Disclaimer: See previous chapters

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Chap. 31

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Hospital

"Guah!"

Koemai groaned aloud as he pushed himself up on the bars. It has been a week since he had come out of his operation and since that time, he had been pushing himself to recover. Diana remained at his side during this time, helping him through it while holding him off when it became too much. During the first week, Koemai wanted to get started early, but ended up hurting himself. From then on, Diana supervised his recovery and gave him allotted times for him to work out. She didn't try to stop or dissuade him, but she knew that he had to take it easy if he wanted to continue with the mission.

"That's enough for now."

Koemai frowned as he looked back at her. "But…"

"Don't you even think about arguing with me." she replied sharply. "Until the doctors declare you fit to leave, then you'll do as I say."

In truth, the doctors were surprised by how much he had recovered. Given the extent of his injuries, he should have been just being able to get out of bed; not working out on his recovering therapy. Koemai settled himself down into the wheelchair and worked to stop panting. Just then, Cain entered into the training room, his hands behind his back.

"Hey. How are you?" Cain addressed to Koemai.

"Great." the Raven grinned. "Never felt better."

"Hm." He turned to Diana. "How is he?"

She folded her arms. "His side is still weak and he's still having some trouble with his arms. But he can walk better now."

"Okay."

Koemai frowned. "You believe her over me? Some friend you are."

"Hey, we can't have you passing out before we go into Silent Line, can we?" Cain then added. "Besides, you lie."

"This is a conspiracy, I know it." Koemai growled. "You two are just messing with me."

Cain sighed. "I'm sorry to hear you say that. Because I just convinced the doctors on an early release for you."

"What?"

Unfolding his arms, he handed Koemai a pad with his release documents on it. "I just need you to sign this."

"No problem." Koemai unhooked the laser pen and immediately signed it. "Just as long as I can get out of here."

Cain simply watched as he finished signing. "One catch. Your therapy will still have to continue. You'll have to have someone watch over you to make sure you don't hurt yourself."

"Are you serious?"

Cain took the pad back. "According to this, very serious. In fact, I have the name of the person set to watch over you to make sure you don't hurt yourself." A dark glint lit in his eye. "And I hear she's quite good at it."

"She? With my luck, it will probably be some bodybuilder name Hilda." Looking back at the pad, he switched it to the next screen, reading the name of his caretaker. He blinked hard when he saw the name and looked up at his girlfriend, who was grinning broadly at him.

"You didn't think that I'd let release from this hospital be an excuse to get away from me, did you?"

"I knew it." he sulked. "It's a conspiracy, isn't it?"

"No comment." was Cain's (smirking?) reply.

Hanger (Havoc)

'Damn!'

A spark flickered in Elijah's fingertips as his readjustment to the FCS in the cockpit backfired. Flicking his hand, he grabbed a screwdriver and went back to work. Like many of the others, he had been working to get his core ready for the upcoming mission. If he could improve the locking speed of the FCS, then he would have a better chance of firing without wasting too much ammo. When they meet up with the Death Dealers again, he didn't want to be left helpless like before. This time, he planned to survive and come out on top.

He hadn't come this far for nothing…

- - - - - - - - - - -

Flashback

Elijah lightly tapped on the controls of his AC as the dropship flew toward target city. He had been waiting for his chance to be accepted into the Cortex as a Raven and now it was here. Behind him, a gray and white AC, Snow Leopard, stood as well; his escort and the one who would evaluate his effectiveness. The dropship was now over head and the alarm light lit up, signaling him to get ready.

-"This is it."- the pilot of Snow Leopard said over the comm. -"Take out all MTs in the designated areas. Complete this mission and you'll be registered as a Raven. I'll accompany you as well, but only as an observer. Keep this in mind."- The hatch opened up before them. -"Let's begin."-

Havoc was soon ejected from the dropship and into the city below. Inside, Elijah went to work on the controls. He was still getting used to using an AC. He had practiced numerous times in simulators and it had taken him some time to get the money and part for one of his own, which was mainly a basic design and equipped with a machine gun, an LS laser blade and small missiles in the back. However, moving with the machine was a little tricky as the feel was quite different from a simulator, but Elijah continued on, working to adapt with the machine.

'Just take it nice and easy.'

The machine stomped on through the small city and soon Elijah caught sight of his first target; a MT that was stalking around the corner of one of the buildings. Slowly, Elijah pulled on the controls, trying to get a good aim on the target. He then fired wildly, but his aim was a little off and the bullet tore into the building behind. The MT caught sight of him and began to open fire. Elijah pulled his machine back while working to straighten his target lock. He finally managed to pull it off and the bullets struck the MT, causing it to topple over and explode.

-"Not bad for a rookie. Five left."-

Elijah growled at the comment, but pressed on. Boosters ignited, Havoc skimmed across the ground in search for its next target. Eljah managed to lock on to another, this one on the other side of the building before him. He could go around and attack, but then a new idea came to mind. Elijah pulled back on the controls and soared upward into the air. Keeping the lock on the target, he flew over the building until the MT was in sight. Switching weapons, he fired a small missile at the MT and when he landed back on the ground, the MT had been knocked over destroyed.

"Alright."

But he had neglected to see two additional MTs that where around the side of an adjourning building and had caught sight of him. The machines quickly opened fired on his back and Elijah gritted his teeth at the fire.

-"Amateur mistake."-

'This guy's really getting on my nerves' Elijah thought as he turned around, flying away from the gunfire at the same time. The MTs pursued him with continuous fire and Elijah saw he was heading toward a building.

'Alright. Time the strafe.'

Elijah stopped for a moment, turned more and flew of to the side. His visual began to slowly put the MTs in his sights while he was avoiding their fire until…

Beep

Chchchchchchchchchchchchchchch!

The machine gun fire hit the first one straight on and its bullets tore past it and onto the second one, felling it as well. Elijah checked his systems and so far he was good. A little damage here and there, but nothing serious.

-"Two targets left."-

Elijah set forth at once to find his last two targets. Heading toward the streets, Havoc flew over the terrain, tracking down the last two through his radar. His FCS clicked, signaling him to a target just to the left. The MT was walking under a overhead highway. Not that it mattered to Elijah. While still in motion, Havoc unloaded on it, tearing it apart and causing it to explode.

-"Aggressive. One target left."-

The final MT was much closer than they realized. The machine stalked right out the building from right behind Havoc. At that range, Havoc would take serious damage. Snow Leopard saw this but said nothing as it prepared to fire. But in a flash, Havoc whirled around and slashed the MT with its orange laserblade. The blade sliced apart the legs and almost tossed the rest of the MT into the building. Elijah blinked. 'How…did I do that?' He had only reacted, somehow sensing the MT coming up behind him. But it was all within a span of two seconds. He's never moved that fast before, not in the simulators at least. 'Perhaps…this is what it was really like…to be a Raven.'

-"Impressive move there. Congratulations. From this moment on, you are a Raven."-

- - - - - - - - - - - -

To this day, he still doesn't know how he did that; how he reacted to the MT behind him or even how he knew it was there. He had heard stories on how Ravens had been able to react in such fashions. Cain and Koemai agreed with this as well, attributing it to either skill or instinct, although they were unsure of it themselves.

In any case, now he was better that that. Skilled, experienced, and trained by some of the best Ravens there were. Even so, this was still Silent Line, a place feared by all Ravens. And now he was set to undergo quite possibly a mission that could be remembered as either legend or foolishness. Whatever way this goes, he was going to see it through. He couldn't dismiss the danger, but he had to rely on his skill and his comrades.

And whatever it was that he did earlier…

'Now, let's get this working.'

Mirage Biotech Facility

'Alright Wolf. It's hunting season.'

-Main system, engaging combat mode.-

The eyes of White Wolf glimmered as it roared off. His mission was simple. He had to track through the cavern system in order to find and destroy a new type of AI system before it went up to production. Why? It didn't matter to him. All that he knew was the important things. The pay and the mission outline. The pay was unusually high, which caught his attention right off. And because it was in a closed cave area, it was perfect for his heavily armored machine to utilize. Moving on through the first corridor and gate, he was met with the facility's automatic defense systems.

They didn't last for too long…

Kabooom!

Five well-placed shots from his bazookas annihilated the gun turrets and White Wolf continued on without incident. Finding the next corridor, he began to fly down when his radar beeped. Pausing, Baron checked the radar scope, but found nothing there. 'A glitch?' Shrugging it off, he continued on his mission, entering the next gate and into another corridor. Numerous slots in the wall opened up and gun turrets wheeled out and took aim.

"Oh, s$&!"

Baron pulled back and closed the gate as the turret fired wildly at him. A few of the shot got through and hit, but they were minimal. Looking at the gate, Baron began to thinking about what to do. He could find another path around them, but that would take up too much time. Besides, he wasn't the type to be subtle. White Wolf approached the gate once more, but before opening it, he knelt down and unfurled the chain gun. The gate was in the way, but Baron had already established a lock on the targets on the other side. He then signaled the gate to open and as soon as it cracked open, he fired, sending rounds of bullet-fire through the entrance and tearing apart the first targeted turret. The other turret fired upon him, but the damage was lessened since he destroyed a good portion of the turrets. This in addition to his high armor made the job quite simple as he trashed each end every gun turret. Folding up the chain-gun, White Wolf lifted itself up.

'Well, that was interesting.'

The white AC marched through the smoldering wreckage and onward to the next gate, only to discover that it was the final gate. Upon opening it, he found the target; an AC locked into the wall and connected to a terminal. Baron regarded the machine. Sleek, probably with some fancy weaponry…soon to be burnt to a crisp. White Wolf bent down again, but this time unfolded its second back weapon; a linear energy cannon. He centered the weapon and it charged up. The energy swarmed and suddenly the cannon fired a devastating blast that ripped through the AI AC and literally shattered it to pieces.

-Your mission is done, Raven. Clear out-

'That was pretty easy. Oh, well.' White Wolf wheeled around and boosted toward the exit. The mission was over, but it was just too easy. For the amount of credits the sender was paying, Baron would have guessed that it be a more difficult mission. But hey, whatever works, right? In no time at all, he reached the exit gate when…

Beep…

"Again?" He rapped his knuckles against the scope. "I'm going to have to get this thing fixed." He exited the corridor and was ready to fly up the cavern to get out when the beeping came up a third time. Baron growled, but then noticed the dots that appeared. It wasn't a glitch. Enemies were here.

And they were around him.

Baron quickly looked up and round, searching for whomever it was. The cavern was still and dark and he could see nothing moving within the shadows. But they were here. It wasn't just the radar; he could just…feel them, watching him.

"Death awaits you."

A blast suddenly fired out, destroying his left arm bazooka. As White Wolf reeled, another shot rang out, disabling the right bazooka. Baron backed his AC toward the facility entrance as the shadows soon solidified into form. Three blackened ACs emerged from the crevices above, with weapons all trained on him.

Anubis, Sheol, and Reaper… Death Dealers…

Hanger (Bloodhand)

Cain had just returned from the hospital after checking up on Koemai. He quickly strode over to Bloodhand, climbed up the ladder and opened up the cockpit. He had already known Koemai's passcode, so he had no problem unlocking it. Entering inside, he shifted his body around the readjustments he made earlier and got to work. As he worked, he repeatedly looked down at the datapad from the hospital, showing Koemai's current condition. Using the injuries, he readjusted the cockpit to suit Koemai so that he wasn't hurt while piloting. That meant adding shock absorbers and loosening the controls so that he wasn't pained while targeting. It wasn't an easy process, especially considering that he had his own core to work with, but he did it all the same. Koemai was his friend after all.

A twisted friend, but a friend all the same…

"Working on two cores at once. Isn't that a bit much?"

Cain glanced upward to see Ellie standing just outside the cockpit and leaning back against the railing. He returned his attention to his work as he answered.

"We have to be ready. Besides, I probably would have been doing this even if Koemai weren't injured."

"I understand." the dark-haired woman chuckled. "I wouldn't want to think about it either. Burying yourself in your work is a good distraction so you won't have to worry."

"I'm not worried about Silent Line." Cain replied. "Cautious, yes, but not afraid."

"I know." Her eyes narrowed. "I wasn't referring to Silent Line."

Cain paused for a moment. "Then what?"

"You know what I'm talking about. You know who I'm talking about."

Cain fell silent as Ellie continued speaking. "I know about the operation. You should go to her. She needs you now, don't you think?"

Cain lowered his arms, but didn't look up at her. "I hope you don't take offense to this, but why do you care?"

This time, it was Ellie who fell silent and Cain took note of something in her eyes. 'Pain…? No. Longing…' Ellie shook it off and smiled. "…Just call me a hopeless romantic." She moved to the ladder and began climbing down. "But we don't have much time, so stop wasting it distracting yourself."

Ellie soon disappeared down the ladder and Cain took in her words with deep thought. He didn't want to visit Aria for fear Bane might track her down through him and threaten her again. But that didn't stop his desire to want to be with his wife. He had never been away from her for so long since finding her and it unnerved him greatly. Lowering his head, he reached into his shirt and pulled up his necklace, which held both his and Aria's wedding rings. Holding them in his palm, he sighed deeply. It was a choice.

And a strangely easy one to make…

Cavern Facility

"Your fate is sealed."

White Wolf was cornered in by three of the Death Dealers. His back was against the wall as he couldn't reenter the facility. Nor could he fly away in escape. The entrance was above him, with the Death Dealers in between. His heavyweight machine would never be able to fly up in time before they shot him down. He could always fight, but his enemies had the high ground and it was three-on-one.

In a nutshell, he was screwed…

Anubis began to lift his energy rifle, aiming for White Wolf's head when a shot suddenly rang on, hitting the rifle. The other two turned toward the direction of the bullet and found a tan machine overhead, now pointing a rifle right at Sheol. Or more to the point, its cockpit…

"I don't think so."

"Charles?" Baron said in disbelief. Not that he was complaining, considering the situation he was in. Reaper began to turn toward him when he stopped him

"Don't. If you've been doing your research, which I know you have, you know how good I am with a sniper rifle."

Reaper froze in place and the other two were motionless as well. "What do you intend to do? Shoot us all?"

"We could, now that we are on even terms."

'We?' Baron thought instantly. He checked his radar, but there was no one else that registered. "Who else is here?"

"Let's just say, a phantom lurks in these caves."

"You're bluffing." Sheol snarled.

"If I am, I can guarantee you will not live long enough for it to mean a thing." Charles replied back. Sheol began to shift a bit, but the laser targeting from the rifle didn't leave the cockpit.

Reaper looked straight up at Professional. "Death is but a means to the truth."

"But I'm pretty sure you don't want it to come here." He paused for a moment and stressed his next words. "Not before Silent Line anyway." Professional then narrowed his aim further on the dark AC. "What shall it be? Do we wait for it or do we all die now?"

The dark ACs didn't move and Charles directed his attention to his clansman. "White Wolf, get up here."

White Wolf marched out from in front of the facility and began to fly up toward the entrance. The tension was great as he continued up, trying to reach the exit as fast as he could. The Death Dealers didn't move and finally White Wolf reached the top and moved out. Professional moved over to the exit himself and only then did he relinquish his lock on Sheol.

"Death awaits you all at Silent Line." Reaper spat out from the darkness. "There is no escaping it."

"How about we cross that bridge when we get to it." With that, Professional shot out the exit cavern where the carrier housed White Wolf and Professional joined shortly after. As the hatch began to close, Baron asked from within White Wolf.

"Where's Ellie?"

"The Cortex."

Baron's face literally dropped. 'He was bluffing.' Shaking his stupor away, he chuckled. "Remind me never to play you in poker. Ever."

Baron didn't see the thin grin that was on his face.