Armored Core is property of From Software and Agetec.
Plus
Rejected from the Raven fold, or given a clean slate with one complication. He had to become plus; he had to undergo the experimental, dangerous, and largely unexplored world of plus.
Here he was, strapped to a table, prepped for the operation; and he was panicked.
"I changed my mind actually, I'll just leave the Ravens."
"Its too late," someone said through their mask, "you belong to Murakomo."
Jays gulped.
Now he was looking into a bright light, a plastic mask went over his mouth; something was in the air. Fear gripped Jays again.
He raises his head to the little he could; the world faded as he saw scalpels, syringes, and what might be put inside him.
Jays came awake, his body numb, but he could feel someone inside him, cutting inside him. If he could vomit he would have. Then he realized why he couldn't; his stomach was on the small table beside him.
"The gas will wear off soon, and he can't take much more, close him up."
Thirty minutes later, thirty minutes of sewing, stitching, cutting, and digging later Jays was losing his mind.
"Alright," there was water in the background, "read me off what we've done."
"Replaced the leg bones, marrow in the right leg has taken well but we aren't sure about the left. We also replaced the digestive tract to not be so bad when he is hungry, and more effectively digest food, as well as combat bonuses like not being able to vomit from stressful situations."
"How are his vitals overall?" it was a different voice.
"Sir! Uh, his heart rate is a little low. The synthetic blood should work until we move him into another surgery."
Jays was wheeled off. Half way to his room the doctor noticed he was awake.
"We'll be back to work on you in a day or two, relax for now."
Jays nodded weakly.
He was in his AC again, the exhilaration of combat. Death on legs, it was so easy, he was one with the AC, flying over machines; blasting everything apart. Death and fire was bursting forth from everything. Then it happened, just like last time, another AC nailed him from behind. He panicked and hit the ground; only this time he felt it. He rolled and stood to look back.
A dangerous red and black AC looked back at him. The AC had a black circle with an orange '9' on the shoulder for an emblem. This time he knew who it was.
"Nine-ball right? Its your fault I'm getting Plus'ed!"
The menacing AC fired a grenade in midair, sending him to the ground. Jays reached for his own Grenade Launcher… It was gone? His right hand was empty; the blade in his left arm wouldn't respond either!
He looked around desperately, he was in the operating room, Nine-ball now stood before him. The small pulse rifle missing; with a flash of blue in the AC's left arm Jays' stomach was cut open. A cut from under his naval to the top of his sternum seared with the power of LS-99-MOONLIGHT.
The cold steel hands dug into his chest, and pulled him open, Jays shrieked. The glowing eye of the life sized AC glared at him; he fell silent. Nine-ball went back to his open body cavity; synthetic organs worked without fail in some places, others were still very much natural.
Nine-ball dug its cold hands into Jays' gut, he tried to struggle, but he was being held down; scientists, Ravens, doctors, they all had a hand on him, holding him down. He spotted his operator Catrina looking on in horror and disgust. Nine-ball gripped his liver and pulled…
Jays was unconscious on the table again, a doctor was cutting the liver to remove it… Jays jerked with spasm.
Jays started shouting unintelligibly while jerking around.
"Hold him still! Nurse?"
"He's having a nightmare or something."
"Muscle relaxant, now!"
"He already has full dosage," someone replied.
"Add more."
"It could kill him!"
"He'll die like this if we don't."
Someone else was already administering more. Jays calmed enough for the restraints to hold him.
Jays awoke on a table again, doctors prepping around him.
"What's…?" he croaked weakly.
"Last surgery, we have to reduce inertial shock to your brain and we're done."
"You'll be fooling around in my head?"
"Yes, you just hope you're the lucky fifth patient alright?" The doctor put an anesthesia mask on Jays, who fell asleep again.
Jays lay awake in his hospital bed; the tests had gone fine, he was a better pilot and well… Human Plus.
Was I just not good enough? he thought. Was his actual self not enough? Other Ravens did just fine naturally, but he had to be operated on to meet par.
Well… he would be welcome now. At least he belonged.
How could he have thought he would belong? On his return the staff even avoided looking at him, Ravens would glare, shoving past him and muttering things. Things he shouldn't have been able to hear, but could pick up just fine.
And Catrina, his operator, the only person he trusted. She got him in, she had been kind, had looked out for him. Now she would hardly look at him. Catrina was the only person Jays could open up to, but now she had closed to him. She wasn't his friend anymore.
Those hate and fear-filled remarks echoed in his mind, Freak. Whoever he saw, he knew they thought it, dishonorable. Even Cat, disgrace. Worthless. Nothing he could do anymore, Monster. Jays lay awake every night while he was off duty.
They say, the words echoed in his mind, that the Plus always loses it. They snap, killing everything nearby, the nest or corporations have to hunt them down like the broken merchandise they are; and its never easy to take one of those things down. Even if they are just rabid animals.
But the nightmares are worse. The operation always comes back. And Jays had gotten so little sleep that he started to hallucinate nightmares while awake, stumbling around, and drifting asleep any time he sits; only to wake up moments later coated in a cold sweat with his synthetic heart thudding so hard his body shook. In fact, if his circulatory system hadn't been improved, or for some parts, totally replaced; various arteries would probably burst.
Jays walked the virtual training halls, small pods that resembled cockpits were lining the hall, a pilot could get in and have mock battles in an AC of his own design, the Nest did take precautions to ensure that the pilots weren't massacred. However, Jays never got peace, he was flying through a mission in record time, when a pilot pulled the door open, ripping the steel lock off, and pulled him out of the seat.
"Dirty bastards! Its your kind that I want to kill. You! All those enhancements, and then you just go crazy and kill anything you get your slimey, blood soaked hands on!" The man shouted, holding Jays by the collar of his shirt.
"What do you-"
He slammed Jays against a wall, the impact, which should have killed him, put him into a light daze; blood trickled down the back of his head."When huh! When are you going to go crazy huh? When will you have to be hunted down? Because I'll be first in line. You son of a-" the man held him by one hand and pulled back the elbow of his other arm; obviously meaning to finish the phrase with a crack to his face.
Jays' arm came up out of instinct, blocking the huge man's attack, he pushed off the wall with his feet; throwing his weight on him. His attacker stumbled back a step, enough to let Jays reach the ground, he grabbed him by the arm pit and wrapped his other arm around his neck, then through him over his shoulder. The man sailed through the air for about two seconds before landing with a thud so powerful the ground shook.
He tried to get back up, but fell back and passed out, more rage-eyed Ravens made their way over to him.
"Whats your problem you asshole!"
"Freak! You'll hurt him!"
"Yeah, he's not manufactured like you are."
"Get over here and have a fair fight!"
"Yeah fair, with three of us," the man laughed.
Jays was making his way out when he heard one more comment, "won't be long for that one..."
He's right, Jays thought to himself as he went to the dorm, something is wrong with us Pluses, we all snap and kill everything nearby... what IS it, what makes us do that? Jays could not see the answer that lay before him as he staggered back to his room in a sleepless stupor.
A week and two hours of sleep later Jays began fullforce hallucinations, often seeing a man-sized Nineball. In his dreams; if he beat it, the broken shell would turn into someone he cared for, like Cat; if it beat him, he would lie bleeding and see the faces of other Raven, smiling. Sometimes it was the operation. Nineball would dig around inside him and pull organs out, he could feel the tissues ripping in the cold steel hand, or the doctors would be operating, without anesthetic.
However in the hallucinations Nineballs would walk into the room he was in, or maybe he would feel something digging around in his body cavity... He was haunted, no matter where he went. And he could go to no one, the psyche doctor wouldnt always have more 'serious' patients, Cat would grow morose and leave wordlessly, Ravens would turn on him. There was nothing.
Alone.
Totally alone.
The only respite came from missions. The missions that he would get a word or two of praise from, thats all that held him down now. Those few words of praise...
Hey, I was in a science mood after Biotechnology class and spat this thing out. I'm not sure if I want to continue it (It will still be short) so drop a review and tell me if you think this is stand-alone, or needs more. It was sort of hard to eat after writing it though. Everything I described with the surgeries or dreams kind of backlashed onto me. Imaginations suck. Well anyway, Review, Thanks for reading!