Armoured
core
Kai's tale
The
earth continued to spin on its axis. The oceans were motionless,
dead. No fish swam in the turquoise waters and oil and scraps of
metals plagued the empty sea beds. The land was lifeless too; torn
apart by years of war. Mud plains, dead forests and ruined cities
covered the planet.
For 34 years the Core wars had raged on.
When the Armoured Core battle suits were created, many people saw
them as a chance to destroy the planet. And so the wars began.
Every major city and many other cities were destroyed,
reduced to ash and rubble. Those who survived made small towns and
villages, hiding in between the mud dunes. All across the plains,
battles were waged between others in battle suits. There was no true
good or evil, just chaos.
1
Kai
awoke early the next morning. The distant explosions always woke him
up early. He swept his long, black hair away from his eyes and got
out of bed. The temporary shelter he stayed in rocked slightly as the
fights rattled the planet.
Kai staggered outside. The thick
mud ran down the streets of the village and the sky was red; "red
with the blood of troops" they said. Kai wandered down towards a
large warehouse. He had a job as a scavenger. Even though he was only
fourteen and an orphan, he had to work.
The usual group of
boys sat outside the doors, muttering about recent events and older
news. He stood about eight feet away, rejected. He never fitted into
anywhere.
The convoy that came to pick them up arrived. They
climbed aboard and soon the truck was stumbling across the plains,
jolting whenever it came across a large stone. Eventually they
stopped and climbed out, surveying the land for scraps, bullets,
weapons, whatever they could find.
"Got one!" someone
yelled. It was Benjamin Rockes and he had just found a large CEK.
They were rare on the mud plains, but valuable. A large crystal that
powered battle suits.
Kai saw something glisten on the
ground. He picked it up, hoping that it was something useful, but it
was just a bronze medallion with a star carved into it. He pocketed
it and carried on. He did not know why, but he felt as if it would
come of value later on.
Elsewhere, Benjamin was talking with
his friend, Chris Belder.
"Wait, can you hear that?"
asked Chris.
"What?" Benjamin
questioned.
"Engines…"
The two boys stared at
each other in fear and disbelief.
"Battle
suits!"
Everyone within ear range looked up and ran for
the truck. Everyone got in and soon they were leaving the
battlefields. Everyone, that is, except for Kai. He was too far from
the group and could only hear a rumbling. But as it grew louder, Kai
suspected that something was happening. Then he realised.
Kai
looked for cover, but could find nothing but small boulders, but then
a crater appeared. He dived in and hit something cold and hard,
sending a chill down his spine. As he turned he saw a metal beast.
But then he realised it wasn't a beast, but…but…but a…
A
battle suit!
He couldn't believe it. The gleaming,
slightly-battered armour shimmering in the low Sun. The blue band in
the head which was the eyes was shattered, and the left arm was
buried into the mud, but it was still in pretty good condition. If
only he had the lock….
And there it was! A star-shaped
medallion buried in the mud. He took it out and wiped off the mud. He
pushed it into the lock…turned it…
Clunk!
