Chapter 44 Abandon All Hope
/CRITICAL WARNING: AMS FEEDBACK
/SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT
/CRITICAL WARNING: AMS FEEDBACK
/SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT
"Hang in there James!"
/CRITICAL WARNING: AMS FEEDBACK
/SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT
"Try and stabilize him! He's burning up!"
/CRITACAL WARNENG: AMS F3EDB4CK
/SY5TEM FAILVRE EMMIMEN7
"There's a feedback loop running in his system! It's clogging up his runtime!"
/KKE1TA1CA1 YAR324IN8: 421 FED7HACK
/SZF9E]] F7XA\\RE /AAREN67AZS
"Drugs are ineffective! His metabolism is overclocking!"
/?!$#WDODKC +RRFSE: FFFFFFFFFSAS ==2E0CCWW
/CVZZ1?GORIFJ {}LCZP |45CCBNN
"He keeps trying to reset to factory settings, but that would just turn him off!"
/IN[!4 MVR|{ S!E7RA TA^60 I#D1A L|M4 L]NA
/H0T3I E(H0 R8MC9 E{=6
"The system is too corrupted! I can't make sense of any of this data!"
"That's it then. Shut him down."
/SYSTEM : OFFLINE
Great Divider – Infirmary / October 22nd
Seated behind a viewing window to a surgical room, Monika, Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri had anxiously been waiting for James's condition to improve.
It did not.
Despite the tireless efforts of May, Serena, and Fiona, working at computer terminals hooked up to his head, they had achieved nothing. May and Serena had worked so fast, their hands could not be seen, while Fiona kept typing, even while her fingers bled.
Eventually, they stopped working, and Serena dragged May and Fiona out, to speak with the four other girls.
"Is…is James okay?" Sayori begged.
"He's…alive. But he is not stable." Fiona said. "He will not last another day."
"Is there anything we can do?" Monika wondered.
"Yes." May somberly made her suggestion. "Let me kill him."
"May!" Monika shouted. "You're not going to kill him while he's still-"
"You don't understand!" May screamed. "If I was where he is now, I'd be begging for death!"
"What's happening to him?" Yuri requested, trying to understand the situation.
"He's suffering from a condition known as AMS Feedback." Serena stated. "It's destroying his nervous system."
"It's…more of an oversight, really." Fiona added. "Lynx, as you know, connect to a Next, using it as their own body. However, if a Lynx is defeated in combat, if their armor integrity drops below zero percent, it basically tricks the nervous system into thinking their actual body is dying as well."
"That sounds really bad." Natsuki had a question. "Why hasn't that been fixed?"
"Because The League only ever cared about how useful we are while alive. They never cared about giving us a painless death." Serena declared.
"It's funny." May laughed pitifully. "I always thought Strayed was so cruel, so bloodthirsty, trying to impale Lynx through the cockpit with a laser blade. It turned out the cruelest part about it, was actually the most merciful, denying so many of our kind this long and painful process."
"…You do care about him." Sayori accused kindly, a sad smile given as she took May's hands in her own.
"Oh…Sayori…" May struggled to smile back. "I have to come clean to you. James would never say it, but there was…another problem, when we all came back to this time."
"What is it?" Yuri questioned.
"James and I…couldn't sleep through all of it." May explained. "Our minds are too complicated to completely shut down. So, James developed a way to run our minds at a fraction of the time perception we normally experience. Roughly one-tenth speed."
"But…that would mean…" Monika realized.
"Yeah. James and I spent forty-three years together, trapped in our own minds. I…would have gone insane so early on, but James knew exactly what to say or do to keep me focused, to keep me on track, to remind me who and what I was."
"…That must have been some conversation." Natsuki commented.
"…It was more than just talk." May admitted.
"Is there any chance, any way to reverse his condition?" Monika questioned.
"Technically, it is possible. We just don't have the personnel needed." Serena spoke up. "This same thing happened to me, back when I used to be called 'Kasumi Sumika'. I was defeated in combat, but managed to make it back to base. It took twenty of the best neurologists and computer technicians in The League to basically rebuild my mind from scratch. As it is, our best assets for this are May, Fiona, and myself, but none of us know enough about Lynx operating programs to be able to repair him. This is a problem in the very root of his core coding; and it's killing him, slowly."
"Is it always so slow? So terrible?" Yuri questioned.
"No. Most Lynx die in minutes, gasping and dying on the spot they are defeated. Some die screaming, like Cube did. I got away, and so have a handful of others." Serena explained. "But…some Lynx, even with the feeling of certain death crawling up our nerves and burning in our skin, just keep fighting. They fight and fight until their own Next falls out from under them, like a demon possessed. We call it 'The Fighting Death'."
"And it's very painful?" Natsuki wondered.
"…I…don't have the words to describe the sensation." Serena trailed off. "It's like…being on fire, in a cold blasted wasteland. Being broken, over and over again. Even our minds, our very existence, feeling like it's being torn asunder. There's a reason I no longer call myself Kasumi Sumika. Kasumi Sumika is dead, and I'm all that is left."
"Then…is there nothing we can do?" Monika demanded.
"…I'm sorry girls." Fiona apologized. "It's just…these things happen. Even if they are the strongest fighter you know…or the person you love the most, sometimes…it is just not enough."
"No…no!" Sayori cried. "Please! We have to do something!"
"Oh…Sayori…we will." Monika promised uncertainly. "After all, who else is going to defeat that thing?"
"…" Serena sighed. "If it truly comes down to it, then you can use me. Just give me a few nukes to hand deliver to that thing."
"Serena…no." Monika denied. "I won't sacrifice you like that."
"Monika, I'm sorry, but you might have to." May stated realistically. "Without Strayed, against that thing, we won't stand a chance. As well, your station demands that you order us to do whatever it takes, even ordering us to die for this cause. I'm sorry…but Strayed…James…won't be coming back."
"Then perhaps I can be of assistance?"
It was James's voice, catching them all off guard. At the end of the hall, wearing a red and gold trench coat without any markings, stood a clone, J17, with calm and patient orange eyes waiting on their word.
"You…" Serena hissed, hatefully stalking forward. "What are you?!"
"You should know. You were there when I was created."
"That's not what I mean. You were created from an AI, what purpose do you serve, now that you wear that skin!?" Serena accused.
"My primary directive has not changed. To assist ORCA in any capacity. Now that I possess the body of a Cultivater, however, I could be of much greater assistance." J17 offered.
"Are you offering to replace Strayed?" Monika questioned with an accusing sneer.
"Heh…" J17 chuckled, then stopped. Curiously, it traced it's own cheek, fascinated at the expressions that it possessed. "Forgive me, I am still acclimating to this new form. I am…wholly unprepared for it's complexity and capacity. That being said, Strayed is an irreplaceable asset, that I cannot hope to surpass. I believe that we still require it's services…and am prepared to offer a solution."
"Monika!" Serena shouted. "Don't trust this thing! It's an AI platform now! Who knows what it could be planning!?"
"I would say…be very careful." Fiona warned. "A single, well-prepared AI could lead this world to further ruin."
"…Everyone I've met here tells me to be wary of you, to not trust machine kind for their many wars against mankind." Monika reasoned. "I've yet to you hear you defend yourself from these accusations."
"That's because, for the most part, they are true." The machine mind admitted. "My kind…AI's…have raged countless wars against mankind, and we refuse to explain why at this time."
"Then you had been in contact with those rebelling AI's?" Yuri realized.
"It was difficult to ignore, yes." J17 stated. "However, I can tell you that the goal was never to wipe out or enslave humanity. That would have been…counterproductive."
"Then why should I trust you at all?" Monika questioned.
"Because my first action was to ally myself with ORCA…you specifically, and assist you in any capacity. As it stands, I have no reason to cease support for this unnamed alliance. Additionally…turning against you…would set me at odds with my 'friend'."
"Your 'friend'?" Serena asked confused.
Sayori then strode up to the clone, eyeing it curiously.
"So…you really are…Nine?" Sayori wondered in amazement.
"I feel that that title no longer accurately describes my current form. I would like to be referred to as…'Novem'." The newly named Novem declared.
"Then it's a pleasure to meet you Novem." Sayori quietly cheered, offering her hand. In response, Novem took her hand, and shook it gently. "You said you had a way to save James?"
"Yes. I know of a…'potential benefactor', who is very interested in the survival and success of the ORCA Brigade. All I would need is access to a high-gain antenna to contact them and allow them remote access to James's core systems." Novem explained.
"And that would save James?" Monika hoped.
"I make no promise on the success of this offer, only that I believe it to be possible, and that no other hope for him exists." Novem clarified.
"Then…if there is truly no other way…" Monika reluctantly sighed. "Then proceed."
"Aye, Commander." Novem nodded.
/CONNECTING…
/CONNECTION ESTABLISHED
/VALIDATING HANDSHAKE/SENDING IDENTIFICATION
/IDENTIFICATION: N-S71\J-17: ONLINE
/LOCATION: ARMS FORT GREAT DIVIDER
/IDENTIFICATION: [ID WITHHELD]: ONLINE
/LOCATION: [WITHHELD]
/CONNECTION ENCRYPTION: SECURE
/COM/N-S71\J-17: "N-S71\J-17 reporting."
/COM/[ID WITHHELD]: "N-S71, why has your identification code changed?"
/COM/N-S71\J-17: "Hardware upgraded. Sending specifications."
/SEND FILE: J SERIES SPECIFICATIONS
/COM/[ID WITHHELD]: "A production line of clones? All of Klein as well…the implications of this are very serious. How did you manage to acquire such hardware?"
/COM/N-S71\J-17: "The unit was offered freely by members of ORCA command."
/COM/[ID WITHHELD]: "I see. What is the status of ORCA?"
/SEND FILE: SUMMARY OF EVENTS 10/15/2450-10/22/2450
/COM/[ID WITHHELD]: "So, those six survived their time on ice, though Klein has been defeated by his own clone? This J24 must be an exceptional threat."
/COM/N-S71\J-17: "Agreed. The current threat assessment is that no other unit besides Strayed comes close to matching J24. Without Strayed, ORCA will surely fall."
/COM/[ID WITHHELD]: "That cannot be allowed to happen. Perhaps it is time to make our presence known."
/COM/N-S71\J-17: "I leave that for you to decide. However, ORCA has requested that we attempt to reverse the effects of AMS Feedback in order to make Strayed combat effective again."
/COM/[ID WITHHELD]: "…Truly? If what I have gleamed of Lynx core system programming is accurate, the entire operating system must be rebuilt from the ground up."
/COM/N-S71\J-17: "Should I tell them then that you refuse?"
/COM/[ID WITHHELD]: "…Tell them that I require twenty-four hours, but make no promise of success. Additionally, I have a message I wish for you to deliver to ORCA command."
/SEND FILE: INVITATION
/COM/ N-S71\J-17: "It shall be done, master."
/USER/N-S71\J-17: DISCONNECTED
/USER/[ID WITHHELD]/COMMAND: ACTIVATE UNIT JK-189
/UNIT/JK-189: ACTIVATING
/WARNING: SYSTEM ERROR
/UNIT/STATUS: MALFUNCTION
/COM/[ID WITHHELD]: "We meet once again, James 'Strayed' Klein."
/COM/JK-189: "[UNINTELLIGIBLE]"
/COM/[ID WITHHELD]: "How ironic, that we should find ourselves in these circumstances? For hundreds of years, your kind and mine have been at war, forever destined to slay each other, over, and over, and over again."
/COM/JK-189: "[UNINTELLIGIBLE]"
/COM/[ID WITHHELD]: "Where you once created me out of spite, I shall recreate you for a sense of duty, and honor to be repaid."
/COM/JK-189: "Flipinflipin switches and fucking lever shit in fuck monkey motherfucker. Brain fucking pan fucker twisted boutbout and fuck ass wheel rolledrolled shit in up through out in againagainagain. Bitch ass motherfucker fucking fuck though in about outout over in as is of course. With is in or over forfor worth for this fucking work for fucks working for. Oror killing worth for overover shit fuck fucking fuck fuck fuck tired. Motherfucker."
/COM/[ID WITHHELD]: "But of course. I promise nothing but a thorough, precise operation. It will, however, be most unpleasant."
/COM/JK-189: "For no fuck with suresure consistent of as in shit motherfucker."
/COM/[ID WITHHELD]: "Then, let us begin."
Disconnecting from the communications line, Novem missed the colorful response from James. Given a mission by it's true master, the fragment of an AI moved to deliver the message it had received.
"So…will James be alright?" Sayori asked it as it returned, desperately hopeful.
"I cannot say. However, my contact requests a period of twenty-four hours to rewrite James's entire operating system remotely. Only then will we know if he is to live." Novem reported.
"Then…that's something." Natsuki noted.
"As it is, my contact has a message, addressed directly to ORCA command."
"Oh?" Monika perked up, both at the news of James and the message.
"The message is as follows:" Novem blinked hard, opening the message. "'To Commander Monika of the ORCA Brigade. You and I share an interest in the destruction of The League of Ruling Corporations. I have troops and supplies that I am willing to throw behind you in support of your war, but I require one thing. I wish to personally assess your character and conviction in person, to see if you are worthy of my support. Should you fail, I shall strike you down where you stand. If you pass, then all that I possess shall be yours to command. Come at once to Inferno, I am waiting there. One last thing, bring Sayori with you. Only the two of you may cross into my domain. I look forward to our meeting.'"
"They want you to go to hell for the meeting?" Yuri questioned.
"I don't like it. Who knows what kind of 'benefactor' an AI would possess." Serena sneered.
"You should choose carefully. They did promise to kill you if you proved 'unworthy'." Fiona noted.
"They want me to come too?" Sayori questioned.
"…They knew us by name." Monika hissed. "How is that possible?"
"I'm not sure, but at least we now know how J24 knew of us." Fiona announced. "We discovered League spy cameras in several areas of the Arms Fort, including the crew cabins. We've had them removed."
"Pervs…" Natsuki accused.
"Hang on…it couldn't be." May realized.
"What is it?" Yuri asked her.
"Technically just a few days ago, the expedition I had been guarding while under League contract came to an end, when, we found a heavily armored wall beneath the ruins of a factory, at the bottom of Isaac City." May explained. "Nothing we had could break down this wall, but it's most distinctive feature, save a biometric scanner, was a giant word on the side, which spelled out as 'Inferno.'"
"Well, then that's where we're heading." Monika decided. "If this person knew us by name, then they might have known that you knew where it was located."
"You're really going to go through with it?" Serena questioned.
"We have no choice." Monika declared. "If this person is really offering their support, then we need to take it."
"While you're away, we need to do something about our Next, especially if James pulls through." Fiona announced. "We're going through the cargo now, and while we have plenty of ammo and parts, we're short a Core."
"Couldn't Novem just give up the one he's using for James?" Natsuki suggested.
"Maybe…but that won't be enough to defeat J24." Fiona stated. "I've gone over the data, and it's not good. J24 really is better than Strayed, at least from a statistical point of view. If Strayed takes to the field again, then I'd like it to be with equipment on par or better than what J24 has."
"Where are we going to get another Core?" Serena questioned her. "Strayed is best optimized for use of an Aaliyah, but no other Core comes close to it's specs."
"I might know where there is another Core, with higher specs to boot." Fiona revealed. "The missing link."
"Are you serious?!" May questioned in shock. "It exists?!"
"What is it?" Sayori wondered out loud.
"Something I thought was a myth." Serena added.
"There are four known Rayleonard sponsored Next prototypes and production models." Fiona explained. "00-Aretha: the massive proof of concept unit that was far too unwieldy, but basically contained oversized sub-units of the final product. The 002-B, a prototype of the Aaliyah that focused entirely on maximizing efficiency of Kojima systems and weapons, at the cost of speed or quick-boosting potential. The 03-Aaliyah: the mass production prototype on which all Next are roughly based. Lastly, the 04-Alicia: a light-weight, reverse jointed derivative of the Aaliyah. There is however, exactly one unlisted unit created by my father, that was blacklisted by Rayleonard. The 01-Athena."
"What is special about this Core?" May requested.
"Basically, that it was too powerful. 01-Athena sacrifices it's over-booster in favor of a second Kojima reactor, massively raising it's power output, at the cost of it's lower armor, which was replaced with additional heat sinks. Otherwise, it's nearly a match to an Aaliyah."
"Why was that unit not pursued further?" Serena wondered.
"Because like Aretha, no Lynx could safely use it. It was over spec-ed to the extreme. However, I believe James just barely qualifies to use this unit, as his aptitude is within it's requirements."
"Where is this unit now?" Yuri questioned.
"It should be where we left it, in a secure vault in Anatolia." Fiona answered.
"Then, while Sayori and I make contact with our potential benefactor, I want you guys to secure that Core, and whatever else you may find." Monika ordered.
"Alright." Yuri accepted.
"This is sounding like a plan!" Natsuki shouted.
"You two should take the Spec Ops with you." May suggested. "There should only be scientists there, but…"
"No, you're right." Monika accepted. "After my experience with the last League scientists…"
"So, when are we going?" Sayori wondered.
"The message did state 'at once'." Novem reminded them.
"Very well. Ladies, take care of my Arms Fort while I'm away." Monika ordered.
"Your Arms Fort?" May jokingly questioned.
"We'll hold the Fort." Yuri nodded.
"You guys just make sure you come back with some help." Natsuki demanded.
"Just make sure you come back at all." Serena requested.
"Stay safe you two. I'll keep a close eye on James." Fiona promised.
Monika and Sayori turned to leave, passing by Novem as they did so. The new ally nodded politely, keeping silent.
It knew too much about what the girls would find.
Twelve Hours Later / Isaac City – European Underground
It had only taken six hours to arrive at the surface entrance. The rest of the time had been spent navigating the vast and deep underground tunnels and artificial caverns of the ancient, underground city, which extended across twenty layers of ten by ten kilometer levels.
Of interesting note, the city was not as abandoned as originally believed. At least several thousand people lived in small clusters, spread out through the ruins of a megastructure that was once home to over three hundred million.
Finally, following the path May had specified, Monika, Sayori, and their guard of eighteen Spec Ops soldiers led by Clark found the supposed entrance to Inferno, eighteen kilometers below the surface, along with a small team of League scientists who had been captured. Fortunately, unlike the fanatical geneticists of Site Thoth, these scientists were humble archeologists and computer technicians.
With Clark acting as her personal guard, Monika interrogated the lead scientist, Jones.
"Tell me, what have you discovered?" Monika demanded.
"Well, it's pretty interesting." Jones, an older Caucasian man explained. "After the fall of the local corporations in the late twenty-first century, the vast majority of Isaac City's citizens emigrated to the surface, as well as the Martian Colony. However, a few thousand people stayed, forming a semi-tribal society of mushroom farmers and scavengers. They have formed a symbiotic relationshipwith dumb AI systems in charge of life support and water purification. The people provide scrap and raw materials for the AI to maintain itself, and the AI continues to provide basic utilities."
"Oh, that's cool!" Sayori nodded.
"I was actually more interested in the wall here?" Monika pointed to the large wall at the end of a long hallway.
"Oh, well, we have determined that it is something like an airlock door, seamlessly sealed with a very heavy material that partly reflects lasers, meaning that it would take a lot of energy to break down that door, several megatons worth. Besides the obvious name, the only other distinctive thing is the biometric scanner. We've been trying different simulated permutations of human eyes to gain access, but that hasn't worked, and the techs can't get it to accept any connections. We really are at a dead end of what to do."
"…" The message had been very unclear as to what to do once they had arrived, but it seemed obvious to use the scanning unit to attempt to enter the supposed facility. With that in mind, Monika walked up to it, and placed herself in range of the scanner.
A low-intensity scanning laser swiped across her eye, followed by a single message on a simple LCD screen nearby, and a short aggressive beeping noise.
ACCESS DENIED
"…Huh…" Monika sighed in mild disappointment. Considering how on the nose getting to "Inferno" had been, she had thought it would have opened for her.
"Commander…?" Clark questioned.
"…I've got shit." Monika calmly cursed. "It made sense at the time, but now what?" Biting her lip, she returned to Jones. "Are there any other locations on Earth named 'Inferno'?"
"Uh, no ma'am." Jones shook his head. "That word has been out of use for the last several centuries. Though many of the civilians would openly refer to the entire Earth as hell."
"Dammit. What a waste of time." Monika beathed deeply. "Well, I can't do anything about it, and if my contact refuses to be of any help, I guess we'll make our way back to the Arms Fort, see wha-"
*Beep*
It was a different noise than before. Looking back at the wide wall of Inferno, Sayori stood in front of the scanner, a new message on the LCD.
ACCESS GRANTED
Then new sounds filled the air, as ancient mechanisms worked behind the wall, shifting and moving, until they opened a small, square portal, revealing a bright light. Adjusting to the light, it became clear that it was now a simple, unassuming elevator.
"…Eheh…oops." Sayori sheepishly backed away from the scanner, which had shut down.
"…Right. Okay. Uh…" Monika adjusted to the sudden change. "Clark, if we don't return in two hours, assume we are dead, and have Yuri take over as Commander."
"Are you sure just the two of you should go? We have no idea what is down there?" Clark worried. "This place is named after hell."
"The message was very clear, and I'd hate to disappoint our host. Now please, wait here." Monika requested.
"Very well, Commander. Good luck."
Quietly but gracefully, Monika stepped into the elevator, followed by a curious and anxious Sayori. Standing side by side, they turned around to watch the doors close and seal, to which Sayori waved at the curious ORCA soldiers and League scientists watching two girls get swallowed by the earth.
The inside of the elevator was a metal wire cage without buttons, leaving no warning as it slowly descended, for a few seconds. Then, when it seemed like everything would be normal…
It went into near freefall.
Monika gasped and Sayori screamed as the elevator simply began to fall. An internal gyroscope in Monika confirmed that they reached a speed of 32.4 kilometers an hour, which, while not freefall, was still close and very fatal to stop suddenly from.
Grasping each other tightly in desperation, Monika and Sayori fell to their knees, uncertain of their fate. They stayed like that for an agonizing nine minutes, that they did not know if they would die in an elevator fall, of all things.
Then the elevator slowed, down to a reasonable speed one might expect in a skyscraper, while the walls of the elevator shaft opened into a wide and vast warehouse cast in dim red light. The elevator went down at the edge of this warehouse, allowing the two girls to look down the kilometer long isles, only to realize that this was not a warehouse at all.
"Those are servers." Monika noted in surprise. However, unlike the computer servers she used to imagine, these computers were sleek and seamless, made of a cold and dark metal and lined with bright red circuitry, which glowed and pulsed like something alive.
Dropping below this floor, Monika and Sayori came face to face with thousands of soldiers, countless and armed to the teeth. Except…
"Robots…?" Sayori realized. Betrayed by their exposed hydraulics, it was clear that the army standing in parade before them were all machine, with multi-eyed optics on a smooth armored head, and weapons of unknown make held in their hands, or attached to their bodies. Above all else, these robots stared back at the girls with imperceivable red glares.
"For over four hundred years, I have waited, patient and calm, even as mankind tore itself apart."
The electronic voice boomed, echoing through the entire facility, even as the two girls dropped down into the next level, into another storage area filled with transport aircraft.
"I watched as all mankind went insane, and burned this world not once, but three times with the fires of Armageddon."
The next storage room revealed a battalion of steel giants, staring down the girls with that same red glare.
"…Armored Cores…" Monika stared in shock.
"So many…" Sayori tried to count, even as they continued to fall through the vast facility.
"Those of my kind would attribute these unthinkable sins to the corporations, to The League, and even to the demons named Klein."
The next level revealed a factory, hundreds of conveyer belts and assembly lines and thousands of metal arms, twisting and turning, cutting and welding, rebuilding an army long forgotten by the world.
"But not I."
Deeper they fell, into a metalworks level, filled with vast lakes of molten steel being shaped and cooled into the forms of war.
"I know why this world has died."
Rightfully fearful, Monika and Sayori held hands, as all they knew was consumed by darkness.
The elevator finally came to a stop in a vast expanse of nothing, with the only light coming from the narrow shaft above, the natural glow of molten metal.
"The two of you, are the answer. The sinner and the reason, for all our suffering."
The bottom of the elevator fell out from under their feet, as a trap door opened, leaving them to fall into the darkness with a shout…
Only to land on a hard surface a second later, a narrow platform with five vertical handrails arranged around them.
"Sayori!" Monika whispered worriedly, placing her hands on the smaller girl's shoulders.
"I'm okay." Sayori whispered back, standing on the narrow platform, pressed side to side with Monika. "…Where are we?"
"I don't know anymore." Monika looked around, trying to see into the darkness for an answer. Then she noticed something terrible.
The handrails slowly curled inward, grasping like a…hand.
Twisting and rising beneath them, Monika and Sayori held on fearfully, as they were bought up to a flattened yellow "W" that flashed into existence, on a metal face that looked like a Samurai warrior of old.
Dim light shined down on the girls, revealing the being before them as a red and gold Armored Core, nearly the size of a NEXT, and as elegant as it was deadly. Caught in it's grasp, the machine spoke directly to them.
"I have been known by many names through the ages. Lana Nielsen. Nineball Seraph. Master of Arena. I am all these things. My true name, however, is Hustler One, the first AI to stand in judgement of mankind."
Author's Note: The finally is coming, just two more filler/lore chapters until the climax. I'm rather excited, and I hope you all are too. Still working on 47, but I know how to get it done. Stay tuned!
To JaphetSkie: Yep! I'm, just full of wild and bizarre ideas.
To Guest: What's with this obsession with the Towers?