Armored Core: Lunar Battle
Chapter 5: Thoughts
"ck?......ick?....NICK?" The young man opened his eyes very slowly, the light above him blinding. "Thank god!!" Nick started to sit himself up, but was hard pressed due to his left arm creating some rather severe pain. He managed and looked at his arm, noticing it was covered in bandages.
"Nick?" He turned to the source of the voice, spotting Tanja at his side. Her hair was a complete mess, and it appeared that she was crying not too long ago.
"tanja," he said, but his body wouldn't allow him to speak at a normal tone. He could only whisper right now. He looked around the area, knowing full well this wasn't his room or cockpit. "where am i?"
Tanja looked at him. "Infirmary. You've been asleep for three days." She managed to break out one of her comforting smiles, a few more tears started to appear in her eyes. "I could have sworn that you had died."
"died?" His memory suddenly hit him. The mission Mirage assigned them, the MTs, Oblivion. It all was starting to come back, but was hazy at the point when the laser hit his core. His body started to get back into its routine, his voice was returning. "what happened?" he asked, with each word sounding a little stronger.
"We damn near got our asses sent to hell," she replied. "You ended up going berserk again, and you damn near lost your life because of it." She shifted a little closer. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your AC got totaled out there. What's the last thing you remember?"
He looked at Tanja. 'My AC, totaled.' "His laser hit me. I recall he killed my radar and destroyed the missiles, then his laser hit me." 'Why am I having a hard time remembering this.'
Tanja saw the look on his face, and her smile disappeared. "Well, that laser took out your radiator and primary boosters. Every move you made heated up your AC uncontrollably. You ran out of ammo, you lost your sword arm, you overboosted into that bastard and smashed him through a building with your momentum." She turned to the wall. "We would never have made it if Pilan didn't interfere." He followed her eyes, noticing the Martian sitting in a chair across from the room. She was napping at the moment, not even aware that he was awake.
"What happened to you and Deathsythe?"
"I got through with a badly damaged head and missing arm, nothing as serious as your AC." She looked him in the eyes again. "That Oblivion guy made sure that Deathsythe could never fight again. The joints were melting by time Pilan drove him off. She had to tear your core open in order to get your cockpit out of there. Your lucky to be alive right now."
Nick was still digesting the part that his AC was practically molten slag when she said the last part. "Lucky? How?!?"
"Your cockpit was over 500 degrees in there, while your AC's armor was just over 2000," she replied. "Add to that the bonk on the head, which your helmet barely managed to protect, and the burned cuts on your arm. Your lucky that you didn't burn alive in there." He just sat there, staring at his bandaged arm, now conscious of the fact that he had some on his head as well. He couldn't believe what had happened. Now his brain was working right, allowing him to remember how severe his beating was. He wasn't conscious when that screen smashed him in the head when he plowed through the building. His wounded arm throbbed with pain, which he ignored as he clenched his fist.
"Oblivion is going to pay for what he did!"
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Outside of his hospital room, the members of teams Doom and Breaker peeked in. So far, neither Tanja or Reaper had noticed them. Especially Reaper, who was just waking up. "How long has she been there?" Chris asked.
Sara was the one to respond. "Ever since she returned with your fearless leader literally in her arms. Her arm was soaked with his blood."
"Haven't heard of any Raven caring so much for another one." He commented, earning him glares from his three friends. "What?"
"Isn't it obvious, you baffoon." Eddy whispered. "You have to be completely blind not to notice!"
"Notice what?"
Linda grabbed him by the shirt. "Either you are blind or just plain stupid. Ever wonder why she keeps meeting him, asking when she can battle him again?"
"Because she wants her title back, that's.."
"You dolt," Linda hissed. "She could care less about the damned ranking. She had enough publicity with killing the Controller." She shook him. "She likes him, moreso than she would ever admit. Even to her own team." With unknown strength, the nimble girl thrusted Chris into a wall five feet away. She turned back in time to hear Tanja mutter something about having their asses kicked.
IT finally dawned on Chris. "She LOVES him?" He stared a little dumbfounded at the trio. "There is no way that bitch loves him. I just can't..." Sara shut him up nice and quick, a dent noticeable on the opposite wall in the shape of a human being.
"Remind me never to piss you off," Eddy said, watching the duo in there chatting. "Dammit. Why don't they do something interesting?"
"In an infirmary? They got cameras all over the place in there, keeping an eye on every patient." Linda shook her head, unable to believe how smart Ed is, yet how thick. "She doesn't even know how he truly feels about her. How do you think I'd feel if I kissed you out of love, yet you don't see it as such?"
"I guess you'd be...wait a minute." Linda turned towards him questionably. She didn't expect him to stop in mid response. "What do you mean if you kissed me out of love?"
"What??" Her eyes widened in surprise, a light blush visible on her face. "I..I meant.... rhetorically speaking. That's all..."
"Didn't sound that way to me." Chris was sent deeper into his dent as both Eddy and Linda hit him.
"Ya know," Sara thought, "they actually do make a great couple." She giggled to herself as she turned back to the conversation, which just passed the threat to Oblivion.
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"Do you have any idea how lucky BOTH of you are to be alive?" Nick and Tanja looked at Pilan, who had just woken up. "That guy is nothing like anyone that you guys have ever battled before."
"What do you mean?" Nick demanded.
"Pilan had said on the intercom that he was some sort of experimental freak." Tanja mentioned.
"Darn right about that," Pilan stated in a rather harsh tone. "He's one of those Ravens that underwent some of Murakumo's human experimentation projects."
"Murakumo?" the two said in union. They looked at each other in amazement. Murakumo was one of the first Armored Core developer corporations, whose technology is known to all the corporations. Mirage and Zio Matrix are the primary redevelopers of their technology, whereas Emeraude and Crest are based on the old Chrome models. Murakumo, however, had its own dark secret. A project which was used to augment humans and Ravens, although most of the subjects became unstable and insane from the procedure. "You can't mean the 'Human Plus Project!'" they said in union again.
"So you know about it." She was emotionless in her chat. Tanja knew it had to have something to do with Oblivion. "He's one of them, and they are virtually unstoppable. Only another Human Plus could actually defeat one. If I showed up a few seconds later, neither one of you would have survived." She got up and started to leave.
"Pilan." She stopped and turned to Tanja. "I have a feeling he killed one of your parents. I can't help but think you have a grudge against him."
"Your right." Pilan turned around, tears were in her eyes. "That bastard killed my mother when I was eight! I almost got killed during that attack as well. I can never forget what he looks like, even if he updates his AC with the most recent parts!" She stood still as a silent tear escaped her eye. "Let's see you not hold a grudge against a murderer for ten years. Hundreds of colonists died when he attacked, Ravens and civilians alike. My mother DIED protecting them!!" She turned and was about to leave when Tanja spoke once more.
"Oblivion said the plus's daughter. Was she no different from him in that respect, although her actions were different?" Tanja fumbled with the last words. "Does that make you a plus as well?"
Pilan glared at the duo. "I wouldn't know!" She turned and started leaving. "You may want to make sure no one listens in on you in the future. Four Ravens were listening to us ever since you awoke." Ed, Linda, Sara, and Chris cringed when they realized they were found out and bolted as far from the room as possible. Pilan left the room and caught up to the four with ease. "And you four better not breathe a WORD as to what was talked about in there. That is, if your lives are that importaint to you."
Nick and Tanja saw as Pilan left. "That is a touchy subject for her," Nick said. "Her mother was involved in the colony massacre from ten years ago, defending the last five colonies with her life." He looked at Tanja. "Records state that her cockpit was destroyed, very much the same way we lost Raven a few days ago."
Tanja nodded in understanding. "Are you well enough to stand?"
"I could try. What for?"
Tanja grinned. "Your AC may be totaled, with the Skyeye part and Sol blade all that is salvagible. Mirage decided to pay you alot extra for trying to hold off Oblivion, so that you could purchase new parts to build yourself a brand new AC." She nudged his left arm lightly, so that it wouldn't hurt. "Knowing you, I doubt that you'll want to sit on your ass for the rest of your life at some half baked job."
Nick shifted his feet over the bedside and tried to get up. He almost lost his balance, but Tanja managed to support them. "How do I know that you won't let me fall again?"
"Huh?"
"I'm not in top form right now. The ace needs to watch his surroundings, remember." The two smiled and laughed a little as they made their way to the shop, with Tanja supporting her friend.
"I think we can ignore that ace stuff for now."
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"Ya see that structure over there?" Destructor advanced up to Red Death, seeing what Doom was talking about. The red Egret head faced the green Nighteye. "That," Doom stated from within Red Death, "is where their planetary defence cannons are."
"Those have to be their only way of defending from an enemy attack force like ours," Destructor returned. "If we can cripple that, we actually stand a chance and can guarentee reinforcements."
"I recommend we hid low until we can be assured backup, then we can take those out while they are training their guns on them."
"I'd have to agree with Doom there, Destructor," Dark resoponded from home base. "If we raise a ruckous too soon, we will risk being spotted. And taking the turrents down now would only have them rebuild it with a stiff defence."
Destructor led Doom back to base. "Taking that down is top priority when the time comes. Right now, we need a way to lure their defenders away from the intended target."
"I got an idea, boss," Dark said. "We got plenty of ammo for our weapons here, and I saw a bunch of targets that we can hit that are a good distance away from their turrents. Unfortunately, we can only use one AC, otherwise they will have very strict security."
"What is the plan, then?"
"I have good armor, speed, and some nasty weapons I can use for base razing. If I can hit them in an order that makes them believe there is only one AC heading in one direction, they may waste their security forces for a possible next target and fail to notice the main plan." He stopped for breathe. "For it to work flawlessly, I have to leave their bases in the direction of the next base, then zoom back here without being noticed."
"A little too risky, Midnight. But it's better than sitting on your ass." Destructor thought carefully. "If your positive you can pull it off, then do it. Your job starts tomorrow, but stay out of sight when you leave."
"No problem. The bases are on the dark side, while we're on a border. I didn't call this AC Midnight for nothing."
"Allright, you get to work tomorrow. Meantime, lets get some hidden defences set up over here."
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After ten minutes of limping through the Nest, with no one but Tanja helping him out, Nick finally made it to the garage. He had to endure many ravens staring at him, for he was a currently beaten up and AC less ace. Now he had to pass the empty garage to get to the AC shop, where he could use the credits Mirage gave him to purchase a brand new AC. They walked and limped past Nick's stall, which had the ace motion Tanja to stop. She did and realized why, he wanted to see how badly beaten up Deathsythe VII was. They walked into his stall and looked at the once magnificent AC, now barely holding together even with the supports surrounding it.
He looked at the severity of the damage. His legs were badly burned from overusing the boosters, and some bullets had marked the entire unit. The left arm was gone, shot off at the elbow. He further examined his AC, spotting the most damage on his units core. He barely saw the mark that was made by the laser cannon that destroyed most of his cooling systems and his primary boosters. There was also a big hole in the center, where Pilan had rammed her ACs arms in to rip his cockpit out before the heat could harm him much more than it already had. The skyeye was pointed down, half concealing the heat damaged camera lens. There was another mark where the antenna was, now seared completely off by Oblivion. The AC looked like hell, and all of its joints had sagged and melted together but to the extreme heat it had generated from the battle.
Nick clenched his fist, ignoring the pain. Very few people knew that his older brother had actually helped in assembling his AC, before acceping a mission he never returned from. Deathsythe VII was actually a symbol to Nick in more ways than one. It stood for his acceptance as a Raven, the sacrifices and battles he faced to earn this right, the one machine that carried the souls of two people within it as he battled. Now that symbol was retired and broken beyond conventional repair.
"Nick, I'm sure that you will be able to buy the parts necessary to rebuild your..."
"No," he said softly. "Rebuilding it would insult my AC." Tanja looked at him. "Look at it. It just looks like it wants revenge for what happened to it, yet it knows that it can't fight anymore. I know how it feels, and I just can't bare to replace it with a cheap imitation." He looked at her. "Plus, replacing it would just insult the one who helped me build it." He grasped onto her shoulder and they continued on to the shop.
"Who helped you? Your brother?"
Nick glared at her. "How do you even know I have a brother?"
"I checked your file when you past your exam. Your brother was the one that was my only rival, until his disappearance and you defeating me." Tanja then smiled. "Besides, my AC didn't look much different from Deathsythe when I started, because he recommended the best parts for me to use while I was a rookie."
"You too, eh?" Nick chuckled. "Your AC is now completely different from how you say it was. But, why did he help develop your unit as well as mine?"
"I asked him why he helped me myself." She looked at him seriously. "He said that he had a brother about my age trying to be a Raven, so he wanted to help me so he could help you when you came in." She looked away briefly. "He was right, and I know he was watching you as an MT pilot. He even asked me to keep an eye on you."
"He did?!"
"That mission before you became a raven, I was supposed to be the raven you guys assisted. I would have been there, but Payload's buddy tried to stop me." She looked sad. "If I had finished him off sooner, you probably would have your best friend..."
"Don't finish that sentence." Nick glared at her, while she looked back at him in surprise. "Unexpected things happen in a battlefield. For all we know, even your assistance wouldn't have saved him. I'd rather not speak any further on this subject, Tanja."
"Hey!" The duo jumped a second as they turned to the one that spoke to them. It was Greg, the shop keeper. His brown eyes stared at the two as he scratched his greying hair. Now going on sixty, he is too old to be piloting an AC, being a former Raven. His old Emeraude AC stood in the back of the shop, a symbol that represented who he once was. "Are ya youngings gonna stand and chat, or are ya gonna buy me parts?"
The duo blushed. "Sorry, Twilight," they said in union. "We didn't realize we were at the shop already," Nick hasily added.
"Hey, don call me by me ol' raven name, youngster," Greg said, glaring at the two. "Ya couple should know that me mercinary days er long gon." He then looked at the two. "Are ya a couple?"
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!?" they yelled in union.
"Never min, never min!" He waved his hands in a way that showed he didn't mean any harm by the question. "Curiousity killed da kitty, after all. SOh, wat ya looken fer?"
"I'm buying parts to assemble a new AC," Nick said simply.
Greg looked at Nick again. "Ah, I remember ya. Yup, ye were here with ya bro ova a yer ago, methink. Hey, sorry bout yer AC. Heard bout that bastard martian shit head messing it all up. Yessir, that AC is as much min as it is yers, considerin I sold ya those parts. So, wattle it be?"
The duo had stared at him as he remembered all that. "I'm just gonna look around a bit, Greg. I want to find some good parts to use for my AC."
"Round back, as usual. Call me wen yer ready. And stay outta me Anchient, er else yull have a cest on yer leg as well." The duo laughed nervously. Anchient was the Emeraude AC in the back, fashioned after a legendary AC pilot from the Murakumo era. Greg may be retired, but he hated it when kids mess around with his old AC. There were rumors that he shot some raven's left testacle off for starting it up while his back was turned. But they are only rumors, right?
They both started to check out the wide selection of AC parts that were available. Before they even made it into the shop area, they saw a sign on the wall. "Notice: New and Experimental Crest parts are now available!" Nick whispered. "Guess I'll check those out." They started off for the cores, checking every one. Greg was loaded, having STOs, MX/02s, ORCAs, IKS, and many others. Nick then touched a pad and started skimming through the various cores, until he came across a new Crest model. It was teh CCL-02-E1, Crest's answer to the popular Mirage EO cores. The part was designed for speed, as indicated by the unnatural sleek design rarely associated to a Crest product. This part was not only light, but featured a solid machine gun round EO system. It didn't use energy to fire, but it couldn't be replenished unless a supply truck is out there. Nick grinned as he decided to remember the model number, then asked Tanja to help him to the heads. The console couldn't be used to analyze the heads, for it was only programmed to keep a record of all the cores.
They went from section to section, Nick starting to write down the parts that interested him for his AC. He decided on the same generator, radiator, FCS, and Fleet boosters that Deathsythe had used, for they were the only parts that he was used to and that were reliable to him. He also chose to use the MWG-MG-1000 machine gun once again, considering that he was better at using that than the other models. He also picked out a set of CWM-M36/4 medium missiles, a brand new MRL-MM/011 radar part, and lucked out on finding two MLB-Moonlight blades. Tanja convinced him to get one of the blades and the missiles, while he stuck to the radar and gun. He then chose to go with the same SOL arms as before, but then picked out the new CLM-55-RVE legs by Tanja's recommendation and a CHD-MISTEYE part that caught his eye to round it off.
They were now in the option parts section, trying to get new pieces. All of Nick's option parts were in Deathsythe when it was attacked, and are now sorta stuck in the core for good, meaning he needs to get new ones. He was shifting through the optional parts when his eye caught sight of an odd entry. He selected it and gasped. "NO WAY!!! Greg got his hands on an OP/INTENSIFY??" Nick grinned. "Damn, he's good."
"Those things aren't all that great," Tanja commented. "Sure, it makes you like a Human Plus, but it also weakens your AC. Besides, mine is complete, but doesn't handle overweighting like the rumors say it does."
"Who cares? I'd be able to use my laser cannon on that Oblivion asshole the next time I see him." Shrugging, Tanja helped Nick back to the desk. Greg was waiting for them, and was promply told not to ask if they were a couple. He then was given the list of parts that Nick wanted for his new AC, shortly followed by a few choice selections for Tanja. Knowing it would take a full day before his unit was finished, he left Greg with the paint schematic and the name of the new AC before leaving.
"What did you get, Tanja?" Nick asked.
"I just got that second Moonlight that we found as well as that Karasawa rifle you didn't want."
"I didn't pick it because it would just weigh me down, as it will do to you!"
"Ah well, I can handle myself with energy equipment." She smiled and looked at Nick. "So, what are you gonna call it?" Tanja asked.
"I'm calling it 'Deathsythe VIII.'"
Tanja frowned. "I thought you said that using that name would insult your former AC," she said in a teasing voice.
"I did, but only if I had chosen to rebuild it. This is just its sucessor until I personally make sure that Deathsythe VII flies again. Besides," he looked at Tanja and grinned, "it pretty much has only one person's soul riding within it aside from mine."
"Oh really." She looked at him. "And whose is it?"
"The one that helped design her." The duo grinned and continued on, virtually aware of the other's affection.
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Greg watched as the duo left his shop. 'I swer, they look like such a great couple,' he thought, grinning at the thought. 'Well, ACs donbuild themselves,' he thought as he got up and started to the assembly bay. While entering, he passed a person that was sitting at the door.
"Did he get the part?"
"He wes estatic about findin it. I woulda gave him it anyways if he didn." Greg looked at the person at the door, who was none other than Pilan. "Why did ya wan him ta take that, anyways?"
"Just a precaution, uncle. In case he comes across Oblivion again and I'm not around. He bares as much a grudge as I do."
"Guess so."
"Thanks for handling my request."
"Any thin fer my niece," he said, starting up the assembly system as Pilan left the shop.
WHooot. There's chapter 5, sorry if there is no action. That's because of last chapter's battle. Have played and recently beat Silent Line, thus the reason I'm adding some Silent Line parts to the list. Nexus is also great, although the booster heat mechanic was as deadly as Genobee and 9 Ball.
And now, words to the two reviewers from chapter 4.
Bloody Kitsune: apologies. just know too many kitsunes with girls on the other end. and i hope you realize that a main character had his AC shredded up. Ah well, he'll be back when Deathsythe VIII is done.
Xardion: couldn't have thought that I'd fine someone who would read all the chapters before reviewing. good to have you aboard, and this fic won't die (as long as i get at least one review per chapter, just to know someone is still reading) Expect the next chapter real soon.