Chapter 28…
Ashley rolled over in discomfort, wincing and growling when her neck pulsated with a wave of pain. The lumpy covers of her old futon had once again left her with a knot in her neck and a twist in her spine. She really had to avoid long afternoon naps… they rarely went well for her...
The teenager rolled over onto her stomach and blinked the last of the sleep out of her eyes. Ashley gently craned her neck up to peer out the window - taking note of the dark sky and neon lights of Tokyo skyline. She balled her fists into her mangy old pillow and stretched out her thin body.
There was a cascading series of cracks and Ashley felt instant relief. She still had a pulsating headache, but it felt more bearable than it had before.
A buzzing noise filled the air and Ashley peered in confusion towards the floor. The source was her data-pad, which was vibrating at a fast pace - an indication of an incoming call.
Her father wasn't home… neither was her sister…
Ashley picked up the data-pad and flicked the tip of her finger against its screen to turn it on.
The contact number read: "Faith"...
With a grumble and a head-shake, Ashley tapped the "accept" icon.
"Ash?" Warbled her sister's voice from the speakers.
"Yeah?" Ashley rubbed her throbbing with her hand. "What do you want?"
"Ash… are you there?"
"Yes!" Ashley spat into the device's receiver. She could feel her blood beginning to boil - Ashley hated repeating herself.
"I- I don't know what's happening…"
Ashley frowned and shook her data-pad in her hands.
"What are you talking about?" Ashley narrowed her eyes. "Is this a prank call? Because I really don't fucking appreciate it…"
"Everything is moving so fast… I feel like I'm flying…"
"Faith?" Ashley raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
"So many lights… colours and sounds… I wish you could see what I see right now…"
"Fucking hell…" Ashley grumbled in a low tone. She clenched her data-pad tightly in her hands and glared at the Caller ID. "I don't know what the fuck your talking about… but don't waste my time again. I have more important things to do than sit in for a prank call…"
Ashley flicked the "end call" button before Faith had a chance to respond. With a grumble, Ashley flicked her wrist and flung the device away. It skidded along the floor until finally it got wedged in a corner of the room.
It buzzed a few more times… but Ashley just ignored it…
Only seconds after the IMC titans touched down did the alarm klaxons start to blare. The constant, never-ending beep and drone was seemingly blasting from every speaker in the area; it washed over the mountain and the valley below.
It was expected… titans weren't exactly subtle.
Still, the IMC had the advantage of surprise. Ashley and the rest of her cohorts needed to gain as much ground as possible before the Militia could scramble a proper defense.
Cain's Stryder chassis offered incredible speed at the cost of very barebones armor. However, Ashley was very careful to not use this advantage at the present time. She pushed Cain into a rather light jog, making sure that she was safe behind the wall of Legion and Scorch titans that led the charge up the hill.
Around the gun battery was a high wall, which bristled with guard towers and large caliber sentry-guns. The only entry point was a large gate, which had already slammed shut at the first presence of danger.
Up ahead, Blisk's Legion titan abruptly stopped. The massive machine hefted its chaingun up in its metallic claws and the barrel began to spin.
"All heavy IMC units! Focus your fire on the defenses! Longe range titans hold back while the fast movers push in! Go!"
In an instant, Blisk's chaingun began to fire, producing a bone-rattling noise. He was soon joined by the other Scorch and Legion titans, who made short work of the large caliber guns lining the walls of the compound.
Ashley huffed when something heavy slammed into Cain's chassis. It was another Ronin titan, but it was painted in the red and white tones of the Apex Predators.
"Move your ass, Ishiskara!" A voice Ashley had come to loathe crackled through her radio.
"Bitch…" Ashley hissed as she maneuvered Cain forwards. It seemed as if she had finally gotten a glance at Cozbi's titan.
Up ahead, Cozbi was weaving around the heavier titans that had hung back. There were a few other Ronin titans as well, but none were painted that same colours as Cozbi's titan.
With a gasp, Ashley watched as Cozbi's titan disappeared into a flash of grey, only to reappear in front of Blisk's firing line.
"Cain!" Ashley choked out, just barely avoiding colliding with another charging titan. The air was thick with bullets now as the few remaining sentry guns began to return fire.
"Yes?"
"Cozbi…" Ashley pushed Cain forwards. She slapped his Leadwall onto his back and withdrew his oversized broadsword. "What the hell was that just now!? She disappeared!?"
"Pilot Mentirosa's titan has been equipped with a phase engine," Cain rumbled. "It is a highly expensive piece of titan equipment that allows for a dimensional shift into an alternate space."
"Dimensional shift?" Ashley spat in surprise. She lifted Cain's broadsword up and turned the blade flat in order to block some incoming ordnance. Cain did the hard work for her, jerking his arms around at high speeds to protect the cockpit.
"What about us?" Ashley demanded as she lowered Cain's sword and charged back into a sprint. "Do we have that?"
"Negative," Cain rumbled in response. "Phase shift technology is extremely expensive and has not yet entered mass production. The only way Pilot Mentirosa could have acquired this technology is through an independent purchase."
"Shit…" Ashley narrowed her eyes. "I won't lie Cain… I'm jealous…"
"Phase shift technology is still in it's experimental phase," Cain's cockpit twisted out of the way to avoid enemy gunfire. "Shifting can be... unpredictable. Not all of the side effects on human physiology have yet to be explored."
"I'm… not so jealous anymore…"
"Noted…"
Ashley burst past Blisk's firing line to join the rest of the Ronins at the main gate of the compound. She pressed Cain's chassis up against the safety of the wall and waited for the heavier titans to push up.
Off in the distance, the Militia base was abuzz with activity. IMC attack ships had descended from the clouds in a horde to begin assaulting the compound. It appeared as if the Militia was slowly building its defense against the surprise attack.
Ashley and the rest of the pilots would have to move quickly…
"Chen!" Blisk's voice growled over the radio. "Kick in the gate!"
A red painted Scorch titan broke off from Blisk's firing line and began lumbering towards the gate of the compound.
"Give Chen a minute to give the bastards a proper greeting…" Blisk instructed. "Once the heat dies down… I want the Ronins in there first! Leave no one alive!"
The red Scorch titan completed it's short journey to the main gate. It raised it's massive armored leg off the ground and gave a mighty kick to the security gate. The two gates were blasted off their hinge by the sheer force of the blow.
Not to be outdone… "Chen" used the Scorch titans signature move…
Using the momentum that was leftover from the kick, the Scorch slammed its mighty metal fists into the ground below. A surge of white hot napalm surged from the nozzles on it's wrists, creating a tidal wide of burning hot death that instantly incinerated the Militia titans waiting behind the gate.
"Go! Move in!" Blisk's voice crackled over the radio. "No survivors!"
Ashley fell back and joined the horde of Ronin titans rushing into the compound. She maneuvered Cain over the flaming chassis of the Militia titans who had been caught in the napalm explosion at the gate.
The inside of the compound was large and wide, but also far simpler than Ashley had expected. Directly in the middle sat the massive circular base for the anti-air gun - which towered overhead like the world's deadliest skyscraper.
Around the base was a circular road in which titans and small vehicles could maneuver. Pressed against the insides of the walls were an assortment of buildings - most likely barracks.
But there were no titan bays… which meant that the Militia had limited numbers.
A loud beeping sounded throughout Cain's cockpit, warning Ashley that an enemy missile lock had been detected. She spun Cain's chassis and very narrowly avoided a missile from an Archer shoulder mounted rocket.
The wielder of the weapon was a Militia grunt, who had parked himself in the middle of the road. Ashley advanced Cain towards him and the man took the hint, dropping his weapon and quickly fleeing for his life. Ashley didn't bother pursuing him, but she made sure to crush the Archer under Cain's heel.
All around her battle raged as her fellow Ronin titans engaged the remaining Militia titans. Ashley watched as a stream of missiles flew through the air and scraped up the paint of an allied titan. The missiles had come from the far side of the compound, leading Ashley to believe that there was an artillery-capable titan hiding in the back.
"Detecting an enemy titan on the far side of the compound," Cain informed Ashley. "Would recommend an immediate intercept to minimize damage to IMC efforts…"
Ashley wordlessly spurred Cain into action, sprinting around the base of the missile tower to reach the far side of the compound. Her opponent was kneeling by the safety of the wall and propping up a Quad-barrel missile launcher.
The enemy titan was also a Stryder class, although it's cockpit was far more spherical in design - designating it as a "Brute" class. Ashley watched as the titan's blue optic flicked in her direction and the bot scrambled into a standing position.
The first few missiles were dodged easily enough, Ashley had plenty of practice from her training sessions with Cain. She dodged and maneuvered his chassis in the open space, avoiding or slicing apart the missiles before they could impact the thin armor of her titan.
The first strike from Cain's sword severed the left arm of the Brute titan, removing its ability to wield it's missile cannon. The follow-up slash sliced clean through the titan's torso - severing it in two and causing the cockpit to clatter to the ground.
The cockpit hatch began to open, but Ashley stopped the enemy pilot in their tracks by slamming the tip of the blade down onto the titan's optics. Cain's broadsword stabbed right through the cockpit and into the ground, destroying the optic and almost certainly killing the pilot inside.
Ashley's quick victory was short lived when a barrage of high velocity rounds burrowed into Cain's aft armor.
"Warning! Detecting a high threat enemy variant!" Cain frantically warned as Ashley darted for cover. "A Legion class titan is firing upon us!"
"Any tips?" Ashley snarled as she maneuvered Cain to safety. Thousands of rounds bit into the ground at Cain's feet, shredding the pavement into dust. The circular base of the missile tower offered Cain and Ashley some relief, they stuck close to the curved wall in order to avoid the worst of the gunfire.
"A direct engagement with a Legion class titan is not advised," Cain rumbled. Would recommend striking with the arc-wave and then maneuvering behind the Legion."
Ashley abruptly stopped Cain and thrust out his leg, burrowing his foot into the ground to cancel his momentum. She blasted off from the spot and charged straight towards the Legion titan, which was in the process of spinning up its cannon.
Ashley allowed Cain to block the worst of the incoming gunfire with the flat of his sword. In a sudden motion, Ashley activated her titan's arc wave ability; the burst of deadly electricity writhed around across the ground like a snake before coming into contact with the Legion's metal legs.
Ashley watched the Legion slump as the power surge temporarily scrambled it's systems. She maneuvered Cain forwards and danced around the struggling Legion. As she moved Cain around the Legion, Ashley activated her Ronin's electric smoke countermeasure. The air around the Legion was soon filled with a burst of deadly smoke that further short circuited its systems.
But, much like her brief fight with the Brute, Ashley's victory was placed in turmoil by the approach of a new challenger.
In this case, a Militia Tone titan. It must have been backing up the Legion without Ashley's knowing; it's sudden presence made the dark haired woman's job a lot harder.
A forty millimeter round from the Tone's cannon instantly struck Cain's left shoulder; it chewed apart his armor but did not severely affect the joint. There was no way Ashley could have dodged the shot… but it didn't matter, she still had the advantage…
"Upon running calculations, the odds are in our favor," Cain rumbled, raising his sword to block several more forty millimeter rounds. "However, once the enemy Legion has recovered we will be placed in a dangerous situation. Would recommend immediately neutralizing the enemy Tone."
"Working on it!" Ashley snarled as she pushed Cain forwards. Tone titan's possessed missile launchers - which made them an incredible danger at long range. However, as long as Ashley continued pressing forwards the Tone would not be able to achieve a safe lock-on.
Using Cain's superior mobility to her advantage, Ashley danced around the Tone's erratic shots. She slipped Cain's longsword onto his back and drew his Leadwall. Ashley emptied the Leadwall into the Tone's cockpit, chewing up it's armor and forcing it to back up further.
The last blast of buckshot was blocked when a shimmering blue particle shield manifested in front of the enemy Tone. Ashley recognized them from the battles before Demeter - they were one way… but not impassable…
"Warning!" Cain blared. "The enemy Legion has recovered! Scans indicate they are charging a burst shot!"
"Fuck!" Ashley spat. She activated Cain's thrusters and dashed the titan through the Tone's hastily placed particle shield. It was perfectly timed, as the storm of buckshot from the Legion's cannon slammed into the front of the particle shield rather than Cain's rear.
"Too close…" Ashley hissed. She slapped Cain's empty Leadwall onto the titan's back and once again drew his broadsword.
A series of quick slashes chewed apart the rest of the Tone's armor, as well as severing it's forty millimeter cannon from it's grasp. Ashley stabbed Cain's sword through the Tone's cockpit before lunging forwards and wrapping Cain's hands around it's chassis.
With a colossal heave, Ashley spun the now defeated Tone around so that it was between her and the approaching Legion. Her timing was impeccable, as soon as she turned the Tone around a burst shot from the Legion annihilated the spot where Cain once had been.
"Cain, thrusters!" Ashley demanded.
Cain activated his thrusters and his chassis surged forwards. Ashley maneuvered the titan into a hasty sprint. Cain's running motion, in combination with his thrusters, built up enough momentum to turn the Tone into a battering ram. The back of the Tone smashed into the front of the Legion and Ashley could feel her opponent teetering.
"More power!" Ashley demanded. "Come on!"
With one last push, the enemy Legion fell onto it's back, the defeated Tone weighing it down. Ashley drew Cain's sword from the Tone's corpse and pressed the tip against the thick armor plating of the Legion's cockpit; with a colossal shove the sword broke through, spearing the enemy pilot inside.
Ashley withdrew Cain's sword from the now defeated Legion. Her nose wrinkled unpleasantly when she spotted the smattering of human blood coating the edge of the blade. Flicking the weapon wouldn't help, it would need to be scrubbed off later.
Ashley slipped Cain's sword onto his back before stalking off to find her allies; in her absence they had made short work of the remaining enemy titans. The dark haired woman caught the tail end of the final confrontation - that being Blisk's Legion titan raising it's metal heel to completely crush the cockpit of a struggling Militia Northstar.
The cockpit hatch on Blisk's titan popped open and the leader of the Apex Predators stepped out.
"Good work!" Blisk roared aloud and over his radio - ever the showman. "Knife, Green and Tigress will scale the tower and put it in our hands! Everyone else on me! We're headed down the mountain to regroup with the contingency force! Let's go!"
Blisk stepped back into his titan and the hatch sealed itself. Ashley watched as Blisk's Legion lumbered off, leading the horde of IMC titans behind it.
"Cain, stay here and guard the area," Ashley mumbled as she undid her safety restraints. "I'll try to be quick up there."
"I would advise that you exercise extreme caution," Cain rumbled.
"Well… duh…" Ashley responded. She made sure her sidearm was in it's holster before grabbing the CAR submachine gun that was stashed away near the pilot's chair.
Cain's cockpit cracked open and Ashley leapt out from the titan. She landed on the ruined pavement in a neat crouch and flicked her CAR's safety off.
"Are we all ready for this?" Cozbi muttered from behind Ashley.
Cozbi had retained her armor from the previous mission. The other pilot, "Green", was equipped with a rather heavy looking ghillie suit and padded armor.
"Let's just get this over with…" Ashley turned her head away from Cozbi to glare at the entrance to the missile tower. It was a rather unassuming looking set of doors built into the side of the circular base.
With no more words left to be said… the three pilots darted off to complete their objective.
