ZOIDS: Dangerous Blue Void: Ep.2 The Zoid Underground
By drakora_master
It was an enormous underground lake. Brian stared openmouthed at its awesome mass. He wanted to say, "Amazing! I'll have a great story to tell when I get back to Morlsevort for sure!" but was at a loss for words. The lake was at least 200 feet across, and seemed to stretch for miles lengthwise. Dancing patterns of light from the water rippled across the walls of the chamber, casting eerie shadows on the mysterious object resting in the lake's center. Brian immediately got on his knees and lapped up the water furiously, as thirsty as he was. Wiping the icy-cold water from the corners of his mouth, he took notice of the object. It was a pale white, and although it was huge, it seemed small compared to the lake. It looked like a deformed sort of ship to Brian, although he had a strange suspicion that it was not. Brian approached the thing cautiously, as if afraid it might come alive and attack him. It was difficult to tell exactly what it was in the darkness even with the spectral light coming from the water. A loud cracking noise alerted him. He had stepped a skull. It grinned back at him, staring for eternity through eyeless sockets. Brian leaped back in shock, a scream stuck in his throat. Suddenly, the thing in the lake moved. It swayed its front end from side to side and groaned. The sound of rustling manacles was evident, and Brian realized that the creature (creature?) was chained up. It lifted its front foot clear out of the water and swung its tail back and forth with furious strength. It was then that Brian knew very well what it was. A zoid. What kind of zoid he wasn't sure, and he wasn't sure what it could possibly be doing chained up miles beneath the surface of the earth. A wave of sympathy passed him. How long had this zoid been here? Why had it been chained? Was it punishment or cruelty? Brian searched for a possible way to liberate the white zoid. It continued to struggle against its confines, though the manacles did not seem to loosen, rusty though they were.
"Don't worry zoid, I'll free you. Just stop moving and give me a chance!"
Brian carefully scanned the banks for some sort of tool he could use to free the zoid. Eventually Brian came across an ancient control panel. Curious, he pressed a button once and waited. Several minutes passed and Brian began to wonder if he had pressed the right one. His question was answered-a loud noise like a gunshot range through the cavern. The manacles were somehow being detonated, though Brian wasn't sure if it was his own doing. The zoid lifted its head and roared, a sound that shook the chamber like an earthquake and caused the lake to ripple. The enormous chains that had imprisoned the zoid for centuries were finally giving way. Each one fell to the ground and exploded. Backing away slightly, Brian watched the zoid as it rejoiced its freedom. It swam across the lake with surprising speed using its broad tail like a paddle. The huge jaws snapped open and shut, and its small legs pounded the stone like pistons. After some time, the monster quieted down and scanned the cavern for a way out. Brian boldly approached the zoid.
"Hello there! My name's Brian. I'm the one who freed you. What have you been doing down here? Who put those chains on you?"
The zoid turned and looked at him. It was the first time that Brian actually saw the zoid up close. He recognized the species with astonishment.
"That's a Barigator, the alligator zoid! But how..? That zoid is extremely rare nowadays. I wonder who owned it?" He thought for a moment. "I know! I'll call you Albine for your white color!"
The Barigator growled hostilely. If the zoid had had eyes, Brian would've sworn that it was glaring at him. Brian frowned. He had just freed it, and yet it seemed angry.
"Hey, what's with the cold shoulder? I just saved your life! Its not like I'm gonna hurt you."
The zoid did not seem convinced. Snapping its jaws furiously, it lifted it front foot and brought crashing down on Brian. He leaped nimbly out of the way as rock shards from the floor flew through the air like arrows. Staring dumbstruck at the spot he had been standing in before, which was now cracked and split due to the extreme weight of the Barigator's foot, Brian reprimanded the zoid curtly.
"Now look what you've done! That could've been me!"
But the pale monster was not listening. Maddened by the fact that it had failed to kill the boy, it swung its head and caught Brian a forceful blow on the shoulder. The boy was thrown against the wall and did not rise up again. Unsatisfied, the Barigator swung its tail and struck the outside wall. The stone splintered like wood as it was struck by the awesome, insanely driven force.Stalactites rained down from above and the zoid continued its assault on the wall. Tunnels collapsed and caved in altogether underground as the Barigator roared triumphantly. It did not need a mere boy to control it. It would find a way out of this underground prison by itself. It would get revenge on mankind for chaining it up and leaving it to die. It would make sure that every last human suffered what it suffered. The endless pain and torment. All of the humans would tremble upon the mentioning of his name-Albine the Avenger! Yes. Albine liked the sound of that. He would obliterate the humans, and the zoid population would rise to greatness once again.
" But not all humans are so bad. This little boy saved you and did not want to hurt you," pleaded Albine's inner concience.
Albine shook his head. No! Every human must die! This one was foolish to think that the great Albine would pity it!
Albine glanced at the remains of his manacles, then at the boy. He had freed him. Brian did not think of himself like Albine's original owner had. Perhaps it was wrong to have killed him. Perhaps he could be spared.
Suddenly, water began to trickle through a crack Albine had made in the wall. Albine started at it with a dreading suspician of danger growing deep within him. The water widened the crack as it flowed freely into the cavern. Before long, the once innocent trickle of water became a great torrent of nature's fury. Brian began to stir. He was in great pain, but still alive. Slowly he stood up and gaped as icy-cold water filled the cavern. The lake filled with frightening speed, and it did not take Brian long to realize the urgency of the situation. The chamber was flooding.
"Albine! Are you okay? Listen, we have to get out of here! I think there's some other lakes on the other side of the wall you broke, and the water from that other lake is filtering into this one! If we don't move fast, the water will fill the cavern entirely and we'll drown!"
Albine knew that the boy was right. But the question was: Should he save the boy, or save himself? Undecided, the Barigator hesitated. Then, recalling the boy's act of selfless kindness, Albine reluctantly approached Brian. For a moment Brian thought he was about to be eaten as the Barigator opened its jaws wide. Then it hit him-Barigators had cockpits in their mouths. Crawling inside, Brian adjusted to the darkness as Albine closed his mouth. Light filtered dimly through an orange cockpit door located on the roof of the zoid's mouth, illuminating a chair at the back of the mouth. Hastily Brian climbed into it and shut the front cockpit door as Albine dived. As he donned his seatbelt, Brian noticed that the zoid combat system seemed to have miraculously replenished its energy and turned itself on, even after what the zoid had been though. A screen appeared, and Brian took two levers in each hand and thrusted them forward. Albine growled thunderously in the whirling melee of water.
"Alright, Let's break out of this dump Albine!"
The Barigator's speed increased dramatically as Brian switched the thrusters on. Flicking a button labeled "Aqua Mode" Brian grinned as Albine converted. The zoid's legs rotated and hinged to his side, and Albine began to propel himself through the water using his broad tail. Water flashed by on the screen and Brian found that it was difficult to control such a high-speed zoid. Meanwhile, the walls of the cavern began to crumble under the extreme pressure of the water.
"Hurry! Through that hole in the wall!" Brian shouted as the ceiling caved in.
Diving underwater, the zoid traveled through the gaping puncture that the water had caused and resurfaced in a different cavern. The waters raged like some uncontrolled storm, as the battle for survival became a mad rush. Brian instantly realized that while the other lake was flooding, this one was decreasing its water level rapidly. Then he saw it. A ledge on the other side of the chamber. A glimmer of daylight that shone just past it proved that this ledge was indeed the key to escaping.
"Albine! We must reach that ledge in order to escape! I think it leads to the exit! Quickly! Before the water level is too low and we can't jump to it!"
Brian was thrown back against his chair as the Barigator sped up. Working its tail furiously, Albine swam determinedly toward the ray of light.
"Now Albine! Jump!"
Brian felt a soaring sensation as Albine leaped like a dolphin out of the water. The ledge loomed up ahead. For a moment, Brian believed that they would not make it. Shutting his eyes, he prepared to be crushed against the wall. But his dedicated partner did not yield. In the next instant, Brian knew that they had indeed landed on firm, dry land. Behind them, the entire underground complex began to collapse. In front of them, daylight shone. They had made it.
To be continued.
Disclaimer: I don't own zoids. So bye. (waves bye to disappointed lawyers)
By drakora_master
It was an enormous underground lake. Brian stared openmouthed at its awesome mass. He wanted to say, "Amazing! I'll have a great story to tell when I get back to Morlsevort for sure!" but was at a loss for words. The lake was at least 200 feet across, and seemed to stretch for miles lengthwise. Dancing patterns of light from the water rippled across the walls of the chamber, casting eerie shadows on the mysterious object resting in the lake's center. Brian immediately got on his knees and lapped up the water furiously, as thirsty as he was. Wiping the icy-cold water from the corners of his mouth, he took notice of the object. It was a pale white, and although it was huge, it seemed small compared to the lake. It looked like a deformed sort of ship to Brian, although he had a strange suspicion that it was not. Brian approached the thing cautiously, as if afraid it might come alive and attack him. It was difficult to tell exactly what it was in the darkness even with the spectral light coming from the water. A loud cracking noise alerted him. He had stepped a skull. It grinned back at him, staring for eternity through eyeless sockets. Brian leaped back in shock, a scream stuck in his throat. Suddenly, the thing in the lake moved. It swayed its front end from side to side and groaned. The sound of rustling manacles was evident, and Brian realized that the creature (creature?) was chained up. It lifted its front foot clear out of the water and swung its tail back and forth with furious strength. It was then that Brian knew very well what it was. A zoid. What kind of zoid he wasn't sure, and he wasn't sure what it could possibly be doing chained up miles beneath the surface of the earth. A wave of sympathy passed him. How long had this zoid been here? Why had it been chained? Was it punishment or cruelty? Brian searched for a possible way to liberate the white zoid. It continued to struggle against its confines, though the manacles did not seem to loosen, rusty though they were.
"Don't worry zoid, I'll free you. Just stop moving and give me a chance!"
Brian carefully scanned the banks for some sort of tool he could use to free the zoid. Eventually Brian came across an ancient control panel. Curious, he pressed a button once and waited. Several minutes passed and Brian began to wonder if he had pressed the right one. His question was answered-a loud noise like a gunshot range through the cavern. The manacles were somehow being detonated, though Brian wasn't sure if it was his own doing. The zoid lifted its head and roared, a sound that shook the chamber like an earthquake and caused the lake to ripple. The enormous chains that had imprisoned the zoid for centuries were finally giving way. Each one fell to the ground and exploded. Backing away slightly, Brian watched the zoid as it rejoiced its freedom. It swam across the lake with surprising speed using its broad tail like a paddle. The huge jaws snapped open and shut, and its small legs pounded the stone like pistons. After some time, the monster quieted down and scanned the cavern for a way out. Brian boldly approached the zoid.
"Hello there! My name's Brian. I'm the one who freed you. What have you been doing down here? Who put those chains on you?"
The zoid turned and looked at him. It was the first time that Brian actually saw the zoid up close. He recognized the species with astonishment.
"That's a Barigator, the alligator zoid! But how..? That zoid is extremely rare nowadays. I wonder who owned it?" He thought for a moment. "I know! I'll call you Albine for your white color!"
The Barigator growled hostilely. If the zoid had had eyes, Brian would've sworn that it was glaring at him. Brian frowned. He had just freed it, and yet it seemed angry.
"Hey, what's with the cold shoulder? I just saved your life! Its not like I'm gonna hurt you."
The zoid did not seem convinced. Snapping its jaws furiously, it lifted it front foot and brought crashing down on Brian. He leaped nimbly out of the way as rock shards from the floor flew through the air like arrows. Staring dumbstruck at the spot he had been standing in before, which was now cracked and split due to the extreme weight of the Barigator's foot, Brian reprimanded the zoid curtly.
"Now look what you've done! That could've been me!"
But the pale monster was not listening. Maddened by the fact that it had failed to kill the boy, it swung its head and caught Brian a forceful blow on the shoulder. The boy was thrown against the wall and did not rise up again. Unsatisfied, the Barigator swung its tail and struck the outside wall. The stone splintered like wood as it was struck by the awesome, insanely driven force.Stalactites rained down from above and the zoid continued its assault on the wall. Tunnels collapsed and caved in altogether underground as the Barigator roared triumphantly. It did not need a mere boy to control it. It would find a way out of this underground prison by itself. It would get revenge on mankind for chaining it up and leaving it to die. It would make sure that every last human suffered what it suffered. The endless pain and torment. All of the humans would tremble upon the mentioning of his name-Albine the Avenger! Yes. Albine liked the sound of that. He would obliterate the humans, and the zoid population would rise to greatness once again.
" But not all humans are so bad. This little boy saved you and did not want to hurt you," pleaded Albine's inner concience.
Albine shook his head. No! Every human must die! This one was foolish to think that the great Albine would pity it!
Albine glanced at the remains of his manacles, then at the boy. He had freed him. Brian did not think of himself like Albine's original owner had. Perhaps it was wrong to have killed him. Perhaps he could be spared.
Suddenly, water began to trickle through a crack Albine had made in the wall. Albine started at it with a dreading suspician of danger growing deep within him. The water widened the crack as it flowed freely into the cavern. Before long, the once innocent trickle of water became a great torrent of nature's fury. Brian began to stir. He was in great pain, but still alive. Slowly he stood up and gaped as icy-cold water filled the cavern. The lake filled with frightening speed, and it did not take Brian long to realize the urgency of the situation. The chamber was flooding.
"Albine! Are you okay? Listen, we have to get out of here! I think there's some other lakes on the other side of the wall you broke, and the water from that other lake is filtering into this one! If we don't move fast, the water will fill the cavern entirely and we'll drown!"
Albine knew that the boy was right. But the question was: Should he save the boy, or save himself? Undecided, the Barigator hesitated. Then, recalling the boy's act of selfless kindness, Albine reluctantly approached Brian. For a moment Brian thought he was about to be eaten as the Barigator opened its jaws wide. Then it hit him-Barigators had cockpits in their mouths. Crawling inside, Brian adjusted to the darkness as Albine closed his mouth. Light filtered dimly through an orange cockpit door located on the roof of the zoid's mouth, illuminating a chair at the back of the mouth. Hastily Brian climbed into it and shut the front cockpit door as Albine dived. As he donned his seatbelt, Brian noticed that the zoid combat system seemed to have miraculously replenished its energy and turned itself on, even after what the zoid had been though. A screen appeared, and Brian took two levers in each hand and thrusted them forward. Albine growled thunderously in the whirling melee of water.
"Alright, Let's break out of this dump Albine!"
The Barigator's speed increased dramatically as Brian switched the thrusters on. Flicking a button labeled "Aqua Mode" Brian grinned as Albine converted. The zoid's legs rotated and hinged to his side, and Albine began to propel himself through the water using his broad tail. Water flashed by on the screen and Brian found that it was difficult to control such a high-speed zoid. Meanwhile, the walls of the cavern began to crumble under the extreme pressure of the water.
"Hurry! Through that hole in the wall!" Brian shouted as the ceiling caved in.
Diving underwater, the zoid traveled through the gaping puncture that the water had caused and resurfaced in a different cavern. The waters raged like some uncontrolled storm, as the battle for survival became a mad rush. Brian instantly realized that while the other lake was flooding, this one was decreasing its water level rapidly. Then he saw it. A ledge on the other side of the chamber. A glimmer of daylight that shone just past it proved that this ledge was indeed the key to escaping.
"Albine! We must reach that ledge in order to escape! I think it leads to the exit! Quickly! Before the water level is too low and we can't jump to it!"
Brian was thrown back against his chair as the Barigator sped up. Working its tail furiously, Albine swam determinedly toward the ray of light.
"Now Albine! Jump!"
Brian felt a soaring sensation as Albine leaped like a dolphin out of the water. The ledge loomed up ahead. For a moment, Brian believed that they would not make it. Shutting his eyes, he prepared to be crushed against the wall. But his dedicated partner did not yield. In the next instant, Brian knew that they had indeed landed on firm, dry land. Behind them, the entire underground complex began to collapse. In front of them, daylight shone. They had made it.
To be continued.
Disclaimer: I don't own zoids. So bye. (waves bye to disappointed lawyers)