Sarah Joins A Fite Club - Part Three

Widow Maker stared, her mandibles gaping, as one of the surgineers who had given her life over two years ago now stood before her.

If Widow Maker had fought the nue, this is what it would have turned into. The men who had complete control of her life. Who used her as a tool to get what they desired - a Zoofights championship.

Steam billowed from the surgineer's pack. Widow Maker, while possessing no steampunk qualities, came from a universe that occasionally dabbled in such technology. The surgineers, frequently working in polluted and poisonous labs, often required life support systems to assist their weakened lungs. This man's mask and pack were just that.

"It's time to come back, 28. Back to the lab. The next tournament is coming up, and we need you. We need your brain, your intellect. Nothing else will do. Come back, and follow your destiny."

Widow Maker tried to speak, but nothing came out. Sarah looked worried. Finally Widow Maker managed to whisper.

"No."

The man took a step forward. Widow Maker stepped back.

"G-get away."

The surgineer smiled under his mask. Subject 28 was afraid of him. That was a boon. He reached behind him and pulled a small disc off of his pack.

A crude sifter token.

"Come now, 28. We haven't much time. Just allow me to implant this and we'll be on our way."

Finally Sarah snapped out of her trance. "You aren't doing anything to Widow Maker!" she shouted.

The doctor turned to stare at Sarah. "Resistance? From you? You can hardly stand, you imbecile. Even I could pin you in the condition you're in, and I'm hardly an athlete myself."

Sarah knew his words were true, but Widow Maker was too terrified to fight. And this guy didn't seem so tough - one good hammer blow to that fancy equipment and he'd go up in smoke - or steam - for sure.

The surgineer took a few steps back. "Well, this is a good opportunity to see if Project 32 can prove its worth."

Sarah blinked. "Project 32?"

"I tried. I tried so many times to replicate that beautiful mind. But nothing works. I keep getting animalistic brutes."

There was a thumping noise as something in the cafe knocked out Barbon.

"But brutes have their uses."

Loud stomps signaled the impending arrival of something large.

"And this arena! It's as if 32 was made for it."

A meaty fist collided with the secret wall, bashing it down, and Project 32 - which Widow Maker would have laughed at in any other circumstance - lumbered in.

Sarah nearly laughed as well, despite the severity of the situation. It just looked utterly ridiculous! The surgineer snorted. "You see how desperate I am for you, 28? I even tried the old Big Muscly Arms cliche. 32, dispose of the human girl."

Project 32 bellowed and smashed its fists together, leaping into the ring on stunted wings and charging at Sarah. With one titanic arm that was as big around as Sarah's waist, the monster picked her up and threw her against the ropes. Sarah bounced back and raised her hammer, but 32 countered with a downward-swinging fist, smashing Sarah onto the floor.

And 32 wouldn't be satisfied with just a pin.

32 raised one of its muscular rear legs and brought its full weight onto Sarah. Taller and more heavily built than Widow Maker, this behemoth easily cleared a fourth of a ton. Sarah, already weak, struggled to cast Holy, but couldn't even whisper the spell from the pressure. 32 leaned on Sarah, then began lowering its head to take a bite out of her.

An electric whip to the eye put an end to those thoughts.

32 roared and fell backwards onto the arena floor. Sarah flailed pathetically, trying to get up. A few feet away, Electra was shakily standing.

"What the hell is that thing?! Who let it in?!"

Electra looked over at Widow Maker, who was still too afraid to fight. Realizing the mantis, being the only uninjured one there, was their best hope, Electra opted to snap her out of it. She strode over angrily and smacked Widow Maker across the face. Widow Maker slapped Electra in return with a backhand from one claw. They both started to shout at each other before being cut off by Sarah's screams. Mantis and human both whipped their heads to the source. Sarah was being lifted up by 32 for a backbreaker. Both of them lunged for the mutant.








They were too late.

(1)

Sarah went down, and 32's knee went up. A sharp, wet crack pierced the air. Sarah opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. 32 dropped the white mage to the floor.

For a moment, everyone just stared at Sarah as she began slowly bleeding to death from an attack that had nearly split her in two.

And then, something in Widow Maker snapped.

The mantis reared to her full height, spread her claws, and let out a savage hiss. It didn't matter that she didn't have her weapons. It didn't matter that the only healer in the house was currently unconscious and dying. The wisecracking goof everybody at the bar knew had just retreated to a very tiny corner of the mantid's mind.

She was a zoofighter.

And zoofighters murder.

Spreading her wings, Widow Maker leapt into the air, still hissing, and swung down, clutching onto Project 32. 32's unintelligent eyes stared into Widow Maker's, which were blazing with animal fury. Her claws raked across 32's musclebound arms, leaving two deep cuts. 32 groaned and lifted Widow Maker for a backbreaker, but she was much too agile, and wriggled out of 32's grip. Now skittering to perch on 32's back, Widow Maker began driving her claws into 32's head, screeching in rage.

Electra, meanwhile, turned her attention to the surgineer, who had tried to slip out the exit. Although woozy from her KO, Electra could still smack the man silly with her whip, keeping him occupied.

One of Widow Maker's claws drove into 32's left eye, practically exploding it. 32 bellowed in pain and anger, its arms flailing as it rocked and staggered. Widow Maker lunged forward and sank her mandibles into one hand, lopping off two fingers at once. With its free hand, 32 landed a wild punch, knocking the mantis off of it and sending Widow Maker slamming to the ground. Instantly, Widow Maker scrambled to her feet, even though one of her mandibles now hung loosely.

As she began to recover, Electra got more daring. She grabbed onto the wriggling surgineer and bodyslammed him, then smirked and began charging up her electric whip attack. The surgineer, realizing how dangerous electricity could be to his machinery, immediately began backing up, his hands out in front and his head shaking.

Widow Maker lunged at Project 32 once more, driving both claws deep into the base of the right arm. With a strong jerk, the stitches gave out and the entire arm was ripped away. Severely mauled, 32 gurgled and collapsed, making the ring shake. Widow Maker didn't miss a beat, leaping onto the weakly struggling giant and driving her claws into it over and over, shattering the other eye, then ripping off one of the small middle limbs and driving it into the creature's mouth before clutching a mandible in each claw and trying to wrench them apart.

With a terrifying suddenness, 32's remaining three-fingered muscly arm grabbed Widow Maker by the thorax and lifted her up, even as she continued trying to force apart 32's mandibles wider and wider. 32 was going to bleed out soon, but until it did it still possessed unnerving amounts of strength. Widow Maker felt it try to squeeze her body...

VVVVVVVVVVVRRRRROP

Widow Maker found herself on the ground, in the center of a smoke cloud. Slowly, her rage began to fade. As the smoke cleared, she saw she was still in the arena. Electra was near one corner of the room, waving away the smoke and cursing. Sarah was still-

No time to evaluate things.

Widow Maker scuttled over to Sarah, gently scooped her up, and made a mad dash for Curaga General Hospital, her loosened mandible flopping as she ran.

-Unknown Location-

"That was entirely too close."

Looking over the shallowly breathing body of Project 32, the surgineer shook his head.

"Probably better to start again from scratch instead of trying to attempt any repairs."

He peered around the dark, dank laboratory he'd called home for quite a few years now.

"This isn't over, 28. I need your mind... and I'll get it at any cost."

---

 (The Tractor giveth and the Tractor taketh away. Project 32 was supposed to be a fairly silly enemy because I knew, looking at the design I came up with, that this was a Joke Character. Well, APRIL FOOLS I guess - the goddamn thing was much more of a danger than I'd anticipated.

Also, Sarah and David have some common ground now. "So what'd you do during the ZooBreak?" "Ah, some big monster git broke me in half." "Wow, me too!")