Sigma/Star

Chapter 13: White Storm, Blue Bolt

Porter flipped a couple of switches overhead, allowing the White Storm to open exhaust holes to vent out excess heat. Across from him was Ramirez shaking out the electricity coursing through his body. Porter felt his confidence grow as he surveyed the damage he had done to the enemy and at the same time his bewilderment rose with it. How had he done all of this?

But the thought was chased out of his head just as soon as it had come. Something else was taking over within Porter, something stronger and lacking doubt. Something he had never had before. And whatever this something was, it knew what it was doing.

Ramirez shook out the kinks in his suit and stepped up into a boxer's pose. "You would like to think I am powerless without a weapon wouldn't you?"

"I don't really care what you think buddy. I'm just here to kick your ass. Let's dance!" Porter lunged and drove his right sword forward towards Ramirez. With a deft motion, the field commander tucked the sword under his own armpit, allowing Porter to come in close and trapping him for a moment. Ramirez smashed his head forward, colliding with the White Storm in a headbutt that shook both pilots in their chairs. Ramirez threw another strike, this time a blow into Porter's torso that sent the young student flying.

With seemingly expert controls, Porter flipped the White Storm back up into a standing position while it landed with a little rolling maneuver. The old machine responded with a fluid grace lost to newer models and the stance was resumed.

Again Porter charged forth, this time disappearing in an explosive flash of lightning and reappearing behind Ramirez, with his twin blades coming down in an overhead smash. The enemy caught the swords as they arrived though, and drove his elbow back blindly, relishing in his exuberance as he connected with Porter's chest. The cockpit was rocked as Porter reeled before Ramirez spun around and drove a kick into the knee of the White Storm. The blow dented the metal there and sent sparks flying as hydraulics groaned through their efforts.

"You are fast, but still not smart. I'm catching up as you're slowing down," Ramirez spat with contempt.

Porter wobbled back into a full stand and shook out the attacks. His eyes were still a blaze of white and blue energy and it surged down throughout his machine. "I don't think you heard me. I'm kicking your ass!" Porter raised his left arm up for another strike but Ramirez leapt out of the range before Porter could get the attack through. Instead, the young pilot released his sword as he swung, firing it through the air until it thudded into the enemy's right shoulder.

In a heartbeat, the White Storm was in front of Ramirez and Porter was yanking his weapon back out as he kicked the Goliath in the opposite direction, sending it sprawling onto its back. The Artisan commander struggled to get up off the ground, the gears in its shoulder grinding as they worked overtime to keep the arm mobile. But Porter was relentless, this time slashing an "X" across his enemy's chest, shearing through the metal hull, and then he followed it up with an uppercut that had Ramirez flying through the air before crashing back down again.

Porter leapt up and drove his left blade down into the ground where the enemy had been laying only a second before. Ramirez had just barely managed to roll out of the way in time and he shot out a low kick that sent the already weakened White Storm off-balance as its crippled knee started to give out.

The two combatants both slowly regained their footing. Their machines were giving out all sorts of sounds now as their injuries caught up with them and the pilots within were both heaving and sweating, but neither would back down. Ramirez was the one who moved first, knocking aside a flimsy defense from Porter and driving his knee into the battlesuit's gut then bringing down his elbow on the head.

Ramirez placed his foot atop Porter as he lay on the ground, face-down, and began his villainous gloating. "A young pup like you does not stand a chance in beating those of us with veteran experience. It is such a shame you forced me to cause so much damage to your machine, but it is nothing that cannot be fixed. First though I'll have to dispose of the useless body inside."