Post by Deadborder on Apr 17, 2007 7:09:14 GMT -5
Pointy Muses Fic II
Chapter Four - Biting Cat Blues
By Rick R.
*****
As with many other teams, the Red Shadows didn't use a purpose-designed Zoid base. Their headquarters instead was originally built as a part of a commercial development that didn't pan out. Repurchased from a bankrupted company, it was converted over to serve a far more lucrative market. The result was a far more spacious headquarters facility then the norm.
Jill Constantine passed through the main hanger (originally intended to be a large lobby area with a few decorative fountains and some ugly sculptures according to the brochures), passing by the hulking form of her Zoid. Leaving it for the moment, she headed upstairs to the extensive (And surprisingly empty) living quarters.
Anyone who'd met Jill Constantine would describe her as "somewhat scary" or possibly "very crazy", a pair of descriptions that she did very little to discourage. (Anyone who’d fought her would instead call her ruthless, relentless and rampantly destructive, but that, to her mind only meant she was doing her job). A look at her living room would seem to suggest otherwise.
While furnished to only a minimal degree, it had numerous artistic flourishes scattered around; a couple of abstract paintings, some oddly-shaped vases, a pair of wall hangings that looked like nothing so much as random objects strung together and the like. It was an image that seemed completely at contrast with the personality of the owner.
She grabbed a red coat from over the back of one of the chairs, a stark contrast to her normal shiny purple pants and top. After glancing around the room, she walked over to one of the side doors, opening it and stepping in without invitation.
Like he'd be anywhere else.
Compared to the minimalism of the main living room, this one was a riot of colour and clutter. Virtually every flat surface was covered with something; paint, brushes, materials, sheets of plastic or whatever. Whole one of the walls consisted of a large bank of windows, the other three were covered with canvases. The clutter continued over to the floor, with empty cans and piles of scrunched up paper scattered haphazardly.
Besides Jill, there was one other person present; a tall, lean man with long black hair tied back into a messy ponytail, a small beard and light blue eyes. Clad in a baggy shirt and pants, he was standing behind a canvas on an easel, staring intently at it. "Hmm. This needs something." He commented, standing back to look at the canvas. "What do you think?"
Jill peered her head around it. "I think it’s a mess of random circles and triangles. Oh, and there's a square too. There you go, Conrad."
"You’re very frank in your descriptions." He commented with a smirk.
"I was never any good at art appreciation." She replied. "To me a mess of shapes is a mess of shapes."
"Hmm..." He poured over it. "Maybe it could use a little... something." He grabbed a brush in one hand, stroking his beard in the other. "Just not sure what."
"You're a Red Shadow." She commented. "You can think of something."
"Well that's the problem, Jill." He nodded. "Am I a Zoid pilot first or am I an artist?"
"Um, I'd assume the former." Jill began, turning to glare at him. "Given that you're on my team and all."
The truth was a little harder to figure out. Conrad had been a young struggling Zoid pilot with artistic intentions when they first met nearly four years ago. On that occasion, art was the last thing on his mind; instead, he was more concerned about the trio of NUBG Zoids beating his Godos down. Jill had stumbled into the situation and made it very clear - in both words and actions - about her displeasure at the situation.
That was a bad year, the one where the NUBG had launched their first "war" on the ZBC, resulting in a lot of attacks on ZBC pilots and property. Conrad had been merely another victim of a random attack, one that Jill had walked into. Except, for some reason, he took a shine to her, which was rare. Usually those she 'rescued' were pretty much just as terrified as they were before.
She hadn't dwelt on it too long. Conrad made a nice diversion, and company was always a good thing. Even if he could be excruciatingly vague at times.
"Well this is true." He replied. "Maybe... maybe I need more squares."
She grinned again. "Good start. Anyways, I just thought that I'd let you know that I'm popping out tonight."
"Oh?" He asked, again looking up from his easel. "Any reason?"
"Got someone who wants to meet me." Jill replied casually. "They claim its business though..." She paused and shook her head. "I think I'm going to have to tell them where to stick it. But then, I'll have to do it in person so they get the message. Some people don't take no very well."
"Oh." He repeated. "It's just that I, um... that is..."
"Hmm?" She asked, looking back.
"Well, uh..." He waved his brush around. "Nothing. Nothing at all, yeah. It's all fine, really."
"Something wrong?"
"Not at all, no." He ducked behind his easel. "You go and talk to your person then and, uh, yeah, do stuff. I'll try adding some squares and see how it goes, yeah. Squares are good."
And that was one of the reasons why he was fun, she reminded herself. When he was trying not to say something, he'd fumble it so badly. It was actually amusing to watch.
"Sure." She replied as she turned back to the door. "Later."
*****
The monitor drone hovered over the arena, surveying the two Zoids as they faced off. “This is the Grand Final Battle for the Zoids Battle Commission Championship.” The electronic voice announced. “Jill Constantine versus Will Goldark."
At the opposite ends of the field, the two Zoid stared each other down. The machines could not have looked too much different; Jill Constantine’s Energy Liger had a rampant, almost baroque design; its bulky Energy Charger and weapons pods combined with the extravagance of its mane, horn and stylised fins to make it seem a lot bigger then it actually was. For comparison, Will's Berserk Fury sported a stark minimalism, a lack of detail and features that only served to make it seem more menacing.
"Both combatants confirmed. Arena confirmed. Contestants ready..." The announcer paused for a moment, as if for dramatic effect. "Fight!”
The Fury leaped into the air, firing its thrusters and speeding across the arena. At the same time, the Energy Liger broke into a run, barrelling down the field, its energy charger thrumming to life. The two barrel-like generators on its back began to glow as they pumped energy into its systems. The wings on its back swept open, then its twin cannons opened up as the two machines closed, spitting fire at the incoming Fury.
The other pilot was ready, the Fury's twin claws coming together, activating the Zoid's powerful energy shield. The energy bursts form the Liger's weapons slammed into it, the shield rippling and shimmering under the impact but holding for the moment. As they closed, more rounds slammed into the shield, producing a spectacular display.
The last few meters between them vanished, the Fury's shield suddenly closing as the two claws jutted forwards, the triple blades spinning at high speed as they lunged at the Liger. However, its pilot was clearly ready for the move; the Liger leaped into the air, sailing over the Fury as it made its attack, the claws passing harmlessly below it. The Energy Liger simply sped straight past its opponent, leaving the Fury behind.
Its opponent realised what had happened and tried to correct his mistake; he bought the claws around, opening fire with the two beam cannons concealed within. The brilliant purple shots filled the skies, the Energy Liger managing to weave between shots despite its considerable bulk. The Fury twisted its boosters, trying to come around in a tight turn to face its opponent.
For its part, the Energy Liger came about, crouching on one of the walls for a moment before springing away, using its powerful legs to give it another boost. Flying straight at the Fury as it turned, it plunged headlong into the maelstrom of fire. Several shots scored its side, but the Zoid kept coming before again opening up with its twin weapons. Numerous shots struck the Fury's side and back, ripping into the armour over its flank and backpack before it again bought up its shield. Not that it deterred the Liger's pilot; they continued to pump rounds into the Fury's shield before passing over it.
The Fury fired its own boosters, charging after the Energy Liger as it landed form its run. It surged forwards, its boosters wide open as it advanced. It bore down on the liger as the other machine turned, again striking out with the two blades, aiming to crush its fore. The liger twisted and leaped around the attack, then ran forwards, tearing past the Fury with its wing blades open. Realising what was happening, the Fury's pilot fired the boosters again, jetting up and away form the other Zoid's charge.
Skidding around, the Liger opened fire again with its cannons, the shots slamming into the Fury's side and back as it turned. Again the pilot bought up the shield, managing to block the attack beofre it suffered too much damage. The Liger ran at the Fury, then again leaped, continuing to fire with the two cannons at the machine.
More shots struck the shield, hammering into it with a succession of powerful blows. The shield shimmered and then suddenly vanished, dispersing under the volume of fire it was absorbing. Realising his situation, the Fury's pilot pulled away, raising the two weapon arms at the Liger to strike it down.
And playing right into the other pilot's hand.
The Liger's shots continued to rain down from above, slamming into the fragile wepaons arms; exposed and unprotected, they were torn apart under the force of the impacts. In desperation, the Fury flared its thrusters, twisting out of the Liger's arc of fire, managing to evade its attacker for the moment. However, the damage had been done; the Fury had been deprived of the majority of its arnement and defenses.
Coming down, the Liger ran at the Berserk Fury, its head down and horn thrust forward to strike. Out of options, the other Zoid crouched down, its claws beginning to glow with energy as the Strike Laser system built into them energised for the attack. It lunged forwards, making a desperate strike at its opponent.
The Liger, in reply, leaped again, bouncing over the Fury's initial strike before crashing down on its back. As it landed, the Liger dug its claws into the Fury's back, then leaped away, tearing out huge chunks of its structure with it. Badly wounded, the Tyrannosaur Zoid struggled to remain on its feet, while the Liger wheeled around and charged again. This time, it pounced at the Zoid's side, sinking its fangs into the Fury's neck. There was a horrific screech of tearing metal, accompanied by a roar of pain from the wounded Zoid.
Then, quietly and rather anticlimactically, it simply slumped, going limp in the Liger's jaws.
“The battle is over!” A monitor drone announced as it flew over the battlefield “The winner, and new ZBC Champion, is Jill Constantine!”
"And that was our classic battle of the day." An obnoxious voiceover chimed in. "Up next, the latest results form the Nyxian League, here on ZBCN."
Will Goldark stared up from his drink at the TV screen, an angry look in his eyes. The last thing he wanted right now was to relive that one battle, yet there it was right in front of it. He'd come to this bar in the hopes of escaping for five minutes but... no. It had to be that one battle, the moment where everything had fallen apart.
He's managed to start out good; coming into the league with a Genosaurer and then upgrading mid-season to a Berserk Fury, a Zoid rarely seen in the competition. He'd placed in the top four in his first year, and been a favourite for his second year. They'd been right; he'd torn his way through the competition on a nearly unstoppable ride to the top, getting all the way to the grand final. Victory seemed assured.
Only problem was, somebody else was in his way. Jill Constantine had appeared out of nowhere with an Energy Liger and cleaved a bloody path to the finals. In a single year, she'd gone from unknown to top contender. The pair of them had faced off for the grand final; however, Will was confident that he could take her down.
Instead, the match had been a slaughter; one of the fastest and most one-sided grand finals ever. His Zoid had been pummelled mercilessly and knocked out of action, crushing his chances. The substantial repair bills had eaten away at his reserves, leaving him in a precarious situation by the start of the next season.
Unfortunately, the magic was gone. A few early defeats had undercut his attempt to get back to the finals; a particularly vicious beating at the hands of a Zero Phoenix saw him fall to near the bottom of the ladder and left him in debt trying to cover his repairs. And to cap it all off, he didn't even have the satisfaction of seeing Constantine loose her title; she'd simply retired midway through the season and up and vanished. Only now she was back, and managing to do to the team competition what she'd done to the singles.
So here he was, celebrating the anniversary of his wife leaving him (another inglorious landmark) and trying to forget all his woes. And what happened? They played the one stupid battle that had started it all off, the beginning of the end, so to speak.
He finished off his glass, then turned to the bartender. "Keep it coming." he muttered, taking the glass as soon as it was full. As he took another swig, a woman sat down next to him; a leggy young blonde in a neat suit who seemed to be wholly ill-suited to a dive like this. "What are you doing here?" he grunted, suddenly offended at this intrusion into his sphere of personal misery.
"Actually, I was looking for you, Mister Goldark." She replied.
"Oh really." He slurred. "Why's that? Searching for the great has-beens of our time? Come to rub my face in it some more?"
"No." She shook her head. "In fact, quite the opposite."
He raised an eyebrow. "What is it then?"
"I'm here to give you an opportunity." She replied. "One that I know you'd be interested in."
"What sort of an opportunity?" He narrowed his eyes.
"Mister Goldark, I feel that you've been treated most unfairly." The woman continued. "You are an excellent pilot. You came within a hair of the championship. You could easily be a champion. However, the public have decided to spurn you and see you as a failure because of one match."
"That's nice." He grunted. "But what are you gonna do about it?"
"I represent certain... interests. Ones that appreciate your skills and would like to give you another opportunity." She explained. "We would like to see you as one of our pilots. You'd be competing in very dangerous yet very exciting battles against an array of foes."
"That's what the ZBC told me." He replied dismissively. "You're going to have to offer me more then that."
"You'd be making a lot more money they you ever could with the ZBC." She continued. "And... other things."
"What... things?"
"Mister Goldark." She smiled. "What would you say If I gave you an opportunity to extract vengeance on... a certain person, one who ruined your life and your career. A chance to reply them for what they did to you."
"You mean take on Constantine again?" He suddenly perked up, as if rejuvenated by the thought.
"And defeat her." She finished. "Humiliate her the way she did you; destroy her Zoid, crush her spirit, even... well, I'll leave it to your imagination. But I ask you this, would you be interested in such an opportunity?"
He grinned, an angry, sneering grin. "Of course I would." He finished. "Lady, for that chance, I would do anything."
*****
Unbeknownst to Will, the object of his hatred was also in the same bar that night. Jill had seen him come in, but knew enough not to speak to the man. She didn't want to antagonise him, which she knew would happen regardless of what she said. She had other things to do tonight, ones that wouldn't be helped by inflaming old hatreds.
The few times she'd spoken to him after the match had shown that he was an angry man, to say the least. Despite the fact that she'd beaten him fair and square, he carried a very large chip on his shoulder about the battle. He'd always maintained that she'd cheated or used unfair tactics, even going so far as to lodge an official complaint with the ZBC. That it had been dismissed after an investigation found that it was groundless, which had only fueled his fire.
She quietly wondered how he'd react if he found out that the girl who beat him the next season was Jill's half-sister. Probably not well.
However, he had nothing to do with the reason why she was here. Instead, she quietly slunk over to one of the booths, sitting down and waiting. A moment later, a second woman joined her. Shorter and less heavily built then Jill (which accounted for most of the female population anyway), she had shoulder length brown hair and light, yellowish-green eyes. This last feature suggested that she, like Jill, hailed form the Dark Continent.
"Long time no see, JC." The woman began, a confident tone in her voice.
"What do you want?" Jill asked, dismissively.
She pouted mockingly before continuing. "All this time and not even a hello?"
"I don't have a name to call you by."
"Fair enough then." She shrugged. "Anyways, to answer your question, I was hoping that you'd continued doing work for me like you did last year."
"Forget it." Jill replied.
"We still need you." The woman stated.
"I'm going legit." Jill continued. "Besides, it’s over."
"That’s what I thought but..." She trailed off. "I think that something else is going on. I'm still trying to gather information on it, however."
"I don't care." Jill stated, glaring straight at the woman, her purple eyes narrowing. "I'm not interested any more. I just want to compete in the battles, go back to what I used to be."
"You passing up the chance for random violence?" The woman snorted derisively. "Whatever will happen next?" She slurred her words, sarcasm colouring her tone.
"You want a fall guy, get someone else." Jill continued. "I'm done." She stood up to leave.
"You know that it could still be... them." The woman added. "The PKB didn't round all of them up. And there's still a lot of holes."
"I don't care." Jill finished. "Go find someone else to pester."
"Ah, poopie." She retorted, clearly overacting. "Well, it was worth a try. If you change your mind, I'll be around."
"It won't happen." Jill muttered. "And you know that." The turned to glare at the woman, who didn't flinch. It was a rare reaction, and one that she had to actually give them credit for. Very few people ever tried to stare Jill down.
"Sure." She nodded, then stood. "See ya, JC. It was fun." Without another word, she walked off.
*****
Chapter Four - Biting Cat Blues
By Rick R.
*****
As with many other teams, the Red Shadows didn't use a purpose-designed Zoid base. Their headquarters instead was originally built as a part of a commercial development that didn't pan out. Repurchased from a bankrupted company, it was converted over to serve a far more lucrative market. The result was a far more spacious headquarters facility then the norm.
Jill Constantine passed through the main hanger (originally intended to be a large lobby area with a few decorative fountains and some ugly sculptures according to the brochures), passing by the hulking form of her Zoid. Leaving it for the moment, she headed upstairs to the extensive (And surprisingly empty) living quarters.
Anyone who'd met Jill Constantine would describe her as "somewhat scary" or possibly "very crazy", a pair of descriptions that she did very little to discourage. (Anyone who’d fought her would instead call her ruthless, relentless and rampantly destructive, but that, to her mind only meant she was doing her job). A look at her living room would seem to suggest otherwise.
While furnished to only a minimal degree, it had numerous artistic flourishes scattered around; a couple of abstract paintings, some oddly-shaped vases, a pair of wall hangings that looked like nothing so much as random objects strung together and the like. It was an image that seemed completely at contrast with the personality of the owner.
She grabbed a red coat from over the back of one of the chairs, a stark contrast to her normal shiny purple pants and top. After glancing around the room, she walked over to one of the side doors, opening it and stepping in without invitation.
Like he'd be anywhere else.
Compared to the minimalism of the main living room, this one was a riot of colour and clutter. Virtually every flat surface was covered with something; paint, brushes, materials, sheets of plastic or whatever. Whole one of the walls consisted of a large bank of windows, the other three were covered with canvases. The clutter continued over to the floor, with empty cans and piles of scrunched up paper scattered haphazardly.
Besides Jill, there was one other person present; a tall, lean man with long black hair tied back into a messy ponytail, a small beard and light blue eyes. Clad in a baggy shirt and pants, he was standing behind a canvas on an easel, staring intently at it. "Hmm. This needs something." He commented, standing back to look at the canvas. "What do you think?"
Jill peered her head around it. "I think it’s a mess of random circles and triangles. Oh, and there's a square too. There you go, Conrad."
"You’re very frank in your descriptions." He commented with a smirk.
"I was never any good at art appreciation." She replied. "To me a mess of shapes is a mess of shapes."
"Hmm..." He poured over it. "Maybe it could use a little... something." He grabbed a brush in one hand, stroking his beard in the other. "Just not sure what."
"You're a Red Shadow." She commented. "You can think of something."
"Well that's the problem, Jill." He nodded. "Am I a Zoid pilot first or am I an artist?"
"Um, I'd assume the former." Jill began, turning to glare at him. "Given that you're on my team and all."
The truth was a little harder to figure out. Conrad had been a young struggling Zoid pilot with artistic intentions when they first met nearly four years ago. On that occasion, art was the last thing on his mind; instead, he was more concerned about the trio of NUBG Zoids beating his Godos down. Jill had stumbled into the situation and made it very clear - in both words and actions - about her displeasure at the situation.
That was a bad year, the one where the NUBG had launched their first "war" on the ZBC, resulting in a lot of attacks on ZBC pilots and property. Conrad had been merely another victim of a random attack, one that Jill had walked into. Except, for some reason, he took a shine to her, which was rare. Usually those she 'rescued' were pretty much just as terrified as they were before.
She hadn't dwelt on it too long. Conrad made a nice diversion, and company was always a good thing. Even if he could be excruciatingly vague at times.
"Well this is true." He replied. "Maybe... maybe I need more squares."
She grinned again. "Good start. Anyways, I just thought that I'd let you know that I'm popping out tonight."
"Oh?" He asked, again looking up from his easel. "Any reason?"
"Got someone who wants to meet me." Jill replied casually. "They claim its business though..." She paused and shook her head. "I think I'm going to have to tell them where to stick it. But then, I'll have to do it in person so they get the message. Some people don't take no very well."
"Oh." He repeated. "It's just that I, um... that is..."
"Hmm?" She asked, looking back.
"Well, uh..." He waved his brush around. "Nothing. Nothing at all, yeah. It's all fine, really."
"Something wrong?"
"Not at all, no." He ducked behind his easel. "You go and talk to your person then and, uh, yeah, do stuff. I'll try adding some squares and see how it goes, yeah. Squares are good."
And that was one of the reasons why he was fun, she reminded herself. When he was trying not to say something, he'd fumble it so badly. It was actually amusing to watch.
"Sure." She replied as she turned back to the door. "Later."
*****
The monitor drone hovered over the arena, surveying the two Zoids as they faced off. “This is the Grand Final Battle for the Zoids Battle Commission Championship.” The electronic voice announced. “Jill Constantine versus Will Goldark."
At the opposite ends of the field, the two Zoid stared each other down. The machines could not have looked too much different; Jill Constantine’s Energy Liger had a rampant, almost baroque design; its bulky Energy Charger and weapons pods combined with the extravagance of its mane, horn and stylised fins to make it seem a lot bigger then it actually was. For comparison, Will's Berserk Fury sported a stark minimalism, a lack of detail and features that only served to make it seem more menacing.
"Both combatants confirmed. Arena confirmed. Contestants ready..." The announcer paused for a moment, as if for dramatic effect. "Fight!”
The Fury leaped into the air, firing its thrusters and speeding across the arena. At the same time, the Energy Liger broke into a run, barrelling down the field, its energy charger thrumming to life. The two barrel-like generators on its back began to glow as they pumped energy into its systems. The wings on its back swept open, then its twin cannons opened up as the two machines closed, spitting fire at the incoming Fury.
The other pilot was ready, the Fury's twin claws coming together, activating the Zoid's powerful energy shield. The energy bursts form the Liger's weapons slammed into it, the shield rippling and shimmering under the impact but holding for the moment. As they closed, more rounds slammed into the shield, producing a spectacular display.
The last few meters between them vanished, the Fury's shield suddenly closing as the two claws jutted forwards, the triple blades spinning at high speed as they lunged at the Liger. However, its pilot was clearly ready for the move; the Liger leaped into the air, sailing over the Fury as it made its attack, the claws passing harmlessly below it. The Energy Liger simply sped straight past its opponent, leaving the Fury behind.
Its opponent realised what had happened and tried to correct his mistake; he bought the claws around, opening fire with the two beam cannons concealed within. The brilliant purple shots filled the skies, the Energy Liger managing to weave between shots despite its considerable bulk. The Fury twisted its boosters, trying to come around in a tight turn to face its opponent.
For its part, the Energy Liger came about, crouching on one of the walls for a moment before springing away, using its powerful legs to give it another boost. Flying straight at the Fury as it turned, it plunged headlong into the maelstrom of fire. Several shots scored its side, but the Zoid kept coming before again opening up with its twin weapons. Numerous shots struck the Fury's side and back, ripping into the armour over its flank and backpack before it again bought up its shield. Not that it deterred the Liger's pilot; they continued to pump rounds into the Fury's shield before passing over it.
The Fury fired its own boosters, charging after the Energy Liger as it landed form its run. It surged forwards, its boosters wide open as it advanced. It bore down on the liger as the other machine turned, again striking out with the two blades, aiming to crush its fore. The liger twisted and leaped around the attack, then ran forwards, tearing past the Fury with its wing blades open. Realising what was happening, the Fury's pilot fired the boosters again, jetting up and away form the other Zoid's charge.
Skidding around, the Liger opened fire again with its cannons, the shots slamming into the Fury's side and back as it turned. Again the pilot bought up the shield, managing to block the attack beofre it suffered too much damage. The Liger ran at the Fury, then again leaped, continuing to fire with the two cannons at the machine.
More shots struck the shield, hammering into it with a succession of powerful blows. The shield shimmered and then suddenly vanished, dispersing under the volume of fire it was absorbing. Realising his situation, the Fury's pilot pulled away, raising the two weapon arms at the Liger to strike it down.
And playing right into the other pilot's hand.
The Liger's shots continued to rain down from above, slamming into the fragile wepaons arms; exposed and unprotected, they were torn apart under the force of the impacts. In desperation, the Fury flared its thrusters, twisting out of the Liger's arc of fire, managing to evade its attacker for the moment. However, the damage had been done; the Fury had been deprived of the majority of its arnement and defenses.
Coming down, the Liger ran at the Berserk Fury, its head down and horn thrust forward to strike. Out of options, the other Zoid crouched down, its claws beginning to glow with energy as the Strike Laser system built into them energised for the attack. It lunged forwards, making a desperate strike at its opponent.
The Liger, in reply, leaped again, bouncing over the Fury's initial strike before crashing down on its back. As it landed, the Liger dug its claws into the Fury's back, then leaped away, tearing out huge chunks of its structure with it. Badly wounded, the Tyrannosaur Zoid struggled to remain on its feet, while the Liger wheeled around and charged again. This time, it pounced at the Zoid's side, sinking its fangs into the Fury's neck. There was a horrific screech of tearing metal, accompanied by a roar of pain from the wounded Zoid.
Then, quietly and rather anticlimactically, it simply slumped, going limp in the Liger's jaws.
“The battle is over!” A monitor drone announced as it flew over the battlefield “The winner, and new ZBC Champion, is Jill Constantine!”
"And that was our classic battle of the day." An obnoxious voiceover chimed in. "Up next, the latest results form the Nyxian League, here on ZBCN."
Will Goldark stared up from his drink at the TV screen, an angry look in his eyes. The last thing he wanted right now was to relive that one battle, yet there it was right in front of it. He'd come to this bar in the hopes of escaping for five minutes but... no. It had to be that one battle, the moment where everything had fallen apart.
He's managed to start out good; coming into the league with a Genosaurer and then upgrading mid-season to a Berserk Fury, a Zoid rarely seen in the competition. He'd placed in the top four in his first year, and been a favourite for his second year. They'd been right; he'd torn his way through the competition on a nearly unstoppable ride to the top, getting all the way to the grand final. Victory seemed assured.
Only problem was, somebody else was in his way. Jill Constantine had appeared out of nowhere with an Energy Liger and cleaved a bloody path to the finals. In a single year, she'd gone from unknown to top contender. The pair of them had faced off for the grand final; however, Will was confident that he could take her down.
Instead, the match had been a slaughter; one of the fastest and most one-sided grand finals ever. His Zoid had been pummelled mercilessly and knocked out of action, crushing his chances. The substantial repair bills had eaten away at his reserves, leaving him in a precarious situation by the start of the next season.
Unfortunately, the magic was gone. A few early defeats had undercut his attempt to get back to the finals; a particularly vicious beating at the hands of a Zero Phoenix saw him fall to near the bottom of the ladder and left him in debt trying to cover his repairs. And to cap it all off, he didn't even have the satisfaction of seeing Constantine loose her title; she'd simply retired midway through the season and up and vanished. Only now she was back, and managing to do to the team competition what she'd done to the singles.
So here he was, celebrating the anniversary of his wife leaving him (another inglorious landmark) and trying to forget all his woes. And what happened? They played the one stupid battle that had started it all off, the beginning of the end, so to speak.
He finished off his glass, then turned to the bartender. "Keep it coming." he muttered, taking the glass as soon as it was full. As he took another swig, a woman sat down next to him; a leggy young blonde in a neat suit who seemed to be wholly ill-suited to a dive like this. "What are you doing here?" he grunted, suddenly offended at this intrusion into his sphere of personal misery.
"Actually, I was looking for you, Mister Goldark." She replied.
"Oh really." He slurred. "Why's that? Searching for the great has-beens of our time? Come to rub my face in it some more?"
"No." She shook her head. "In fact, quite the opposite."
He raised an eyebrow. "What is it then?"
"I'm here to give you an opportunity." She replied. "One that I know you'd be interested in."
"What sort of an opportunity?" He narrowed his eyes.
"Mister Goldark, I feel that you've been treated most unfairly." The woman continued. "You are an excellent pilot. You came within a hair of the championship. You could easily be a champion. However, the public have decided to spurn you and see you as a failure because of one match."
"That's nice." He grunted. "But what are you gonna do about it?"
"I represent certain... interests. Ones that appreciate your skills and would like to give you another opportunity." She explained. "We would like to see you as one of our pilots. You'd be competing in very dangerous yet very exciting battles against an array of foes."
"That's what the ZBC told me." He replied dismissively. "You're going to have to offer me more then that."
"You'd be making a lot more money they you ever could with the ZBC." She continued. "And... other things."
"What... things?"
"Mister Goldark." She smiled. "What would you say If I gave you an opportunity to extract vengeance on... a certain person, one who ruined your life and your career. A chance to reply them for what they did to you."
"You mean take on Constantine again?" He suddenly perked up, as if rejuvenated by the thought.
"And defeat her." She finished. "Humiliate her the way she did you; destroy her Zoid, crush her spirit, even... well, I'll leave it to your imagination. But I ask you this, would you be interested in such an opportunity?"
He grinned, an angry, sneering grin. "Of course I would." He finished. "Lady, for that chance, I would do anything."
*****
Unbeknownst to Will, the object of his hatred was also in the same bar that night. Jill had seen him come in, but knew enough not to speak to the man. She didn't want to antagonise him, which she knew would happen regardless of what she said. She had other things to do tonight, ones that wouldn't be helped by inflaming old hatreds.
The few times she'd spoken to him after the match had shown that he was an angry man, to say the least. Despite the fact that she'd beaten him fair and square, he carried a very large chip on his shoulder about the battle. He'd always maintained that she'd cheated or used unfair tactics, even going so far as to lodge an official complaint with the ZBC. That it had been dismissed after an investigation found that it was groundless, which had only fueled his fire.
She quietly wondered how he'd react if he found out that the girl who beat him the next season was Jill's half-sister. Probably not well.
However, he had nothing to do with the reason why she was here. Instead, she quietly slunk over to one of the booths, sitting down and waiting. A moment later, a second woman joined her. Shorter and less heavily built then Jill (which accounted for most of the female population anyway), she had shoulder length brown hair and light, yellowish-green eyes. This last feature suggested that she, like Jill, hailed form the Dark Continent.
"Long time no see, JC." The woman began, a confident tone in her voice.
"What do you want?" Jill asked, dismissively.
She pouted mockingly before continuing. "All this time and not even a hello?"
"I don't have a name to call you by."
"Fair enough then." She shrugged. "Anyways, to answer your question, I was hoping that you'd continued doing work for me like you did last year."
"Forget it." Jill replied.
"We still need you." The woman stated.
"I'm going legit." Jill continued. "Besides, it’s over."
"That’s what I thought but..." She trailed off. "I think that something else is going on. I'm still trying to gather information on it, however."
"I don't care." Jill stated, glaring straight at the woman, her purple eyes narrowing. "I'm not interested any more. I just want to compete in the battles, go back to what I used to be."
"You passing up the chance for random violence?" The woman snorted derisively. "Whatever will happen next?" She slurred her words, sarcasm colouring her tone.
"You want a fall guy, get someone else." Jill continued. "I'm done." She stood up to leave.
"You know that it could still be... them." The woman added. "The PKB didn't round all of them up. And there's still a lot of holes."
"I don't care." Jill finished. "Go find someone else to pester."
"Ah, poopie." She retorted, clearly overacting. "Well, it was worth a try. If you change your mind, I'll be around."
"It won't happen." Jill muttered. "And you know that." The turned to glare at the woman, who didn't flinch. It was a rare reaction, and one that she had to actually give them credit for. Very few people ever tried to stare Jill down.
"Sure." She nodded, then stood. "See ya, JC. It was fun." Without another word, she walked off.
*****
