1 Operation: DarkFire
By Tom Murphy
Part 1
It was a rather odd sight, a 17-year-old man holding his crotch, jumping up and down on one leg like a 5- year-old kid. "C'mon, c'mon!" he said to himself, feeling like he was going to explode. He had been waiting outside of the room for half an hour, desperately trying to hold it in. He kept hearing voices on the other side of the door. "I swear, if they don't hurry up in there…" he muttered to himself. He needed to go and he needed to go now. Suddenly a voice boomed from the other side of the door. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S TO RISKY?" The man stopped hopping, and bent his ear closer to the door. "Temper, temper, Dr. Laion. We don't want to rush into this. You're talking about an assault on the Zoid Battle Commission," said a velvety voice. "He's right. Besides, are target is the Lyger-0," said a commanding female voice. "Yes, but with the Zoid Battle Commission out of the way, the Backdraft group would be unstoppable! The Lyger-0 would be ours for the taking!" said the voice identified as Dr. Laion. "Not if that Toros has anything to do with it. We've lost against his team every single time!" said the velvety voice. "I've thought about that. I plan to mobilize everything we can against the Z.B.C., then move on to wipe out Toros and his hover cargo!" At this time, the man outside fell down. "What was that?!" asked the velvety voice. "Check the door!" said the woman. A large man wearing sunglasses and a three-piece suit opened the door, grabbed the outsider, and ducked back inside. "Who are you?" asked a tall man with dark hair. "T-Troy Ferich, sir," Troy stuttered. "How much did you hear?" he asked, his voice becoming dangerously low. "Nothing! Just some stuff about attacking the Commission and the Toros guy, and something 'bout a Lyger-0 but that's all so please let me go!" he said, his voice filled with panic. "He knows to much. Take him to the Whale King!" said Dr. Laion. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" Troy screamed. More by accident then finesse, he kicked a cup of tea off the table, sending the scalding liquid into the guard's face. The guard screamed in pain as he clutched his face, and Troy bolted. "FIND HIM! STOP HIM! HE MUST NOT ESCAPE!" screamed Dr. Laion.
Troy ran down the hall, stopped, and peeked around the corner. Seeing the coast was clear, He sprinted back to the dining area of the restaurant, and headed to a table where his two friends, Don and Cassie, sat, talking about the upcoming battle. Troy ran up to them, and collapsed to the floor, winded. "You seriously need to get in shape," commented Don, pulling him up. "Yeah. This is a good example why you shouldn't eat that salmon jerky," muttered Cassie. "Shutupandlisten! IwaswaitingforthebathroomwhenIheardthesevoicesanditturnsoutitwasn'tabathroom andthesesbaddudeswantedtotakeovertheworldandtheyheardmeandarechasingmenowlet 'sGO!" said Troy. "Yeah right, Troy. You just want my lunch!" said Don. "Uhh, Don? I don't think he was lying…" said Cassie slowly, pointing at the huge men in black headed their way. "JESUS H. CHRIST! RUN!" shouted Don, taking off like a shot. Troy and Cassie soon followed. "'Better call Diego! We need to leave fast!" said Troy. "I'm on it!" replied Cassie. She quickly pulled out a small communicator and turned it on.
* * *
RING! RING! Went the Hover Cargo's comm. channel. The tall, skinny pilot shifted in his seat, muttering "Leemee 'lone. I'm trying to sleep!" His foot tripped the speaker switch on the console. "Diego! Diego! Can ya hear me?" Cassie's voice boomed over the loud speaker. "Whadaya want? I'm sleeping!" shouted Diego with a tired voice. "Shut up and start up the Hover Cargo! We need to be out of here fast!" Cassie's voice said urgently. "All right, all right keep you shirt on!" said Diego, as he punched in the ignition sequence. "We'll be there in about two minutes. Sit tight!" said Cassie as she signed off. "Wonderful," Diego muttered.
Soon enough, the three piled into the Hover Cargo. "WE'RE IN! GO GO GO!" screamed Don. Troy, Cassie and Don quickly made their way to the cockpit. "We're gone," said Diego. "Good," sighed Troy. "Maybe not so good. There's a group of unidentified zoids heading our way!" said Cassie, looking at the radar. "How many?" asked Don. "Looks like five. Maybe six," Cassie replied. "Don't worry. Me and the Sky Talon can take 'em," said Don cockily. "I'm going up to the turret, just in case," said Troy. He and Don left, and took the main elevator the top floor. Don headed for the aerial hangar while Troy got set up in the main turret. "Sky Talon, ready for launch!" said Don. The Hagar door opened, and Don was catapulted into the air. He flew at Mach 3, and soared right into the group of Zabbats. After the first pass, Two Zabbats burst into flames as the pilots ejected. Troy fired two powerful blasts from the turret, taking out a third. After a second pass, the Zabbats were destroyed as Don flew back into the hangar. "That was fast," said Don, jumping down from the turret. "Yeah, but I got a feeling that's just the tip of the iceberg," said Troy as they made there way back to the cockpit. "So what now? If Cassie's telling the truth, then we haven't seen the last of them," said Diego. "So what do we do? We can't keep running from them," said Cassie. "Why don't we tell the battle commission?" suggested Don. "I don't think so. They'll expect that. Why don't we try to find this Toros guy? They'll be looking for him too ya know," said Troy. "Well, ok. But we don't even know where the heck this Toros guy is," said Cassie. "Don't worry. We need supplies anyways, right? So Troy and I get supplies and ask around. If we can't find anything, we'll search for him the hard way," said Diego. "Fine. But Diego, make sure Troy doesn't buy all that salmon jerky, and Troy, make sure Diego stays away from the produce section. Remember the tomato incident?" said Don. "C'mon you guys, you know us!" said Troy in a hurt voice. "That's what we're afraid of," muttered Cassie.
"How about Don and I go and you stay?" Troy and Diego looked disappointed. "Aww, ok," they sighed. "Diego, head to those rock formations. We can camp there overnight," said Troy. "Aye aye, Cap'n! Maximum warp!" Diego replied, speeding into the shadows.
* * *
"Psst! Troy! Wake up!" whispered Diego. No response. "C'mon Troy, wakee wakee," said Diego a little louder. "TROY! I'VE GOT TWO TICKETS TO A JERKY CONVENTION IN VEGAS!" screamed Diego. "YE GODS! YOU DO?" Troy sat up, blinking. "Get dressed. We're going to get supplies," Diego whispered. "I thought that Don and Cassie were going later today," said Troy, obviously disappointed that there was no jerky convention. "C'mon Troy, don't be sad. They imported some Slovakian Moose jerky that's to die for," said Diego in a cheery voice. "OH HAPPY DAY! LET'S GO!" bellowed Troy. "Shh! If Cassie and Don catch us, then we can't go!" Troy signaled him with the ok sign. They tiptoed down to the main hangar, and jumped into the pickup truck. "Let's go! They said, as they drove for the gray horizon.
* * *
"Where did they go?" asked Cassie. "I dunno. Wait, there's a note on the freezer," said Don. He picked it up, read it, and turned purple. "Well, it's definitely from Troy," he mumbled. "How can you tell?" asked Cassie. "He writes like he talks. Listen:
Dear Don and Cassie,
Diego and I decided to go shopping for supplies. wait, Diego, put the Ice cream away! Be careful not to drop it! Great. Just great, now we have to clean it up! Now look what you made me write! Well, we know you guys wanted to go, but, quite frankly, you suck at it.
From,
Diego and Troy
P.S. I Promise I won't get any salmon jerky"
read Don. He looked over at Cassie, who was more pissed then a nudist in Siberia. "Uhh… Cassie? He did promise no jerky," said Don. "Fine. But if they bring any of the food we don't need, I swear on my mother's grave I'll castrate them with my bare hands!" Don gulped, and prayed to God that Diego and Troy don't go wild.
* * *
By the time Diego and Troy got to the store, it was opened and full of customers. Diego went to grab a shopping cart when Troy said, "Better grab four to make it safe."
"What's first on the list?" Don asked. "Uhh… Produce. Looks like we need some veggies and fruits," Troy said, scanning the grocery list. "I'll take care of that. You pick up the other stuff on the list and we'll reconvene at the magazine rack," said Diego. "Agreed. Let's move out!" They split up, Diego handling produce and beverages. Troy headed for the meat, toiletries and snacks. After 15 minutes, Diego looked at his carts, which were full. "Ahh… nothing to do but wait and read the comic books." He started moving when he heard a girl scream "Diego! Over here!" Diego, knowing whom it was pretended not to here as he walked away, with a bit of urgency in his step. It was all in vain. The voice kept coming closer, and Diego kept walking faster. He soon broke out in a sprint, charging down the isle. He came into a crashing stop (literally) when he collided with the magazine rack, which fell on Troy, who was waiting on the other side. "Diego, you big silly panda, didn't you know it was me?" said his pursuer, who was hugging him. Diego knew all to well who she was. She was Andromeda Thorne, a warrior who had been chasing him for years. Being far too immature to understand the concept of love, Diego was always a little afraid of her. "Heh heh. Hello, Andy. It's been a long time." Andy smiled and released her hug/death grip on him. Troy, hearing Diego's name being mentioned, moseyed around to the other side of the fallen magazine rack. He smiled when he saw who was talking with Diego. "I see what's going on here. I'll go pay for the stuff and give you a moment together." Troy sauntered off, grabbing the carts. After half an hour of scanning the contents of all four carts, the exhausted cashier said, "That comes to $734.65." Troy dug in his pocket, saying, "Here's $700… here's $34… and here's 15 cents…" The cashier looked annoyed. "You are short 50 cents, sir." Troy checked his pockets, his wallet, his shoes and socks. "Hey Diego! Do ya have 50 cents?" he bellowed. "I'm a little busy, Troy!" Diego yelled back. Andy was advancing, trapping him in a corner. "Here's 50 cents," came a vice from behind Troy. He whirled around and grabbed the change. "Thanks lady," he said. He started to turn around, but froze. He looked up until he locked eyes with the lady. "Troy…?" she asked quietly. "Mary? Mary Champ?" Troy replied. A smile formed on Mary's lips. "Troy you big goof! You haven't changed a bit!" she said giggling. "Um… neither have you! What are you doing here?" he asked. "Well, my father sent me to see how Harry was handling himself as a Zoid warrior. I wasn't in a rush to go home, so I decided to stay around and enjoy myself," she explained. "What are you doing in this area?" "Well my team and I are passing through and we needed some supplies," Troy said calmly. Mary eyed the cart. "I see. With the amount of Jerky you have there, you should be able to tide yourself over for what, 5 minutes?" she asked giggling. Diego walked up, with the triumphant grin Troy once wore. "My, my, what have we here? I think I'm going to go wait in the car, lover boy," he strode out, his swagger interrupted when Andy followed him out. He was soon running around the parking lot screaming bloody death. Troy took his cue. "Well, I got to go," he said. "Well, I hope to see you around. Here where you can reach me," she took out a slip of paper and wrote down a number. She gave Troy a hug, then walked out. Troy followed. When the truck was loaded, He called "HEY! HOT LIPS! LET'S MOVE!" Diego and Troy drove back to the Hover cargo.
When Diego and Troy came back, their pickup bed was filled with assorted crates and shopping bags. They got out and started bringing the stuff into the hangar, where Cassie and Don waited. "I hope you got everything we needed," said Cassie with a scowl. "We just got the bare essentials. Some yogurt, fruit, veggies, soda, bread, a couple of Angus steaks some jerky, and..." "DID YOU SAY JERKY?!" yelled Cassie. "You promised no jerky, you lying pri-" "I specifically said Salmon jerky. These labels clearly read 100% Slovakian Beef Jerky, making this a horse of a different color," said Troy. "Or a meat of a different species," muttered Don. "I SWORE ON MY MOTHER'S GRAVE YOU WILL BEG ME FOR DEATH!" she screamed as she chased them around. "Wait… but your mom lives in Florida. How can she have a grave?" asked Diego. "um… ehhh… SHUT UP! YOU'RE NEXT!" she screamed, chasing Troy with a stick. "Beam me up Scotty," said Don. "There's no intelligent life down here."
END OF PART 1
By Tom Murphy
Part 1
It was a rather odd sight, a 17-year-old man holding his crotch, jumping up and down on one leg like a 5- year-old kid. "C'mon, c'mon!" he said to himself, feeling like he was going to explode. He had been waiting outside of the room for half an hour, desperately trying to hold it in. He kept hearing voices on the other side of the door. "I swear, if they don't hurry up in there…" he muttered to himself. He needed to go and he needed to go now. Suddenly a voice boomed from the other side of the door. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S TO RISKY?" The man stopped hopping, and bent his ear closer to the door. "Temper, temper, Dr. Laion. We don't want to rush into this. You're talking about an assault on the Zoid Battle Commission," said a velvety voice. "He's right. Besides, are target is the Lyger-0," said a commanding female voice. "Yes, but with the Zoid Battle Commission out of the way, the Backdraft group would be unstoppable! The Lyger-0 would be ours for the taking!" said the voice identified as Dr. Laion. "Not if that Toros has anything to do with it. We've lost against his team every single time!" said the velvety voice. "I've thought about that. I plan to mobilize everything we can against the Z.B.C., then move on to wipe out Toros and his hover cargo!" At this time, the man outside fell down. "What was that?!" asked the velvety voice. "Check the door!" said the woman. A large man wearing sunglasses and a three-piece suit opened the door, grabbed the outsider, and ducked back inside. "Who are you?" asked a tall man with dark hair. "T-Troy Ferich, sir," Troy stuttered. "How much did you hear?" he asked, his voice becoming dangerously low. "Nothing! Just some stuff about attacking the Commission and the Toros guy, and something 'bout a Lyger-0 but that's all so please let me go!" he said, his voice filled with panic. "He knows to much. Take him to the Whale King!" said Dr. Laion. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" Troy screamed. More by accident then finesse, he kicked a cup of tea off the table, sending the scalding liquid into the guard's face. The guard screamed in pain as he clutched his face, and Troy bolted. "FIND HIM! STOP HIM! HE MUST NOT ESCAPE!" screamed Dr. Laion.
Troy ran down the hall, stopped, and peeked around the corner. Seeing the coast was clear, He sprinted back to the dining area of the restaurant, and headed to a table where his two friends, Don and Cassie, sat, talking about the upcoming battle. Troy ran up to them, and collapsed to the floor, winded. "You seriously need to get in shape," commented Don, pulling him up. "Yeah. This is a good example why you shouldn't eat that salmon jerky," muttered Cassie. "Shutupandlisten! IwaswaitingforthebathroomwhenIheardthesevoicesanditturnsoutitwasn'tabathroom andthesesbaddudeswantedtotakeovertheworldandtheyheardmeandarechasingmenowlet 'sGO!" said Troy. "Yeah right, Troy. You just want my lunch!" said Don. "Uhh, Don? I don't think he was lying…" said Cassie slowly, pointing at the huge men in black headed their way. "JESUS H. CHRIST! RUN!" shouted Don, taking off like a shot. Troy and Cassie soon followed. "'Better call Diego! We need to leave fast!" said Troy. "I'm on it!" replied Cassie. She quickly pulled out a small communicator and turned it on.
* * *
RING! RING! Went the Hover Cargo's comm. channel. The tall, skinny pilot shifted in his seat, muttering "Leemee 'lone. I'm trying to sleep!" His foot tripped the speaker switch on the console. "Diego! Diego! Can ya hear me?" Cassie's voice boomed over the loud speaker. "Whadaya want? I'm sleeping!" shouted Diego with a tired voice. "Shut up and start up the Hover Cargo! We need to be out of here fast!" Cassie's voice said urgently. "All right, all right keep you shirt on!" said Diego, as he punched in the ignition sequence. "We'll be there in about two minutes. Sit tight!" said Cassie as she signed off. "Wonderful," Diego muttered.
Soon enough, the three piled into the Hover Cargo. "WE'RE IN! GO GO GO!" screamed Don. Troy, Cassie and Don quickly made their way to the cockpit. "We're gone," said Diego. "Good," sighed Troy. "Maybe not so good. There's a group of unidentified zoids heading our way!" said Cassie, looking at the radar. "How many?" asked Don. "Looks like five. Maybe six," Cassie replied. "Don't worry. Me and the Sky Talon can take 'em," said Don cockily. "I'm going up to the turret, just in case," said Troy. He and Don left, and took the main elevator the top floor. Don headed for the aerial hangar while Troy got set up in the main turret. "Sky Talon, ready for launch!" said Don. The Hagar door opened, and Don was catapulted into the air. He flew at Mach 3, and soared right into the group of Zabbats. After the first pass, Two Zabbats burst into flames as the pilots ejected. Troy fired two powerful blasts from the turret, taking out a third. After a second pass, the Zabbats were destroyed as Don flew back into the hangar. "That was fast," said Don, jumping down from the turret. "Yeah, but I got a feeling that's just the tip of the iceberg," said Troy as they made there way back to the cockpit. "So what now? If Cassie's telling the truth, then we haven't seen the last of them," said Diego. "So what do we do? We can't keep running from them," said Cassie. "Why don't we tell the battle commission?" suggested Don. "I don't think so. They'll expect that. Why don't we try to find this Toros guy? They'll be looking for him too ya know," said Troy. "Well, ok. But we don't even know where the heck this Toros guy is," said Cassie. "Don't worry. We need supplies anyways, right? So Troy and I get supplies and ask around. If we can't find anything, we'll search for him the hard way," said Diego. "Fine. But Diego, make sure Troy doesn't buy all that salmon jerky, and Troy, make sure Diego stays away from the produce section. Remember the tomato incident?" said Don. "C'mon you guys, you know us!" said Troy in a hurt voice. "That's what we're afraid of," muttered Cassie.
"How about Don and I go and you stay?" Troy and Diego looked disappointed. "Aww, ok," they sighed. "Diego, head to those rock formations. We can camp there overnight," said Troy. "Aye aye, Cap'n! Maximum warp!" Diego replied, speeding into the shadows.
* * *
"Psst! Troy! Wake up!" whispered Diego. No response. "C'mon Troy, wakee wakee," said Diego a little louder. "TROY! I'VE GOT TWO TICKETS TO A JERKY CONVENTION IN VEGAS!" screamed Diego. "YE GODS! YOU DO?" Troy sat up, blinking. "Get dressed. We're going to get supplies," Diego whispered. "I thought that Don and Cassie were going later today," said Troy, obviously disappointed that there was no jerky convention. "C'mon Troy, don't be sad. They imported some Slovakian Moose jerky that's to die for," said Diego in a cheery voice. "OH HAPPY DAY! LET'S GO!" bellowed Troy. "Shh! If Cassie and Don catch us, then we can't go!" Troy signaled him with the ok sign. They tiptoed down to the main hangar, and jumped into the pickup truck. "Let's go! They said, as they drove for the gray horizon.
* * *
"Where did they go?" asked Cassie. "I dunno. Wait, there's a note on the freezer," said Don. He picked it up, read it, and turned purple. "Well, it's definitely from Troy," he mumbled. "How can you tell?" asked Cassie. "He writes like he talks. Listen:
Dear Don and Cassie,
Diego and I decided to go shopping for supplies. wait, Diego, put the Ice cream away! Be careful not to drop it! Great. Just great, now we have to clean it up! Now look what you made me write! Well, we know you guys wanted to go, but, quite frankly, you suck at it.
From,
Diego and Troy
P.S. I Promise I won't get any salmon jerky"
read Don. He looked over at Cassie, who was more pissed then a nudist in Siberia. "Uhh… Cassie? He did promise no jerky," said Don. "Fine. But if they bring any of the food we don't need, I swear on my mother's grave I'll castrate them with my bare hands!" Don gulped, and prayed to God that Diego and Troy don't go wild.
* * *
By the time Diego and Troy got to the store, it was opened and full of customers. Diego went to grab a shopping cart when Troy said, "Better grab four to make it safe."
"What's first on the list?" Don asked. "Uhh… Produce. Looks like we need some veggies and fruits," Troy said, scanning the grocery list. "I'll take care of that. You pick up the other stuff on the list and we'll reconvene at the magazine rack," said Diego. "Agreed. Let's move out!" They split up, Diego handling produce and beverages. Troy headed for the meat, toiletries and snacks. After 15 minutes, Diego looked at his carts, which were full. "Ahh… nothing to do but wait and read the comic books." He started moving when he heard a girl scream "Diego! Over here!" Diego, knowing whom it was pretended not to here as he walked away, with a bit of urgency in his step. It was all in vain. The voice kept coming closer, and Diego kept walking faster. He soon broke out in a sprint, charging down the isle. He came into a crashing stop (literally) when he collided with the magazine rack, which fell on Troy, who was waiting on the other side. "Diego, you big silly panda, didn't you know it was me?" said his pursuer, who was hugging him. Diego knew all to well who she was. She was Andromeda Thorne, a warrior who had been chasing him for years. Being far too immature to understand the concept of love, Diego was always a little afraid of her. "Heh heh. Hello, Andy. It's been a long time." Andy smiled and released her hug/death grip on him. Troy, hearing Diego's name being mentioned, moseyed around to the other side of the fallen magazine rack. He smiled when he saw who was talking with Diego. "I see what's going on here. I'll go pay for the stuff and give you a moment together." Troy sauntered off, grabbing the carts. After half an hour of scanning the contents of all four carts, the exhausted cashier said, "That comes to $734.65." Troy dug in his pocket, saying, "Here's $700… here's $34… and here's 15 cents…" The cashier looked annoyed. "You are short 50 cents, sir." Troy checked his pockets, his wallet, his shoes and socks. "Hey Diego! Do ya have 50 cents?" he bellowed. "I'm a little busy, Troy!" Diego yelled back. Andy was advancing, trapping him in a corner. "Here's 50 cents," came a vice from behind Troy. He whirled around and grabbed the change. "Thanks lady," he said. He started to turn around, but froze. He looked up until he locked eyes with the lady. "Troy…?" she asked quietly. "Mary? Mary Champ?" Troy replied. A smile formed on Mary's lips. "Troy you big goof! You haven't changed a bit!" she said giggling. "Um… neither have you! What are you doing here?" he asked. "Well, my father sent me to see how Harry was handling himself as a Zoid warrior. I wasn't in a rush to go home, so I decided to stay around and enjoy myself," she explained. "What are you doing in this area?" "Well my team and I are passing through and we needed some supplies," Troy said calmly. Mary eyed the cart. "I see. With the amount of Jerky you have there, you should be able to tide yourself over for what, 5 minutes?" she asked giggling. Diego walked up, with the triumphant grin Troy once wore. "My, my, what have we here? I think I'm going to go wait in the car, lover boy," he strode out, his swagger interrupted when Andy followed him out. He was soon running around the parking lot screaming bloody death. Troy took his cue. "Well, I got to go," he said. "Well, I hope to see you around. Here where you can reach me," she took out a slip of paper and wrote down a number. She gave Troy a hug, then walked out. Troy followed. When the truck was loaded, He called "HEY! HOT LIPS! LET'S MOVE!" Diego and Troy drove back to the Hover cargo.
When Diego and Troy came back, their pickup bed was filled with assorted crates and shopping bags. They got out and started bringing the stuff into the hangar, where Cassie and Don waited. "I hope you got everything we needed," said Cassie with a scowl. "We just got the bare essentials. Some yogurt, fruit, veggies, soda, bread, a couple of Angus steaks some jerky, and..." "DID YOU SAY JERKY?!" yelled Cassie. "You promised no jerky, you lying pri-" "I specifically said Salmon jerky. These labels clearly read 100% Slovakian Beef Jerky, making this a horse of a different color," said Troy. "Or a meat of a different species," muttered Don. "I SWORE ON MY MOTHER'S GRAVE YOU WILL BEG ME FOR DEATH!" she screamed as she chased them around. "Wait… but your mom lives in Florida. How can she have a grave?" asked Diego. "um… ehhh… SHUT UP! YOU'RE NEXT!" she screamed, chasing Troy with a stick. "Beam me up Scotty," said Don. "There's no intelligent life down here."
END OF PART 1