Deadly Research
Disclaimer: AC not mine. Gundam not mine. Pie? ALL MINE! Mmmm . . . 1.5 pie! YES!
Author's Note: WOOT! Project Force looks AMAZING! Must buy . . . (Drools). On a more serious note. Thanatos' AC designs (YES . . . he has more than one) are my imagination running wild. Though it would be awesome if such a thing like his existed in future AC games.
Reviewer's Response
Bloody Kitsune: ANNIHILATION! Really?As for Oracle . . . I've forgotten about him and the type of AC he pilots. Refresh me please! You'll be happy with this chapter. (MWuhahahaha!)
Dra Gan: (Looks into sunset . . . ) Hope he comes back . . . Thanks for the compliment! I do try to place the reader in the hot seat, right in the middle of the room, mission, etc. Though I do admit that this machine is kinda rusty from the lack of free time. Need oil . . . bad. XD Battle? Where? Got those AC designs coming?
Windbreaker: Thank you for your input. To be honest, I was leaning in that direction, but I wanted to see what my readers wanted. Please enjoy! Oh, and yes, Mobius and Valkyrie will have a POV at a critical part of the story!
Final Saber: Heavy Arms in its Endless Waltz version is my favorite hands down, and yes that is its one enormous flaw.
Chapter 6: Power of P.L.U.S. Pt. 1
(Sorry, I know I changed the chapter name . . . didn't feel right as I wrote this one. XD
A bright series of explosions hailed a new battle at the south end gate, the flaring light lit the darkened horizons. The team of four jumped to the roof top to see Nikita boost out from cover, shortly followed by an innumerable amount of missile trails.
They watched in horror as her radar jammers gave out and the micro-missiles reoriented themselves as her boost closed down. Melissa shut her eyes tight as the deadly explosives closed on Éclair's position. She knew of her status as the legendary Thanatos' fiancé. A brilliant red flash followed by several deafening shockwaves made tears come against her will. Avel's voice startled her out of her mental hiding place.
"Why . . . is he here? Thanatos!"
Her eyes opened to find the blue double blader unscathed by the missile barrage, a larger, sleeker humanoid-like AC stood before them like a guardian angel; a camouflage desert paint scheme decorated the machine.
The wind had kicked up and blew the strange AC's most flamboyant decorum around; a long, dust beaten, crimson colored AC sized cloak. The Sky Eye optical units radiated an eerie gold instead of the standard red.
Attached to the right arm was the massive twenty shot magnetic energy rail cannon, while it's left held the lethal close range flamethrower that many newbies underestimated and had left the Raven occupation because of it.
On its back rested an unusual set of double back weapons along with a single addition between them that no one could recognize. No one but Dark Heart.
It's really him. Damn it, why now? That weapon layout was mine before he took it for himself. NO ONE steals my ideas . . .
His voice came out in a monotone fashion, startling everyone around him while Melissa shuddered in despair.
"Target confirmed. Releasing Human Psyche Leyline . . . Unhinged Slaughter locks. Human P.L.U.S. . . . ACTIVE!" The AC boosted toward the cloaked newcomer.
Before Dark Heart reached the legendary AC, the pilot turned his rail gun toward the heavily armed Gundam while zeroing the flamethrower on Dark Heart. Inside, Trowa tensed as energy collected at the gun's emitter. The bright crimson energy blast lanced through the air closing on the dark green and black suit. The beam was half the size of the Gundam, and nearly unavoidable.
Dark Heart stopped mid dash when the shot connected, dispersed by another force that had dropped from above. Thanatos turned to fully face the newcomer as well, the two Ravens' hostilities momentarily turned aside.
Standing between Heavy Arms and the infamous Raven stood another Gundam. Two enormous curved blades glistened in the dim sunlight. A rustic brown full-cloak billowed in the wasteland breeze. Something about its appearance reminded Dark Heart of the Roman helmets the commanders wore into battle in a book he had read.
"You alright Trowa?" The youthful voice astonished the Ravens. Another kid?
"Sandrock? How?" The stoic pilot questioned, slightly bewildered.
"It's the cloak remember? It diffusion energy assaults, though I do admit it's not good at prolonged attacks."
The two Ravens looked at the new Gundam with mixed feelings. One was obviously long-range type with ammo to spend. The other was a close quarter fighter. The two took battle positions and launched simultaneously toward the suits.
Sandrock moved to intercept while Heavy Arms launched another salvo of molten gun fire. Dark Heart weaved in and out from behind Thanatos's AC as cover while launching shots at the quadruple chain gun wielding mech. Trowa jumped left in a twisting spiral before landing several meters away. The left arm chain guns remained on Dark Heart; their barrels glowing with the heat of each shot.
Quatre launched into the air, bringing the two heat shotels up and behind him for a powerful dual strike. Thanatos clicked his controls at an unseen speed as his extensions kicked in. Boosters on the sides of the core's shoulders spun the mobile weapon ninety degrees facing it directly left before jetting back as the blades past into thin air.
Dark Heart had stopped just short of the blades' arch, bringing up his Halberd and striking in one fluid motion, catching the pilot off guard and terribly off balance. Flames from the right made him reverse boost, catching a bit of the flamethrower's lethal heat discharge before firing a Karasawa bolt into the frying Gundam.
The Gundam reeled back; the cloak flew off in a burning heap. The two AC pilots closed for the kill.
A volley of lead made the two back off again, Thanatos taking a new interest in the gun totting Gundam. Dark Heart concentrated on Sandrock, who despite the assault had somehow sustained minimal damages to its framework. He'd change that soon enough.
Incoming Transmission . . .
"Dark Heart . . ."
The Fallen Angel growled in frustration. Not now you idiot!
"What Thanatos?"
"Hold that dual wielder off while I kill this one." The icy edge in the pilot's voice made Avel shiver; but not out of fear, rather . . . anticipation.
"Fine, but remember, our battle comes next . . . traitor!" He screamed the last bit as he launched himself at the slower Gundam. Thanatos closed the line while chuckling darkly.
"So, I'm a traitor now? Eh, comrade? Alright then . . . Human P.L.U.S. . . . Active. Come Stratos, let us show them our ability as an S-Rank Raven!"
His AC answered eagerly as he activated the overboosts and rocketed toward the waiting suit. Salvos rained down on the fast approaching suit, the cloak flying off as bullets hit the oversized stay pins on the AC's shoulders. The shoulders opened to reveal a cluster mine thrower.
Thanatos tapped the trigger twice as six mines launched from their canisters and attached to the Gundam as he flew over it. The overboosters had picked him up off the ground with their force. He closed them down seconds before passing over the Gundam while once again setting his extensions into motion. As he completed his 180 degree spin, he tapped the trigger twice more, sending several clusters at the suit again.
Activating his regular boosters as his feet touched the earth; he dashed backwards as he let loose a flame wave from the flamethrower, igniting the mines as they detonated from the burning napalm. The cacophonous roar intensified as he closed down the left weapon and fired with the right, removing one of the mobile suit's arms.
He stopped to survey his destructive work.
"I didn't think it'd be that easy . . . a pity. There's no challenge nowadays."
He bit back that comment as a spray of gunfire swept over his AC, ravaging the armor points as he dashed up into the air and right, his right hand rail gun once again active. He re-evaluated himself.
I guess not. Heh, these things are well made, I like that. Let the real fun begin.
"TROWA!" The blonde haired pilot couldn't believe the assault the mystery opponent called Thanatos had unleashed. He didn't see his opponent until it was too late.
"Pay ATTENTION!" Avel yelled as he rammed the laser blade into the left arm of Sandrock. The shotel fell to the ground with a heavy thud, embedding itself in the soft earth. Dark Heart brought up a leg and kicked the suit off his blade while whipping it sideways, severing the arm from the body. The circuitry and hydraulics sparked and twitched.
The stunned CEO of the Winner family industries could only watch as the AC before him spun around, bringing the vermilion blade in a side swing that would cleave him in two horizontally if it connected.
I hate this . . . but I can't see any other way of surviving.
He typed in four letters on his consol before cursing his weakness one last time.
Z-E-R-O
The shotel shot up, blocking the blade and locking them both in a deadly duel of strength. Avel didn't know what happened, but grinned at the renewed challenge. His eyes widened in shock as the head of the Gundam began firing bullets at him a point blank.
Disengaging the suit he dropped back while loosing three shots at the Gundam, who dodged them as it dashed toward him with another slash.
"Vulcan guns in the head unit? THAT'S a new one." The two locked blades again, but Dark Heart was ready, kicking the suit again as he fired the Karasawa at point blank range. The shot drilled into the legs, knocking them both off as the suit fell to the ground.
The shotel came down and cleaved into the armor plating of Dark Heart, surprising the pilot as his forced cooling activated and his AP dropped substantially.
What? I'm down to 3,967 already? Thing's power must be stronger than the MARS pile driver unit! That weapon's too risky to get close to!
Quatre gasped as the air was knocked out of his lungs.
Thanatos cringed as he was knocked on his back from a stray missile he'd forgotten about. Heavy Arms stood over him, the chest unit still open and smoking from the barrage it had unleashed on the unsuspecting pilot when it had been pinned to the ground as Thanatos now was.
To say that he wasn't impressed would be a lie. He found the opponent infinitely intriguing and full of surprises. Why couldn't Mirage, Crest, or Kisaragi make a core with guns like this thing? His Armor Point counter read around half at 4,315.
Hitting his booster again, the dust swirled around the two just long enough for the rail gun to level off at the mech's head unit and fire. The crimson flash sent Heavy Arms skyward, knocking Trowa unconscious as he free fell on top of Quatre.
Dark Heart watched with some amusement as Statos stood.
"I know what you're thinking, and don't even say it Avelesti Sionnodel."
"Well now . . . the legendary Thanatos giving me a warning? Shall we finish this?"
The two ACs stood sever dozen meters apart, rail gun and laser rifle leveled at each other. Both of the eye units glowed an amber gold.
Mobius, Valkyrie, and Maiden Sword had made their way to Nikita during the two-on-two and extracted her from the smoking core. She sat in the crammed back of Melissa's cockpit, as it was the most spacious. Mobius had gone to check on Shade who had miraculously survived and gone extravehicular.
Now they stood watching the western style face off, Melissa and Éclair, the pilot of Nikita, sweating bullets. Though they had never met face to face until now, stories had ensured that they knew each other by their lovers' reputations.
"Yes, we finish this . . ." The two energy weapons fired.
The beams passed a meter apart, their lights turning the air purple before fading back to crimson and azure blue. Neither pilot moved as the deadly bursts closed their gaps.
"MOVE YOU IDIOT!" Melissa yelled, making the younger woman behind her jump out of her skin. Éclair had closed her eyes when the shots were fired.
Everyone's eyes were wide as the beams passed inches from the head units of both cores. Explosions behind the two Human P.L.U.S. pilots drew wary looks as several new MSs appeared from some cloaking cover. The three other pilots formed quick ranks. The newcomers seemed to be twenty in all; now eighteen since two lay in smoldering ruin.
"Well now . . . what do we have here? So they finally show themselves."
"Wasteland equipped enemy units. The flamethrower's not needed, and the energy cannon's ammunition is too low." Both weapons fell from Stratos, leaving him with the strange back array. Dark Heart growled.
"You are not using that weapon set here. There's no need for that kind of firepower now."
"Is that why you're not piloting IT?"
The other pilot flinched. He had good reason to not use IT. IT had nearly killed everything he knew and loved, IT was one of a set given to a gifted group of individuals, the Human P.L.U.S. pilots during the hectic times in First Layered. Melissa was the only one he had dared open up to in years since then.
"Why aren't you using IT? Your IT?"
Silence haunted the comm. unit.
"Touché . . ."
Thanatos remembered that time as well, knowing full well he had touched a delicate nerve by hinting at it. There weren't many Human P.L.U.S. pilots still alive after that tragedy, but those who did survive had vowed as a group to never bring those ACs to light again. It was Layered's own 'forbidden weapons' like these Gundams.
Unlike the Gundams though, what gave them power in these weaker units was their experience and grit. These Gundam pilots were young, and still not fully developed as soldiers, except maybe for that Trowa pilot.
Thanatos smiled at that, a true soldier by his piloting ability. Most AC opponents hadn't lasted as long as this boy had. Heck, most had never survived the mine assault he performed first. The kid had respect in his book of rare skilled pilots.
The site reticule in Melissa's HUD was completely off-line, now limited to the laser blade, her only weapon since the linear gun only had a single shot. Mobius had dropped his back weaponry and was opting for the classic rifle/blade combination, forgoing any other attack method. Valkyrie steadied the sniper rifle over Maiden Sword's shoulder, the barrel of the massive rifle appearing in the pilot's viewing displays.
Unconsciously, Melissa knew the drill they had worked on. She had guard duty since the sniper AC didn't have anything to fall back on once the ammunition ran out.
As the new group of MS approached, the small flock of Ravens began to feel the heat of the situation. Everyone was exhausted and low on usable weapons except for Thanatos. Avelesti was running on adrenaline coupled to the psychopathic killing program in his biology. Their communications lines suddenly reopened.
Incoming Transmission . . .
"Ravens . . . this is Triple Cross."
Dark Heart and Thanatos froze, awaiting the next words. Neither wanted to believe. Their thoughts rang in sync.
No . . . he died . . . HE'S DEAD!
"Get out of there! Unit XEO-2AOW-777, Stratos, and Unit XEO1-AOW-777, Dark Heart . . . my comrades . . . the 'Eye of Heaven' is watching. GET OUT!"
Dark Heart and Thanatos both flinched. They knew what the 'eye' was, and neither wanted to face it, Human P.L.U.S. or not. The rest of the Ravens were about to ask when the answer came down.
In the form of the Silent Line's rain of satellite cannon discharges . . .
Sleep, need sleep REALLY bad. OH! This chapter is complete!
Computer gave me some trouble and has reset my viewer counter for my story stats on my account for some reason. Anyone else have this happen?
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