The metal joints creaked silently as the boosters propelled the hunk of metal forward. The flood lights had yet to be turned on - the area was shrouded in darkness. A few hours before a storm had unleashed its quite fury, leaving a dense mist in its wake. Two feet set down on the ground as the mechanical giant surveyed the area. Its battle rifle was poised for battle, set before the beast, ready to fire at a moment's notice or the twitch of an itchy finger.
His torso swiveled around a few more times as the technological masterpiece got its bearings. The left arm swung at imaginary targets as the energy blade spilled forth, testing the new weapon for the first time as it got a feel for its weight. A few minutes earlier the part was still being installed as the previous one had gotten destroyed, but it was in need of replacing anyway. This was a lighter, more powerful blade, but had the set backs of a greater energy usage, even when not being used.
It took a few steps forward before radar caught movement nearly 400 meters north: dead ahead. The robotic giant stood still for a few moments before it caught the bright light of trails of a fast moving object headed east. Easy prey, no doubt - the enemy was unskilled. It moved forward as it began to stalk its prey.
Another object was picked up on radar, but behind the machine - to the south. How could it be? It turned slowly as to not let its position be known.
But it was too late.
The bright flood lights of the arena buzzed on as the power surged through the bulbs. Fans cheered silently through the monitors - there were no longer any live spectators after the freak accident nearly a year before this night, when one of the core's generators exploded, destroying half of the stadium. People now watched the battle through their view screens at home.
The pilot of the Zair quickly boosted backwards as its missile interception systems kicked online. The legs skimmed the ground, destroying a few cars, as it released flares and the like, quickly hiding behind a building, using it for cover. The missile pack on the right shoulder acquired its targets and let loose a slew of tiny warheads, numbering so many that no one had ever come out of the barrage unscathed, or for that matter seriously damaged.
And yet, the pilot of the Headstriker, his enemy, dared not move. It fired no countermeasures and stood awaiting certain death.
Or so the Zair thought.
The loud scream of an overcharge came forth from the boosters of the blue-hued Zair as they collected the necessary energy to attain maximum speed. The pilot merely smiled as he soared forward, under, and past the missiles, much to the Zair's dismay. The warheads became lost in their pursuit of the target and ran into buildings instead, exploding harmlessly on the ground or elsewhere.
The Headstriker speeded forward, setting its sights on the red-colored Zair, an easy target. A machine of its size would not be able to avoid his own blade, or for that matter be able to react fast enough to even defend itself. The Headstriker fired a few rounds of its shoulder-mounted grenade launcher as it flew forward, not caring where they landed as long as it created a little more havoc on the scene.
The Zair know that it could do nothing to avoid the attack, and so stood its ground in the few seconds it took for its enemy to approach. The Gatling cannon on its left shoulder became active as it came down onto the mechanical arm, launching a torrent of bullets at the speedy blue mech. They were avoided as the Headstriker veered a little left, in time to align the blade against the spinning barrels.
A downward slash of the arm produced the energy blade, cutting straight through the Zair's shoulder-mounted weapon. Headstriker kept its forward motion, turning off its overboosts to land atop a building as it readied its long-range rifle as it turned around to end the duel quickly. A cloud of dust was all that it could see, so a few round fired into it for safety was all that it needed to keep the pilot satisfied. As the dust cleared and as the pilot squinted down the scope, it saw the remains of an abandoned cannon on the ground, but no Zair - much to the Headstriker's dismay.
The whistling of mortars caused the Headstriker to lower the rifle and look up. Three grenades were headed in the exact position that the blue mech was currently standing in, coming from the southeast. Jumping off of the building and activating the overboosts, in turned toward the southwest in order to get away from his enemy and his shells.
Zair was expecting this.
As the Headstriker zoomed off towards the top of another building, Zair launched a few more grenades behind his foe, unknown to the speedy one. Zair allowed his target to get away, but slowly followed pursuit as the legs began to walk, aided only a little by the boosters on its back.
As the Headstriker landed atop the building, it heard the tell-tale whistles once again and looked towards the ceiling for their arcs. But they had already struck the building. It collapsed underneath the weight of the machine, its foundations already weakened by the mobile explosives that had just gone off at its base. A red figure was sliding through the buildings, weaving in and out at a general distance of nearly 100 meters, keeping out of direct harm's way as it lobbed oven more grenades at the fallen building.
Zair inched closer, still keeping up a steady volley of warheads at the fallen building where the Headstriker had just recovered. As the first mortars were arriving, the second one took off the left arm of the blue as it headed west ward still, mortars still following its position. The pilot of the Zair knew he would go this way. Armless, and lighter, he jumped into the air as his overboosts again were activated. His flight a little faster, and his wits a bit sharper, he followed the tracers to the Zair as his left shoulder's missiles acquired their target. Seven clicks passed before he arrived, launching a salvo at his enemy, in hopes of distracting him so that his impaired mech could get close enough to use the blade.
The distraction worked as the Zair once again shifted position, into the direct line of sight of the flying Headstriker. It had to machine gun this time, and so...
The right side of the mech was nearly completely shave off - the arm had but a stub as the grenade launcher exploded still on the shoulder, causing damage to the Zair and the Headstriker as it flew by once again, for the second time this night. The blue one quickly came to a halt as the reverse legs flexed under the lightened load, the missile pack exhausted as it fell to the ground and landed atop a car. The Zair itself turned to face its enemy, without either shoulder weapon or unused battle rifle.
Both mechs had their blades - and so squared off once more in the park. They circled and danced as the energy blades appeared when swung, each mech boosting and sliding under the other's blade. As the Zair swung low to cut off a leg, the Headstriker swung across and the chest area, in hopes of damaging the cockpit. It hopped to avoid the swing as the Zair itself leaned back, their attacks both missing at by a hair. But the Zair saw an opportunity: neither was built for movement in the air...
It took two steps forward as its slashed the Headstriker in the chest, sending it back nearly 35 meters. The red mech stepped up once again to slash, but was parried and slashed by the blue. The dance continued as each mech glanced a blow off of the other, never directly, as the favor has returned it turn. On and on the blows went as they hopped and skidded between the buildings, neither giving an advantage to the other.
Zair's pilot was getting frustrated - never had an opponent been able to disable all but his blade weapon; was he ever glad to have gotten an upgrade...
Headstriker's was cackling within the cockpit - never had an opponent been able to last this long in close quarters combat...
But then the Zair's blade struck the back of the Headstriker as it tried to block an attack but lost its footing. Zair had activated the overboost in order to ram the enemy and force it on its back.
The blue mech regained its footing and turned to see the approaching Zair. It deftly stepped aside and held out the blade, dashing again across the Zair's path, removing the left arm as it passed.
And now the Zair was left without either arm or shoulder weapons, the explosion of the severed arm knocking offline the boosters and leaving it lying on its back, helpless to the approaching Headstriker.
Headstriker slowly moved forward, knowing its battle won. The red mech attempted to get up in vain as it tried to craws away.
The energy blade came forth and was held at the Zair's head, awaiting the command of the pilot to strike.
A bright light shone from the core of the Zair as it opened and revealed an even greater weapon, one that it had kept secret for a moment such as this.
A white light engulfed both combatants as the arena shook with the force.
The match was draw.