Close Topic Options

Impressive... Just checked into this one and like what I see... Although i can't help but have Xenogears flashbacks at the turbo... Another wonderful story added to my list of reads...

BTW, there are some new fics for you to parody.

(THIS POST WAS REMOVED BY REQUEST)

Sorry about the formatting. Notepad screwed me over. D:

Reverse Chapter One: The Terminator

"So, let me get this straight. You dragged me all the way out here, in the

freezing cold, in this rickety little bucket of a transport plane, just to

see that guy pilot the Su-37?"

"Exactly." The pilot of the so-called bucket tapped an unlit cigar on the

flight yoke testily. "You're new here, but it's a requirement that all the

new pilots get to see him in action once."

"I don't remember that being a requirement in the pilot's application." The

rookie was fidgeting with the uncomfortably loose flightsuit he was wearing.

He'd have to ask the staff for a smaller one.

"It isn't. That's because it's an unspoken rule. That, and it also gives

the readers a sense of empathy with you. They don't know what's going to

happen, and neither do you."

THe rookie pilot squinted at the older man, his red eyes disbelieving. "What -readers-, exactly?"

"Never mind. But look out the window for a sec, will ya?"

Doing as he was told, the rookie peered out the side window.


Six heavily armed F-16 fighting Falcons were heading straight for them,

flying in a tight formation. They were ugly little things, snubnosed and

small, grey and non-descript. Just a small red, white, and blue marking on

the tail. Their flying was harsh and ugly as the planes themselves. Clearly

they were experienced, but they had no care for their planes. All that was

on their minds was sweeping clear the skies and then leaving. They were far

on the horizon, but getting closer.


The rookie was fascinated in horror at the six machines of death before

looking at the calm figure of the pilot in horror. "Are you out of your

goddamn mind? Those F-16's will send us into the ocean! What were you

thinking, flying us into..."

He slowly ground to the halt as a sound like distant thunder approached. The

pilot tilted his head slowly, listening attentively. "Ah, that'll be the

Terminator and his pals."

"T-terminator...?"

The pilot nodded. "Yeah. The Ace that pilots the Su-37. He's the reason

the Americans call the Sukhoi SU-37 "The Terminator". Ever since NERV

collaborated with the Russians to build a plane that would destroy anything

that gets on its HUD, he's piloted it. He's shot down ace after ace without

missing a beat, and his kill record has been unstopped as yet. The closest

anyone's gotten to hitting him is nicking the paint with a stray bullet."

The rookie was silent for a little while. "...But is it safe for us to be in

the middle of a furball like this? If a stray rocket...."

"Don't worry. the SU-37 rarely if ever misses. And the same goes for its

master." The pilot peered out of the window. "Looks like he's here."

The high scream of the SU-37's afterburners made the air vibrate as the

all-black plane flew right over the transport plane, making its metal shake

with the noise from the engine and the raw speed. The howls of the SU-27

Flankers hamstringing the SU-37 were almost drowned out. Noses almost

pressed to the glass, both rookie and veteran were watching the battle begin

excitedly.

Boldly, the SU-37 broke away from the formation, diving towards the blue

ocean so quickly it was almost a blur, as the other two SU-27's split off.

Bullets whistled past them as the F-16's opened fire, shooting right past the

Flankers, then broke formation, selecting a target.

Then the black Su-37 reappeared in the air, an F-16 pursuing it.

Effortlessly he weaved and dodged, slowly but with agility, keeping the pilot

of the F-15 from locking onto him. It led the tinier plan through a

pressured chase. At times it seemed as if it was the one chasing the F-16,

goading it on. Then he saw his chance just as another F-16 shot headfirst

into his path. The SU-37 pitched upward, flying into the sky, as the more

cowardly F-16 broke right hurriedly. Then the SU-37 looped back...and was

now behind the F-16. The pilot of the F-16 didn't have time to jink, to

scream, to even pray, as the SU-37 launched a missile.

The F-16 exploded spectacularly, in a rain of shrapnel and fire. Immediately

the SU-37 corkscrewed, pulling up and behind another F-16, as it tried to

flee from the SU-27 Flanker behind it. With something rsembling carelessness

the SU-37 emptied a missile right into the F-16, kicking the afterburners as

it flew through the resulting fireball.

Another plane exploded as one of the Flankers scored a hit. Yet another F-16

dropped after that.

Now, one lone F-16 darted through the air, jinking madly, in an attempt to

shake off the pursuing SU-27 Flanker. The Flanker was following it without

skipping one movement, fluidly following it and mimicking its every move.

But the F-16 was increasing the gap...until it was confronted with the SU-37

directly in front of it. It looked like they were going to collide....up

until the bellow of the SU-37's gun echoed and bullets struck the fuselage of

the F-16. Fire blazed from the plane as it spun, diving towards the ocean.

It hit the surface with a spectacular splash, sinking quickly.



As the dark plane retreated from the battlefield, afterburners blazing, the

rookie finally turned away from the window, wonder in his eyes.

"Does he...ever show up at Headquarters?"

The pilot was already increasing their throttle, taking hold of the yoke and

banking the transport into a light turn. "Yep. As a matter of fact, I might

even ask him to stay at the landing strip so that you can meet him."

The rookie looked unsettled at this. "....Me?" He shifted around in his

seat uncomfortably. "I'm not really sure I want to bother him..."

"You won't be a bother. He's greeted rookies before without chewing their

limbs off. Besides..." The pilot leveled the aircraft out slowly. "...not

many new people are allocated to this division."

He switched the com on. "Hey. Dai-Sho leader, do you read? This is Transport Heavy, the Libre."

Immediately, a clipped, heavily accented voice replied. "Dai-Sho Lead here, I read you loud and clear. What is your query?" The low, strong tones belied

a man used to taking orders, not one that commanded, but held the steel edge

of authority.

"I got a little rookie here who wants to meet you. Hang back at the runway

for me, alright?"

"Sure thing. I'm about to land, Dai-Sho leader out."



The heat from the still-smoking engines made the runway's surface hazy, the hot asphalt made hotter by the sun's rays. The black plane sat at rest, quiet and unassuming despite its size. On the left side, twenty red skulls were stamped in two horizontal lines.

Gradually, the transport plane glided down on the wind, tires screeching slightly as they made contact with the ground. Eventually, it rolled to a gentle stop as the pilot laid on the brakes and shut off the engines.

"Here we are. If you look out the right-hand window, you'll see his plane."

Obediently the rookie looked out the window, scanning the quiet little airstrip. Sure enough, the menacing plane was stock-still on the asphalt, but the swept lines, and the smooth figure of the plane gave off the impression that it was flying even at standstill. The gigantic engines and the long, piercing nose only added to the effect.

He was jolted out of his admiration by the loud crash of the transport plane's hatch opening, and the clang of the stairs being lowered. "Come on out, he's waiting." The pilot was already on his way out of the plane.

A little on edge, the rookie followed. As he stepped down the exit, he saw a figure facing away from them, messy blonde hair windtossed. He had his hands in his pockets.

"Here he is. Try to be polite," whispered the pilot hurriedly. Then he spoke up.

"Here's the rookie I brought to see you."

The man turned around slowly. The rookie had been expecting a fair, Russian-looking man, but he was completely unprepared for this.

His complexion was almost as dark as the Indians south of their border. Despite this, the eyes that were in that somber face were almost a brilliant black, and made the rookie dizzy if he tried to look into those dark pools. It belied the man's rather solid and strong build.

At length, the man spoke.

"So, you're the new tranfer? I take it that Ryoji here took you up in an unguarded old heap of a plane to see me fly. You've got some nerve to go up without me being informed about this. But I'll kill him later. What's your name?"

His voice sounded very foreign to the bemused rookie, but he answered nevertheless.

"...Kaworu, sir. I'm here as the transfer from the internal staff."

"I see. Welcome to the Aviation unit. I'm not in charge of the allocations, but you should have a fairly good chance of getting into the Gryphon Squadron, the one everyone starts out in. Have you been to the Trainers as yet?"

"No, not really. It's been a bit of a hassle. ^o.o^"

"Oh. In that case, you should hurry and enter their training simulator. If you get enough points, you might skip Gryphon Squadron altogether."

While the man talked, Kaworu realized something. "By the way, sir?"

The man stopped talking in a slow halt. "Hm?"

"I never asked your name."

"Oh. That. Never mind that. Names don't really matter to me as I've got a lot of them. For now, call me Eiri."

Kaworu's eyes widened. "You mean like that famous writer...?"

"Enough. Let's go inside. We've got quite a bit to discuss."

(THIS POST WAS REMOVED BY REQUEST)

hmm.. why oh why I have this impression that you have been playing Ace Combat Zero..?

(THIS POST WAS REMOVED BY REQUEST)

Dave does some great writing... It's just like yours though Midnight... Great writing takes time and some want instant gratification... Hopefully neither of you intend to stop soon... But the love comes in bursts with the story... But because I agree its needed... Very nice work Dave, the seemless transitions into flashbacks and sidestories works very well...

I'm going to go commit suicide and become an hero, be right back

Just kidding. But I sort of wanted to avoid that for obvious reasons...time to inject this with a lot more story.

This post has been edited by Dave Rodgers on Jan 2 2007, 10:44 AM

^ keep it up and running, and we'll read it.

Sorry Dave I wasn't trying to be insulting... I meant it was like his in that its more then just your basic car racing fanfic... There were other elements to keep it moving and more interesting... As well as the fact that you can't just burn off a new chapter hour by hour... It has to be developed and thought out... (which probably means when the mood strikes you you burn of a chapter in ten minutes and post it then forget about it for a few days ) I didn't mean the stories themselves were the same, just the writing style, wait between chapters...

Chapter Thirteen

Wild Aces


"So what's his name?"

"That's a good question. No one -knows- his name. Dave Rodgers, Patrick Hooley, Terminator, Black Spade, Ace Warrior....all of them are his aliases, every one of them taken from a famous tune or artist."

"I see."

"Most of all though, he comes from our joint, and 'round here, we call him Anonymous. Just like you...just like the others."

"Lord Moot, why are we recovering this Infidel?"

Cigar smoke wafted through the dark room as the brunette-haired girl exhaled, giving the featureless, tuxedoed man in front of her a long, slow look, sharp, cruel eyes scanning him.

"Because he's the best there is, and if those people-" She spat onto the shag carpet. There was no reaction from the man.

"-if those People get their hands on him, they're going to kill him. They're going to rip his heart out, and YIFF it. Because they're little more than animals-shit, they ARE animals, and since he had the guts to smack them around like that, they're not going to be happy until his head is on a pike and his heart is in their hands."


"Or paws," offered the Anony helpfully.

"Shut the hell up. Anyway, I want you to take the Pool Squad and lock him down. Don't let him out of your sight. I want him under guard-and once those idiots are out of the way, grab him. Tranq him if that's what it takes. Just get me Dave Rodgers and get him here alive."

"Sir!"

The Anony saluted sharply, before exiting the room. Moot leaned back on the table, shaking her head.

"How many times must I tell these brutes that I wish to be the little girl...?"


====


"What's he wanted for?"

"Fursecution, furry-bashing, insulting the pack, and raping an innocent Foxgirl."

A muffled growl.

"Dirty skinf__k. So, how much is the reward?"

"Fifty thousand f__kin' dollars, and more if you bring back his head and heart in one piece. It will be a great day for the furry fandom when Dave Rodgers' head is displayed for all to see.

"Hmph. So you want me and my mate to go in, shoot this guy, take his head off, take his heart, bring it back here, no questions asked?"

"No questions asked. Do whatever it takes. He's wanted dead, not alive. Kill his friend as well, but spare the others, for-"

The anthropomorphic wolf left the room before the other could finish talking, door slamming behind him.



====



Kaworu was still speechless. Dave stepped up to the car coolly, placing his boot right on the hood of the FD without any qualms about the queenly figure sitting atop it. The two regarded each other coldly for a long time. Then Dave chose to break the silence first by speaking.

"It has taken you a long enough time to appear....Arturia."

The empress shook her head shortly, golden locks flicking about her temples. She did not seem pleased to be addressed by name, instead directing that hard emerald stare once again on Dave.

"Do not address me by that term whilst I am here, Rodgers. You know the rules."

Dave nodded slowly, still watching her intently.

"Ah. As you wish then.....Saber."

Saber folded her hands, stepping off the FD's hood lightly despite the dress. She seemed only to notice the dress now, sniffing in distate at it.

"Rodgers, why have you clothed me in this parody of a queen's uniform?"

Dave stepped away from the FD, still aware of the others watching him. He was determined not to let the strong-willed Arturia, who had made a fool out of even the King of Heroes, intellectually best him while he had her here. So he changed the subject forcefully.

"That's beside the point. Why is your Mana drive down?"

Saber turned on her heel, facing Dave with an angry expression now.

"Your enemies disabled it purposely, Master, while I lay asleep. I-"

Dave interrupted her, stepping closer.

"The enemy? Here?"

"All around us, Master."

He turned away, uttering a heartfelt expletive.

"Dammit!"

Shinji spoke up suddenly.

"Er...what does she mean by Enemies, Dave...?"

His question would be answered not by Dave, but by the sound of a .50 calibre bullet whizzing through the air, splattering throuh a building, and impacting into the wall behind them, just inches from Misato's head.
Dave dropped to the ground behind the FD, Saber doing likewise.

"DOWN! EVERYONE GET DOWN!"

There was a scatter for cover at Dave's sudden yell, the little street clearing right away. Dave was pressed up against the FD with Saber, reaching for his belt and drawing out a long silver .44 revolver. Then the thunder of machine guns filled the air, gunsmoke hissing out into the night as bullets slammed into the side of the FD, which calmly withstood the assault, the rebounds ringing out as bullests hit the reinforced, magic-imbued alloy worthlessly, pinging off glass. Nakazato wasted no time from his wall, pulling our a huge Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun and blind aiming over the side.

"Kono yarou....!"

His sudden shout was punctuated with the sounds of shotgun shells thudding into flesh, an anguished howl piercing his ears as he dropped back behind cover and began feeding shells into the shotgun rapidly, cocking it. Then Dave broke cover and began firing the .44, muzzle flash lighting up the night, the sound of the huge Magnum bullets firing ringing out as he aimed through the smoke at the vaguely human figure, emptying all six shots into it and ducking back behind cover.
More thunderous shotgun blasts from Nakazato as he blasted the figure with it. Then there was a thump of a body hitting the asphalt.

The sniper at the rooftop was frozen in shock as her mate fell to the ground, dead. Then she saw the iron-eyed man looking up at her, the dreaded Human they had sought to hunt.

How could he see her from there!?

She had all the time to wonder as the man fired, the .44 bullet thudding deep into her skull and sending her tumbling backward, blood pouring from the crater-like exit wound.


Nakazato ran out, aiming the shotgun at the black mass on the ground. "Any trouble an' yer dead! Put both hands on your head, a__hole! Now now NOW!"

"At ease, El-tee...I think he's dead."

Dave was already kneeling next to the figure, turning him over.

"Holy shit...he looks like chopped meat. Your shotgun did a number on him, pal."

Then he noticed the thick black fur on the "man", the wolf-like head, and stood up quickly, cursing. Nakazato looked at him quizzically.

"What?"

"We shot a damn furry is what. Damn, they'll have our collective asses if not worse. We gotta move! They might still be here! Get the rest, we're leaving!"

====


The Anonymous watcher from the nearby hotel turned away, clicking a walkie-talkie.

"Zero zero one to Zero zero four, come in."

"I read you loud and clear, Gaston."

"Dave has taken his assassins out."

"Well, goddamn, I knew he could take care of himself, so let's-"

"We're not doing a DAMN thing, Richard! They're going to come back in waves, so we'd better be prepared. Call in the rest of the Afro Squad. We're going to close this f___kin' pool.

This post has been edited by Dave Rodgers on Feb 4 2007, 07:52 AM

Chapter 14

Breaking of the Fellowship



Shit, Dave thought. It would take him a few hours to get far away enough from Tokyo to escape any other would-be assassins. His car was rebelling, crazed furries were out for his blood, and now, best of all, the folks in his team were arguing.

"Did you see? Did you see who he shot?"

"It looked like a wolf-"

"THAT WAS NO GODDAMN WOLF!"

"Calm down, Misato. I'm sure it was just-"

"Why's Dave being shot at anyway?"

"I want to know what's going on!"

"Dave, you'd better explain right this instant-"

"He doesn't know anything!"

"SHUT UP!"

The sudden interjection by Nakazato silenced everyone quickly. Nakazato was breathing hard from the exertion, a vein going in his temple. It occured to Dave that he had never seen him this angry. Then Nakazato spoke, in level, flat tones.

"Dave is a highly dangerous mercenary who looks out for his own ends, not yours. You think he gives a flying f__k if any of you die? Think again, idiots. You'd better clear off if you don't want to die. He's not someone you lumps should be hanging around."

Dave said nothing, a small, enigmatic smile on his face. He had holstered his pistol, and he was playing with a deck of cards, shuffling them through the air, tossing them from hand to hand.

Silence hung over the group for a little bit. Then Kaworu turned, walking away from the little scene without a further word. Asuka looked from him, then to Dave, then back to him, and followed. Maya hurried after him without sparing Dave a second glance.

Misato seemed on the verge of saying something, but closed her mouth with a snap and turned away, walking away without a further word.

The sound of cars leaving broke the silence after a moment. Only Shinji was left, looking shellshocked.

"Dave, I think we should talk about-"

"There's nothing to talk about," replied Dave in tones of pure steel, still with the knowing little grin on his lips.

"But I trusted you! And you led me on! You played me like a toy! You're the most evil person I ever met! I-"

Dave cut across his self-pitying rant with a calm answer. "Didn't I tell you that I was dangerous when we first met? I wanted to avoid this by keeping you at a distance, so it's your problem if you're annoyed. Be off with you."

Shinji walked away without a further word. The oppressive silence reigned after the sound of his car starting up and zooming off had long echoed into the distance.
Then Dave turned to Nakazato, now chuckling.

"Heh...heh heh heh heh!"

Nakazato looked genuinely confused.

"o.o;;"

Dave threw the cards into the air, watching them scatter and blow away in the wind. Nakazato watched quietly, not sure what to say. Then Dave turned back to him, one card facedown in his palm. He rapidly flicked it rightside up as Nakazato looked at it.

It was a single Ace of Spades.

Nakazato stared at it. Then he looked up at Dave, the expression on his face clearly showing that he thought Dave had left all sanity behind.

"Um...Dave...?"

Dave pocketed the card in one smooth motion and patted him lightly on the back.

"Good work. Very good. Couldn't have done it better myself."

"Huh? o.o;;"

Dave shook his head.

"No need to be formal anymore. You efficiently cut me free of those guys, better than I could ever have done too. Although they might join the hordes of enemies I've got, I gotta admit, it's a lot better just being on my own again."

Nakazato blinked. "But...you have me."

Dave shook his head again, slowly. "Oh, Nakazato. We all know you're just in this for the thrills and chills, right? The day I stop giving you fabulous jobs, you're going to be out of here like a flash in the pan on a rainy day."

He took out a cigarette pack. Tamping the bottom lightly to push one out, he perched it on his lips, then put the pack away and took out a lighter. After a moment, he'd lit the cigarette and had sat down on the hood of the car, where Saber quietly waited, watching him endlessly. "Huh...shouldn't try to do things you weren't cut out to do...or, to be more crude..shouldn't try to do stupid things to begin with," he murmured, blowing a ring of smoke carefully.

"Dave?" Nakazato asked, doing his best to look concerned.

"It's nothing. You still have the keys to your F-16, El-tee?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Then we're off to go wake the old girls up. You going to come with me or what?"

Nakazato sighed, shouldering the SPAS-12. "Alright, Dave..."

Dave gave him a merry smile. "That's the old con man I know. Let's get going."

Nakazato saluted, before retiring to his R32. Dave watched him go, still silently exhaling smoke into the air. After a moment, the AI spoke.

"I believe it is time we left. Nakazato does not like to be kept waiting."

Dave said nothing for a moment. Then he turned, seeing her waiting patiently by his side. Then he took out the cig and tamped some ash off it.

"You know...Saber...Even though it was pretty shitty sometimes, living like an ordinary human was pretty damn cool."

He stared thoughtfully into the distance. "I'd like to try it sometime again, with new friends. Once I get all the way out of this and settle down."

He balanced the cig on his lip, smirking to himself. "Heh, who am I fooling...it'll be like this until I stop running."

"Sir?" Saber inquired.

Dave looked up at her. In the half-light the cybernetic eye of his glowed faintly, lending a weirdly enchanting light to his features. He looked old and drawn, despite his apparently young age and smart expression.

It unsettled the AI slightly.

"It is probably for the best, sir. Come, let us go and teach them not to open fire on civilians...Terminator."

Dave seemed a little surprise at the usage of the old nickname, but readily hopped off the car at that, hearing the honking of Nakazato's GT-R horn as he did so. "All right, all right, I'm coming," he muttered, spitting the butt end of the cigarette to the ground and stepping it out, then getting into the FD3S. Saber disappeared as she sut off the external display and started up. The FD's engine roared to life, flames spitting from the exhause as Dave threw the car into gear and dumped the clutch mercilessly, peeling out, the back end fishtailing slightly. He shot past the GT-R, which turned behind him and followed.


Don't stop the music...

To dance is like a fight!

You can show your emotion

Your secret side, All the night!

Don't stop, the music tonight!





===============


Two sets of lights disappearing off into the distance.

The afro-haired, suited man turned away from the scope and hurried to another man with similar dress, holding a cellphone.

"Sir, Dave is escaping."

"Let him go."

"Sir!?"

The /B/rotha turned to the other with a faraway look in his eye. "If we capture him now there's no telling what he might do. He needs this now. Let him go."

In disbelief, the other could say nothing, but he nodded, turning back to his scope. The lonely red light from the FD3S's taillight was rapidly growing dim as it disappeared into the distance.

His supervisor watched him look through the scope. Then he said,

"Moot will understand. He, too, know about it."

He turned away.

"And sometimes, you just gotta believe in the power of Magic..."










END OF SERIOUS BUSINESS

See you later, Ace....









Thanks to everyone who read it.

Sorry it took so long.

This post has been edited by Dave Rodgers on Feb 15 2007, 05:03 PM

A good ending to a good fic.