Chapter 9: Living flesh
Everytime I closed my eyes my mind went back to the battle, the one that had destroyed my Nest. I didn't know if it was a nightmare or a dream, I just knew that I had to get it out of my head. But it kept coming back to me, as if telling me to remember something, something important, but I couldn't remember what.
"Keoni!" I screamed into my com link, "hold on Keoni, I'm coming!" I boosted toward the AC named Yeti, it was on the ground, a 9Ball had pinned him, it's Bazooka aimed at Yeti's core, exactly where the cockpit would be. "Give it up kid I'm a goner" Keoni gave a sigh, "sayonara-." there was static, his link had gone dead, the 9Ball had fired its round into the core
"NOO! KEONI!!" I looked back at the 9Ball, at first I thought I was up against the ultimate fighting machine, just like the 9Ball of legend that had demolished Isaac city into rubble by it self. No these weren't the same one, these made mistakes, they felt like they had a pilot, the original 9Ball was just an AI program these were real people. I still kept boosting toward the AC that had taken my comrade, he, she, whatever it was, it had to pay. I launched my duel missiles before switching to my rifle, squeezing the trigger button so hard that I had cut circulation to my hand. The 9Ball had fallen already but I didn't care, this one took Yeti, Bug Zapper and Everman. It had taken all 4 of us, Xerox had to retreat before his AC was blasted to smithereens early in the fight, I hoped he was ok. Dispite it making mistakes, it was still a formidable opponent, a Raven of a high caliber. As I witnessed the fight between the 9Balls, I noticed that they all battled differently, one 9Ball fought exclusively from the air while another used only its laser blade. I didn't have time to think though, I had to survive, I just had to, and the only way I knew how was by fighting. Another 9Ball appeared, dropping from the rooftop of a building. It was a reverse jointed AC, brandishing flamethrowers in each hand, a napalm rocket launcher and the CDB-WDF/20 burst missile, it was a missile that would release napalm bomblets before it's impact. It caught sight of a man running away on the street, the 9Ball aimed it's flamethrower and ignited the man into flames. This was sick. "So you're the one who's been roasting the civilians" I couldn't hold it in, this was the one who was killing off the people on the street, the one who's been burning everyone in it's path, getting rid of any witnesses. I didn't respond, nor did I expect it to, this 9Ball was all mine, I could imagine it screaming after I destroyed it.
I switched to my duel missiles, turned on my extensions which where relation missiles, and fired at it. My missile extension activated and fired 2 more missiles along with the ones on my back. The 9Ball ignited its right flamethrower, a blue blaze came out and destroyed my missiles, the 9Ball then switched on it's overboost. I dogged behind a to my right just as the 9Ball blurred past. It didn't provide much cover, the flamethrower heated up the building. I stood horrified the steel building melted right before my eyes. I had to put some distance between this AC and mines, I boosted into the alleyway, my AC barley fitting thru. The 9Ball had giving chase, it had switched to its napalm rockets now and was aiming onto my AC. Boosting deeper into the city, I didn't want to bring the carnage with me, I didn't want to be responsible for the death of more lives. I had gotten thru the ally just as a rocket flew by and before me lay a construction site, perfect I thought. I ducked behind the alleyway to the side of the entrance and kneeled, switching to my slug gun I aimed at the opening and waited. When it boosted past I opened fire, 3 direct shots "game over" I said as I boosted after it
The AC turned switching to its back weapon and fired not one but 3 missiles simultaneously, I needed to find cover before they released its droplets on me. I boosted back into a crane "Sh*t!" my AC was caught on the ball hanging, I couldn't get free. 3 seconds before the missiles hit me it released its droplets, I prepared for the worst. The bomblets dropped on me, erupting my AC into flames. "****" I cursed, I saw my cockpit beginning to glow orange, the heat was incredible, anything touching my cockpit walls shriveled up burned at the part that was in contact. A glass monitor that I used for radar melted into a clear puddle, it slowly melted over my overboost button, if I wanted to used it I had to risk getting my hand burned. My core was still intact but badly damaged, the 9Ball was closing in, ready to show me what hell looked like. I looked at the 9Ball and the building behind it. "ahh f*ck it" I said and pressed the overboost button, my hand burning in agony but it didn't matter I wasn't expecting to live after this stunt. My AC rocketed forward into the 9Ball. It ignited both flamethrowers, my radiator couldn't handle the strain and exploded, I crashed into the 9Ball and continued to rocket forward. I was face to face with it now, my core kept boosting forward into the side of a building. The crash was tremendous, but since I had the 9Ball infront of me it got the full force. I took off my helmet and spat out blood, I had bitten my tongue as my cockpit shook violently. I heard the 9Ball creek, its head piece looked up. The 9Ball was still functional, it pushed my AC away to the ground and my AC landed on its sides, I was still facing it. Some of the melted metal from my core stuck to its hands. So this was it, I hoped the building would have crushed us but it seemed god wanted me to die by fire. The 9Ball faced me and aimed both its flamethrowers, with out my radiator my AC would melt into a pile of twisted metal. I looked at it again, and smiled "hehehe" I said blood drooling from my mouth, the crash did produce something good after all. The 9Ball fired and was engulfed in flames, I had ruptured the fuel tank of the flamethrower thanks to my crash and the fuel had covered the AC. The 9Ball didn't know what was happening and continued to fire its flamethrower, I watched as it burned itself on the spot. "Huzzah" I sputtered, I waited as my AC cooled down, I ready to get out of this casket. My hologram monitor had finally malfunctioned, leaving me with nothing to look at when I heard something on my com link. "AC found, beginning extraction sequence" my heart leap someone had found my AC and was trying to get me out, I took off my safety holdings and waited. My core began to shake violently again "Hey what are you guys doing?" I heard something scraping against my core, like a drill.
"DEFECT WAKE UP!" "Wha huh?" I woke up in a sudden, I had that dream/nightmare again "Defect we gotta get out of here, their rounding up the Ravens, I think there finally going to use us "For what?" I said "I don't know" the man looked at a cell full of Ravens who had just been round up and had returned an hour later, I turned toward where he was looking at, the people were still, they all looked like macaques. "And I don't want to find out" at that moment our cell doors opened, the wall behind us begin to move forward, as if it were going to crush us if we didn't go out. "Cr*p, too late" We were moved down the corridor, security droids watching our every move, making sure that we followed the route provided. "F*** this" a pilot dashed into another corridor, 2 robots took aim and fired at him, missing as the man turned into a corner. Bam, as he rounded the corner I heard a gunshot, a blood spatter accompanied it and his body fell limply to the ground, blood dripping down his head making a small puddle. Another man, the one who had shot the Raven in the head walked into view, I couldn't believe who was standing before me. "Theres no escape" his voice chilled my soul, "accept your fate" "No it cant be" my mind was reeling, this couldn't be the same person I knew "Get them outta my face" he said, expressionless and cold "NO WAIT!" I yelled but a drone had prodded my back, ordering me forward, I took another look at the man, it was impossible I thought but my eyes regarded otherwise..
.dad?
Everytime I closed my eyes my mind went back to the battle, the one that had destroyed my Nest. I didn't know if it was a nightmare or a dream, I just knew that I had to get it out of my head. But it kept coming back to me, as if telling me to remember something, something important, but I couldn't remember what.
"Keoni!" I screamed into my com link, "hold on Keoni, I'm coming!" I boosted toward the AC named Yeti, it was on the ground, a 9Ball had pinned him, it's Bazooka aimed at Yeti's core, exactly where the cockpit would be. "Give it up kid I'm a goner" Keoni gave a sigh, "sayonara-." there was static, his link had gone dead, the 9Ball had fired its round into the core
"NOO! KEONI!!" I looked back at the 9Ball, at first I thought I was up against the ultimate fighting machine, just like the 9Ball of legend that had demolished Isaac city into rubble by it self. No these weren't the same one, these made mistakes, they felt like they had a pilot, the original 9Ball was just an AI program these were real people. I still kept boosting toward the AC that had taken my comrade, he, she, whatever it was, it had to pay. I launched my duel missiles before switching to my rifle, squeezing the trigger button so hard that I had cut circulation to my hand. The 9Ball had fallen already but I didn't care, this one took Yeti, Bug Zapper and Everman. It had taken all 4 of us, Xerox had to retreat before his AC was blasted to smithereens early in the fight, I hoped he was ok. Dispite it making mistakes, it was still a formidable opponent, a Raven of a high caliber. As I witnessed the fight between the 9Balls, I noticed that they all battled differently, one 9Ball fought exclusively from the air while another used only its laser blade. I didn't have time to think though, I had to survive, I just had to, and the only way I knew how was by fighting. Another 9Ball appeared, dropping from the rooftop of a building. It was a reverse jointed AC, brandishing flamethrowers in each hand, a napalm rocket launcher and the CDB-WDF/20 burst missile, it was a missile that would release napalm bomblets before it's impact. It caught sight of a man running away on the street, the 9Ball aimed it's flamethrower and ignited the man into flames. This was sick. "So you're the one who's been roasting the civilians" I couldn't hold it in, this was the one who was killing off the people on the street, the one who's been burning everyone in it's path, getting rid of any witnesses. I didn't respond, nor did I expect it to, this 9Ball was all mine, I could imagine it screaming after I destroyed it.
I switched to my duel missiles, turned on my extensions which where relation missiles, and fired at it. My missile extension activated and fired 2 more missiles along with the ones on my back. The 9Ball ignited its right flamethrower, a blue blaze came out and destroyed my missiles, the 9Ball then switched on it's overboost. I dogged behind a to my right just as the 9Ball blurred past. It didn't provide much cover, the flamethrower heated up the building. I stood horrified the steel building melted right before my eyes. I had to put some distance between this AC and mines, I boosted into the alleyway, my AC barley fitting thru. The 9Ball had giving chase, it had switched to its napalm rockets now and was aiming onto my AC. Boosting deeper into the city, I didn't want to bring the carnage with me, I didn't want to be responsible for the death of more lives. I had gotten thru the ally just as a rocket flew by and before me lay a construction site, perfect I thought. I ducked behind the alleyway to the side of the entrance and kneeled, switching to my slug gun I aimed at the opening and waited. When it boosted past I opened fire, 3 direct shots "game over" I said as I boosted after it
The AC turned switching to its back weapon and fired not one but 3 missiles simultaneously, I needed to find cover before they released its droplets on me. I boosted back into a crane "Sh*t!" my AC was caught on the ball hanging, I couldn't get free. 3 seconds before the missiles hit me it released its droplets, I prepared for the worst. The bomblets dropped on me, erupting my AC into flames. "****" I cursed, I saw my cockpit beginning to glow orange, the heat was incredible, anything touching my cockpit walls shriveled up burned at the part that was in contact. A glass monitor that I used for radar melted into a clear puddle, it slowly melted over my overboost button, if I wanted to used it I had to risk getting my hand burned. My core was still intact but badly damaged, the 9Ball was closing in, ready to show me what hell looked like. I looked at the 9Ball and the building behind it. "ahh f*ck it" I said and pressed the overboost button, my hand burning in agony but it didn't matter I wasn't expecting to live after this stunt. My AC rocketed forward into the 9Ball. It ignited both flamethrowers, my radiator couldn't handle the strain and exploded, I crashed into the 9Ball and continued to rocket forward. I was face to face with it now, my core kept boosting forward into the side of a building. The crash was tremendous, but since I had the 9Ball infront of me it got the full force. I took off my helmet and spat out blood, I had bitten my tongue as my cockpit shook violently. I heard the 9Ball creek, its head piece looked up. The 9Ball was still functional, it pushed my AC away to the ground and my AC landed on its sides, I was still facing it. Some of the melted metal from my core stuck to its hands. So this was it, I hoped the building would have crushed us but it seemed god wanted me to die by fire. The 9Ball faced me and aimed both its flamethrowers, with out my radiator my AC would melt into a pile of twisted metal. I looked at it again, and smiled "hehehe" I said blood drooling from my mouth, the crash did produce something good after all. The 9Ball fired and was engulfed in flames, I had ruptured the fuel tank of the flamethrower thanks to my crash and the fuel had covered the AC. The 9Ball didn't know what was happening and continued to fire its flamethrower, I watched as it burned itself on the spot. "Huzzah" I sputtered, I waited as my AC cooled down, I ready to get out of this casket. My hologram monitor had finally malfunctioned, leaving me with nothing to look at when I heard something on my com link. "AC found, beginning extraction sequence" my heart leap someone had found my AC and was trying to get me out, I took off my safety holdings and waited. My core began to shake violently again "Hey what are you guys doing?" I heard something scraping against my core, like a drill.
"DEFECT WAKE UP!" "Wha huh?" I woke up in a sudden, I had that dream/nightmare again "Defect we gotta get out of here, their rounding up the Ravens, I think there finally going to use us "For what?" I said "I don't know" the man looked at a cell full of Ravens who had just been round up and had returned an hour later, I turned toward where he was looking at, the people were still, they all looked like macaques. "And I don't want to find out" at that moment our cell doors opened, the wall behind us begin to move forward, as if it were going to crush us if we didn't go out. "Cr*p, too late" We were moved down the corridor, security droids watching our every move, making sure that we followed the route provided. "F*** this" a pilot dashed into another corridor, 2 robots took aim and fired at him, missing as the man turned into a corner. Bam, as he rounded the corner I heard a gunshot, a blood spatter accompanied it and his body fell limply to the ground, blood dripping down his head making a small puddle. Another man, the one who had shot the Raven in the head walked into view, I couldn't believe who was standing before me. "Theres no escape" his voice chilled my soul, "accept your fate" "No it cant be" my mind was reeling, this couldn't be the same person I knew "Get them outta my face" he said, expressionless and cold "NO WAIT!" I yelled but a drone had prodded my back, ordering me forward, I took another look at the man, it was impossible I thought but my eyes regarded otherwise..
.dad?