Chapter 7: We're in this truck for HOW LONG?

After much debating, the group changed their mind from taking a van to taking a transport truck. They managed to fit 3 ACs in it, crouching of course. The truck roared to life, and the trip began to unfold. The first stop was at a grocery store for food and such.

Tomiya hopped out of the truck. "Hey, I'll be right back" he said, running off into the store.

Chiyo tapped Ace on the shoulder. "Hey, Ace, how long are we going to be on this trip" She adjusted her glasses, chewing on a toothpick.

Ace looked back at her, admiring her for a moment, Chiyo WAS good looking, after all. "About six hours." he said.

Chiyo's jaw dropped, the toothpick falling to the ground. "WHAT? You mean I have to be stuck in this truck with this perv for 6 hours" She pointed at Darien, while Darien gave his innocent "What did I do" look.

Ace laughed a little. "Come on, he can't be THAT bad." His dirty blonde bangs waved from the air from the air conditioner.

Chiyo frowned. "You don't know the bit of it, buddy." she said as she let her hair out of the braid she usually kept it in.

Darien sighed, looking over at Till, who was asleep. Good thing too, he didn't want to hear all this yelling and screaming.

Tomiya came back with bags of potato chips, cookies, and other foods, and sodas. "We're ready to go" he exclaimed with a grin. Truth is, he had a horrible sweet tooth.

Ace gave him a "what the hell" look. "Don't you think...you...uh...overdid it" He asked, quirking a brow.
Tomiya's blue eyes widened slightly. "No, seeing as this trip is going to be six hours long."

Chiyo sighed when Tomiya said that sentence. "Don't remind me of how long the trip is." She said, looking in the rear-view mirror to put some lipstick on.

Darien watched Chiyo apply her lipstick. "Why do you wear that junk on your face? It ruins your skin." He said, a part of his brown hair falling in his face over his headband.

Chiyo looked back at him. "Darien, It isn't junk, it's warpaint." she told him, no matter how womanlike she could act, she was easily one of the guys at heart, however, she wasn't a lesbian.

Darien quirked a brow. "Well...whatever you say." He said, staring at the ceiling of the truck. "I still don't understand why you need it."

Chiyo looked back at him with a small grin. "Maybe if you tried some on, you would understand." She told him with a giggle.

"...No thanks, you just keep that stuff to yourself." he said, putting a hand out in front of him, turning his head the other way.

Chiyo grinned. "Thought so, now stay out of my business weather I put my warpaint on or not." she said to him, giving him that dominant tone. Which she knew he didn't like.

Ace hit the gas and took off from the grocery store, he knew this was going to be a long trip...he just hoped that Darien and Chiyo were both still alive by the time they got there.

2 hours went by, and they had already covered a lot of ground. A mysterious roadblock stopped them. And on top of that, there was a fair mist-like appearance of snow, meaning they had to travel slowly during this part.

Tomiya leaned up to the windshield. "Why'd ya stop" he asked Ace, looking over at him.

Ace looked back at him. "Roadblock." He pointed at the yellow and black wall in the road.

Chiyo looked at the roadblock. "But there aren't any police around there..." She said, scratching her head.

Loud crashes were heard as the figures of two ACs landed near the truck. One was a fiery red and orange paint, holding two flamethrowers. It was a middleweight AC. The other one was lighter, and sported a purple paint job, it had a regular laser rifle and two spherical Orbit Cannon launchers.

Tomiya frowned. "Okay, what in the hell is this? Can't random Ravens fight us AFTER our trip?" he shouted, starting to get out of the truck.

Darien looked at Tomiya. "Hey, Tomiya, I'll come with you!" he said, getting out as well. He wasn't going to let Tomiya go alone.

Till had been awake, and unimpressed at the fact of two ACs attacking the truck. He looked at the fiery red orange AC. He frowned; he knew what was going on. His former comrade, Sonneschein, was in that AC. Sonneschein still worked for Sakata Industries, working on the "S-type" computer program for ACs. "No, you stay here. I'll go with Tomiya. I have some personal business to take care of with the red one." He said, adjusting his eyepatch and getting out. "Come on, Tomiya. Let's teach these two a lesson for messing with our trip."

Tomiya just looked at him before getting out. "Ace, open the storage hatch doors so we can get our ACs."

"Got it". Ace replied.

-

Kaiser was watching the news; he squinted and looked forward at the screen when he saw a faint outline of a transport truck and ACs walking out of it. He knew Tomiya and his friends had taken a truck. But he wasn't sure if that was them. "If Tomiya gets himself killed, I won't forgive him for it. He beat me, so he can't lose to chump change ravens out there." He tightened the laces on his boots before getting up. "I'm going to see what's going on out there." He said to himself before getting in his own, smaller truck, which carried his prized AC, Royal Mist, in the back of it.

-

Tomiya dashed to the side of a laser shot. However, he soon had to dance to avoid many beams from multiple directions from the orbit cannons. "Can't you do anything else besides shoot orbit cannons at me?" he shouted at the other pilot, irritated.

Everything for Till seemed to slow down as he heard the purple pilot speak to Tomiya. "No…I can do a lot more if you want me to." The purple pilot said.

Till's eye widened. "That…voice…"

The purple AC's head seemed to turn towards Till. "…Till?" The pilot asked.

Till unconsiously boosted towards the purple AC.

The red orange AC sprayed some flamethrower fire at the back of Hell's Wings. "Not so fast…Till" The pilot of the red orange AC said.

Tomiya rubbed a finger in his ear. "What? Wait a minute!" Tomiya boosted over to the red orange AC to take the attack. "Till, you two KNOW each other?"

Till grimaced. "…I'll explain later…I need to talk to the pilot of the purple AC, you keep that fire-obsessed freak busy. Alright?"

Tomiya looked over his shoulder at Till. "Alright, I'll do my best." Cold Dragon's knees bent a little as it extended the hand with the Machinegun in it out at the red-orange AC he identified as "Phoenix"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AC Phoenix

Pilot: Sonneschein

AP: 8759

HEAD: MHD-MX/BEE

CORE: MCM-MI/008

ARMS: CAH-22-NIX

LEGS: CLM-02-SNSKAI

FCS: AOX-ANA

GENERATOR: CGP-ROZ

RADIATOR: RGI-KD99

INSIDE: N/A

EXT: N/A

BACK UNIT R/L: N/A / N/A

ARM UNIT R/L: KWG-FTL600 / KWG-FTL450

OPTIONAL: OP-INTENSIFY

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Pretty nice weapon you got there..." The pilot said, pointing both of his flamethrowers at Cold Dragon. "Hope you're fast enough though...these here will tear you apart." Phoenix pulled the triggers on both of the flamethrowers, launching jets of volatile semi-adhesive flame at Cold Dragon. Cold Dragon moved back, a bit landing on it's foot, sending it's heat up through the roof and doing deadly impact damage.

"Flamethrowers...fire-launching machineguns." Tomiya said to himself as the fire on his foot burned out, due to the cold outside, and his already excellent radiator, the AP drain was not much. He kept sliding back across the snow, firing bullets from his machinegun at Phoenix. Bullets ricocheted off of the armor of Phoenix, occasionally pockmarking the armor with a paintless dent, and a few holes.

Sonneschein smirked, inside of his cockpit. His eyes were not seen due to the visor he wore. "I'm going to toast you." He said, a bit of a psychotic tone on his voice as he directed Phoenix towards Cold Dragon, Flamethrowers in full power. Tomiya shoved the stick of his control to the side, sidestepping the blind rush and activating his MOONLIGHT blade, swinging it and cutting a deep crevice in Phoenix's torso, ruining the generator and causing the boosters to stop. The sudden stop caused Phoenix to topple foward, and face first, all of his HUD info fizzled out, he saw no chance to win right now. Fortunately for Sonneschein, Phoenix's basic motor functions were intact, as Sonneschein managed to get the war machine up, and managed to flee.

"..I guess I won." Tomiya said to himself, shaking the sweat from his mop of black hair. That flamethrower really let you feel the heat.

-

Hell's Wings and the purple AC, known as "Smokepath" stood away from each other, backs facing each other.

"I never imagined we'd meet again like this...Kaosu..." Till said, the only sound he heard was the humming of the AC, and his own brain activity.

"...Neither did I." Kaosu replied, a thin layer of snow falling off of her AC's arm.

"Why did you stay with Sakata Industries? Didn't you think that the "S-type" project was unethical" Till asked, actually showing a softened face for once.

"...The S-type...takes the brain of a Raven and replicates the battle data from it...an impressive, yet inhumane weapon." Kaosu said. "I planned on leaving after you did...but...I couldn't bring myself to leave...my comrades...Sonneschein, Dennis..."

"I've got a bone to pick with that bastard, Sonneschein." Till muttered.

"...How about we settle this, right now? If you win...I'll join you...sweetie." Kaosu told him, smiling to herself.

"...Alright, Quickdraw." Till murmured.

"...Till! Are you still alive" Tomiya's voice crackled over Till's com.

That was the signal. Both Hell's Wings and Smokepath spun on an armored heel, Hell's Wings brought up it's KARASAWA to the cockpit of Smokepath before Smokepath could aim it's bazooka at the other cockpit.

"...I win." Till said, holding the KARASAWA there.

Kaosu let out a sigh. "I only let you win...so I could be with you again." She said.

"...Yeah, whatever." Till said, slowly regaining his lost love he had for Kaosu. "Let's just get back..."

The two of them headed back to the others.

Ace looked at the newcomer as Darien and Tomiya were strapping Kaosu's AC onto the back of the truck, seeing as there was no more room inside. "..." he realized that she was the consort he had that one time. "...What the hell is this shit? She just attacked us...and you're letting her come with us" Ace shouted, not particuarly happy with this.

Till glared at him. "It's a long story...I'll explain on the way." He said.

Kaosu hugged Till closely. "..." She looked up at Till.

Till looked back down at her, his eye looking tender and soft-hearted. He brushed some of Kaosu's purple bangs out of her face.

Tomiya was standing in the doorway. "Guys, get a room." He said, wanting to get in out of the cold.

Till and Kaosu blushed slightly as they shook their heads and went back to get out of Darien and Tomiya's ways. Tomiya and Darien took their seats, and Ace maneuvered around the roadblock.

There was still 4 more hours of travel ahead.

Chapter 7 End