Chapter 3: Cornered
~*~
The next after noon found Bit and Brad deep in conversation/argument…
"Bit, could you please move your foot?" asked Brad his clenched jaws making him sound almost comical. Bit moved the offending appendage but not nearly enough.
"So are we there yet?" asked Bit looking around now that he could see the landscape clearly. It was one of those overcast moist days that never came to his desert-like home. Stubborn grass covered the part of the ground that wasn't all rocks and twisted trees grew where they could, sometimes in groups like a mini forest. This change in landscape must mean they'd gotten somewhere.
"If everything goes well we should be there in a day, maybe a little longer," replied Brad making a conscious effort to keep cool.
"Where are we going exactly?"
"To a remote base relatively near the border."
"And after that?"
"I don't know."
"Oh…" Bit went back to staring at the scenery and Brad breathed a silent sigh of relief. For the moment all was quiet, but only for a moment. "Can we eat?"
Brad gritted his teeth but brought the Command Wolf to a halt. He was suddenly glad that Commander Neevs's men had packed what he had thought to be an excessive amount of food into the Command Wolf. Something about Bit Cloud suggested at an annoyingly healthy appetite.
The cockpit opened and Bit jumped out. He looked around and took a deep breath then turned to see how Brad was doing. The mercenary was struggling with a package that had been tightly wedged behind the others. Brad was apparently totally unconcerned about Bit taking off. Actually Bit couldn't blame him since he had no idea where they were, without Brad, who he hoped had some idea where they were, he'd be totally lost and pretty much defenseless.
A quote from somewhere surfaced from the back of his mind; 'He is mad who trusts in the tameness of a wolf'. Why had he gone with Brad anyway? Did he really believe the mercenary about someone being out to kill him? Weren't mercenaries generally untrustworthy? Bit laughed at himself, weren't dealers, especially ones on the black market, generally untrustworthy as well? He'd just have to go with his instincts on this and trust the wolf, though he'd certainly make sure not to hold any delusions about the wolf being tame.
Brad looked up at the sound of Bit's laugh. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," replied the teen still grinning. Brad shook his head and went back to trying to free the stubborn package.
"Do you need some help?" asked Bit peering up at him.
"No," replied Brad just as the package came loose and he toppled over backwards. Bit all but collapsed in laughter.
"I knew you needed help." Brad held back a hundred nasty replies and looked around. He was fairly sure that no one was following them and a hot breakfast would do him good.
"Bit."
"Yes?"
"Against my better judgement I'm putting you in charge of getting a fire started," he said tossing the boy a box of matches.
"Well what are you going to do?" asked Bit staring down at the box.
"Get the food out."
"Oh… alright." Brad sighed; he'd forgotten how annoying it was to travel with a companion.
~*~
"Bingo," muttered Alex a member of Renee Altimarie's personal guard. "I've found the zoid you were looking for," he said over the comm link. His captain's face flickered onto the screen.
"You're sure?"
"Very. You can have them cornered in minutes."
"Good work private, round up the rest of your division and take them out. The boy Bit Cloud must not be permanently damaged, you can terminate whoever's with him."
"No problem," responded Alex smiling slightly.
~*~
"So how long have you been a mercenary?" asked Bit trying to start some sort of conversation.
"Awhile," replied Brad not helping his efforts. The mercenary was staring into the fire refusing to even look at him.
"Well how old are you?" persisted Bit unable to stand another lapse into silence.
"How old do you think?" asked Brad, more curious than he let on. He could feel the boy's eyes studying him.
"I think you look older than you really are. I say 18 tops," said Bit at last. Brad cocked an eyebrow but didn't say anything so despite Bit's effort silence reigned again. Yet it was the quiet that saved them.
"Do you hear something?" asked Bit suddenly.
"Don't get jumpy," replied Brad, though as soon as he finished speaking he heard something as well. Whatever it was it was deffinately large and mechanical. Wordlessly Brad got to his feet and headed over to check the radar in the Command Wolf. Nothing showed up on the radar but Brad knew better than to trust that. Turning around he saw Bit had already taken care of the fire and gathered their supplies. Without a word the two climbed into the Command Wolf.
"What is it Brad?" asked Bit after the were safely inside the Command Wolf
"Helcats probably, they have cloaking devices."
"Well that's annoying," replied Bit not expecting an answer and not receiving one anyway. The Command Wolf took off as fast as it could over the rocky terrain. Yet the poor Wolf wasn't a match for the modified monstrosities pursuing it.
Brad steered the Command Wolf into a patch of trees hoping to lose the Helcats but they were to close. The first hit sent Bit, who wasn't strapped in or holding on to anything, flying into the control panel. Brad shot him a look that bordered on sympathetic before turning all his attention back to the battle.
Brad halted the Command Wolf and by luck or skill, no one could tell which, managed to blast a nearby Helcat. Once uncovered the poor zoid didn't stand a chance and was finished in minutes. Unfortunately the pause gave the other Helcats the chance they needed to surround the Command Wolf. Out numbered and more than a little desperate Brad decided to take a more direct route than his usual approach. Turning around he picked out what he hoped was a gap in the circle of Helcats and charged for it.
"How do you know where they are?" yelled Bit getting nervous.
"I don't!" replied Brad. Bit gulped and grabbed hold of the pilot's seat for support.
The Command Wolf dove for the opening and everything started going in slow motion. Bit heard Brad shout out a word that his mother would have been less than thrilled to hear and saw the faintest outline and movement of branches as a Helcat moved in front of them. Bit felt his stomach lurch and muttered his own curse before preparing for impact.
It never came. Brad had designed his Command Wolf for long range combat, loading it down with heavy guns but had made it thinner so as not to lose maneuverability, it was the maneuverability and momentum that save them now. By some miracle of skill or chance Brad managed to get the Command Wolf to jump, its front claws landed firmly on the back of the Helcat helping the Wolf to vault over it. The unfortunate Helcat collapsed with a crunch under the weight of Brad's zoid.
Brad started breathing again as soon as they hit the ground. Fed up with pursuit he wheeled the Command Wolf around so he could pelt the annoying Helcats with blasts from his guns. Somewhere in the back of his mind the mercenary remembered Bit and reached out to grab him before he could fly into the wall of the cockpit. A sickening thud from his side told him had thought of it too late.
"Are you all right Bit?" he asked suddenly feeling uneasy.
"I'm fine," Bit managed to reply wiping blood from his eyes. He didn't want anything to distract Brad until they were completely out of trouble. Brad breathed a little easier and turned all his attention to the Helcats not noticing the blood all over the floor of the cockpit.
Several more blasts from Helcats, now recovering from their shock, rocked the Command Wolf. Brad gritted his teeth and tried not to think about the damage being inflicted to his zoid. It was lucky he didn't look back to see the damage being inflicted to Bit.
Finally blows from the Command Wolf became too much and the remaining Helcats were forced to retreat. Grinning in relief Brad turned the Command Wolf around and started off at a moderate speed, he didn't want to tax the zoid too much. "So what do you think of that Bit?" asked Brad feeling the need to gloat a little. The boy didn't answer.
"Bit?" Brad turned in his seat and felt his stomach lurch. Bit was slumped against the back of the cockpit unconscious. Blood was running down his face and soaking into his jacket. "And hear I was all ready to gloat," muttered Brad as he started looking for a good place to stop.
~*~