ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 022

 ACT 022: EXT. CHELONIA – MILITARY HANGAR 32 – AFTERNOON

The Sea Panther crawls up the paved road, burdened by the weight of its new arsenal. Its steps are heavy, slow—almost painful.

Inside the cockpit, Danny sighs, slumped in the passenger seat. Nyssa remains quiet at the controls.

DANNY (grinning tiredly)
We probably would've been quicker walking.

The Sea Panther grinds to a halt outside an isolated hangar. Nyssa hops down, crosses to a keypad, and punches in a code. The hangar doors groan open, light flooding across the floor—revealing a single Zoid inside.

DANNY (raising an eyebrow)
This isn’t our usual hangar...
(sees the Zoid)
Wait—is that a Sabre Fang?

NYSSA (walking toward it)
Great Sabre, actually.
(pauses)
It was Nathaniel’s.

Danny follows slowly, his tone softer.

DANNY
Your brother?

NYSSA
Yeah.

She steps up to the Zoid—its sleek, black and red armour catching the afternoon light—and places her hand gently on its paw. Then her cheek.

NYSSA (speaking softly)
Sorry it’s been so long...

The Zoid hums faintly beneath her touch, like a dormant animal purring in its sleep. Danny watches, respectful. He’s never seen her like this.

NYSSA (speaking quietly)
Nate and Joran were best friends. They were a team and did everything together—like you, Neku, the others and me.
(pauses)
I was the little sister with a thing for Nate’s buff friend.
(smiles faintly)
Turns out Joran had a thing for me, too. We kept it from Nate, obviously.

She moves around the Zoid, checking its frame, brushing dust from a plate.

NYSSA
One day, Nate and Joran went on a mission together.
(a beat)
Joran and the Sabre came back. My brother didn’t.

Danny says nothing—he doesn’t need to. Nyssa looks back at him, a wall cracking behind her eyes.

NYSSA
Sometimes I come here... sit in the cockpit.
(swallows)
I can still smell him in there. Still feel him.
(beat, voice steeling)
Can you arm her?

INT. MILITARY HANGAR 32 – EVENING

Wires snake across the floor and into the Great Sabre. Danny sits cross-legged on the Zoids nose, typing furiously on his laptop. Inside the cockpit, Nyssa watches the screens quietly.

DANNY
Okay—Gatling’s hardwired and mounted.
(thinking)
We’ll have to skip the mortar. Too much weight—she’d be pinned to the ground before she fired a shot.
(grins)
But I did rig up the missile pods from the Sea Panther, mounted them to the spine rail. Also added that tech we liberated from the Zeke wreck.

NYSSA (sincerely)
Thank you, Danny.

DANNY
As you said this unit’s a Great Sabre, not a standard Fang. I’ve had to strip the boosters to balance the new arsenal—she’s still fast, just won’t peel paint any more.

Nyssa runs her fingers across the controls. There’s a comfort in her posture now.

DANNY
You alright?

NYSSA
Yeah.
(beat)
Just... a lot of memories.

Danny watches her for a long moment—genuine affection in his eyes.

DANNY
I had to reprogram the command block using battle data from the Darkhorn. It’s a full hybrid system now. She’ll run like she was born with it.

NYSSA (nods)
Dark Sabre.

DANNY (confused)
What?

NYSSA (smiling softly)
That’s her name now.
(quiet, resolute)
Dark Sabre.

INU (over comms)
Danny can you come to the Main Hab, we’ve had a Drone arrive, it’s encoded to you.