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.

The team slows. Wariness creeps into every cockpit.

DANNY
It’s his, Neku. Look at it.

The Hound’s cockpit hisses open.
KASTER VENN steps out — very much alive.
Smug. Confident. Wrong.

KASTER VENN (shouting)
Took you long enough.

The team says nothing. Their Zoids remain still.

KASTER VENN
Don’t be shy now, You weren’t just a few days ago.

NEKU (via speakers)
You’re dead.

Kaster pats his chest, and then shrugs.

KASTER VENN
Apparently not.

NYSSA (over comms)
Danny, full sweep. How many and where?

DANNY
On it.

PAIGE (quiet, to Neku)
Who is that?

NEKU
Quiet.

Paige leans back, cowed by Neku’s sharp tone understanding the seriousness of the situation

INT. DARKHORN – NYSSA’S COCKPIT

DANNY
One Hound Soldier in front... there's a distortion on thermals.
Two, maybe three Helcat’s — cloaked.
Two o’clock, five o’clock, and ten. Also a Sea Panther at our seven.

NYSSA
Shit...

NEKU (over comms)
This is wrong. He’s dead, Nyssa. What is this?

NYSSA
We’ll figure that out later. Right now, we move.

EXT. KASTER – MOUNTAIN PASS

KASTER VENN
Wanna run?
I figure you’ve clocked the Helcat’s by now.
Outnumbered, ladies.
Oh — and Danny, of course.

Danny freezes. The others tense.

DANNY
...How?

KASTER VENN (voice darkens)
Doesn’t matter.
We’re going to kill you now.

The cockpit slams shut.
The Hound Soldier rears back and howls — a mechanical roar.
With a shimmer three Hellcats de-cloak and open fire.

NYSSA
Neku! Kaster’s yours — I’ll take the Cats!

NEKU (over comms)
On it!

Aqua Fox breaks into a sprint, closing on the Hound.

DANNY
Neku — the heat lances! They’re emitting a signal — wait, WHAT, Neku, they’re... viral!

NEKU (over comms)
WHAT!?

The lances swing forward, glowing bright green — charging.

EXT. DARKHORN – BATTLE

Nyssa engages the Helcat’s.
She blasts two down quickly.

The third Helcat flees, seeking distance.
As Nyssa lines it up—
BOOM! — a mortar shot slams the Darkhorn’s flank.

NYSSA
Damn it! Forgot about the Sea Panther!

DANNY
Launching drone—

A tiny drone shoots skyward—

POP! — it’s vaporized instantly.

DANNY
Sniper! -

Checks consoles.

- Two kilometres out. Bearing eight o'clock!

NYSSA
Shit…

EXT. AQUA FOX – MELEE

The Aqua Fox dances defensively, dodging the Hound’s vicious lances.
But it's clearly outmatched in power.

INT. DARKHORN

Another shell hits — a core-shaking impact near Danny’s cockpit.

DANNY
That’s... no way...

NYSSA
Not now, Danny!

DANNY
Nyssa — the shells — they’re also viral!

Nyssa’s eyes go wide.

NYSSA
How the hell are we—

BOOM!
A second viral shell rips through the Darkhorn’s midsection.
Sparks. Shrapnel. Screaming metal.
The virus spreads from the wounds — glowing green as it spreads across the armour plates.

The final Helcat rushes in, slamming the side.
The Darkhorn collapses, its hind leg twisted beneath it.

BOOM!
Another shell — a core hit.

DANNY
Core breach!

NYSSA
Be safe, Danny...

She hits his cockpits eject.
Danny's cockpit launches as he screams in defiance, watching the Darkhorn turning stone-grey.
It manages to take out the final Helcat before slamming into the dirt, lifeless.

INT. AQUA FOX – COCKPIT

NEKU
Nyssa!?

KASTER VENN (over comms)
Shouldn’t get distracted.

CRUNCH!
One of the lances tears through the Aqua Fox’s head,
ripping the cockpit open.
The Zoid crashes hard — lifeless.

EXT. GROUND – NEKU

Thrown from the cockpit, Neku skids across the dirt.
Her vision fades in and out.
She sees Paige, unconscious, hanging from her harness.
A metal shard pins her shoulder.

Neku stirs, tries to move—
Then looks down.
Her right arm is gone.

She screams.
Fumbling, she yanks off her belt and makes a tourniquet, face twisted in agony.

NEKU
Nyssa…?

KASTER VENN (on foot, approaching)
She probably can’t hear you.
If she is alive, she’s being fused into that Zoid's corpse right about now.

Neku looks up at him — and sees the Zoid-tissue scar across his neck.

KASTER VENN
Oh, this?

He traces it, almost fondly.

KASTER VENN
You did kill me, Neku.
But thanks to Gats, I got better.

He grabs her by the hair, lifting her head.

KASTER VENN
Means I owe him big.
Lucky for me, she (nods to Paige) will clear that debt.

INT. COMMS – VORHEAS

VORHEAS (over comms)
Darkhorn down. Fully stoned. We’ve located the boy.

KASTER VENN
Keep the Zekedober with you — we’ll rendezvous shortly.
Fallout?

VORHEAS
Three Helcat’s down. Sea Panther’s still up, but dry.

KASTER VENN
Ditch it. Catch the boy and kill him.

EXT. NEKU – GROUND

Tears stream down her face. Blood stains the dirt.

KASTER VENN
You killed me, little girl.
Only fair I return the favour.

He raises his sidearm.
Cocks it.
Aims it at her head.

KASTER VENN
Heh… Mission failed

BANG!