Sunday, April 19, 2009

16 April 2009 - Gearmageddon: 37 Winter TN1920

The caravan was still on full alert when the four gears rolled back into the main compound. They kicked up a heavy cloud of dust that mixed with their exhaust fumes. As those machines began powering down, the perimeter defense gears arrived in pairs. A Hunter, a Warrior III, a Hunter Recon AG, a Jager, and finally a large Bear roared into the compound. After Bill Pearce gave the all clear signal from the machinegun position on top of the Behemoth, the cacophany of v-engines subsided.

The dust settled. A collective sigh of relief could be felt throughout the caravan crew. Every man and gear had come back in one piece.

As Kain and the rest dismounted, Natty caught up with Gade and hugged him tightly. Ari and Peter shook hands, smiling. Kelly clambered down from her Bear and levered open a beer bottle off the massive machine's knee armour plate. She then settled in a heap at her gear's foot.

"Kim Bistrotta wants a status report," Ben pushed a datapad into Kain's hand.

"Tell her everything is under control," retorted Kain, dryly. He considered summoning Prabal, but decided he would deal with the camera footage later. It was time to leave Lance Point, before Officer Michel showed up for his next bribe.

*****

Josephina looked over at the Warrior III she drove during the four-on-four gear duel out on the salt flats. Gade had selected the location after the caravan team won the coin toss. She didn't like the fact that it had all come down to a coin toss in the end. Had the Indy Dueling League team won, they would have had a serious terrain advantage. She leaned over her plate of beans and barnaby loaf, sitting alone atop a Longrunner truck, her legs dangling over the side. She could feel the weight of her locket around her neck the most at times like these, after the fight was over and she was still alive.

It hadn't been a particularly desperate battle. A couple of hairy moments, sure, but with their terrain advantage neutralized, the Indy League team had to rely on their wits alone. It didn't hurt that Kain had put up a jamming screen. It didn't stop the pilots from talking to each other, but after watching the footage of Arnold "Axe" Black being so soundly defeated in supposedly neutral territory, Josephina was sure that something else was going on.

She glanced down at her locket. Being alive felt good. Even the beans tasted vibrant and gratifying. The barnaby loaf was another story.

Being Gade's wingman in that dustup wasn't much of a problem. She respected the duelist, even if he was still reckless at times. She chuckled, having nearly walked in on him and Natty again after his gear was stowed. Josephina still had a couple of bruises from where Natty had thrown a dish at her before they arrived in Lance Point. She was relieved that those two had reconciled.

The tall, fit Josephina had done well, keeping one of the Indy League Jagers busy while Gade tangled with that Sidewinder, and then the Python. Rushing them off the bat was a good tactic, even if it was risky.

But luck had been on their side today.

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