Shane gripped his skateboard as he soared through the air over the hill in
the sidewalk. He spun a full 360 degrees in midair and landed perfectly,
pushing the board on with his foot as he gave it velocity. Ben followed
soon after, bringing his board up to his head while gripping it, before
putting down and landing on the pavement yet again. Joe came next, flipping
over as he soared through the air, he landed in a crouching position with
one wheel off of the ground, he stood up and propelled himself further, his
cube bouncing against his thigh within his baggy jeans.
A corner loomed into view as the trio whizzed down the street, wind whipping their hair, Joe's ponytail flowing behind him. Shane, still in the lead, leaped into the air, and directly after the kick flip he completed, the board landed upside-down on the rail on the corner curb. Sparks flew as Shane screeched along the metal, balancing carefully on the rail. As it curved around the bend, Shane shifted his weight and swiftly concluded another kick flip and landed perfectly on the ground, speed un-wavered. Ben grabbed the light post, his fingers, which were poking out from the black half-glove he was wearing, wrapping around the cold metal and Ben whirled around the pavement bend as he grasped his board. Ben land on the sidewalk backwards, only the nose of his board scarcely riding along the ground. Rapidly and swiftly, Ben leaped into the air and spun a full 180 degrees, landing perfectly once more. Joe also gripped the light pole, yet as he let go, his blades slammed against a fence wall beside them. He rode on the wall for a few scarce seconds before leaping of and twirling in the air, landing perfectly.
The trio of friends kept up their stunts, all the way to the Middendorf Hangar. Shane screeched to a stop and slammed his foot down on his board as he stepped dingily off of it. The board flipped up into his hand as Ben skidded to a stop as well. Ben un-strapped himself from the board and hopped off, jamming his sneaker down upon the side of the board and it twirled up into the air and into his outstretched hand. Joe appeared up behind them, and he did a full 360 turn before stopping. He unlatched his blades and popped them off; he reached into the cube in his pocket and pulled it out. His rollerblades shrinking into the minute cube and a pair of full-sized sneakers emerged from the depths of the cube. The other two did the same, shrinking their boards into their own individual cubes. Looking before them, their jaws dropped open as they witnessed the immense line before them, at least a hundred participants.
"We-uh-we might just be here for a while." Shane stuttered.
"No, really?" Joe answered sarcastically, not even glancing at his blue- haired friend. "What was your first clue, Sherlock Shane?"
After what seemed like hours, however, it was Shane's turn. He stepped forward nervously, a man looking up at him, a strict gleam in his eye.
"I'm, um, here to be tested." Shane stammered tensely. The man sitting before him narrowed his eyes at Shane as he gulped down the colossal lump in his throat. "Um…sir." He finished, a hopeful tone in his voice this time.
"Yeah," The man growled in an irritated tone. "You and everyone else in the world." He glanced down at the chart before him and without even as much as a glance up at Shane, grumbled, "Name?"
"Uh, Shane Carter." Shane answered.
"Fine." The man snarled, scribbling down his name. "The default AC is back there." He ended, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "Uh, um, I kind of brought my own, um…sir." Shane mumbled, holding up the cube in his pocket.
At this the man looked up at him, his jaw set like a bulldog. "You have your own AC?" He asked in a skeptical voice. "Whatdja' do, build it out of scrap metal?" Shane gulped again and smiled nervously. "Um, mostly." He answered meekly. "Does it even work?" The man asked, getting angrier by the minute. "Uh…um…I think so." Shane answered timidly. The man chuckled at this. "Heh, yeah- give it a shot, slick. Don't expect to get drafted with a busted AC made from crap." "Uh, thanks." Shane stammered and began to walk off as the man growled loudly. "…Sir?" Shane finished with a backward glance.
Shane rounded the corner of the hangar and pushed open the door and was greeted by darkness as the door slammed shut behind him. "Um, Hello? Is anyone here?" Suddenly, a bright light flooded the area as he blinked in the newly found light. Two silhouettes stood before him, one looking as if her was dressed in a space suit.
"Yes, and I presume you are Mr. Shane Carter?" The first silhouette asked, Shane's eyes still adjusting to the bright, white light. "Um, Yes sir. I'm here for-" "Drafting." The first silhouette interrupted. "Am I correct in assuming that you have also brought your own AC?" "Yes, sir." "Let's see how it battles. You will be fighting against Sergeant Hugh Miller in your AC as he fights in his own. Now," He stepped forward and Shane could clearly make out a tall, black haired man in his mid-thirties. "Let's see how you battle."
Suddenly, the floor opened up behind them and a titanic form began to emerge from the depths of it. It was the default AC. This machine was a dull gray with the same head as Shane's machine. In its hand was a gun that looked much like a futuristic blaster and it had a sphere on the next hand. The core was round with a rocket pack and two small globes mounted on the back. On the shoulders was a rapid-fire gun and a missile cube, the legs were like that of a human and looked neither light nor heavy weight. It appeared to be a beginner's AC or some sort. Shane smirked and fingered the cube in his pocket. The AC completed its entrance and as Sgt. Miller, a middle-aged brown haired man, was lifted up to the head of the machine, Shane released his own. Within seconds, Vengeance appeared from the minuscule cube to a spot before them. The AC was mounted on the ground seeing as it did not posses any legs. Suddenly, the ground underneath Shane shifted and a portion of the ground underneath his feet began to rise him up to Vengeance.
"Hey, old boy." Shane whispered as he dropped down into the head of his AC. He cracked his knuckles. "Let's see what you can do, huh?" Shane told Vengeance as he grabbed they key from his baggy carpenter pants. Shane inserted the key into the ignition and miniature lights flickered on all around him as he sat in the head of his AC machine, revealing switches, buttons, and levers all around him. Suddenly, Shane was lifted up into the air! The anti-gravity on Vengeance had succeeded! He hover there, waiting for Hugh to make the first move.
"Gentlemen," A voice boomed somewhere from the loudspeaker. "Please start." A buzzer erupted from outside of the arena and Hugh instantly bolted forward, the colossal feet slamming down on the ground. Vengeance stood its ground, waiting for the blow! Hugh grew closer, and CLOSER! Suddenly, the sword on his right hand ignited and it was swung violently. Shane strained the controls inside and Vengeance immediately whipped its hand up, the laser shield zapped into play and sparks flew violently as the two beams connected! Hugh rushed by and skid to a stop, whirling around in his tracks. Vengeance zoomed high into the air, engine roaring as he whirled around to face his opponent. Hugh was rocketing toward him, his boosters ablaze as he aimed his gun! Shots rang out and Vengeance put his shield into play once more, the laser bullets deflecting harmlessly off of it! As Hugh advanced, he ignited his sword and Shane barely had time to bolt out of the way as the laser sword was swung, the metal warming from the intense heat of the blade!
Vengeance whirled on the spot as Hugh whipped around in midair seeing as he had passed his colossal target. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Vengeance lowered the tremendous Slug-Gun on his shoulder (the one looking like a shot gun) and fired three profound and deathly shots! Hugh disengaged his boosters and dropped to the ground, but as the Slug-Gun blasted a spread of shots, several of the pellets ripped into the steel! "Damn!" Hugh cursed from inside of the AC as sparks flew into his space helmet. Vengeance plummeted toward the ground and as Shane flipped switches and jammed buttons inside of Vengeance frantically, at the last second halting before slamming into the ground. Shane glanced out of Vengeance's tremendous visor in time to glance Hugh rushing for him yet again!
"This guy does not give up!" Shane yelled furiously from inside his machine. Shane slammed his thumb into a green button, igniting the boosters and as Shane jammed down the joystick, Vengeance soared to a lofty perch. Hugh struggled to disengage his own booster and veered his steering wheel to the left as his AC swerved to avoid the white wall directly in front of him! Sparks flew dangerously into the air as the steel screeched against the tile as Hugh grappled from slamming into the wall and soon twirled around to avoid a collision against the wall! From above Shane lowered Vengeance's laser cannon and pressed his thumb down on the fire button mounted on the joystick so violently, the skin underneath his fingernail turned white. ZAP! ZAP! Hugh looked up only able to see two titanic laser blasts blazing for his AC!
BLAM!!!
Within seconds his cockpit was flowing with blazing fire and sparks from the machinery as his AC toppled to the ground in flames, arm blasted off and core burnt directly through! The ground rumbled violently as the AC connected with the white tile! Shane had won!
Using his sniper vision of Vengeance from his towering post above, he was able to see the black-haired man nod, smiling in a satisfied sort of way from a domed area in the room. He had made it! He was in! But, now…it was Joe's turn…..
A corner loomed into view as the trio whizzed down the street, wind whipping their hair, Joe's ponytail flowing behind him. Shane, still in the lead, leaped into the air, and directly after the kick flip he completed, the board landed upside-down on the rail on the corner curb. Sparks flew as Shane screeched along the metal, balancing carefully on the rail. As it curved around the bend, Shane shifted his weight and swiftly concluded another kick flip and landed perfectly on the ground, speed un-wavered. Ben grabbed the light post, his fingers, which were poking out from the black half-glove he was wearing, wrapping around the cold metal and Ben whirled around the pavement bend as he grasped his board. Ben land on the sidewalk backwards, only the nose of his board scarcely riding along the ground. Rapidly and swiftly, Ben leaped into the air and spun a full 180 degrees, landing perfectly once more. Joe also gripped the light pole, yet as he let go, his blades slammed against a fence wall beside them. He rode on the wall for a few scarce seconds before leaping of and twirling in the air, landing perfectly.
The trio of friends kept up their stunts, all the way to the Middendorf Hangar. Shane screeched to a stop and slammed his foot down on his board as he stepped dingily off of it. The board flipped up into his hand as Ben skidded to a stop as well. Ben un-strapped himself from the board and hopped off, jamming his sneaker down upon the side of the board and it twirled up into the air and into his outstretched hand. Joe appeared up behind them, and he did a full 360 turn before stopping. He unlatched his blades and popped them off; he reached into the cube in his pocket and pulled it out. His rollerblades shrinking into the minute cube and a pair of full-sized sneakers emerged from the depths of the cube. The other two did the same, shrinking their boards into their own individual cubes. Looking before them, their jaws dropped open as they witnessed the immense line before them, at least a hundred participants.
"We-uh-we might just be here for a while." Shane stuttered.
"No, really?" Joe answered sarcastically, not even glancing at his blue- haired friend. "What was your first clue, Sherlock Shane?"
After what seemed like hours, however, it was Shane's turn. He stepped forward nervously, a man looking up at him, a strict gleam in his eye.
"I'm, um, here to be tested." Shane stammered tensely. The man sitting before him narrowed his eyes at Shane as he gulped down the colossal lump in his throat. "Um…sir." He finished, a hopeful tone in his voice this time.
"Yeah," The man growled in an irritated tone. "You and everyone else in the world." He glanced down at the chart before him and without even as much as a glance up at Shane, grumbled, "Name?"
"Uh, Shane Carter." Shane answered.
"Fine." The man snarled, scribbling down his name. "The default AC is back there." He ended, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "Uh, um, I kind of brought my own, um…sir." Shane mumbled, holding up the cube in his pocket.
At this the man looked up at him, his jaw set like a bulldog. "You have your own AC?" He asked in a skeptical voice. "Whatdja' do, build it out of scrap metal?" Shane gulped again and smiled nervously. "Um, mostly." He answered meekly. "Does it even work?" The man asked, getting angrier by the minute. "Uh…um…I think so." Shane answered timidly. The man chuckled at this. "Heh, yeah- give it a shot, slick. Don't expect to get drafted with a busted AC made from crap." "Uh, thanks." Shane stammered and began to walk off as the man growled loudly. "…Sir?" Shane finished with a backward glance.
Shane rounded the corner of the hangar and pushed open the door and was greeted by darkness as the door slammed shut behind him. "Um, Hello? Is anyone here?" Suddenly, a bright light flooded the area as he blinked in the newly found light. Two silhouettes stood before him, one looking as if her was dressed in a space suit.
"Yes, and I presume you are Mr. Shane Carter?" The first silhouette asked, Shane's eyes still adjusting to the bright, white light. "Um, Yes sir. I'm here for-" "Drafting." The first silhouette interrupted. "Am I correct in assuming that you have also brought your own AC?" "Yes, sir." "Let's see how it battles. You will be fighting against Sergeant Hugh Miller in your AC as he fights in his own. Now," He stepped forward and Shane could clearly make out a tall, black haired man in his mid-thirties. "Let's see how you battle."
Suddenly, the floor opened up behind them and a titanic form began to emerge from the depths of it. It was the default AC. This machine was a dull gray with the same head as Shane's machine. In its hand was a gun that looked much like a futuristic blaster and it had a sphere on the next hand. The core was round with a rocket pack and two small globes mounted on the back. On the shoulders was a rapid-fire gun and a missile cube, the legs were like that of a human and looked neither light nor heavy weight. It appeared to be a beginner's AC or some sort. Shane smirked and fingered the cube in his pocket. The AC completed its entrance and as Sgt. Miller, a middle-aged brown haired man, was lifted up to the head of the machine, Shane released his own. Within seconds, Vengeance appeared from the minuscule cube to a spot before them. The AC was mounted on the ground seeing as it did not posses any legs. Suddenly, the ground underneath Shane shifted and a portion of the ground underneath his feet began to rise him up to Vengeance.
"Hey, old boy." Shane whispered as he dropped down into the head of his AC. He cracked his knuckles. "Let's see what you can do, huh?" Shane told Vengeance as he grabbed they key from his baggy carpenter pants. Shane inserted the key into the ignition and miniature lights flickered on all around him as he sat in the head of his AC machine, revealing switches, buttons, and levers all around him. Suddenly, Shane was lifted up into the air! The anti-gravity on Vengeance had succeeded! He hover there, waiting for Hugh to make the first move.
"Gentlemen," A voice boomed somewhere from the loudspeaker. "Please start." A buzzer erupted from outside of the arena and Hugh instantly bolted forward, the colossal feet slamming down on the ground. Vengeance stood its ground, waiting for the blow! Hugh grew closer, and CLOSER! Suddenly, the sword on his right hand ignited and it was swung violently. Shane strained the controls inside and Vengeance immediately whipped its hand up, the laser shield zapped into play and sparks flew violently as the two beams connected! Hugh rushed by and skid to a stop, whirling around in his tracks. Vengeance zoomed high into the air, engine roaring as he whirled around to face his opponent. Hugh was rocketing toward him, his boosters ablaze as he aimed his gun! Shots rang out and Vengeance put his shield into play once more, the laser bullets deflecting harmlessly off of it! As Hugh advanced, he ignited his sword and Shane barely had time to bolt out of the way as the laser sword was swung, the metal warming from the intense heat of the blade!
Vengeance whirled on the spot as Hugh whipped around in midair seeing as he had passed his colossal target. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Vengeance lowered the tremendous Slug-Gun on his shoulder (the one looking like a shot gun) and fired three profound and deathly shots! Hugh disengaged his boosters and dropped to the ground, but as the Slug-Gun blasted a spread of shots, several of the pellets ripped into the steel! "Damn!" Hugh cursed from inside of the AC as sparks flew into his space helmet. Vengeance plummeted toward the ground and as Shane flipped switches and jammed buttons inside of Vengeance frantically, at the last second halting before slamming into the ground. Shane glanced out of Vengeance's tremendous visor in time to glance Hugh rushing for him yet again!
"This guy does not give up!" Shane yelled furiously from inside his machine. Shane slammed his thumb into a green button, igniting the boosters and as Shane jammed down the joystick, Vengeance soared to a lofty perch. Hugh struggled to disengage his own booster and veered his steering wheel to the left as his AC swerved to avoid the white wall directly in front of him! Sparks flew dangerously into the air as the steel screeched against the tile as Hugh grappled from slamming into the wall and soon twirled around to avoid a collision against the wall! From above Shane lowered Vengeance's laser cannon and pressed his thumb down on the fire button mounted on the joystick so violently, the skin underneath his fingernail turned white. ZAP! ZAP! Hugh looked up only able to see two titanic laser blasts blazing for his AC!
BLAM!!!
Within seconds his cockpit was flowing with blazing fire and sparks from the machinery as his AC toppled to the ground in flames, arm blasted off and core burnt directly through! The ground rumbled violently as the AC connected with the white tile! Shane had won!
Using his sniper vision of Vengeance from his towering post above, he was able to see the black-haired man nod, smiling in a satisfied sort of way from a domed area in the room. He had made it! He was in! But, now…it was Joe's turn…..