wanting the Berserk Fuhrer to get some revenge. Yanno, blow things up, pwn things, and most importantly: trash the Liger Zero. In essence, it's Generic Post-NC0 Doom Sans-Backdraft-With-Berserk-Fuhrer-Going-Genobreaker-On-Everything! Yay for hyphen abuse!

So here's the prolougue, and the first chapter, which should really be part of the prolouge anyway, but oh well. I know I'm going to involve the NC0 cast somehow (possibly without Vega), I just don't know when. I think having the Fuhrer trash ZBCpeople would be too Raven-y, but this time around, the Fuhrer ain't got a pilot, so what the hey!

Just as a note, the character in the 1st chapter will not appear again. I just wanted to write that description, hehehe. And loom at the end, I attempt to be dramatic!

Comments, suggestions, opinions, pies, money, and sporks are welcome and encouraged! Even moderatley nasty ones!

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Prologue

The most recent Royal Cup tournament had been an undisputed debacle. Between the attempted ZBC-takeover by the Backdraft, the loss of the ZBC’s satellite network, and the brief rampage by the infamous Ultimate X, the Berserk Fuhrer, things were a mess.

The Backdraft had been shut down, most of its members imprisoned or forced into hiding. The Berkserk Fuhrer, still inoperable, was impounded by the ZBC, with Cooperation from the Peacekeeping Bureau. For three months it sat in a secure facility while people tried to restore things to order.

By and large, they succeeded. Three months after the Royal Cup, the ZBC was able to support sanctioned battles again, while keeping a vigilant eye for any more shadows of the Backdraft. People moved on, the Royal Cup becoming conversation fodder, and the Backdraft a second-page news item.

Amongst all this, the Berserk Fuhrer had been hidden from sight. Probed, analyzed, and studied with excruciating detail, the Zoid had not yet moved since its incarceration. But the Berserk Fuhrer was hardly any chunk of metal. It was a creature, of silicon, steel, and electric thought, an immortal being that had been sealed away for a thousand years, the power of gods channeled into a mind that had spent millennia honing its hatred, musing on memories of armies and people crushed, bonds broken, kindred both liberated and destroyed... and a civilization brought to its knees.

That power was about to be unleashed on the world once more.



Chapter 1: The Demon in The Machine

The Dark Continent, Nyx, was known for many things. Most notably, it was the home of the Guylos Empire, having been such up until and following the Neo-Zenebas invasion during the last Helic-Guylos-Neo Zenebas war. It was a dark land, inhospitable and uninviting to anything but its natives.

In other words, the perfect place to put a top-secret, ultra-secure facility.

The Guylos Empire had a long history of unique, experimental, and often lethal Zoid technology, from the Deochalum-powered Dark Zoids to the modern Charged Particle Gun. While in state of peace, technology was technology, so the Guylos Empire helped fund the ZBC’s research facility, named after the project surrounding the Berserk Fuhrer: Project DARQNITE.

Every possible bit of technology was to be extracted from the Zoid, and the facility was designed to ensure that was done. Sprawling laboratories, hangars, and titanic security facilities had been built. All for one Zoid. A Zoid, some believed, possessed destructive power unlike anything before.

+++++++++

Dr. Morss, head of Project DARQNITE was a short man in his early thirties, with mousy brown hair and an overall appearance that could be described as “cute” at best, and “childlike” at worst. He was stiff, excitable, and extremely driven, but quite easy to manipulate, making him a perfect Project Leader.

“Alright, it’s 1200 hours. Let’s run the program again.”

The primary observation chamber was a stark white room dominated by screens and computer stations that looked onto the hangar the housed the Berserk Fuhrer, the reason for all of this. Morss paced in from of a large, 10-foot display screen, displaying dozens of readouts, measurements, and charts, which were fed from machines that monitored the Fuhrer. More specifically, they monitored it’s artificial intelligence, checking it for any mental activity. Every twenty minutes, several routines would be run through the monitors, trying to harvest any information from the Fuhrer’s memory banks. In three months, they had not yielded a single byte, a single scrap of information. But Morss’ staff would try nonetheless…

The twelve-person team complied with the doctor’s order, clattering away at their keyboards. Morss turned and gazed out the window onto the Berserk Fuhrer, standing on the hangar floor below, motionless. “What are you hiding…?” he murmured.

“Sir!” One of the technicians yelled. “We’re getting signs of activity from the subject!”

“What?” Dr. Morss gazed at the screen, bars and readings soaring. “Quickly, run the routines! We have to get at the data!”

Alarms suddenly blared, and the lights turned red. Warnings flashed across the screen as the readings went out of control. “Sir! It’s resisting our firewalls and moving into the system! It’s- it’s reactivating, sir!”

“Impossible! Shut it down! Use the fail-safes!”

“They’ve been overridden!”

Suddenly, the alarms dimmed, and the lights flickered. The screen went black, then heavily distorted shaped and shadows began flickering in. A voice crackled over the speakers, harsh, mechanical, and most disturbingly… female. “Th-th-the North is full of tangled things, and texts and aching eyes,” it leered. “And dead is all the innocence of anger and… surprise….” The voice trailed off into haunting laughter, as all the consoles in the room shorted out and the lights lost power.

Dr. Morss was speechless. He heard a small clicking noise, followed by what sounded like whirring. The technicians murmured in fear, and then… the noises stopped.

The last thing they all saw was an energized Buster Claw, gleaming silver fangs, and burning red eyes.

+++++++++++

At 1250 hours, all contact with the DARQNITE facility was lost. Investigative teams found the main complex half destroyed, with a line of destruction carved through the facility into the open wasteland. The ZBC launched a state of emergency, alerting all available pilots to keep a watch for the Berserk Fuhrer. But many believed that the Berserk Fuhrer would simply be captured again with little trouble. And even if it wasn’t, there was still the Liger Zero. It had defeat the Fuhrer before, and would again... wouldn’t it?

Fools!

[Fulano]

Dude. This. Is. Awesome.

I actually imagined something like this happening. Great fanfic! I'll be watching this one.
Oh and by the way, you write very well.

[rantinan]

Hurrm. I don't much like the addition of the imperial facitons to nc/zero to my mind they simply do not belong there. Thers no need for government funding for your lab, it could be ZBC funded, owned by some corporation, or even run by contractors hired to clean up the mess made after the royal cup. That said, defiantly not the normal doomfic at all, i like where you're headed. a furher who sports doom goth poetry while sporkign people is pritty origional.

[Tilly]

Yeah, too often it's "Vega is Raven blah blah war doom blah", with no thought to the way it was the Führer that was the berserker, or that Vega was more a kid without the connection between playing games with doom machines = potential for death in his brain. And a Zoid gibbering trippy doom poetry is fun.

I also agree there's no need for factions - if you're linking /Zero to CC, Neo Zenebas Does Not Work in that universe to me...but like Rantinan said, you could have the guys be a ZBC branch just as well without hurting the impact of things. In fact, it might be cool to see what forces drive research and development of things Zoidy on /Zero!Zi.

[D00mLiger]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone!
As for the Guylos thing, I was on a Gravity Saurer trip, and so Guylos-y Research Center was born.
Factions won't likely appear again, so sleep soundly. But the Blitz Team will! And the Berserk Fuhrer will smite. Lots. For great justice.
I though about giving the Fuhrer a pilot, but OCs ended up lame and ill-fitting, and are a distraction from the doom!. And Vega wouldn't work, because he'd just be trying to stop the thing, and the Fuhrer'd say no, and once again, distraction!
If you're wondering, the poetry bit was blatantly stolen from one of Gargarensis' bits from Age of Mythology. He's a spork-wielding cyclops out to free the Greek Titans to gain immortality, and along the way, ends up reciting some really nifty sounding verse, which I stole. Look for more poetry stolen from Marathon (the 1st person shooter from Bungie in the 90s. It inspired Halo, and is very, very doomy. Durandal rocks!)

Expect Chapter 2 sometime this week. It's way different from the first one; a good deal lighter and a tiny bit worse. Probably because of the lack of doomy-ness and smiting, but ah-well.

[D00mLiger]

Aw, to heck with it. Here's Chapter Two, where the Blitz Team gets their pre-smite exposition! Fear the lack of doom until the very end, and the jerky writing quality!
Doom!poetry from Marathon. 'Pointed Cat' phrase from Tilly (TM?)
New Title Idea! The Dragon's Fire: Rage of the Berserk Fuhrer.

Chapter 2: Everything Old is New Again

Aside from the Liger Zero, it could be argued that the Blitz Team’s custom Gun Sniper had the most personality. I was much like its pilot, aggressive and ammo-happy. It had a marked tendency to raise its radar ‘ear’ antennae when pleased. This was most frequently prior to one of Leena’s famous Total Assaults.

Right now, the Guns Sniper was very much miffed, mirroring Leena’s displeasure.

“Where’s Bit?” she growled, crossing her arms and thumping her back on the cockpit chair. “He called and said he would be here in time for the tournament! We were supposed to leave half an hour ago! And he’s still not here!” The Gun Sniper paced in front of the Hover Cargo, growling irately. The tournament was a big deal; all the Class S teams would be there! The zoid shuddered at the thought of all the possible explosions.

“Calm down, Leena,” said Jamie, sure his suggestion would be lost upon her ears. He smiled at bit and drummed his fingers on the Hover Cargo’s dashboard. She was right; Bit should have been here by now. That Leon was back on the team helped with the fact that Brad and Naomi had started their own team, but Leon had left days ago and was already at the tournament waiting. All this-

“Anyone miss me?”

With a roar, the Liger Zero bounded into view, sliding to a stop in front of the Gun Sniper.

“Bit, you crazy idiot! We’re late because of you!”

“Aw, calm down Leena. The flight was delayed, storm ‘n all that.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” she muttered, stomaching her indignation for the moment. “Let’s just get going.”

The Gun Sniper rumbled in approval.

***********
“…and that’s how I got down Olympus Mountain,” finished Bit. He was standing with Leena on the Hover Cargo deck. Jamie was driving, and Doc was asleep.

“That’s one heckuva story, Bit,” said Jamie admiringly, not taking his eyes off the road. “I don’t think many people go to Nyx these days, or go running through ancient ruins and stuff…”

Leena snorted. “Bah! All that traveling! Probably time better spent doing other stuff.”

“Like what?”

“Not being late, for one…”

“Oh well took who’s talking, Miss Oh-We-Can’t-Leave-I-Need-To-Finish-My-Donut-Who-Cares-If-There’s-A-Battle-I’m-Hungry!”

Leena glared daggers in Bit’s direction, and vaguely wondered about Jamie’s capacity as a bodily weapon.

“Why’s Doc asleep?” wondered Bit.

“Oh he’s been staying awake all night for the last three months (since you left, actually) working on a new armor for the Liger, the “X” armor. He lost a bet with Layon, and has to build one of his designs… or something like that. When I came back he was all wonky like this…”

“Well I hope it’s ready in time for this tournament thing. Nice of the ZBC start battles up again with a tournament for every rank.”

“That’s sure true. So many things to explode… so much money to be won…” Leena sighed wistfully. Bit shook his head. How could such a sweet-looking girl have such a craving for mechanical violence?

“Yeah, but you guys heard about the Berserk Fuhrer getting loose, right?” asked Jamie worriedly.

“Oh, that stupid hunk of purple junk?” snorted Leena. “We’ve got Blondie the Fuhrer Killer and his Shiny Pointed Cat with us, 'case ya haven’t noticed. We’ll be fine.”

“Well, nice to know someone needs me around,” Bit snickered.

“Can it mister, or else we’ll be short a blonde wonderboy.”

*********

They made it the better part of the way there before stopping for the night in a small valley. The team ate dinner and went to bed, planning to get up early the next morning.

Little did they know that perched on a nearby ridge brooded the Berserk Fuhrer itself.

Its armor glinted slightly in the orange desert moonlight, its body a collection of sleek, dangerous lines, red eyes glowing. It smiled best it could, gazing at the moon, fangs gleaming. “This is the world ends; not with a roar… but with a whisper.”

The Fuhrer threw back its head and roared into the night, a mere murmur of what was to come.

Inside the Hover Cargo, the Liger Zero shuddered, and dreamt the dreams of monsters…

[rantinan]

Oh dear. That is almost be to bitchcy, cynical and snarky for leena, but it was awesome.
I did laugh.. a lot.
keep it goin

Also double plus cool poitns for mentioning marathon.

[D00mLiger]

Yes! Cool points! I have reason to live! lol
With regards to the story, Chapter 3 is coming soon, this-coming-week-ish. Anyone to point me in the direction of doomy, dramatic things online gets a cookie.

[ScissorBreaker]

this is great. I cannot wait until the next installment!!!

[Tilly]

If you need doomy music for musefood, PM me for recommendations and so on.

That aside, you are my hero for not using "BIT CLOUD GET BACK HERE WITH MY COOKIE!!" as a scene transition. I've seen that a billion times, as if people can't think of anything else and fall back on it because other fics do too...never mind it only happened all of once or twice, and Leena could surely find other reasons to chase him.

[D00mLiger]

Well, once again earlier than promised, is chapter three! Thise chapter is admittely more fight-oriented as opposed to d00m (which comes back in spades, later, I promise! ), and the Fuhrer-dialouge shows this in its crappiness. This chapter has the first battle scene (first of two, but the second one is big and d00my), which sucks. My brain got ahead of my words, so the scene described should be infinitely cooler.

Enough angst from the author, on with the story!

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Chapter 3: The Dragon’s Wrath

Bit was deep asleep, dreaming of nothing, when he felt something prodding his mind. He tossed and turned, still asleep, until the mysterious presence nudged him awake. “Mmmm! Wha? Huh?” Bit rubbed his eyes sleepily.

“Hurry! You must come!”

Bit jumped at the mysterious voice that resonated in his head. It sounded familiar…

“Come now!” it urged.

“If you say so…” Bit flopped out of bed and stumbled in the direction the presence pulled him in. Strangely, he ended up in the Hover Cargo’s hold, staring at the Liger Zero. The Zoid was clearly upset, stomping and bellowing!

“Calm down Liger!” Bit yelled, raising his arms.

“Out there! Out there! Let me out! Listen to me!” the voice yelled at Bit, and he then realized it came from the Liger.

“You can-”

“OUT!”

Quickly, Bit clambered into the Liger’s cockpit, and remotely opened the Hover Cargo’s side door. Doc quickly came on the radio.

“Bit, what the-”

“Liger was having a fit, and he said he needed to go outside, so, here we are!” Bit said, a bit nonplussed at the situation. The Liger bounded away from the ‘Cargo, toward the opening of the valley, which was formed like a small canyon. It stood there, roaring. “I still don’t know what’s wrong...” Then there was a shudder in the ground, followed by another, then another. The Liger stopped growling.

It was a sleek shadow of sharp lines, blades and claws gleaming under the two moons. The dragon of rage walked the earth once again, to sow destruction and chaos. The Berserk Fuhrer announced its presence with a roar, tilting its head to the sky.

“What? That- it shouldn’t be here!” Even though Bit had heard the news story, he had never believed that the Fuhrer would come after him.

“Demon!” spat the Liger Zero, contempt in its tone. “Meet your fate, dweller of the abyss!”

The Fuhrer’s gleaming red eyes blazed with a brighter light. “Silence, impudent creature! Your hubris shall be your only comfort! For on your belly you shall crawl!” Boosters flaring, the Berserk Fuhrer attacked, mouth open wide, Buster Claws deployed and energized.

In a split second, Bit considered his options. In its base form, the Liger had no chance of outrunning the Fuhrer long enough to escape. But if he damaged it, maybe he could escape. For its part, the Liger Zero roared and charged forward, intent on battle.

The two met in the blink of an eye. The Liger tired to dodge the Fuhrer’s charge and flank it, but the other zoid was too quick, slamming the Liger’s face with its tail.

Stunned, Bit tried to urge the Liger to its feet, and found himself assaulted with fire from the Fuhrer’s beam cannons. With a growl, the Liger regained its footing and charged again, this time charging its Strike Laser Claw. “EAT THIS!”

The Fuhrer backpedaled Buster Claws charged and in guarding position. The Liger struck with one paw, and the Fuhrer parried the blow. Unfazed, Bit slashed with the Liger’s left paw, then both simultaneously, and each time the Berserk Fuhrer repelled the blows without harm.

“The Strike Laser Claw… it-it didn’t even scratch it…” Bit was in shock. “Last time, it-”

The Fuhrer laughed; the sound gnawed at Bit’s ears. “Do you not see now? I am not chained as I was! You would hope to strike at a goddess! Now you shall witness the birth of new chaos!” Footlocks slammed down, and the Fuhrer began charging its main Charged Particle Cannon.

The Liger roared defiantly. “Come then!” The Liger charged, straight for the Fuhrer, and then it leapt for the opposing wall.

The Charged Particle Cannon discharged, blinding light washing over the canyon. The Liger had managed to escape the beam, and now leapt for the other wall. The Fuhrer snarled and swung its head to track its target. The Liger made it to the wall ahead of the lethal beam, pouncing at the Fuhrer, claws ready to deliver a killing blow to the face.

“ON YOUR KNEES!” The Fuhrer screamed, inclining its head, trying to hit the Liger with its Charged Particle beam. At the last instant, it jerked to the side, letting the Liger sail by. The beam finally petered out, and the Fuhrer turned to face its opponent, eyes shining. “You!” It streaked towards the Liger Zero, murder in its eyes.

The Liger advanced, but this time the Fuhrer wasted no time. It bit down on the Liger’s cheek panel, and threw it backwards. Before Bit could react, the Fuhrer was upon him, jaws on the Liger’s muzzle, slowly crushing the cockpit in. “It ends here. Extinguish your flame, and say goodnight…”

“Bit, get down!”

Leena’s Gun Sniper hissed defensively at the Berserk Fuhrer, guns at the ready. “Step off, you lavender freak!” The Gun Sniper roared as it piled its arsenal into a Total Assault, aimed directly for the Berserk Fuhrer, which futilely tried to use the Liger as a shield. A gigantic explosion consumed the pair, the Liger Zero reappearing at length through the smoke, burnt and scarred. “Come on, Bit, you’ve got to get out of here!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice! Where’s the Hover Cargo?” Bit asked, as the Liger fell into step with Leena’s zoid, as the pair sprinted from the scene.

“It’s around the next corner, but hurry up! We’ve got to get you out of here and get somebody to put that thing down for good!”

***********
It was fifteen minutes before the smoke cleared. Leena’s diversionary Total Assault had left a shallow crater fifteen meters in diameter, at the center of which stood the notorious reason for its creation.

“Giants and the genie, multiplex of wing and eye, whose strong obedience broke the sky…” The Berserk Fuhrer chuckled quietly. “Run, run, run, as fast as you can….

[Fulano]

Brilliant. You are awesome!

I have seriously imagined a fight much like this one, and you have put it in descriptive and creative words. Do not stop!

[D00mLiger]

Well, I've been sitting on this mass of literary brain-vomit for several days, folks. This chapter was originally joined to its successor, Chapter Five, but I split them at birth, as it were. These two chapters are a grand experiment in writing humans, instead of doomy mecha (oddly enough, I can draw nonhumanoids of all stripes fairly passably, (with a specialty in saurians, archasaurs, and synapsids) but humans escape me... such is the same in writing.)

Therefore, these chapters center around the Blitz Team, and the second OC in this tale, and the only one that won't die in less than two hundred words (but he'll kcik it soon! Bwahaha!) This character is none other than ZBC Commissioner Altos Ventriss. He's the bearded guy you see in the final six eps of NC0, the one who talks with Bit at the end. I made him grumpy.

Also, Leon makes an appearence by requierment, for about a dozen words. But he and Bit will talk in Chapter Five, so wait. Also, Jamie and Leena will stare at the sunset. And Jamie will angst. And Leena will calm him down. FANFIC PAIRING, FTW!

Not really. But yes, I have written that scene. Fear!

So if you'll all just wade through the crapstorm, we can get to the stuff that really matters; Eve's Fire, Battle of the Titans! Cities getting leveled! Talk of destruction on a planetary scale! The Legend of the Avenging Archangel! Twin Swords!

^^^Those were all the doomy ideas, dramatic chapter titles, and things I came up with in the last 30 seconds!

Ooh, and I have a plot twist in store! One that'll be totally unexpected, and very, very yellow. One of the best fight scenes will be due to my need to not be consistent! And plus, who doesn't like the color yellow on pointy things? Seriously!

Oh, right, the chapter. 'Tis down there, but watch yourself; here there be fangirls! (just kidding!)


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chapter 4: Lights, Alarms

Serratos City. Located by the coast, it was a sprawling metropolis, a labyrinth of steel canyons stretching for more than a dozen miles. It was an extremely wealthy city, most of its income generated by zoids battling and the attached industries, and many companies had headquarters in Serratos. It was also home to one of the ZBC’s largest offices. Built at the center of the city, on a rocky outcropping, it was nicknamed “The Citadel,” after the old military installation it was built on. This particular center had become the chief ZBC facility following the Royal Cup, which had prompted the Commission to build the Royal Battle Arena, with the intention to at least set up a battling system that could be managed solely from the ground, instead of being reliant on orbital satellites. It was only fitting that Serratos, with its arena, would be the site of the Phoenix Tournament for Class S, commemorating the resumption of organized battling.

The Blitz Team presently stormed through the city’s zoid-specific streets, having been driving all night and fueled by desperation and worry. They barely slowed to discharge the Liger Zero at the first repair bay they came by, and then rolled straight up to the Citadel.

Upon disembarking, they were confronted by a pair of stiff-looking guards as they headed for the entrance. “Excuse me, but your transport is improperly-”

Doc waved his arms exasperatedly, eyes bulging and bloodshot. “There’s no time! Everyone here is in extreme danger! We have to-”

The second guard poked his partner with his elbow, and whispered in his ear. The first guard looked puzzled for a moment, then surprised. “Oh! Doctor Toros, is it? My apologies, but I’ll need you to state your business, and-”

Leena shoved her head forward. “THE BERSERK FUHRER IS COMING!” she bellowed. “We have to get in there! MOVE!”

At this, the guards immediately let them pass, reaching for walkie-talkies and sounding the alarm.

************
“Well. This confirms our fears,” grumbled Chief Commissioner, Altos Ventriss. He scratched at his bear in thought, walking over to the window and looking over the city. “You’re sure? The Berserk Fuhrer? Not some bandits preying on rumors?

“Yes, we’re quite sure,” Doc said gravely. The group was in the Commissioner’s private office at the top of the Citadel, a towering room dominated by a wooden oval conference table. “It had to have come all the way from Nyx, Commissioner. It’ll certainly not be shy about coming here to get at the Liger Zero.”

Ventriss gave Toros a look that gave him the impression the Commissioner fully blamed them for bringing the singular object of the Fuhrer’s attention into a major population center, but for his part the Ventriss said not a word. Finally he massaged his forehead and spoke. “Well, I suppose we were a bit overconfident to assume we could contain the Berserk Fuhrer in the first place. But what’s done is done. The Fuhrer will just have to be destroyed this time around.”

Doc looked puzzled. “But Commissioner, who’s going to fight it? Sure the Liger Zero should be fixed within the hour, but-”

“Doctor, you forget the circumstances. The fifty best zoid teams in the world are right here, right now. Surely hundreds can do what one did before. Do you have any idea how long we have until the Fuhrer will be here?”

“Assuming it moves at full speed, we have until around one-AM tomorrow.”

Ventriss snorted. “Not much time, then. Get the Liger Zero prepared and ready, and then bring any equipment you think you’ll need back here to headquarters. You’re joining the battle-staff. The rest of you,” he said, indicating Bit, Jamie, and Leena, “should get ready. Ammo, repairs, whatever you need, get it. There’ll be a meeting with all the pilots here in three hours.”

They nodded assent and buzzed off to their respective tasks. The Fuhrer was coming, and there was much to do.

************
“Leena?”

“Leon!”

Leena rushed over and hugged her older brother tightly. “Thank goodness you’re here in one piece!”

Leon’s eyebrows rose bemusedly. “Well Leena, it’s nice you’re so happy to see me, but what’s the big deal?”

“So you haven’t heard?” said Jamie, approaching from behind with the rest of the group. “The Berserk Fuhrer’s out… and on its way here.”

Leon’s face darkened. “That explains the damage to the Liger Zero. They’ll likely be holding a pilots’ meeting, which is…?”

“2 in the afternoon,” answered Bit, his voice markedly more serious than Leon had ever heard it.

Doc spoke up. “We should get back to the repair bay, to check on the Liger and make sure the rest of the zoids are in fighting shape. I never though I’d be thankful for anything Layon built for the Backdraft, but just this one time…”

*********************
“Alright, Jamie, the Liger Zero is secured to the deck,” Bit said into the radio.

“Okay Bit,” replied Jamie from the bridge. “Let’s see this new armor Doc built.” The familiar black panels opened, and the equally familiar fleet of robot arms appeared and removed the Liger of its standard armor. The armor that appeared to replace it, however, was nothing like Bit had expected.

It was a festival of points and sharp edges, colored back and blue and gold. Thick, clear blue plates covered the Liger’s hips, two multi-part gold blades rested on its flanks, and its head was surrounded with a mane of sharp black spikes.

“Liger Zero X, CAS complete,” Jamie announced. “What do you think Bit?”

“I dunno,” he mumbled in response. “I mean, it doesn’t have as any blades as the Schneider, it doesn’t add any guns like the Panzer, and it doesn’t have any of the Jager’s speed. What’s the deal?”

Jamie opened up the armor specifications. “Well, it’s not all bad. It’s got extensive stealth capabilities, including optical camouflage. That’ll definitely come in handy. You’ve got two Static Blades, and you can charge them with electricity too. They can even use electricity as a ranged weapon on top of that, as the EM Discharge. And if worst comes to worst, you’ve still got the Shock Cannon and the Strike Laser Claw.”

“Guess Doc was right about that crazy Layon guy. Whaddya think, Liger?”

“It is… a welcome addition, if yet strange. But for our purposes, it is well-suited.”

Bit smiled. “Glad to hear you think so.”

Jamie glanced at his watch. “Well, we should probably get moving back to the ZBC headquarters, if we want to make it to the meeting on time.”

“Alright,” replied Bit, exiting the Liger. We’ll fight the Fuhrer, and we’ll win. It’s just that simple… it’ll have to be…

**********
“I’m extremely pleased you all could be in attendance,” began the Commissioner as the lights dimmed. A map of Serratos City and the surrounding area was projected onto the wall, the zoid pilots standing and sitting on the other side of the room The place was actually a storage chamber, but had been unused for a while and immediately lent itself to its current function.
Ventriss pointed at the map with a long pole. “As you all know the Berserk Fuhrer was the main thing that went wrong with the most recent Royal Cup, after which the zoid was incarcerated and deactivated at a top-secret facility in Nyx. However, just over a week ago, the Berserk Fuhrer reactivated itself and proceeded to force its way out, killing several hundred personnel. Last night, the Blitz Team had contact with the Berserk Fuhrer. The latter engaged them in brutal combat, damaging the Liger Zero and almost preventing their escape. They are quite sure that the Berserk Fuhrer is heading this way, and we estimate it will arrive around 1 o’clock tomorrow morning. With this information, the ZBC chiefs of staff have formed an impromptu battle council, and drafted this plan of action.”

Ventriss indicated the eastern area outside of the city. “The Berserk Fuhrer will be approaching from this direction. This is where we’ll be set up to meet it. Thankfully, the area is largely barren, rocky, and hilly, mitigating the Fuhrer’s agility and speed. The plan is simple. All zoids specializing in heavy, long-range assault will group on these hills, just outside the city. Zoids that are oriented more towards melee and medium-range combat will then move in to ensure the Berserk Fuhrer is completely destroyed. Once the assault teams have fired their salvos, they will move up and fire in waves; they’ll fire several barrages, then the other zoids will move in, then the process will repeat. Again, while it may seem excessive, we’re not taking any chances here. There should be enough old-time stories about a single zoid destroying an army to keep you stiff and awake. The staff here will coordinate different unites, so all you really have to do is shoot.”

The projection faded, and the lights returned. “Well, that’s done. Make sure your zoids are in peak shape, and make sure you get to bed early; we leave at ten-thirty tonight. Good luck.”

[jlzimmer]

Nice Prose, d00mliger (May I call you dl?).

I'm very impressed at the depth of the story as well as the continual action and tension throughout.You have also managed to keep the pace and flow pretty constant which makes for a smooth read.

A couple of observations:

Watch for too many: "Well, Leena"s, or sentences starting with the word "Well". Many times, if you take those "well"s out, the dialogue actually reads smoother.

The section where Bit and Jeremy are securing the Liger Zero might be a little more reader friendly if there was some Narration setting the scene. Starting with dialogue is a GREAT way to start a story or a scene change, but as a general rule in those situations, the dialoque needs to be right before the action. If the dialogue follows an action (such as Bit and Jeremy talking about their securing work AFTER they have done) then opening the scene with some narration summing the action (in this case, narration of their securing of Liger Zero) is generally a good idea.

All of that gibberish aside, this is a literary work you can be proud of. I look forward to reading more of it.

See ya on the Battlefield.

[D00mLiger]

Honk honk... BLAHGH.
Apologies, been on a trip since Sunday, away from compy for so long...
jlzimmer, thank's for the advice. The CAS scene was another one of those "lets run out on a literary limb" moments. At first I was leery of putting in a new CAS, but then I got all these nifty ideas, and plus, it's GOLD AND POINTY people. So GOLD AND POINTY that I must capitalize that phrase everytime I type it.
And yes, you may.