"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! Sonic Sentinel has taken out Broad Scouter with a devastating sonic punch to the left eye! Something tells me Aidan Wilson is going to be feeling that for some time to come, folks!"
As the crowd surged to its feet, I sighed and stretched the kinks out of my back. 'That was a hell of a punch, Rick,' Alice, my team leader, said. 'You really knocked Aidan out for six.'222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9MkTFIKyG
Across the arena, Broad Scouter was getting dizzily to its feet, shaking its head as sparks discharged from its damaged left eye. As Aidan's team ran over to begin assisting the woozy duo, I disengaged from the central core of Sonic Sentinel. "Good fight," I told it.
'You did well,' Sonic Sentinel told me. 'How'd you know to go for the left eye?'
"Grim's pilot took me out that way when I first got into the sport," I said, as my team came upstairs. "I filed it away for later, just in case I had to use that move. It paid off, though."
'It did,' Sonic Sentinel agreed. 'But Aidan will be wise to your trick should you two encounter each other again.'
"He probably will," I said, as Alice and Ailsa helped pull the neuro-wires from my body. "But we'll just have to get even more clever next time."
'How so?" Sonic Sentinel asked.
I grinned. "We dodge."222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamm1kLLFOk
Sonic Sentinel's chuckle was the last sound I heard before I disengaged fully from our connection, and David began his diagnostic. "He's taken a few hits to the knee," he said, frowning as the transparent glasses scanned the mainframe. "He's going to need a soldering on the left one, and some of those dodgy wires need to be replaced if he's going to last against Carnage next week." David was very protective of Sonic Sentinel., and it showed in his almost accusatory tone. "Also, who the hell hotwired him? I'll have their head for that! He's not supposed to be hotwired! You have any idea how bloody valuable he is!"
As his rant continued, the rest of the team beat a hasty retreat, and when we emerged onto the packed earth of the arena, I spied Aidan in consultation with his team. He still looked like he'd been hit right between the eyes, but he grinned when he saw me, and we shared a warm handshake. "That was a good fight," he told me. "I'm going to be feeling that for a week, at least."
"How's Broad Scouter?" I asked.
"Dizzy," Aidan said. "And he said some words I shan't repeat in the presence of ladies, but you can bet he'll be hot for the fight when we match up again. It's gotten a bit personal on his part, for which I apologise."
I understood. In the Last Great War, Broad Scouter and Sonic Sentinel had been on opposite sides of the war, and Broad Scouter had never forgiven Sonic Sentinel for taking him out during their titanic one-on-one fight in one of the last battles of the war. Now, Broad Scouter had it out for Sonic Sentinel, who heartily returned the favour. Aidan and I, on the other hand, were best friends, and we always went to the pub whenever we got a chance, not letting our mechas' mutual animosity get in the way. "Tell Broad Scout to rein it in," I said seriously. "Nothing against you, but David's having a fit up there, and he's ready to tear heads off."
Aidan winced. "Do all diagnosers come from the same cloth?" he asked plaintively. "Fine, but don't expect me to be able to hold Broad Scouter back the next time you and I meet. I barely kept him under control as it is, and that final punch didn't help matters. He's frothing at the mouth to get even."222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVj7nFqOoTG
I sighed. "At least Sonic Sentinel's got the good sense to keep his feelings in check," I said sourly. "Aaand speaking of which..."
A group of angry young men and women had just approached the electrified cage which enclosed all the mecha fights, and their green and black clothing warned me they were out for blood. "You cheated," Marissa stated coldly. She was the head of the little fan club Broad Scouter had amassed ever since he and Aidan had started taking to the ring, and she had the mouth of a sailor and the temper of a fishwife. "We're going to have you investigated," she added. "That punch probably wasn't legal, you know."
"Can it," Aidan warned, losing his good mood as he rounded on her. "Marissa, I'm warning you. You're already in hot water as it is for attacking Oberon's crew the week before, and if it weren't for my word, you'd all be barred from future cage fights. Now clear out before I forget myself and hit a woman in anger."
Marissa paled and fled, her little entourage hurrying after her. Aidan would never actually strike a woman, but his tone of voice suggested he'd about had enough of his unwanted fan club. I didn't blame him. Fan clubs were the bane of each pilot's existence, and while my own supporters weren't quite as rabid - consolation beer and pizza parties were as far as they went whenever Sonic Sentinel lost - there were other supporters out there who weren't as restrained. Aidan's fan club was one such example.
"Let it go," I advised. "I know she boils you up, but ever since she got warned for that incident, she's been walking fairly close to the line. And she hasn't the pull to investigate me anyways. Besides, all moves are legal, and if a mecha or its pilot comes up with a new move that doesn't cause too much property damage, what's the harm?"
Aidan chuckled. "Fair enough," he agreed. "Beer and pizza?"
I could never say no to beer and pizza. "Let's go," I said.
222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2ktB6QnTx
