Zoids Astray: 2025

Saturday, 23 August 2025

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 017

ACT 017: EXT. GUSTAV – ROCKY PASS – EVENING

The mist is thick, twisting in the air like smoke from a dying fire.
Vanessa stands in the King Liger’s open cockpit, her entire body radiating hatred and the raw need for revenge.

A sudden fizzle of energy crackles through the air—
The Aqua Fox de-cloaks mid-charge, claws raised, aiming straight for the Liger’s head.

Vanessa drops effortlessly into her seat as the canopy seals shut, a smile already forming on her lips.
The impact is brutal. Sparks fly as the claws strike, sending the Liger stumbling sideways, off balance.

NEKU (over comms)
You talk too much.

VANESSA (with an excited smile)
I wasn’t expecting that.

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 016

ACT 016: INT. GUSTAV – MESS HALL – EARLY EVENING

Dusk deepens as the Gustav rolls through a rocky pass, mountains looming on either side. The air is cool, quiet, and heavy with travel, a light mist starting to roll in.

Danny and Paige sit a table together in the mess area, Danny eating while Paige sits looking out the window, watching the shadowed horizon.

PAIGE
So... Chelonia.
That’s where you’re all from, right?

DANNY
Yeah. Grew up there. Huge city on the back of a Zoid.

PAIGE
You’re serious? Like… it moves?

DANNY
It doesn’t move anymore, its dormant but It’s not just a Zoid.
Chelonia is one of the Elder Pantheon Class Zoids.

PAIGE
Elder Panth.. what?

DANNY
Elder Pantheon, There’s four of them. Each tied to an element — water, land, air and fire.
Like Zoid Gods, I guess.
Chelonia is water. The calmest of them. It fell dormant centuries ago.
Let people build on its back. Became home for hundreds of us.

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 015

ACT 015: EXT – RESERVATION RANCH – EARLY MORNING

The alarm rips through the silence, lights flickering to life. Startled cows bolt into the dark. Simon is the first to react, making his way to the Iguan before anyone else emerges from their bunks.

JORAN (running towards the Iguan)
We have a breach?

SIMON
Pylons 18 through 21 are down.

Neku, Paige, Danny, and Skarfi join Joran as a Double Sworder flies overhead toward the breach.

NEKU
What’s happening?

JORAN (mounting his Blitz Hornet)
We have a couple of pylons down—possible breach. Simon’s heading over now.

The Iguan disappears into the darkness as Joran, on his Blitz Hornet, starts to follow.

NEKU
Skarfi, let’s back them up.
Paige—go wait with Tilly and the others.

Paige runs back inside as Inu comes out of the guest quarters, hair a mess and bleary-eyed.
Neku gives her a nod, which she returns, and then heads to the Fire Fox.

Skarfi gets into the König Wolf and Neku jumps in behind him. Inu runs to her Fire Fox, followed by Danny.

SKARFI (patting the dash with a smile)
Good morning, Blue.

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 014

ACT 014: INT. GUSTAV COCKPIT – MORNING

The Gustav rumbles along a dusty, well-worn road. Trailers sway behind it in the soft gold of morning light. Inside the cockpit, Danny strolls over to Tilly, smug grin already loaded.

DANNY (sinking into the co-pilot seat)
Morning.

TILLY (smiling)
Good morning, Daniel.

DANNY (feet on the dash, flipping open his laptop)
Sooo… I noticed we’re taking a detour.
(grinning with teeth)
Where could we be going?

TILLY (blushing)
We’ve got a quick drop-off to make at the reservation—just a small stop.

Tilly slaps Danny’s feet off the dash.

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 013

ACT 013: INT. GUSTAV CABIN BUNK AREA – NIGHT

Dim emergency lights cast a pale blue over the bunkroom. Neku lies in bed, pale, bandaged, breathing shallow. A gentle beep hums from nearby equipment.

A shadow moves.

Bob stands over her, silent.

Neku blinks awake — dazed, confused — her eyes meet Bob’s blank face.

He raises a hand and gestures a soft ‘shhh’, mimicking the motion near where his lips would be.

Neku doesn’t speak. She’s still. Uncertain. Scared.

Bob reaches toward her shoulder, slow and deliberate.

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 012

ACT 012: EXT. HOUND SOLDIER WRECK – DAY

Sunlight spills over the ruined form of the Hound Soldier. Kaster pulls himself toward it, his body barely holding together, Zoid-organic tissue knitting his wounds.

A shadow falls across him.

UNKNOWN VOICE (O.S.)
There you are.

Kaster tries to sit up, but his broken frame collapses again.

KASTER
Gats…?

Feet descend—hovering, weightless—before gently touching the ground in front of him.

GATS (O.S.)
Kaster.

Reveal GATS: tall, dark-haired, glasses glinting in the sun. He wears a lab coat over a sleek combat suit. His expression? Smug as hell. Arms open wide—welcoming, mocking.

GATS
Look at you. You ARE a mess.

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 011

ACT 011: EXT – THE GREAT VALLEY

The modified Gustav pulls its four large trailers through the rocky canyon, steep cliffs looming on either side. A large crane arm is mounted on its shell, nestled in for transport.

Trailer 1: A cabin with a comms dish and whip aerials that bounce with the terrain.
Trailer 2: The damaged Aqua Fox, its cockpit open. Danny is tinkering with the internals while Paige kneels beside the Zoid.
Trailer 3: A Sea Panther, modified with large cannons. Nyssa sits in its open cockpit.
Trailer 4: The powered-down Fire Fox. 8.0.8 stands beside it, still, staring into space.

The Gustav moves silently, flanked by Skarfi’s König Wolf, its weapons on full auto. The Zoid follows calmly.

INT – GUSTAV CABIN

Neku’s eyes snap open. She bolts upright from the bunk.

NEKU
Paige!

Inu rushes in, placing her hands gently on Neku’s shoulders.

INU
Neku—

NEKU
Inu… is Paige—?

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 010

ACT 010: EXT. MOUNTAIN PASS - DAY

Kaster Venn stands above Neku, gun aimed at her head, smile twisted with victory.

As he pulls the trigger a massive mechanical hand catches the gun mid-fire. It's 8.0.8.

In a smooth, calculated motion, 8.0.8 disarms Kaster and lands a crushing open-palm blow to his chest, sending him flying back.

Kaster rolls, stunned.

KASTER: (shocked)
Eight? You're Gats', what are you doing?

Kaster scrambles back toward the Hound Soldier, climbing into its cockpit.

8.0.8 still silent leaps onto the Zoids head, reaching down and grabbing the cockpits edge. In one solid motion 8.0.8 rips open the cockpit, revealing a terrified Kaster inside.

A sniper shot suddenly rips through the air, annihilating the Hound Soldier's head.

EXT. RIDGE - CONTINUOUS

SKARFI'S KONIG WOLF HEAVY ARMS stands with its massive Duel Sniper Cannon cooling.

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 009

ACT 009: EXT. MOUNTAIN PASS – CLEARING

A Hound Soldier Zoid stands still — intimidating and silent.
Its modified heat lances glow an unnatural green.
Its usual chest cannons are gone — replaced by thick, improvised armour plating.

DANNY (via comms)
I recognize that Zoid...

NYSSA
Kaster...

NEKU (over comms)
Can’t be. He’s dead.

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 008

ACT 008: EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF THE GOUGE BASIN – DAY

The team walks beside their Zoids, now in low-power mode. The terrain is scorched and fractured, with smooth glass-like formations catching the sun in odd angles.

DANNY (grinning, shielding his eyes)
They say the crash impact melted the stone. Turned the sand to glass. You can still see it — vitrified rock, all the way to the Basin.

A faint rhythmic crunching rolls through the air.

NEKU
You hear that?

They crest a rise and freeze.

Below, four massive Wild Gustav Zoids crawl slowly across the basin. Their domed shells shimmer with dirt and grime, legs clicking methodically. Long antennae sweep the ground ahead, and as they move, their mandibles pull hunks of rusted Zoid carcasses into gaping undercarriage maws. Plates grind and shift as metal disappears into their segmented bellies.

PAIGE (disbelieving)
Are they... eating them?

DANNY
Yup. Wild Gustav’s. Nature’s clean-up crew. They digest Zoid remains, break them down, and enrich the soil as they go.

They watch as the Gustav move slowly.

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 007

ACT 007: EXT. THE PLAINS

Danny slides down a steep bank, dust kicking up around him. He stumbles, but keeps balance with one arm out, the other gripping binoculars.

DANNY
That’s... a lot.

Nyssa stands by the Darkhorn, arms folded.

NYSSA
What’s the situation?

DANNY (dusting himself off)
Astrays. Hundreds. Scattered over miles, a few groups of four or five.

NYSSA (eye-roll)
Any chance of sneaking through?

DANNY
None. If even one gets a whiff, the rest will follow.

PAIGE (from Aqua Fox’s open cockpit)
They move in herds? Like Tor’s cows?

DANNY
Not exactly. They emit signals, yeah—that’s why our comms are trash. Sometimes smaller ones cluster around bigger ones... but this?
(glances toward the horizon)

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 006

ACT 006: EXT. CAMPSITE – NIGHT

The team is gathered around the fire. The soft hum of insects in the grass, the warm flicker of the flames. Plates scraped clean; the mood is casual but subdued.

Danny is hunched over his laptop, eyes flicking back and forth between data screens.

DANNY (muttering, to himself)
Been reviewing the mission data… Houser Gats being there was a surprise and all.

NEKU
Don’t care.

PAIGE
Mission?

DANNY
Yeah, that’s why we’re out here—

NYSSA
Danny...

DANNY
Right, right. Gats aside—look at this thing.
(taps a few keys, brows raise)
What even is this?

NEKU
Don’t care.

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 005

ACT 005: EXT. FOREST PATH – DAY

The Zoids move slowly through thick forest, leaves brushing against armour. Then—

FUWHIP. FUWHIP.

Sticky white threads slap against their cockpits and armour.

NYSSA
Stop. Danny—

DANNY
On it.

Danny opens the cockpit atop the Darkhorn’s back and throws a small drone into the air.

PAIGE (over comms)
What is it? What’s going on?

DANNY
It’s Gurantula silk. Big spider Zoids. Wild ones. These threads are their traps.

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 004

ACT 004: EXT. CLIFFSIDE – DAY

The Zoids thunder across the rocky terrain, emerging from the edge of the forest into a wide open plain. The lake glistens in the distance behind them, the dead Barigator lies motionless at its shoreline.

NYSSA pilots the Darkhorn in stoic silence. Her face is unreadable, fixed in a grim frown.

FLASHBACK – EXT. CLIFF EDGE – EVENING – THREE DAYS PRIOR

Danny flicks a small drone into the air. With a pop, a shimmering nano-camo net spreads out over the Aqua Fox.

DANNY
All covered.

NYSSA (over comms)
Great job. Take position, get visual, and relay to our consoles.

Danny lies prone over a rock, two small drones buzzing around him. He peers through binoculars.

The camp sprawls ahead — a rough assembly of cargo containers, tents, and Zoids. Three Gustav sit idle nearby, each with a heavy cargo trailer.

At the centre, HOUSER GATS stands talking to the MERCENARY COMMANDER — KASTER VENN. Behind Gats, an imposing, silent figure looms: 8.0.8. Gats gestures to one of the Gustav cargo holds with a smug grin. Venn nods and bows slightly.

DANNY (quietly, into comms)
That's Houser Gats.

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 003

ACT 003: EXT. CAMPSITE – NIGHT

The fire crackles, casting a golden glow across the clearing. The team sits on logs and crates, the smell of charred fish wafting in the air. Paige eyes her portion of food with hesitation.

PAIGE (sniffing, then poking it)
This was alive… not long ago.

DANNY (mouth full)
Still is… in my heart. That’s the taste of victory.

PAIGE (quietly, but intrigued)
It smells… nice. Like... not-bad nice.

NEKU
Give it a try. You’ll know soon enough if you like it.

Paige takes a small bite. Her eyes widen. She chews, then swallows with visible delight.

PAIGE
Oh! That’s... amazing.
(beat)

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 002

ACT 002: EXT. LAKESIDE – EARLY EVENING

The Zoids sit idle beneath camo tarps. The forest reflects in the glassy surface of the lake. Neku stands knee-deep in the water, rinsing her hands, the breeze tugging at her sleeves. Nyssa steps up beside her, silent for a long moment.

NYSSA (quietly)
You okay?

NEKU (nods, sighing)
She's... not what I expected. Doesn’t remember anything. Doesn’t know anything. No fear. No confusion. Just... calm.

NYSSA (arms crossed, eyes watching Paige and Danny nearby)
That’s not normal. Kids don’t just wander out of the forest alone and naked.

NEKU (quiet)
She called me mother, Nyss. Out of nowhere. Like it was the only word she knew.

NYSSA (turns to Neku)
And what did you say?

ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 001

ACT 001: EXT. FOREST EDGE – NIGHT

A quiet camp sits just inside the ruins of an old building, pressed up against the tree line. Two Zoids rest beneath heavy camo netting, their cores powered down.

Neku crouches beside the fire, stirring rations in a metal tin. Danny finishes scanning the Zoids with a handheld device.

DANNY
All clear. No signs of infection.

He plops down near the fire. Neku tosses him a ration with a small smirk.