Losing your sense of indestructibility is a lot like the first time you
fall in love. You're no longer an independent, self-serving machine that
can take on the world. You need somebody. You want somebody. You'd do
anything, give up anything to have another person with you at that moment.
My Command Wolf was half-buried in the ground, and the only weapon in the world that could destroy me was ready to fire, just meters away.
I really needed somebody.
And they came.
PAC-Wolf-1 smashed headfirst into the side of the Death Sniper and knocked off its aim. The Particle-Breaker Beam went astray and hit a shiny silver panel attached to the side of the Outpost Tower. The beam reflected off the panel and fired off across the desert dunes.
The Death Sniper toppled over, and with all that weight on it, it was going to have a heck of a time getting back up. Using all the strength the PAC-Wolf had, I dug it out of the ground and ran towards the Outpost Tower, with PAC-1 right behind me.
"Great job, Sifen!" I cheered. "You really saved my ass that time!"
"Oh, did I?" But it wasn't Sifen's voice. It was Katrana's!
"Katrana? What are you doing in PAC-1? How did you? I mean, you're injured, I thought..."
Her image appeared on the HUD-Comm. "Yeah, I'm injured, and it hurt like heck to ram that Gun Sniper, but I'm here."
"How did you get to PAC-1? You're in no condition to cross a desert."
"Bruno drove me over and helped me in. The Gustav is right behind us."
"Bruno? How did--?" I looked behind me, and she was right. Bruno's silver Gustav was right behind us...his shiny silver Gustav...
"That's between me and Bruno, 'Cap'n'." she smiled. I didn't want to know anymore about that. My mind was buzzing, but I still had other questions.
"Is Sifen okay?"
"Yeah, we picked him up."
"Good." I got a bit more serious. "How much do you know about that Wave-Smacker thing?"
"Quite a bit, actually. I helped develop it."
I was feeling hopeful. "How does it work?"
"It's actually the device that turns basic metal into Plasma Armor."
I was confused. "What?"
"If you fire it at normal armor at the proper levels, it breaks the armor's particles down and when the levels are slowly lowered, they recombine at a sub-atomic level, making them stronger than ever thought possible."
"Go on."
"But if you supply too much energy to the particle breakdown, it will shatter the metal like broken glass. That is how the Death Sniper is destroying the PAC-Wolves. He's overcharging the particle breakdown."
"How did the Death Sniper get a hold of the device?"
"It was his required payment from my father. For his help in capturing the PAC-Wolves, the Death Sniper demanded the ability to make his own Plasma-Armored Zoids and weapons. But apparently, he's developed it into a weapon instead."
I was in shock. "What could possibly make your father decide to give the Death Sniper such a powerful device?"
"I—I can't tell you." I'd heard that before.
The PAC-Wolves reached the Tower and spun around. Bruno's shiny silver Gustav soon came rolling past us. The Death Sniper was almost upright again.
"I did notice one thing about the beam, Katrana."
"Ugh." She was hurting. "What's that?"
"It can be reflected."
She was quiet for a second, and then said, "If it's overcharged then yes, yes it can."
Once the Gustav was in position, and Sifen was in the cockpit of PAC- 4, and I was back in PAC-1, we were ready. I only hoped my geometry skills were still good.
"Ready to risk it all, Kellar, my old friend."
"Yes, Jeremy. I am ready." I'd never heard him call me Jeremy before.
The Death Sniper was stomping towards us, and his constant growling told me the pilot was really mad. But I also noticed he wasn't firing at us. He must have used up all his ammo. Even better.
"You stupid fools! You humiliate me by knocking me over, then stand there waiting for me to come destroy you. What do you have in mind? You must have some sort of plan. Why else would you still be here?"
"That's for you to find out, Dork Sniper." I was shocked to hear Sifen say that!
"As you wish."
The Gun Sniper fired its boosters and started hailing us with blasts. Apparently it wasn't out of ammunition. I broke right in PAC-1 and Sifen broke left. As expected, he followed me, but I managed to stay just out of harms way. I ran around until I was running straight for PAC-4 and broke left. Sifen hit him good with a few shots.
The Death Sniper now took notice of Sifen and started shooting at him. My Zoid ran up right behind the little black arsenal and did something I never thought I'd ever do: PAC-1 chomped down on the Death Sniper's tail.
"What the--?" screamed the pilot. I was really humiliating him now. I pulled hard at him but he was just too heavy. At least he couldn't move. Sifen flanked him from the right, and I could really hear the Death Sniper scream.
The Sniper fired its jets and broke my grasp on him. Making a short arch he u-turned and started back at us. We ran off in opposite directions, but again, he went after me.
I started a circular run around the Death Sniper, and it shut off its jets and dropped to the ground. Turning in a slow spin it tried to shoot me, but I kept just one step ahead of it's blasts. That opened him up for the next trick. Sifen ran at him from behind, jumped up, landed on him and then leapt off of the Wild Weasel Unit's radar dish. That looked like fun, so when the DS started shooting as Sifen, I did the same thing.
"I'll destroy you, you worthless morons! I am the most invincible Zoid pilot on all of planet Zi! AAARRRGGGHHH!"
I figured he was mad enough by now, so I moved into position.
Time to play dead.
I let him chase me until he was just about in position, then...I let him shoot me. PAC-1 rolled across the sand and stopped moving. Quite the performance. The Death Sniper walked up to investigate, and stopped exactly where we wanted him.
"Hah! Thought this was all a little game, didn't you? Well, time to pay the price of admission!"
The Death Sniper opened its mouth and started charging the Wave- Smacker. He was so intent on shooting me, he didn't see PAC-4 walk up behind him, chomp his tail, and pull.
The Wave-Smacker beam fired from his mouth, but missed PAC-1 by only a couple of meters. The beam hit the metal panel on the Outpost tower and reflected off right towards Bruno's Gustav. PAC-4 let go of the tail and ran off as the beam ricocheted off of the Gustav's shiny silver body, flew across the desert dunes and slammed into the Death Sniper.
"NOOOOO!" screamed the Death Sniper pilot as his Zoid glowed with its own destructive energy. Its massive array of weapons finally begain to break as the Plasma Armor cracked, and the Zoid exploded in a sparkling purple shatter.
The pilot fell to the ground just like Kavid did, and was writhing in pain.
PAC-1 walked up to him, lowered its head and I dropped out. Throwing off my helmet I walked up to the pilot, who was still conscious, although in agony.
I kneeled next to him, and all I could think to say was a punch line:
"Game over."
My Command Wolf was half-buried in the ground, and the only weapon in the world that could destroy me was ready to fire, just meters away.
I really needed somebody.
And they came.
PAC-Wolf-1 smashed headfirst into the side of the Death Sniper and knocked off its aim. The Particle-Breaker Beam went astray and hit a shiny silver panel attached to the side of the Outpost Tower. The beam reflected off the panel and fired off across the desert dunes.
The Death Sniper toppled over, and with all that weight on it, it was going to have a heck of a time getting back up. Using all the strength the PAC-Wolf had, I dug it out of the ground and ran towards the Outpost Tower, with PAC-1 right behind me.
"Great job, Sifen!" I cheered. "You really saved my ass that time!"
"Oh, did I?" But it wasn't Sifen's voice. It was Katrana's!
"Katrana? What are you doing in PAC-1? How did you? I mean, you're injured, I thought..."
Her image appeared on the HUD-Comm. "Yeah, I'm injured, and it hurt like heck to ram that Gun Sniper, but I'm here."
"How did you get to PAC-1? You're in no condition to cross a desert."
"Bruno drove me over and helped me in. The Gustav is right behind us."
"Bruno? How did--?" I looked behind me, and she was right. Bruno's silver Gustav was right behind us...his shiny silver Gustav...
"That's between me and Bruno, 'Cap'n'." she smiled. I didn't want to know anymore about that. My mind was buzzing, but I still had other questions.
"Is Sifen okay?"
"Yeah, we picked him up."
"Good." I got a bit more serious. "How much do you know about that Wave-Smacker thing?"
"Quite a bit, actually. I helped develop it."
I was feeling hopeful. "How does it work?"
"It's actually the device that turns basic metal into Plasma Armor."
I was confused. "What?"
"If you fire it at normal armor at the proper levels, it breaks the armor's particles down and when the levels are slowly lowered, they recombine at a sub-atomic level, making them stronger than ever thought possible."
"Go on."
"But if you supply too much energy to the particle breakdown, it will shatter the metal like broken glass. That is how the Death Sniper is destroying the PAC-Wolves. He's overcharging the particle breakdown."
"How did the Death Sniper get a hold of the device?"
"It was his required payment from my father. For his help in capturing the PAC-Wolves, the Death Sniper demanded the ability to make his own Plasma-Armored Zoids and weapons. But apparently, he's developed it into a weapon instead."
I was in shock. "What could possibly make your father decide to give the Death Sniper such a powerful device?"
"I—I can't tell you." I'd heard that before.
The PAC-Wolves reached the Tower and spun around. Bruno's shiny silver Gustav soon came rolling past us. The Death Sniper was almost upright again.
"I did notice one thing about the beam, Katrana."
"Ugh." She was hurting. "What's that?"
"It can be reflected."
She was quiet for a second, and then said, "If it's overcharged then yes, yes it can."
Once the Gustav was in position, and Sifen was in the cockpit of PAC- 4, and I was back in PAC-1, we were ready. I only hoped my geometry skills were still good.
"Ready to risk it all, Kellar, my old friend."
"Yes, Jeremy. I am ready." I'd never heard him call me Jeremy before.
The Death Sniper was stomping towards us, and his constant growling told me the pilot was really mad. But I also noticed he wasn't firing at us. He must have used up all his ammo. Even better.
"You stupid fools! You humiliate me by knocking me over, then stand there waiting for me to come destroy you. What do you have in mind? You must have some sort of plan. Why else would you still be here?"
"That's for you to find out, Dork Sniper." I was shocked to hear Sifen say that!
"As you wish."
The Gun Sniper fired its boosters and started hailing us with blasts. Apparently it wasn't out of ammunition. I broke right in PAC-1 and Sifen broke left. As expected, he followed me, but I managed to stay just out of harms way. I ran around until I was running straight for PAC-4 and broke left. Sifen hit him good with a few shots.
The Death Sniper now took notice of Sifen and started shooting at him. My Zoid ran up right behind the little black arsenal and did something I never thought I'd ever do: PAC-1 chomped down on the Death Sniper's tail.
"What the--?" screamed the pilot. I was really humiliating him now. I pulled hard at him but he was just too heavy. At least he couldn't move. Sifen flanked him from the right, and I could really hear the Death Sniper scream.
The Sniper fired its jets and broke my grasp on him. Making a short arch he u-turned and started back at us. We ran off in opposite directions, but again, he went after me.
I started a circular run around the Death Sniper, and it shut off its jets and dropped to the ground. Turning in a slow spin it tried to shoot me, but I kept just one step ahead of it's blasts. That opened him up for the next trick. Sifen ran at him from behind, jumped up, landed on him and then leapt off of the Wild Weasel Unit's radar dish. That looked like fun, so when the DS started shooting as Sifen, I did the same thing.
"I'll destroy you, you worthless morons! I am the most invincible Zoid pilot on all of planet Zi! AAARRRGGGHHH!"
I figured he was mad enough by now, so I moved into position.
Time to play dead.
I let him chase me until he was just about in position, then...I let him shoot me. PAC-1 rolled across the sand and stopped moving. Quite the performance. The Death Sniper walked up to investigate, and stopped exactly where we wanted him.
"Hah! Thought this was all a little game, didn't you? Well, time to pay the price of admission!"
The Death Sniper opened its mouth and started charging the Wave- Smacker. He was so intent on shooting me, he didn't see PAC-4 walk up behind him, chomp his tail, and pull.
The Wave-Smacker beam fired from his mouth, but missed PAC-1 by only a couple of meters. The beam hit the metal panel on the Outpost tower and reflected off right towards Bruno's Gustav. PAC-4 let go of the tail and ran off as the beam ricocheted off of the Gustav's shiny silver body, flew across the desert dunes and slammed into the Death Sniper.
"NOOOOO!" screamed the Death Sniper pilot as his Zoid glowed with its own destructive energy. Its massive array of weapons finally begain to break as the Plasma Armor cracked, and the Zoid exploded in a sparkling purple shatter.
The pilot fell to the ground just like Kavid did, and was writhing in pain.
PAC-1 walked up to him, lowered its head and I dropped out. Throwing off my helmet I walked up to the pilot, who was still conscious, although in agony.
I kneeled next to him, and all I could think to say was a punch line:
"Game over."