Nexus of the End

[jujdap360]

Nexus- The core, or center

The world has changed since we've left the depths of Layered. To be frank, it was much harder to operate under the radar inside that cursed place. Technology took a slight leap, the population began to get used to living on the surface, and the fears of contamination had just finished settling. I almost laugh as I see people living their lies, flocking to cities and suburbs like nothing was happening. Funny how war seemed to be such a normal thing to us all. I suppose we all have the corporations to thank for that.

Along that line of thought, some things have remained the same. Mirage, Crest, and Kisaragi continue to fight amongst themselves, though the scale has lessened slightly. I must admit, the OCC is proving to be quite the useless dog, contrary to the purpose we created it for. I laughed all I bare to stomach at them, though they are fulfilling their role to keep focus off of us. Then there is Navis, yet another dog in my ownership. I had planned to slowly introduce my own corporation under this disguise, but after seeing how pitiful it was, I decided to abandon it. Luckily, USE is doing its job quite well, refusing to side with either major player in this field... accept me of course, but that's beside the point. Instead, let's talk about those rivals of mine... Ravens I think they're called.

The Ravens Ark, an evolved version of Global Cortex... bah, all I can do is scoff at them. I've never seen such a group of high and mighty mech pilots in my life. However, I suppose having them to worry about is better than having multiple organizations nipping at my niche.

"Sir," My eyes snapped to my newest secretary, "we've just received a report from the mole in the Ark." I give her an uninterested look which I suppose she picked up on, "It concerns the 'merchandise' placed in the Mirage Dig Site sir."

Now I allow a smirk, I suppose living in the Layer for so long wasn't all bad. She places the file on my desk and turns to leave, placing a stray strand of ivory hair behind her ebony ear. Yeah, I notice my secretaries, who doesn't? I pick up the file and thumb through it, closely examining the Raven seen exiting the operation area. I didn't even need to read the darned thing to know that this guy needed to die, no question, he was definitely going to be eliminated from my perfect scenario.

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Yet another report, this time, it's important. I'm reading it as I descend on my elevator, entering my underground facility. As I read about the mission just issued by Kisaragi to deactivate a few Weapon Activation Devices, I went over my plan in my head. First, they'd destroy the devices, waking up their latest unit (which we colored like Nineball because the guys in the garage are fanboys), if the pilot survives, then the Mobile Bombs will activate, "We'll level the surface and see what happens afterwards. If I know those idiots, they'll try to kill each other in one huge fight." The only part I'm not sure of is the Internecine. You see, we ran into it about a week ago and discovered that it was producing quite the arsenal inside. Seems this "Nineball" look-a-like was a first generation mech. By the time we actually accessed the darned thing, it was already producing next-generation machines, "Clair," I looked towards my secretary, "when we reach the shelter, retrieve the reports on the Internecine, I want to go over them again."

"Speaking of which sir," Clair looked at her trusty clip-board, "the research department has finished with the new models, they request your presence at the Testing Sector."

"Very well," I bite back a bored sigh, 'It isn't like I have much to do while those things tear the world apart.' The elevator finally stopped and opened, the shined metal sliding back to reveal a sight that always makes me choke up. The smell of fresh oil and new paint always got to me somehow... I wonder if it has something to do with my time as a mechanic on Mars. I ignore the other associates as they bombard me on my way to the observation room, I want to see how that thing does against that Raven with my own eyes.

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He defeated it. I must admit, I was impressed by how well he did against that thing, so impressed.... "Send out a unit to retrieve that pilot... I want to meet him face to face." I really don't have the patience to deal with the bewildered looks I'm getting, "Did I stutter!?" I hate being surrounded by idiots with fancy pieces of paper. I looked back to the screen as the facility continued to scream its warning, the Raven beginning to exit the area and return to his precious Ark. All I can say is that they better get him, or else I'll have each and every one of them placed in dummy MTs and used for target practice... at first I was joking, but the more I think about it, the more I like the idea.

Clair calmly reminded me about the Testing Sector and escorted me to the grounds, I must admit, she's quite the quiet woman. With a streak of annoyance, I take a seat in a leather chair, the observation booth filled with nervous scientists and engineers. As I wait for the test to begin, I admire the clear glass of the booth... I just realized how random such a thing was. I straighten my orange-tinted shades as my pride and joy rises from the garage one level down, its naked body shimmering in the florescent lighting. I really don't know what to call it... an MT? Perhaps a Mass Manufactured Armored Core would best describe it. An MMAC for short. I look to its unfortunate opponents: two OSTRICH Mirage units, and three OWLS equipped with ECM capabilities. Pity that my PMC company thrives in ECM technology... stupid Mirage.

"Begin the test," One engineer speaks through the Comm-system, a buzzer echoing though the otherwise silent test arena. I watch in slight amazement as the unit snaps to engage the OWLS first, weaving between OSTRICH fire. Speed is astounding, radar system still operational, now to see its combat ability. An External Orbit pops out from its back, aiming directly for the first OWL. The MMAC aimed its semi-automatic rifle at the second, a swooshing tail already finished cutting the third in half. Gunfire filled the arena as the OWLS fell, earning a solid smirk from me. I almost felt sorry for the OSTRICH units as they faced my sleek baby. Simultaneously with my whistle of amazement, the buzzer sounds again.

"Sir," My smirk disappears when I feel someone whisper in my ear, "the Raven has been retrieved, but he is in serious condition. He tried to protect the Ark Headquarters, but his AC was overwhelmed."

"So why are you here whispering in my ear?" I calmly reply, sitting in a nonchalant position in my comfortable leather chair. As if catching my point, he turned and left, leaving me to admire my newest mechanical child, 'Let the fist of Mars descend upon the Earth.' I freeze, I can swear I've heard the phrase 'Fist of Mars' somewhere before.

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I can hardly believe this. I was expecting the corporations to duke it out, not the Ravens and the corporations... well technically Vertex and Alliance now. My look of surprise melts into a smug grin, oh this is too good. I used the six month gap to return to Mars, confident that my ECM technology would cover my leave. I'm on Mars now, using my satellites to track the movement of Vertex and Alliance. I've had my eye on a specific Raven again, it seems there's always one isn't there? First it was the guy who took out the Controller, then the one who cleared the Silent Line (though I suspect that was the same guy), and the one who defeated the first-generation 'Pulverizer'.

---

So he's the last Raven huh. Perhaps its a she this time, I've never really confirmed the gender of those pivotal Ravens... accept for the one I rescued. Its a 'he'... actually pretty disappointing really. From here on out, I'm not sure how things will play out. Vertex won the day, defeating Alliance by only a little bit. However, Jack O, Zinaida, and even Evangel died trying to take out the Internecine. I really enjoyed the final fight between Jack and Evangel, it was really entertaining. This Raven, the Last Raven, showed up after Evangel saved Jack from the Hovering Pulverizer. Sad how he died in order to give the Last Raven a good shot. From there, Jack and Zinaida attempted to take on the final Pulverizer. Both died soon after the Last Raven joined in. This Raven is very interesting, perhaps he, or she, is a Dominant like the last one.

"People of the world rejoice, the time of turmoil and suffering is at an end." Clair had silently switched on my television to see a news broadcast on Earth. I ignored how creepy that was so I could listen in, my eyes thinning as the report went on. It seems that cursed Jack O had himself twins way back when and they were going to lead the headless Vertex in their dear daddy's memory. Not only that, but the Last Raven was officially backing them. That's a load of... alright Sebastian, just calm down and tackle this rationally, "Katherine Lantern will be assuming control of Vertex and her twin brother, Jackson Lantern II, will assume Vice President position. There first act as Vertex leaders was to set up a Policing Organization likened to the once felled Raven's Ark, deeming it Raven's Lantern in homage to their deceased father Jack Lantern I. Heading this organization is 'Will O Wisp' a pilot who was not able to become a Raven before the Suicide Weapon Disaster. We will have more on this organization as time goes by. This is Eugene Marks of GIN News."

Clair turns off the television and watches me closely, as if measuring my expression with her own set of criteria. I remain passively silent as I digest this information, remaking my plans on the spot. We were not ready for full scale war yet, USE was just now on its feet and providing adequate armaments for Vertex, the former Alliance stock-houses and facilities are now controlled by Vertex, and the young pilots who were aiming to be Ravens were flooding into Raven's Lantern, no doubt under the wing of the Last Raven, "We've truly reached the end of an era, haven't we sir?" I heard Clair ask.

"No," I turn in my chair and look out at the legions of MMACs being manufactured in the zero-G facility of my Mars base, "we've reached a nexus of the end." I am Sebastian Amadeus Emerickson and I will stretch my rule far beyond Mars. The Ravens may have overshadowed Millennium in the PMC market, but I will crush Vertex under my heel.

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Last Raven was assumed to be the end to this world's conflict, but Mars will never be forgotten. As Millennium, Raven's Ark's forgotten sister organization, descends upon the Vertex controlled world, an age shall truly end. As Raven's Lantern, the newest Raven organization, struggles against Millennium's forces, truths shall surface and the true cause of the Great Destruction will be uncovered. Is mankind ready to learn from its mistakes?

[jujdap360]

01- Ghost of Genobee

The land that once held the great city of Bayload, the 'home' of Navis. The property was now a ruin, the walls shattered ad buildings ruined. It is a shell of its former self. The once cool colored surroundings were now stained with an ambient dimness. In these ruins, many ghosts hung over the cracked streets. "We are not that different." A lone mumble seemed like a scream, a single man standing atop one of the only stable buildings left. He wore a black coat over his dark attire, sunglasses shielding his eyes from the surprisingly bright winter sun. He ran a hand over a sheet of hardened metal, the word 'Providence' painted on the black paint in white. He took a long drag of the cigarette in his mouth and smoothly blew out the smoke, "Genobee... perhaps you were more right than you knew." The sound of roaring engines made his gaze go upward, seeing a large carrier that was once used by Mirage, 'What's going on?' He looked hard beyond the horizon and saw another carrier, the type used by the ARK before the war, 'This doesn't smell good.' He remained where he was, watching as Mirage's OWLs were dropped from the low flying carrier, ten in all. He had fought these things before, and ten was quite the amount for anything.

He waited as the second carrier dropped its altitude, dropping three ACs on the other side of Bayload's ruins, just outside the shattered outer wall. When nearing the ground, all three machines slowed their descent, their boosters giving off a powerful glow. The lone man whistled to himself, 'So now they allow new candidates to use their own machines?' He paused and thought, that couldn't be right, 'No,' He took another drag of his cig, 'those pilots are trying out for Lantern.' That's right, he reasoned, the world has changed. No longer rogues, but the military of the world, a corporation all their own, 'How long can they last, they have no economy.' He thought hard on the situation as the ACs got into position. He looked to where the OWLs once were, seeing some go off into tactical position among the ruined buildings, few staying in the streets, 'A typical defensive formation,' He smoothly let the smoke pour from his mouth, 'interesting.' He looked once more to the sky, seeing the transport circle around to drop off two more ACs, 'The overseers,' He stood up and looked down at the lone piece of metal, "Well old friend, it seems I came to visit you at the right time." He started down what was left of the building's staircase, unaffected by the low rumblings of walking mechs and the hum of warmed generators, "Seems this mission will be easier than I thought."

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"You all know the drill," A smooth voice rang over the communications of the three ACs, "you are to show us how well you can fight, to show us you are good enough to join Lantern." The owner of the voice shifted in his cockpit, getting more comfortable, "I am Will O Wisp, head of Lantern and your scorer. I am only here for observational purposes, nothing more, and nothing less. If you run into any trouble, Ebon will act as backup, but your scores will be damaged if he is needed."

Out of sheer curiousity, the three ACs turned their main cameras to see the two observers. The first, Will O Wisp, looked like a middle-weight version of Jack-O, using the first generation arm linear-rifle in place of the KRSW energy rifle. His ACs body was made of mostly Mirage manufactured parts, the Cougar2 legs holding up the well-balanced weaponry. Ebon was a spitting image of Genobee, or perhaps Pitch Black was a better AC to compare him to. Like the impostor before him, he had two grenade launchers on his back, but he was double wielding, a rifle in his right hand, a machine gun in the other. His black paintjob contrasted the ethereal glow of Will O Wisp.

"If you all are done gawking," The three pilots either looked away in embarrassment or glared at his cocky tone, "I'm going to take roll-call." Will O Wisp pulled up a screen, three names typed into it, "Archangel," He looked up to see the black version of Evangel's first AC, "cute," He looked back at the list, "Ether... Knight?" He looked at a middle-weight AC sporting a design close to the one he'd seen in the VR Training Arena, "How original," He muttered and looked to the final name. He stared at it and shook his head, "For the love of..." He ran a hand down his face and held down a growl, "Daemon." He looked at the black and red AC and decided to put originality on the list of requirements, "I'll ignore how... whatever we'll just start thing and get it over with." He sent all three of them a mission request form, "When recieving a mission, you will see a format like this. A quick map of the area will be shown, displaying a general placement f enemies. Do not expect the mission to go as stated in these forms, prepare for any surprises."

"Um, Will O Wisp, I have a question about all this." Ether Knight's pilot timidly started, "Why are there three of us here, didn't the ARK test Ravens one at a time?"

Will O Wisp waited to answer, his foot tapping the bottom of the cockpit to try and calm himself down, "The world is changing kid. Before, Ravens were loners, mere mercenaries. However, now we are an official military, we must increase our numbers to keep a military pesence. Besides, we are now focusing on team efficiency now that we have to send out multiple ACs to deal with today's rag-tag terrorist group." He glared at Ether Knight, though he could not be seen, "Answer your question?"

"U-Um... yeah, yes sir it did."

'I'll remember to send him on a few missions to beat the pussy attitude out of him.' Will O Wisp continued the mission briefing, "As I was saying, your mission is to simply remove the enemy presence in the ruins of Bayload city. You'll be facing unmanned OWL type MTs, stay on your feet and show me what you've got." He cut the communication and sighed heavily, "I hate this part of my job."

Unknown to the AC pilots, a lone recon drone floated above Bayload City, the person viewing its video taking another handful of popcorn. The drone fed the video to a single truck, a woman lounging in the passenger seat beside another person. It was a middle-aged man with tanned skin, big glasses and a mechanic's uniform on. The woman was wearing a loose pair of jeans and a white tank-top, a blue hoodie enveloping her torso, "It's about time," She took a handful of popcorn and stuffed it in her mouth, "I was afraid they wouldn't get around to the test until nightfall."

Her companion watched her devour the bowl of popcorn and sighed heavily, "Whatever BJ, just try not to get butter on my equipment this time." He absentmindedly wiped one of the various monitors with a wet cloth. He turned his attention back to the monitors, paying close attention to the battlefield as the test began. As he had expected, Archangel and Daemon took the point position, Ether Knight backing them up as all three boosted down the streets. Out of nowhere, rocket fire started pouring in from the rooftops, a group of OWLs positioning themselves on higher ground. Ether Knight rose to meet them, weaving between rockets as he switched to the multi-warhead missile launcher on his back. When he was high enough, he fired a missile, immediately switching targets as it split in mid-air, raining missiles down on the first victim.

Down below, Archangel and Daemon were hunting down the OWLs that occupied the streets. Their rapid-fire shells dealt moderate damage as they tried to dodge them, Archangel splitting them in two with his MOONLIGHT blade. Daemon unloaded both his energy machinegun and his solid machinegun into three OWLs, taking damage to his legs nd right arm as they fought back. The sheer speed of his AC saved him from being hit by a barrage of fire as he was ambushed from a nearby alleyway. He switched to one of his back linear cannons and fired, the powerful shell splitting two OWLs in half. He cursed when he was forced to back away, his heat warnings ringing in his ear. However, debris fell from the sky as Ether Knight fell from above, shield activated. Before the OWLs could counter, Ether Knight fired his linear rifle and slammed an OWL against the side of a building with his shield. Daemon watched as Ether Knight took sever damage from the explosions of both MTs, 'We're being too reckless,'

From the truck, BJ slapped her forehead, "These guys suck. If it weren't for their ACs, they'd be dead by now!" She looked to Will O Wisp, wondering what he was thinking while watching this. Ebon visibly moved to dash in, but Will O Wisp stopped him, "Even the evaluators are getting irritated." Pouting, she looked to the man beside her, "Tell me why I couldn't bring my AC again Ed?"

Ed Weisz shook his head at her impatience, "Because we're just observing. Besides, we weren't here to fight, but to investigate Bayload's ruins." He looked back to the camera as the three ACs regrouped, finding the last remnants of the enemy, "The ECM here is still above average, and this is where the pilot who was sent to deactivate the unmanned weapons was last seen." Ed finished the last of the popcorn and adjusted the drone's camera setting, hopng to get a better picture, "we're here to pass the time to be blunt."

BJ waved him off and looked to the sky, "Well anyway, things are about to get interesting." She pointed to the Crest bomber headed straight for Bayload, "they sure are pulling out all the stops in this test."

Ed stared suspiciously at the bomber, "I don't think this is part of the test."

Little did they know, a certain man was thinking the same thing. He watched from atop another building, further from the fighting, yet close enough to see. He glanced at the bomber and then to the testing pilots, watching them pursue the last squad through the winding streets of Bayload. His eyes lingered on Archangel, nastalgia gripping him as he watched the ex-Mirage pilot weave through the turns much like the one his AC was modeled after, 'So many are dead...' He chuckled at himself, 'I'm starting to talk like an old man.'

Archangel managed to catch up to one of the OWLs and slashed with the MOONLIGHT, however, his AC was still unbalanced, thus he fell to the side, only managing to slice off the OWLs leg. The one legged mech spun around uncontrollably until it slammed into an abandoned office building, the glass siding shattering as it deactivated, smoke pouring from the melted generator. Archangel cursed as Ether Knight hopped over him, firing his linear rifle randomly. With the last of his clip, a shot hit the boosters of the second to last MT, causing it to lose control too. However, it simply shut off its boosters and turned on them, pointing its rifle in an attempt to give his buddy time to leave.

Daemon unloaded the rest of his machineguns into the MT, firing even when it exploded into flames. Sighing in relief, he continued after the last OWL, but the warning signals on his screen made him stop. The word 'warning' blinked on his screen, an arrow pointing upwards. Following his radar, he looked up to see a bomber coming into striking range, "Ether, take cover!" It was too late, two grenade shells leaving the bomber.

Ether Knight instinctively blocked with his energy shield, the purple barrier seeming dim against the large explosions from the shells. Through the smoke, Ether Knight's AC flew back and into the side of a ruined apartment complex, its left arm blown off. Circuitry spaked and sputtered as the AC teetered on the edge of shutting down, its damage clearly evident.

"Daemon, cover!" Archangel weaved past him and looked after the bomber, seeing it begin to turn around for another bombing run. Hus mind kicked into gear as he saw the bottom open, 'A carpet bombing, we won't survive that like this!' He looked around for any type of ideas, but all he could thik of was firing at the bombs before they could fire, detonating them on the bomber, "Daemon, how good is your aim?"

"Do you need to ask?" He checked his ammo, "I should be able to do something, but I'm running low on ammo with these babies."

"Lure it within range," Archangel and Daemon looked over to Ether Knight, seeing the grenade launcher on his back unfold, "just get it within my range and I'll kill the SOB." Both pilots were taken back by the nearly psychotic undertone to Ether Knight's voice.

Daemon, being the first to snap out of it, boosted for the bomber, shooting up linear round to get its attention. Archangel soon followed, making sure to stay out of targeting range. The bomber changed course and tried to nail both ACs with its grenade rounds, but the pilots managed to escape being hit by them. After a series of shallow hits and near misses from the shelling, Archangel and Daemon stopped suddenly. Out of the still smoking buildings, a grenade shell shot through the air and hit the bomber, severely damaging it. The bomber immediately caught fire and started to fall to the ground, but another grenade round finished off, blowing it to kingdom come. Remnants of the bomber harmlessly fell to the lifeless ruins, smoke filling the area as buildings grew even more damaged from the impact.

Archangel and Daemon boosted back to Ether Knight, seeing him sitting on top of his ICARUS head, helmet off. He was a young man in his early twenties, his eyes half-lidded and soft. They were the same cobalt blue as his AC's paintjob, a band-aid resting just under his left eye. He looked roughed up, but otherwise fine. Archangel followed sit and opened his cockpit, removing his helmet when his AC's AI switched to normal mode. He was a Middle-Eastern male with buzzed black hair and a little peach fuzz on his chin. He smirked at Ether Knight and gave him a thumbs-up silently growing more and more giddy at the idea of living through a surprise bombing run.

Both Ether Knight and Archangel looked over when Lucifer, Daemon's AC opened, the pilot coming out of his cockpit. However, when he removed his helmet, both men gawked at his... er her face. Adding on to the fact that 'he' was actually a 'she', she was a hot she at that. She had black hair, tied into a snug bun, and pale skin. Her violet eyes met Archangel's hazel eyes with a small smile before she turned and nodded a 'good-job' to Ether Knight. The sound of roaring boosters drew their attention as Will O Wisp and Ebon rounded the corner. Ebon was the first to exit his AC, removing his helmet to show his pale skin and dark brown hair. His eyes were blood red, an inhuman stoic expression on his face. Two, thin lines ran down from his eyes, giving him a more android look than anything.

Will O Wisp was the last to show himself. He hopped onto the core of his AC and stood beside its four-eyed head. He wore a long black coat over his blue piloting suit, a black ski-mask hiding his face, "Let me start by saying that that was the most horrid display of amateurish piloting I've ever seen." He noted that Ether Knight looked down in shame while Archangel and Daemon gave him hard looks, "However, a victory is a victory. We'll load up your ACs," He intentionally looked to Ether Knight, "or what's left of it, and return to base. I'd encourage all three of you spend time together, because your looking at your team." He didn't wait for a response, instead getting into his AC when the transport rounded around to pick them up.

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There was smoke everywhere, the biting heat of lit gasoline and the whining of melting steel. He lifted his head from the pavement of the street and groaned in pain, feeling blood drip from his chin and onto the back of his hand, 'Memo to self,' He looked over to the blurry image of the burning leftovers of the felled bomber, 'never stick around for a Raven Test.' He turned to the street and looked through the smoke, nearly losing consciousness again when he saw the person he thought long dead. There, in the smoke, stood a pale man with a black piloting suit, his crimson eyes dim and lifeless, "G-Genobee," He got to his knees and looked at the silent hallucination in front of him, "No," He smirked to himself, "we weren't that different after all." Another explosion shifted the smoke, blowing some of it away long enough for him to see the outline of the demon itself. He took a sharp intake of breath, eyes wide as he stared upon the image of.....

Duel Face

[jujdap360]

Memory of D-Day

A laugh nearly escaped his lips as he looked up into the sky. The irony was bitingly amusing, the cliché was hilariously potent. He let out a solid stream of smoke, eyes staring into the grey sky. He could hear the feint pounding of raindrops falling on his machine, his giant of destruction. His monitor meekly beeped, drawing his attention to his flank. He smoothly activated the rear camera, chuckling at the approaching transport ships. There were three in total, Mirage build.

“We must stand and fight.” The operator's voice streamed over the radio. Her concerned face was shown in a small window in the corner of the monitor.

The pilot took another drag of his cigarette and scoffed, “No words of comfort for me?” He lightly smirked, “I'm hurt, really I am.” He felt his spirits lift when he saw the operator smile gently, though concern was still shown in her eyes.

She allowed the moment of comfort to hang in the air, “It is our way.” She returned the environment to being serious. She discretely adjusted the communications to a secure channel, “Please be careful Ben.”

Ben grunted, his eyes refocusing on the dark sky, “Aren't I always?”

“I'm serious,” She whispered harshly, “you always end up getting yourself into a near death situation.” Voices were heard off screen, the operator turning slightly towards the voices, “Understood,” She looked back at the screen, “I have to evacuate with the others, we'll meet in Circ City.” She held his gaze before she switched off the monitor, leaving Ben to himself.

It was silent in the cockpit, only the slight hums of the machine keeping itself warm and ready. His monitor beeped again, drawing his attention to below his position. He pointed the cameras downwards, his eyes widening slightly at what he saw. Atop Bayload City, the pilot could see through the gaps in the wall's ceiling. Through the gaps, he saw the flashes of guns, the distant popping of gunfire and explosions.

Ben growled as he watched, “Idiots,” He angrily muttered. Another alert from his monitor forced his vision upwards. He saw the sky darken with various dark dots, all of them slowly growing bigger. He had to block out what was going on underneath him, he had to focus. The giant awakened, engines roaring as it took to the sky to dodge the bombardment, “DIE YOU S.O.Bs!” He switched to swarm missiles and randomly fired. The swarm of missiles hit the thick wave of suicidal machines, causing a chain reaction as groups exploded.

However, for every one suicide MT he shot down, four replaced it. It was as thick as the rain. Rifle shells ascended, aimed for only the slightest of seconds. Some hit their mark, others missed pitifully. The EO tore from the core, immediately firing a rapid volley of bullets into the sky. He switched to his orbital launcher, firing three pods into the sky. The tiny pods only got off two shots before they were demolished by the suicidal M.T.s.

Then it came. The dreaded noise that would spell his end. His eyes shot to the side of his monitor, sweat pouring down his face. His trigger finger was still active, rapidly firing his rifle even after his clip ran out. His energy was gone, currently recharging. His heat was going up, the cockpit becoming a boiler room.

Primal instincts kicked in, he would not allow himself to die here, not like this. Without his boosters, he lasted another thirty seconds, snapping from left to right as he sent out a barrage of fire. With every weapon that ran out of ammo, he ditched it. He did not simply drop it, he flung it into the sky, blocking more of the explosive rain. Within seconds, he was reduced to nothing more than his weak blade and a useless orbital cannon.

His labored breathing filled the cockpit, mixing with the wailing alerts and warnings displayed on his screen. The screen showing his physical condition showed strain on his left arm and a minor head injury. He shook his head as the world seemed to go black, snapping awake once more. Those damned things were circling around, high above Bayload. They were taunting him.

What happened next seemed to mold together into the same five seconds. The suicide M.Ts descended as one pack. He glared into them and cursed violently, and the ceiling finally collapsed. As the feeling of free falling rushed through him, the world faded to an inky black.

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He shot upright, chest heaving and eyes wide. His hand snapped to his chest, only to find his coat had been removed. He satisfied his instinctual need to grip something by fisting his thin white shirt. He closed his eyes and calmed himself while he muttered soothing words to himself, “Only a dream, only a memory, only that same damned dream...”

He rubbed his eyes and took another calming breath, simply listening to ease his senses back into service. Slowly, he opened his eyes and soaked in his surroundings. He was in some sort of vehicle, and judging from the rhythmic shifting, it was moving, “Where the heck am I?” He stiffened when he heard the sound of a cocking gun, cold metal held to the back of his head through the dark.

“Well look who suddenly woke up.” It was a woman's voice, and it was dripping with velvety sarcasm, “Did baby have a nightmare?” All he could see through the darkness was the faint shine of blonde hair and the glare of violet eyes.

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“So we'll begin today's session as we always do Miss Briar,” A doctor in his late fifties adjusted his thick spectacles and looked through the papers in his hands, “please recount your final mission for Mirage Corporation.” He looked towards the woman lying on the chair, hands folded and eyes to the ceiling. Her form was athletic, features alluding to her being in her mid twenties. She had black hair, green streaks dyed through it. Her eyes were a faded green themselves, distant and traumatized. The light from the sun barreled into the room through the wall of glass.

Miss Briar took a deep breath and started to speak. Her voice was small and gentle, but the strange look in her eyes spoke of a lost fire to her persona, “It was just before the Unmanned M.T. attacks. I was a part of the Azure Squad, a group of five M.T. pilots who were the cream of the crop in Mirage. We recently received upgrades to our custom OWL units, and Mirage wanted us to test them out on an assignment in Bayload.”

The psychiatrist nodded, scribbling notes in his notebook, “Yes, yes, and who was assigned with you?” He looked over his glasses, seeing the former pilot stiffen. He waited, mentally smiling when she visibly calmed to continue. This was the second time she'd been able to handle this question without any severe reactions.

“Evangel, Evangel was assigned to assist us. He'd recently been expelled from the Raven's Ark, and rumors said he was still angry about it.” She closed her eyes, shaking slightly as she remembered, “It was a grey, rainy day...”

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The transport lurched for the umpteenth time as they neared the target location. Sarah Briar sighed to herself, staring at her display in complete boredom. She adjusted her display to show the powerful AC of Evangel, the infamous Oracle. She admired its sleek design and solid weapons, “Man, those monsters are even cooler up close.” She zoomed in, further admiring the leader of the operation. After another lurch of the transport, she decided to stop checking Evangel's AC out.

Two beeps caught her attention, the transport's pilot appearing on her display, “Get ready for drop, you'll need to use the gate entrance and continue in from there.”

Sarah nodded and looked towards Oracle once more. Her eyes locked onto the smooth stride of Evangel himself as he entered his AC, a wave of confidence washing over her. She snapped to attention when Evangel opened communications with the other members of the Azure Squad, “Alright ladies and gentlemen,” His heavy accent rolled over the radio, “our assignment is to search for the underground facility under Bayload. Intelligence said that some Crest Separatists decided to recover Genobee's remains and start reconstruction of Duel Face. Find the door, blow it open, and rip the facility wide open.”

“Understood,” Sarah and her squad-mates responded simultaneously. She couldn't help but feel angry about her own voice being drowned out by the others. She wanted Evangel to notice her. Her ill feelings vanished when the transport opened, the wind rushing into the hangar. Rain was pouring down from the sky, and the grey sky made everything look lifeless and murky.

Evangel easily exited the transport, boosting towards the door as soon as he hit the ground. He glanced at his rear camera, seeing his partner, Neo Phoenix, come up behind him. Oracle's cool colors and streamline design greatly contrasted Neo Phoenix's heavily Crest scheme, “We'll take an even number of OWLs and sweep the area. If you find any resistance, one group will engage, the other will focus on that specific area.”

Neo Phoenix grunted and calmly responded, “Agreed, you just remember that we're only out to find that facility.” Neo Phoenix progressed forward, his AI opening the doors of Bayload. The two A.Cs cautiously entered, twelve OWLS following. At the same time, the Acs parted ways, six OWLS following them.

Evangel glanced up when he saw raindrops pelting his monitor, “Switch to night-vision, visibility is about to drop.” He switched to night-vision and continued forward, his radar sweeping his surroundings, “All units, put more distance between yourselves, every inch can count.” Evangel looked at his radar and stared at the green dot that was Neo Phoenix. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, slowing his advance. The OWLs passed him by, their pilots wondering what was going on, “Continue the sweep,” Oracle suddenly stopped and turned around, “I'll be back.” He boosted back towards Neo Phoenix and his unit.

Sarah silently broke formation and went after Evangel, “I'll follow him, you guys keep up the sweep.” She maneuvered her OWL through the streets of Bayload. The sound of pelting rain rushed into her cockpit as she rounded the corner, Evangel doing the same. Sarah stopped about a block away from where Neo Phoenix and Evangel were standing. She zoomed in with her main camera, eyes stuck to the radar, 'What the hell?'

Neo Phoenix silently monitored the progress of the OWLs, almost ready to punch his HUD when the rain interfered with the Crest made radar system, “I knew I should've invested in a Kisiragi radar unit.” His eyes narrowed when the monitor beeped, the word 'Warning' was flashing in front of him. He slowly turned around to see Evangel behind him, the eyes of Oracle staring at his back, “It seems we pinched a nerve.” He pressed a button on his communications panel, “Neo Phoenix to base, send in the main force, we've just found them.”

Evangel caught the message and connected to the OWL units, “All units, stick together and watch your back. We have incoming.” He cut and locked the line. The ex-Raven gently rubbed his eyes and continued to stare at Neo Phoenix, “Why do I feel so inferior to you?” He muttered and looked up to the ceiling of the cockpit, “What is it that pushes me on this path?” His golden eyes began to glare at Neo Phoenix's back, “Providence, has fate pushed down paths that will lead to another Great Destruction?” He took a deep breath and gripped his controls.

From down the street, Sarah watched Oracle with wide eyes. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Evangel, the newest and most trusted roster to Mirage's forces, was pointing his Linear Rifle at Neo Phoenix, “W-What the... what is g-going on?” Before her very eyes, Neo Phoenix boosted and turned at the same time, dodging Oracle's linear fire.

Neo Phoenix retaliated with his machine gun, but Oracle circled him as Neo Phoenix tired the same. Rounds flew all over the place, breaking windows and shattering buildings. Empty shells clanged as they hit the wet streets, the rain making the scene look dark. Evangel quickly broke the 'Merry-Go-Round' and boosted down the street. Neo Phoenix gave chase, none too happy that Evangel fired on him.

Oracle weaved between rapid rounds, turning into the business district of Bayload City. He waited for Neo Phoenix to round the corner, boosting backwards. When he saw the red and black AC, he fired more linear rounds. This time, the roles were switched. Neo Phoenix ducked out, taking light damage from the linear shells. Oracle chased the Crest schemed AC, weaving when he turned, chain gun spitting rounds. Oracle turned on the heat, catching up with Neo Phoenix just as the turned into a dead-end street. The A.C.s circled each other once before breaking off again, Neo Phoenix firing a swarm of missiles before dashing away. Oracle weaved around them, the residential building behind him exploding into a ball of flames.

The red and black AC turned another corner and dashed towards a tall skyscraper. His boosters were pushed to the limit, his radiator screaming at how high his heat was flying upwards. His generator sent warning signals to his monitor, but he didn't care. This was life or death for him.

Little did Neo Phoenix know, Oracle was behind him, his back linear cannon locked on. He fired a round, the high velocity screamed through the air before it shattered the knee joint of one of Neo Phoenix's legs. The AC lost control and slammed into the office building in front of it. Glass and debris went flying into the night's rain, the light of Neo Phoenix's boosters slowly fading into the darkness of thr ruined building.

Evangel calmly directed Oracle to stand behind Neo Phoenix's stuck machine, connected with the defeated pilot, “Running does little but prolong the inevitable.” He activated his most cherished weapon, his Moonlight laser blade. The blue blade illuminated the wrecked internals of the building, the armor of Neo Phoenix reflecting the bright weapon.

The labored breathing of Neo Phoenix filled the line. Inside the cockpit of Neo Phoenix, the heat was unbearable, a pole having destroyed his labored radiator. He looked to his screen to see the energy meter was completely empty, 'So it got my generator also.” He smirked and chuckled, “So, you found out huh.”

Evangel scoffed, “You looked upon Genobee as a god, a martyr.” He slashed off Neo Phoenix's right arm, “So why would I think you'd lead us to where these guys really are?” He quickly checked his electronics, his scowl deepened when he saw that his outside communications were being blocked.

“Genobee,” Neo Phoenix tested the name, “he stopped being a person a long time ago.” He chuckled again, “He has become an ideal, an ideal that leaves out both the Corporations and the Ravens Ark.” He flinched when his A.C.s left arm was cut off, “You should know better than anyone else.”

Evangel looked down at Neo Phoenix, his scowl replaced with a stoic expression, “An ideal cannot stand in this world. A world without the Corporations is a world of chaos. Likewise, a world without the Ravens Ark is a world of boundless war and bloodshed.” He closed his eyes, loosening his grip on the controls, “Mankind has run itself into a corner. We are trapped within an endless cycle that we can't get out of. The human race won't survive such a radical change.”

Neo Phoenix laughed at Evangel's words, “How ironic!” He sat back in his cockpit, “I fight to preserve the ideals that are Genobee, and here I am,” He laughed again, “about to be killed by someone who sounds just like him.” He paused and closed his eyes, “Try the Navis building at the center of Bayload. They've used it as a make-shift fortress. It's not the main facility, but it will have what you need.”

Evangel raised his Moonlight, “Losing another Raven is always a hard thing to go through, especially when it is by your hands.” He drove the blade through the cockpit and boosted backwards. He turned around and made a bee-line for the Navis building, closing his eyes when Neo Phoenix exploded, taking the building with him. Oracle boosted through the heavy rain, various enemies suddenly appearing on his radar, “This is Evangel to all units, form a defensive perimeter, I'm engaging the enemy.” Evangel locked communications and approached the tall skyscraper.

Switching to his swarm missiles, Evangel took to the air and fired. The missiles ascended into the open entrance to the hangar area of the building, hitting a squad of Crest model M.T.s. He landed in the tunnel and stopped to examine the interior, slightly surprised. Unlike the city outside, the interior of the Navis building was illuminated in fluorescent light. The walls and and floor were shined to the point of reflecting the image of his core, and the glass-like panels on the walls made it appear to be bright and sunny outside.

From the streets, Sarah watched Evangel dash into the Navis building. After a few seconds of silence, the sound of gunfire and explosions reached her ears, “I have to get back to the others.” She shook her head and pushed what she'd just seen to the back of her mind. She dashed through the streets and made her way back to her squad. Following Evangels orders, the Azure Squad and the reinforcements formed a perimeter to fight off the approaching Crest Resistance remnants.

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The psychiatrist vigorously scribbled down what Sarah had told him with interest, humming every now and then, “I see, I see and what happened next Miss Briar?” The mental doctor looked over his glasses when he received a response, “Oh my,” He sighed, “not again.” He pressed a button on the arm of his chair, summoning one of the assistants to take the now broken down pilot away for a rest.

The psychiatrist leaned back in his leather chair and sighed again, gently rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger. After a few minutes of silence, he heard the door slide open once more. He already knew who it was, “We only managed to get as far as Evangel taking down Neo Phoenix today.”

“At least that's something,” The new presence in the room walked over to the chair Sarah was once lying in and sat down, “now if only we can get what exactly happened in Bayload out of her.”

The doctor chuckled darkly, “The mind is a tricky thing Will o Wisp,” He glanced at the masked pilot, “you should know this better than anyone. Often times pilots lock certain memories away subconsciously to prevent themselves from further mental trauma. We must coax her mind into releasing the information, we can't force these things.”

Will O Wisp scoffed and looked out the window and into the bright sky, “It will take time is what you're saying. Very well, but the longer you take, the closer something marches our way.” His eyes lingered to the faint sight of the moon, unaware of what was just beyond it.

Through vast miles of space, on the 'Second Earth' known as Mars, a man was also thinking over the incident at Bayload. He sifted through the folder placed on his desk and examined its contents with vast interest. He smirked as he held up a photograph of an AC moving through a brightly lit facility, “Ah, they finally pieced together the information gathered by the Rovers.” He chuckled to himself, “To think, machines once used to explore this planet are now used as drones on Earth.”

“A striking irony sir.” Clair dryly commented and smirked at the equally dry look Sebastian gave her.

Sebastian returned to viewing the photos with a slight frown, “Your humor needs work Clair, it's drier than a desert.”

“Much like your vocabulary sir.”

“Make that mouth of yours useful and fetch the video files.” Sebastian glared after his secretary as she walked out of the room, enjoying her victory too much for Sebastian's taste, “That woman is going to be the death of me.” He remained expressionless when Clair returned with the video file. It was a clear cube, no bigger than the palm of his hand. He took the video file and placed it on his desk, “Play file at average speed.” He glanced at Clair and patted his lap, but she turned her nose up to him.

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“Come in, base COME IN, WE ARE UNDER HEAVY FIRE, I REPEAT HEAVY FIRE... AGH!”

“I NEED SUPPRESSING FIRE!”

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE THESE THINGS, WHAT IS IT!?”

“Nothing's working, nothing's WORKING!”

Radios were going crazy with distress calls as OWLs and Crest M.T.s alike were gunned down and ripped apart without discrimination. The attack had come without warning as strange machines appeared out of the rain. Some were larger than an A.C., spider-shaped mechs with heavy miniguns placed under their bodies. Missile packs were mounted in its body and unleashed twelve missile swarms into the unsuspecting machines. At least twenty M.T.s were downed with one wave, scattering the survivors.

“NO,” One Crest M.T. fired its machine guns as one of the mysterious machines charged it, “GET BACK YOU MONSTER!” his eyes grew wide when a laserblade activated on the side of the strange machine, slicing the M.T. in half.

The survivors of the first wave froze in fear when the quad-legged machines stopped their movements, boxing them in like animals. That's when they showed up. Explosions rocked the ceiling of the powerless city, but the explosion did enough to illuminate the figures of four approaching machines. These were bipedal mechs that greatly resembled A.C.s in design, but their look was more uniform and stream-lined.

The leader of the pack walked straight to one of the M.T.s and shot it through the cockpit with an assault rifle, slicing another in half with a blade. The M.T.s tried to fight back, but the other three machines easily dispelled them. They missed the sight of one of the OWLs slipping away in terror.

“Mars to Frighteners, come in.”

“This is Borralius,” A deep voice responded to the radio message, “go ahead. Keep it short, we'll need to evacuate the premisses before those exploding M.T.s get in here.” He raised his assault rifle and shot down one of the Suicidal M.T.s for emphasis.

“You have orders to retrieve the pilot who is fighting above you. Retrieve him before returning from the Field Test.”

“Rodger that,” A female voice answered this time, “we'll retrieve him.”
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Sebastian stared blankly at the screen before growling, “That's IT!?” He removed the video file from his desk and stared at the clear cube, “That can hardly be called a FIELD TEST! Those stupid Corporate pilots couldn't even hold up a finger to the Frighteners!”

Clair simply stood beside him as he continued to fume, “True, but perhaps they'll need to fight a Raven for a proper Field Test.”

Sebastian froze in the middle of his anger and slowly looked back towards Clair, “I remember why I keep you around Clair,” He smirked and pocketed the video file, “I'll plan just that. Let's see if this Lantern is even worth using the Frighteners to take down.”

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'That same vision again.' I rubbed my eyes and slowed my advance. I always have this vision when I am on missions. Some times the vision only lasts for a split second, but other times it lasted for minutes on end. It was always the same. He saw a raven's feather slowly descending, some source of light beyond it. The feather slowly float downwards until hitting some sort of liquid, then slowly sinking into it. From there, he'd see the feather sink deeper and deeper into the liquid. Then, the vision would end as soon as it began.

My head soon stopped hurting and I returned to the scene before me. I kicked on my boosters and slid through the empty hallways of the Navis building. My radar beeped as several enemies appeared on radar, just around the corner. I turned sideways and exposed myself to them without any sense of fear. There were five in all, maybe more. Adrenalin has a strange effect on people. I weaved around them as they fired a volley of machine-gun fire my way, using the construction frame as cover.

When the attack died down and the smoke cleared, I charged them, firing my Linear Rifle into their ranks. One was taken down from the attack, the explosion forcing them to crash together. I fired my swarm missiles at the clustered M.T.s and eliminated most of them easily, 'Two left.'

A pair of Crest model machined scatted my way, raising their cannons to try and hit me. They wouldn't get off a shot. My Moonlight easily ripped the first and in half as I weaved through the targeting of the second and last enemy. I flew over his head and landed three shots into the M.T.

For a Raven, or an ex-Raven in my case, these enemies were nothing. I had no idea of the events that would follow. As I boosted further into the facility, I felt the ground shake slightly. The florescent lights flickered dangerously as explosions rocked the streets above me. I came to stop when I reached a dead end. It was a thick door that was sealed shut, the system used for the code was smashed beyond repair, “Damn,”

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By the time I regained consciousness, it was already the next day. I weaved my way past the debris of the facility and made my way to the outside. What met my sight was both horrifying and strangely ineffective. I've seen plenty of horrible sights to numb my ability to feel anything towards scenes of destruction and chaos. Bayload looked completely trashed, and the light of the dusk sun made it look like nuclear fallout.

My radar beeped yet again, warning of multiple enemy units approaching my position. I was like a fly in bee territory, and I was stuck to a glob of honey. I quickly checked my ammo and frowned. I was out of linear rounds, so I dropped my Linear Rifle for my machinegun, “I'm not dying without a fight.” In seconds, I was being swarmed by the remnants of the Crest Separatists and their Crest M.T.s. They easily fell to my machinegun and my Moonlight, but I knew I couldn't last forever.

It was almost hypnotic, the constant sound of my gun firing round after round after round. Time seemed to slow as the umpteenth M.T. fell to the street and exploded, only to be replaced by three more. Empty shells where littering the streets as my vision and memory went hazy, eventually fading to black.

Now, as I gaze up to the proud machine looming over me, I couldn't help but remember the past. I looked to my own A.C. and smirked slightly. Oracle stood proudly beside this machine that I once tried o hard to destroy, that once envied and respected for the pilot's ability to stir masses with so little emotion, “Genobee has evolved into an ideal huh?” My name is Evangel, and I will stop the Millenium Corporation from plunging this world into another era of war.

[istinkatac]

I read the whole thing , that was some epic stuff.

[RT]

After not coming here for a while, I came back to see if this story had been continued.

Sadly it has not. Well, if the author reads this, I just wanted to say that this is by far the best AC fanfic I have read. Wish there was more...

Sorry for the necropost gents.

[Parry]

I second this, This was awesome stuff.