Armored 5: Episode 1 the beginning
/Authors note: Different episodes will have a different character tell the story from thier perspective. In one is told by Chad./
"...Technology if left unchecked will rule the world..." - President of Mirage.
Ah... I remember that day. So many years ago I was just a boy back then. That quote made headlines, sadly we soon learned it was true. Its funny how a simple turn of fate for the better can turn into a bad thing.
A couple years back all of the world's major decisions were made by a single computer known as the Controller. There were those who stood for it and those who stood against it. I was one of the ones who couldn't care less, that is until it went corrupt.
We didn't know it at first. I mean there were only a few small things that occurred. A couple MT's go berserk here a construction mech self-destructs on the job there. You know little things. But it gradually built up. This became more frequent Ravens suddenly went rouge and began killing senselessly. The death toll grew into the thousands... we then knew what had to be done.
I remember that day as well. The corporations banded together, Ravens were sent into the heart of the monstrosity that humanity had created to destroy it. Only a single Raven completed his mission, know one knows their name. Hmm ironic, a hero that no one knows their name.
Anyway a few months after the event a new corporation was formed by the name of United Ravens Incorporated. Many Ravens began accepting missions from this new corporation and after their first mission went rouge from the global cortex and joined URI permanently.
The major militarys of the world were almost completely dependent of the AC's and MT's of the global cortex. With many of the pilots now working for URI the worlds military forces were slowly diminishing to nothing. URI took advantage of this opportunity.
Little known to the government and the three leading corporations, URI was a strong follower of the controller. There plan was then set into action. Underneath the militarys notice (and I mean literally underneath) URI began rebuilding the controller using their own technology and computer programs in the sewer system that ran under the major cities of north and south America.
Soon after all heck broke loose. URI attacked with an unstoppable army of Ravens and mercenaries. The Global Cortex tried to fight back but they just didn't have enough soliders. Even Crest, Mirage, and Kirasagi sent out mechs but they too crumbled.
URI had won. The government and the corporations fell. Their followers went into hiding. The people had two choices to make. they could jump on the "NEW WORLD ORDER" band wagon and continue living their lives. Or they could stay with the country the always fought for, and go into hiding in secret camps all over the two nations. Many chose the "right" thing to do and joined the rebellion. But their still weren't enough soldiers of age to fight.
The military did the only thing they could do at that point. They lowered the enlistment age.
I was one of the ones who joined. I figured it was the only thing i could do for my shattered country. I wasn't the only one though. Many students from my school also joined along side me...
So now I'll start the story. I guess I should start at the Raven entrance exams. It was six o' clock in the morning near Anchorage Alaska...
"Two more MT's comin' up the right Zerich gimmie cover fire!" Ethan shouted through the com. speaker. The MT's began letting loose with a torrent of machine gun fire.THe MT's fighting were the lowest class possible. In fact none of us could bear to call it a mech, it was just looked like and was a walking gun. Ethan boosted sideways to avoid incoming fire. Bullets bursted through the snow causing little ice crystals to shower the air.
"Got it." Zerich responded. We all were in the same type of mech. Meaning medium armor, speed, fire power, well you get the picture. The squad was up against 70 low classed combat MT's that had been scattered out randomly in a icy tundra that had a perimeter of approximately 30 miles. There were 7 of us and the two with the lowest kill score would fail.
"Dang it, these guys just won't quit!" Cory exclaimed as he took two shots to his left shoulder. The bullets shredded through the mid weight armor, metal shrapnel burst in all directions. "No way! Ahh they... crap my left arms disabled. Oh well I still got the other arm don't I." Cory lifted his Right arm rifle and began firing at full automatic. Rifle rounds pounded into the frontal armor of the combat MT.
I boosted up the right, trying to flank the already distracted MT's. Sadly they saw me. I began taking round after round to my AC's core. I slid behind a boulder to get cover. I looked around the side and put my rifle into the "firring" position. I squeezed the trigger and tracer rounds erupted from the barrel of my gun, they traveled for only seconds before shredding the two MT's as if their armor was toilet paper. They fell to the ground slowly, as of trying to rebalanced themselves. Ant then both MT's were engulfed by a large ball of fire and smoke.
"Hey guys can anyone explain to me why these walking piles of crap are giving 7 pilots so much trouble," I asked. No response, heh I guess the guys don't got much of a sense of humor. Oh well, what can you do?
I decided to check the kill score, just to make sure I wasn't last. To my surprise there was a four way tie for first.
"Crap," I muttered into my headset. Though I had one of the tying scores I was angry because two of the other scores were held by the two biggest ego freaks on the face of the earth.
I wasn't that they weren't cool or anything they just were constantly full of themselves. Cory was "Honorable" by his own standards meaning he killed his enemy's quickly and painlessly. Because of this he thought he was more skilled then anyone else. Ethan was a pro sniper, possibly one of the best there has ever been. Obviously having so much skill calls for a sign over his head that says, "I AM EGO. WATCH ME BE AWESOME... AT EVERYTHING." He also thinks it is more beneficial to snipe with overpriced energy weapons.
Now your probably wondering who is the other top scorer was. His name is Zerich, in a way he has the exact opposite personality of the other guys. He's sort of Anti-egotistical. He hates people who have egos. Like Ethan he was a sniper but he preferred to snipe with solid shell rounds rather than energy sniping, it's much much much... (continues for hours)... much much cheaper.
The other passing score was by none other than the gentle (and I use the term gentle very lightly) giant James. James likes close combat, you know shotguns, pistols, flame throwers, short swords, more shotguns more flame throwers,ect.
Now your probably wondering what my combat style is. Well I'm a machine gunner, I shoot machine guns. I also use an assult rifle from time to time along with some light explosives and a few weapon pods. But I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself.
Anyway like I was saying before there was a four way tie for first, and I just happened to be sharing it with the two biggest headed guys around. I guess everyone decided to check their kill score at the same time I did. Ethan came on the COM channel and began taunting us saying things like,"Hey guys looks like we have ourselves a little competition on our hands. Right Cory?"
"Ahh yeah, but we all know I'm going to win. Seriously dude I could beat all of you at the exact same time if I wanted to."
Zerich sighed, and then made a hand movement that made it appear that his mech was shooting itself in the head. I responded by continuing the trend of fake suicidal motions followed by James.
"OOkay then it looks like the competition is between me and Cory then," Ethan said awkwardly. He and Cory then overboosted to go seach for more mechs to distroy.
"So how much time do we have left until the test is finshed?" James asked.
"Ten minutes," Zerich replied.
"So then lets make the most of it," I commented. "Whats you guys' status?"
"I've taken two heavy rounds to the chest, one of my boosters is out, and I've only got two clips left," James reported.
"My right arm has some moderate damage, my long range missiles and rifles are spent, and I'm runnin low on fuel," Zerich also reported.
"Good so we're screwed," I joked.
"Pretty much."
I looked around to see if I could find a good vantage point of the battle field. Nothing. All there was in this god forsaken place was snow, ice, and the mutilated outer shells of out dated, inefficiant battlemechs.
"Come on lets go shoot a few walking guns before we have to head in," I said.
Walking through Alaska as you could probably tell sucked. One it was cold, two there was nothing there but icy wasteland, and three IT WAS COLD! Being in a fifty foot tall battle mech, without a heating unit, didn't help much either.
We continued on until we saw the out lines of what appered to be two battlemechs.
"Two targets, about 300 yards to the north,'' I spoke. "Unlocking safeties now."
"Rodger, doing the same ...over," James said.
"Got it, weapons armed," reported Zerich.
"Open fire... now!" The air filled with the sound of gun fire. Bullets erupted from the muzzles of our guns. Bullets flew forward slamming into the combat MT's just ahead of us. Metal shrapnel shot of and shredded everything around them.
"All right lets go see if their dead yet," I said. We boosted over to the pile of debris that sat north of our position. When we arrived we were greeted with an unpleasant surprise.
"What the heck are you doing?" A voice peirced my ears through the com speaker.
"Cory what the heck are you doing in that pile of crap?" I asked.
"Looking for enemies you idiot, until you guy blew me and Ethan's mechs to freaking kingdom come."
"Oh crap... well at least the test is over."
"Yeah... and guess what me and ethan lost points and we're still tied. But we passed."
"Well thats good I guess so who scored the highest?"
"In kill score you and Zerich tied. But in overall score you scored the highest."
"WHAT?"