Ryan Apollos [vs.] Baron Tomson [vs.] The Jackyl

qwerty

Dream State Zi
Part 8

"19th Revision Judgement Battle Standard: judicial decisions to be made by a panel of 3 Commission appointed judges (human), to be present within 5 kilometers of the battlefield's geographical center point." Sao read aloud from the computer screen.

He leaned back in his deep crimson desk chair, set his elbow on the chrome arms and scratched his chin. "Human judges. Fascinating." He smiled.

His room was sizable but sparse, much like his desk. In the far corner sat a bed with a frosted glass frame, topped with blue patterned sheets lying in disarray. A door to a private bathroom was set in the wall beside the bed, and on the wall past that, the door to the hall. The floor shone with a glossy blue finish. The desk had a similar black sheen. Most of the desk itself was given to a slick keyboard and touch interface, save for a corner which housed a small picture framed in black and red – that of a teenage Sao and a similarly aged girl of long, smooth red hair, both smiling.

"Sao hon? I'm out of soap, could you get some?" Eura's voice drifted out of the bathroom door behind him. By the sound of it, the shower was still running.

"Mm? Sure." He turned his eyes back to the computer screen, and scrolled to the top of the document.

The text had been partially corrupted, riddling the paragraphs with conspicuous black boxes. Whether by intention or age, Sao could not discern, but from the look of it, the Backdraft group had managed to completely restore the title of the document: COMPENDIUM OF RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE USAGE OF THE ZOID COMBAT COMMITTEE AND ASSOCIATES – 39th REVISION. A date was blacked out below. Zoid Combat Committee. "Wonder when their name changed." Sao mused.

"Sao?" Eura called in a sing-song manner.
"Coming." He said, more pensive than annoyed, finally standing and moving out his room door into the hall.

In the cockpit-lobby of the Dragoon's Nest, Ryan tapped a space on the digital board. It flickered, giving rise to a hologram of a round, black stone. He looked up to his opponent. Josef, who was plugged into the board, barely looked up before another space glinted blue, and flickered to reveal a white stone. Chained together with a line of similar stones around 5 of Ryan's black ones, the section of the board glowed red, and Ryan's black stones reversed color.

"I thought robots were bad at 'Go'?

"They are." Josef responded.

Ryan ground his teeth.

In the hall behind the two, Sao stumbled out, wearing only black pants and a grey shirt with red edges, and looked over to the supply drawers on the far side of the hall.

"Sao, are we hitting anywhere we can land soon?" Ryan called over.

"Not for awhile." he responded, moving his fingers over the 'open' switches for the various drawers. "Are we out of soap?"

Ryan stood up. "You want me to help look?"

"No, I found some." He pulled out a pink, rectangular block and started back into the room. Ryan turned back to Josef, who had turned his visor-screen-head ever so slightly left, fully aware of Ryan's stalling for time, and quietly satisfied at the knowledge that Ryan wouldn't be stalling much longer.

"Ok…" Ryan sighed, sitting down. Josef turned his head back, and gestured for Ryan to move. He smiled at the robot. "Where were we?"

A ringing tone from the control console.

"Oh!" Ryan stood. "Wonder what that is?" He smiled as he walked over to the console. Josef slumped his shoulders, which by design slumped his head and arms, making what was once a subtle reaction decidedly blatant. Ryan chuckled as he reached the control panel. It was a video call – the caller id read "Zoid Combat Committee".

Sao stuck his arm into the bathroom door and held out the soap. "Want me to leave it by the door?" He heard a glass panel sliding. "No, no I'll get it." He heard Eura stepping out of the shower and over to him, felt her wet hands take the soap away.

" Sao!" A voice from the hall. "Call!"

Sao leaned back out, just as Eura tried to grasp his arm and drag him in. "From?"

"Zoid Combat Committee?"

"Zoid Combat… Answer it! I'll be there in a second! Don't hang up on them!

Shrugging, Ryan answered the call. A man of dark blue hair and deep green shades appeared, smiling. His surroundings were too dark to make out.

"Good evening Nova Team."

"That voice… Aren't you-" Ryan started.

"The Backdraft Group!" Sao stumbled out, of his room pulling on his blue and red trenchcoat. "Who else would be using the former title of the Zoid Battle Commission in their communiqués?" He clapped his hands together as he stepped before the screen. "And how can we help you today?"

The man chucked. "I gather from your remark, Mr. Ensiné, that you've been perusing the document we sent you following your previous victory over our warriors."

"And quiet enjoying it." Sao gave a slight nod.

"You can say that again." Ryan slumped into one of the cockpit seats.

"Good to hear." The voice responded.

"Have you been perusing as eagerly as I have, sir?" Sao mused, taking a seat in front of the communicator.

"As a matter of fact, your interest in the document spurned quite the little fire of interest on our end."

"Who's calling, Sao?" Eura's voice. Ryan looked behind him. She had walked out in a lime green bathrobe that barely stretched down past her waist and a crème towel wrapped around her moist hair.

The man kept talking, and Sao kept his attention glued to him. "As you can imagine, our organization strives to provide an exhilarating alternative to the Commission's limited vision. What this document has provided us with is an entirely new approach to that – one we are eager to test." The man leaned forward, smiling, the glare of his communicator lit up his shades. "Mr. Ensiné, have you surveyed the 400 series battle modes?"

Ryan squinted. "400 series…"

Eura turned to him. "What's that mean?"

"I guess it'd be a mode with the code 0400…" Ryan scratched his chin.

"I'd never heard of one of those before!"

"The Commission doesn't recognize them." Sao stated, a hint of excitement in his voice. "…Anymore, that is."

"Wait," Eura looked up, "Doesn't that mean they aren't legal battle modes?"

"Precisely Miss." The cultured man responded. "You're a man of curiosity are you not, Mr. Ensiné? You cannot say you aren't wondering what the ancient battles used to be like."

"Sir, I relish the chance to delve into such modes." Sao's grin of excitement had slipped into a wide smile. His hands trembled – the pulsing of his heart made clear. He quickly brought up his copy of the Compendium on the local computer. "Which mode were you considering, dear sir?"

"Perhaps its better, Mr. Ensiné that I give you a name to call me by, having dealt with us to this extent. You may refer to me as Silvereye. A pseudonym you no doubt have guessed."

"I appreciate the gesture. In what mode shall we do battle, Silvereye?"

"I direct your attention, Mr. Ensiné, to mode 0-4-4-1, entitled 'Pulse War'."

Sao found the passage quickly. His eyes widened. Silvereye chuckled.

"What is it Sao?" Ryan walked over to get a look at the passage. "0-4-4-1, Pulse War. 3 vs 1, single unit to be capable of…" His heart shook.

"Electromagnetic warfare." Silvereye finished the sentence.

"What? Electromagnetic warfare!" Eura jumped back.

"Sao, this is seriously illegal." Ryan eyed him closely.

"Legality doesn't concern me Ryan, but…" Sao looked up, "I am hesitant to expose my Zoid to a technology with so many hazardous rumors to its name."

"Very understandable, Mr. Ensiné, and our group has had the same concerns. We've been undergoing a lot of trouble in the past few weeks to observe the effects of electromagnetic weaponry on Zoids in a fashion less biased than that of the Commission. As expected, the permanent effects of an EMP on Zoids are greatly exaggerated."

"But what are the effects?" Sao leaned his arm on the console as he pondered.

"Our tests did find a degradation in controls and coordination but all negative effects had dissipated after a couple days of low-intensity movement sessions. We'll relay the data to you on a different com-channel once our conversation is over, should you choose to accept."

"Quite cautious aren't we?"

"The Commission satellites can detect electromagnetic radiation in the quantities we're using very easily, and communications they catch wind of which mention it are traced thoroughly. We need not expose our operations prematurely, and rest assured, should you accept our offer, we will begin preparing measures to ensure the match goes uninterrupted. For that reason alone, I would insist upon your answering our request now. You will be compensated handsomely should you win."

"I believe you know my answer."

Heiden sighed. Silvereye grinned. Sao looked up – Eura could almost feel the pulse of his beating heart.

"Where and when, Silvereye?"

"Are you sure about this Sao, hon? Don't you know who those people are?" Eura asked Sao.

"Know?" Ryan grunted, leaning back in the cockpit chair, "He's dealt with em. Went quite well or so he'd say."

The three sat around the cockpit – several hours had passed since the call. They awaited the transmission with the battle coordinates.

"Hey! You got a new Zoid out of that! Stop complaining!" Sao barked.

"Who's complaining?" Ryan grunted back.

"I am!" Eura pouted. "I mean, I'm just… worried about you hon! They don't play by the rules!"

"Well, the last time they tried a free for all, it blew up in their faces. Melted their faces clean off, more precisely." Ryan chuckled.

"But aren't you worried about the electromagnetic pulses?"

"The data they sent seems reasonable – so long as we don't do it every day of the week, its effects aren't permanent. The Commission has plenty of reason to outlaw Eletromagnetic warfare besides danger to Zoids – they like their global surveillance – EMPs tend to mess with that."

"Still…" Ryan's voice now, "I am a bit puzzled Sao. How's a Zoid Battle work when one side can force the other team's command systems offline at will?"

"Ah, that's the true genius in the mode!" Sao brought up the compendium text on the screen. "Normally, when your Zoid's command system freezes, it's due to a hardware malfunction – an inability for the program to work because the Zoid itself has been beaten into submission. In this case, your command system would freeze due to software malfunction – the program itself, not necessarily the Zoid, is being affected. If your command system is taken down via electromagnetic pulse, that isn't necessarily the end for your Zoid." He took a breath and a grin slid onto his face. "Battle mode 0441 allows for its participants to reset and reactivate their command systems if they've frozen."

The room went silent.

A double-beep sounded from the console. Josef, who had till then stood silently at the outskirts of the conversation, rolled over to the controls and received the call. A series of numbers showed up on the com-screen – a text.

"Ah, coordinates." Sao clapped his hands together. "Get us rolling, Josef!" The robot gave a nod and started up the stalled Dragoon's Nest, which shook slightly as it lifted off the Cliffside where it had parked.

"Wait, Sao?" Ryan stood shakily as the Dragoon's Nest set off. "If both teams can reset their command systems, when is the battle over?"

Sao turned back to Ryan. "When their Zoids are too beaten up for their command systems to restart." He grinned.

"Hm. And they get free shots at us while we're restarting our systems huh."

"Yes, but an electromagnetic pulse takes time to charge, and it's still a three on one battle."

"True enough." Ryan nodded. "Alright, what's the plan?"

"We're really gonna do this?" Eura exclaimed once more.

"Get with the program Eura, he's made up his mind." Ryan replied.

She walked up to Sao, looking up with pleading eyes, "Aren't you…"

"What?"

Slowly, Eura bowed her head. "…Ok." She said, wrapping her arms around Sao.. "As long as you're determined, I'll go for it too." She put on a light smile. Sao patted her on the head, then looked up with a grin.

"Alright then. Let's get planning."

After an hour of flight, they reached the coordinates, where they found a message with the battle time – a day away. The Backdraft group, Sao speculated, was especially paranoid of disruption of what was certainly being (correctly) billed as a battle of a kind not seen in centuries. It was an uneventful day. Sao brainstormed plans but ultimately concluded there was too little information to go on – the battlefield, the opponent Zoid specs, and most prominently, the true flow of an electromagnetic pulse battle, to commit to any plan. The rest of the hours whittled away by lack of sleep and a surplus of tension (and a small set of increasingly one-sided 'Go' matches).

At last, as dusk set on, a black Demantis appeared on the horizon, and gestured the group onward. They journeyed north, passed between 3 relays of Demantises until at last, a com channel was opened up from a Zoid clearly ahead but obscured by the last remains of a crumbling mountain.

"Greetings Nova Team. The battlefield is close at hand. You'll want to exit your Dragoon's Nest now and park it behind this mountain to shield it from any electromagnetic pulses that the battle could generate."

Not missing a beat, Josef rushed to the controls and parked the carrier Zoid.

The voice continued. "Move your Zoids around the mountain – the Demantises will guide you to your position. Distraction measures are in place around the continent, but we don't have all the time in the world, so let's get moving. Don't mind the domes in the ground – they're shielded cameras for our observers."

Sao had been waiting in the Trinity Liger since the first Demantis passed them on. He opened the deck remotely and headed out, slowly so Ryan and Eura wouldn't fall too far behind. He opened a comlink to the mystery warrior. "Will do sir. We'll be there in 5 minutes. Would it be appropriate yet to ask who our opponent will be, and if not, who you are?"

As the Houndsoldier and Evoflyer climbed out the back of the parked Dragoon's Nest, Sao's Trinity Liger made its way around the mountain. The voice responded.

"Very much so. Call me Jihnera. I'll be your opponent tonight."

The sight beyond the mountain was bleak – a violet-grey wasteland, the ruins of an old city perhaps, but with no buildings taller than a Zoid. The area was surrounded by mountains on all sides – all the better to keep isolated from the Commission's watch, but the ruins extended far and away. Most of the physical cover came in the form of uneven rocks, but a low clinging mist-like cloud of dust obscured much of the field visually. As Jihnera had noted, rusty dark domes had been scattered about the field – low cameras, but cameras nonetheless. No trees could be seen.

And at the edge of the field, behind a dilapidated building, orange eyes set into a small, black head gazed at the liger. Two 144mm machine guns were nestled behind its neck, and two double barreled cannons were set beside them. Behind those guns, a far more intimidating sight – dark, thin, electric spines thrusting up and out of the back – each with the sheen of a solar panel, but a sharp, visceral silhouette.

A Dark Spiner – one of the last Zoids capable of electromagnetic warfare through the shimmering spines of its jamming blade array.

It stepped slowly back into the wastes, accompanied by a host of Demantises. The image burned into his mind, Sao lead his team into the battlefield, his own Demantises paving the way.

The three team members were placed in close formation and the Demantises left the field. An unusually large, black judge capsule made landing an unusually far distance away. The corresponding thud seemed to pulsate through the very ground. The reasoning was made obvious soon – the capsule had been fitted with a large, complex shell of EMP resistance material (quite expensive and massive to boot). The cover peeled off like an insect's skin, revealing the familiar form of the Dark Judge, who seemed to be fidgeting.

"Area… Battlefield. Participants set-scanned- Argh! Why do I have to remember all these rules- Hm?" He noticed that the capsule had opened, and out of some unnecessarily programmed habit, cleared his throat. "Ahem! The a-re-a… Within a… 80 kilomter ra-di-us… Has…" He seemed to be looking for a non-existent script… "Been… Desig-… Desaaig….Gah! This is a Zoid Battlefield! If you're closer than 80 kilometers, and you're not fighting get the hell out!" He sighed.

"Huh, even the Judge is getting in the sprit!" Ryan laughed. "See Eura? We're all going through something new!" She gave a half-hearted laugh. Sao chuckled, then straightened up.

"Alright you two, heads up. There's a good bit of debris around here which means low visibility even though there's a lot of room to run." He exhaled. "It's about to start."

The judge nodded, seemingly to a communicator, before turning back to the far off participants. "Mm? Right? Alright! Alright you wimps! The battlefield is scanned and the area is set up! The Nova Team vs the Dark Spiner! Battle mode 0-4-4-1!"

The outer layer of the capsule shut, leaving only the judge's visor visible, and a smaller shell ready to quickly shut if necessary. His nasal voice, muffled but loud, rang out over the battlefield.

"All warriors ready? FIIIGHT!"

The words fell like a weight into a lake – heavy, slow, taking their time to sink in. Sao broke the silence.

"Eura, your radar has that most range. You see him?"

"Uh… There's something fuzzy about 20 kilometers northeast."

"Alright. Stay in visual contact, but spread out. We don't want to go down in a pack if his pulse comes. I'll head in first, then Eura, then Ryan. When the person in front of you is at the edge of your visual range, start following. Keep your eyes open! Yell if you see him." With that, he moved the Trinity Liger forth into the dark, violet dust, kicking up a fair share of it as he walked.

The trio set off into the wastes, each separated by 10 zoid-lengths or so. The dust-caked ground made for a tenuous grip, but the slow pace kept their Zoids steady.

"Eura, his reading getting any clearer? I'm not seeing him." Sao mused.

"I don't think so… I'm not even sure I was seeing him before…"

"Wonderful. Ryan You see anything?"

"Iii..oot…ot-ting."

"Ryan?" Sao fiddled with the communicator controls.

"…ao? S..o hon?" Eura's voice had become similarly garbled.

"He's jamming us…" Sao grunted. "Hopefully he can't pulse and jam at the same time." He turned his eyes to his radar – a static-ridden mess.

"S…o! Sao!" Eura yelled. Sao wheeled the Trinity Liger around – the Evoflyer was stumbling towards him.

"No Eura! We need to stay spread out! Eura!"

Blasts from a double-barreled cannon hit nearby. "He's here!" Ryan yelled. Sao heard, turned, fired. Missed. The shadowy form of the Dark Spiner was present, but too far.

"I'm going after him! Eura, support from the flank! Ry-" As the Trinity Liger advanced, Sao realized. "Wait, the communications are back- Ryan run!"

Not pausing to respond, but placing his faith in Sao's words, Ryan turned the Houndsoldier left and sent the Zoid running. Sao stopped in his tracks, sliding a ways in the dust, just enough to see the Dark Spiner – its Jamming Array glowing with blue electric discharges. "Eura! Get out! R-" He tried to say, but too late.

A wave of energy surged out of the Dark Spiner – a torrent of radiation pulsating out in a circular rush. "Oh no!" The Dark Judge yelled, slamming the capsule shut to avoid the blast. The Trinity Liger had no such defense. Its golden eyes flickered, and blacked out – and its metal body followed suit, hitting the ground with a burst of dust.

"Sao!" Eura yelled, running towards the blast, only to be flung back and shut down by the energy.

Ryan had gained good speed in the opposite direction, but couldn't outrun the burst. It caught the Houndsoldier, putting its legs in a lock. Inertia drove the lifeless Zoid forward, digging into the ground and crashing straight through a low concrete wall before grinding to a halt.

The recoil nearly sent Ryan flying into the dashboard. The visual screen still functioned, though there was only dirt to see. A few interior lights stayed lit, but his control screens had gone black or corrupt. Not wasting a moment, he reached to the switches under the console and began to restart the Houndsoldier command system.

Back in the center of the battlefield, Sao mashed his own reset commands, increased fervor. An explosion shook the cockpit. He could see through the static that the Dark Spiner was walking closer and could feel it blasting the Trinity Liger into nothingness. "C'mon girl. Come on!" At last the eyes flickered into light. The Dark Spiner stopped its assault and ran. "A nicely done hit and run… Ugh!" Sao set the Liger to stand. Its sides were burned and steaming, but its legs seemed mostly intact.

"Sao!" The Evoflyer moved slowly towards the Trinity Liger.

"I'm fine Eura. Can't say the same about the Liger's Photon Cutter though. Ryan!"

"Coming, Sao!"

"No need. We just need to find him before he can recharge the array. Communications aren't reliable here – just shoot if you see him! Eura, that goes for you too!"

"D- Don't worry Sao! I'll make him pay for attacking your beautiful Trinity Liger!" Eura switched the evo-flyer into its flight mode.

"Eura wait! Don't fly!"

"Don… ry.. hin!" Eura's broken response.

"Dammit! He's back to jamming already!" Sao growled, pressing the Liger forward.

The tip of the judge capsule opened again. "Is it over? Argh! They're at it again! Just kill them, somebody!" He yelled.

Ryan switched off his radar as he moved. No point in keeping it on when it was this unreliable – maybe it would reduce the restart time. He kept his sight focused on the visual sensors – he'd settled into a brisk pace cutting across the wastes.

A flash – in the corner of his eye. Cannon fire cutting down from above – had Eura started flying? He moved towards the commotion. He could see the shadow of the Dark Spiner below, making a run for it – was its charge incomplete? He gripped the throttle and moved towards it, aiming the hound buster cannon for a quick strike. The Spiner moved closer toward the Evoflyer circling above.

"Who's he going for..." Ryan wondered aloud, "He has no anti-air weaponry, and he can't get up to… oh no."

"Take this!" Eura's yelled as she let forth another round from her AZ assault rifles.

"The comlink's on… Eura! Stop!" Ryan yelled, stopping the Houndsoldier.

"Eura! Land now!" Sao's voice rang out, as the form of the Trinity Liger rose over the opposite hill.

"Aaaargh!" she yelled, too loud to hear her teammates.

By now the Dark Spiner had found a place right below the Evoflyer, and its jamming array glowed again. Ryan whipped the Houndsoldier around and ran once more. Sao dug into the ground and fired a few rounds off with his twin beam cannons – no hits – he was too far. Once again the pulse of blue energy ripped through the atmosphere, pausing the Liger in its steps, sending the running Houndsoldier into a trip (and a slide another 150 meters into a pile of rusted steel), and surging through the Evoflyer's wings until it fell from the sky like a paperweight falls from the edge of a desk – slamming into a cloud of dust nearby. The Judge let out a wailing screech, closing his capsule once more just in time. It seemed to tremble in the seconds afterwards. Whether from the residual current or the Judge's nervousness, it was hard to tell.

The Spiner, its array still rife with electricity, walked over to the fallen Evoflyer. It moved right up to it, until even its miniature form towered over the lifeless Zoid, suffused Eura's visual screen with its presence.

"Sao? Sao!" Her heart beat too fast, her hands trembled too much to reset her Zoid. The Spiner let loose its 144 mm machine guns, gutting the Evoflyer and rocking the cockpit like a storm. "Aaaaaaaa!" Eura cried out, though no one could hear her.

"Eura! Eura hang in there!" Sao got the Liger walking once more, and fired off a closer shot at the Spiner, who backed away to reveal the steaming black wreckage that once was the Evoflyer. Sao gritted his teeth, as he continued yelling at Eura. "Eura! Say something! Eura!"

"Don't hold your breath for an answer, Ensiné." Jihnera's voice flowed clear over the comlink. "But take in the sight. That'll be your Liger soon." Sao growled.

"Arrggh!" The Dark Judge gasped for breath as he opened the top part of his capsule again. "Huh? Oh! There's one! Nova Team Unit 3 is down! Now get the other ones quickly!" It let out an exasperated sigh.

Ryan maneuvered the Houndsoldier up, cringing as flakes of rubble rolled of its head. "This won't be kind on the paint…Or the joints." He looked behind – the tracks stretched out almost too far to trace. He squinted. Looked down –the comlink seemed normal.

"Sao?" Ryan called out.

"What is it…" Sao asked, breathing hard.

"He'll start jamming soon so I can't explain but… I..." He gathered himself, "I have a plan!"

Sao paused for thought. Let out a breath. "Excellent. What's my role?"

"Keep him in one place! Hold him drrennn. Sssro?" The comlink shut off.

"Hold him down. Heheh. I see where you're going buddy. I like it."

A blast near the Trinity Liger. Sao leapt back, and wheeled around – the Dark Spiner stood atop a small granite hill.

"Gotta get him near…" He moved the Liger slowly back, barely flinching at subsequent shots. The Spiner followed closer and closer.

"What's wrong Ensiné? Did I hit your Liger's legs too?" He fired again. Sao made a small parry. He wasn't hit, but he pressed the Liger down to the ground as if he was. "Face it, your obsession with battle modes has caught up to you!" Jihnera approached closer. "Anytime you get too close, I'll just black you all out. You can't attack when you can't even move."

"True!" Ryan yelled. Jihnera looked behind. Just barely a prick in the distance, opposite Sao, the Houndsoldier stood, its forelegs stretched out.

"Rarrgh!" Sao thrust the Trinity Liger forward, slammed into the Dark Spiner and latching its claws into its shoulder blades. "And you're the one who won't be moving!" Sao grinned.

The Houndsoldier started moving, running, prancing into a blur, straight towards the Dark Spiner's back.

"Are you stupid Ensiné? You can't move if your Zoid's gone black!" The Dark Spiner's jamming array began charging.

"That's where you're wrong." Ryan grinned. "Houndsoldier! Full speed!" He slammed the throttle forward, its run melting into a rhythm, a beat, a pulse.

"Stay down!" Jihnera yelled as the charge surged into the air once more.

"Oh no!" The Dark Judge retreated into his dark shell.

"Raarrrgh!" Ryan yelled. The radiation surged through the Liger, locked it into place, pressing down into the Spiner. And when the wave hit the approaching Houndsoldier, its legs locked out, but its speed didn't trail off. It sped towards the Spiner, body just above the ground, and rammed into the Spiner sending a tremendous shockwave through the ground.

One last time the Judge peeked out of his capsule. "Hm? Wha? No Zoid readings detected! Aaah! What happens now?"

Eyes flickered on in the rubble.

"Hm? Oh! A Zoid! It's… It's…"

Shakily, the Trinity Liger rose beside the Dark Spiner.

"It's the Trinity Liger!"

With an electric fizz, the eyes of the Houndsoldier lit up.

"And the Houndsoldier! Is that – is that?"

The Dark Spiner sat silent, devoid of will to fight.

"That's it! Battle over! Battle over, battle over! The winner is the Nova Team! Get me out of here!" The Dark Judge said as it threw a mini temper tantrum before the capsule closed again and its rockets started up.

The Liger wasn't watching. It climbed onto the corpse of the Spiner and let out a piercing roar. The Houndsoldier climbed up beside him and sent the heavens an echoing howl. The battle was over. The battle was won.

"I'm glad your clients got something out of it as well!" Sao's voice replied over the intercom.

"It was a larger operation than you are aware, but personally, the battle shook me to my core, Mr. Ensiné. Bravo." From the sound of it, Silvereye was giving a slow, appreciative clap. Ryan sighed. He'd made his way away from the smoldering wreck that was the Dark Spiner, in spite of Sao who stayed there continuing his talk with Silvereye. Though he didn't feel like participating, he wasn't above listening.

"You will be compensated as promised. It should more than cover the repairs for your units and reward you for your work."

That clicked Ryan's memory. He maneuvered the Houndsoldier over to the remains of the Evoflyer. He could see the Dragoon's Nest approaching a ways off.

Sao continued talking. "Not at all. Should you endeavor to undertake another ancient battle mode in the future, don't hesitate to call."

"If the response proves as successful as I suspect it has been, I think our Dark Battles may have a new turn in store. I won't be able to make you privy to the details I'm afraid, but with luck this will become a more common occurrence."

"That would be a bright day indeed."

Ryan opened the cockpit and leapt down to the Evoflyer – not a large fall, but large enough to make a resonant thunk when he hit the Evoflyer head. "Eura?" No answer. He fiddled around at the edge, finally locating a manual activation switch that cast the cockpit open slowly.

Inside, Eura sat trembling, her arms wrapped around her legs. "Hey? We're done. C'mon."

"Is he… angry at me?"

"Pfft. We won, who cares?" Ryan smiled and offered her a hand.

"You two won… I can't… I…"

"What is it?" Ryan moved closer to her. She was sobbing. She tried to finish her sentence but no words came.

Ryan tried looking away – it was awkward to make eye contact – but he could only see the beaten hull of the Evoflyer, could only return his gaze to its pilot.

"It was… too… too much…" She cried.

He sighed, and at last, sat down beside her, and put an arm around her shoulder. Slowly, she shifted her weight until her head pressed against his chest as she continued to sob. Ryan thought it'd be a good time to say something profound, but felt he wasn't profound enough to find something meaningful to say.

So he just held her close as she cried, not knowing how profound it was for her to be held.

Guest

Ryan Apollos [vs.] Baron Tomson [vs.] The Jackyl Fire11

Ryan Apollos [vs.] Baron Tomson [vs.] The Jackyl 1272741_grand_canyon

††Location: Just on the outskirts of the grand canyon, several miles away from the statdum.††
†October 20th, 2012 Time: around 6:25 P.M†

The scene opens with a nice view of the Grand Canyon, from the distance the moon is seen rising as the howling noises echo from the distance. The camera turns towards the camping site only it's not really a camp, there is a platform made to resemble a wrestling ring with wooden planks to make the base and old regulation rope which is tied around four long tree stems that make the turnbuckles. At the far left side of the makeshift ring is a tent that was recently taken down and a huge worn out wall made of rocks just sitting a few feet away towards the edge of the long canyon. Sitting on top of that rock wall is Baron Tomson clad in his black and red jacket with matching pants he has one leg resting on the wall in a arc while the other dangles down. The camera moves closer to him as he gazes out in the wilderness. He has a lit cigarette clutched in his gloved hand and he takes a puff from it, and then lets out a cloud of smoke that gets taken away by the wind.

Baron Tomson: Are we recording?

His eyes don't look at the camera nor does his head move to face it. The camera makes a "nodding" motion to which Baron replaces the cigarette back in his mouth and shifting his body around facing away from the cliff. He grabs both sides of the wall and pushes himself off while he lands his feet on the dirt. His eyes now fixed on the "ring" that is standing just a few feet away. He moves towards it while the camera follows him but stops when he extends his hand out towards it while walking forward. He steps through the 2nd rope and stands in the center, his back to the camera.

Baron Tomson: I know what you're thinking, "Baron what is this?" Well if you haven't already used your brain enough, this is a ring made by me. Yeah I know it looks like shit, shut up.

He wonders around the ring as if to survey it, groans and creaks from the worn out boards emerge with each step but Baron simply smirks.

Baron Tomson: Do I need a reason for this? I mean why am I out here in the middle of nowhere when I could be at the stadium right now, focusing on my match? See that's what you.......ahem......ingrates don't understand, see I like to be creative when it comes to making my point towards my opponents. You all remember when I was at that military camp and you saw me demonstrate exactly what I thought of Stefan Raab when I brought out the Nazi Waffen SS's signature Flammenwerfer 41 against his cardboard copies. Well this is something similar, only instead of a flamethrower I'm using a wrestling ring.

Baron then makes the motion of sniffing the air, indeed there is a strong aroma emitting from the ring and ropes which upon closer inspection, appear moist with some kind of liquid covering them.

Baron Tomson: Ahh yes, I love the smell of burnt victim in the morning don't you? Ethan Cage, you like to think you're god's gift to the world of wrestling, seems that is what alot of guys seem to think first time around. Hell even I considered myself among the greatest talents but maintaining that claim to fame comes at a cost of having to defend it from everyone else. Make no mistake about it Cage; you're in that same spot as every other guy that says they are the best in the world. Wanna hear something funny though, I was called the best in the world right about the time you showed up at ASWF. I never called myself that, it was a title given to me, I never had to call myself it, I AM it Ethan. That's the biggest difference between us, the fact that I don't need some stupid briefcase or be associated with a man who is named after a bird to prove my worth. You were already screwed from the start wanna know why? Because people say you're the next Jason Hawk and I'm the next Corey Casey. Which means I'll be on top of the world while you spiral down to the mid card section holding onto a Christmas color title that no one gives so much as two fucks about.

He then takes out his cigarette and tosses it on the ground, the lit end catches the edge of the ropes and catches fire. The flames would then form a line around the ropes and spread towards the other ropes until the whole ring is on fire. The camera is still able to catch Baron while he stands in the center, smiling while he for the first time looks directly at the camera.

Baron Tomson: You see though Ethan, while you might not admit it shit you might even deny it, you're very much like your "idol". The more I see you and the shit you pull, the more it becomes clear, that makes you as every bit a poser as the next guy. Me on the other hand, while I'll admit that I share some traits with that of Corey I'm not a carbon copy. See I'm about as cocky and arrogant as you but at the same time I don't look past talent like you do. See I'm like a predator, but not just any kind of predator. I strive to be the Alpha male and will do whatever it takes to claim that spot, I will hurt, I will destroy and I will incinerate anything and anyone that gets in the way. You Ethan? You'll just sit there sipping cocktails inside your fancy limousine surrounded by your velvet while I go out there and destroy careers. I'm a legend killer bitch; you've seen me retire Robbie Hart and Alexander Raven. While you don't even come close to reaching that status, you do have something I want.

The fires have nearly burnt off all the rope and now the boards are burning up, regardless the heat doesn’t seem to faze Baron at all.

Baron Tomson: This week is all about redemption, but next week is where you'll meet your end. Thought you were so clever to throw me off my game against Griffin and change our match. Well you'll get yours Ethan; there is a reason why I picked our match to be an inferno match.

He spreads his arms and walks casually over the flames, most of the boards are burnt black and ashes dance across the night sky as the smoke floats over the cliffs but are small enough that nobody from afar can see them. He jumps off of what's left of the ring and sweeps his hand over a patch of fire that is licking the surface of the wooden board and catches it with his glove. He holds out his hand in an open palm as the fire dances on his glove, from his stand point it looks like he's controlling it with his hand as he makes movements with the fire. He decides to stop messing around and claps his hands together putting out the fire, he holds out his hands where we can see a small puff of smoke from the gloves.

Baron Tomson: Let's go.

He turns around ignoring the campsite and the burnt ring with the camera following him, a few moments later the feed is cut off.

†The Shoot, IWF backstage promo.†

Baron Tomson: Now where were we? Ah yeah I was talking about Ethan and the people making the comparisons between him and me. From the looks of it, you really have gotten the shorter end of the stick. I don't think I've ever recalled Jason Hawk ever becoming Heavyweight champion only because he thought that belt only belongs to bumbaclots or some stupid saying I don't fucking know. I do know this though, Jason prides himself in being ONLY 2nd best, he was the 2nd in command of Apex and he was the 2nd best Full Throttle champion of all time. A belt he held for so long only because he decided to retire when he got hurt and couldn’t complete anymore. Ethan might not think he's following that same path but he is, sure he's got that briefcase which Jason never got but still he's doing exactly what Jason would do if he did have it. Which is of course is annoy people by changing the match just before the match even starts, it also doesn’t help that Jason's personal friend Matt Biggars is his number one fan since Jason pretty much disgraced himself by being remembered as nothing more than a total loser. That's just gotta suck for you Ethan, you're associated with a stoned out moron who dressed up like Elton John's butler.

Baron Tomson: Why am I talking about Ethan and not Ryan? We'll get to him; hold your panties you impatient numbskulls. I said before that there is a reason why I chose our match at Violent Impulse to be a inferno match right? Well........

He makes a signal with his hand and we see a video montage of Baron Tomson back during his TEW days as he takes out several different opponents with his aggressive move set. Each match ending with a man being set on fire and Baron showing a sadistic smile with each victim he claims. The video fast forwards to ASWF's Dangerous Intentions with Baron donning his black and red trench coat as he faces Juan Ramirez in the inferno match. The fight goes back and forth, showing both men hitting their moves against each other. The clip slows down to show Baron lifting Juan up for the Blazing Perfection then it speeds up towards the impact before slowing down just in time to see the force on Juan's neck as it connects to the mat. The scene replays again and again showing the impact from a different angle each time, then the action resumes as normal with Baron knocked down and Juan charging in. Baron recovers just in time and drop toe holds Juan face first right into the flames. He immediately claws at his face as if to put out the flames burning his skin, his body lays on the ground as Baron holds his hand in victory, showing that sadistic smile once more.

The video stops and we return backstage with holding his hand over the lighter as he flicks the switch. As if to show off, he removes the glove from his hand and holds his exposed hand over the fire. He must have put something on his hand because his palm catches fire and once it did, he flips his right side up and holds his hand out as the fire dances on his palm. His calm expression suggest that he is completely unaffected by the burning pain of the flame.

Baron Tomson: As you can clearly see Ethan, you're outclassed in every way shape and form. I can take the heat and I can dish it out all the same. I've never lost an inferno match before and I don't tend to start now, what you saw back in the Grand Canyon? Just me being a complete showoff, many people hate and fear fire, it's often considered one of the worse ways to die.

Baron Tomson: Me on the other hand, I love fire as you can already tell. I love the feel of it, the warmth, the danger, and it never fails to remind me just how much of a sick fuck I am. You can even go so far as to say I was born of fire, wouldn’t be that far from the true really. You're going to end up just another notch on my ever growing list of bodies that I've fed to the furnace.

Holds out his hand that still carries the flame between him and the camera, where we can see his twisted smile form underneath the red.

Baron Tomson: Now we move on from the future to the present, that's right, you been waiting for this haven't you Ryan? So have I, first time we fought was at the Battle for the Briefcase, what a coincidence. I just got done talking about the guy who holds that case and now I get to talk about the guy who denied me the chance to get it.

Baron Tomson: I might have misjudged you the first time we squared off, when I first looked at you I just saw another wannabe "main eventer" trying to hang with the big boys and failing miserably. Well you surprised me with your submissions and became the first person to make me tap out.

Baron Tomson: Ever since that encounter, I've been looking at the tapes of our match, I've also been working with the Empire's trainers to train me in submissions and how to get out of them. Now you'll have an even harder time making me tap out but rather than just claim it, I'll show you tonight when I pound that fucking ugly mug of yours like a pound of beef.

He then closes his flaming hand, extinguishing the fire, when he opens it again, only a thin trail of smoke remains.

Baron Tomson: I know you've just got a shot at the Heavyweight title, but I'm not just gonna let you face the champ without getting some much needed payback from our last battle. Hell maybe they will give me the contendership once they see just how badly I beat your ass of course I don't think they will be THAT nice!

Baron Tomson: Still though, just kicking your ass will do just nicely for me. Ethan you best be watching this very carefully because this is what awaits you seven days from now! If you haven't gotten the picture then, I guess I could just show up at the main event match just to make sure.

He laughs as the camera fades to black.

» Ryan Apollos [vs] Baron Blaze
» Ryan Apollos/Johnny Cage/Crimson Skull [vs.] Baron Tompson [vs.] Griffin Hawkins
» Baron "Blaze" Tomson
» Tiffani Michaels [vs] Baron Tomson
» Corey Bull vs Baron Tomson