The Monster You've Become
by Ulquiorra9000
PART I: BOY WONDER
Chapter 1: So, Where Were We?
Black Hills streets, Solaris City, Solaris VII
Lyran Commonwealth
March 5th, 3053
"I'm rooting for that kid," Henry Laxus said.
"I'm sure you are," Xavier Chidori said.
"I mean, shit. He took on old Don and wasted him and Eva? Kid's got guts. I'm rootin' for him."
"You already said that."
"Well, that's how much I mean it! Mac's got a good head on his shoulders. He'll go far."
"What a doting uncle you'd make."
Henry burst out laughing. "I ain't the type to get tied down, and I haven't seen my sisters in years. If I'm an uncle, I sure as hell don't know it."
"Oh. Yes. Of course."
"So, what's fun to do around here?"
"Wouldn't you know that?"
Henry slapped Xavier's back. "Just testin' you. I wanna see if you finally developed a sense of fun."
A wry grin crossed Xavier's face for a second. "Maybe another time. Just pick a bar with working TVs this time."
Henry threw his head back and burst out laughing as a garbage truck trundled past him on the crowded, grimy street. A light drizzle started to fall from the murky gray afternoon clouds. "Good point! The top 16 tourney is about to start. Wouldn't wanna miss it!"
Sure enough, Henry and Xavier hurried down the sidewalk past this slummy area's brothels, drug dens, and gun shops and found themselves a fine bar/restaurant, Murray's Mead. They stepped in, and the crowd was already making a ruckus. Good.
"Go get 'im! Go, go!" one large fellow roared, pumping both fists as two BattleMechs duked it out on the flatscreen TVs mounted over the bar.
"Are we late?" Henry cried happily over the din.
"Nope! Place yer bets quick, before the match's over!" the large fellow hollered back. "I've got 10,000 C-Bills on Slick Maverick. Look at him go! Ain't no stoppin' him! Whoooo!"
The bar's little crowd roared as, on the TV, Slick Maverick's Thug dealt a nasty blow on his opponent's scarred Warhammer with a PPC shot. Man, that one had to hurt!
But Henry knew what he was dealing with. He offered a wad of C-Bills to the bartender. "Hey! 15,000 on Chilly Bob! Quick!"
"You're shittin' me!" the big guy, the Slick Maverick fan, yelped. He stared at Henry like he had bet on a one-legged horse. "Slick Maverick is the favorite to win phase three of the Grand Games Tournament! He fucking dusted the opposition in his phase two bracket. What the hell is Chilly Bob gonna do to him?"
The bartender accepted Henry's bills and gave him an appraising look. "You really like to play with fire, don't you, Mr. Laxus?"
Henry snorted with amusement. "Just watch. I've met Chilly Bob. He doesn't lose matches like this."
Xavier made no expression or comment at all. Instead, he craned his neck to watch the match with Henry, where Slick Maverick's mottled gray Thug moved in for the kill, preparing to fire its twin SRM 6 packs. Meanwhile, Chilly Bob's Warhammer, which was painted with a charming blue and white snow camo scheme, suddenly charged forth to meet its foe, the opposite of what most spectators would expect. Then -
"Dirty bastard!" the Slick Maverick fan wailed as the snow-themed Warhammer punished the Thug's head and neck with twin medium laser bolts. The Thug flinched, and its SRM 6 warheads scattered all over the place. Not one of them hit the Warhammer, and this gave the Warhammer its chance to thrust its right PPC barrel right into a nasty, molten wound on the Thug's left torso. It fired.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Half the bar's patrons erupted in horror as the PPC bolt went for the jugular and blew up the Thug's remaining SRM ammo. True, the Warhammer had taken a worse beating than the Thug so far, based on what Henry saw, but Chilly Bob always knew where his opponent was hurting the most. He had an instinct for these things.
Reminded Henry of that Chen fellow, to be honest. What was he up to now? He and that fine Kathy lady? Eh, whatever.
"It's over! A brutal surgical strike from Chilly Bob's PPC reduces Slick Maverick's Thug to scrap, and there's the horn! Chilly Bob advances to phase three's second round!" The tournament announcer was clearly having the time of his life narrating this, and the Slick Maverick fan was beside himself.
"What the fuck!" he roared, swinging a fist through empty air. "Slick Maverick had it in the bag! Chilly Bob's team musta sabotaged him somehow! I mean, didn't Donovan Storm sabotage all his opponents? It was all over the news cycle yesterday!"
"It's over, pal," the bartender told him gruffly. "And I gotta pay to Mr. Laxus. Make room."
"Fuck all this." The Slick Maverick fan shoved past Henry and Xavier, storming out the front door and raising two middle fingers to no one in particular. Oh man, sore losers are always hilarious!
"Good instincts as usual, Mr. Laxus," the bartender said warmly as he paid up with fat stacks of C-Bills. "I was sorry to hear that you and Mr. Chidori here failed to qualify for phase three, but at least your strategic mind has not failed you."
Henry beamed as he pocketed that sweet cash. "It happens. Honestly, I wish I was up there right now..." He nodded at the TV. "But I'm feeling lucky for other reasons right now, so I won't complain. You can watch me win the 3054 Grand Games Tournament. Sound fair?"
The bartender nodded. "Damn straight. Now, what'll you fellas have?"
Henry and Xavier placed their orders, both of them keeping a lid on the truth of Donovan Storm and the Thunder Blast stable. This last week had been nuts. Donovan sabotaged all his opponents to push his four top pilots into phase three, only to flip his shit when Henry and the others failed anyway? And then the rebellion! Little Mac Storm was in charge now, and who the hell knows what he did with his parents' bodies? On Solaris VII, it wasn't unusual for boys Mac's age to bury their parents, but seriously, that kid was stone-cold.
It'll take some time for Thunder Blast to get back on its feet, though.
"Strangely, I haven't heard much about Mr. Storm these past three days," the bartender suddenly said, polishing a beer mug as he spoke. "Nothing about an investigation into his dirty affairs or anything. And nothing from his wife, either. Both of 'em have been so busy lately, but now it's over, hmmm?"
Henry and Xavier glanced at each other. "I guess he's takin' a sabbatical, huh?" Henry said casually, swilling his drink with one hand. "Poor bastard must be exhausted. Nothin' a little nap won't fix."
"Oh, for Christ sakes," was clearly what Xavier's expression said.
"I see," the bartender said vaguely. "Anyway! What's your take on phase three, Mr. Laxus? Got any ideas on who'll make it to the finals?"
Henry glanced up at the TV again, which was reviewing the remaining tournament combatants and their stables. Metal Magic, Star Knights, Crimson Demons, Bronze Dao, Passione... no Thunder Blast, of course. "I'll get back to ya on that. Sorry, lots on my mind right now."
"Understandable," the bartender said. "You're welcome to watch the remaining matches here anytime. The first round is almost over; only eight warriors will remain after the next match!"
Henry grinned. "Damn straight. Anyone who can make it to the final eight in a tournament this big is a legend in my eyes."
He and Xavier finished their drinks and headed out. The drizzle was still coming down. Great.
"Had enough bar time?" Xavier demanded.
Henry whistled innocently. "Almost."
"Quit screwing around." Xavier gave him a look. "We have to start from scratch: find a new stable to join, get our 'Mechs fixed, make new friends and allies, everything. And we better figure out a strategy for having Mac as a rival. He respects us, but his stable will be a rival to whichever stable we join. Thunder Blast is empty right now, but Mac's smart. He'll have an elite new crew before long."
"Unless we go right back," Henry said, not for the first time. "I'm tellin' ya, the kid can't afford to just lose his daddy's four best 'Mech jocks. We were right to quit. But I'm bettin' that Mac will come crawling back to us. Then we can apply some serious leverage."
Xavier groaned. "Manipulating a 12-year-old boy? Get a fucking life."
They stared at each other for a second before bursting out laughing.
"Hey, we'll figure somethin' out, Mac or no Mac," Henry said, slugging Xavier's shoulder. "It's all fair game now. No bias, no grudges. Just money, favors, and killer instincts inside and outside the cockpit. If Mac earns our loyalty, we'll go back to him. Until then, some other lucky stable will get us instead."
"That's more or less what I was thinking," Xavier said as the two men rounded a street corner. "Dog eat dog, as they call it."
"Yeah. The strong make the rules around here. Now Mac will find that out for himself. He must be loving this..."
*o*o*o*o*
Henry soon forgot about Mac Storm's problems and started worrying about his own. For example, which stable would he and Xavier join, now that they were a pair of stray dogs in the big city? They might not even get hired by the same stable! Time to dress up real nice and do some job interviews. That is, hit the simpods and impress the judges.
"Oh, come on. Just one more?" Henry urged his friend as he and Xavier approached the HQ of yet another stable late that evening. It was getting dark, and the grimy neon signs were glowing harshly in the twilight as crowds rushed past underneath.
Xavier made a sour face. "I am positive that any of the twenty-six stables we applied to will accept us, Henry. We are good pilots who fight for highly desirable 'Mech weight classes! Fighting so many simpod battles has worn me out."
"I'm just getting started," Henry said boldly, cracking his knuckles (he could actually do that on command). "No dinner until we hit an even 30, or at least do one more big-name stable! I want to join a team where we'll be stars, Xavier. Half the stables we visited today were small-time."
Xavier grunted. "Then why did you insist we bother with them?"
"To get a feel for what the future opposition will be doing. Gotta scout the whole field, my friend. Don't get tunnel vision." Henry clapped Xavier on the back, and his Kuritan friend cracked a small smile.
"You scheming bastard."
"So... let's wrap up with this one," Henry said, pointing at the building directly ahead of them. There was no mistaking that front sign, and Xavier looked hopeful as the two friends marched right in the front door.
The Metal Magic stable had a front lobby that resembled a bank vault, nothin' but flat, polished metal, rows of rivets and scary-looking levers and gears here and there. Or maybe this is what submarines looked like on the inside? Well, whatever. The fellow at the reception desk looked up and narrowed his eyes.
"What business might you have here?" he demanded.
"Hey, hey. We're all friends here, bud." Henry casually ambled over and slapped a hand onto the desk. "Sorry for the unsolicited application, but we really wanna try out for your fantastic stable. I'm Henry Laxus, and this is Xavier Chidori. We used to fight for the Thunder Blast stable -"
"Yes, I know your lousy faces," the receptionist said, waving his hand. "Come back after you make an appointment. The boss is already leaving for the day. He does not have time for -"
"Time for what?" came a smooth, gentlemanly voice. The receptionist jumped as a certain fellow stepped into the front lobby from a side hallway, a middle-aged man with a fancy gray suit, black tie and even a stylish hat and white gloves.
"Ah. Sir..." The receptionist looked rather unsure of himself.
Henry's eyes widened for a second before he broke into a big smile and offered a hand to the man. "Oh, you must be Roy Blackwater, owner of Metal Magic! A pleasure, sir, a real pleasure. Henry Laxus, and this is Xavier Chidori. Just looking for work, is all."
Roy Blackwater gave Henry an appraising look as he shook Henry's hand. "I see. Greetings to you both. You caught me at a rather awkward time, as I have few slots open, and I am rather overwhelmed with managing my stable during this time. The Grand Games tournament is eating up all of my time, and I have two 'Mech jocks in phase three."
"Oh! I know them. Well, by reputation," Henry said, clapping his hands together. "You've got Katarina Clegg fighting tomorrow, right? Against that jock from the Passione stable..."
Roy nodded. "You're well informed, my dear Mr. Laxus. Now I must be going..."
The receptionist's hard glare clearly said Told you so! Xavier seemed to feel the same way, because he stepped in and said, "Let's find ourselves a diner, Henry, and save this for a better time."
"Well, shoot!" Henry said with just the right amount of fake disappointment. He was almost there... "Mr. Blackwater, are you a gambling man? 'Cause I'll bet you 1,000 C-Bills that my friend and I can make this worth your time. Just one simpod battle? We'd love to enter the running to join the Metal Magic stable. We've come so far..." He made his best please-oh-please expression, like a boy cajoling his mother for a new toy. It (almost) never failed.
Roy glanced back and forth between the two freelance jocks, then exhaled through his nose and nodded. "Very well. 1,000 C-Bills it is. I'll be glad to take your dinner money when you lose. Follow me." He turned and walked back down the hallway, motioning for Henry and Xavier to follow.
"Wonderful! So, who are we fighting?" Henry asked as he and an incredulous Xavier tagged along.
Roy didn't turn his head when he said, "Me."
Henry almost stumbled. "What now?"
*o*o*o*o*
"Over there, Henry! Hurry!"
"Shut up! I'm going!" Henry bared his teeth as his Archer ran at top speed across the virtual terrain.
"Faster!"
"This thing has a top speed, y'know!"
"Incoming!"
"I can see that! Dammit!" Henry was not counting on the gentlemanly Roy Blackwater having the piloting skills of a maniac on uppers, but he did, and Henry shoved his joysticks to the side just in time. He allowed his Archer to skid across a frozen pond, and fifteen LRMs from Roy's AWS-8R Awesome pounded the terrain with a ripple of brilliant explosions. Snow-dusted trees blasted apart as chunks of rock flew everywhere.
So, I have to fight a bigger version of myself! Henry prided himself in his ability to duel in a fire support platform like the Archer, but the 8R Awesome was 10 tons heavier, with larger lasers that could outrange Henry's mediums and thick armor to survive anything Henry could throw at it. Kind of.
No battle was truly hopeless! That's the Henry Laxus way!
Henry could practically feel Xavier's judgmental eyes on him as he raced across the terrain, with Xavier acting as an observer in his distant Enforcer. Hmmmmm, just what was Roy's pattern? Every Solaris jock had a personality on the battlefield that didn't always match his or her personal, uh, personality. Henry was a bit reckless and cocky, but precise enough and cunning enough to get away with it. That's how he almost reached phase three of the Grand Games Tournament! Man, he'd totally make it into the top 16 for sure in 3054. It was going to be his year!
Henry was sure that Roy would fire up a large laser or two during the approach, especially in this chilly battlefield, but it was worth a shot. Roy's Awesome was 500 meters away, sitting atop a short hill, surrounded by pine trees one and a half the 'Mech's height. The machine was painted shiny silver with red trim, the Metal Magic camo scheme, and Henry was already lining up his crosshairs. He could put out more missiles than Roy, but he'd have to get close to use his mediums. Was Roy expecting Henry to think along those terms? Why, of course.
Henry got a solid lock, grinned widely, and pressed a button on each joystick. Forty warheads roared out of his shoulder-mounted launchers, and Roy's Awesome was too slow to avoid 'em all. Nearly every LRM pounded the 80-tonner from head to toe, and Henry was toying with the maximum range of Roy's large lasers (450 meters). Any second now...
As Henry hoped, Roy returned fire with a pair of LRM 15 volleys, and Henry kept his Archer moving at top speed, a speed that outclassed anything the lumbering Awesome could manage. The Archer was no speed demon, but with Henry's LRM expertise, that decent speed and some terrain trickery, Henry avoided the worst of Roy's missiles, still toying with the max range of those large lasers.
"Come face me man to man, Mr. Laxus," Roy taunted him coldly over the comm. "I do not hire cowards to the Metal Magic stable. Do you presume me to have no standards?"
"Don't fall for it, Henry," Xavier urged him.
"I know." Henry closed within 460 meters, broke free of his cover, and loosed another cloud of LRMs. This time, Roy was better prepared to evade the volley, but his lumbering machine was simply too slow. Missiles blasted off chunks of armor from head to toe, and Henry saw the Awesome wobbling awkwardly.
"Watch out!" Xavier yelped as Roy twisted on his torso, recklessly firing his twin large lasers just as Henry got within range. But just as quickly, Henry drew back, cutting a sharp, curving arc across the battlefield. Roy's twin large laser beams faded to nothing in the chilly air, their energy coming loose like a frayed knot's fibers. Take that! Maximum range!
Henry kept it up, whittling Roy down with his slightly superior LRM batteries while threatening to rush in and finish the job with medium lasers. Xavier and Roy were probably expecting that too, but nope! Henry kept both 'Mechs out of each other's maximum range for their backup lasers, letting the LRMs dictate the battle.
Come on, baby. One more should do it, Henry implored his 70-tonner as he worked up a sweat in the simpod, eyes fixed on the screen as he prepared to finish this fight. He winced as more LRMs chipped at his armor, but his superior mobility kept him in the game, and despite his low ammo reserves, it was looking good.
Yeah! Just like that! Henry whooped in his mind as his final LRM volley smothered Roy's Awesome in a furious storm of detonations. Henry's sensors painted a clear picture of the Awesome's exhausted metal skeleton warping, melting and snapping under the pressure, and the 80-ton beast collapsed in a twisted heap. A thick pillar of smoke rose lazily from the wreck as the VICTORY! message popped up on Henry's screen.
"That was... extraordinary, Mr. Laxus," Roy admitted when the gentlemen met up outside the simpod. Roy extended a gloved hand. "You defied my expectations. Surely, any Archer pilot would have come closer to finish the job with their medium laser battery, especially with so little LRM ammunition remaining. You threw me off my game from beginning to end, between that and denying me the much-desired use of my large lasers."
"Hey, nothin' to it," Henry said, vigorously shaking Roy's hand while noticing that Roy hadn't worked up a sweat at all. "So, I gotta ask... am I in?"
"There is some review left to do. But I believe your odds are good," Roy said crisply. His eyes flickered to the side. "And now it is your friend's turn. I'm sorry, your name was...?"
"Xavier Chidori. I look forward to our battle," the Kuritan said, bowing his head. "I am ready if you are."
"Very well. Your friend may observe, as you did for him," Roy said, heading right back to the simpod for round two. He sure was a hands-on fellow, trying out two jocks at once like this. Henry gave him a mental thumbs-up.
Henry also made sure to pester Xavier with nonstop commentary, advice and cries of alarm as the Kuritan dueled with Roy's Centurion in a sun-baked badlands battlefield, but somehow, Xavier never snapped back. Man, when Xavier was in the zone, he was in the fucking zone, just like that Chen Yeung fellow. Henry dearly hoped that he and Xavier would get a chance to duel Chen and Kathy someday.
The tight, tense medium 'Mech session ended with Xavier's narrow but definite victory, and Xavier shook Roy's hand when they both exited their simpods. "Very impressive work, Mr. Chidori," Roy commented. "You are akin to a fencer, alert and light on your feet, always ready to probe and strike with deadly accuracy. I see much potential in you."
"Thank you, Mr. Blackwater."
So, that was that.
"Man, we killed it," Henry boasted, draping an arm across Xavier's shoulder as they exited the Metal Magic HQ and back into Solaris City's dismal but exciting evening streets. "Who's hungry? Me!"
Xavier managed a wry grin. "Yes, it was well fought. But I choose the restaurant. I get the distinct impression that Mr. Blackwater liked me better."
"Whaaaaat? C'mon..." Henry whined, but he was in good spirits all the same.
This was going to be all kinds of fun.