[Issue 58] [Story] Between Tabs - Part IX

[Shedinja 1,488]

 

 

Read Part I Here

Read Part II Here

Read Part III Here

Read Part IV Here

Read Part V Here

Read Part VI Here

Read Part VII Here

Read Part VIII Here

 

 

Despite the stagnancy of the heater-spurned air around me, I felt a chill course through me as I clicked Play, zipping across an indeterminable number of servers to a preview of the Sandbox T3chio had invited me to. Scanning my friends list, it became clear that teammates weren't far behind, TankiMedic and Pokemontrainer2 having already abandoned the previous match, waiting on my invitation. Punctual as usual, I mused, the rubber bands wrapped about my ribcage slackening a tad. Hopefully they're just as quick on the field, ready for what's coming next.

 

Just as quickly as they loosened, I felt the vines coil about my chest again, that familiar pinpoint of electricity begin to make its rounds through my nervous system. Erg. Hopefully I'M ready for what's coming next, too. I started to tap my fingers incessantly on the flat of my laptop, the familiar tap-tatatap-tap-tatatap-tap-tap sounding slightly muted through the porous headset material. I should have played a bit myself before diving into T3's match. At least should have gotten an XP match in before the day started, or joined some sort of battle...

 

With a rapid jerk, I managed to temporarily clear my head and gather my thoughts for a moment. Focus, John. This is as good as it's going to get. Our team is in its prime after extensive training over the past week, and we've likely hit our peak. We ARE ready for what's coming next, whether I believe it or not. I hovered my mouse icon over the Skype tab still running in the background, telling TankiMedic to keep Pokemontrainer2 in the main chat until I send out the invites. "Don't want to lose anyone else before the match starts," I added.

 

Without warning, a speaker icon appeared over the Tanki Online tab and I began to hear the muffled cannonblasts and quiet growls standard to an empty map.

 

Wasting no time, I shuffled between tabs back to the game and prompted my friends list to appear once more. It took a total of three seconds to send all of the invites and about five more for my comrades to completely fill the red team, according to the digital timer counting down at the bottom right corner of the screen. I frowned slightly upon noticing the flag requirement neighboring the counter, sporting only a requirement of three flags total. That's unusual, both a timer and a flag requirement, I pondered. Maybe T3's got places to be? Could it be there to put pressure on stalemates? What's he playing at?

 

Bringing my attention back to the field, our opponents were already organizing their positions on the blue team, intermittently sprinkled across their expanse of the stage. LIlsims, readily visible from any perspective, was occupied attempting to perform a perfect swing about our side's signpost with M3 Hornet and Railgun, the metallic lofts and divots contrasting sharply with the underlaid waves and bursts of Spark. Huh. So he did get the Legend kit after all. Near the center of the stage, MHSxc1, sporting a Fracture paint just like mine, was standing inert with his turret forward and engines silent. Further back within their base, I could just see flashes of fake02 and T3chio himself busily practicing their defensive maneuvers, rocking their hulls back and forth behind the safety of the concrete barrier. However, it seems as though fake's alternate account wasn't as fortunate financially, I noted as I watched him slide in and out of view repeatedly with his Marine coat.

 

[T3chio: We begin the match at 10:00. Both teams must be on their respective sides by this time, and all preparations should be made before then.]

 

I stopped studying LIlsims' driving attempts and took a second glance at the battle timer. 13:21. We've got three minutes and twenty one seconds to sweat further. I let out a quiet sigh. He knows we're not outgunning him with raw power, what with just our M2s spare viper's Hornet. Heck, none of our Rails can even handle fake with one shot, and he ain't even wearing a resistant paint...

 

I tapped Z several times in succession to face left and get a better look at viper50, who was engaged with the self-imposed assignment of painting bullseyes into boarded windows, sparing no expense to target every nearby house. LIlsims is gonna be all over that guy with his M3s, I reminded myself sullenly. At the least, micro-upgrades are on, so he might not be consistently 1HKO'd. I checked the conversation below T3chio's warning to find no one, spare TankiMedic in concurrence to T3chio's announcement, had spoken. It seems like nobody's arguing against his Tundra, anyways.

 

Taking the opportunity, I pulled the ancient wooden lever next to me and slightly reclined the beaten maroon seat, simultaneously revving my own engines. Following viperf50's suit, I started blasting my own imprints onto the rusted Tanki Online billboards, taking care to avoid striking a wildly flailing LIlsims still obsessed with carving donuts into the asphalt. My stomach coiled in envy as I watched his chiseled Railgun whir effortlessly within its socket.

 

"Hey, Shed." The familiar energetic voice of viperf50 poured through my headset. "You ready, man?"

 

My voice snagged on something in my throat trying to formulate a response. Ugh. I hate this question. I rarely have a sure response for it.

 

Probably because I'm never really ready.

 

A voice of my own suddenly broke through my mental murk, heavily tinted with wry disposition. Ain't that exactly the point, though? Let's face it, you're not going to know the outcome to anything and everything, so stop acting like you have the potential to and relax a bit. Even if you're fully geared up and ready to anticipate what could happen, you'll crumble under the weight of what could be before it does and wind up losing before the battle begins.

 

So ask yourself: do you always have to be ready? Can I not just say 'screw it all' and take a leap? Be fearless and play for once. Win or lose, life will go on.

 

I took a deep breath, digesting my thoughts for a moment before finally replying. "No, viper, I ain't ready, but I ain't ever gonna be, either. If we're being totally honest, none of us are: not us, not TB, not even T3chio himself. And that's perfectly fine, too; we ain't supposed to be." I chuckled slightly to myself. "Ready or not, in the most literal sense, we're gonna take them on."

 

As the rest of the team murmured in agreement and viperf50 let out a playful 'woot woot', I started whirling my own Hornet around in circles as I pondered over what I just said. Is T3 really thinking along the same lines as I am? Come to think, he usually doesn't clam up during matches like he is now, even when we played together as a part of Tanki Brethren. Never was quite the formal type, either. Heck, maybe he is just as nervous as I am, who knows.

 

[T3chio: The match begins in 60 seconds. Polyatomic, is your team set?]

 

A quick scan of the battle timer confirmed that only ten minutes and fifty-seven seconds remained in the match. I didn't hesitate responding this time around.

 

[shedinja: Aye. Are y'all set yourselves?]

 

[T3chio: Yes.]

 

I readjusted the headset into a more comfortable position on my ears again. "Alright, Medic, relay this info to Pokes. We're taking Form Three first to try and pick up as much ground as possible. If we want to keep them pinned on their sides, we have to reach their barriers first. Viper and I will travel along the sides to pick off any resistance that tries to take them, while you and Pokes take the center and slow them down as much as you can."

 

"Alright, got it," Medic replied. I could hear his keyboard chattering away as he continued. "Try and take out sims if you can, we can't take that kind of damage for too long."

 

"Aye. Whichever of you has full health, go after the flag. We'll try to cover you the rest of the way, but viper might have to block intruders from the west entrance. He might not be fast enough to catch up to you guys in time."

 

"I still have enough firepower to take on most everybody else," viperf50 said. "but I'll have to stay defensive for a while after you guys get the flag. I can give you guys support if you want it."

 

"Got it." I shuffled my Hornet's alignment so that it laid parallel with the wall before me. 10:17. Just over a dozen seconds remaining. "Into positions for Three. Medic, keep Pokes updated."

 

Out of my peripheral vision, I saw TankiMedic taking up the ground before the ramp, poised to dive behind the safety of the stone jutting from the ground. Just out of sight, I heard Pokemontrainer2's engine cough as he made way for the far east side of the stage. viperf50 drifted into view slightly behind me, prepped to dish out supporting fire. Just like we practiced.

 

[T3chio: 10 sec]

 

I tapped at the Q and E keys to peer from behind the brick tower into the opposing field, searching for a member of Tanki Brethren to get the drop on first. Not a single errant pixel of Hornet or Railgun origin poked out from the edge of the platform. What are they setting up over there? I felt my guts begin to knot again, harder than ever before.

 

No. Stop that. We'll worry about it once we get there.

 

10:02.

 

Ready or not, here we come.

 

Then the timer struck 10:00 and engines across the map roared to life.

 

Immediately after the timer struck ten, I slammed the up arrow key and expertly skidded around the corner of the wall, training my turret directly on the small gap of space before the next blind turn. Far to the right, I saw MHSxc1 fly from the ramp onto high ground, a shot already launched and quickly dissipating. To confirm my concerns, I heard TankiMedic bark something about Pokemontrainer2 getting hit. A quick peek back above told me vengeance had been sought through two crisscrossed beams of light, lashed with degree-perfect accuracy through a smoldering corpse.

 

Keeping my efforts focused forward, I had already cleared half the distance between the two bases without catching sight of any opposing clan members. viperf50 was lagging behind slightly, drifting casually to the right alongside the wall to avoid lining himself up for any piercing shots. Spasmodically tapping Q and E still revealed no sign of any nearby players. Either we're scott-free with swiping the flag, or there's someone already waiting behind the barrier on the main platform for us to move into position. My Railgun swung to the right drastically as I prepared to cut my treads left, accessing a decent firing angle to counter any potential threat. Upon reaching the outcropping, however, it became apparent that nobody was there. viperf50 was on the ball, immediately relaying the data. "Meds, there's nobody west side, everyone else over with you?"

 

"We've got fake and LIlsims over here, but we haven't seen T3 yet." Without any prior indicator, I heard a Railgun begin charging. It was viperf50, launching a shot into the bushes, striking a lavender will-o'-wisp and causing it to jerk sharply to the right. The following shot flew miles overhead.

 

Oh flab, he was hiding in the bushes the entire time? How didn't I see him enter? I opened fire into the shrubbery and caught a glimpse of the Savannah-coated Hornet desperately trying to flee before the hull erupted into smoke and flame. Huh. No wonder I couldn't find him. With my wimpy graphics settings, I couldn't hope to detect him from a distance within that greenery. This could be a major problem.

 

I could hear sprockets inside viperf50's Hornet winding away behind me as we rounded the bend post haste into the blue base. Atop the central platform, TankiMedic and Pokemontrainer2 were still attempting to tackle T3chio and LIlsims, the former teammate with only a fraction of his health remaining and the latter detonating before my eyes, a bright orange spear impaling his tail end as he tried to dive over the edge of the stage. Meanwhile, MHSxc1 had spawned in the far corner and was barreling headlong at TankiMedic, who had just expended his last shot on one of the two closer Hornets and causing it to rupture and spurt angry flames. "Medic, hang in there as long as you can, I'm going to try and cart the flag through the center. Viper and I have full health right now."

 

I lost sight of TankiMedic's beige vehicle as it slid out of view behind a slate barrier. "Got it, but watch yourself; sims still has full health and MHS just spawned in. Where's T3?" I heard a muted explosion from his computer, presumably his own tank. We've gotta keep moving, I thought just as MHSxc1 popped into reality from the blue base's opposite corner.

 

"Dead," I replied. " viper and I caught him." I continued making a beeline for the flag, keeping a careful eye on the main arena should the only M3 player decide to swing back around for defensive measures. MHSxc1 had already moved out of targeting range in his pursuit of TankiMedic, so it was a simple task to grab the flag and turn tail for the central ramp. viperf50 swiftly changed course behind me and scraped the walls with his hull in the direction we came. "I'm doubling back to take care of sims and MHS. They're going after the flag." A bright yellow notification coupled with a blaring brass note confirmed his statement instantly. "I'll follow you until the second barrier," I replied, "but I need to stay sheltered from MHS, he's hunting by the house."

 

I leapt over the incline's end smoothly, swinging my turret to first the left, then behind me as I scanned my surroundings. MHS is indeed behind the house, joined quickly by fake, and T3's just spawned in too far away to do anything to me immediately. Where's LIlsims, then? I hit the brakes sharply to avoid being swatted by a round from fake02, who decided to double back and try to clip my tank from the ramp. A flash of bright red and gold caught my eye from the furthest right peripherals of my screen. There you are. He hasn't left our base yet. 

 

After a failed retaliation shot in the green tank's general direction, I changed course and broke to the western side of the map, having to take a round from T3chio in the process but avoiding imminent death from two opponents at once. By the time I had slipped down the western ramp and back behind the dubious safety of the low ground, LIlsims had already escalated the southern ramp and was in the process of making a quick getaway with the flag.

 

viperf50 was suddenly hollering at me through the headset.

 

"Shed, watch fake!" 

 

Panic shot through me as I pecked 'E' several times to adjust my camera height. Sure enough, fake02 had left his post by the house and was barreling around the corner from inside our base, turret glowing and preparing for launch. Instinctively, I back away to the ramp once more and sufficiently used the stone corners to protect myself from the incoming blast. Simultaneously, as T3chio closed in for a second shot, I swept my own Railgun to the right and caught just a single iron-cast tread with enough force to bowl him sideways and send his shot into the signpost. Shortly thereafter, his tank was pierced once again with a thistle ray from viperf50, blockading the ramp and rendering it impassable for a precious few seconds.

 

Fortunately, I didn't drop all of my momentum in the process of evading both players, allowing me to swivel around the lip of the ramp and fall back onto the ground once more, this time within the sanctity of my own base. TankiMedic was already grappling with MHS by the house, my partner landing an excellent parting shot on the amber machine as he tucked himself behind the wooden shack. Pokemontrainer2 and LIlsims were nowhere to be seen.

 

I stayed within the sloped alcove for a moment, busily rocking my tank back and forth, eyeing fake02's last position behind the brick tower, and considering my options. I still need three seconds to charge my weapon, and both Medic and viper are busy at the moment. I'm probably going to have to tackle fake myself.

 

Scrounging some courage, I charged from my temporary sanctuary, taking an acute angle from the wall and training my gun at the corner, making unconscious trajectory recalculations as I drove. The Q and E keys were taking spasmodic impacts as I desperately searched for a sign of the navy blue tank. 

 

Screw it. There's no point in waiting for death to roll around the corner.

 

I hit the spacebar before I was even close to the edge of the platform, my weapon still locked onto the small bar of pixels before the corner.

 

My warm-up was half complete when I saw the tiniest of dark blue points pass the threshold of the concrete wall.

 

Just as quickly, they retracted themselves and my shot buried itself in the rock wall a million miles away.

 

Knowing I was doomed, I tapped F and catapulted myself towards the corner with ferocity that would have made a kamikaze pilot proud. I was dead before I could even turn my hull sideways to impede fake02's progress further, the leader having punched a gaping hole through it.

 

"Flag! Our side! fake's a two-hit!"

 

Before my ghost even left the ground, fake02 was immediately shot by TankiMedic, aggressively dashing for the flag that was far too distant for him to even hope to reach. He only made it about halfway to the original drop point before fake02 easily scooped it up, viperf50 even closer still to rescue with a blast that impacted a second too late. I began tapping away at the Q and E keys once again in tandem with a steady course towards the eastern side of the map. Where was LIlsims? I can't see him anywhere from this side of the map.

 

"Medic, where's sims?!" I called out, nearly nipping a chunk out of my microphone in the process. Adjusting it without breaking stride, I discovered the answer to my question: racing for the blue flag, turret facing stern to fend off a furious Pokemontrainer2 in hot pursuit. LIlsims' control seems to be a bit loose, I realized as I watched his M3 Hornet from afar, skidding awkwardly in the general direction of the capture point. The Railgun atop was flailing wildly, jettisoning a beam into the wall beside him instead of into his assailant. This could be incredibly useful to us, I realized, an iron smirk forming across my face as my teammate set the skidding mech ablaze and returned our flag.

 

"Medic, viper, I don't think sims got in much practice with his M3 combo, he's slipping."

 

viperf50 responded first. "He just got his equipment a day or two ago, dude."

 

"I know he picked it up recently, that's why he's slipping. It makes him less threatening than the rest of the team, they're already worn into their weapons and can aim consistently."

 

Whirling around the bend with minimal effort, I used the remaining forward momentum to swing my hull onto the flag spawn plate, turning my hull left and perpendicular to the wall I just passed. A sandy-green bullet had begun moving in my direction, still transparent from spawning somewhere near the center of their base. Reversing behind the relative safety of the corner once more, I yielded but a few milliseconds before energizing my weapon to impact T3chio's left shoulder, resulting in a successful deflection of his primed shot. A second purple ion trail graced the space beside me and landed the finishing blow on him as I made my retreat.

 

Thanks, Biggs. A wave of pride surged over me as Pokemontrainer2 raced past me once again, taking a position on the eastern ramp to have a vantage point against a rapidly approaching MHSxc1.

 

I turned the corner back onto the red team's side just in time to have the nose of my amber Hornet slammed sideways by a lavender missile, the impacted area marked by a weird, circular wave of the same color.

 

Skittering across the grass, I tapped spacebar and emptied my turret's chamber into my assailant, of which I could now clearly identify as T3chio. Wasting no time, knowing that MHSxc1 was clearly on my tail, I dove behind the nearby wooden shack and frantically poked at Q and E to assess player locations.

 

MHS is dropping from the central platform and headed in my direction, and fake is doing the same within our base. I'm sure I hit him, so I can take him out if I need to. fake02 is respawning again, and LIlsims can't be too far away now that he's not holding the flag. Pokemontrainer2 can probably land a hit on MHS so I can finish him, too, but I'd rather not have to expose myself to the blue side for too long. TankiMedic's on his way back from the middle, making his way up from the western ramp. If he takes out fake, I can dive across the map and still save a shot for MHS, while simultaneously not having to stay within the blue base's sight long.

 

MHSxc1 was already landing on the ground, spurning dust and dirt from his treads upon impact. The crystalline yellow bar required just a second longer to eradicate the remaining emptiness. "Medic, hit fake!"

 

A bright beige vehicle peeked from over the ramp, weapon already glowing and hunting for a target.

 

LIlsims, however, was quicker to the draw.

 

Though he was on the complete opposite corner of the map, I could still easily make out the Spark paint against the natural greens and khakis as he apparated from seemingly nowhere and punched a round through TankiMedic's dangerously bright Railgun from an angle behind him. His tank rolled sideways to a treacherous degree before his own shot discharged into the ground, sending his treads spinning back the other direction to land with only the corners of his right treadset touching the ground.

 

Almost within the same fraction of a second, T3chio was swinging his own Railgun around in preparation to finish the job.

 

For whatever logic-forsaken reason, my Railgun still had the tiniest of dark pixels waiting to be subtracted from the reload bar.

 

My mind pulsed with a silent plea. C'mon, Pokes, shoot someone!

 

To my surprise, however, it was not Pokemontrainer2 that answered my prayer, but viperf50, wheeling around the corner and stabbing fake02 through the heart. Within the same instant, Pokemontrainer2's weapon must've finally recharged, for he finally opened fire on the topaz Hornet that had strayed dangerously close to my camping spot, the impact force jabbing MHSxc1's hull into the corner of the house and halting the last of his momentum. viperf50 began hollering over the channel again. "Now's your chance, go go!"

 

"You don't need to tell me twice," I replied as I bounced over the arrow keys for a moment to navigate my way out from between the buildings. "Watch yourself, sims is nearby!"

 

"Nope, killed him."

 

"Already? Nice." I noted the status messages in the corner of my screen alongside viperf50's notably low health, a flimsy layer of crimson buried within a burgundy bar. "You lived through an M3 shot after all."

 

"Uh huh. Probably won't next time, though, but he don't know that."

 

"I suppose that's for the better." Having made my way out from behind the building, I sent a purple beam expressly in the direction MHSxc1, of whom was still struggling to wriggle his way between the house and Pokemontrainer2, standing four-square against the rugged wall of the arena.

 

Within seconds, the first flag of the match had been claimed, requiring but a minute and forty two seconds to acquire.

 

The next will be far harder to acquire, I thought sullenly, changing gears and flattening my citrine machine against the concrete before me to prepare for another assault. Another shot, its owner unknown, whizzed over my head and discharged harmlessly into the crags behind me. It always is.

 

 

Read Part X Here

 

 

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Edited January 7, 2017 by Shedinja

[DragonOfStorms 2,706]

Incredibly suspensefull. Great work, Shed! 

[Penguin40 1,714]

Wow, amazing work (like always :p) and very suspenseful, but can't i skip ahead by going to the pages of either of the two clans in conflict? Just kidding, but pls, end it at Part X

[Blackdrakon30 2,943]

:ph34r: Excellent work, I love how much thought there is behind it.