TWENTY FIVE
MATCH OF THE APOCALYPSE, PART 3
Review Corner:
jdoug4118: This chapter might provide some answers (although not a conclusive one), but the fight is not over. So stay tuned.
Somewhere in the Desert,
Western Continent, Planet Zi,
March 11, 2128
Kissing the edge of the atmosphere, Saskia pushed her throttle to maximum, bringing the 330 tons zoid to full speed. She remembered vividly every single time she flew to the edge of the atmosphere, breathlessly watching the blue planet Zi spread underneath her. It was her most intimate moment with her zoid. Nothing else came close. She felt bad that she had to come here for other purpose. She felt like she tainted the sacred place she shared with her zoid.
But it was the only place she could access to use her zoid's superior speed to catch up with Royce. The other Gilvader carried 4 Drillgan units which created air drags within the atmosphere. As Cassiopeia reported, it topped at 'only' Mach 3.8. Without much resistance, she hoped she could gain a few Mach to quickly close the gap between the two Gilvaders.
As her Gilvader's jets screamed, Saskia wondered if she was ready to have a full confrontation with Royce. He was a narcissist who believed in superstition, but he was the first and only man who had touched her where no man had ever done before. Deep in her heart, she still wished it were the truth, that everything were just a nightmare and she would soon wake up in Royce's warm embrace.
Her contemplation quickly evaporated when the view of the other Gilvader materialized before her eyes. Her heartbeat accelerated as she watched the beast soaring in defiance, eyes fixed on the horizon, completely ignoring her advent, or just oblivious about her presence. Its six rocket boosters painted a long trace of smoke in the sky.
Saskia's Gilvader roared as the two monsters became closer.
"Gentle, Gilvy" Saskia said as she armed all weapons. "I shall establish communication first, yet be ready for anything. I may talk to a companion lost, or I may talk to a mere savage. We never know."
Saskia carefully turned on the radio and called the other Gilvader. "Royce? Royce, if you can heed voice…"
The Drillgan Gilvader made a hard left twist and fired its Drillgan cannons without warning. Saskia was too shaken to take evasive maneuver but her Gilvader took control and engaged a steep dive. Blood spurted from Saskia's nose as the sudden G-force pushed blood into her head. Her vision turned into a big red blotch. She had not been in a high-G situation for months, and this sudden movement nearly knocked her out cold.
The Drillgan Gilvader followed her and fired its Plasma Cannons. Saskia Gilvader let out a long, shrilling screech and made a hard pitch up. The Drillgan Gilvader followed it, still blasting its Plasma Cannons, but the Drillgan units hindered its movement. Saskia's Gilvader barrel-rolled left and right, dodging most of the Plasma beams. A couple Plasma beams stabbed it in the rear, melting armor but didn't do any damage.
Slowly Saskia regained her senses, only to realize that she was thrown every which way like a rag doll inside the cockpit. The two Gilvaders were locked in a vicious dogfight, with her Gilvader wildly twisting and turning and the Drillgan Gilvader firing its entire arsenal in reckless abandon. Blinding energy needles zipped past the cockpit. Smoking pockmarks adorned her Gilvader's wings. Her console blinked and the armor turned bright yellow.
"Dive, Gilvy! Dive!" Saskia grabbed her joystick and pushed it as far as she could. Her Gilvader pitched down and charged the ground. Saskia waited until the Drillgan Gilvader made similar move, then heaved her joystick up. Her Gilvader screamed to meet her demand, but it pulled up with every bit of force it could muster. The Drillgan Gilvader overshot her position. It pulled up but its Drillgan cannons bogged down its maneuver. As Saskia's Gilvader made a complete half loop, the other one barely made a quarter.
Saskia lined up her crosshair with the Drillgan cannons and fired a plasma salvo. Crimson energy blades stabbed the Drillgan Gilvader on its back, and the drum-like Drillgan units glowed in furious red. But against Saskia's expectation, the Drillgan unit didn't breach. Smoke twirled from the drum, but it remained intact.
"Talk to me, Royce," Saskia hailed the Drillgan Gilvader again. "Please, just talk to me…"
Instead the Drillgan Gilvader hurled an ear-splitting battlecry and blasted its jets in a nigh vertical climb. Saskia followed suit, pushing her body to the limit between roaring jets. The massive G-force felt like crushing her lung. But she had the upper hand, and she didn't want to lose it. Gasping, she thumbed her trigger. The Needler Guns flashed as submunitions strafed the Drillgan Gilvader on the back, raking its jets. One nozzle exploded and immediately sputtered in sparks.
Loosing substantial thrust, the Drillgan Gilvader quickly turned around and charged Saskia's Gilvader with tailblades glowing in purple hue. Before Saskia could do anything, her Gilvader answered the call to melee. Its Maser horns and tailblades burnt bright. The two Gilvaders dashed at each other and swung its tailblades almost in unison. Saskia's Gilvader swept the horns of the Drillgan Gilvader, but the Drillgan Gilvader chipped a large chunk off Saskia's Gilvader's left wing.
"Noo! Gilvy, what are you doing?!" Saskia cried in contempt, watching the embers from the fragmented wing scattered in the dark sky. "Look what you've done to yourself! He stands stronger than you! Don't ever, ever do that again!"
The Gilvader roared in defiance, but the Drillgan Gilvader smelled blood. Its Drillgan cannons blazed in radiant white. Energy bolts leapt from the drums, one after another like a waterfall. Saskia mustered everything she had to dodge the beams, but with the Gilvader's chipped wing the evasive maneuvers fell short. The Drillgan beams grazed the Gilvader's armor, peeling layer after layer. Fragmented armor fluttered before falling down.
"You put us in this hole!" Saskia winced under the pressure. "Find a way out!"
The Gilvader replied with a long growl and a flickering Gravity Cannon icon in the console.
"Let's do it!" Saskia saw no other way to get around it. She blasted the jets, hanging on the staggering maneuver of her damaged zoid. The Drillgan Gilvader couldn't keep up with her, and resolved to its Drillgan weapons to shoot Saskia down. Saskia opened up a large gap between them then made a half loop, now facing the Drillgan Gilvader. Holding her breath, she fired one Gravity Cannon.
The Drillgan Gilvader knew what was coming. It banked right and quickly dove. Saskia's Plana-Tellasite shell zipped past the black dragon, then burst into a black hole. The Drillgan Gilvader gunned its jets to get away from the local gravity force. The downward momentum helped it escape. By the time the black hole diminished, the Drillgan Gilvader had given up significant altitude, now flying just a few hundreds feet away from the ground.
But Saskia had predicted this maneuver. With only 5 operational rocket boosters, the Drillgan Gilvader had to dive hard to gain enough speed to escape the black hole. It had to give up altitude. Now at almost ground level, it could not dive any farther than a couple hundred feet. She lined up her crosshair with the Drillgan Gilvader and fired her second Gravity Cannon. The hyper-densed shell exploded near the ground, creating a massive gravity field mere inches away from the desert sand.
The Drillgan Gilvader screamed and blasted all jets, but the black hole dragged it inch by inch into its dark center. Body parts flew right into the hole, starting from armor platings, struts, actuators, servo arms, even one drum-like Drillgan unit breached at the stump and whizzed straight into the hole. Desperate, the Drillgan Gilvader activated its Beam Smasher shield then cut off all rocket boosters. The black dragon flew straight into the center of the gravity field, then everything blended into a dust cloud that covered the entire vicinity.
Saskia observed the dust cloud with a mixed feeling. Part of her hoped that, no matter how small the chances were, Royce survived this carnage. On the other hand, the only way he survived was when the Drillgan Gilvader survived. That meant she had to fight an even harder battle, because her Gilvader had only 5 percent combat effectiveness. No more Gravity Cannon shots or Beam Smasher shield for her.
The wind blew the dust cloud away, and sure enough the Drillgan Gilvader was still alive. Its armor was shredded to bits, and the 3 remaining Drillgan cannons were bent out of shape, but everything was intact. The beast hurled a long, chilling roar, taunting Saskia and her Gilvader for another showndown.
"Gilvy, please take note," Saskia said, begging for her zoid to comply. "That monster is about to bring down hell. If we want to live through it, we have to run. I need you to run like you've never run before. Please, Gilvy, we shall fight in the coming moments, but presently just run…"
The Drillgan Gilvader took flight and fired its own Gravity Cannons. Saskia heard the dreaded thump of Plana-Tellasite shells, and just floored her pedal. Her Gilvader complied without arguing, a rare phenomenon for which she was both grateful and concerned, considering how stubbornly hot-blooded her zoid was. But she wasn't about to complain. The rocket blasts took her Gilvader skyrocketing through the cloud. The Gravity Cannon shells exploded almost instantaneously. Saskia gasped as the gravity field jerked her zoid, almost holding it in mid air, sucking it into the dark center of the black hole.
"Come one, Gilvy, give it all you've got…" she whimpered.
The Gilvader emitted a strain roar as it blasted its rockets. Everything rattled as if the zoid was teetering in the brink of internal explosion. Saskia closed her eyes and pumped her pedal, giving her zoid extra juice to escape the gravity field. It didn't help much as her Gilvader fought a losing battle, slipping inch by inch. But the black hole soon diminished, and the Gilvader pulled away.
Saskia was about to take a deep breath when the Drillgan Gilvader launched its second assault. Two black holes emerged in front of Saskia's Gilvader. Both Saskia and her zoid was taken by surprise, and before the Gilvader could turn away, the gravity field pulled the metal dragon in such a force it tumbled in the air and spun uncontrollably toward the center of the black holes.
Saskia was immobilized by the mighty force. She just sat in her command couch, staring into the deepest depth of the black holes, surrendering her life. But in a split second her Gilvader took control and blasted its jets to offset its course. The metal dragon used the gravity pull to slingshot itself past the two black holes. The centrifugal force tore the armor apart. Pieces of armor and strut flew right into the black holes. But the Gilvader darted away from the black holes.
It took a while for Saskia to get a hold of herself. Blood streamed freely from her nose. Her hands trembled to the point she couldn't get a grip on her joystick. Her breath came in labored gasps, and every stroke hurt her lungs as if they were punctured. She fought the throbbing in her head to assess the situation, only to be amazed by the fact that she was still alive save for her hemorrhaging nose.
"My God, Gilvy, I thought it got us," she wheezed as she wiped the blood on her face.
The Gilvader replied with a series of short growls. The Drillgan Gilvader had initiated another assault. Its Plasma beams forced Saskia's Gilvader to engage another zigzag, throwing Saskia's weary body left and right. Saskia wasn't ready for another wild ride but she didn't have much time to recuperate. Without supervision, her Gilvader would launch itself toward the Drillgan Gilvader, and have both of them killed in the process. She had to take control of the battle and not rely too much on her Gilvader's combat prowess.
"Outrun it!" Saskia connected all power output to the jets. The black dragon screeched and pulled out a vertical climb, easily leaving the Drillgan Gilvader behind. Knowing it couldn't match Saskia's Gilvader rate of climb, the Drillgan Gilvader fired all Gravity Cannons in unison. The dreaded thumping sounds reverberated in the cold dark air, and within seconds four cascaded black holes emerged, pulling Saskia's Gilvader toward its center.
But Saskia knew how to beat it. Her Gilvader did it once, using the massive gravitational force to garner enough speed to slingshot itself past the field. As she felt her jerk, she turned the big zoid toward the black holes, turning it into a giant bullet. As the zoid skyrocketed in excess of Mach 5, she angled the jets 45 degree to give the zoid enough leverage to avoid the black holes. The momentum carried the Gilvader to gracefully vault over the edge of the black hole's horizon, and zoom past their gravitational fields, straight at the Drillgan Gilvader.
The Drillgan Gilvader didn't expect such maneuver. It fired all weapons but Saskia's Gilvader flew right through it. Plasma bolts and ballistic needles clobbered Saskia's Gilvader but it ignored the attack. Its Maser horns and tailblades glowed. The horns gouged the Drillgan Gilvader's chest, tearing a deep gash that gushed smoke and fire. Its tail whipped and sliced the Drillgan Gilvader's forearm, almost shearing the right leg off. Blue flames bled off the gashes as the Drillgan Gilvader spun uncontrollably.
Saskia turned her Gilvader around and fired her Needle guns. But the Drillgan Gilvader raised its Beam Smasher shield, even when it was still spinning uncontrollably. Saskia's shots bounced off the acoustic shield. She pressed the attack, emptying the cartridges of her Needler guns until there was nothing more to shoot, but nothing went through the shield. Every shot ricocheted like sand bouncing off a clamshell.
Cocooned in an acoustic shield, the Drillgan Gilvader regained control and leveled off. Smoke wafted from the deep gash on its chest, and sparks spewed from the sliced leg, but the damages only made it madder. Its eyes glowed in blinding red, along with the Drillgan units. A deafening battlecry preceeded its assault, seconds before rays of light streaked through the air, storming Saskia's Gilvader with murderous intention.
"Run! Run! Run!" Saskia screamed and yanked her joystick left and right. Her Gilvader mustered everything it had left to evade the salvos, but some beam strands still found their marks. Plasma bolts perforated its wings, reducing the Magnesser effect. The Gilvader staggered with every shot. It barrel-rolled furiously to evade the Drillgan beam streaks, but with punctured wings it became harder and harder to do. The Gilvader became more and more sluggish.
Saskia maxed out the throttle in a desperate attempt to clear the Drillgan Gilvader's weapon range. The Drillgan bolts still whizzed all around her. But the Drillgan units were not accurate at long range, a damage done by Saskia's Gravity Cannon. The Drillgan Gilvader had a tough time to hit her from this distance. However she couldn't hit the Drillgan Gilvader either. The Gilvader's Plasma Cannons were the only ranged weapons she had left.
Saskia realized this battle would have to be resolved in close-quarter combat.
"We have two choices, Gilvy," she prepared her zoid for the showdown. "Get down and dirty, or call it a tie. Any other choices have been removed from our hands."
Her Gilvader replied by activating its Maser horns and tailblades.
"It will hurt," Saskia said as she steered her Gilvader toward a collision course with the Drillgan Gilvader. "But whatever the outcome may be, I will stay with you. I have been absent your grace for too long. If this is the way it has to end, then I shall follow you to the grave."
The Gilvader bellowed and pounced at the Drillgan Gilvader. Its Maser horns and tailbades blazed in purple splendor, and all Beam Smasher buzzsaws whirled in high speed, creating an eerie screech. The Drillgan Gilvader fired everything it had, but Saskia's Gilvader made a large swoop then blasted all jets to come within point blank range. The Drillgan Gilvader armed its Gravity Cannons, but Saskia's Gilvader had come dangerously close. Instead of using its highly destructive weapons, it resolved for close quarter combat. Its tailblades glowed and its buzzsaws whirled in supersonic speed. It hurled its own battlecry and launched itself to meet Saskia's Gilvader in a pugilistic showdown.
The two Gilvaders clashed in midair. Saskia's Gilvader quickly chomped on the Drillgan Gilvader's right leg which was already damaged. A geyser of spark jetted from the incision. The Drillgan Gilvader cried out and bludgeoned the head of Saskia's Gilvader with its left foot. Saskia buried her head under her arms as the canopy exploded into twinkling shards of plexiglass, slicing her skin all over her body. The pain was almost unbearable. But her Gilvader bit down even harder, refusing to let go of the leg. The Drillgan Gilvader slapped the head again, harder than before. One of the Maser horns came off flying. The Drillgan Gilvader used its claws to pry Saskia's Gilvader's mouth, dislocating its jaw in the process. But it was a second too late. Its leg had been virtually torn off, dangling on the stump by just mere strands of cables.
The Drillgan Gilvader roared raucously and rammed its buzzsaws on Saskia's Gilvader's chest. A sickening sceech of metal reverberated, coupled by the agonizing scream of Saskia's Gilvader. The buzzsaw dug deep into the dragon's flesh, pumping out sparks and metal splinters like blood. Saskia's Gilvader held the Drillgan Gilvader with all legs, stopping the buzzsaws from plunging into its core. The buzzsaws whirled mercilessly, exacerbating the incisions the longer they stayed.
Desperate for a break, Saskia's Gilvader curled its tail up and impaled its glowing tailblades at the back of the Drillgan Gilvader. The long tailblades drilled through armor and pierced the engine casing, dangerously threatening the delicate machinery. The Drillgan Gilvader let out a staggering cry, but quickly regained its composure. It swung its own tail, and its tailblades sliced the tail of Saskia's Gilvader. Free from the clutch, the Drillgan Gilvader kicked its counterpart, sending the dragon flying rearward.
Weakened by cuts all over her body, Saskia grasped the joystick to steady up her Gilvader. But that second of split gave the Drillgan Gilvader enough time to arm its Drillgan units. The three gigantic barrels burnt solid gold, and Saskia realized there was no escaping it. The monster was just too strong. She released her joystick in submission, but watched in horror as her Gilvader let out a desperate growl, and initiated the auto-eject sequence.
"NO!" Saskia defied pain and quickly disconnected her command couch from the main power line. She understood what her zoid was trying to do. She would do the same. But there was no way she would let her zoid take the killing blow all by itself. "I am NOT leaving!"
Running out of option, her Gilvader raised the Beam Smasher shield with every bit of energy it had left. The buzzsaws sputtered and acoustic bubble started to mold, but there was just not enough power to raise a respectable barrier. The Drillgan units blasted, and Saskia's Gilvader disappeared behind a massive fireball.
The explosion knocked the Gilvader out cold, but the weak Beam Smasher shield took the brunt of the Drillgan attack. The giant dragon spun uncontrollably, plunging freely without the defiance of the jets. Saskia pumped the pedal and shook her joystick to give the Gilvader a little spark, but the big zoid was not responding. The console went dark.
Saskia didn't know how far they dove straight down to Zi surface. When the zoid finally crash-landed, everything went dead black.