We still don't know the setting for Zoofights 7. My prediction is one that was tossed around on the forum: a 90's cyberpunk urban setting, with lots of big buildings, weird tech, and crime. It seems a natural direction to go after an 80's-themed Zoofights that ended with a non-hero character who relied on technology defeating his final opponent by busting a cap in their skull. It was a strong segue to the common themes of the next decade.
If we somehow get a setting like "medieval" or "prehistoric" or what-have-you, then this character will be discarded and you can consider this a one-shot. But if we can manage something close to what I hope for, you will probably see more of this mystery character. I have included enough clues in this writeup so that anyone already familiar with the character may be able to place them. But I won't give the game away just yet - for now, the character's name is "Unit 1".
You can also consider this a bit of fight scene writing practice, a la Del's Zealot post.
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There they are.
Unit 1 peered out from his hiding place, then quickly ducked back, scuttling behind a rusty dumpster and turning on his communications channel.
"This is Unit 1. Targets acquired. Preparing to move in."
"Roger that, Unit 1. Take them out with extreme prejudice."
"You got it, chief."
Unit 1 took another peek at his opponents. Scum of the earth - a pack of street punks, some wearing blue, others in red. They were clustered around an old warehouse. Unit 1 had been staking this location out for some time, and through the evidence he'd gathered he'd nailed down that this was a major arm of a drug smuggling ring the police had been trying to stop for a while.
Unit 1 had been taught very well: The law is master and is always to be upheld. These thugs were breaking the law, and had killed several rank-and-file officers. Of course, Unit 1 was not a rank-and-file officer by any stretch of the imagination. He would either arrest or dispatch every last one of them. It was his job.
He tensed up. He could tell that the punks were preparing to move a big shipment. A large truck had rumbled onto the scene just before he'd opened communications with HQ, and two of the blue guys were loading boxes of what was probably cocaine into it while a red one kept watch, perched atop a pile of junk that used to be a car.
Red turned to peer down an alley - one that Unit 1 was not hiding in.
It was time.
Unit 1 took aim with his machine gun and pulled the trigger.
And of course the goddamn red guy had to lean forward just then, didn't he? The bullet whiffed his head, and instantly every last thug whipped their head towards the alley. Seconds later, they scattered, save the two workers and the sentry.
"Shit!" one of the blue guys growled. "We got company!"
"Not for long." The red one reached behind him and hoisted a dirty-looking rocket launcher. He fired, small missiles arcing towards Unit 1's hiding spot.
Unit 1 didn't panic. He'd been trained to avoid panic - panic makes you stupid. It's much more important to keep a cool head, no matter the odds. Unit 1 flicked a button on his armor and his jetpack started up in a whoosh of fire. Unit 1 soared into the air and landed on the roof of the building he'd been leaning against. He sent a sweeping wave of bullets to the ground, and the blue punks scattered. One was shot in the foot and he went down, reaching out and hoping for one of his partners in crime to aid him. But the other blue guy was more interested in saving his own skin, and left him there, running somewhere Unit 1 couldn't see from his current position.
He may have been courageous or just stupid, but the red one stood his ground atop the wrecked car. He snarled at the sight of Unit 1 and took aim with his launcher. Unit 1 used his jetpack to leap to another roof, keeping tabs on the thug all the while. His machine gun wasn't cutting it. He needed something more.
While Unit 1 was thinking it over, the thug fired a rocket, arcing beautifully and smashing right into Unit 1. A web of cracks spread on the front of his armor and he flew back, scraping along the roof. After a few seconds, Unit 1 staggered upright. A plan was forming. He readied a special weapon...
The red thug, upon seeing his opponent still standing, just laughed and fired another rocket. But this time, Unit 1 was ready. His body flashed, and a shield of brightly colored orbs flashing red and blue surrounded him. The rocket smashed into the orbs, some of which took the hit and vanished, leaving Unit 1 unscathed.
Unit 1 thrust his arms out, and the remaining orbs shot away, moving a short distance before clustering together and homing in on the thug. The orbs smashed into him, causing minor electric shocks on contact and making him drop the launcher. Unit 1 pressed the advantage by taking aim and firing with his machine gun, finally scoring the headshot he SHOULD have made before even being seen. The body tumbled off the car, landing in shadow.
Unit 1 jumped off the building, using his jetpack to slow his descent. Landing near the hapless injured blue thug, he pointed his gun.
"You're under arrest."
While Unit 1 was preoccupied with what he thought was the only thug still on the scene, an energy shot from a handheld laser pistol knocked his gun out of his hands. Unit 1 spun to see his opponent - the other blue thug that had been loading the cargo into the truck. He now stood at the warehouse's doorway, holding his pistol and likely smirking behind his blue bandanna. Behind him stood a strange sphere-shaped robot with four spindly legs. At the peak of the sphere was a small head with a single red eye and no other features. Shit. They had backup.
Unit 1 quickly grabbed his gun again (ignoring that the wounded thug was trying but failing to take the gun himself) as the mech began moving eerily fast towards him, sliding across the ground on its legs, which were tipped with round wheel-like balls. The healthy thug began moving towards the truck while the mech's eye began to glow. Unit 1 prepared to shoot the robot - and then backpedaled wildly when the thing's eye began shooting flames.
Unit 1 activated his jetpack yet again, worriedly noting the low fuel gauge, and shot up to the warehouse roof. The thug scrambled into the truck while the robot crouched down and leapt, trying to jump onto the roof with its prey. Although it couldn't quite jump high enough, one leg pistoned out and shattered a window, and the mech hooked the leg in to cling to the building. It looked up at Unit 1 and shot another sputtering burst of flames.
Unit 1 decided his priority should be the truck. Leaving the robot to figure out what to do now that it was clinging to a building, Unit 1 boosted onto the truck just as the punk got it moving. Unit 1 moved to the windshield and swung his machine gun down, smashing the glass. The thug bailed out the drivers-side door, but Unit 1 was there to aim at him before he could go anywhere.
"
Both of you are under arrest."
Unit 1 produced a pair of handcuffs and a length of rope, quickly securing the thug. Just in time, too, becuase the sphere-bot had managed to get down from the warehouse wall and was now skimming unnervingly over the road towards Unit 1.
"KILL HIM!" the tied-up punk shouted.
Unit 1 knew, as he readied for combat, that he probably wasn't talking to him.
