By Sh33p, CultofSh33p@aol.com
Hats off to this fic. It tops most fics I've read....including most of the ones I posted here. Tim Seltzer, seltzer@seltzerbooks.com
Sh33p Disclaimer: I don`t own Zoids.
"Your brother?!" Bit yelped in obvious shock. "And this surprises you, how?" Kale asked dryly as the Genosaurer growled a challenge to the Berserk Fury, which answered with a similar tone. "I thought you were an orphan or something!" Bit exclaimed. "Just keep quiet and try to get the Liger up, I`ll take it from here," Vega replied, promptly switching off the broadband and switching over to another channel, which he used to signal the pilot of the Genosaurer.
"Why are you doing this Kale?" Vega asked uncertainly. "The Backdraft Group and the King Project are both dead, we don`t need to be fighting and you don`t need to be killing former members," he stated with a glare now that Kale was actually using video and audio both. "They may be dead, but they aren`t buried yet," Kale growled back.
"Then I`ll have to stop you, here and now," Vega stated as the Berserk Fury lowered somewhat. "Just try," Kale challenged in the same tone, even as Bit made an effort to cut back into the conversation only to stop the instant he succeeded. It wasn`t just the fact that the two were brothers, it was also that Kale looked like an older, 'deader' Vega, almost to a tee. The similarities were enough to chill him into not saying anything at the sight of the two brothers who were now making ready to try and kill each other right in front of him.
There was a brief pause as the two Zoids seemed to size each other up...
Then all Hell broke loose.
Vega threw the first shots, literally by opening up with the two beam cannons and trying to impale the Genosaurer on each attack, though Kale`s Zoid seemed faster, darting out of the way just before it could be hit each time, skidding along on it`s jets before coming to a halt a few dozen yards to the right of the Berserk Fury, bursting off of the ground and coming down towards Vega with a crash. To the boy`s credit, Vega swiftly managed to dodge the attack, further complicating matters by countering the Genosaurer`s tail with the Fury`s, smacking the two Zoids apart as a result, though the impact favored neither.
"You`ve improved," Kale complimented. "So have you," Vega replied. "But not as much as me!" He added an instant later, lunging the Fury forward and stabbing out with the Buster Claws in a ruthlessly quick attempt to end the fighting at the moment it could begin. Kale sidestepped the Genosaurer out of the way though, rushing forward and extending his Zoid`s right leg up, kneeing the Fury hard in the chest and sending Vega back a few paces, though the boy quickly recovered and lashed out again with both triple Buster Claws in a double slash, which the Genosaurer just barely dodged out of the way from.
Vega wasn`t done though, allowing the Berserk Fury`s own movement to carry it into a tail lash that finally succeeded in getting a hit on the Genosaurer, causing Kale to stagger back under enough force that a noticable dent had been left in his Zoid`s armor. "See what I mean?" Vega asked as the Fury wheeled back around to face the Genosaurer as it straightened up with a growl. "Not really," Kale replied, hunching the Fury over and opening up with a laugh, firing off the two heavy laser cannons once more.
Vega barely dodged out of the way, sending the Berserk Fury off balance in a sideways jump and almost botching a landing as a result, but he was quickly able to recover, ducking down beneath another pair of laser bolts and lashing out with his own cannons, which Kale dodged away from by jumping into a sideways flip to his right, landing a good distance away from the Fury as a result.
There was a brief lull as the two opponents sized each other up again and began to approach one another at a slow pace, suddenly breaking into a double jump through the air at each other. The Fury was obviously better equipped for a melee clash, sealing the deal by extending it`s Buster Claws out to either side and rotating them as quickly as possible, creating a double buzzsaw effect to literally slice through any sideways manuevering the Fury could perform, but Kale was also more resourceful and experienced than his younger brother, suddenly jet-bursting down to the ground and springing back up an instant later, just as the Fury began to pass overhead.
The headbutt that followed sent the slightly larger Zoid into a backflip, a motion replicated by the Genosaurer, which allowed Kale to smash his Zoid`s tail across the back of the Fury`s hips, sending the other Zoid tumbling even harder while Vega struggled to regain control, stopping the Buster Claws and switching them back to neutral mode so that they were set firmly onto the back unit, held in place and aiming towards the Zoid`s back. After that, Vega chewed his lip and allowed the Fury to right itself instinctively using the jumpjets, landing in a wide legged stance while the Geno touched down gently a nice distance away.
"Having fun yet?" Kale asked angrily. "Laughing over the fact that you`ve gone nuts, yeah," Vega answered snobbishly, buying time for the Fury to recover from it`s fall. "If you call seeing the truth for what it is and taking up the mission to see it through insanity, then that really doesn`t speak too highly of you, little brother," Kale replied coldly. "Takes a headcase to know a headcase," Vega shot back.
Kale replied in actions rather than words, opening fire on Vega with his nose-mounted cannons. The eleven year old prodigy was barely up to the reflexive task of dodging out of the way, bringing the Fury into a forward run and jumping the first stream of shots, which struck out into the Blitz Team hangar by default, then skidding along beneath the second, which again hit somewhere in the Blitz Team hangar as a result.
"I see your aim`s still off on moving targets," Vega commented as the Fury dove forward, landing on one foot and then jumping ahead the last distance with an odd looking spin-kick that knocked the Genosaurer right off of it`s feet and into a roll. "Not quite," Kale replied as the Genosaurer blazed up off of the concrete, landed with another skid and twisted around, tagging Vega thrice in the chest with the same guns the younger fighter had so adequately dodged seconds before, even though Vega was already in mid-air to follow.
The Berserk Fury tumbled along through the air, it`s own weight carrying it through even the force of three high impact shots into the chest, where it was met by the Geno`s thick tail, which lashed across it`s chest with just as much impact as the gunshots, leaving a visible imprint in the heavy armor of the other Zoid, but it was still a mistake on Kale`s part. Vega broke from his normal style, using the short, stubby arms of the Fury to lock onto the tail of the Genosaurer and sling it off of the concrete runway of the Blitz Team base and onto the desert ground well over a hundred feet away with a thunderous explosion of dust and dirt, which promptly cleared when the Geno emerged a few seconds later, blazing through the air on all thrusters and coming to a stop directly in front of the Berserk Fury, though by the time Vega could get the Zoid to react to his own reflexes, the Genosaurer had jumped up again and brought both clawed feet to stab brutally into the chest armor of the Fury, throwing the larger Zoid into the air again while the Geno balanced on it`s own tail and Kale sent off another three shots into his brother`s Zoid, tagging it repeatedly in the chest.
Vega let out an audible grunt as the Berserk Fury slammed down onto it`s back, swinging up to it`s feet once again and shaking it`s head for a few seconds as if dazed. Vega grimaced to himself. "Guess you did fix your aim," he muttered in thinly veiled annoyance. "And a whole lot more. I`m better than you can ever hope to be now," Kale growled. "Then prove it and stop bragging," Vega shot back with a growl. "Have it your way."
Vega`s ears registered two loud clamps as the footlocks of the Genosaurer slipped down and held it in place while he wheeled the Fury around, glaring daggers at the Zoid his brother was piloting, even as the Fury`s mouth began to glow a near solid white, edged by a flurry of other colors.
There was a thunderous roar as the Geno fired off it`s Charged Particle Cannon, but Vega was able to swiftly dodge out of the way, leaving the beam to continue on and slag a perfect crescent into the outer walls of the Blitz Team base, streaking off into the desert miles away to eventually dissipate after a few seconds, leaving a visible trail of distortions in the air as a result.
Vega on the other hand, was already closing the distance with the Fury on it`s feet alone, having seemingly baited Kale into locking himself into place, but the older of the two brothers was cagier than Vega had expected, firing off the boosted of the Geno and literally tearing it`s feet free, venting all of the excess, super heated exhaust into the Berserk Fury`s face with it`s rigid tail in the process. The footlocks slipped back into place as the Genosaurer touched back down, tail once again bending to either side as the last of the exhaust out.
Vega grimaced the instant after though, just as the Fury turned to face the Geno with a roar. "He`s misted over the eyes with the exhaust from his tail... Crap," Vega thought, keeping silent for the most part and allowing the Berserk Fury to know his fears through the slight emotional connection the two had. "Blind, huh?" Kale asked with a smirk. "Crap again, he knows," Vega thought dryly. "Who say`s overkill never accomplishes anything, eh?" Kale asked as the Genosaurer began to slowly pad along towards the Fury, quietly, even while the other Zoid ferally lashed out in any direction it could detect sounds in.
"Cheap," Vega growled angrily. "The cheapest tactics are always the most effective, shrimp," Kale replied with that same smirk as before, sending a chill down Vega`s spine. The boy only narrowed his eyes though. "Have it your way," he growled again, spending a split second yanking open a panel in one of the upper-forward consoles, having to stand to reach close to the ceiling, then turning a knob that altered the volume of what was broadcast into the otherwise sound-proof cockpit of the Fury.
"If I can`t see you, I`ll just listen to you," Vega muttered, narrowing in on Kale`s location by the fact that the other of the two brothers had been in the middle of a step when Vega had finished adjusting the volume. "Is that so?" Kale asked cryptically, just as the Fury lunged forward, rebounded off of the concrete a few yards to the Geno`s left and made a sideways dive, it`s own left Buster Claw-arm extended to full, claws closed together and glowing a magnificent blue during the charge, whirling with the speed of the fastest chainsaws and aimed to stab through the Genosaurer`s chest and sideways into the cockpit.
"Too bad for you," Kale stated when Vega failed to reply, skipping the Genosaurer backwards and allowing the Berserk Fury to land directly in front of him at near point blank. "NOW!" Kale yelled, causing the Genosaurer to roar as loudly as it could, right into one of the main audio recievers on the Fury`s head, causing the larger, more powerful Zoid to shriek as well, filling Vega`s cockpit with enough noise that Kale could see blood beginning to trickle out of his little brother`s ears, the boy`s face contorted into a painful wince, gloved hands pressed fervantly against his ears an instant later as tears forced themselves to fall due to the pain in his ears.
Kale allowed the Geno to stop roaring an instant later, kicking the Fury squarely in the chest once again a second later, sending the other Zoid down for the count. "Now your Zoid is blind, you might be on the verge of going deaf and you`re crying like a little girl... Tell me Vega, who`s still better than you?" Kale asked as the Genosaurer began to stomp around the downed Berserk Fury.
"If you were half as good as you claim to be, you`d`ve seen my next move coming from five miles away," Vega chided as the Fury forced itself upright, claws already extending outward to full as the body went rigid, a blur of pinkish energy setting up around the Zoid`s body for a split second before it faded to a myriad collection of colors with an orange-and-pinkish overtone, catching the Genosaurer right in it`s path and throwing the other Zoid well over a hundred feet away, where it crashed back down into the concrete of the runway-area with a thunderous roar, shattering the nigh-indestructable terrain it impacted on with an enormous guyser of dust and debris.
"How`s them apples?!" Vega demanded, reaching up again to lower the volume back down to saner levels and wiping his eyes and ears off with his other hand. "All Zoid, Vega," Kale replied as the Genosaurer emerged from the cloud that had formed around it, dented and dinged up but still almost unscathed aside from previous damages. "Still no skill," he finished with a smirk. "That`s why I just sent you off like a field kick, huh?" Vega asked sharply with the same smirk. "I`m not the one tearing up left and right with my ears bleeding now, am I?" Kale asked.
"Not to mention I`m not the one hiding behind a god damned energy shield!" He exclaimed accusingly. "Use it if ya got it," Vega replied nonchalantly, using the time to catch his breath. "Good idea, which is why I`ll use the fact that none of your friends can move to get you to drop that shield and fight me like the man you`ll never be," Kale replied, biding his time to step towards the downed Blitz Team, taking slow, almost torturous paces that lasted close to seven or eight seconds each.
Vega didn`t even bother with a witty comment or an insult, dropping his energy shield almost instantly. The Fury growled uncertainly. "We can see now, we can beat them," Vega thought, using his general emotions to try and soothe the Zoid. The Fury withdrew it`s Buster Claws again, growling over at the Genosaurer once more with a fierce, new glow to it`s eyes.
"Pep-talking your Zoid with your emotions, huh?" Kale asked. "How`d-" "Rookie," Kale interrupted sourly, just as the Genosaurer lunged forward at full, rocket boosted speed to slam violently into it`s opponent with it`s undamaged shoulder, throwing the Berserk Fury back a few more feet, though the other Zoid held it`s balance briskly thanks to it`s tail, shoving the Geno back again and smacking it across the cheek with the Fury`s own snout.
The Geno backed down and growled challengingly, blasting forward once again, but this time, Vega was ready, throwing the switch to drop the footlocks and holding the Fury in place even as the Genosaurer connected with a brutal impact that would tear even the Elephander off of it`s feet, but the Fury held it`s ground, forcibly pushing the Genosaurer back and smacking the attacking Zoid repeatedly with it`s own head like a hammer, sending Vega around like a rag doll in the cockpit even while the Geno tried to scratch and stab the Fury in the side with it`s free claws, the others having been held out of attack-capable movement thanks to the Fury`s own right arm.
"Footlocking on me, huh?!" Kale demanded, seeing through the tactic as the Genosaurer touched it`s feet down, deactivating it`s jets for a split second. "I can solve that easily!" He yelled, launching the Geno again but only with one leg going forward, using the other to go backwards, trying, and after a few seconds succeeding, in ripping the Fury off of the ground, sending the larger Zoid crashing onto it`s back in a near-Judo-like slam, holding it down with it`s clawed grappler arms.
"Give up yet?!" Kale demanded sharply. "You fell for it again," Vega replied dazedly, managing to get up one hand to the monitor and flip Kale the birdy while flipping the switch that would activate the Fury`s shielding, the Zoid`s Buster Claw-arms already tearing loose, skinning the ground in several directions while extending fully and spreading open.
"Not exactly," Kale replied sharply, holding the Geno aloft on it`s surprisingly powerful arms and bringing it`s knees crashing down into the Fury`s chest once again, finally shattering the armor enough that the black under-skin of the stronger Zoid was plainly visible beneath it.
"Try and activate your shield now Vega, you`ll get baked just like me!" Kale exclaimed knowingly. "Maybe, maybe not," Vega replied, willingly letting the shield finish activating and again throwing the Genosaurer into the air as a result, though this time the other Zoid trailed smoke and particle streams in it`s flight to hit the ground again.
Kale regained control though, flipping the Geno back onto it`s feet and watching the Fury drop it`s shield and right itself with an awkward roll backwards that would implode the necks of most Zoids of similar size. For the Fury? The armor on the nose simply became bluntly rounded off and a little scrunched looking, nothing more.
"This may take longer than I thought," Kale finally admitted begrudgingly.
"Oh, it`ll take you longer than you`ll live, Kale," Vega threatened defensively.
"Unless I stop playing with you like the little boy that you are," Kale
replied cryptically.
"Well, that could`ve gone better," Jamie thought with an off-cynicism as he left the arcade. "... You got whipped in five games by a girl..." The Wild Eagle muttered accusingly. "Shut up," Jamie griped quietly, tucking his hands into his pockets and pausing to crack his ankle ever so slightly. Bad enough he was only just now beginning to learn how to fly the Raynos - or any other aerial Zoid - worth very much, worse that his alternate personality had almost single handedly slaughtered close to, or over, a thousand people on a sick promise and even worse still he had spent the past week doing little more than moping, detracting from his already meager standing with the Blitz Team, now he had just had his proverbial tail whipped by a girl who probably couldn`t pilot a Zoid if her life depended on it.
And speaking of said-girl...
"Hey! Wait up!"
Jamie glanced over his shoulder in genuine surprise to see Leyla, grinning from ear to ear like an idiot, exiting the arcade with a cart-load of toy Zoids still in their packages. "... You cleaned up with the prize stamps," Jamie mumbled in disbelief. "Way to state the obvious, dolt," the Wild Eagle chided. "... Will you just SHUT UP already?!" Jamie demanded, hiding the internal arguement with a slightly bemused smile. "Yeah, gonna give all this stuff to my little brother... He`s a nut for Zoid battles so..." Leyla shrugged.
"I see..."
"Not really helped by Dad and me being a Zoid team but... Ah well," she grinned again. "... Wow, you`re a Zoid warrior?" Jamie asked, head tilted to the side as he felt about twenty pounds seem to lift off of the chained-up weight that was blocking his ability to communicate at the moment. "Yep," she replied proudly. "Class S, been in for close to five years," she added with the same expression. "Class... S..." Jamie felt the twenty pounds fall back down as eighty.
"... Is it just me or does everyone suddenly seem to join whatever class the Blitz Team gets into by default?" The Wild Eagle asked in shocked sarcasm.
"... For once I`m agreeing with you," Jamie replied in the same tone.
"Anyway, I was wondering if you`d like to have lunch sometime since you seem to be a big arcade fan and all," Leyla stated, perhaps a bit shyly but still with a bit of enthusiasm. "Actually, I`m not that big of an arcade play... er... Well, sure I guess..."
"FEEL THE SMOOTHNESS!" The Wild Eagle shouted with a tone of voice so utterly fake that Jamie could almost taste artificial flavoring as a result. "Just. Shut. Up. Now."
"But I like seeing you squirm, damnit!"
"You aren`t being funny. Shut up."
"Hmm... I`m going out of town for a week so... Next week then?" Leyla asked with a smirk. "Food Court?" Jamie asked. "That`ll work," Leyla replied before getting ready to drag the cart off. But she stopped.
And stared.
Right into Jamie`s eyes with that look like a curious animal regarding something shiny.
"You`re eyes are weird," she stated plainly, leaning up for a closer look. Jamie leaned back a bit to the extent that he almost fell over as a result but somehow kept his balance, twitching out a fake smile and fighting off any urge to sweat from nervousness.
"How so?" He finally managed to ask, coming off without any trembling in his voice, surprisingly enough. "Each one has two reflections..."
"... Shit, she knows," both Jamie and the Wild Eagle thought
in unison. "Cool looking actually," she said with a shrug, backing down
and walking off a few seconds later. "See ya next week!" She said with
a large wave, leaving Jamie to stand there, absolutely dumbfounded with
only a meek wave and slightly mortified expression on his face.
Vega coughed and looked back up from his lap and into the slightly-fuzzed up monitor in front of him, glaring daggers and knives over at the Genosaurer, which had just - for all intents and purposes - smacked the Fury around like a rag doll caught in a tornado filled with two ton lead weights. He felt dazed, he knew he was out of his league and he knew that Kale was just prolonging the inevitable at this point.
Slowly and unsteadily though, Vega coaxed the battered Fury to stand again, even as the armoring on the upper legs trembled and shook, having been cracked at several points during the relentless onslaught that the Zoid had just gone through. Both arms hung limply out in front of the Fury`s form, both Buster Claw arms were snapped off and several teeth were missing, among other things.
"If you`re going to finish me, just hurry up and get it over with," Vega growled angrily, finally forcing his left eye to open up somewhat, even though the bruising of the skin next to it had almost swollen it shut. To his credit, Vega was enduring far more punishment this time around than he had before, even when he was fighting Bit in the Royal Cup championship. "I think I will," Kale replied snidely, allowing the Genosaurer to take several steps back from the wobbling Fury, roaring out of it`s own superiority to the other, more powerful Zoid.
"Tell me Vega, who`s better?" Kale asked.
"... You aren`t the Kale I knew," Vega spat at the part of the monitor that showed the comm-screen with Kale`s face on it.
"I guess you`re right there," Kale shrugged, unphased by the comment. "But who`s better?" He asked again.
"Do I really have to answer that?" Vega asked.
"Yes."
"Then I guess that means that in addition to having become an arrogant ass, you`re now officially b-" "That`s enough o` that," a new voice cut in on the conversation, which had switched over to broadband at some point or another, though none of the Blitz Team was going to even try and interrupt at this point. Brad and Leena were both still out like lights and Bit was too busy reeling from the pain that was being telegraphed to him by the Liger.
"Eh?" Kale and Vega both sounded, glancing to the direction of the town to see a single Zoid standing atop a hill a few dozen yards from the runway the two had been waging their war on. "I`m afraid I`m gonna have to break this little dance up," the figure said again as the Zoid, clearly identified as an unmodified, custom painted Rev Raptor, black with a golden-finished crest on the head, began to step forward, towards the battlezone.
"Idiot," Kale muttered. "Whoever you are, leave now! He`ll kill you if you don`t!" Vega warned, even though he was promptly shut up as the Fury toppled forward, now baring several new impact marks on it`s head from the nose guns of the Genosaurer. "Shut up," Kale growled, turning the Geno to face the incoming Rev Raptor. "Who are you?" He demanded.
"Aww, come on," the voice taunted. "Don`t tell me you forgot me so soon," it said again, just as another viewscreen flipped into place on the monitors of the two combatants. "You?" Kale asked in thinly veiled amusement, possibly tinged with a bit of insult.
"Harabec?!" Vega yelped in shock. "Run away!" He ordered with a yell, trying to get the crazy old fool to take a warning. "So... Today I`ll have slaughtered a bunch of chumps, a little kid that thought he could run around as my equal and an old guy who thinks he can actually make me listen to him... This is almost funny," Kale said aloud. "Actually, it is funny... You damned dolt," Harabec replied with a smirk, the razor stubble on his lower face contorting up with the skin beneath it. "`Sides... I may be a bit wrinkly, and I may be about ten years outta practice, but I ain`t that old and I can still whip a snot-nosed little punk like you without even trying."
"Wanna bet?" Kale challenged, a bit angry now. He wasn`t exactly prideful, but someone insulting his skills wasn`t exactly something he tolerated. "Why bother betting when I`d just win anyway?" Harabec asked dryly. "You honestly think a damn Rev Raptor is going to take this?" Kale asked, utterly amused now. "Yes, actually," Harabec replied plainly. "You`re either senile or legally insane," Kale replied with a tinge of audible disgust.
"Well then... Why don`t you be a good little boy and fire the first shots at me, hm?" Harabec asked mockingly. "Have it your way, dumb ass," Kale answered, taking quick aim and opening up with his nose-mounted cannons once again.
He missed spectacularly. Harabec had already dodged by the time that Kale had finished pulling the trigger.
In a near impossible display, the Rev Raptor dodged forward, avoiding every single shot that Kale could get off while hopping around, never even coming close to being hit in the process. Explosions sounded through the desert around the base while the smaller black-and-gold Zoid jumped onto the runway, swiftly dodging underneath a number of heavy laser shots as Harabec spoke up again.
"Lesson one: Do not underestimate someone `cause of their Zoid," Harabec stated, even whilst the Rev Raptor, bounded to stand just beside the larger Geno Saurer, jumping up by the time that Kale could react and swiftly, precisely kicking the nose of the other Zoid, perfectly stabbing through the sides of the guns mounted there in an odd looking sidekick, landing swiftly an instant later and darting underneath the Geno as Kale moved to try and kick his attacker, missing once again and stomping down into the ground by the time that Harabec had risen back up and swiftly deployed the scythes of the Rev Raptor, slashing twice across the base of the tail and the right hip of the Genosaurer, sending off a maelstrom of sparks as a result while turning again and whipping the very tip of the short tail of the smaller Zoid across the trails, deepening the cuts as a result.
"Lesson two: Just because an opponent ain`t packin` the same size and strength as you doesn`t make `em weaker, case in point: This."
Jumping straight up, the Rev Raptor again lashed out with it`s right foot, leading a stabbing kick into that same hip and propelling itself up to land a second kick, this time with it`s left, straight into the gun mount for the two having laser cannons, slicing into the main portion of the guns as Kale let out a yell and tried to twist the Genosaurer around hard enough to fling the Raptor off.
His efforts partially succeeded, the smaller Zoid went flying into a backflip, somehow managing to rebound off of the top of the Blitz Team hangar bay doorframe and come flinging back, landing hard on both feet and springing back up with a reverse headbutt across the chin of the Genosaurer, tipping the huge Zoid back just a bit and exposing the chest region completely.
Kale leaned back into his seat and gulped as the front of the cockpit tore open and a razored finger stabbed through, stopping only inches away from his face in the process.
"Lesson three: There are reasons why I was named the Revered Raptor, the same reasons why I was the Class S champion for four years straight and the same reasons why I just handed you your snot-nosed, punk ass. I really hope these lessons got through that thick, idiotic little skull of your`s, `cause I ain`t repeating myself, got it?" Harabec asked, the communications setup of the Genosaurer somehow having survived what had just transpired.
"Crystal," Kale muttered, not moving for honest fear of being sliced in half. "Good. Now, I`m gonna let ya go, and if ya ever give my customers any trouble again, I won`t stop a few inches short, `kay?" Harabec asked angrily.
"I can`t give a promise I won`t keep," Kale replied drly. He didn`t exactly want to die but at least if someone like Harabec killed him it wouldn`t be a death to be too ashamed over. Besides...
"You won`t kill me... You don`t have the guts for it," Kale exclaimed confidently. "You`re right. I don`t. Unfortunately for you, I still have the guts to cripple your Zoid if I have to. Don`t come near this town, or this base, ever again. I`ll take your Zoid apart piece by piece with you inside if you do, is that clear?" Harabec asked.
"Sure... But Vega won`t be here forever," Kale growled. "Probably not," Harabec shrugged. "And just so we`re clear on this, you`re not that much better than they are," the veteran stated insultingly, drawing the claw of his Rev Raptor and taking a step back. Kale smirked, the old timer may have been very good, but he was still quite gullible.
"Oh, and one more thing..."
Or so he thought.
There were three distinct explosions in the ears of Kale and the others who were actually concious or able to even pay attention at present as the black Rev Raptor stabbed the Genosaurer three times in three exact locations, the first being the joints of the shoulders, each scythe easily slipping into the too-tight space and stabbing right into the inexplosive parts of each rotational motor before a jump and a third slash finished things off, stabbing hard into the throat of the Genosaurer and disabling any chance of using it`s Charged Particle Cannon.
"Just so we`re clear on that, right?" Harabec asked snidely while the Rev Raptor backed off, taking up a protective position in front of the downed Berserk Fury and the even more banged up Zoids of the Blitz Team.
"... Just... Crystal..." Kale growled.
"Good. Now get the Hell outta here before I change my mind," Harabec ordered sternly. "You can`t protect them forever you old bastard," Kale threatened. "And I`m not going to," Harabec replied as the Genosaurer flared up and off of the ground, blasting skyward as best as it could in it`s damaged stated, heading for only Kale-knew-where.
"Now that we got that squared away," Harabec muttered, more to himself than anyone else, lowering the Rev Raptor down to crouch on it`s belly with it`s chin resting against the runway, cockpit opening up a few seconds later while the Berserk Fury`s own followed suit, though Vega was more concerned with helping the downed members of the Blitz Team that gaping at the show of skill that the older veteran had just put on without even breaking a sweat.
"Guess I`m not half as rusty as I thought," Harabec said to himself, picking up into a light jog towards the downed form of the Liger Zero while a dazed Steve Tauros emerged from the hangar, holding his head in one hand and a pistol in the other. "Call some ambulances Doc!" Vega yelled, manually opening up the Liger Zero`s cockpit and trying to drag Bit out before the older pilot shooed him away and climbed out on his own, still cradling his back sorely.
"And get Brad and Leena!" He managed to yell annoyedly, collapsing back against the muzzle of the Liger, feeling the Zoid`s pain for all it was worth and hating every second of it. "Alright, both of you stay here and try not to move to much, I`ll get the others," Harabec ordered grimly, running hard towards the other two downed Zoids.
It was going to be one of those days...
Author`s Note: And now you know why you never piss off ornery bar tenders who need to shave more often...
Shiro Amayagi: Yay, I spelled your name right this time! Hope you liked the Scout Fox pic I sent ya, not to mention the action in the story so far.
Aarwulf: Good to see ya back :D Hope I haven`t let you down with Kale or Harabec so far, but both play important roles where they`re involved. And no to anyone who dislikes OCs, Harabec won`t be the main character. For god`s sake, the guy`s retired! You`ll get a nice bit of info on him eventually though, same for the base and a few other things... Including some things that`ll come right outta left field on you.
Glad someone actually liked Doc`s reaction to the Scout Fox... I dunno, I could just SEE HIM doing that...
And for anyone who`s interested, the next chapter contains some vital info as to the condition of the Blitz Team, as well as a good bit of action on that lucky rookie bastard, Marcus Harlock! Not to mention you`ll see what I mean by 'coming outta left field' on ya pretty soon...
And to the people who`ve enjoyed the story so far, leave a review please! Not required to get more updates since I don`t like holding my stories hostage depending on how many people like them but still.
Sh33p out.
Discuss books at Blogging about Books http://www.seltzerbooks.com/blog/
Other book reviews
by Richard Seltzer
Opus authors -- contemporary
writers whose entire work is great
The Readers' Corner
and Writers Showcase
This site is published by Samizdat Express, 213 Deerfield Lane, West
Roxbury, MA 02132-002. (203) 553-9925 seltzer@seltzerbooks.com
Book
collections on CD and DVD. A library for the price of a book.
Limited time
offer: 2 for the price of 1