Adrenaline pumped thru Logan's veins as he quickly checked his ammo.
Four multi-warhead missiles and 3 armor piercing shells, as he went thru
his rushed review he could hear the hissing charge of an over-boost coming
from the northwest corner of the Marakumo dome. He quickly armed the
warheads and moved his AC out of its crouch behind the central tower. By
this time the enemy was halfway across the battlefield, and gained speed
with ever second. Its strong over-boost billowed like a peacock's tail from
behind it, casting an eerie glow on the monstrous assault rifles that
amounted to the whole of the deadly AC's arm units. Logan took aim and
cocked his rifle. The weapon was heavy and carried little ammo, but for
what it lacked in other categories it made up in aim. This particular model
could hit a bird on a net line from several miles away. It was a very
expensive weapon but proved worth the cost as Logan took out the enemy's
leg joints. They quickly buckled under the heavy torso, the immense force
of its own over-boost driving it into the ground. Logan then unleashed his
remaining missiles on his immobile enemy. "Nice shot rookie," Warehound's
voice crackled over his headset. "Maybe you'll amount to something after
all"
Hawk looked at the rating boards in disgust. He couldn't believe that that raven had beaten the legendary Warehound. He shook his head, I'll have my day Raven, and it will be soon. He ran his hands thru his fiery red hair and sighed. I'll deal with you and return with the program, Zio matrix will be sure to hire me back then. He left the money for his meal and stood up to leave, only to be stopped by a strange woman in a long trench coat. "Hawk Harrier I presume?" Hawk studied the mysterious woman's face. Her golden blond hair fell neatly to her shoulders, almost like it was framing her well-tanned face, inset with sparkling green eyes. "And who would be asking?" he sensed no hostility from this woman, but that was no excuse to be careless. "Somora Curel," she answered with a small smile. "I have an offer that I think you will be very interested in" "And just what offer might this be?" Hawk was quickly becoming uncomfortable. He couldn't see a threat in this woman, but she seemed to be constantly smiling at a joke no one could get but her. It was rather unnerving. "I can't tell you here, but just let me give you this," she handed him a data disk and a small key card. "The disk contains all the info you'll need. If you wish to accept, then come to the Red Dragon club on Sunday, 8:00pm. Until then." And with that she turned and briskly walked out the door. Hawk rushed to catch up with her. He finally caught her under the flickering sign above the Raven's nest entrance. "Wait! How do I know I can trust you?" "You don't," and with that she left him standing in the road.
Logan yawned and rubbed his eyes. He had been up all night uninstalling that bulky rifle and replacing his machine gun. "Well Jane, any info on my fight Monday?" "Most of the info has been barred from access after that hacker swiped most of the registration and schedule info last Thursday." Jane replied as the feminine face she often took floated into view above the mini consol in the hydraulic lift. "Jane, when has locks and passwords stopped you before?" "But I've also never hacked into the battle commission network before. It could get you dismissed from the arena, not to mention the Raven organization in general." "Its ok, its not like they can catch you. Besides, the battle commission doesn't really have anything to do with Ravens. We're just the only ones who compete. And if it hadn't been for those hackers the other week than I would be able to get this info legally." "Fine, but the programmers at the Battle commission are no pushovers, it will take me a while." "Ok, just page me when you're done, I'm going to finish up here and then go home." And with that Logan switched off the consol and returned to his monotonous work.
Hawk sat at the Red Dragon's bar sipping his third drink. He had arrived 20 minutes early to look professional, but the meeting time had long past and the mysterious Samora had not show up yet. Oh well, at least I had an excuse for a night out. Hawk scanned the casino/club. If you can call it a night out. It was still early for club goers, and the gamblers had long since lost their paychecks and filtered out. Hawk finished his drink and stood to leave, only to be stopped in his tracks once again by the mysterious Samora. "Leaving so soon?" "Arriving so late?" "Sorry, some last minute business came up, unavoidable." "Sure, whatever." Hawk sat back down and ordered them both a drink. Samora sat down beside him. "Since you're here I assume you are accepting the job?" she took the offered drink and took a sip. "I find the offer interesting, but I would like to know one thing before I agree to anything, what grudge do you hold against Logan Mcloud?" Samora simply sipped her drink thoughtfully and leaned back in her chair. "I hold no grudge, I simply find his rise to power troubling and wish to stop it." It was Hawks turn to sip his drink thoughtfully. "I'll take the job, but on the condition that he be left to me when the time for his defeat comes." "Agreed, we'll meet at the old dome of Marakumo at 10:30 AM tomorrow. Until then." And as silently as she arrived, she left.
Logan sat in the cockpit of his AC and ran a last minute diagnostics test, silently cursing that they allowed no battle support in the arena. His opponent was a pilot that used his AC as a giant billboard for corporations. Despite this, he was a decent fighter, but nothing compared to Warehound. "Battle commencing, holding bay doors released." The computerized voice announced. Logan shut off the scan and charged his over- boost. His AC came barreling out of the holding bay so fast he almost ran into the heap of steaming scrap metal that had once been the AC Billboard. "What in the?" he was cut off by the hiss of boosters descending from over- head. "So, Raven, we meet again." "Hawk.." Logan grimaced as Hawks silvery AC settled down before him. "I'm here to take back what you stole from me." "Jane?" "No, my dignity!!!" Hawk was now screaming over the COM link. "After I was fired by Zio Matrix, I was forced to become a Raven to get by. A mercenary without loyalties!!" "Please, spare me the dramatics." A calm, female voice now floated out of Logan's speakers. "I brought you here to stop his climb thru the ranks, now please, do your job, or must I do everything myself?" A shot rang out from the southern corner of the dome and Logan's AC was struck with a heavy round. He quickly fired up his boosters and tried to position himself on the top of the central tower, but with no cooperation from Hawk. Hawks AC fired a stream of rockets that tore at his armor. But Logan would not give up so easily. He spun his AC and locked in to Hawk, riddling his AC with shots from his extended ammo machine gun. What Hawk's AC had in speed it lacked in defense, and it quickly fell to Logan's fire. "That's some dignity for yah. Now, the other one should be." Another heavy round smacked into his AC as he desperately searched for the sniper. "Third building on the right." Jane's voice startled him. "Don't worry, I reestablished contact when I found out your match had been tampered with. "Thanks, remind me to buy you the computer equivalent of a nice dinner when I'm done." Logan said as he homed in on the sniper and unleashed a volley of missiles. "Sorry kid, maybe another time," said the woman as she released counter missiles and fled the battlefield. "But next time I'll make sure to defeat you."
Hawk looked at the rating boards in disgust. He couldn't believe that that raven had beaten the legendary Warehound. He shook his head, I'll have my day Raven, and it will be soon. He ran his hands thru his fiery red hair and sighed. I'll deal with you and return with the program, Zio matrix will be sure to hire me back then. He left the money for his meal and stood up to leave, only to be stopped by a strange woman in a long trench coat. "Hawk Harrier I presume?" Hawk studied the mysterious woman's face. Her golden blond hair fell neatly to her shoulders, almost like it was framing her well-tanned face, inset with sparkling green eyes. "And who would be asking?" he sensed no hostility from this woman, but that was no excuse to be careless. "Somora Curel," she answered with a small smile. "I have an offer that I think you will be very interested in" "And just what offer might this be?" Hawk was quickly becoming uncomfortable. He couldn't see a threat in this woman, but she seemed to be constantly smiling at a joke no one could get but her. It was rather unnerving. "I can't tell you here, but just let me give you this," she handed him a data disk and a small key card. "The disk contains all the info you'll need. If you wish to accept, then come to the Red Dragon club on Sunday, 8:00pm. Until then." And with that she turned and briskly walked out the door. Hawk rushed to catch up with her. He finally caught her under the flickering sign above the Raven's nest entrance. "Wait! How do I know I can trust you?" "You don't," and with that she left him standing in the road.
Logan yawned and rubbed his eyes. He had been up all night uninstalling that bulky rifle and replacing his machine gun. "Well Jane, any info on my fight Monday?" "Most of the info has been barred from access after that hacker swiped most of the registration and schedule info last Thursday." Jane replied as the feminine face she often took floated into view above the mini consol in the hydraulic lift. "Jane, when has locks and passwords stopped you before?" "But I've also never hacked into the battle commission network before. It could get you dismissed from the arena, not to mention the Raven organization in general." "Its ok, its not like they can catch you. Besides, the battle commission doesn't really have anything to do with Ravens. We're just the only ones who compete. And if it hadn't been for those hackers the other week than I would be able to get this info legally." "Fine, but the programmers at the Battle commission are no pushovers, it will take me a while." "Ok, just page me when you're done, I'm going to finish up here and then go home." And with that Logan switched off the consol and returned to his monotonous work.
Hawk sat at the Red Dragon's bar sipping his third drink. He had arrived 20 minutes early to look professional, but the meeting time had long past and the mysterious Samora had not show up yet. Oh well, at least I had an excuse for a night out. Hawk scanned the casino/club. If you can call it a night out. It was still early for club goers, and the gamblers had long since lost their paychecks and filtered out. Hawk finished his drink and stood to leave, only to be stopped in his tracks once again by the mysterious Samora. "Leaving so soon?" "Arriving so late?" "Sorry, some last minute business came up, unavoidable." "Sure, whatever." Hawk sat back down and ordered them both a drink. Samora sat down beside him. "Since you're here I assume you are accepting the job?" she took the offered drink and took a sip. "I find the offer interesting, but I would like to know one thing before I agree to anything, what grudge do you hold against Logan Mcloud?" Samora simply sipped her drink thoughtfully and leaned back in her chair. "I hold no grudge, I simply find his rise to power troubling and wish to stop it." It was Hawks turn to sip his drink thoughtfully. "I'll take the job, but on the condition that he be left to me when the time for his defeat comes." "Agreed, we'll meet at the old dome of Marakumo at 10:30 AM tomorrow. Until then." And as silently as she arrived, she left.
Logan sat in the cockpit of his AC and ran a last minute diagnostics test, silently cursing that they allowed no battle support in the arena. His opponent was a pilot that used his AC as a giant billboard for corporations. Despite this, he was a decent fighter, but nothing compared to Warehound. "Battle commencing, holding bay doors released." The computerized voice announced. Logan shut off the scan and charged his over- boost. His AC came barreling out of the holding bay so fast he almost ran into the heap of steaming scrap metal that had once been the AC Billboard. "What in the?" he was cut off by the hiss of boosters descending from over- head. "So, Raven, we meet again." "Hawk.." Logan grimaced as Hawks silvery AC settled down before him. "I'm here to take back what you stole from me." "Jane?" "No, my dignity!!!" Hawk was now screaming over the COM link. "After I was fired by Zio Matrix, I was forced to become a Raven to get by. A mercenary without loyalties!!" "Please, spare me the dramatics." A calm, female voice now floated out of Logan's speakers. "I brought you here to stop his climb thru the ranks, now please, do your job, or must I do everything myself?" A shot rang out from the southern corner of the dome and Logan's AC was struck with a heavy round. He quickly fired up his boosters and tried to position himself on the top of the central tower, but with no cooperation from Hawk. Hawks AC fired a stream of rockets that tore at his armor. But Logan would not give up so easily. He spun his AC and locked in to Hawk, riddling his AC with shots from his extended ammo machine gun. What Hawk's AC had in speed it lacked in defense, and it quickly fell to Logan's fire. "That's some dignity for yah. Now, the other one should be." Another heavy round smacked into his AC as he desperately searched for the sniper. "Third building on the right." Jane's voice startled him. "Don't worry, I reestablished contact when I found out your match had been tampered with. "Thanks, remind me to buy you the computer equivalent of a nice dinner when I'm done." Logan said as he homed in on the sniper and unleashed a volley of missiles. "Sorry kid, maybe another time," said the woman as she released counter missiles and fled the battlefield. "But next time I'll make sure to defeat you."
