Disclaimer : I don't own Zoids so on and so forth.. I do however own this story… and I'll be downright unhappy if someone steals it.
A.N. – To save confusion, this whole story will be in Naomi's POV
************
Through the scope – Naomi Fluegel
"One shot, one kill." I can still remember the days when dad first taught me how to use my Gunsniper. "Your Gunsniper's advantage is its accuracy. Exploit that the most you can. Hide, shoot, and take out your opponents before they have a chance to see you."
I sighed, many years have passed between then and now, but his words always come to mind every time I enter a battle. "Line up your target, wait for the optimum shot, then fire." It was almost soothing to have dad's coarse voice repeating over in my mind.
"Gotyaz," I said to no one
in particular- I had finally acquired a clear shot at my opponent's zoid. It
was obviously piloted by someone who knew something of battle tactics. The Dark
Horn had tried to get as close to me as it could, while still remaining under
the cover of the surrounding forest. Unfortunately for him, he had just run out
of places to hide.
With a deft adjustment to account for the zoid's movement, I smiled as I pulled
the trigger, and felt the cockpit shake slightly as the bullet left the muzzle
of my Gunsniper's tail cannon.
I held my breath unconsciously as I watched my shot fly towards the zoid. Time seemed to slow for the milliseconds the projectile took to hit the Dark Horn; in those few seconds I began to doubt whether I had shot correctly. Those doubts were proven groundless as the Dark Horn slammed to the ground, smoking. It didn't get up.
Allowing myself a quick moment of congratulations, I searched around for my other two opponents. From a three on three battle, it quickly deteriorated to a one on three battle, with my team mates being taken down in relatively quick order. Then again, being cannon fodder is probably the only thing they were good at.
I've faced odds like these countless times before, and I've always won. Red Comet indeed, no one had ever gotten within a thousand yards of my zoid. Dad trained me well.
I squinted slightly as I looked through the viewfinder. There were still two more zoids in the field. Although the Dark Horn had obviously been their leader, the battle wasn't over, and it paid for me to remember that.
One of the most important aspects of being an effective sniper is the ability to wait for one's opponent to make a mistake and reveal themselves. This, of course, is easier said than done. Behind the scope, one could get very edgy, and an edgy sniper makes serious, possibly fatal mistakes.
Lying low on a rocky outcrop, surrounded by flat grasslands before the forests started, I had an excellent view of the surrounding area, with very little chance of someone sneaking up on me. Of course a good view was pointless if I wasn't fast enough to spot my targets before they spotted me.
"Here zoidy, zoidy, zoidy,"
I cooed to myself, wishing the two other zoids would tire of hiding in the
trees. As if on cue, shots came flying from the forest to my left and right, as
a Zaber Fang and a Rev Raptor rushed out into the open ground from opposite
directions; obviously an attempt to somehow get one of them near enough to
engage me in close range combat. I grinned, same old tactic. You'd think that
pilots would be able to think of something new.
I'd only going to need two shots. Focusing on the closer of the two, I aimed at the right foreleg of the Zaber Fang, and pulled the trigger. A moment of silence, time seemingly standing still as my shot flew toward its target. There was a moment of silence as my shot rang true and another zoid had it's command system frozen.
"Two down, one to go"
However, this time I couldn't afford to congratulate myself just yet. I quickly swung my Gunsiper around, wasting valuable seconds as I re-aimed at the last zoid. I was momentarily unnerved by the amount of ground it had gained in the time it took for me to dispatch it's partner.
I took a deep breath as I aimed, then pulled the trigger – all too aware that if I missed this shot, the Raptor would be in close range; and as good a sniper as I was, up close and personal wasn't my strongest suit.
My cockpit shuddered slightly as my bullet roared forth.
The pilot of the zoid obviously realized that it was coming, because he attempted to dodge the shot. Unfortunately for him, he was a touch too slow. The round tore through his raptor's right arm, sending it spinning to one side.
From my vantage however, I realized just how close that shot really was. If he had been a second quicker, it would have only grazed him, and I would have been in a lot of trouble.
My thoughts were interrupted as the Judge's metallic voice boomed over the battlefield. "The battle is over. The battle is over. The winner is the Fluegel team!" Sighing, I wiped the sweat off my brow, feeling the tension from the battle slowly leave me. I relaxed into my chair, waiting for my Gunsniper to right itself.
Today's battle had been the closest I'd had in a long time, and I was in serious need of a strong drink.
************
A.N. Now this is just a prologue, just to test out my ability to write in first person. Either way, expect my next chapter to be a lot longer, as I'm going to get into the good stuff – I'll be covering what happens in the series, with a major focus on Naomi's past, and her father. Btw, I am a Br/N fan, so expect some of that to pop up. Anyways, till next time
K