Chapter 19: The End (Beginning)
Hmmmm...that's strange...Wind's been gone a pretty long time. It's not like him to take so long on just one mission. Sara paced around in an area in front of her AC, Crimson Tear. She held the small green stone that was suppossedly an optional part that Windbreaker had left her. It was irritating to her at first to wait for Windbreaker to return from a mission. But it was very out of character for Windbreaker to have taken so long on one mission. In fact, Sara was getting worried, Maybe he's in trouble...what if he needs my help! I should have gone with him! Many thoughts filled Sara's mind as she tried to calm herself down. No! Must think happy thoughts! Maybe a quick mission will clear my mind! She quickly dashed into her AC cockpit, where a control panel lay for mission recievings, a standard for all types of ACs. Only one mission seemed to be blinking on the screen before her in a bright blue. The screen that came up after she clicked on the bright blue button. The message was from Mirage:
This is an urgent request. A few hours ago, strange mechanical units started roaming the area of our base. It is suspected that they are after whats inside the base that we constructed. We just recently finished building the base and the contents of whats inside the base is ancient technology that Kisaragi has exported to us. If that technology should fall into the wrong hands, the results could be catastrophic. A couple hours ago, we sent in a Raven to deal with the threats. Its been some time since he has contacted us, so it is possible that the worst case scenario has happened. Either way, we cannot allow that technology to fall into the wrong hands. Head over to the base with these coordinates and destroy any hostile life. We're counting on you Raven...good luck!
"Why don't you get out of the way! I'm not here to play with you!" Alus Omen caught one of the deformed mechs by its collar with its left hand. With its right hand it grappled onto the top of what seemed to be the head and started crushing it. Scraps littered the compound floor. The room was empty, only bright incandescent lights lit the room. With sudden force, the white demon threw the mutilated body out of its way and jabbed at the next grey mech that came its way. The pure white hand found its way into the abdomen area of the torso and punctured right through. Its hand could be seen coming out from the backside of the deformed monster. It tore the silent body off its arm. Soon, mechanical bodies littered the floor as the white demonic form still stood, unscathed. In a quick movement, the ghostly blue blade that lay folded behind Alus Omen's elbow, came forward. The blades' tip pointed outwards. As another deformed being came lunging forward at the ominous figure, the white form plunged its elbow blade into the torso of its opposer. The grey giant immediately blew up on contact. Suddenly sensing another presence approaching the room, Alus Omen took one step to turn to the door that lay before it. "Why don't you just face me?" Windbreaker growled within his cockpit.
At first it seemed the only sound that filled the empty garage were footsteps of a young female approaching her AC. Soon after though, a voice echoed through the abandoned compound. "So, I see your going out on a mission." Sara swiveled around on her feet to see a tall man with silver hair that stood up on all ends, approach her. It was the administrator himself, Jack-O.
"Yeah," She responded simply and as plainly as she could, trying to suppress her worried face.
"I must accompany you then. I have a transport waiting for us ouside."
The young Raven seemed shocked by his statement. It was a question of why that screamed in her head. "Why?"
"Well, the mission you just recently took raised my curiosity and I just wanted to see what was going on." He said with a slight smile on his face.
"The mission I just recently took? Wait! You were spying on me!" She managed to sputter out.
"No, I wasn't spying. It's my job! Somebody has to do all the paperwork involving your missions!" Jack-O shrugged in a slackish manner.
"What's so suspicious about this mission? For a Raven, these types of missions are common."
"No, I'm just curious, anyways, you won't be needing to pay me anything."
"Oh...well...thats really nice of you, Jack!" she said, astounded that the administrator would take any mission in for free without incentives.
"Well, that's cuz...half of your income goes to me! So..." In other words, he would get money from the mission one way or another. "...we should get moving right now!" Jack-O exclaimed with a satsified smile on his face. Sara seemed less enthusiastic, the whole thing was just a plot to up his money bank.
A large solid blade pierced through the wing like shoulder of Alus Omen. The point of the blade protruded from the front of the arm. Another blade came thrusting forward from an opposite direction. The sharp edge pierced through the thigh of the white mech, brilliant blue lights started surging from its wounds. A ghostly blade swung backwards, splitting one of two cores in half. With its other arm, the demon grappled onto the head unit of the other deformed mech. It took only a moment for the demon like mech to send its attacker crashing into one of the walls. Alus Omen staggered in place, trying to gain its footing from its previous assault. While pulling out the blades that still lay imbedded within its armor, Windbreaker noticed something flash across his screen. It was in bold letters, still readable to the pilot which read, "WARNING! ENERGY GENERATOR DAMAGED! OUTPUT DECREASING!" A grim feeling overcame the young pilot, Damn, sent his little minions to weaken the front line,"So...I take it you don't like losing..." Windbreaker suddenly said, directing his voice through the comm-link with a slight grin on his face. He was still calm, despite the damage his mech had taken. A sudden loud cackling responded to his words.
"Who does? Perhaps its time I taught you the true meaning of defeat!" It was a gruff voice, familiar to the ear.
Windbreaker merely shrugged at the statement a laughed lightly, "Isn't that what you people always say before you die? I can tell straight off the bat that your one of those selfish people who do this just for their own pathetic sakes."
"Why don't you shut up! Humans are the ones who are pathetic and selfish! This is merely judgement upon them for the sins they have committed! I lost my whole family in the wars! They must be avenged! Someone like you could never understand what I fight for!" The voice growled.
The elite Raven found himself smirking, "Okay, ya know what! I'm kinda tired hearing the same old story over and over and over again. It really gives you no right to cast this so-called judgement upon people if they fight for the same reasons as you do. It really makes you look quite stupid actually."
The voice snarled at his remark, "Still cocky eh? I shall gladly take you with me to hell!" The gates that once stood before Alus Omen were felled. Only smoke filled the air of the gateway. Reacting to this, the wounded giant picked up its linear rifle from the ground.
Before speaking, a large grin crossed Windbreaker's face, "Your welcome to try!"
"Jack...what are you doing? Shouldn't we hurry up and get to the bottom level quickly?" Sara asked in a puzzled voice, turning her gaze to look at the heavyweight AC that stood behind her with its back facing her. Its pure white paint made it look like it was made out of snow, the armaments in its hand which were the KRSW and the grenade rifle, made it look all the more intimidating.
"No, I believe that should be your job. Search for the Raven and help them out as much as possible. Should any more reinforcements arrive, there should be a guard to intercept their pathway. Don't worry, I'll be fine, I used to be an elite Raven before this you know?" The administrator said in a calm and assuring tone.
"Alright." She nodded a bit. What was on Sara's mind was who the hired Raven was. She was always curious to meet new people, hopefully, she could get there in time before this Raven got killed. It took awhile before Sara could get to the elevator that led to the second last floor. Apparantly, the inside of the complex had been severely damaged. Various grey mechanical parts that Sara could not recognize littered the grounds, with their wires hanging out, like dead limbs with their entrails hanging out. It was obvious at the sight of fallen limbs that only one mech was protecting the complex. It took awhile before the elevator came to a halt. The gates of the elevator slowly opened, letting off a loud moan that echoed through the elevator halls. What Sara saw next was shocking, and terrifying to see. A figure was propped on the other side, in a kneeling position. Its right arm had been torn right off, wires dangled from its right side. The once pure white paint had been worn off, black smears covered portions of its body. A faint glow still emitted from the demonic head, a dim light blue glow. The left half of the head was mutilated, dents and scratches covered it and its left eye was no longer functioning, with a large scar engraved across it. Various parts of its armor had been torn off, revealing black mechanical parts. Two gouges were visible in its left shoulder and right thigh. The wounded mech staggered up to a standing position.
"Your late...again..." A raspy voice said suddenly, the volume of the voice no more than a whisper. Crimson Tear slid towards the wounded mech. The once demonic mech looked like it was even having trouble just standing up.
"Wind! What happened!" She gasped, a bit taken back and horrified at the sight before her. The mech itself was in such a horrid state that it looked like it would fall apart at any moment. Sparks continued to jump from its joints as it staggered with one step, forward.
"That's not important! What's important right now is that you get to the weather control device at the bottom level. Enigma's little minions got past me just now. Alus Omen's energy level is at a risky level right now. Right now, your the only one left who can do a damn thing about it right now..." Windbreaker grunted, his breaths were in hard and short successions. A deep slash ran across his right eye, blood flowing out of it and also ran down his forehead. A deep gash ran into his thigh. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath before his next words, "Sorry...for getting you involved in this...when you get out of this...promise me that you'll quit being a Raven. You must stay alive and live through this!"
"Wind...stop talking like that! You say that as if your going to die!" She yelled, a bit fearful of the possibility.
"Well, that seems to be the most likely outcome for me..." The elite Raven said darkly.
"No! Stop talking like that! Your going to stay alive! We're going to get out of this together!" Silence overcame the lines when she spoke these words.
"Heh...Yeah...your right..." Alus Omen turned towards the small room behind it, crumbled bits of the gate that once stood blocking the pathway lay on the ground. "Proceed down that elevator and you'll get to the bottom level." Crimson Tear immediately stepped into the small room. Sara suddenly realized that the wounded mech wasn't moving long with her AC.
"Aren't you coming Wind?" She asked.
"No, my unit is far too damaged to be of any help to you. I'll only be a liability. You have to go on ahead..."
"Alright..." Sara said, feeling a bit unsure. The inner doors of the elevator slowly closed in when a sudden burst of dust came from the ceiling of the complex. A large, black figure fell downwards. Four spikes protruded from its back, pointing in four different directions. The black form itself, had no legs and seemed to hover effortlessly above the ground. Its arms didn't have hands, in fact, it had two large blades, both glowing like they were large MOONLIGHT blades themselves. It was a fearsome sight to behold, the head was shaped in a dish with laser eyes that glowed a blood red. The head suddenly looked towards Crimson Tear.
"You will not be allowed to go anywhere! I will not allow anyone to interfere!" The newcomer suddenly dashed towards the elevator, only to be halted in its tracks. Alus Omen stood in front of the black hell spawn, only holding back the mech with its left hand.
"Go now! While you still have the chance!" Sara's companion yelled through the communications.
"But what about you!" She yelled, tears welled up inside her, ready to burst out.
"Don't...concern yourself with me...my true place...is death!"
Enigma suddenly spoke up, "What the hell are you doing! Your a disgrace to NBPs! Throwing your life away for some girl!" The black devil suddenly plunged its large blade into the wounded mech's core.
"What's the matter? Weren't you the one who wanted to take to me to hell as well? Oh, and by the way, she's not just some ordinary girl! She's a Raven! And I love her!" Alus Omen used its remaining hand in a claw like poise and punctured the armor of its predator, its arm was now imbedded within the left side of the black mech.
"STOP IT WIND!" Sara yelled out, the dormant tears now ran across her cheeks like a river.
"You fool!" Was Enigma's last cry as the explosion of the once demonic white mech filled the large room and engulfed both forms in its wake. Sara could only watch in horror with wide eyes and tears running down her cheeks. Her glistening eyes were reflected only by the brilliant light of the explosion which was now behind the doors. For the first time in awhile...she felt alone and sad.