Pointy Muses Fic II - Neon Genesis

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Pointy Muses Fic II

Chapter Five - Neon Genesis

By Rick R.

*****

"You were right on the money as always, Kevin." Flare Wilder exclaimed as she bent over the console. "This is indeed a Zi Commonwealth Master Computer. And it appears to be fully functional." The blonde woman straightened up, her long, straight, perfect hair falling over her shoulders as she smiled a dazzling smile. "They sure knew how to make them good in those days." She added, putting one hand on her hip and striking a pose. Clad in only a mini-top and short shorts, it had the desired effect.

"Of course they did." Kevin Hunter commented. "The Zi Commonwealth was the greatest government in the history of this planet, Flare. They achieved great and wonderful things, elevating humanity to a golden age of enlightenment. They freed mankind form the scourge of wars, hunger, famine and disease." Kevin was a striking figure; tall and muscular, he had shoulder length hair and handsome features topped with a rugged beard.

"In my time as an archaeologist, I've seen a lot of their stuff." Flare continued without a hint of conviction in her voice. "It is impressive."

"Yes." He quickly replied, almost cutting her off. Turning, he looked off into the distance, seemingly staring at the wall of the underground bunker they were in. "Impressive is not the word for it. The Commonwealth is an ideal, one that we should all fight to restore. I believe that if I can restore it, we can return Zi to that golden era, and end this age of chaos and despair that has wracked the planet for so long."

A loud gasp caught their attention, the pair of them turning to a small, pale girl in one corner of the room. She was crouched, clutching the sides of her head while grasping at her thick black hair. "They're coming!" She gasped out.

"What is it, Rhaine?" Kevin asked as he rushed over to her, kneeling by the girl. "Are you having another vision? Is there something wrong? Is it something here?"

"The eye is upon us! The eye is upon us!" She yelled out. "They're coming! They've come for me! They want to take me back to the bad place!"

A moment later, the door to the bunker burst open. Ranarec Bearclaw, the final Member of the team, ran into the room, his sword at the ready. A heavily muscled, dark skinned man, he had long hair worn in a crown of Dreadlocks and a goatee beard. "Enemy Zoids approaching." He said, his voice not betraying a hint of emotion. "It looks likes our enemies have returned."

"Of course." Kevin stated, a confident tone in his voice. "They've come for Rhaine again." He turned to the frightened girl. "Again, your strange and unexplainable psychic powers have saved us. Without them, we would have no warning of this impending assault. Do not worry, however. As long as I have breath in my body, I will not allow them to harm a hair on your head. I will do everything in my power to prevent you from returning to that hell from which I saved you."

He turned back to Flare and Ranarec. "Prepare the Zoids! If it is a battle that Sheppard wants, then we will give him one. And I do not intend to rest until his forces are driven from these lands!"

The four of them hurried outside to where their own Zoids were waiting, the white machines standing out in the middle of the desolate landscape. All around them was barren desert sands, broken up only by patches of rusted machinery and crumbling walls jutting out from the ground, It was a site the four of them had seen on many occasions in their short time together.

In the distance, Kevin could see a group of shapes marching across the desert. Three tall, slender Godos escorted a compact, heavyset Brastle Tiger, the Zoid's grey colours helping it to blend into the evening landscape.

"Let's go, team!" Kevin called out. "For the Commonwealth!"

*****

"Okay, I'll bite." Rose began as she leaned over the couch. "What in the hell crap are you guys watching now?"

"Don't you know?" Neil replied with a smirk. "You're missing the greatest TV show in the history of ever. This is New Genesis, the hot and happening new sci-fi/drama series that will redefine television and the way we think about our world."

"You're kidding me, right?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that's what the promotional blurb says." He replied. "In fact, its a hack-made show with incredibly bad actors mumbling their way through scripts that were written by the producers pre-teen son. And I figure that Tasch and I are about the only people actually watching it."

"Um, so what's it about?"

"Well, the story is that somethin' real bade like happened a hundred years ago that destroyed civilization an' turned Zi into a wasteland." Tasch explained. "So then these guys are goin' around tryin' to restore civilization and fight the bad guys an' save the world an' stuff."

"What, a pair of body builders, a goth poet and a bikini model?" She peered at the group on screen.

"Actually the bikini model is an archaeologist who knows a lot about ancient times and stuff." Neil explained.

"But... if this is a post-apocalyptic wasteland, why is she running around only half-dressed?"

"Like you can talk."

"Very funny." She cut back. "But you know what I mean. If I was running around in a radioactive hellhole, I wouldn't be dressed in my briefest attire."

"True, true." he shrugged. "I guess its futuristic or something."

"And the angst chick?"

"They found her in a steses pod in some ruins." Tasch explained. "She has no memory, but she's got these weird powers, like she can see the future an' read minds an' stuff. I think she's some sorta clone myself."

"Basically she has whatever ability the script demands at the time." Neil added. "Very continent."

Rose glanced at the pair of them, and then up to the TV. A gleaming white Soul Tiger ran at the force of enemy Zoids, followed by a cut to its pilot. "Don't I recognize him?" She asked.

"That's the designated hero, Kevin Hunter." Neil explained. "He's heroic and visionary in a way that allows him to mug the camera and get more screen time then the rest of the cast put together. But then, if it means that Ranarec never speaks, its a good thing. Man can't act for crap."

"Yeah, but where's he from?" Rose asked.

"He was the lead on Gilgamesh the Wanderer." Tasch offered. "Y'know, that show where Gilgamesh wanders around the desert punchin' things until he gets immortality... an' then in the twist endin' to the show he passes it up because he realizes it ain't worth it at all."

"You watched that?" Neil asked.

"Yeah, it was kinda fun." Tasch nodded. "'sides, it had surprisingly good representations of Babylonian gods an' demons an' stuff... though the two things are pretty much the same when y'all think about it, really. But heck, they even gave Marduk the right number of ears an' no nose, so it's a good start."

"Okay, but why the hell are you watching it?" Rose continued. "It seems totally-"

"Ssssh!" Neil cut her off. "Sheppard scene!"

"Awesomeness." Tasch nodded.

"But-"

"Sssssh!" They booth repeated.

On the TV, the scene cut to some sort of poorly lit bunker; everything was illuminated only in dull red, which served to make the scene as hard to watch as possible. The camera panned up to a middle-aged man in a black and red uniform. His right eye was covered in a piece that included some sort of red laser-light, while the makeup suggested that he had scars on part of his face.

"Well?" The man hissed out, an effect added to suggest that his voice was electronic.

"The scout force has found the girl." A voice reported form off screen. "They are commencing capture now."

"Excellent." The supposed cyborg replied.

"There is more, commander." The off-screen voice continued. "They say that she is at an old Commonwealth computer complex. And Hunter is there."

"Order him destroyed." The cybrog snapped, raising a fist. Like his face, it had been made up to indicate that it was cybernetic in nature. "He and his pithy rebel scum will not be tolerated in the new order. Cleanse them with fire from our perfect world." His voice remained flat throughout, possibly to suggest that it was completely artificial. Or that the actor didn't care.

"It shall be done." The off-screen voice continued.

"Excellent." The cyborg finished. "Soon, all will be within my grasp." he turned, looking to another monitor. On it was the silhouetted form of a Zoid's head, depicting an angular shape with a row of sharp fangs. For a moment, a single red eye illuminated, then went dark. "Very soon."

"Awesomeness." Neil commented.

"Say what?" Rose blinked.

"That's the villain of the show doing his one scene for the episode." He explained.

"Y'see, he got a really big part in the pilot episode, but since then they only have him on fer one scene at a time." Tasch explained. "But I think he has to be under some sorta contractual obligation or somethin'."

"Of course, the actor himself has been in, oh, a zillion or so bad sci-fi shows and movies." Neil added. "He's good, he just can't pick his shows for spit."

"Mainly we're tryin' to find out what his actual plot is before he exposits it." Tasch finished.

"It won't be a surprise at all." Neil continued. "Nor will the revelation that he has a Deathsaurer behind him."

"That's meant to be a surprise?" Rose asked. "It was blatantly obvious."

"I know. But they're acting like its some shocking secret as to what his 'dreaded terror weapon from the past' is." Neil offered. "Which is another reason why we love him so. The fact that he's trying to blow up the heroes is just a bonus."

"Speakin' of which..." Tasch spoke up. "You ever noticed how often his thugs use Brastle Tigers? it's kinda odd that."

"Well I figure that its one of two things." Neil suggested. "First being that they have handy Brastle stock. Second, of course being that ZOITEC helps pay for the show and provides the Zoids and Brastle is the flagship product of their main competitor. So yeah."

"Of course." Rose shook her head. "I still don't get why you're watching it, especially not if its half as bad as you're indicating."

"Well that's the thing." He smiled. "We're watching it because it is bad and, as a result, rather entertaining. Certainly they didn't plan it like this but... that just adds to the fun."

"Well I think I'll leave you to it." She finished with a smirk. "Have fun."

"Oh we will." Neil commented. "We will indeed."

*****

The battlefield set of New Genesis was always busy at the best of times. A large, open space converted from a disused quarry, it had been rigged up with numerous piles of wrecked equipment designed to look "post apocalyptic", as well as innumerable pieces of special effects equipment; flame projectors, explosives, flare guns and the like. Added to this were the Zoids on-site; besides the four Zoids used by the main cast, they needed various other machines for use by the villains of the week or other characters.

Today it was busier then normal; a crew from an entertainment show had arrived for a pre-arranged publicity shoot and interview in order to promote the show. It was a problem for numerous reasons; it meant interrupting the shooting schedule, getting in cast and crew simply for the promotion and keeping a whole bunch of people under control on what was already a crowded set.

It didn't help matters at all that, so far, New Genesis had performed "below expectations" in ratings. Rumours were already afoot of cast or format changes, moving timeslot or even cancellation. Some saw this promotional event less as a way to plug the show and more as a way to prop it up before it collapsed entirely.

Right now the center of the focus was a stage set up in front of a Soul Tiger, the Zoid used by Kevin Hunter, the show's lead character. Dylan Barnett, the actor who played the role, was standing before it along with Terri Starr, the actress who played Flare. With them were another quartet of individuals; three male, one female, clad in brightly-coloured uniforms.

"I'm Sally-Anne Esposito, coming to you from the exciting set of New Genesis." A dark-haired reporter began as she walked onto the stage, the cameras following her. "And I'm here with an exclusive, with not only with hot action stars Dylan Barnett and Terri Starr, but also with some of the team of people who make the show possible."

"One of the amazing aspects of this show is its intense and realistic Zoids battle sequences, fights that are so riveting that they rival the bouts in the ZBC arenas for pulse-racing excitement." She continued. "These battles are filmed right here, and done with the aid of a team of expert pilots who put it all on the line to bring you this action-packed show."

She walked over to Dylan and the man standing next to him. A little shorter then Dylan, he was still rather handsome in a rugged way. His blonde hair was cropped short, while he sported a small goatee beard. His jumpsuit was white with a red trim, and sported large ZOITEC logos on the chest and sleeves. "Grayson Webber and his Genesis Team have helped not only make this show, but have given viewers a taste of the excitement and action they can see on it. When they're not fighting against the armies of evil, the team have been competing in the ZBC arenas."

She smiled and turned to Webber. "It must be very exciting to be participating not only in the ZBC arena but also the making of such a hot new show, Grayson."

"It is, Sally-Anne." Grayson replied. "As a former ZBC warrior, I saw a lot of action in the arena. This show gives me the opportunity to use the skills and training that I gained there. Furthermore, by competing as a part of a team in the ZBC, it helps keep me in practice so I can give the best possible performance for the loyal viewers."

"And not to mention, the best possible performance for me." Dylan added. "Whatever Grayson does, be it on the set or in the arena, is the inspection for my character, Kevin Hunter. Grayson's skills as a pilot, combined with my own acting talents, help not only bring the character to life, but also show him as being a dynamic, deep and involved man of action. Furthermore, it shows that he is a skilled pilot, able to use his talents in a Zoid to defend his companions and help make a better world."

Grayson quietly rolled his eyes as Sally nodded and smiled. "The Genesis team was a creation of ZOITEC to help make the show as well as promote their Zoids." She continued. "Why do you think that they chose you to head up the team?"

"Well, Sally, I've been a Zoid pilot for some years now." Grayson explained. "I was a finalist two years in a row, which is no mean feat. Furthermore, my area of specialty was in high-speed, high-performance Zoids, making me a natural to pilot the Soul Tiger, the most powerful and advanced Zoid on the team. I'll say now that it's a definite upgrade from my old Blade Liger."

"In many ways, his position as leader of the arena team parallels the situation in the show." Dylan added. "Kevin Hunter pilots a Soul Tiger, the most powerful Zoid in the post-cataclysm world. However, he's not the leader simply because he has the best Zoid. Its his skills, his abilities, his depth and his courage that have made him the natural choice to lead this desperate band of rebels in their fight to restore peace and civilization to the shattered world of the future."

"As annoy who watches the ZBC will know, area battles are often the most exciting." Sally continued, stepping past the pair of them. "Both the Genesis team and Kevin Hunter's brave band of rebels use a flying Zoid in their intense battles. While actress Terri Starr plays the exciting Doctor Flare Wilder on the screen, the exciting footage of the Zoid in action is performed by Kirsten Felspar."

She turned to a woman standing next to Terri. A little shorter then the actress, she had brown eyes and long brown hair. While her jumpsuit was similar in style to Grayson's, with bright purple trim replacing the red, it also sported a distinctive bare midriff. "What's it like to pilot such an exciting, high-performance Zoid, Kirsten?"

"The Rainbow Jerk is really good to fly, Sally." She replied enthusiastically. "Especially with the new boosters that ZOITEC equipped it with that drastically improve the overall speed and handling. It's just such a total rush to open them up all the way and totally soar off."

"Like Grayson, you were a ZBC warrior before joining the team." Sally continued. "How do you feel about the change in career choice?"

"Well, its not that much of a total change." Kirsten shook her head. "Its pretty much the same thing really; okay so I’m totally part of a team, but it's the most totally absolute team there is. I fight my absolute best and do all I can, but I have to reMember that not only am I fighting for myself but I'm also totally looking after others and have to watch out for them. As their eye in the sky, I'm the moist totally important Member of the team."

"So while Kirsten's giving a great performance, Terri is playing the part of the character behind the Zoid." Sally smiled. "Tell me about your role in the show."

"Well, Doctor Welder's the smartest Member of the team." Terri explained. "She's got a whole bunch of knowledge about the enchant world and what happened before the ancient disaster that wiped it out. So she knows stuff, but she's not afraid to fight for what she believes it. Rather then being bookish and quiet, she's a total go-girl who's ready to kick butts if needs be."

"And what's the best thing about working on the show?"

"Well, I think its' the fact that, while the show's meant to be entertaining it's actually a lot deeper." Terri continued. "Like, it's supposed to be an action show, but it's really a socially relevant drama. We can, like, totally use the story as a way to explore and talk about current issues and stuff and make them look good so people will think about them. Things like the environment and stuff that people will watch and say 'yeah, I should totally do something about that.'"

"And that's the best thing, Sally." She finished. "I'm making an entertaining show, but it;s really informative and aware and stuff."

Sally gave a little nod before moving onto the other two Members of the Genesis team. "Viewers will doubtless recognize the other Members of the team from last year's hit reality show Who Wants to be a Zoid Warrior." She explained. "Not only will viewers get to see their chosen hero, Adam Rufford, in action, but he's partnered up with Stan Linborg, the tough-as-nails instructor who made such a splash with the series."

Adam was clearly the youngest of the team; average height and slender, he had spiky black hair, large brown eyes and a small tuft of hair on his chin. His ears sported numerous rings, while his suit featured a distressingly bright orange trim. As if to emphasize the point, he wore it with the front unzipped to well down his chest. Stan, by comparison, while a lot shorter was far more heavily muscled. Dark skinned, he sported a shaved head and a beard, while his uniform had a gold trim.

"I must say that its an honor to be a part of hits team, Sally." Adam began, stepping in front of Stan. "Really. I worked long and hard to be the best Zoid pilot that I could be. I didn't win Who Wants to be a Zoid Warrior through my good looks or considerable wit and charm. No, it was buckling down and pushing myself to be all that I could be and the very best that I could be. It was these qualities that allowed me to win and earned me a place on this team."

"It must be very different out on the arena to the training camp from Who Wants to be a Zoid Warrior." Sally commented. "How are you finding it?"

"It's very intense and very harsh out there, Sally." He stated. "But, at the same time, I have this feeling of incredible confidence. I know that I only am where I am because of the support of the fans out there how made me their hero, Sally. Its this confidence that enables me to going on; the people made me their champion, so the least I can do is return their faith in me. I think it would be a fitting tribute to them if I could lead this team to victory, Sally."

"Stan, you were the chief instructor on Who Wants to be a Zoid Warrior." She continued. "What do you think of Adam's performance?"

"Sally, I can honestly say that I've never had a trainee pilot quite like Adam." He simply stated.

"And there you have it." She finished, turning back to the camera. "So whether in the arena or on the war-torn battlefields of the future, you know that you're in for an exciting battle as these two teams give it their all."

*****

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"Thank god that's over." Grayson commented as he stepped away from the stage. "I think that Dylan's ego was going to smother us all." He shook his head and snarled. "Where does he get off making out that he's some sort of big-name hero while it's people like us that are doing all the work? He makes it look like he's the one piloting the man Zoid and doing all his own damn stunts. Moron probably couldn't even turn on a Zoid, let alone act like he was piloting one."

"Angry much?" Stan asked as he joined the team's leader. "Because I notice that every time we do a publicity event relating to the show, you come away fuming."

"Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it." Grayson continued. "Yeah, the pay's great and I don't even need to cover operational costs for my Zoid but..." He shook his head. "Dealing with those clowns makes it a pain in the arse, really."

"Relax, Gray." Kirsten interjected as she strode past the pair of them. "Its all publicity, so that's all good. When this all blows over you'll be a big name, and will be able to use it to further your career."

"I'm more concerned about the here and now." Grayson stated. "Especially winding up with that guy as an albatross around my neck."

"Hey dude." Adam added. "There's no such thing as bad publicity. 'sides, with me on-team, you have nothing to worry about. My good looks, charisma and skills behind the wheel are all you need."

"This isn't some tacky reality TV show, Adam." He stated. "This is the real world. You can't get by flashing your shiny teeth at the audience and hoping they vote for you."

"You saying I won that show on the basis of my looks?"

"You certainly didn't win it on your Zoid skills." Stan muttered.

"Hey! You just said that you've never trilled a pilot like me!" He snapped.

"That can be taken many different ways, kid." Stan continued. "Think about it."

"Point is, regardless of what you have to say about my skills, I'm popular." Adam continued. "Furthermore, I'm current and hip and in people's minds. When people look at this team, they see me, a winner. They don't see you, a two-time also-ran who got punked in one of the most one-sided finals ever. You know what they think when they see me?"

"Yeah." Stan nodded. "They think 'hey, in the show, isn't the Lancetag piloted by a small girl?'"

"I..." Adam paused. "I, uh... that is to say... hey!"

"Actually, Gray, I've had some... reservations over the casting." Stan continued as they walked past Adam, leaving him standing in gape-jawed horror.

"Being?"

"That guy on the show who pilots the Bamboolian." He continued. "I mean, its bad enough that he's a blatant token black guy. But they then give him the Zoid that, in the arena team, is being piloted by the black guy. What the hell is up with that?"

"It's not my choice, Stan, and you know it." Grayson replied, a growing angry tone in his voice. "You chose the Bamboolian, not me. And for all we know it may be just a coincidence."

"I chose the Bamboolian because of my previous Bearfighter experience." He grumbled. "And because its the only one of these guys with substantial long-range firepower. I didn't know that they'd then put a black guy in it in the show, or that they'd straddle me with those useless maces."

He sighed. "One of the condition was that we would help test and showcase their new weapons systems, Stan."

"That's the thing." He angrily countered. "You get boosters. Kirsten gets boosters. The bloody fairy gets a set of huge blades and what do I get? A pair of stupid maces that are considerably more useless then the blades they're supposedly augmenting - which took some work, I might add. They're making my already concrete-shoes slow Zoid even clumsier"

"Look, our current tactics mean you don't even need to use them." Grayson offered. "You'll be behind everyone else. So Just grin and bear 'em and take home the extra pay at the end of the day without ever using them. It won't kill you."

"Right well..." He looked around. "Oh bloody hell, it looks like another network suit. If anyone needs me, I'm gonna be off playing computer games and figure a way to 'accidentally' drop the maces off that thing."

He stormed off, heading back to the large hanger facility that housed their Zoids. Grayson looked around, then noted the man walking towards him. Tall and lean, he had sharp features and slick black hair. he was dressed in a sharp suit, reaffirming the idea that he may be a network suit.

"Make this quick." Grayson began. "Your network has been working us off our feet. I have prep to do before this week's battle, so make it quick."

"Actually, Mr. Webber, I'm from the ZBC." The man replied as he approached. "My name's Ron McGonnagle, I've come about your next match."

"Its rather early in the week." Grayson commented. "We usually don't find out till Thursday at the earliest."

"Call it a special consideration, given how busy I know your team are." McGonnagle replied. "Anyway, I've got the details for the match, including arena schedules. I also have a data disk with a complete history and analysis of your team."

He raised a brow. "I didn't think you did that normally."

"Not normally, no." Ron agreed. "But I figured that since your team was so busy I'd save you some time and research. Everything you need's in there." He pulled out the disk and handed it to Grayson.

"Thank you, Mr. McGonnagle. You've done me a big favour."

"Think nothing of it." Ron finished. "You're going to be doing a big one for me."

*****

"Tasch!" Neil called out. "He's coming back after you again!"

"I see him." She replied. "Thanks fer that."

"Need some backup?"

"Sure." Tasch confirmed.

"Righty-o" Neil quipped as he adjusted his headset. On-screen, the robed woman turned to face a large, burly, green-skinned humanoid carrying a pair of axes that was running past her. Several balls of white energy leapt form her hands, slamming into its back. After a few hits, the creature stumbled and collapsed to the ground.

"Persistent tool, isn't he?" Nadia asked, her voice crackling over his headset.

"Yeah." Neil replied. "That has got to be the third or fourth time I've blown him up today. I need a break." On screen, the girl sat down and began drinking while a blond man in shiny silver amour walked over to her.

A chat box popped up in the corner of his screen. So, is Larinth fabby or what?

Neil eyed the armoured man. Pretty special, yeah. I can't wait to see him when we're not getting killed, he typed back

If you have some spare time, he and Bobette can go hang in a tavern and scare the pvp-kiddies.

He smirked at the idea, imagining Nadia messing with people's heads. What is it with you playing outrageously gay men anyways?

Look at the number of lesbians played by dumb and horny guys and ask me again

Touché. He finished with a smirk.

"Okies, the mine's secure." Tasch spoke up. "We'll move on to the lumber mill. I don't think - incoming!" On screen, Neil turned to look up the path, along with several other characters. The green skinned warrior form before was charging downhill towards them, axes out. Before he could get any closer, however, he was gunned down under a hail of arrows and colourful energy blasts.

"Okies, its secure. Let's go."

"Um..." Neil looked up form his chair to see Rose leaning on the back of it. "What the hell are you up to now?"

"Oh, hi again." Neil replied as he took his headset off one ear. "And, right now, we're trying to capture a lumber mill."

She sighed. "I mean, Neil, what the hell are you playing? And why are you shouting so much?"

"Battlecraft World, Rose. All the uncool kids are doing it." He explained. "And I'm communicating with the rest of my team via a voice chat program, so thus shouting into the headset."

"We're tryin' to capture vital resources to win in this battleground." Tasch added. "So far we're doin' well."

"Which means lots of honour points for us so we can buy some good gear for our characters, at last." Neil continued. "So I can upgrade my Sparkly Wifflebat of healing."

"Huh?" Was the best she could manage.

"We're all playing the one game here." Neil explained. "Me, Tasch, Nadia from the Venom team and a bunch of other people - most of whom I've never met in life - are all currently running around trying to blow up a bunch of other people. Today, we're fighting Da Pandaz, a group of players who we seem to fight a lot."

"Da Pandaz?"

"People come up with the silliest names for their teams." Neil commented. "You haven't lived until you've fought the Pink Bunny Men and - Tasch! He's popped up again!"

On-screen, the green-skinned warrior emerged from cover, only to be slammed from numerous shots. "See?" Neil pointed to the text floating above the body. "Da Pandaz."

"Riiiight." She slurred. "So who are you guys?"

"We’re called the Black Dragon Brotherhhood." Neil explained. "And while it does sound like the sort of silly name we scoff at, Tasch assures me that its an in-world name of some secret organization and, as such, it totally makes sense for us to be called that."

"And that's you in the dress?"

"Its not a dress, it's a robe." He replied with a deliberately overplayed tone of pride.

"So... why are you playing a girl?"

"Well..." Neil commented. "I could say a lot of things about creative role-playing, characterization, inspiration and the like. However, the truth is, if I have to stare at a polygonal bottom for hours on end, I may as well stare at an attractive one."

"Makes sense."

"And you'd know how important having an attractive bum is." He added.

"I should kill you for that. But I'll take it as a compliment."

"It was meant to be."

She looked back at the screen. "So what, everyone here is another player?"

"Yep." He nodded. "Normally we fight computer-controlled monsters, but in this arena its all human against human. Well, human player against human player, but you get the idea."

"Sounds kinda fun."

Neil eyed her. "You could give it a try sometime. I could; set up a trial on your computer if you wanted."

"Can't hurt." She finished. "Anyways, have fun."

"See ya." He finished, then turned back to the screen, opening up the chat box. Yesssssssss

Say wha? Nadia replied.

I may have found us fresh meat for the machine. May. He glanced up. Hold on a sec, boss is coming.

"You two busy?" Stephen asked as he entered.

"Well, we ain't." Tasch replied. "But our characters are. So I guess that means we are, since we're controllin' them."

"Um.... what?"

"Don't ask." Rose added as she stepped pas him. "You'll only end up hurting yourself. Really."

"We have a three second pause before the Pandas come back." Neil replied. "So what's up, boss?"

"Pandas?"

"I warned you..." Rose continued.

"Uh, yeah." He glanced at her. "Anyway, I thought you'd be interested to know that we've got the details on our next battle."

"Who's it up ageist?" Neil asked.

"The Genesis team, actually." He replied.

"Well that's irony for you." Neil commented as he glanced back to the screen. "One minute, you're making jokes about the show. Next thing you know, they're out to kill you."

*****

One of the big advantages that the Genesis Team had with its corporate sponsorship, one that nobody would argue with, was access to company resources. Unlike many teams who had to hire technical crews on an as-needed basis or rely on the skills of their Members, the Genesis team had a large group of expert technicians available to them at all time.

As the time for their battle approached, their Zoids were being prepared in the Arena's subterranean hangers. Freed form the distraction of maintenance, the team had ample time to prepare and plan for the day's battle.

"I know that every battle we take part in is important." Grayson began as he stood at the head of the table. "However, this one is more so then any of the others we've taken part in so far. I cannot understate how vital it is that we win this battle." He looked over his team before continuing. Kirsten seemed to be paying attention, while Adam was gazing off into the distance, probably rehearsing a speech for the press conference. Stan was looking at the displays, but seemed somewhat bleary-eyed and distracted.

"Today's opponents will be the Broken Chairs, the same team that become famous last year for their unbroken victory record." He didn't feel like mentioning their battles with the NUBG; besides, the ZBC records didn't tell him anything about them. "A trend that they have continued so far this year. And while so far we are also undefeated, we've been together for a lot less."

"Therefore, we need to defeat them for two reasons. The first is obvious; to score points and advance in the competition rankings. The second is to put on as good a show asp possible, not only for the audience but also for our backers." He looked over the team again. "If we can decisively defeat them, we will prove both the superiority of our team and its capabilities, but also the superiority of the Zoids we are helping to promote. And the better that they sell, the better we get paid."

He'd found a memo from a ZOITEC executive suggesting that it would be a very good idea if they were to defeat the chairs promptly. Apparently, sales of this newest generation of Zoids hadn't been as brisk as hoped. Specifically, they'd pointed out that the Murasame Liger, their flagship product, was still loosing out to the older Liger Zero. Beating the Chairs would be a significant PR coup, which could only be good for his team.

"You okay there, Stan?" Kirsten needled.

"Blasted mage kept spamming me with frostballs." He muttered. "So many deaths..."

"Stan?"

He blinked. "Sorry. I'm fine."

"You had better be." She hissed. "I don't want you to screw up and make me look bad in such a big match."

"Thanks a lot." He muttered.

"We'll stick to our normal battle plan, but I want you all to be extra-sharp." Grayson continued. "They're known for being tricky, and their Redler pilot especially such. Kirsten, I'll be relying on you to keep her off our backs, but if you have a chance, Stan, don't hesitate to take a shot at her."

"Just wish I could get my hands on that freaking mage." Stan muttered.

"Stan?"

"Yeah, take down the Redler. Got it." He nodded.

"It's no big deal." Adam cut him off. "We're going to walk all over them. I can tell it." He smirked. "Oh man, this is going to look so damn good. I get to go down as a Member of the team that beat the unbeatable team. I can't wait for it. You don't need to worry about Stan, Ray. I've got it all in the bag. My only worry is that you guys might get in my way."

"And what's the Fairy meant to do?" Stan spoke up.

"Will you stop calling me that?" Adam whined. "Just because the Lancetag on the show is piloted by a girl-"

"And your weapon is called a Twinkle Breaker." Stan continued.

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with the Twinkle Breaker!"

"Listen to yourself saying that, and tell me it's true."

"Okay you two, cut it out!" Grayson snapped. "Now I want you to all go out there and give the best damn show you can, got it? This is serious business, folks."

*****

"You know what, Rose?" Neil spoke up across the comms channel.

"What?" She asked, a hint of wariness in her voice.

"From what I read, the Lancetag pilot on the enemy team is the guy who won Who wants to be a Zoid Warrior." He continued.

"I hated that show." Rose replied. "They made us Zoid pilots seem like vain, self-absorbed twits. It was like, you could be a professional fighter by simply being better-looking and bitchier then anyone else. Glad I only watched two episodes."

"Tell me about it." Neil agreed. "If its any consolidation, we get to blow him up now."

"Okay you guys, can it." Stephen cut in. "Just stay focused. And reMember, no energy fire on the Soul Tiger. It won't do anything but help them."

The doors opened, allowing their four Zoids to stride out into the open arena. Stepping out, they stopped as the door closed behind them. "Okay, folks. This is it. Let's see what they've got to offer."

*****

"Welcome back to the arena!" Henry J Urgleflogger called out. "And in case you've just joined use, it's a lovely day here in the main ZBC arena. I'm Henry J Urgleflogger and with me is my college, 'Big Jim' Beef."

"Thanks for that Henry." Big Jim took over. "It's been a very exciting day so far, but if you've just joined us, you've come at the right time. What promises to be today's big match is about to begin. Fan-favourites, the Broken Chairs, will be taking on the Genesis Team, a newcomer team who have so far been tearing through the competition."

"That's right, Jim." Henry added. "The Genesis Team have been very successful so far; their brand, new, state-of-the-art Zoids have proved to be more then a match for everything they've been up against so far. However, the Chairs have a reputation for pulling off seemingly impossible victories."

"Just because a Zoid's newer doesn't mean it's automatically better, Henry." Jim countered. "ReMember that I did win the championship in a Gojulas - and that's hardly state of the art."

"And reMember, folks, the Genesis team do more then just fight in the ZBC." Henry continued, ingoing his college's jab. "You can see them in action on Zoids New Genesis each Monday night at 8:30 on GTN."

"Anyone would think that they were payin' you to slip in all them promotions, Henry." Jim sniped. "And now the Genesis team are taking the field. While I can't say that I always agree with Henry's comments, I will admit, they do look very impressive."

*****

[Deadborder]

The Genesis Team's Zoid's did look impressive, granted. All four of them used white as their primary colour, making them stand out. The Soul Tiger appeared to be heavily laden with its large weapons pack, but the two boosters on its back suggested that it was faster and more agile then it appeared. The red lights running the length of its body pulsed with power, like blood flowing through veins. It stood ahead of two of the others, a Bamboolian and a gleaming Lancetag, while a Rainbow Jerk waited at the back of the enemy team.

For a moment, the two teams stood staring each other down, watching across the battlefield. Then, the sound of the monitor drone's introduction broke the tense silence. “The Broken Chairs versus the Genesis Team.” The electronic voice announced. “Both teams confirmed. Arena confirmed. Contestants ready… fight!”

As soon as the battle began, both the Redler and Rainbow Jerk took to the air, zooming away from their respective teams. A moment later, a pair of large missiles joined them, shooting off form the launch rails on the Iron Kong's back. The two weapons arced up, then plummeted at speed towards the enemy team.

The Lancetag took off, its Gravity Wheel giving it an almost instant start, breaking into an ungainly high-speed run. Moments later, the Soul Tiger followed it, the boosters flaring to life and surging it forwards. Only the Bamburian stood its ground; half of the missiles on its rear launcher streaking free on pillars of smoke and flames, soaring up to meet those launched form the Kong in mid-flight. A second later, there was a spectacular burst of flames as the weapons detonated each other, both flights destroyed.

"That's my big hit out." Stan called over the channel. "I can still try and knock out the Kong, but my chances with only a half-load are pretty slim."

"Roger that." Grayson replied. "Go ahead and hose them anyway. Adam, you close with the Kong and try to finish it off with the lance."

"Not a prob, boss." He replied. "Don't worry. This will be easy... and I'll make it look good."

"Just do it." He snarled. "Kirsten, make sure that Redler stays off our back."

"Already on it." She replied, a bit of strain in her voice as she wasp pushed back by the Jerk's acceleration. "I can totally handle it."

Glancing up, Grayson saw the Jerk streak at the Redler, its boosters open. The small guns in the Zoid's chest opened up, spraying shots at the black Zoid as they closed. In response, the enemy machine suddenly twisted out of her path of fire, then came round opening up with its own back cannons. The info the ZBC gave us said she'd pull stunts like that. He thought as he watched the battle unfold. Hope Kirsten paid attention to them - beauty.

The Jerk suddenly rolled away from the Redler, then fired its boosters, climbing past the older Zoid. Rolling over, it then dived down on the other machine, opening fire again with its cannons. Several shots sliced through the Redler's side before the Zoid rolled away, swerving out of the path of the Jerk. Keeping the momentum up, Kirsten dived at the Redler, chasing it down.

The jerk tilted to make a pass at the Redler, its cutting wings outstretched. According to the info he'd gotten form ZOITEC, the blades on the leading edge of the Jerk's wings were made of a new metal that could cut through most anything, meaning that the Redler should offer little or no resistance. However, the enemy pilot seemed ready, twisting away from the Jerk's strike at the last minute. Undeterred, Kirsten climbed away again, preparing for another strike.

Good stuff, girl. He thought to himself. We keep it that tight, we've got it in the bag.

*****

"How do I let myself get talked into these things?" Neil asked himself as his Gunsniper belted downfield towards the enemy team. Dead ahead of him, the Soul Tiger pounded downfield, as if it was bearing down on his Zoid directly. Of course, according to the current plan, that's exactly what they wanted to happen.

While relatively small and fragile, the Gunsniper had one big advantage. For a Zoid of it's size, it was very heavily armed. Even discounting its main sniper cannon (A weapon that Neil rarely had a chance to use), the Zoid's array of beam cannons, rockets, fangs and claws gave it a punch that many mid-sized Zoids couldn't match. The rockets were the real threat, unleashed at close range and with a decently tight hit, they could knock out far larger Zoids in a single volley.

Of course, if that volley missed, he was screwed.

Today he'd been given a rather special job. The Soul Tiger's special panels and systems meant that it could dissipate and absorb most of the energy from energy weapons. Furthermore, it could then use that energy to enhance the performance of its own weapons systems. At full power, its bite could take out Stephen's Iron Kong with a single blow. Clearly that was a situation they wanted to avoid. Unfortunately, its speed and agility would make it a difficult target for a stand-off attack from Stephen's weapons.

So it came down to Neil to try to, at the very least, rough it up a bit, using the rockets to slow it down and give Stephen a clear shot at finishing it off. Fun.

The Soul Tiger opened up with the cannons in its shoulders and back, spraying shots at the Gunsniper as it approached. He twisted out of its path, several shots searing into the Sniper's flank but not doing anything beyond superficial damage. Pushing the throttle open, he swerved to one side of the Soul Tiger, trying to keep out of its arc of fire.

"So far, so good." He muttered to himself. "Let's try not to - hey!" A Pair of beams sizzled past his Zoid, passing just in front of its chest. "Damn it, he reMembered he had a tail gun!"

"Keep at it, Neil!" Stephen shouted over the Comms channel. "Rose, try and pin down the Soul Tiger, but don't use your guns against it!"

"What about the moose?" She asked.

"I'll handle the moose." He cut back. "Just go!"

Neil watched as Rose's Zero swerved off from its run, passing towards the Soul Tiger. The enemy pilot was ready for her, turning his Zoid and opening fire with the back and shoulder cannons, spraying shots at the Zero as it approached. Keeping her boosters open, Rose began weaving in and out of the enemy machine's fire, trying to evade getting hit while closing the distance.

Which should occupy his attention very nicely, Neil thought as his Zoid weaved around its larger opponent. The Soul Tiger ignored him for the moment, instead concentrating on trying to bring down the Liger Zero that was running at it, obstinately the bigger threat. Just what Neil wanted.

He slewed his Zoid around, running at the back of the Soul Tiger. As he dropped his sights onto the enemy Zoid, a burst of fire rocked his own machine. The Gunsniper staggered, stumbling for a moment before regaining its footing. "Ah hell!" He called out as he looked around, seeing the Bamboolian behind him. "What is it with me and bears today?"

"Try and hold it down, Neil." Rose called out. "I think I can take the Soul Tiger myself."

"Hold it down, she says." He replied with a smirk. "Not a problem, Rose. Want fries with that?"

He spun the Gunsniper around opening up on the flank of the Bamboolian. Shots dug into its flank, peppering the thickly armoured hull, but not seeming to have that much effect against the Zoid. Standing its ground, the Bamboolian rotated its back turret, then opened fire again. Another volley of fire tore towards the Gunsniper, Neil only just weaving out of the worst of it.

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered to himself as he checked on the status board. While his 'sniper hadn't suffered any serious damage as yet, its normally paper-thin armour was already pretty ragged. Conversely, the Bamboolian looked to have suffered little more then superficial damage, and was far more durable then his own Zoid to begin with.

"Back to the grind, I guess." He added as he opened up the throttle again, dashing past the Baboolian's flank. As near as he could tell, its rear was its weak spot; it couldn't fire its main turret backwards, as the missile launcher blocked its line of fire. While on all fours, it was a slow turner, and if it wanted to rear up to chase him, it wouldn't be able to bring the back guns to bear. "Okay, we can work with this."

He swiveled the chest and arm guns to follow the bigger Zoid, then opened fire again. Shots poured out, peppering the side and back of the enemy machine, but for the most part not doing much damage. The two large shields on the shoulders proved to be especially resilient, the shots seemingly bouncing off with no effect. However, it did manage to attract the other Zoid's attention as he zipped behind its launcher.

Grunting, the Bamboolian turned to face him, swivelling the top cannons to track his Zoid. Cutting one of the boosters, Neil wheeled the Gunsniper around in a tight circle before dashing away, taking a few passing shots at the machine. These ones slammed into the side of the shoulder, melting armour and searing into the shaft of one of its two large maces, but otherwise didn't seem to have much effect.

Several shots came in reply, scorching into the pavement to one side of his Zoid, but not having any solid effect. Grinning to himself, he wheeled around again, spraying a few more shots at the Bamboolian's side before dashing off. Okay, this is almost working. He grinned. Now to see if we can keep it there.

*****
"Come back here, you little-" Stan snarled to himself as he tried to track the Gunsniper's position. "Damn it, you little pile of snot!" The turret spat fire at the other machine as it ran, getting a few good hits on the side before it twisted behind his Zoid. Wheeling the controls around, he was greeted with several hits to the rear that shuddered the Zoid, but didn't do too much.

Glancing down at the status display, he could see that his Zoid was yet to suffer any severe damage; the Gunsniper was doing a fair job at chewing into his armour, but that was all it had done so far. And all I'll let it do, he mentally added. While the damage wasn't too much so far, if he let it add up there was every chance of his Zoid suffering a crippling hit. And I'm not going to let that happen.

Sighting the machine, he opened up again, the four barrels of the turret belting out shot after shot. This time there were several hits to the Gunsniper's side before it suddenly fired its boosters, leaping away from his machine. Dragging the Bamboolian around, he tried to follow the smaller machine. Gotta have a word with ZOITEC about that, he thought. This thing feels like a Bearfighter in concrete shoes.

"What's up, Stan?" Adam's voice came over the communicator. "Can't catch one little Gunsniper?"

"Shut up, Adam." He snarled as he bought the machine around.

"It's just that I'd like that missile support that you guaranteed." He continued. "And I mean now, buddy."

"I can't deal with that right now!" He snapped.

"Don't worry, bro." Adam continued, a cocky tone in his voice. "I'll take care of the big bad Kong all by my self. I don't need your help anyway." He sneered. "Check it out everyone, the student has finally outstripped the master."

"Just-" He began, but was cut off as the Zoid shoot under another volley of fire. "Damn it." he snarled, closing the channel, and the focusing on his target. "Why won't you stand still?" He added, trying to follow the enemy machine as it skipped around him.

He'd been in this situation before, and it was never pleasant. It reminded him a lot of a situation he'd been in this last week, not on the arena or on the set of that stupid TV show, but instead while playing his favourite online game. A stupid human mage had kept killing him, bouncing around his character while they spammed frostballs at him and then running away before he could retaliate.

Adam had seen that and laughed too, which only made the situation more painfully familiar.

"Damn it!" He snarled as several more shots hit the Zoid's flank. "You're as bad as that damn cheap-arse twink! In fact-" He stopped as he watched them run off. The Gunsniper was acting just like that enemy player had done. They would pin him down, hit him with spells to wear him down, run off and leave him unable to aid the rest of his team.

"God damn it, its her!" He yelled out. "You little twink!"

He wheeled his Zoid around to face the Gunsniper as it was running off, then levelled his sights on it. However, rather then opening up with the AA cannon, he instead squeezed the trigger on the main missile system. The weapons leaped form their boxy launcher, streaking at the unsuspecting Gunsniper. The smaller Zoid was enveloped in fire and smoke as the weapons slammed into it, blasting apart one leg and tearing into its flank, then sending it crashing to the ground.

As the smoke cleared, he could see that the small Zoid had been disabled. Smirking to himself, he allowed a moment of vicotry. And that's what you get for messing with Da Pandaz, he mentally added. Too damn-

"Stan!" Grayson cut in over the communicator. "What the hell was that! I told you to use those to knock out the damn Kong!"

Before he could say anything, Adam cut him off. "Don't worry about it, Boss." he replied, a confident tone in his voice. "As I said before, I can handle it all on my own. Just watch me."

*****

Adam smirked to himself as his Lancetag charged towards the Iron Kong, its head down and spiked antlers jutting forward. This was his big chance, his opportunity to show the rest of the team that he was a serious pilot - and he wasn't about to pass it up.

Despite the fact that he had been voted the winner by the viewers of Who Wants to be a Zoid Warrior, he knew that the other Members of the Genesis team didn't give him much credibility. They figured that because he had gotten onto the team through a reality TV show rather then being a Zoid Warrior like the rest of them, he was somehow less capable or less deserving of his position in the team. Of course, he knew otherwise; if the viewers of the show didn't think him capable, then they wouldn't have voted for him.

So here was his big chance. He'd take down the most powerful Zoid on this supposedly undefeatable team. Then nobody would be able to dispute his position as the team's star warrior.

The Lancetag's gravity wheel thrummed with power as it drove the Zoid forward, sending it charging downfield at nearly two hundred kilometers per hour. Checking the scope, he lined up the Iron Kong in his sights, smirking as the missile launchers registered a lock on the massive Zoid. As he watched, a pair of missiles streaked up from the larger Zoid's back, soaring off into the air. Well, they're not coming for me, so that means I'm in the clear. Let's go to work.

The two launchers on the Lancetag's hips opened up, unleashing their full load of weapons at the Iron Kong. A dozen warheads flew straight at the ponderous, ape-like Zoid, heading straight for it - or were, until it suddenly fired up its boosters, leaping to one side. The missiles veered around trying to track the enemy machine but were left behind, instead impacting across the back wall of the arena.

"What?" He called out. "I mean, uh, how'd he do that?"

"The boosters on its back allow it to, mailbox head." Stan growled over the communicator. "If you'd paid attention doing the briefing, you would have seen me point that out."

"Bah, who cares?" He called back. "I'll just take the guy down the classy way. Missiles and guns are neat, but doing it up close looks so much cooler." he flipped a switch in the control panel, activating the the large, spiked disk on the Lancetag's left shoulder. it began spinning, building up speed as the Zoid ran. As it increased, blue energy began to crackle across the length of the Zoid's massive lance.

"All righty then!" He called out. "Who wants to get a taste of my big, long, rock hard- aaah!" Landing form its jump, the Kong turned to face his Zoid, opening fire with the massive beam cannon on its shoulder. Adam pulled the controls hard to one side, yanking the Zoid out of the weapons line of fire. Fortunately for him, he was able to avoid the hit.

Unfortunately, the speeding Lancetag then dropped its front hoof into the resultant crater. The Zoid's leg buckled, causing the machine to stumble and trip, It crashed to the ground, slamming into the concrete in a mass of tangled limbs. "Okay, this is not good." Adam muttered as he tried to untangle himself from his safety harness. "But I can recover. I can still come out of this looking-"

The whole Zoid rocked as a shot tore into its exposed underside, blasting through the armour. Bouncing off the wall off the cockpit, all Adam could see was the status board and the innumerable red lights coming on across it. "Ah man, this ins't cool." He began as he looked over it. "Not cool at all."

*****

"I'm down, sorry." Neil stated over the channel. "If it helps any, I made the Panda use the last of his missiles. I get the distinct impression that he didn't like me."

"That's okies." Tasch replied. "It happens to all of us."

"Just try and stitch them up good for me, okay?" He added.

"Will do." She finished as she pulled hard on the stick, twisting the foot-pedals at the same time. The Redler swerved sharply to one side, rolling out of the path of the Rainbow Jerk's weapons fire. As she pulled away, the enemy Zoid passed through the airspace where hers had been, its wings outstretched.

"Okies, gotta stay away from those." She muttered to herself as she came around. Reading up on the Rainbow Jerk had not been encouraging. While not as agile as a Raynos or Storch, the enemy Zoid still had an edge in mobility over her own Redler. Furthermore, due to the powerful boosters mounted on its wings, while a little slower then her machine it had a higher acceleration and superior climb.

What was most worrying was the Zoid's wings themselves. Each had a cutting blade, made from a new alloy similar to that used in the Energy Liger's horn and blade and easily able to cut through the light armour found on most airborne Zoids. It meant that the Jerk could disable her Zoid with a single blow, giving them a distinct edge. Conversely, she couldn't risk getting close enough to use her Redler's claws and tailblade.

Tasch dived at the Rainbow Jerk, opening fire again with the twin cannons on the wings. Several shots hit the enemy machine, slamming into its back before it rolled away. Diving, the Zoid then surged upwards, coming at her from below with its own weapons blazing. Stomping on the pedals, Tasch managed to slew out of its line of fire.

Okies, she's got me on the defensive, Tasch thought as she came around, glancing back at the enemy machine. So I gotta figure some way to shift things back to my favour. Think, Tasch. The Jerk began to come around, powering after her Zoid with the boosters wide open. Hammering the throttle, Tasch managed to slowly pull ahead of the other machine, widening the gap between the two of them.

The Jerk opened fire, the cluster of cannons in its front and sides spitting light rounds at the Redler. She twisted the boosters to the side, jetting out of the enemy Zoid's line of fire while at the same time, twisting around. Not to be discouraged, the Jerk closed in, still spitting rounds to keep Tasch off-balance and distracted.

Jus' a little closer... She thought as she glanced back over her shoulder at the enemy machine, all the time twisting and turning the controls. Watching the display, she could see that the gap between the two Zoids was closing, her maneuvers bleeding off speed as the Jerk closed in. Inuring several light hits that bounced off the Redler's hull, she concentrated more one keeping focused on her opponent's actions.

Now! The Jerk stopped firing, instead rolling to strike the Redler straight on with one of its wing blades. At the same Time, Tasch twisted the boosters to thrust upwards while closing the Redler's throttle and firing its VTOL lift drives. The Zoid suddenly burst upwards, slowing dramatically as the Jerk sped up. Before the enemy pilot realised what was going on, it had passed through the space where her Zoid had been, leaving it behind.

Gotcha! Just as quickly, she killed the VTOLs while opening up the main engines, diving on the Jerk to gain speed and momentum. Dropping her sights onto the other Zoid before its pilot could react, she opened fire with the two cannons mounted in the wings. Rounds splashed into the enemy Zoid's back and wing, tearing into the shiny purple and pearl finish.

The Jerk fired its boosters again, accelerating away from the Redler as Tasch was trying to regain speed. Pulling away, the Zoid climbed and rolled over, as if to come back for another run at Tasch. Instead, however, it slowed at the peak of its climb, spreading its wings and tail feathers wide.

"What in the - ahh!" Tasch began, but was cut off as the Jerk raised its tail, a brilliant halo of light emerging from it and surrounding the Zoid. She could barely see the enemy machine, as it seemed to vanish into the searingly white light around it. Instead, she raised one arm to cover her eyes, the other twisting the controls so the Redler dived away from the gleaming machine. She couldn't follow it and didn't want to watch where it was going, the light from it being so bright as to be painful.

Dangit, that's a clever one... she desperately thought as she opened up the throttle. The enemy machine could be coming after her even now, taking advantage of her situation to finish her off. But what am I meant to - hold on! Her scope showed a pair of objects heading upwards at high speed, looking to go straight past her Zoid. Checking out of the cockpit window, she could see two missiles climbing from the arena floor, plumes of brilliant white smoke coming from their rear sections

Well that'll do as well.

As they passed, she glanced down again at her scope. The two missiles shot past her, instead heading towards the Rainbow Jerk. Keeping her eye on it, she tried to predict what would happen next. As expected, the Jerk suddenly turned and headed away form the weapons. They, in turn, jettisoned their first stages and continue pursuit.

Perfect! Tasch smiled as she wheeled the Redler around, daring to glance up at the enemy Zoid. The Jerk had retracted its tail array and was instead pulling away, trying to escape the two missiles after it. If it managed to keep up this tight turn, Tasch figured, it should be able to. Of course, that, also made it very vulnerable.

The Redler sped towards the enemy Zoid, closing in the distance as it tried to pull an increasingly tighter turn. Coming around, Tasch dived on it, opening up with her cannons. She'd put herself in a spot were the enemy pilot could turn to loose her or the missiles, but not both. The enemy pilot made their decision, banking tightly to let the missiles go past her, and instead flying into Tasch's fire.

Shots raked along the Zoid's wing, ripping through the armour and structure before blasting into the booster on the midsection. Absorbing a number of shots, the booster exploded into a ball of flames, blasting itself apart. Unbalanced form the loss, the Jerk rolled over, thick black smoke trailing from its right wing. It pulled away, diving and jettisoning the second booster in an attempt to regain control, but it was clear that the Zoid was out of the battle.

"Scratch one" Tasch called out. "I think we're lookin' good."

*****

[Deadborder]

"Cool beans." Rose eagerly replied. "Stephen, I've got 'em tied up. Ready whenever you are."

"Roger that." He confirmed. "What's your status?"

"Armour's a bit flakey, but it'll hold." She replied. "I haven't done much to the Tiger yet, however."

"Don't sweat it. We've got an advantage, so it's not a problem. Just drive him home."

"Gotcha. You're a dead kitty." She narrowed her eyes as she opened up the throttle, again charging towards the Soul Tiger. The enemy Zoid turned to face her, its cannons spiting out a stream of fire back at her. Slewing the controls. she managed to weave through the worst of it, breaking away form the enemy attack.

The Soul Tiger fired its own boosters, coming around and chasing after her Liger. While slower and less agile then the Zero, the Tiger had the advantage of ranged weapons - Rose's being all energy-based meant that she couldn't risk using them against the other Zoid. She pulled away from the enemy machine, sprinting past it with the boosters engaged. At the same time, she tried to keep the Soul Tiger between her and the Bamboolian simply to prevent the other Zoid from adding its fire.

Coming around, she made another pass at the Soul Tiger from the flank. The machine turned to face her, but this time wasn't fast enough to bring its weapons to bear. Rose's Zero snarled as it slashed forwards with the Strike Laser Claws, only to have them deflected away by a blow from the elongated claws mooted on the Tiger's foot. A second blow sliced into the Zero's leg, ripping through the armour over the lower leg.

Rose broke away, twisting away form the Soul Tiger and trying to keep out of the line of fire of its weapons. I can't afford a protracted close-in fight. He's got a lot more amour then I do, especially over the legs. And whatever those claws are made of, they hit hard. She wheeled around, only to get a weapon lock warning on her scope. Its the Bamburian? What the hell? Looking around, she could see that the Bamburian was still behind the Soul Tiger, unable to attack her Zoid. What's going on?

The Bamburian opened fire with its quad cannon, the shots slamming into the side of the Soul Tiger. Instead of ripping apart the armour, however, the shots dissipated, washing harmlessly over its beady. At the same time, the red tubes and panels on the Zoid's hull began to glow a brilliant colour, pulsing with energy coursing through its systems.

"Ah hell!"

The Tiger wheeled around, opening fire with all four cannon clusters. Rose desperately tried to evade, but without success. Shots slammed into the Zero's side, ripping through the armour over the legs and flank. With their output boosted by the Soul Tiger's energy absorption systems, the weapons tore into the Zero's systems, savaging its structure. Rose's Zoid stumbled, badly wounded by the assault.

The Soul Tiger came around, charging at the Zero, roaring as it went. Bearing down on the damaged machine, it was suddenly struck into the back by a flight of missiles, coming from Stephen's Iron Kong. The Soul Tiger stumbled, its momentum killed as the pilot fought for control. A moment later, a quartet of rocket-propelled grenades added to the damage, blasting apart the armour over its back and sending chunks of its structure flying off.

Rose grinned to herself, with a quiet "gotcha" before again charging forwards. Wounded from the Iron Kong's attack, the Tiger was too slow to respond to her charge. The Zero surged forwards, its fangs crashing down on and sinking into the Tiger's neck. As it struggled, she thrust upwards with the Strike laser Claws, ramming them into the Tiger's underside. The Zoid struggled fro a moment, then went limp in the Zero's jaws.

She released the Zoid, then turned to face the Bamboolian, while Stephen's Iron Kong closed in behind her. The enemy Zoid looked over the pair of them, then noted the Redler behind them. Roaring, it reared up, then raised its forelegs into the air in a gesture of surrender.

"Well that was unusual." Rose quipped.

A moment later, a monitor drone flew over the team. "The battle is over!" It announced. "The winners, through surrender of the opposing team, are the Broken Chairs!"

*****

Neil watched as the ZBC Gustav entered the hanger, carrying his Gunsniper's disabled body on one of its trailers. "Never an encouraging sight." He commented to himself as the Gustav stopped alongside the team's other Zoids. "But then, I suppose its only one of us that's being wheeled in, so its a good start."

"Don't put yourself down, Neil." Stephen replied as he approached. "You did a great job of distracting the Bamboolian and Soul Tiger. If you hadn't gotten him to waste his missiles on your Zoid, then it and the Lancetag could have made a coordinated attack and taken out my Kong. Instead, you made him waste those weapons, all but eliminating their chances of getting a one-hit knockout on me."

"Really?" He asked. "Hey, cool. I got to save the team or something. Go me."

Stephen nodded. "The Lancetag could have done me a lot of harm with the Lance, but only if it had the chance to close in. Best way to do that would be for the Bamboolian to pin me down, and the only way it could do that was with the missiles. I made him waste half of them; you took care of the rest after a fashion."

"An' neither the Rainbow Jerk or the Soul Tiger coulda knocked him out easy." Tasch added as she approached, her sunglasses on. "'cause their guns are too small, an' the Soul Tiger hadn't powered up its bite yet."

"You okay there?" Stephen asked her. "I saw the Jerk dazzle you, and with your eyes being rather sensitive-"

"I'm fine, thanks." She nodded. "Still seein' spots, but that's okay. Its a pretty mean ol' weapon for them to pull out though. Thanks fer the bail-out"

"Well you did a great job of keeping it under control." Stephen continued. "You prevented her form making a run at the rest of us - and having that thing dive in could have been a real problem to Neil or Rose."

Rose joined the rest of the team. "Yeah, both of you did real good out there." She agreed with a smile. "I mean it; I couldn't have gotten the Soul Tiger otherwise."

"Yeah, today was pretty good." Stephen nodded. "We took on a big-name team and resoundingly beat them. And we worked very well together as a team."

"So let's get burgers." Neil added. "Because I am in a congratulatory mood right now."

"You're just going to steal my chips again." Rose jabbed.

"Maybe." He smirked back.

"Although..." She shook her head. "I don't get why he decided to unload on you, Neil. I mean, using those big missiles against a Gunsniper seems kinda overkill."

"Yeah well, who can tell." He shrugged. "They seemed pretty solid up until then but... eh, I guess everyone has off days. Maybe he just decided he didn't like me, wigged out, dropped the penguins and decided that I had to go" He smiled. "Come on, let's get going. I'm hungry."

"Hey Neil?" Rose asked as they walked out of the hanger. "Um, that game you guys were playing."

He raised a brow. "Yeah?"

"...think I could give it a try some time?"

"Sire thing." He smiled. "I've got a demo disk somewhere lying around. its yours."

"Thanks." She nodded.

Yesssssss. He thought to himself with a smirk. Score another point for the weirdoes.

*****

"Welcome back to Morning Sunrise. I'm Sally-Anne Esposito and with me today I have Dylan Barnett." Sally-Anne beamed to the camera. She was seated in the expensive set of the city's favorite morning show, suit flawlessly pressed, hair and makeup perfect as always and teeth positively gleaming.

"Its a pleasure to be here, Sally." Dylan replied, sounding a more then a little forced.

"Now Dylan, the big news is the recent cancellation of your hit show, New Genesis." She began. "Can you fill us in on what happened there?"

"There's not too much to say, Sally." He replied, trying to maintain a calm, professional air. "We all come in to start filming the next episode, but were told to, well, stay home. Next thing I know, the network is calling me to confirm that the show is indeed cancelled and that we're not going to be filming any more."

"That must have been a surprising development for all of you."

"it was, certainly." He nodded. "And more then a bit shocking."

"Now there are a lot of sorties flying around the fan community as to why the show was suddenly cut off." She continued. "Can you offer any insights?"

"People are going to say all sorts of things and point the finger ant any convenient scapegoat, Sally." He offered. "However, it becomes clear that there's one single reason for the show's cancellation."

"And that is?"

"The Genesis Team." He explained. "They were defeated in the ZBC arena from what I heard."

"Indeed they were." She nodded. "In fact, that made ZBC battle of the week."

"Thing is, Sally, that was the last thing we needed." He stated. "The Genesis team was meant to represent New Genesis, Sally. The warriors in the arena aren't just fighting for their own personal glory or rewards like everyone else; they're fighting for us. They're meant to represent us. By being defeated, Sally, they make heroes like Kevin Hunter, the heroes that they represent, look bad. And then someone sees that and the show looses all of its credibility."

"So do you think that if the team had won, then you would still be on the air."

"That's right, Sally." He agreed. "New Genesis was a very deep and intellectual show, Sally. It had very significant, very important messages. It was all about the future, and what we choose to make of it, Sally. In many was, I think that chanters like Kevin Hunter represent a certain ideal, a certain... mythological embodiment of all that is good and decent ion humanity, a modern incarnation of the classical heroic figure that we see so often."

"I see."

"The problem is, however, people don't see Kevin like this." He explained. "They see Kevin as a hero, yes, but they usually don't see beyond the machine or the warrior. They see him as a fighter, yes, but they don't see the cause that he represents. I think that may have been the problem wit New Genesis, actually. Maybe the show was a bit too deep and meaningful for the audience and the network execs; they didn't see the true depths of it, they couldn't understand it."

"And then the Genesis Team?"

"Adversely affected the appearance of this mythological hero, Sally." He finished. "By being defeated in the arena, they adversely affected the public perception of Kevin Hunter and his place in the world. When people watched the show, instead of seeing the myth local ideals that Kevin embodies, they would instead see Grayson Webber being defeated."

"And that's why the show was cancelled."

"Exactly." He nodded. "The network couldn't see beyond this one humiliating defeat, and decided to cancel us for that."

"So what does the future hold for you, Dylan?" She asked.

"I'm currently exploring my movie options, Sally." He replied. "But I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of Kevin Hunter."

"There you have it. Fans of New Genesis should keep their eyes out, because your brave heroes could be back." Sally beamed. "In the meantime, you can catch the remaining episodes of New Genesis in their exciting new time of at 11:30 on Tuesday nights, right here on GBN."

*****

Authour's Note:

Thanks again to Kole for inspiring the character of Larinth.

If you can spot all references in this chapter, you get a prize.