Story [Issue 27] The Insurgence: Sandbox (Part 2)

[GoldRock 6,165]

Read the first part of this series here: The Insurgence: Massacre.
Read the second part of this series here: The Insurgence: Sandbox (Part 1).

Recap (the ending section of the previous part):

We're met by a couple of senior-looking tanks; both are well armoured, and look like they could be the ones running the place. "How's it going, General?" one asks as he looks up to see us entering. With a jolt, I realise they don't run the place - from the sound of things, it's my companion, who's been looking after me for the last few days as we made the arduous journey here, who does. "Not so badly," chuckled the General in response, "but I managed to get hold of another new Recruit. He needs some patching up, take him to the Garage where you can brief him on his initial training." The tank who looked up as we entered now turned to face me, quickly scanning me over and noting the wisps of smoke still coming from the jagged hole pierced through the side of my battered armour. "Come on then," he sighed as he drove past me towards the doorway through which we had just entered, and I turned to follow him.

As we made our way further into the camp, it seemed we were getting nearer and nearer to the source of the gunfire which I'd heard before - intermittent bursts still broke the silence. Just as I was on the verge of asking what this was and where we were going, we rounded one of the larger wooden buildings and the answer became obvious. A number of tanks, many of them not dissimilar in appearance to my own, appeared to be taking it in turns to fire at targets set up some distance away, watched by a couple of supervisors. Off to one side was a small arena. I observed the action, fascinated, as a smaller tank weaved its way towards a much larger tank with a long-barrelled weapon, who appeared to be trying to snipe its opponent.

But too soon, the distance was covered, and the smaller tank's weapon suddenly erupted with flames, taking mere seconds to burn its bulkier foe into oblivion. I watched, horrified, as a series of explosions marked the end of the duel. "Now that's how you take out an enemy sniper," said my supervisor. I turned to see that he too had stopped to watch the action, and from the sound of it, he was almost as impressed as I was. "Anyway, we haven't got all day. We'll get you patched up, then you'll be next. After all, we have to see what you're made of." he laughed. The gears of his tank ground into action once more, leaving me to contemplate what he'd just said in the dust his tracks left behind.

______________________________

I stood at one end of the arena. Over on the other side, my opponent waited for the signal which would indicate the start of our showdown. No, my ‘training partner’. I mentally corrected myself as I stared at his deceivingly harmless-looking combination. To be fair, it looked like he had the same hull as myself; but it was his weapon I feared. The one he had used to blast a tank much larger than myself into flames just moments earlier. I shuddered slightly. Noticing my reaction, my partner seemed amused. “Don’t worry too much, kid - I’ll go easy on you. I was like you… once,” he smirked. “But what happens when one of us… loses?” I blurted out, unable to hold back from asking, and with the image of the burnt-out shell of his previous partner very much on my mind. “We’ve got a re-spawning system set up in the arena, for training purposes,” he responded casually. “If only our techies could set one up for whenever we engage the enemy – but that’s a risk we have to take.”

 

The arena. A raised stone platform, with corner walls and drop zones dotting the area. All around, spectators began to gather to the sides of the platform. Scanning the tanks of those present, my heart suddenly jolted - the General himself had come to watch my performance. Noticing my gaze, the General smiled slightly in return, and I looked away hurriedly. In front of me, my partner was getting 'warmed up', circling around the walls and letting off bursts of flame which spiralled across the arena. I supposed that I should probably be doing the same, yet I really didn't see how that would help against such a seemingly powerful weapon. As we lined up for the duel to begin, I wondered if any of the observers had placed any bets on this match. I'm sure they could see the odds were clearly not in my favour, at least.  

The signpost in the corner of the arena flickered to life, and instantly the words scrawled across its face were replaced with a timer, which began to count down. The seconds steadily ticked away, and then there was a flash as the 10-minute mark was passed. My partner immediately rushed towards me, attempting to cover the distance between us as quickly as possible. Initially, I was frozen to the spot, then the gears of my tank grinded into motion as I backed away, firing rapidly and attempting to knock my partner off course. Few of my shots met their mark, however - my partner, weaving from side to side, had become almost impossible to hit. And those that did were deflected off the thin armour coating of his hull at first, as he continued to charge towards me. I continued to back up until the rear of my hull was hanging off the side of the arena, desperately trying but failing to destroy him before he could reach me. All too soon, the distance was covered, and his turret burst into flames. I was soon surrounded by a raging inferno, my hull burning up as I struggled to stay conscious. Within seconds, inevitably, I blacked out.
 

---

They wipe our memories. That's the first inexplicable thought which came to my mind as I regained consciousness, and almost as soon as it came, it passed. Upon regaining consciousness, a number of facts about my surroundings soon came to light. To name but a few, it didn't take long for me to notice that I felt rather light-headed - and then I looked down at my hull, and saw that I was strangely transparent, a ghost of my former mechanisms. A dull wave of sounds was the next thing I heard; shouts from the crowd of onlookers. I distinctly heard a familiar voice call out "Move, recruit! You won't get anywhere against him by standing still!", and then I felt my senses sharpen and snap into focus as my hull appeared to solidify. In the centre of the arena stood my partner, who had already noticed where I had re-spawned... and with the first word of advice I had heard echoing inside my head, I hit the gas and jerked forwards, behind the cover of a corner wall and temporarily safe from the fiery clutches of my partner.

He advanced without showing any signs of fatigue. I manoeuvred my turret around, and found that I had a good line of fire towards him if I just poked out from behind cover. So that's what I did - leaving cover to let off a shot, then concealing myself once more as my weapon reloaded. But all the while, my partner got closer and closer. Once again, it took him merely a few seconds to get within metres of my position, and he turned sharply around the other side of the wall, clearly hoping to trap me behind it. But I had understood his plan before he could execute it, and took my only chance. I dived from behind cover, fired once and knocked his aim off, then accelerated away as fast as I could. But it was too late; I'd let him get too close, his turret erupted into flames once more and scorched the rear of my hull as I desperately turned to face him... As my turret was cloaked in a searing blaze, I fired a final shot into the flames, desperately hoping for some sort of miracle...

Milliseconds later, bolts of lightning flashed across my vision, and there was an almighty explosion as the hull of my partner was blasted into the air, shrapnel flying in all directions. The shockwaves threw me across the arena, flipping me over and over until I screeched to a halt on my side. Half-focussed on my surroundings, I felt the heat of the fire which continued to smoulder on the side of my hull, but this time I was oddly relaxed. I heard a collective gasp from the spectators who had gathered around the arena as I finally blew into pieces once more.
 

---

 

They wipe our memories. That's the first inexplicable thought which came to my mind as I regained consciousness, and almost as soon as it came, it passed. Then, I heard a series of shots sound from various points around the outside of the arena, and I instantly turned to seek the source of this danger. But danger it was not - it was those who had come to observe the duel. They were firing into the clear sky above in appreciation of the contest they had just witnessed, I soon realised. My partner, who had spawned opposite, trundled over to meet me. "Not bad for a recruit, actually."
"You clearly have some potential, kid."
Before I could respond, he drove off, weaving across the arena and then jumping down into the spectating area. The final score flashed across the signpost in the corner of the arena - "2-1". My heart sank; I'd lost. The General had watched me lose. I just wasn't good enough.

I turned, and jumped the short height down into the area below the arena. My heart sank; the General was making his way towards me. Was he going to let me stay here, even after being completely outclassed before his very eyes? I lowered my gaze as he approached and came to a halt in front of me.

"Impressive performance, recruit. That's the closest first match there's been in a long time. You'd be surprised at how practically no-one manages to even get a kill on the Major during their first attempt at training. Even when he tries going easy on you lot, it normally takes some practice to get the hang of basic tactics. But it seems you're a natural."

He gave me a searching look, smiled a little, and then left. After all, I thought as I drove wearily away from the arena, every cloud has a silver lining.

Edited July 31, 2017 by Hexed

[hogree 4,179]

Definitely the best chapter in this series yet, gripped the reader throughout. Loved it.

[Warhammer_TO 181]

Definitely the best chapter in this series yet, gripped the reader throughout. Loved it.

+1

[Cook.My.Sock 269]

Can't wait for the next installment! Keep it up goldie :)

[Mr.I3oSS 557]

User-Gripper Article

Good job hog ^_^ , Amazed by your Grammar Usage :rolleyes:

[GoldRock 6,165]

Good job hog ^_^ , Amazed by your Grammar Usage :rolleyes:

...

[hogree 4,179]

 

User-Gripper Article

Good job hog  ^_^ , Amazed by your Grammar Usage  :rolleyes:

[aBdUlLaHkInGg 39]

Awesome goldy as always :).

[Mr.I3oSS 557]

; 3

[Superlative 500]

Good work, Goldy. Though I certainly doubt the fact that tanks can smile. :P

[Superlative 500]

Good work, Goldy. Though I certainly doubt the fact that tanks can smile. :P

This was my first post when I joined the forum. :O Wow a lot has changed.