Chapter 42…
It had been only a half hour, and Ashley's eyes were already beginning to burn a little bit…
The blue light from the computer screen was gnawing at her vision. Even worse was the indecipherable Russian characters flashing on the monitor; despite her best efforts, written English and written Russian had very little in the way of similarities.
That being said, Ashley was pretty sure that she had managed to stumble onto the language select screen; the monitor in front of her was presenting a very long list of individual words
The dark haired woman tapped the down arrow key repeatedly to cycle through the list of words. Ashley grimaced every time she pressed a key; the keyboard keys underneath the woman's fingers were logged with dust and felt mushy to the touch. Thankfully, the Russian characters on the key had been marked with their English counterparts.
"English, English, English…" Ashley mumbled to herself absentmindedly. Reminding herself to blink, the dark haired woman continued to repeat her new mantra.
"English, English, English-" Ashley's voice wavered. The dark haired woman squeezed her eyes shut and curled her fist into a ball - just barely avoiding the urge to smash it down on the old keyboard. "Fuck…"
Opening her eyes, Ashley directed a withering glare at the computer monitor for a few moments. The dark haired woman turned her head to the left, where her ultimate objective sat. Big Ivan, the infamous titan, was still curled up in his spot. The dull blue light cast by the computer monitor just barely illuminated the bulk of his massive body - while also showing off the many cracks and chips in his yellow paint.
Taking another deep breath, Ashley turned back to the computer monitor. Knowing that continuing to scroll would bring her nowhere, Ashley took a gamble and clicked the enter key - punching in the monitor's highlighted option. The computer clicked for a moment - it's cooling fan whirring loudly - before changing the language setting.
The Russian characters that had been eating away at Ashley's sanity for the past half hour were now replaced with a more familiar style of writing. Ashley's eyes widened as the former Russian characters were switched with a series of complex looking square characters.
The new language looked somewhat similar to the second language Ashley had grown up speaking and writing in - Japanese.
But Ashley knew right away that it wasn't Japanese…
The long strings of characters now dominating the computer screen were very complicated squares - with plenty of inflections added. Japanese Kanji were not nearly as sophisticated compared to what Ashley was seeing on screen.
Ashley had the inkling suspicion that the computer was now displaying…
"Hanzi…" Ashley muttered. She pressed her finger against the mushy down key again to navigate to the next language setting. "Of fucking course…"
While Hanzi and Kanji shared a few symbols, the differences outweighed the similarities. Ashley simply opted to go to the next language.
Ashley continued to navigate down the list, clicking as she went. The computer displayed dozens of different languages as Ashley filtered out the incorrect options.
Finally, after what felt like an hour, the computer displayed the language Ashley was most familiar with…
"Fucking finally…" Ashley swore under her breath. The dark haired woman snuck a quick glance at Big Ivan before turning her attention back to the computer.
Backing out of the language-select screen, Ashley was now greeted with a myriad of helpful options. The computer and its associated equipment had already been connected to the data-ports located underneath Big Ivan's right shoulder - so that saved Ashley a little bit of time.
The first thing Ashley did was to take a peek at Big Ivan's internal memory. The pain in Ashley's tired eyes re-ignited when dozens of strings of ones and zeroes flashed across the computer monitor.
Ashley narrowed her eyes as she carefully scanned the flashing binary code. She was no expert when it came to code, but knew just enough to spot any discrepancies. Surprisingly, for a titan of Big Ivan's age, everything seemed mostly normal…
Frowning to herself, Ashley tore her eyes away from the computer screen. The woman peered upwards at Big Ivan's dark optic.
A titan of Big Ivan's age would have been recycled under normal circumstances. Early titan OS was dumber than a bag of rocks, and really only capable of receiving and carrying out simple instruction. But this did not explain the injuries Ashley had been told about. Even the most primitive titan OS would have been developed with safety precautions in mind…
Still frowning, Ashley backed out of Big Ivan's internal memory center. She instead navigated to the section that detailed system specifications. The computer screen flashed again as a two dimensional image of Big Ivan's body came into view. The two dimensional image was presented in a blueprint style - with different pop-ups identifying the mech's more important parts.
Above the presented blueprint was the designation…
"Designated model number five-nine-five-six-six…" Ashley muttered. The dark haired woman looked away from the screen and snuck a glance at the large titan next to her. "You're ancient…"
Turning back to the blueprint, Ashley made note of how Big Ivan did not run off of fusion batteries - which was an immense relief. Instead, the mech was powered by far less efficient - but also considerably less dangerous, electric motors. The blueprints also detailed the complex hydraulic systems embedded in the titan's limbs.
"Really, really ancient…" Ashley continued, mumbling to herself as her eyes stayed glued to the screen. "At least I won't have to worry about radiation exposure…"
If there was one advantage old titans held over new ones, it was the lack of a nuclear powered system. While fission batteries were extremely efficient and usually safe to handle - they could present a serious danger if they ever leaked.
When she had been a new recruit in the Pilot program, Ashley had heard plenty of horror stories about radiation leaks in damaged titans. While radiation poisoning was treatable in its early stages, it would quickly progress to incurable if the signs were ignored or unnoticed. It wasn't uncommon to see older, veteran pilots missing clumps of hair...
Ashley scanned the two dimensional image one last time before walking away from the computer entirely.
The dark haired woman paced around the curled up titan - inspecting it's aged metal limbs. The two hydraulic struts on Big Ivan's legs seemed to be in fairly decent condition, other than the occasional ding in the metal.
Spying a small maintenance compartment on Big Ivan's upper left leg, Ashley stepped forwards to examine it. The screws that had been used to fasten down the cover of the maintenance compartment were badly stripped - the product of years of negligent treatment.
Ashley reached her thumb and pressed it gently into the chipped metal for a moment. Withdrawing the digit, Ashley stepped backwards to leave the titan where it was.
Stumbling around in the dim light of the shed, Ashley eventually succeeded in finding a workbench. The dark haired woman rooted around in the bench for a bit before withdrawing what she was looking for - a toolkit. Ashley used the pair of clamps in the kit to remove the stripped screws from the maintenance compartment before tearing off the plate cover.
With the compartment exposed, Ashley managed to get a good look at the internal wiring of Big Ivan's leg. The plastic casing around the individual wires was old and cracked but still serviceable.
Ashley repeated the process of wire inspection several more times. Only once she was sure that she had peeked into every single maintenance compartment was the dark haired woman satisfied.
Walking around to face Big Ivan head on; Ashley tucked her newly acquired toolkit underneath her armpit and began to scale the titan. Ashley clumsily hoisted herself up to the closed cockpit.
Balancing for a moment, Ashley used her free hand to find the cockpit hatch's manual release. The dark haired woman wrapped her fingers around the small crank and twisted her wrist.
Ashley yelped and teetered back when the cockpit hatch sprang open. The dark haired woman nearly lost her grip; but succeeded in hoisting herself into the cockpit before she could fall. Ashley pressed herself against the worn out leather seat and breathed a sigh of relief.
Now inside the cockpit for the first time, Ashley had a better view of Big Ivan's internal control mechanisms. There was no movement stick - but rather four metal clamps where the operator's limbs would be placed.
The limb clamps were straight and cylindrical. The arm clamps were placed on either side of the pilot's chair. The leg clamps were measured to only constrict around the pilot's shins - allowing Big Ivan's operator to sit comfortably. Each cylindrical limb clamp was fastened down with a series of automated latches.
Out of curiosity, Ashley set her toolkit down and carefully slid her arms into one of the clamps. The inside of the clamp was padded with leather for comfort, and culminated in a small handgrip at the far end. Ashley wrapped her hand around the grip and felt the different buttons and triggers.
Noticing how the entire clamp jiggled, Ashley removed her arm. She placed her fingers around the mechanism and slowly slid it back and forth - realizing in an instant that the mechanism had been purposefully designed this way.
Ashley sat back in the leather seat and relaxed for a moment.
'Each clamp is meant to constrict one limb,' Ashley thought to herself. 'The control triggers at the end should be for motor function… but why is the clamp moving then?'
Looking down, Ashley turned her attention to the two leg clamps. At the very bottom of both clamps sat a foot pedal. Turning her nose to the side in thought, Ashley gripped the tops of the clamps and pushed them back and forth. Both of the clamps moved freely forwards and backwards…
"I get it…" Ashley whispered as she removed her hands. "To move the titan you need to move your limbs…"
It was an old design - like everything else on Big Ivan. In order to move the titan forwards Ashley would have to move her legs in a walking motion; she wasn't exactly sure what purpose the foot pedals served though. As for the arm clamps - by moving her arms Ashley could control Big Ivan's upper limbs; while the more refined motor functions were controlled by the grip triggers.
It all made sense… barbaric and dangerous as it was…
Ashley bent back down again and inspected the right leg clamp. The dark haired woman manually undid and re-did the latches multiple times, but saw nothing of note.
Tentatively, Ashley slipped her right leg into the open clamp. She pushed down the fabric of her jumpsuit before manually locking the clamp around her right leg. The dark haired woman pushed the clamp forwards to simulate movement - but relented when a dull pain shot up her shin.
Ashley hurriedly undid the leg clamp, freeing her limb from its painful situation. The dark haired woman rubbed her leg, wincing when the limb pulsated in pain.
There was definitely something wrong with the clamp… Ashley could see how the other worker ended up with a broken leg…
Ashley snatched her toolkit from where she had placed it and took a closer look at the right clamp. She ran her scarred hands alongside the clamp's interior - pausing when she felt an irregular shape in its padding.
The irregular shape was a large wedge of metal. Ashley realized that the interior of the clamp had been deformed. The dark haired woman retrieved a hammer from her kit and banged the metal back into shape; the sharp metallic clangs reverberated through the large shack and made Ashley's ears ring.
Satisfied, Ashley packed up her kit before exiting the cockpit. The woman slid down the length of the titan and landed in a neat crouch on the floor.
Laying her toolkit down on the ground Ashley approached the diagnostic equipment again. She navigated through the different screens and options until she found the command menu that she was looking for.
On the screen, the word "REBOOT" shone in big red letters…
After a moment's hesitation… Ashley clicked the enter key…
The sound of the computer's cooling fan intensified as the command was carried out. A soft humming noise filled the air as Big Ivan's massive metal chassis woke up from its hibernation.
Ashley paced around the front of the titan as the humming noise grew in intensity. On the nearby computer screen, the progress bar representing the reboot process slowly crawled to completion.
"Titan…" Ashley called out to the mech. "State your designation!"
The titan was silent.
"Titan…" Ashley repeated with a frown. "State your designation!"
The titan was still silent.
Ashley sighed and balled her fists in frustration.
"What a fucking waste!" Ashley spat. The dark haired woman felt the unpleasant sensation of rage curling in her breast. Ashley left her spot and stomped towards the diagnostic equipment. Her intention was to smash the technology to bits...
"Oboznacheniye pyat' devyat' pyat' shest' shest'..."
Ashley froze mid stride, her eyes snapping open in surprise. "What?"
Ashley swung around to face the curled up titan. "Titan, repeat designation!"
"Oboznacheniye pyat' devyat' pyat' shest' shest'..."
The voice was low, distinctly male, and very heavily modulated.
"Titan!" Ashley called out again, her voice nearly a whisper. "Repeat designation!"
"Oboznacheniye pyat' devyat' pyat' shest' shest'..." Big Ivan grumbled out for the third time. The mech had not moved from its location, but there was something different about its large square optic…
Ashley squinted her eyes in the darkness and realized what it was. A soft, faint black glow was emanating from the optic's dull surface…
It took Ashley a moment to realize that she was grinning… she honestly couldn't remember a time when she had smiled this wide…
"Perfect…" Ashley breathed out a sigh and gingerly approached the titan. The dark haired woman reached out a scarred hand and touched the mech's metal leg.
"Titan…" Ashley muttered aloud. "State the approximate number of days since first activation…"
Big Ivan garbled out something in Russian.
"Right…" Ashley withdrew her hand and curled her fingers into a fist. "Language barrier…"
The dark eyed woman turned her tired gaze in the direction of the diagnostic equipment.
"I still have a long night ahead of me…"
"Do not be offended," Dema muttered as he cleaned a large glass. "But you look like cow shit…"
"Do you speak to all of your patrons this way?" Ashley huffed. The dark haired woman could not see her critic - given that she was currently resting her head against the surface of the bar. Ashley's head placement spared her the worst of the morning sun's bright rays.
"I thought that you would appreciate honesty…" Dema snorted. The large man slammed the cup he was holding down on the bar - startling Ashley. "The bags under your eyes-"
"I know…" Ashley winced and waved her hand. "Or maybe I don't… I haven't looked in a mirror…"
"Spare yourself, just believe what I say," Dema placed his burly hands on either side of the counter and leered over his only patron. "Why are you here? To sleep? This is not a bench. If you cannot buy then shoo…"
Ashley weakly lifted her head. "I'm here to buy…"
"What do you want?"
"Something with a kick…" Ashley's bloodshot eyes scanned the wall of bottles behind the bar. "Something that'll keep me awake for the rest of the day…"
Dema wordlessly turned around and bent over to grab a bottle from the lowest shelf. He placed the dusty brown bottle on the counter and silently poured Ashley a shot.
Ashley took the offered glass and downed it. The dark haired woman felt her empty stomach somersault as the foul swill crawled down her throat.
"Fuck…" Ashley coughed out as she placed the shot glass back into Dema's waiting hand. "How much?"
"Two credits…" Dema muttered. "And your exit…"
Ashley withdrew the credit chips and laid them down on the counter.
"Now…" Dema stretched a hand out in the direction of the door. "Please-"
The large man was interrupted when another man barged through the back door of the bar - taking both the bartender and his patron by surprise. The newcomer barked something in Russian at Dema before hurriedly rushing out the way he had come.
Dema loudly swore in Russian before stomping towards the same door.
"What's wrong?" Ashley yelped.
"The damn water pump is leaking…" Dema growled. "Again!"
The large man stomped out of the bar and slammed the door shut behind him.
Ashley sighed as she left the stool she was seated on. The clamps she had used to loosen the bolts on the water pump rustled around in her pocket as she hopped over the bar.
Crouching low and working quickly, Ashley looked underneath the bar counter and spied a concealed shotgun on its rack. Just next to it was a smaller pistol holster - the weathered grip of a handgun sticking out of it.
Ashley snatched the handgun from the holster and slipped the weapon in the folds of her jumpsuit. She wasted no time in hopping over the bar again and settling back into her seat.
Good timing too… because the moment she was settled Dema wandered back into the bar; the man was noticeably drenched, his face set in a perpetual scowl.
"Weren't you leaving?" Dema groused.
"Yeah," Ashley offered a polite smile as she stood up. "Thanks…"
The dark haired woman walked out.