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...that paved the way for the Armored Core. An armored core, or AC, is a modular robot, which is able to be customized through almost infinite combinations. The pilots rode in the ACs because some situations required greater intelligence than simple robots. Two leading tech corporations, Chrome and Murakumo, had been fighting for total dominance since Rage was born. This mission was an attack on one of Murakumo's older research facilities. Since he was a mercenary like the rest of his fellow Ravens, he did not care whose facilities he helped or hindered, as long as there were enough credits.
When he made it back to the “Nest,” a configurations of sleeping quarters, garages, and a bar, he asked an ID expert who the mysterious man was. His friend, Steven Giller, callsign Striker, said, “He is known only as `Alpha.' He's the top-ranked Raven. Only one problem: no confirmed kills.”
“Why's that?” Chris said.
“He works alone. Scuttlebutt says he's got a special weapon that he wants nobody to see. There is one piece of footage that confirms this.”
“Well, lemme see it!”
As Striker called up the vid file on his monitor, a grainy two-dee from a security camera showed up. A heavily armed robot stood at the far edge of the screen. It had no signs of damage anywhere on its armor. A sudden wave of blue light slammed into the MT and completely obliterated it. The same AC from the mission, Alpha, showed in front of the camera, laserblade extended. It cut the power to the camera.
“Wow,” said Rage, “a lone wolf indeed.”
As Rage found out more about “Alpha,” he noticed him more around the complex. The first time he was able to get a good look at Alpha, we was challenged. The man had short, brown hair. He was slightly taller than Rage himself. His eyes had an almost distant look to them, as if he had suffered a great trauma. Then there was the steely voice.
“So kid, you feel like you can beat me?” he said.
“I think I can smear you all over the arena. I'm in first place on the ranking.”
That was all that had to be said. He told Rage to suit up and go to the training field. As the fight began, Rage thought he had the advantage. He was armed with a heavy plasma rifle, a grenade launcher, and a multi-warhead missile launcher. All Alpha had was his machine gun and his skill. Suddenly, Alpha jumped into the air and started firing at Rage. Even though Rage quickly dodged the blast, he was unnerved because of the amazing speed of the opponent. When Alpha landed, Rage aimed the grenade launcher and fired. The other AC somehow avoided the impact and charged at Rage with his boosters. Rage tried to jump, but his launcher had to deactivate before he could move. The agonizing seconds ticked by slowly. The AC tore up the dirt as it sped toward Rage. The laser sword flashed out. Terrified, he tried to jettison his weapons and escape. Unfortunately, Alpha critically damaged Rage and ended the session.
After they had exited their suits, Alpha said, “You're pretty good, kid. How would you like to be trained by me?”
“I would be honored.”
“Good. I could use a friend.”
As the weeks went by, Rage got to know Alpha even better. His real name was Jon. he grew up in an orphanage, so he had no last name. One thing Chris knew was Jon had indeed been involved in a tragic incident. Sometimes, when he slept during the transit to missions, he woke up shouting. Once he screamed, “Genesis! Wait for me! This guy's crazy!” He awoke in a sweat and almost started hyperventilating. Chris wondered what had happened between him and this Genesis, thought the name sounded vaguely familiar. Despite Jon's experience, he was only about three years older than Chris. Chris, when he had gone on the near-death mission, had been relatively new. He was introduced to the members of the Nest slowly but surely through Jon and Chris' other frien Striker. One notable Raven was Sumika. She was a beautiful young woman with shoulder-length brown hair and hazel eyes. She was only a little shorter than Chris. Occasionally, he caught Jon looking adoringly at her. It seemed as if she was the only reason that he lived. Chris also noted that she seemed to not notice those glances.
Poor Jon, he thought, he can't even ask her out.
Despite this, Jon also seemed to be a very friendly person. Once he knew and trusted you, he would laugh and joke with you like he had known you since he was a child.
Sitting in his underground dwelling, the dark and brooding man accepted the latest mission offer. The buyers knew that he, with the Cannon, could finish any mission.
Just like with the rookie, he thought about his new assignment. A smile formed on his grim face.
After a while, Chris decided to ask Jon about his past. Jon finally gave a sigh and said, “Okay. From the beginning.”
“When I was a rookie, I was good. A man who was only known as Genesis decided to train me. This guy was extremely good. He could swordfight as well as me. He could beat any mission. We became best friends. We went on every mission together. We, as a team, could do anything. That was why we went on the Mission.
“It was about ten years ago, when we were just starting to come back to the surface. Some psycho decided to run around and destroy all the new colonies, saying that all life must die. Our best men died trying to stop him.
“Our intelligence satellites reported him running into an old research facility. Both Genesis and I arrived a day after the man, Diablo, got there. As we entered, Genesis told me to watch out for anything strange near the entrance. He left for the center of the mazelike facility. After about an hour of waiting for him, I saw an anomaly on my radar. The microphones on my AC picked up some weird stuff. The thing, whatever it was, had to be just around the corner. As I looked, a huge wave of fire headed towards me. I managed to miss most of the blast, but the part that hit me was enough to blow a hole in the floor. As I fell, I saw a red AC looking down at me and heard hissing laughter over my radio. I fell for several hundred meters into a self-powered equipment room. Since it had its own power source, the room had lights. That is where I found the Moonlight.
“I found a high-powered laserblade called LS-99-Moonlight. Since it would take several days to be rescued, I decided to equip my AC with it. This is the same laserblade I use today. I carefully calibrated my power flux to cope with the energy. Eventually, I was rescued.
“It took weeks to get to the center of the maze for the rescue crews. When they finally got there, they found blast marks in the walls. They also found a broken-down red AC with a missing shoulder weapon. The last thing they found was Diablo's head. The rst of him was apparently eaten. The analyzed Diablo's blood and found a virus that destroyed the center of the brain that controlled compassion. Diablo had no feelings when he died. They found no trace of Genesis, save for a footprint here, a handprint there. From then on, he was presumed dead. I knew better thant that. To this day, I think my friend is alive.”
Now Chris knew what had happened to Jon so long ago.
Sumika was also around when Alpha told his story. She felt so sorry for him that she almost bought him a drink.
We don't want a drunken, depressed, expert AC pilot on our hands, she thought. As Alpha and Rage left the bar, Andrea relaxed her “poker face.” She didn't want Alpha to see she loved him. She was quite afraid he would turn her down. To get the thought out of her head, she thought about the new enhancements on her AC. She always rode in quick, nimble, lightly armored ACs because she liked to be attacking and gone before the enemy knew what had hit it.
She went to her apartment and logged onto the Nest's network. It was through this network you could buy parts, configure your AC, and accept missions. A high-level notice from a client appeared on the screen. It read:
Sender: Unknown.
Mission: Enter Chrome research facility #52310. Destroy all invaders.
Enemies: Unknown.
Reward: 50,000c
Advance: 15,000c
This was a high paying job that appeared okay. She accepted the offer.
It turned out that Jon and Chris got the same offer and were also going on the mission. She would protect Jon with her life, if necessary.
During the transit from the Nest to the facility, Sumika watched Rage and Alpha. they seemed to be okay, even though two days before Alpha had told about the “death” of his best friend. Alpha even joked with Sumika and Rage. She just hoped he wouldn't die during the mission.
When the hovercraft dropped their ACs, it left because sometimes things got rough over a mission zone. They entered the facility and were surprised to not even find a single worker MT.
“Could be a trap...” Rage said over his comm unit.
“If it is, we'll have to stay together and watch each other's backs,” responded Alpha.
They carefully proceeded to the lowest level of the building. Still, there was nothing. Rage was the most nervous of them all, occasionally shooting at shadows and the flashing lights that periodically illuminated the dark hallways. Finally, they reached the bottom. On the farthest wall, someone had cut a message into the wall with a laserblade.
All must die.
“Oh my God! Not him!” said Alpha.
What do you mean? Didn't they vaccinate anyone who came into contact with Diablo?” said Sumika.
“Yes. All but one.”
“But who could...” she trailed off, realizing who it was.
“Genesis!” Alpha shouted.
“This is just too strange. Wouldn't we know if he was still alive?” asked Rage.
“Not if he changed his identity and never was seen by anyone.” Alpha said.
They all left the building safely, but each person felt a chill run down his or her spine. They all knew that a new evil had been born. Sumika wished she could have the comfort of being held by Alpha, but she was too afraid of being rejected. When they had called the hovercraft back, Jon said over the radio, “May God protect our souls now.”
When they got back, the team told Striker what had happened.
“***t! I can't believe it!” Striker said.
“Could you pull up all files on AC mercenaries outside the Ravens and other similar groups?” said Alpha.
“Comin' right up. May take a day or more, though. Until then, just be ready.”
“Okay.”
They all went back to Alpha's clean, well-lit apartment. Classical music emitted from the speakers placed in the wall.
“Let's see what could happen if this guy, Genesis, gets out of hand,” said Sumika.
“I know exactly what will happen. Genesis will find a way to kill everything. You remember that giant space cannon we all studied in history as kids?” Alpha said.
“The one that had capacity to destroy large chunks of the Earth?” said Rage.
“Yup.”
“You're kidding me.”
“No. He will make the legend of the Ragnarok come true.”
“Huh?”
“Back in the days of the Vikings, a story for the end of the wold, where evil spirits defeated the Gods. First, at least three harsh winters with no summer, spring, or fall in between would come about where brothers would kill brothers and fathers their sons. Then, the moon and sun would be swallowed by two wolves. Then, the stars would disappear from the sky. Then, Surt would lead the evil forces to kill everything, from grass to gods.”
“So? This has nothing to do with the situation.”
“Yes! It does! The nuclear winter where many people died is the winter spoken of, at least to Genesis. He will kill everything!”
After they had this discussion, they decided to eat.
When Alpha went to use the bathroom, Chris said, “Ask her out, man!”
“What!”
“You heard what I said! I know you like her!”
“What if she turns me down?”
“You, the fearless Alpha, afraid of being turned down?”
“Fine. Just get out for a minue or two.”
He went to his place to “get some real music,” but he was probably startled and intimidated by Jon's insistence.
Andrea came into the room. She noticed Jon. He seemed to be debating something in his intelligent, quick, witty mind.
“What are you thinking about?” she said.
“Andrea, would you give me the honor of going out with me on a date?”
She was shocked! She had been hoping for this moment ever since she first met him.
“Of course! I would love to be your girlfriend!!”
“She left with joy in her heart and a smile on her face. She passed Chris in the hall. He looked at her once and broke into a run toward Jon's apartment.
When he got to Alpha's place, Chris said, “So what'd she say?”
“Yes! Finally! I've been waiting for this for a long time.”
After about fifteen minutes, he finally calmed down. He said, “Back to the Ragnarok.”
Just at that moment, his comm unit buzzed.
“What's up?”
“This is Striker. I found three independent operators like those you spoke of.”
“Give me the names.”
“First: Bounty.”
“No.”
“Next: Slepnir.”
“Nope.”
“Last: Surt.”
“That's it! He wants to fulfill the prophecy! Tell the authorities to watch for strange stuff around their shuttle bases.”
“Okay. Striker out.”
Alpha and Rage decided to train outside for another half hour. As they went out, a bright blue flash caught their eye. They looked up at the moon and saw it explode.
“No! Oh my God! He is already up there!”
They went back inside as quickly as possible and went to get Sumika. When they got to her quarters, they told her about the incident.
“No way! Stop joking,” she said.
“I wish we were joking,” Rage said.
Alpha suggested, “Let's go up there. We have to stop him. We will need to bring a small invasion force. he will certainly have other units up there.”
They gathered the best pilots and told them of the situation. They realized that the legendary Alpha would not joke about such things. Within the next days, Jon, Chris, and Andrea had put together a mission briefing. About six other pilots showed up for it.
“Okay. Here's how it breaks down. The cannon is made from technology that is over fifty years old. It takes weeks to recharge. We have a while to retaliate. What we're gonna do is infiltrate the giant gun. We have to break in at this point,” he pointed at a display that showed the blueprints of the cannon, “and battle our way to the control room. Then we will deactivate the cannon permanently.”
After some questioning, the pilots were ready. Alpha said, “I know you guys are good. But what you will face will be like no challenge you will ever face. You will have a week to tweak your ACs and train. Good luck up there, boys and girls.”
The other pilots left and the team knew what they had to do next.
The next seven days were intense. First, the pilots perfected their armored cores. Sumika added higher-powered boosters and a rapid-fore handgun to her AC. Rage added extra ammo capacity to his AC and put an energy enhancer on his heavy plasma rifle. Now, the gun was four times more powerful than it used to be. But perhaps the most heavy modifications were Alpha's AC. He completely changed the weapons and armor on his mech. Instead of the speedy machine gun, he used a very high power laser rifle that he found during a mission. He had heavy legs that could absorb extreme amounts of punishment. His core, or torso, had thick armor plates. his arms were lightweight, high-performance, and heavily armored. His head was the same, but it had enhanced sensors. His shoulder weapons were the large missiles more often found mounted on buildings. He also had huge rockets that could knock down a building. The only unchanged feature was the Moonlight. The mighty laserblade could cut through three-meter thick walls without even being at full power.
Training was tough. Once, Rage and Sumika saw Alpha training on the field. He unleashed fifteen high-level MTs upon himself. Within three minutes, all of them were destroyed. Alpha didn't have a mark on himself!
“Holy shit! How did you do that?”
“You forgot who trained me.”
The other pilots also trained hard. They trained thirteen hours a day and were taught how to cope with any situation and possibility. Once Alpha thought they were ready, the launch was prepared.
“Five.”
The final preparations were complete.
“Four.”
The launch was a go.
“Three.”
They were ready to save the world.”
“Two.”
The nine heroes were about to fight for a greater cause.
“One.”
They were ready to kick some ass.
“Launch!”
The low rumbling increased in volume as the rockets were fed with more fuel. The rocket started shaking. Finally, enough force was built up to fly. The acceleration was slow at first, but the pilots, they strapped into their ACs, which were secured inside the ship, started feeling the g-force build up as they went faster. The rocket climbed in the sky and disappeared.
Inside a few minutes, they were in space. The pilot of the ship set their course for the cannon.
“You boys ready?” Alpha asked.
“Yeah!”
“What is the plan?”
“Blow the crap out of everything!”
“Good!”
The rocket pilot called. “Sir, we are almost there. Prepare fo boarding.”
The small, sleek ship linked the airlock room with the designated entry point of the cannon.
The ACs lined up near the exit. Alpha activated his blade and cut a hole in the hull of the cannon. He kicked the “door” in. All ACs said a final prayer, wish, or sentiment to themselves and filed inside.
As soon as they enteret the cannon, they sealed the opening closed. They heard the ship's seal disengaging. The team made its way through the halls. Two guards were posted at the first part of the hall that branched off, so the backs of Alpha, Rage, and Sumika would be covered. There were two more of these, so after the third branching section, the three commanders would be on their own on their wat to the central control room.
As the second guards were deployed, gunfire was heard far back. The elite three knew time was short. They ran the rest of the way and deployed the last of the guards. After one minute, they came to the door that led to the control room.
Alpha slapped the control that opened the door and the team went in.
Immediately after the team entered, the door hissed shut and locked. They were trapped.
“Hello. I've been waiting for you. Especially you, rookie, or as you call = yourself, Alpha,” a cold, hissing voice said over their radios.
“Genesis! You're alive! How did you survive?” said Alpha.
“I'll tell you, so you understand when I kill you. It started when I left you at the entrance.”
“I went in because I knew of your incompetence. When I finally made it to the center of the maze after several hours, I was in a large room when Diablo popped out of the all. He shout at me after he told me about what must happen—the death of all life. But what he shot at me with was a weapon more powerful than any mobile weapon past or presently in construction. It had been made years before, when the destruction of the world was more appreciated.
“I fought him for hours. He finally ran out of strength and I was able to dismantle his AC.
“It was a long time to be `saved' and I ran out of emergency rations, so I ate most of Diablo. Then, I took his cannon, Justice, off of him and put it on my AC. I realized you weren't going to save me, so I found the secret passage he = used to get around the building and escaped.
“After that, I saw that there was no point in life and realized the Ragnarok Cycle was initiated years before, and I had to complete it.
“That is why you will die!”
Suddenly, the wall farthest the team blew apart and a ball of fire went across the room and impacted the door.
“Now you see my power! Prepare to die!”
He entered into the room through the hole in the wall. He was armed with a machine gun and his Justice Cannon. He immediately disabled Sumika with his machine gun.
The hellish battle that ensued was far more grueling than Rage would have imagined. The incredible speed and firepower of Genesis were almost inhuman. Alpha and Rage fought Genesis with guns and missiles, but he seemed invincible. Finally, Alpha said, “That's itm you bastard! Fight me like a true warrior! Use your sword!”
Both blades extended and the fight began.
For hours, the two thrusted and parried. They fought like enraged swordsmen. When Alpha was near the disabled Sumika, and Genesis was on the other side of the room, Genesis hissed, “If you won't die, perhaps she will!”
He shot his cannon directly at her. “No! Sumika!” Alpha said as he ran to intercept the blast. When the impact happened, that portion of the room filled up with smoke.
“Now that leaves only you, Rage!”
“No! You killed my best friend!” Rage said. He unloaded all his ammo on Genesis and scored a few hits. After a short time, though, he saw it was hopeless. As Genesis readied his cannon, the smoke cleared and a soft blue light emitted from the portion of the room where Genesis had hit Alpha.
“I hope that you burn in hell, you cold bastard,” said Alpha's voice over the radio.
Suddenly, a huge wave of bluish energy rushed toward Genesis. The second ticked by like hours. genesis turned and shot his cannon at the wave. When the two deadly forces intercepted, the solid shell from the cannon was evaporated. The wave kept heading toward Genesis. “No! That can't be!” Genesis tried to jump, but just like when Rage used his grenade launcher, the heavy, shoulder-mounted cannon had to retract. The wave went through the wall and continued for some distance.
“You're alive! So is Sumika!”
“Yeah, Rage. Genesis was wrong. One thing was more powerful than his precious cannon. Moonlight.”
“Let's get out of here.”
All the other enemies were dead in the hall and the other six ACs were gathered at the entry point. Sumika's power was back online, so she walked by herself. They called the ship back. When it arrived, they boarded it and left, watching as the giant space cannon exploded.
Back at the Nest two weeks later, Andrea and Jon shared a long kiss at the bar. Chris sat in the corner, still telling his stories to the other pilots. The mission had taken a lot of energy from them, but the break they were taking was doing a world of good. Too bad Jon and Andrea couldn't share a kiss under the moon anymore. The friendship between Jon, Andrea, Chris, and Steve was just starting. Throughout their long careers, they had many adventures.