Learning The Ropes: Unintentionally (Max)

[Marcus Takumi]

"Waaaiiit a minute -- the GPS must be busted or something!!!"

Marcus Takumi, somehow, managed to get him and Vee, his black and blue, booster-upgraded Rev Raptor, lost in the middle of a desert wasteland prior to leaving the urban Romeo City. Sighing in complete confusion, he took to mind the fridge logic involved behind his actions. Vee gave a frustrated growl as if his pilot was entirely at fault for being lost. "Shut up, Vee! It's not my fault I can't work with geography!" retorted Marcus, aimlessly beeping away at the control panels, trying to get some form of navigation.

"Ahhh, it's a total no-go!" he huffed, forcing the navigational system to power down as he threw the rest of his hair into his ponytail, so that way he wouldn't sweat as much in the searing sunlight. Unconsciously, he recalled Patrick "DogTrot" Norstein's offer to teach Marcus how to Zoid battle one day -- in which he would be damn well sure to learn from him. The Strike Harken Claws that glistened on Vee's mechanical feet grinded away at the grainy sand particles, the boosters attached to the legs of the Rev Raptor letting off a faint glow to show they had been recently waxed. "Well, it's no biggie!" shouted Marcus, whom turned on an air conditioning system he took the liberty to install inside the cockpit. "Ingenuity comes in handy in these spots!"

Relaxing as cool air circulated throughout the entire control panels, Marcus began to walk into a slow stride, allowing his hands to naturally move the controls that ran Vee's entire systems. Also taking the liberty to look at the sandy expanses, he wondered just where he really was, and how to get out before he fried to death.

"...I'm thirsty."

[xX Max Xx]

[/i]

Indeed the one known as Max was bumping to beats within the cockpit of his Zoid. Man was he glad that he had that stereo system added into the Houndsoldier, for now he could entertain himself while wandering aimlessly in his Zoid. Apparently, the Houndsoldier enjoyed the same musical beats that its owner did, seeming to walk within rythmn to the songs Max had blasting.

In fact, the Houndsoldier's head could be seen bobbing a bit to the music that was literally "playing in its head." Of course, the music would have been a distraction to most, but Max could function rather finely with it on. One might see the youth as lost, being in this Desert Wasteland, but he knew where he wanted to go and how to get there. Of course, even if he knew his way, he couldn't help but assume others in the vicinity didn't.

"Wha dat?" Questioned Max to himself, having spotted another Zoid in the air. He smirked, for either it was a wild Zoid rearing to fight or a piloted Zoid looking to earn some points. It was a Rev Raptor, Max could tell that much. Checking its weapons out, he couldn't help but want the pretty weapons attached to it. Picture his Houndsoldier decked out with some crazy claws!

"Hey! Hey you with the face! You a wild Zoid or is there a pilot in ya!?" Yelled Max after opening up communication. Of course, he would expect the Zoid to just go for an attack if it were wild. He tapped his chin with a finger as he pondered what to do if this guy really did wanted to fight.[/ul][/ul][/sup]

[Marcus Takumi]

Marcus, having roamed around for quite a bit, was now officially thirstier than no other. Trying his hardest to search for at least a water hole of some kind, he had turned on his stereo system, allowing the soft beats of "The Real Folk Blues", a song made popular by The Seatbelts, to echo throughout the cockpit/Vee's head. "Ahh... Nothin' like some soothing music to keep me occupied!" the boy with the ponytail cooed softly, letting himself get caught up in the music, Vee's head slowly moving up and down with the tunes.

Unfortunately, the beat of the soft song was instantly cut off; which made Marcus slightly peeved at the sudden cease of music. Instead, a loud and rather obnoxious voice could be heard practically screaming from the communications system: "Hey! Hey you with the face! You a wild Zoid or is there a pilot in ya!?" Nearly lurching forth on his controls, he gained composure and flipped on the "Receive Signal" button, so that he could open conversation with whatever bat-out-of-hell that was shouting at him. "Oi! Take it easy, I'm not deaf, you know!" he practically shouted back before tilting his head as if curious about something.

What popped up on visual was none other than a Zoid -- a Houndsoldier, to be precise. He could only come to the conclusion that a pilot had been controlling this hulking monstrosity that he was now faced with. Not only that, he could hear music from the opposing line, which instantly got his attention. "Yo, dude, what shizz you be blastin' over there? That's some illin' soundtrack!" he had shouted out, in his natural "Romeo slang"; which he picked up as a child while roaming the ghetto regions of Romeo City, hearing the dialect of select individuals.

Vee had given a slight growl, as if it were distasteful towards the opposing Houndsoldier. Sure, it was slightly rusty, but it looked like a decent model, to be exact. All three sets of claws, each of differing types, seemed to glisten in the sunlight, as the Rev Raptor looked like it was about ready to strike; forcing Marcus to rear it back with his manual control grid. Hoping the newcomer didn't take it as a threat, Marcus flipped on the commlink to send a message to the Houndsoldier's pilot. "Yo, hold it! Vee's actin' up, keep yer jet's cool!"

[xX Max Xx]

[/b]

The voice that boomed back at him made Max flinch a bit, surprised how loud it came. Looking to his own communication system, he realized how loud he had the volume up and would laugh a bit to himself. Despite the incident, the boy wouldn't adjust the volume level. As long as he kept his voice to its "inside" level, things would be fine. The guys voice sounded like he was around his age, which set Max a bit at ease.

His chuckled a bit to himself, hearing the guy ask him what song he was listening to. That definitely alluded to this stranger being around his own age, for most older individuals weren't into the music that he preferred. He would lean in to speak into his communication system once more to respond.

"Sorry about that, forgot how high this thing was set. Eheh. Song's Feather by Nujabes. You from Romeo City?" Questioned Max, having made the relation between this person's dialect and the city he spent most of his time hanging around. He himself tended to use a few "Romeo Terms" and whatnot. But the friendly interaction was interupted by the Zoid's rather threatening gestures. The Hounsoldier would react with a low growl.

"Well, Weiss doesn't take to kindly threats. Maybe a friendly match to help them bond?" Suggested Max with a bit of a smirk on his face. He was always up for Zoids battles, as he saw them as oppurtunities to not only learn your limits, but to also better themself.
[/ul][/ul][/sup]

[Marcus Takumi]

Realizing this boy was practically his age by the way he sounded, Marcus had gave a wide smile. Laughing at his earlier response at how loud his commspeaker was, he simply replied in response. "Eh, I make mistakes like that too. No biggie!" Hearing the name of the song as "Feather" by an artist called Nujabes, Marcus instantly committed it to memory. "Sa-weet! I was just listening to "The Real Folk Blues" by The Seatbelts until you interrupted me. S'okay, I'm cool." Raising an eyebrow at the mention of Romeo City and his origins, Marcus replied with a rough "Hoo-ah!"

"You know it! I was born, raised, and spent most of my days there; just chillaxin' all cool and all that." he commented, throwing up a false gang sign in affirmation. Though Vee had reacted towards the opposing Houndsoldier with a low hiss, the other one, which the boy called "Weiss" seemed to respond, almost as if it were accepting Vee's challenge.

"Well, Weiss doesn't take to kindly threats. Maybe a friendly match to help them bond?"

A wide and confident grin was now plastered on Marcus' tanned face. Perfect -- this was the perfect opportunity to test out his skills as a bona-fide Zoid pilot! He never even taken into consideration that he had absolutely zero experience in the battlefield; though he was adept in managing a close-range Zoid. "Hell yeah! I'll take you up, no sweat!" he nearly shouted out loud in the commspeak, being hypocritical in the last comment he made before. Revving up the Rev Raptor's initial combat systems, Vee had allowed its many clawed weapons: Counter Scythes, Strike Harkens, Hyper Claws, etc., they all shot up and down like a crowd of people throwing their arms up in a wave.

"Ready to kick ass, Vee?" asked the ponytailed boy in hot-blooded excitement, the large Rev Raptor chortling a sort of giggle from its mechanized throat. Marcus nodded -- the confirmation he needed. "Let's ROCK this joint!" he shouted, flipping on "WILD CHALLENGER" by artist JINDOU; allowing the high-spirited "battle music" to take over the cockpit of Marcus Takumi as he slammed the controls down to their maximum point, throwing Vee into a high sprint, at his topspeed of 210 kilometers per hour, towards the Houndsoldier.

Get a good look at me now!

[xX Max Xx]

[/b] Jeered Max, smirking a bit as he observed his opponent's attack. A charge? Well, it wasn't completely unorthodox, but the method was uncanny. Max was tempted to blast one of its legs off, but he decided to let this fight drag out. The boy would maneuver its Houndsoldier to shift its weight, leaping off the ground and to its side and avoiding the charge.

"Bold move!" Yelled Max, his Zoid pivoting on its front paws as it landed from the side leap. This would turn its body, and Max would make the Zoid's weight shift to rest the hind legs down. One of the things Max was efficient at was controlling the way his Zoid threw its weight around, which helped him a lot in fights. He would fire a missile at the back of the Rev Raptor, aimed to damage but not exponentially.

"Get at me!" Max would jeer, already enjoying this fight. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of move he would pull next.

[/ul][/ul][/sup]

[Marcus Takumi]

Much like a matador would a charging bull, Marcus' reckless charge was completely avoided by the boy; whom shifted his own Houndsoldier up out of the way. Continuing his charge, he pulled back on his grips as hard as he could, more to the left than the right, forcing Vee to skid across the blazing sand until he screeched to a grinding halt; slowly turning his body to the left until he faced the opponent once more.

"Darn it, you're pretty fast!" Marcus complimented, thrusting forth into another bold rush. Before long, Vee's body was subjected to a weak missile to the torso, forcing a howl of pain from the Zoid's mechanized muzzle; Marcus gasping and grunting as well. Sirens buzzed aloud in the cockpit as the Rev Raptor was sent tottering backwards, trying to regain balance on its bottom heavy legs. Before long, Marcus had it back on it's feet, shaking off the damage it had received. Did he just fire a missile at Vee? He's got some moves...

Being egged on to attack, Marcus simply sneered, once again thrusting forth into a powerful rush attack; preparing his Strike Harkens for assault. Boldly charging through, Marcus was once again prepared to pull an all-out tackle against the Houndsoldier, unaware of what this guy could do to him.

"You got lucky that last time! Let's see you pull a repeat performance!"

[xX Max Xx]

[/b] Muttered Max to himself, rather surprised at his opponent's choice of action. But he decided he would try to go for close combat as well, seeing as his Houndsoldier was efficient enough at it. Besides, Max always found close combat to be more fun. As Marcus's Rev Raptor began its charge, so would the Houndsoldier.

"Time to maul, Weiss!" Muttered Max under his breath, the Houndsoldier reaching its top speed of 330 mph, a claw extended for a strike to the Rev Raptor's Strike Harkens. Obviously weight and velocity was on the Houndsoldier's side, but Max couldn't help but wonder what Maneuver the Rev Raptor might pull to counter his attack.

"Impress me!"[/ul][/ul][/sup]

[Marcus Takumi]

Honestly, Marcus wasn't the slightest bit knowledgeable in this sort of thing at this point; though he was satisfied at the foe's response to match with his own charge. Pushing down on his thrusters, he forced Vee to meet him up, but was completely taken aback by the fact that the Houndsoldier was faster than his own Zoid companion. Even worse; it was aiming for the Strike Harkens attached to his feet.

ThinkofsomethingthinkofsomethingTHINKOFSOMETHING!!! Marcus thought violently, inadvertently pulling up his controls in an attempt to grab his head to sort his thoughts. In one, swift movement, he had felt his body keel downward as Vee had used his powerful legs to completely jump up vertically to avoid the rampaging Houndsoldier. Feeling the slight sensation of weightlessness before crashing down to the ground below, straight into an upright position. Wait a sec... What just happened?

Blinking a few times, pulling a triple take, and then widening his grin of overbearing pride, he let out a howl of self-proclaimed victory. "AWW YEAH, BEEYATCH! WHERE'S YOUR SPEED NOW!?" he screamed in the air, Vee letting out an equally prideful roar. Turning Vee around so he had faced Max again, he gave a wide smirk, ready to continue this already one-sided fight; his mind set with the belief that he was only getting started.

Flipping a few controls around and adjusting his neck, he had threw the thrusters forward, letting out yet another dash! "A'ight, Vee homie! Engaging ion boosters, power and thrust at maximum! FULL SPEED AHEAD!!!" he shouted, slamming a button down, which ignited the boosters connected to the base of Vee's feet.

In a full burst of speed, probably adding about a hundred kilometers per hour towards his total topspeed, Vee had charged forth with a fiery burst of velocity that sent it rocketing towards the Houndsoldier, prepared to totally whomp on his foe and show him that he had a few tricks up his sleeve. (Considering that he really didn't have any, to be precise).

[xX Max Xx]

[/b] Muttered Max to himself as he was rather surprised at his opponent sudden disappearance from his field of range. Max already knew what happened. His opponent could turn off the trail without being noticed at that speed, so the situation screamed to Max that the Rev Raptor leaped, springing high into the air. He would continue his Houndsoldier's run, making slow down before making it leap.

Upon landing, he would make the Houndsoldier pivot on its front legs, and end up facing the Rev Raptor. Max couldn't help but pass a slight smirk on his face, glad to see his opponent wasn't just some easy picking target. Cyan eyes would squint a bit, for now he was getting excited.

"Looks like play time's over, right Weiss?" Called Max to his Zoid, his Houndsoldier letting off a light growl in response to his master's words to show it felt just as amped. His opponent would come at him once more with a charge, Max knowing not to assume it would end up the same after that rather unexpected jump. He would make his Houndsoldier dart forth at top speed once more.

"Perhaps I won't even need speed..." Muttered Max to himself. From the Hounsoldier's chest shot beams from its three barreled cannon. The attack aimed to strike the oncoming Rev Raptor this would be followed by the Houndsoldier's claw ready to strike his opponent once close enough.
[/ul][/ul][/sup]

[Marcus Takumi]

Marcus was in the zone now, the adrenaline flowing through his veins as the speed of Vee allowed him to let loose any sort of stress he could have developed over working in a crowded space for some time. Watching Houndsoldier charge again meant that it would end up being a gigantic game of chicken -- only one would end up going away in this fight; either a coward, injured, or worse.

"You ain't getting the best of me!" Marcus shouted in hot-blooded fury, screaming at the top of his lungs in an attempt to headbutt the oncoming Zoid. Bad mistake, as the Houndsoldier busted out shots from the triple barreled cannon attached to its chest, zooming at the Rev Raptor with full force. Marcus was fortunate enough to pull Vee's head up far enough so that he wasn't hit himself, but the Rev Raptor itself wasn't so lucky; being literally blasted through the torso region by the combined power of the three energy beams that were sent drilling into its chest, made even worse by the boosters forcing it forwards.

The ponytailed boy screamed in pain, Vee as well, as the sirens of warning blared yet again; signalling that his Zoid was in critical condition, which was only made worse as the Houndsoldier tore through the injured areas with its own claws, grinding away at the paint, wax, and mechanical nooks and crannies Marcus had spent months working on. Vee couldn't take the pressure any longer, and was sent stumbling forward as soon as the ion boosters exhausted themselves, crashing down into a miserable pile, barely hanging onto life. Weakly groaning metal creaks, it tried desperately to regain itself to its feet, to little avail.

From within the blaring red lights, Marcus was jottled around to the point where he was dislodged from his seat, trying to get back in place. Growling in desperate attempts to save his Zoid's hide, he began to wildly mash buttons, flip switches all over, and crank on the levers that controlled Vee's legs, hoping it would at least do something -- anything -- to get him out of whatever mess he had gotten himself into. His arms were jolted in pain from all the bustling about from his Zoid rolling around on the ground, but he was still capable of piloting -- even if he did have a broken, left wrist. (Which he had received after slamming it against the main dash during the crash).

[xX Max Xx]

[/b] commanded Max under his breath, his Hounsoldier letting out a light challenging growl to their foe. The Rev Raptor's body was impacted by the fired blasts, which somewhat surprised Max. He had expected another jump maneuver from the Zoid, for that would have effectively avoided both the blasts and his Houndsoldier. Perhaps he indeed was just inexperience.

"Perhaps it will be over soon." muttered Max to himself, considering the progression of the battle. He pondered firing a set of missiles to end it, for the fallen Rev Raptor was an easy target while it struggled to stand and fight. But Max wanted a challenge, and since the Rev Raptor was close combat capable, that's exactly what Max would engage it in. The Houndsoldier would pulse forward, leaping viciously at its prey.

"Maintain composure, Weiss!" yelled Max, his Houndsoldier's paw extending for a heavy strike. He was aiming to stomp on the Zoid with the front claws, which would indeed give him the win, for the Houndsoldier's weight would make the impact stop the Rev Raptor from standing. With close combat being its only method of combat, it would thus be rendered unable to battle. Perhaps Max was letting his progression get to his head, for he was confident any attempt the Rev Raptor made to avoid or counter were futile. Maybe he wasn't considering the Rev Raptor's boosters, or even the Counter Scythes that had yet to be deployed.

[/ul][/ul][/sup]

[Marcus Takumi]

"Dammit, do something -- anything -- just get me outta here!!!" he would scream at the top of his lungs, his commspeakers now powered off, as he desperately slammed his hands, both with broken and without, onto the control dash; hoping for Vee to pull off a miracle of sorts. He turned on the now-fritzing visual monitor, watching the Houndsoldier rush in for the kill. The boosters were completely shot; having used up all of the energy it could in one, gigantic burst.

Bowing his head in defeat for the first, if not last, time, he contemplated on what life he was going to be missing out on. All of the fantastic machines and weapons he'd never build, all of the people he would never get to meet. All of it; down the drain. I guess it's too late for me to think about failure now... he thought depressingly, wanting his soon-to-be killer to make his death swift and painless. He would embrace the cold, iron grip of the Grim Reaper any second now...

Hah! You're so easy to give up!

Slowly lifting his head in surprise, he had thought he had heard his master's voice play back in his head. Memories of the grizzled mechanic master and Zoid veteran would taunt him over and over, as he was quite timid back then, and was always capable of giving up too easily. Life isn't all about you, kid! You can't just expect things to be handed to you as if you're the King of Zi! his hardened and tough voice would insult him mentally, further and further, until Marcus had slowly risen himself from the dashboard, looking straight into the face of the rushing Houndsoldier.

It takes three things to make a good Zoid battler: patience, discipline, and the willpower and to pull through. The first two you fail at to a capital T...

But knowing you, you can do lots of good with that third trait... Now stop whining and get back to work!!!

Grinning as if he were rather encouraged than yelled at, Marcus slowly gripped the left control with his broken wrist, using his right hand and his ponytail's hairtie to tie his hand in so it wouldn't move around so much. "I don't care how good you are... he muttered, slowly twisting the tie so his broken wrist was good and secure. Gripping the right throttle with full force, he had closed his eyes, trying his hardest to remember the controls for where the Counter Scythes were located at; though at this rate, he wasn't in the perfect opportunity to think in the heat of battle.

Throwing his right hand at any random direction he could think of, he gave out a loud battle cry as he slammed down a completely (if not conveniently) placed button that sat near the controls where the Counter Scythes would have been, had his hand not trailed off two inches to the right. Vee, though broken and battered, gave a creak of affirmation as if he had understood Marcus' sheer force of willpower.

Completely out of nowhere, Vee's wrists, still intact, seemed to release two, cylindrical objects that glistened in the sunlight and literally had fired bright red plasma bolts at the incoming Houndsoldier, each shot was aimed with frightening accuracy. Stunned out of his mind, Marcus was taken aback at whatever the hell this weapon was, but was able to play it to his advantage. "Whatever that was, it worked! Deploying Counter Scythes; maximum charge!" Marcus giggled confidently, his optimism at "full power", as he pressed the button next to the one he had pushed recently.

The gigantic blades on Vee's hands were now ready to be put to good use if the Houndsoldier was still rushing towards him; much like Marcus and his boosters, which would set up the seemingly injured Vee to tear and gash away at the obviously higher-ranked Zoid's armor like knives through butter. He just hoped he was as gullible as Marcus probably proved himself to be.

[xX Max Xx]

[/b] muttered Max to himself, hearing the desperate outcry. He would shake his head from with in his cockpit. Max really didn't know whether he should laugh or feel sorry for the guy. Laughter would have been because the kid assumed Max would actually try to kill him in a simple Zoids scuffle. The feeling sorry would be sympathy for his situation.

"Fryd!?" yelled Max in his native tongue, the exclamation meaning "What!?" His shock was directed at the two blasts fired from the Rev Raptor. Rev Raptors were supposed to lack ranged weapons. As the plasma shots pelted into his armor, melting sections on the leg were it hit, Max would also come to wonder how the Zoid's shot was so precise. Had his opponent regained his composure and already become professional?

"No..." pondered Max to himself. People didn't just go from loser to pro in a tight situation. Oh wait, there were some situations. Of course, defined by the word "fluke," no? That's what Max would interpret the shots as, but he would still rush forward with precaution. As he drew close, and the Houndsoldier went for the leap, he could see the Counter Blades deploy. Too late to stop the leap, Max would let the Houndsoldier be cleaved by the blades.

However, Max cleverly made the Houndsoldier shift its weight, making the Counter Blade injure the hindlegs of the Houndsoldier. He would make it shift its weight one more time, landing front legs first. He would make the Zoid pivot on its front legs to turn and face their opponent. Max knew what to do from there. Flipping a cap he would press a button that was underneath it, firing a round of two missiles into the Rev Raptor.

"Tyssed!" cursed Max, again using his home language as he assessed the situation. His Zoid was indeed hampered by the blow it took to the legs, and he would have to resort to firing his weapons instead of straight close combat. He would sigh, eyes squinting into a concentrated glare. He had to maintain composure if he were to even hope for victory.[/ul][/ul][/sup]

[Marcus Takumi]

Whatever had happened in that one moment of comeback, Marcus couldn't help but pump his free hand in confidence, as some of the back parts of the Houndsoldier's hind legs were completely eviscerated by the red plasma shots that the "hidden" Plasma Pistols Vee had stowed away somewhere in his frame shot out. Even made better, his Counter Scythes had torn through the raggedy armor of the opposing Zoid in a clean swipe; though he was unaware that this boy was obviously more experienced than he was.

The other boy had shifted his weight so that he would be able to land the Houndsoldier cleanly, though inefficiently, on its front paws, this time; completely out of Marcus' range. It was totally over now, as Max had fired two more missiles at the injured Rev Raptor; whom was now completely and grimly defenseless; unable to move about on the damaged legs of his.

"God dammit..." Marcus would mutter in despair; his optimistic personality slowly wavering. However, he shook himself free of any pessimism, and tried desperately to assess the damage Vee's legs took before the missiles impacted. "Armor's totally shot, the boosters are nearly blown out, but still juiced, legs are at... seventeen percent?! he shouted out, letting out a devilish grin. Luckily for him, the Blasters that he had no clue about were at full capacity; and the boosters had enough juice left for one, final sprint. A'ight, homie... Stay cool; you got this! Don't let this sucker take you out like a buster! he chanted to himself, calmly flipping switches and pulling up on the boosters as neatly as he could.

Slowly, yet very surely, Vee had creaked, cranked, and hobbled its way up onto its weakened legs, (in hot-blooded fashion), the ion boosters making slight humming noises. Thanks to Marcus' long-term memory as well, he knew exactly where that "Blaster Button" was the last time he pushed it, so he was ready to counter. "Alright, buster! It's all or nothing now!" he shouted, jamming the thrusters down full-throttle, while simultaneously punching the booster activation switch; forcing Vee into one, final, and actually admirable sprint to outrun the incoming missiles that shot towards him.

"There's no chance in Hell I'm letting you ice me like a fool!"

Though he continued to run as fast as the boosters could take him, Vee's legs were slowly deteriorating percent by valuable percent; sixteen... fifteen... fourteen... It was all or nothing now. Pulling back as hard as he could but cranking the gears so that the Zoid would only jump slightly off the ground, the black-haired teenager threw Rev Raptor into a massive jump forward -- the ones that Rev Raptors were well-known for -- and pivoted Vee's body so that his face were now staring directly at the incoming projectiles.

In one, swift and somewhat professional movement, Marcus threw the crosshairs that popped up on-visual, slowly aiming them towards each missile until a "lock-on" chime was heard, and punched at the button where the "Plasma Pistols" were activated by, sending two, precisely aimed beams of red plasma hurtling into the missiles to create a dazzling explosion that further shielded the injured Rev Raptor from the eyes of the attacking Houndsoldier.

Landing backwards and skidding across the hot sands; Marcus knew that the boosters, as well as Vee's legs, were spent. At a grizzly six percent energy towards the legs' total ability to even function, the boy forced Vee into a crouched position until he came to a complete stop, waiting ever-so-patiently for the fog of black smoke to clear. Breathing heavily, knowing that his life depended on it, (due to his inexperience with Zoids, every fight was a deathmatch), his eyes concentrated and blasters aimed directly for where he knew his enemy was. Come on... Come on... Clear up... Keep focus, you can do this, Marcus! Dont' give up -- have faith...

The second that smoke cleared up, the irises contracted in dramatic fashion, showing the ponytailed boy meant business. In a hellishly swift movement, he pressed the button that controlled the Plasma Pistols, firing countless amounts of decent-fired energy bolts towards Max and his equally injured Houndsoldier, keeping grip with his tied-down hand and his other one, never letting go of the sights he had set. If he wasn't as injured as the boy would think he was, he was dead prepared to follow this guy and keep firing until that mutt blew up for all he cared. He had to win.