One-Star Pilot Maka Albarn stood rigidly still, body at attention, as the new batch of weapons were brought in. To her right, Black*Star practically hung off the railing in anticipation. His oversized, wrinkled uniform hung off his shoulders, unbuttoned and flapping widely with every exaggerated movement.
"You can relax, Maka," Black*Star said as he took a moment to glance back at her. "It's not like any of the teachers are watching."
"I am relaxed," Maka said tersely. A complete lie. She was not relaxed. She was as far from relaxed as she could possibly be.
"Come on, lighten up. This is the best day of the year!" Black*Star sung as began to sway back and forth on the railing. "Beeeeest day of the year!"
"Not if I leave empty handed."
"Ah it'll be fine! You've got my blessing. If it's good enough for comba- oh look at that one!" The nimble pilot leaned so far over Maka was sure he was going to fall until Kid reached out and gave him a smart tug, pulling him back into a more respectable position.
"What as that for?" Black*Star whined, slapping Kid's hands away.
"You do realize this is your first meeting with your prospective partner, do you not?" Kid said. His gold eyes scanned the level below. "You may want to consider cleaning up your appearance and acting in a more respectable manner if you want to have any chance of making a connection. Take Maka, here."
Black*Star turned his attention to Maka, "What about her?"
Kid gestured to her uniform, "Do you see the difference between her uniform and your uniform?"
"It's black?" Black*Star guessed after a moment of thinking
"… Your outfit is also black," Kid sighed.
"Ah! I'm wearing pants and she is wearing a skirt?" Black*Star snapped his fingers in victory.
"No…" Kid sighed harder.
Black*Star tilted his head and screwed up his face in concentration, "It's old?"
Maka grit her teeth. She already got enough grief from the other pilots for wearing the older, trench style military dress coat outside of combat. She did not need Black*Star to add on to it.
"Well yes, you're right in that regard. It is one of the older styles. Actually, I believe father… That is beside the point. As you can see," Kid stepped closer to Maka, "Her buttons and boots are polished, her tie is straight, her shirt is tucked in, and she took the time to fix her hair into a perfectly acceptable and symmetrical style," Kid let out a content sigh at the last detail. Maka was almost pleased with the compliments before he added, "Though admittedly her skirt is shorter than regulation."
"Like I said, I'm not wearing a skirt," Black*Star said with a shrug.
"You do understand that isn't the point?" Kid said, turning back to Black*Star. "Your appearance is a mess. Not one Titan is going to accept you with such sloppy attire. At least allow me to straighten your hair."
Maka shook her head as the two boys began to tussle, Kid's hands straining to fix Black*Stars messy attire. It was a move that would, ironically, leave both boys looking slightly worse for wear in the end. Maka looked back down to the loading bay below and felt her stomach knot nervously as the last Titan was settled into place. The entire room became eerily silent as spotlights were turned on, illuminating the massive machines.
Titans.
As she looked at the monstrous metallic beasts, Maka couldn't help but feel a sense of unease settle heavily in the back of her mind. She had been taught to think of these as nothing but weapons. An expendable asset, no different from her rifle or sidearm.
But she knew that wasn't true.
These were living beings with thoughts and feelings. And souls.
They were Demon Weapons.
Fifty years ago, during the fourth Great War between Witches and Humans, an unknown enemy attacked both sides, overwhelming them with ease.
They came to be known as the Kishins.
With the threat of total annihilation from seemingly overwhelming, otherworldly forces, the unrelenting war between Witches and Humanity came to an abrupt end. Allied together against the merciless Kishin threat, the coalition of desperation stood as the world's final defense.
After early setbacks, ground engagements between Coalition, comprised of both Witches and Humans, led to many successful victories against the Kishin forces. With a common enemy, and spirits high that the war against the Kishins would soon be over, it seemed that peace between Witches and humans that had alluded the world for so long would finally be attained.
The arrival of the first Leviathan shattered those hopes in an instant.
Colossal Kishins standing almost forty feet tall that dropped into the battlefields seemingly at random. Heavily armored and horrifically powerful, they could turn the tide of a battle in a heartbeat, as they tore through friend and foe alike. Like all Kishins they showed no fear, no mercy.
Only madness.
Like anything that bleeds, killing them was possible, but at a cost that few were willing to pay. Battle after battle, the coalition forces were forced to retreat, losing precious land and resources to the Kishin invaders.
The world was on the path of extinction… until they arrived.
Titans
"Attention!"
Maka nearly flinched as Sid Barret's deep voice shattered the silence. Without thinking she snapped into a salute even though she was well out of sight. Black*Star snickered and she punched him in the shoulder.
"At ease!" Sid said as he paced back and forth in front of the Titan's below, "As you all know, this war has been long, and it has been bloody. I would tell you that humanity is going to win, but that is not the kind of man I am."
Maka gripped the handrail in front of her until her fingers turned white. Beside her, she heard Black*Star let out a curse that was mimicked in soft whispers by the others in attendance."
"In just a few short moments the floor will be opened and each one of you will be given a chance to meet with our guests. If you are found to be compatible, you will be moved from the floor and into a test area where we will further test your resonance ability." Sid barked before casting an eye over the assembled students, "Let it be understood now. The Titan will choose you. You will not choose the Titan. Are we clear?"
"Yes Sir!" Maka shouted in unison with the others in attendance.
"Alright, let's go!" Black*Star yelled. He shot Maka a toothy grin before launching himself off the walkway in place of waiting for the stairs.
"How uncivilized," Kid sniffed before he followed after Maka to the line already forming on the stairs.
After giving Black*Star a good punch to the stomach, and tossing him back into the line, Sid allowed each student some one on one time with the Titans. Stuck somewhere in the middle of the line, Maka's nerves skyrocketed with every successful pairing. There were far more students than there were Titans. Combined with the compatibility issues that plagued most Titan/Pilot relationships, the chances of a Pilot actually getting a Titan on their first draft day was relatively slim.
Slim was actually putting it rather optimistically. Most Pilots would never find a successful partner for their entire career.
Even Maka's mother, the top student at the Academy back in the day, hadn't been able to find a suitable partner during her first draft day.
Maka steeled her nerves as she reached the front of the line. There were only a handful of Titans left, the rest of the hulking beasts already having paired up with their potential partners. She almost winced as a loud shout informed her, and the rest of the assembled students and teachers, that Black*Star had found a Titan he could resonate with.
She refused to be beaten by her noisy friend.
"Albarn, you're up," Sid said, waving her forward with a large hand.
Maka nodded and strode forward with more confidence than she felt. Coat swishing behind her, she walked down to the line of remaining Titans. As she stopped in front of the first one, she already knew it wasn't to be. The machine didn't so much as creak as she awkwardly swayed back and forth for a moment before moving to the next one, and the next one, and the next one, until she realized she was on the last Titan in line.
"Not you, either?" Maka asked softly as she stared up at the machine. It remained silent and Maka felt her heart sink.
"It's perfect!" Kid suddenly cried to her right. Turning her head Maka watched as he all but launched himself onto the Titan. In turn, the Titan dropped down to one knee and caught him with one massive hand as Kid continued to babble about the Titan's perfection. The ground shook as the newly acquainted partners were quickly ushered off the floor by a team of teachers.
"Albarn!" Sid suddenly appeared behind her, "Time's up."
"But… Yes, Sir," Maka said. It took effort to keep her voice from cracking. Sid gave her a sympathetic slap on the back before yelling for the next Pilot to come forward.
With heavy legs Maka dragged herself away from the line and off to the corner. Though it pained her to do so, she stayed until all of her fellow students had gone through the line and matched up with the remaining Titans.
In addition to Black*Star and Kid, Ox, Kilik, Kim, and a Pilot she was less familiar with, Akane, had been deemed resonance capable with the Titans they had been selected by. While she was happy for her friends, though maybe not Ox Ford so much, knowing full well he would want to lord this over her for beating him in the last combat exam, she couldn't help the nearly overwhelming jealousy she felt burn through her.
Maka stayed in the loading bay long after the other students had cleared off, leaning against a wall with a blank expression plastered onto her face. Logically, she knew there was no point in staying but she couldn't bring herself to head back to her apartment yet. She slid down the wall and fell into a sitting position. Letting out a heavy sigh, she let her head drop into her hands.
A klaxon alarm brought her back to her feet. Her hand dropped down to her sidearm, fearing a Kishin attack on the school, but the rational side of her brain quickly took over as the alarm was suddenly cut. The alarm for a Kishin attack was much different, and no one would ever have turned it off.
No, this one seemed like it was coming from one of the other loading bays. She tilted her hear.
Maybe two bays down, possibly three.
Curious, Maka made her way though the large buildings. The first one was empty, save for the large stores of ammunition and weapons. The second was the same. The third, however, made her gasp.
Standing alone in the middle of the bay was an Atlas model Titan. Its metallic body had been painted with a stylized series of black and red blades and finished with a menacing set of razor sharp teeth set over the cockpit.
Green eyes wide, Maka approached the Titan slowly, searching for any sign of movement. She stopped only a few paces in front of it and waited.
"Uh," Maka frowned, as she received no response after a few minutes, "Hi?"
The Titan remained still.
"I'm Maka. Maka Albarn," Maka continued, undeterred. "I'm a One-Star Pilot. Well, I'm trained to be a Pilot, but I don't have a Titan yet, so technically I'm still a Pilot in training, but they call us Pilots anyways. It's a potential thing. It helps with morale."
Silence.
"I really like your paintjob. I don't think I've seen any of the other Titan's come with custom paint jobs. Some get them later though."
Silence.
"Well, I'm sorry if I bothered you too much," Maka smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes as the Titan continued to stare blankly at her. Letting out a soft sigh she stepped forward and held out her hand, "Anyways, it was nice to meet you. I hope you find a good Pilot. We've got a lot of great students here, so I'm sure you will."
The Titan slid forward with surprising swiftness and it took all of Maka's resolve not to flinch away. It dropped to one knee and closed the distance between them almost immediately. It was so close Maka could feel the heat generated from the nuclear powered engine against her face. She kept the smile on her face and hand extended, her entire body reflecting in the Titan's large glowing red eyes.
The Titans hand, large enough to crush her without the slightest of hesitation, came around and stopped beside her. Carefully, it extended a single finger and touched it gently against her hand.
"Soul Eater," The Titan greeted. Like all Titans, it held a strange sort of metallic hue to its voice, but Maka also noted another tone. Amusement?
Maka pressed her hand against Soul Eater's finger. It was so large even with both her hands she wouldn't have been able to properly grasp it. She instead settled for an awkward type of high-five.
"You know, you talk a lot, pigtails." Soul Eater said as he brought his hand back. The amusement in his voice was clear this time, mired with a rather lethargic air that made her feel as though she was the butt of some joke.
"I will have you know, my hair style is on the approved list for students not actively engaged in combat. It is clearly stated in the academy handbook," Maka said.
"You're a bit of a nerd, aren't you?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Yeah, I pegged you as a nerd when you walked in."
Maka huffed, "You're giving me grief? What kind of name is Soul Eater? Sounds like a crappy DnD reject."
"You would know what DnD is, nerd," Soul snorted, "And you can just call me Soul."
"And my name is Maka, not pigtails," Maka said.
"Fair enough," Soul's head turned up and he let out a static filled sigh. "Damn. Sounds like they are coming back after all."
"Who?" Maka asked, turning her head just as the bay doors opened and a black and silver Titan ambled in, a Pilot perched on its shoulder.
"Oh no," Maka groaned, "Anyone but him."
"Wait," Soul's head tilted down towards her, "You know-"
"Maka! Come, let Papa hold you!" The new Titan suddenly dashed forward, its boosters igniting as it closed the distance in a single bound. On its shoulder the Pilot shook his head, his long white coat billowing out behind him.
"Papa?" Soul tilted his head down towards Maka with a loud creak.
"No!" Maka held up her hand, halting the Titan in its tracks. "Spirit, no!"
"But… but I'm supposed to protect you!" Spirit whined, "I promised your mother-"
"What exactly?" Maka snapped, "Promised her that she was the only Pilot for you? Promised her that you would never, ever, ever Fall for anyone else?"
"This is creepy," Soul said, so quiet only he could hear, lest he disturb the… whatever it was he was seeing.
"Well, I just…. It's complicated…" Spirit's large hands began to twist back and forth as his Pilot jumped down and landed next to Maka.
"Professor Stein," Maka greeted with a much politer tone. She had always liked Stein. He was a little strange, with his scars and head injuries, but he was a skilled mechanic and even more skilled Pilot. Beyond that, he was the only one since her mother who could get any results out of the useless Death Scythe Class Titan known as Spirit.
"Maka, I see you've met our newest addition," Stein said as he approached Soul. In response Soul returned back to his full height, once again going silent.
"Still being difficult, I see. We couldn't even get him into the other dock for the draft earlier. It seems he is not fond of large groups of people, or even other Titans," Stein said as he adjusted his glasses. The light glaring off the lenses gave him off an ominous glow. "Such an interesting Titan. I would very much like to dissemble you and see just what makes you tick."
"Professor!" Maka began to edge her way between Stein and Soul, but the older Pilot only laughed and waved his hand.
"Lord Death has banned such practices, of course, it is simply a stray thought. Think nothing of it," Stein sighed. It was very apparent it was much more than a stray thought and more like an overwhelming desire. "Don't worry, Maka. He will be well taken care of, I guarantee it."
Maka glanced back at Soul, "What's going to happen to him?"
Spirit answered this one, finally recovering from Maka's lashing and finding his voice, "He'll be put in storage with Excalibur and Justin Law."
Maka frowned. Excalibur and Law were arguably two of the most powerful Titans to ever be discovered by mankind. Unfortunately, they were both useless to the cause. While it was extremely simple to find a Pilot who could resonate with Excalibur, it was impossible to find a Pilot who could put up with the constant nagging and provisions that the Titan demanded be met. If even one was ignored, Excalibur would completely quit in battle. More than one Pilot had almost died trying to put up with him before his use was banned.
Justin Law was even worse. Unlike Excalibur, who was basically useless, Law was an anomaly. A Titan that was able to competently fight on its own without the use of a Pilot. While all Titan's held some degree of combat ability on their own, Justin Law was on a completely different level. During his first engagement he had single handedly taken on three Leviathans and come out with barely a scratch. Despite this, Lord Death had chosen to sideline the Titan from future battles, fearing his capture. Should Justin ever be turned, or replicated, by the Kishins, the war would become nothing more than an extermination.
"Well, we should move him already," Stein said. He raised a hand to motion for Spirit to assist but paused before completing the order. "Unless…"
He leaned towards Maka and gave her a very long look. He repeated the action, but this time stared at Soul. A half smile formed on his face as he reached into his coat and pulled out a cigarette. It was a habit that would normally not be tolerated inside of the academy, but there were few who were willing to make a mention of it to Stein.
"So, your souls have a level of compatibility, I see," Stein pulled back and lit up, taking a long drag. "Not very high, but passable."
"Wait…" Spirit took a step forward and one could almost hear the gears turning inside the machines mind.
"So, you just going to sit their quietly all day or are you gonna say something?" Stein threw a glance up at Soul and angled his cigarette at Maka. "This Pilot is pretty good. You could do a lot worse,"
Maka wasn't quite sure if that was a compliment or an insult. Spirit had no such qualms.
"Hey! Are you trying to tell me my Maka isn't the best? How dare you say that, Stein. My Maka is perfect in every way. Any Titan would be lucky to have her grace their cockpit! She's-"
"My Pilot," Soul said suddenly as he extended a hand to Maka. "If that's cool with you?"
Maka hesitated for a moment, staring at the extended hand, before a smile broke across her face. Reaching out, she placed her hand on the Titan's giant thumb and pulled herself into its palm. With gentler movements than seemed possible, Soul eased her up towards his chest as his cockpit opened with a soft hiss. Nimbly, he deposited Maka inside of the Pilot's chair as the hatch shut and Maka was left in total darkness.
"Here we go," Soul's voice said softy. Unlike before, his voice now filtered through the back of her mind and sent a strange chill running down her spine. It seemed different, than before, and it took Maka a minute to realize it had lost usual robotic tone.
It was so much warmer.
This is what he must have sounded like, Maka thought, back when he was really alive…
View screens spanning the entirety of the pod lit up and bathed the cockpit in soft white light. Maka blinked a few times to help her eyes adjust to the change in brightness. In the upper, right-hand corner of the right side view screen she noted a resonance meter. Currently they were holding steady at forty-two percent.
"That's not very good," Maka mumbled. Her mother had been able to achieve an average resonance rating of eighty-percent and a peak resonance of ninety-two percent, even with her useless Titan, Spirit.
"Well excuse me for not being freaking perfect," Soul grumbled. Maka winced, realizing how insulting her words probably were. She hadn't meant to insinuate it was Soul's fault. She began to blurt out an apology but her babbling was stopped as Stein's scared face suddenly appeared in a small box to her left.
"Hmmm, a perfectly acceptable res-rate for a new Pilot and Titan team. It will likely rise as the two of you become more comfortable with each other," He said, watching their souls weakly resonate together with his perception. He puffed leisurely on his cigarette and idly wondered if, in the past, they would ever have dreamed soul perception would be used in such a way. His thoughts were interrupted as Maka asked if they should run a resonance diagnostic test.
"Normally, you would," Stein said as he dropped his cigarette and pulled out another. He took a moment to light it before continuing. "But it seems that will have to wait."
Inside the cockpit, Maka tilted her head. With his soul linked to hers, Soul did the same without thinking, his giant head slowly rotating as he stared down at Stein.
"Why?" Maka asked.
"Because," Stein took a long drag and reached up to touch the comlink hidden in his left ear. "The Kishins have just launched an attack on one of our munitions factories. Look's like you two will be getting a field test. Should make for some rather interesting observations."
Maka's pulse began to race and her fingers tightened around the controls.
Kishins.
xXx
"Man I can't believe this! First draft day then we might get our first Titanfall!" Black*Star was practically vibrating in his seat, completely obvious to the solemn mood of the rest of the occupants of the VTOL. "How lucky are we?"
Kid did not share his friend's enthusiasm, "Black*Star, an attack by Kishin forces is nothing to be excited about. Please, calm yourself."
Kid's brow furrowed as he adjusted the sights on one of his Smart Pistols. Maka didn't know why he bothered. With his unorthodox, underhand grip, the sights were usually rendered completely useless, even more so when combined with the fact that the Smart Pistol scanned for hostile targets within a short range and locked onto them automatically. Once locked, any rounds he fired would maneuver to hit the locked targets. With their small caliber and under-average stopping power, they weren't the most damaging of weapons, but in Kid's hand they were particularly lethal.
Though, Maka glanced at Black*Star, maybe not as lethal as they could be with Black*Star. The young pilot had a gift with weapons and rarely liked to stick to one type of weapon. She had once seen him expertly wield a Spitfire Light Machine Gun and an EVA-8 Shotgun… at the same time. A feat that, sadly, was not that unusual to see when fighting along side Black*Star. In most situations it was simply best to point him towards the enemy, then stay the hell out of his way until the area was clear.
Maka herself preferred the comfort of her more traditional R-101 'scythe' carbine outfitted with an extended magazine and ACOG sight. The weapon that she currently had cradled in one arm while the other held onto the safety harness above her. While it didn't have the technology of Kid's Smart Pistols, or the raw power of some of Black*Star's more flashy weapons, it was dependable and had kept her alive on more occasions than she cared to think about.
"Pilots, we are entering the drop zone!" The pilot yelled out as the drop doors in the back of the VTOL opened. The scream of the engines drowned out anything else the pilot said until Maka donned her helmet. Her HUD informed her she had only thirty seconds until drop. She glanced to her left and Black*Star gave her a cherry smile. To her right, Kid gave a grim nod.
"Okay," Maka muttered as the counter reached zero, "Let's go!"
Running forward she launched out of the VTOL and into the air. Over the comlinks she heard Black*Star let out an obnoxiously loud 'Yahoo!' as he entered into free fall for a moment before activating his jumppack and shooting off ahead of the rest of the group.
Maka did not follow suit, instead choosing to spread her arms and legs wide to slow her decent as she took in the battlefield that was already raging. One of the main warehouses had already been razed by the Kishin attackers and smoke and fire bellowed from its melting walls. Even from this distance Maka could feel the heat of the fire.
Corpses littered the area, but Maka noted, with relief, that an overwhelming number of them were not those of her fellow Pilots or Coalition forces. Movement caught her eyes. Adjusting her fall, she watched a group of Kishin solders move forward, slightly hidden in the shadow of a broken down wall.
Satisfied with her recon, and with her newfound targets, Maka finally activated her jumppack. With nimble movements she landed in a crouched position on top of one of the surrounding building. Taking in a deep breath she clicked off the safety on her rifle and started to run. Her feet propelled her towards the edge of the roof and she once again was airborne.
Lifting up her rifle she sent a salvo of bullets into the cluster of Kishin grunts below. Three went down before they even saw her and a fourth before he had fully brought up his own weapon. The fifth actually managed to get off a shot but, with a quick correction from her jumppack, Maka dodged the return fire and landed beside the creature.
With its three, large slit eyes it stared at her, gaping mouth dripping with foam. Its freakishly long limbs shook as it began to bring up its weapon to fire at her.
Without hesitation Maka drew her knife and slammed it into the side of the creatures neck. The blade easily passed through the molting grey skin and Maka wrenched it out with a sickening plop. Black blood poured from the wound and the Kishin let out a gurgling cry before it dropped to her feet, dead. She gave it a firm kick to the head for good measure. Sheathing her knife, she continued on, leaping back up onto a wall and scaling another building to gain a better vantage point.
"All Pilots," Sid's voice suddenly cut into her helmets feed, "We have lost Warehouse A. Warehouse D is under heavy attack. The Kishins are moving their forces towards B and C. Hold these positions at all cost."
"Roger that!" Maka yelled as she leapt from her vantage point and landed feet first onto a Kishin. The force was enough to pulp the monsters head. Spring boarding off her victims head, Maka activated her jumppack and spun her rifle around. Two quick, controlled bursts left another two Kishins dead on the ground. Ejecting her nearly spent mag, she headed on towards point B, her HUD advising her on the best route to take.
"Black*Star, Kid," Maka lifted up her rifle and mowed down another two Kishin grunts before launching herself onto the side of a building. She bounced from wall to wall, evading sporadic enemy fire before landing beside a Kishin and downing him with powerful kick. She executed him with a single shot to the head. "I'm heading to point B."
"I'm at C!" Black*Star responded, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of sustained gunfire followed by an explosion. He laughed maniacally. "This is it! This is the day I surpass God. I can feel it!"
"Black*Star seems to be in rare form today," Kid sighed, "Maka, I will meet you at point B. Be careful."
"You too," Maka said as she ducked behind a corner just as another Kishin opened fire on her. Shards of concrete and dust rained around her as the bullets slammed against the wall. Maka could hear the Kishin scream in its garbled language to the others, likely ordering them to move up and attack her position. Not wanting to wait and find out if her assumption was right, Maka primed a grenade and jetted herself up and against the building. Dropping the explosive, she threw herself forward, her feet glancing against the sides of buildings as she used her jumppack to quickly navigate herself towards point B. Behind her, she heard a loud thump as the grenade went off, followed by the scream of dying Kishins. She felt no small sense of satisfaction.
"Damnit we lost D! Do not let them take another warehouse. Hold them no matter what until reinforcements can arrive!" Sid's voice came back on the comlink just as Maka arrived at point B. On her HUD she could see Kid was somewhere to her left and currently engaged with a large number of enemies. Secure in the knowledge that he could hold that area, she made her way to the warehouse doors and found that another contingent of Kishins had the same idea. Quicker on the draw, Maka downed them with quick, controlled bursts from her rifle. As the ammo indicator clicked down to nothing, she began to eject the spent magazine from her rifle when something slammed into her from behind with enough force to send her stumbling forward. A sharp pain followed and her HUD flashed red and a klaxon screamed in alarm.
Spinning around, Maka drew her sidearm with her left hand and fired at the Kishin that was lining up another shot. The wild flurry of bullets sent the creature scuttling back and Maka retreated as well. She could feel her wound pulse painfully in time with her heartbeat. Her HUD informed her that her armour had held, but only just.
She was going to have one hell of a bruise from that.
She finished her reload and spun back into action. With a single shot she dispatched the Kishin that had shot her, and killed a few of its allies that had moved up for support before retreating to the relative safety of the interior of the warehouse as a group of Coalition forces arrived to help defend the warehouse. After a few more minutes of intermittent fighting, it seemed the Kishin forces were dwindling.
Relieved, Maka fell into a sitting position on top of a crate of ammunition. Kid soon appeared next to her, ejected his spent mags and replacing them.
"How does it look?" Maka asked, wincing slightly as she upset the wound on her back. She could feel the blood beginning to dry inside of her suit.
"Black*Star is successfully suppressing any Kishin activity at C and reinforcements should arrive to help him soon. No signs of Leviathan activity yet. Perhaps we will be lucky," Kid said, though it was clear he put little hope in the words.
Maka nodded and looked up through the skylights of the warehouse, her helmet polarizing in response to the bright light. The sky was blessedly clear, allowing good lines of sight. If anything dropped. They would know.
Rainy days were the worst.
The Coalition still hadn't managed to decipher just what the Kishins were, or where they came from. Originally, they had been thought to be a terrestrial threat, much like how the Witches originally were. That, however, quickly changed after the first few battles.
Kishin foot solders were dropped into battle in what the Coalition came to call 'pods'. Disgusting masses of flesh, bone, and metal containing ten to twenty soldiers each. They dropped without warning and were incredibly effective at sustaining heavy anti-aircraft fire without the infantry suffering many casualties.
The most popular theory was that the Kishin were some kind of alien invaders, but Maka didn't put much stock in that. Nor did she put a belief that they were a sign of the coming apocalypse or some kind of failed medical experiment.
No.
They were simply an evil to be erased, and she would do her part in that mission.
"Leviathan! Contact in three! Everyone find cover!"
Maka's blood ran cold and her fingers tightened around her weapon. Ignoring the order, she stood up and approached the doors of the warehouse, eye fixed on the sky as the Leviathans fell.
The ground shook as six of the giant beasts landed on the far side of the factory. Plumes of dust rose up from the broken concrete beneath there their massive feet. Even from distance, Maka could see them clearly, her vision enhanced by her helmet.
They looked more or less like the other Kishins. Same grey skin. Same lanky limbs. Same three, large slit eyes. These Kishins, however, we larger. Much larger. Standing somewhere between thirty and forty feet. Covered in thick, metal armour and sporting monstrous weapons that could tear Maka apart with a single round.
Maka pushed down the feeling of fear that welled up in her belly. They were just like any other Kishin.
A threat that she would eliminate.
"All Titan-class Pilots!" Sid's voice came through clear as the Leviathans began to move towards the warehouse. "Defend the warehouses from Leviathan attacks. Leave the Kishins to the Coalition forces."
"Understood!" Maka said, mustering up as much strength in her voice as she could manage. She heard Kid, Black*Star and a few other pilots on her channel give similar responses. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or not that they sounded just as nervous as her. Well, except Black*Star.
"I told you!" Black*Star screamed into the com, so loud that Maka almost muted him. "This is the day I surpass God!"
"Maka," Black*Star's obnoxious ranting was muted and a smooth, slightly metallic voice came over her comlink and the face of a dark skinned woman wearing glasses appeared in the corner of her HUD. It took Maka only a moment to recognize who it was. Mira Nygus. Maka had never met the woman in person, but knew she was in charge of battlefield operations, alongside Sid. "Your Titan is prepped for launch, call it in when ready."
"Roger that," Maka said. Slowly, she lifted her up her hand and pointed at a spot a few meters away from her. A green light appeared on her HUD and the spot was marked on her map.
"Stand by for Titanfall," Nygus said. She gave Maka an encouraging smile before her image blinked out. "You might want to look up. This is your first time, after all."
Maka followed the order and watched as a fireball containing her Titan streaked down from the sky in a dazzlingly display of light and noise. Roughly a hundred feet from impact, the protective shell around Soul exploded outward and rained down small bits of flaming metal and polymer over the area. The very world trembled as Soul impacted with the ground and a large dome of hard light formed around him, a protective shield that would shelter him for a few moments after landing from any and all incoming attacks. He stayed completely still, shrouded in his cocoon of light.
Though Maka would have liked to sit in awe for a moment at the magnificent sight she had just beheld, there was no time as the nearest Leviathan let out a scream and opened fire. Its weapon was far from being in its effective range and the giant bullets sprayed around wildly, but Maka was not going to take any chances.
A stray bullet could kill just as well as any other.
Breaking into a sprint, she leapt through the hard light shied and towards Soul, calling out his name. As soon as she broke through the shield she felt it. His soul. Though the link was admittedly weak, it was enough and his giant hand caught her around the waist. Standing up, he quickly deposited her inside of the cockpit and booted up his combat systems.
"Nygus has marked our target. That big bastard over there," Soul said as one of the Leviathans repeatedly flashed red.
"Alright," Maka flexed her hands over the controls and brought up Soul's Chaingun. It was a simple factory issue. There hadn't been enough time to modify it, but it would do. "Let's go, Soul Eater!"
Soul's giant body rushed forward, his heavy feet leaving cracks in the ground below as he began to pick up momentum. The Leviathan took notice and turned its attention towards them. A howl tore from its drooling lips. A challenge. It trained its gun on them and took aim.
Time slowed as the Leviathan fired at them. Maka could practically see each individual round as they were spat out of the mouth of the weapon. Her fingers twitched, activating the boosters located in Soul's legs. They lurched to the right and into the relatively safety of a cracked, stone wall, successfully avoiding the oncoming salvo of bullets.
"You've got pretty good reflexes, for a nerd," Soul murmured. Maka didn't reply, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she brought them out from behind the wall and swung her rifle up. Still a sizable distance from her target, she aimed for its chest and opened fire. The weapon vibrated and the recoil threatened to shake her off balance, but she felt Soul guide her, helping to hold the weapon steady as they moved ever closer.
The bullets slammed into the Kishin, some penetrating into its grey flesh, but the majority deflecting off the thick metal armour that protected the vital areas of its body. Apparently undeterred by its pain, the Kishin returned fire.
This time, with nowhere to hide, Maka was forced to accept the punishment.
"Shields at ninety-five percent and dropping," Soul informed her as the bullets deflected off the energy shields. Though he said it rather nonchalantly, Maka could feel his soul twinge in trepidation. She couldn't really blame him. While this wasn't her first battle, by far, it was most likely his.
Maka dashed to the side again as the ammo counter on her weapon dropped to zero and she was forced to reload. Dropping the giant mag, she swung another into place as the g-force from the boosters sent her stomach into a series of summersaults.
Thrown by her sudden acceleration, the Leviathan was forced to turn with her and momentarily stopped its attack.
"Do we have rockets?" Maka asked as she jetted around the corner of a building for cover. The Kishin roared in annoyance and fired at her regardless, large bullets smashing though the masonry and a few pinging of Soul's shields.
Soul didn't answer for a moment, "Resonance rate is still too low for access to rocket ordinance."
"That's fine!" Maka swung around and back into the Kishin's line of sight and unloaded her mag into the beast. "We'll beat him without it!"
The Kishin took the punishment and dealt out his own. Maka let out a hiss of pain as Soul's body was rocked uncomfortably by the Leviathan's attack.
"You might want to get closer to it," Soul said after a few more minutes of extended firefight that consisted of nothing more than Maka and the Leviathan circling each other and exchanging fire. While Maka was sure she had done some damage, she couldn't deny that Soul's shield was dropping fast than she would like. She could only thank whatever deity was watching her that the other pilots were successfully holding their own against their targets. If one were to fail and she had to fight two Leviathans on her own… She didn't know if that was an experience she would be able to walk away from.
"Why's that?" Maka asked as she reloaded again. She glanced at the ammo counter. She was already running low. Only enough for one more reload.
"According to the scanners, this is just a C grade Leviathan," Soul said, "They've got really thick skin and can take a beating, but they're not very smart and kinda slow. You just need to get that armour plate off his chest and he'll be toast."
"How do you recommend I do that?" Maka said. In her mind she cringed. Only a C grade? How could that be possible when she was having this much trouble taking it down? She could have sworn this thing was at least a B grade, or maybe even a low A. She could never let Black*Star know or he would never let her live it down.
"Just get me close to him," Maka could almost see Soul sharp teeth grin in anticipation, "I'll do the rest."
"I'm not sure…"
"Come on, partner," There was that grin again, "Trust me on this. Weren't you the one who said we could beat him?"
Maka only hesitated a moment before nodding.
"Alright Soul Eater, you're up," She said with a small smile.
Loading in the fresh mag, Maka took in a deep breath, and charged forward. Weapon blazing, she watched the rounds ping uselessly off the Leviathan's armour, but she didn't slow her approached, instead activating the boosters and throwing them forward at full pelt.
"Soul?" Maka said, her voice going slightly higher as the Leviathan began to block her vision, "Any time now."
"Not yet," Soul said, "We need to get closer."
"Soul."
"Not yet."
"Soul…" The Chaingun sputtered as it ran out of ammo. Out of habit, Maka started to reload before realizing she was too close for the gun to actually be of any use.
"Now!" Soul yelled.
Maka felt an unnatural warmth surround her hands, almost as though her fingers were being interlaced with someone else's. Her hands moved over the controls without thought, guided by the otherworldly force. Wide eyed, she watched through the view screen as Soul's hand slammed into the leviathan's chest. His thick, armored fingers found purchase on the monsters chest piece and he wrenched it back as though it were wet cardboard, tearing it from the Leviathan's body and tossing it to the side.
The warmth around her hands faded away and Maka was once again in control of the Titan.
"He's all yours," Soul said smugly in her ear.
Maka did not need to be told twice.
She dropped the Chaingun and brought the now free fist up. Teeth bared, she punched the Kishin in the chest. The soft flesh broke beneath her fingers and black blood spilled out. It tried to fall back and bring up its weapon, but Maka was faster. She grabbed the Kishin's weapon by the barrel and wrenched the Kishin forward. Off balance, the monster was unable to stop Maka from pummeling it with another series of blows before finally, with a savage battle cry, she drilled her fist, Soul's fist, into the Leviathan's chest, punching though skin and bone, before breaking through to the other side. The Kishin howled in pain and fury.
"Resonance rate reached," Soul said, his voice layered with confidence, "Rocket Salvo is ready on your mark."
"Fire!" Maka screamed, leaning forward in her seat, hands pressed firmly against the controls.
"Firing!" Soul confirmed.
Maka's view became nothing but fire and smoke as the rocket pods lining Soul's shoulders opened at point blank range. The monstrous Leviathan simply ceased to exist as the twenty-four, high explosive ordinances impacted with its body. As the smoke settled, all that was left was a mass of thick, greasy black blood. Breathing hard, the Maka slowly relaxed and fell back into her chair, her fingers slipping form the controls.
"We did it," She said, laughing.
"We did it, " Soul agreed softly as Maka continued to giggle, caught somewhere between elation and triumph.
After a moment the rush finally subsided and Maka was mindful enough to activate her comlink.
"This is Maka Albarn piloting Titan Soul Eater. Our target has been eliminated. Standing by for orders."
"Copy that, Maka," Nygus answered, "Black*Star and Kid are both reporting Leviathan kills and are moving to assist the other Pilots in the area. The Kishin forces in the area have almost been eliminated. A clean up crew is in route to finish the job. Good work, Pilot. We'll see you at home for some R&R."
"Thank you, Ma'am," Maka gave a weak salute before slumping over in her seat as the link was terminated."
"Good work out there," Soul said gruffly after a few moments of silence. "I guess you aren't a total nerd, after all."
"Thank you, Soul," Maka said as she glanced up at the corner view screen. She noted, with some pride, her resonance rating with Soul had gone up and showed no signs of falling.
A tired smile graced her face as Soul began to walk them back to base.
xXx
A hot shower was exactly what Maka needed after a long battle and it was exactly what she had gotten. That is, after being fretted over by her 'guardian' the moment she pushed through the door.
Her name was Blair and she was a rather voluptuous Witch who was currently serving as Maka's roommate. Well, kind of. In actuality it was less 'roommate' and more 'pet', and it was less 'Witch' and more 'Cat with a ridiculous amount of magical power' but most people seemed to gloss over those details.
Maka had more or less adopted the stray after seeing her getting bullied by a group of humans who, apparently, still clung to the past. Despite the fact that the Coalition was comprised of both Human and Witches, tensions between the two groups still remained high. Maka did not like bullies and she had dealt with them accordingly. The stunt had gotten her suspended from combat training for two weeks, but Maka had considered it a fair trade. Blair had followed Maka home after that and the rest was history.
"Well… I guess you look alright," Blair said, leaning away from Maka after a long investigation. With a puff of smoke she returned to her car form and made a face. "You smell bad though."
"That would be the point of the shower that I would be taking if you weren't stopping me," Maka said with a tired sigh as she headed towards the bathroom and gave Blair a weak wave as the feline left the apartment. Maka was never sure what exactly Blair did at night. She brought home money… and sometimes extremely fresh fish, but Maka wasn't sure how those two correlated.
She wasn't sure she wanted to.
As she waited for the water to warm up, she took a moment to loath the fact that she was still in her Pilot suit. While she could bathe at the base, she never felt as comfortable as bathing at home. That, and the fact that she had been slightly scared to see just what kind of bruises and scrapes would be covering her pale skin once she removed the protective layer of clothing.
In the end, as she peeled off layer after layer of reinforced fabric and armour plating, she found that she had been right to be worried. While the majority of the injuries were expected wear and tear from battle, the large bruise on her back from where she had taken the shot was worse than she had thought.
She used a warm washcloth to wipe away some of the dried blood from where the skin had opened up, but that did little to improve the appearance. The bruise was roughly the size of a grapefruit and already turning a nasty shade of purple, save for the middle where the skin was raised and had become a sickeningly bloody red color. Looking at it in her mirror, Maka resisted the urge to touch it and instead pulled herself into the steaming hot shower.
The hot water stung ever so slightly, but she relished the cleansing feeling as the day's dirt, sweat, and blood washed off her body. She leisurely cleaned herself, paying extra attention to hear scalp and ears. The helmets were murder on the head, particularly the ears. Black*Star had been reprimanded more than once for removing his during combat after feeling constrained by the garb.
Even after she was sure she couldn't get any cleaner, Maka stayed in the shower for a few minutes longer, simply letting the warm water run over her flesh before finally reaching out and shutting off the stream. As she reached out to grab her towel, she sighed. She had completely forgotten to grab a change of clothes from her room. Not that it particularly mattered, considering she lived alone, save for Blair. But it was still an inconvenience
Hair still dripping slightly, she walked out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam and started to move towards her room when she heard her name. Well, not specifically her name, but a name she knew was associated with her. Out of reflex she looked up and froze.
"Yo, Nerd."
Standing in her living room, with their back turned towards her as they investigated the pictures that lined her wall, was a white haired stranger. Slowly he turned around to look at her, through shockingly red eyes. He had a smug grin on his face that vanished as soon as he noticed her clothing, or lack there of.
"Wha- who?" Maka stammered.
"Uh. Well. I didn't think you'd be so… I thought you would be… I mean…" The newcomer stammered right along side her, "Oh. Fuck."
"Get out!" Maka screeched, finally finding her voice. Grabbing a thick book that was laying on the table near her, Maka lunged forward and slammed it on the intruder's head. A patented technique she had mastered over the years dealing with Black*Star and Kid.
The Maka Chop.
It was a perfect strike. Or… it would have been, if her book hadn't promptly passed through his body. Thrown off balance, Maka stumbled forward into him. He held up his arms to catch her, but failed, as she too passed through his body. With a distinct lack of grace she crashed hard to the floor.
"Oh, hey, you oka-oh…" He trailed off, a hint of laughter in his voice, as she turned to glare at him…
And her towel promptly dropped down to the floor.
If it was possible for a scream to be loud enough to wake the dead, then that night, at that moment, Maka was the greatest necromancer that had ever lived.
xXx
"I still don't see why I had to apologize," Soul grumbled as he sat on the far end of the couch across from the, now dressed, Maka. "You're the one who tried to freakin' brain me with a book. Who even does that? Why do you even have a book that thick? I mean I knew you were a nerd but honestly-"
"Shut up!" Maka snapped. It wasn't the first time she had said it this night and she doubted it would be the last. She tugged at her hair in frustration. None of her current predicament made any sense in the least. "Just… just, how is this even possible?"
Soul yawned and looked around her apartment. "You keep saying that. This place is nice, by the way. You Pilots get a stipend or something? That seems unfair. No one is paying me, or any other Titans. We do work too, you know."
"I have a roommate," Maka said before shaking her head, "And that doesn't matter. You can't possibly be here."
"Yet here I am." Soul said, yawning again. As his mouth stretched open, Maka couldn't help but notice his sharp, white teeth. Just like his Titan body.
"But… you're a Titan. You're in the hanger!" Maka's fingers moved to rub at her temples. Was she was going crazy. Maybe she got a concussion or something during the battle.
"Well yeah, I mean, I'm there too. This is just like, a projection or something," Soul said with a shrug, "I'm kinda leeching energy off all the devices in here. You should think about replacing that light bulb over there. It's going to go out soon."
"If my power bill goes up, you're paying for it," Maka snapped. Soul snorted in response.
"Yeah, with all that Titan money I got," Soul relaxed against the couch. Though Maka didn't understand why he bothered, considering he could easily sink into it. "Don't know what you're freaking out about, S'not like this hasn't happened to you before."
Maka stared at him with a blank expression, "What?"
"Projections. I dunno if everyone can do it, but a few can. You already know one of them. That chick earlier, Nygus," Soul ran a hand through his messy hair, "She's a Demon Weapon."
"That's not possible. She…" Maka went silent. She hadn't actually ever met Nygus, only seen her face in videos or heard her voice over the comlinks. Maka shook her head.
"But that doesn't make any sense, then why isn't this common knowledge?"
Soul shrugged, "I dunno. I'm not an expert on Demon Weapons or anything, even if I am one. Actually, speaking of that, why are we called Titan's anyways? I'm a Demon Weapon. That sounds way cooler. Titan is kinda lame."
"Well, for the first few years they did called Pilots 'Meisters and Titans 'Demon Weapons', but the PR department wasn't having a great time selling the fact that humanities last hope was in the hand of Meisters and Demons," Maka said with a tiny shrug.
"So why Titans?"
"Some kid saw a picture of a Demon Weapon in a news article after a battle. Ended up photo shopping it holding up the world, you know, like the Titan, Atlas."
"You do realize Atlas holds up the sky, not the earth," Soul sighed.
"Well, it was just a kid with a computer, what do you want, a history lesson?" Maka growled, "The image got so popular we ended up changing your names to Titans and we got stuck with Pilots."
"Well, I guess it's better than having to call you my meister or whatever," Soul sniffed.
"Oh shut up," Maka nearly screamed. She was getting caught up in casual conversation with this, this, this, this apparition instead of getting to the bottom of this. "Are you saying that every Titan has a body?"
"You mean a projection or whatever? I'm not sure, but probably, if they really want to," Soul said, "I mean… we all used to be… you know."
"Then why don't they… project?" Maka said, for lack of a better term.
"Dunno, you'd have to ask them, but it's probably better if you didn't," Soul propped up his feet on the coffee table. Maka briefly considered scolding him, but realized it didn't matter, even though the principle of the matter still bothered her. "I'm willing to bet to a lot of them, though, their human form… it's personal. We don't get to choose to become Demon Weapons, you know."
Maka went silent as Soul's tone changed from lazy and casual, to somewhat sad. Without thinking, she scooted closer towards him.
"Isn't your form personal too, then?"
Soul shrugged. He was no longer looking at Maka, instead choosing to pointedly stare at one of the walls. "Yeah, I guess so. Whatever. It's not cool to be stuck in the past or anything. If I wasn't a Titan my past wouldn't be weird or anything. Besides…"
Maka moved over another inch.
"Yeah?"
"Well, you're my Pilot," Soul said with another shrug, "Makes sense we'd get to know each other if I'm going to protect you."
Maka felt her cheeks burn ever so slightly and she cleared her throat. "So… do you remember your life, then. From before?"
Soul didn't answer her for a long time and for a moment, Maka was sure he was going to leave. Just when she was about to rescind the question, Soul let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.
"Nothing important," he said quietly, "But I remember…"
Maka scooted another inch closer.
"Soul?"
"I remember my death," Soul said thickly, "Not all of it, but I remember the fire. Burning. All around me, consuming me, until I was nothing but ash. I remember someone picking me up, but it wasn't all of me. Just what was left, just…"
"Your soul," Maka said quietly.
How Titans came to be was still a mystery, and one that many people were interested in solving. They had dropped into the battlefield one day, like angels sent from heaven to stem the unstoppable Leviathans. Since then, they would appear, seemingly at random. Despite extensive research, very little had been uncovered.
However, the one known and very real truth was that in order to make a Titan, someone had to die, and their soul be bounded with the metallic monsters. It was a fate that few envied.
"My soul," he nodded.
"I'm sorry," Maka reached out to touch his hand and that is when she, along with Soul, realized just how close they had become during the course of their conversation. Instantly, Maka leapt back to her side of the couch and Soul phased through the edge, stilling a sitting position but now hanging in the air. Clearing his throat, he righted himself and looked down at Maka.
"Well, you had a long battle today so uh, you should probably sleep. I just came to check on you and, yeah," Soul said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Anyways, I'll see you tom… well, I'll see you. Sorry if I scared you earlier or whatever."
"Ye-yeah, thanks," Maka said, forcing a smile on her face, "I'll see you, yeah…"
"Well, night," Soul said as he headed towards the door.
"Hey, Soul. Tell me one thing, before you go?" Maka asked suddenly just as he started to phase through the wood. He glanced over his shoulder at her and raised an eyebrow. Maka gave him a genuine smile, "Is your name really Soul Eater?"
He flashed her a sharp-toothed smile.
"It's Evans. Soul Evans. Don't you forget that, nerd," Soul laughed and phased into nothingness, leaving Maka alone.
Maka stayed on the couch for a long time after Soul had left, the gears in her mind slowly turning. Mindlessly she glanced at the clock and let out a gasp. She had been talking to Soul for over three hours, but she could have sworn he was only in her apartment for a few minutes at best. With a shake of her head, she fell back against the couch, pushing a pillow behind her head. Despite the length of the conversation, she had still failed to learn anything substantial.
No. She quickly realized that wasn't true.
In the short time she had just spent with Soul she had learned something very important. She had learned she was comfortable with her Titan, and that he was comfortable with her. On the battlefield she had trusted him with her future, and in turn he had just trusted her with his past.
Maka did not realize a large smile had formed on her face as her eyes grew heavy and she fell asleep.
Though she wouldn't remember it in the morning, she dreamed of dancing an endless waltz with a well-dressed, white haired boy, with shockingly red eyes and sharp white teeth.
xXx
I hope you enjoyed, please leave any comments or criticism you may have.
This was written for Resbang, which is a fandom-wide event going on. I highly recommend you check it out on tumblr and here, some pretty great authors and artists are involved.