Armored core: Overboost Destiny

-Chapter 8- Overboost Destiny

"It's so dark…I can't see anything. Where am I?" Van mumbles, trying to focus his eyes. He flinches, hearing a faint voice in the distance. Suddenly, his vision flashes white, and he kneels. He looks down at the ground and then up at the ground before him. Water clouds his feet that rest on a white field of grass. Van stands, looking up into the blue sky before he realizes a young woman stands in the distance.

"Van…" She whispers. A soft gust of winds blows her shoulder length hair up. Van walks towards her, as he does the field of grass begins to turn green and colorful. The sky becomes littered with white puff nimbus clouds and seagulls that caw during flight. The woman's white colored body is now covered in a white bed sheet, and her skin's color appeared out of nowhere. She turns toward him slowly, her eyes glowing like the sunlight on a summer day. Van covers his eyes quickly, shrouding them from the brightness. Her eyes close slowly for him.

"You came…" She says, holding the sheets around her at her chest. "I didn't think you were going to after all of that. But I'm glad…"

Van uncovered his face, dropping his arm. He remembered those words. He knew that woman. It was Lynn. He remembered the day the met, when they sat down and she said those exact words to him. Van narrowed his eyes. "I healed up pretty quick…"

"Yeah, you really did well…" She mumbled, looking down at the ground.

Van watched her silently. She was just the way he remembered her. He found it odd to be visited by such a dream. Is it a dream, he asked himself. He didn't know. He was just happy to see her though. There was something else he couldn't ignore about her. Her hair color was that of Valkyrie's.

Right then, it hit him. Valkyrie had been so familiar. The one thing Van remembered was the way Lynn smelled. Valkyrie smelled the exact same way when he helped her to the hospital. Lynn and Valkyrie were the same person. Lynn nodded slowly, and with a smile she says, "You're right. I didn't die. You need to ask me who I really am."

Van dropped to his knees, his body shivering and aching from all of his pain. The grass turned white, the sky became completely blue, and then everything went black. All he heard was the sound of his breathing.

Valkyrie's Ac was almost obvious standing on the top of a ruined building as it was. Zearus spotted her almost immediately without looking at his radar. "Our job is done…" Cluse said, walking towards the building she stood atop.

"He's dead?" She asked. She tried to not sound worried, and it worked. She wiped the tears from her face and remembered to breath. Her hands shook more and more. She closed the transmission and lowered her face, beginning to cry.

"I've already checked the area for any vital signs…wait a minute." He said, looking at his sensors. "Oh, the energy radiation from the ruins." Cluse said. His cockpit shook, and as he looked down, he noticed a giant hole had been ripped through the bottom part of his armored core's torso. He turned around, watching as the Einherjar stood, dropping the shoulder grenade launcher against it's back.

"Wrong." Van said, making the Einherjar run toward Zearus with it's energy blade drawn. "That energy reaction from my grenade just ripped your core a new asshole."

Zearus shouted, boosting towards Einherjar. Van roared, flipping the aura option on and igniting his Ac's overboosters. The Einherjar was boosted forward at incredible speeds. It's feet left the ground as it soared across the snowfield towards Zearus. The Einherjar tackled Zearus and thrusted it's energy blade into the chest of the leader Ac of the Alliance. Zearus's structure collapsed and shattered across the ground. The debris and energy from inside the core exploded before it rolled across the ground. The Einherjar stopped, still holding the upper half of Zearus. Ein pointed the barrel of it's rifle directly at the head of Zearus and fired, blowing the forehead and eye sensors of it right off.

Ein dropped his opponent and stood above what was left of it. Van breathed heavily, letting his firm grip on his controls loose. "Can a dead person do that?" Van asked him.

Cluse didn't reply. His cockpit was shattered into several pieces, and his chair was probably in the middle of Einherjar's booster flame.

Van looked up at Valkyrie's core. "Lynn…"

"How did you…" She asked.

Van shook his head and interrupted, saying "Forget how I know! Tell me what went on right now!"

She nodded. "The alliance has been around a lot longer than you would expect. I was your watcher, the person who was supposed to guide you to where you were supposed to be."

"What?" Van asked.

"Nerves concord never had anything to do with your missions. You were employed by the alliance to do jobs no other Raven could do. I was your operator because I was the one who suggested you to Antares, who led this whole thing before you changed sides and killed him. Cluse was the next most experienced pilot. We knew about Hustler One, you and I were test subjects for the prototype core we fought at Colnart. Cluse wanted to get rid of you after you tried to stop him from destroying that building you thought I was in."

"You were in that building!" Van replied. Afterward he groaned.

"I told you I was in the building so you would defeat Cluse then. I didn't know he already installed the prototype inside part. I'm sorry Van. I'm sorry you thought she was dead…" Valkyrie explained. She waited for a reply. "Van?" She asked, waiting for him to say something again. "Van!"

"Lynn…don't worry about me, go find Maria…" Van said in a soft voice.

The hatch of Einherjar's cockpit opened and she jumped into it, dressed in a tight black suit and helmet. Van leaned forward in his chair, holding his shoulder. The inside of the cockpit was beat up and full of holes. A shard of an energy shell was broken all over around Van. His arm and chest were covered in blood, and his head hung unconsciously.

"Van…"

"Van…"

"Van, I love you…" Lynn's voice whispered.

"Van, get better so you can see my beautiful baby!" Maria said. "Thank you Van, if it wasn't for you, my son and I would be dead. Phoenix would be proud."

"Van, I've had feelings for you ever since we first met. I love you Van. I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry for not telling you. I just want you to wake up…I want to hear your voice again." Lynn said.

Mail to Yavangel from the Earth Government-

It has recently been revealed to us that your involvement with the coupe de grace known as "The Alliance" was merely involuntary. As an experienced Raven, we ask of your assistance in a matter involving an interplanetary organization involving a peace keeping unit of qualified Ravens. This organization will hunt down any terrorist anti-planet group and proceed in keeping the new "Sister Planet" Treaty between Earth and Mars true to it's terms. We want you to be part of the board that will command this new military regiment.

And also…congratulations on your recent marriage. The governments of Earth and Mars wish you a happy future with your wife and your expected son. We await your reply…

Reply to Earth Government from Yavangel-

I accept…