Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
Empty the mind. Focus on the surroundings. Find your path. Load your gun.
Those words keep repeating in his head. The ticking sound echoed in his ears.
The ticking becomes more intense, with each passing second.
The ticking stops.
"Begin Session."
He sprang forwards.
Jumping off the platform, his Jump Kits flared to life.
Pressing his feet against the wall, he ran horizontally across the vertical surface.
4 holographic human targets sprang upwards from a considerable distance. He wasted no time.
His hands were quick, his P2016 roared thunderously. 4 ballistic rounds hit their mark.
Landing on the solid ground, his speed never faltered. He took a quick look at his watch.
25 seconds.
6 more targets popped up. He was prepared for it.
6 consecutive shots, each one did not miss.
A red horizontal laser suddenly flared from the walls, speeding towards him.
Instinctively, he slid, his head barely missing the laser.
Jerking up, he popped 2 more shots, each one directed at the 2 targets.
18 seconds.
Gaining himself some momentum, he leapt from an elevated position onto another vertical section. The Jump Kit did its job.
4 more targets, each further from the other, made their appearance.
He shot the farthest 3 in rapid succession, before running up to the closest one, delivering a powerful kick shattering the holographic image.
He continued onward, into another large room.
12 seconds.
Two metallic rods extended upwards from opposite sides, each one firing a horizontal laser at different heights, at his eye level and knee level. Both lasers move in a circular motion from opposite directions, trapping him in the middle of the path.
Focus. Anticipate. Time slowed to a crawl.
He leapt to the air, performing a horizontal corkscrew, successfully avoiding both lasers at the same time.
Gracefully landing on his one foot, he immediately shot two consecutive rounds at each pole, deactivating the lasers.
8 seconds.
6 targets popped up, 3 on each side of the room far away from the other.
He pulled out two frag grenades and threw one at each side. The explosions that followed took care of all 6 targets.
Not much time left. The destination is on the higher floor. Only one way up.
Sprinting as fast as he could, he leapt onto a wall and ran vertically upwards. Activating his Jump Kit for one last minor boost, his feet touched the wall opposite of him. A few more feet up, and he pushed himself forwards off the wall surface.
Sliding onto the flat platform, his left foot crossed the finish line.
"Session End."
"Current time: 28.5 seconds. Previous time: 30.1 seconds. Congratulations, you have beaten your previous record by 1.6 seconds."
Deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He emptied his gun, and inserted a fresh magazine. The gun made its way back to its holster.
He clicked his tongue upon seeing the record time projected on the screen. He could've done better than that. He should've done better than that.
Beating one's own personal record should be something worth being proud of, yet he couldn't help but feel disappointed. He had expected to be able to shed off at least 3 seconds from his previous time.
The Hammond Pilot Combat Simulation Facility was the place he would often visit to hone his skills. Every now and then he would try to beat his own record everytime he rerun a course. Granted, he was only given an official certification as a Combat Pilot quite recently which would make him technically a beginner, but he intended to get to the same level as his mentor was, as quickly as he can.
Grabbing a soda can from a vending machine nearby, provided for Pilots who require nourishment after training in the area, he slowly washed away his thirst.
"Pilot Jack Cooper?"
A stranger's voice caused him to turn around in curiosity. He saw a fellow Rifleman waiting at the exit door of the training course.
"Dr. Hammond wants to see you, now. It's important."
Alexandra Hammond, the current chairman of one of, if not the largest corporate entity in the world, Hammond Robotics, wanted to have a word with him? This ought to be interesting.
_
"So you want me...to attend a school?"
"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds ridiculous...but yeah, that's the gist of it."
"Permission to speak freely, ma'am?"
"Granted."
"It is ridiculous."
"But you're at the right age. Granted, you're still older than even the 3rd years over there...but you're still going to start out from the 1st year and attend the school like a normal highschool student. Well, as normal as you could be, anyway."
"With all due respect, Dr. Hammond, I have served in the Frontier for 3 years, fighting in the shadowy parts of the world against our enemies. The Division is the only place I really belong. I'm not fit to lead a normal life. Not anymore. Especially not as a highschooler. And especially not in that school."
"Look...I understand how you feel about the IS. You had a natural talent for fighting, and you were smarter than any other kid your age. But you never experienced the childhood that every other lucky kid had. War is the only thing you ever knew, and fighting is the only thing you're really good at. For now, the Middle East Frontier is relatively at peace, but we never know when the Insurgency will strike again. They possessed advanced weaponry only Hammond and IS corporations are capable of producing, and we need to find out where they're getting it from, and wether our suspicions are correct."
"Which is exactly why I should stay in the Division and fight. Ever since the loss of Site Demeter, Hammond's resources and production rates are starting to run thin. We lost a number of good Pilots and Titans that day."
"I appreciate your spirit, Pilot. And I understand that, recent events may have affected you on a personal level. But let's not forget, Hammond needs to continue keeping face in front of the other countries involved in the Treaty. This temporary contract would allow both sides to learn more about each other's technology and retain friendly relations without us aligning to one nation and possibly making an enemy of the rest of the world. As long as we remain mutual towards all involved parties, we could protect our independent position and strengthen our influence on the political side.
The council has agreed to send two of Hammond's Pilots their Titans to the IS Academy as our representatives, which includes you. The IS Academy is a neutral ground so no other political powers could intervene, you would have total freedom developing your Titan there with the funds provided by the government.
But, that's not all. At the same time, you would act as a spy and report to the Division in secret about any crucial and confidential information that could help us find the Insurgency's allies and if possible, strike them down as well. You're not the only one who wanted payback for what happened at Devon Island. We all share the same sentiment. The Echelon can't keep hiding forever."
"So...you want me to pretend to be a mere student enrolling in what is essentially an all-girls "battle" school, while at the same time being undercover and figure out what the hell is behind all these recent attacks against Hammond, while being stuck in a classroom filled with hormonal teenagers all the time?"
"Pretty much. Consider this a bit of a holiday. You've done enough for our corporation. Although, the last part was a bit hypocritical coming from you. Technically, you're also a teenager."
"No offense, ma'am, but I'm pretty sure being 18 years old is considered legally adult here."
"Not in Japan. So, what do you say?"
"One more thing...what Titan will I be getting?"
"I think you already know the answer to that. You don't need to worry about anything else, all of your personal belongings and hardware have been packed and prepped for transport. Now we're just waiting for you to give in."
"...sigh...alright, when's my flight?"
-
Today wasn't exactly a good day for a certain young Pilot.
After a half-hour long meeting with the chairman of Hammond Robotics herself, Jack Cooper, an 18 year-old former youngest Rifleman in Hammond's Frontier Division, now among the youngest Pilots in Hammond's history, was now on a Crow dropship which was headed towards one of the places he least expected to ever set foot on. Infinite Stratos Academy. Even the name itself was enough to make his skin crawl, for very personal reasons.
It wouldn't really sound like a bad day for anyone else. Imagine getting enrolled in the most sophistically advanced school in the world, living your adolescent years constantly surrounded by hot female teenagers desperate to get into a man's pants. It sounded like every typical virgin guy's wet dream.
Except Jack Cooper wasn't your typical guy.
Staring at the Pilot helmet in his hands, his mind began shuffling through some rather unpleasant memories. The burning pain. The fires coming from everywhere. And the screams. He remembered it vividly.
He was present on that fateful day, the Washington Incident, when three rogue IS units came out from nowhere, and unleashed chaos among unsuspecting citizens, and attempted to destroy the White House. He would've been dead if that one heroic Titan and its Pilot didn't step in at the last second to dispatch the rogue ISes. That single moment gave him the drive to become what he is now.
After the incident, the destroyed IS units were confirmed to be experimental versions of actual Rafael Revive models, designed to function without human pilots. No country ever admitted to producing such units, as none was keen on taking the blame.
Jack was lucky to survive the attack, but that didn't change the fact he lost some things very dear to him that day. He wasn't the same ever since.
Such painful memories still stuck with him, no matter how hard he tried to forget it.
Being sent far away from the Frontier, away from all the chaos, might've been a blessing for anyone else. But for Jack, it was the kind of life he was mostly used with. 5 years of training and experience in the Frontier as a Rifleman, and later on as a Pilot, had irreversibly changed the very person he once was.
"Hey kid!! You doing alright? You kinda zoned out there for a second."
Jack broke out of his stupor, upon hearing the voice of the pilot who was piloting the Crow he was in.
"Yeah, it's nothing."
"Okay, then. What about the other kid?"
Jack knew what the pilot meant by "other kid". He wasn't the only Pilot being sent to the ISA as Hammond's representative, after all.
His eyes darted towards another presence in the passenger seat opposite of him, another young Pilot just like him. About the same age as well. Only difference is, it's a she.
People have argued over the years over the question of which one is better: a Titan or an Infinite Stratos. Frankly, Jack liked to think that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but if there's one thing Titans have over IS, it's accessibility. Unlike the IS, Titans do not discriminate between genders. That's what Hammond wanted to demonstrate, by sending 2 of their representatives instead of just one.
Which brings him to the matter of the girl in front of him. Short, dark red hair, amber eyes, expressionless face. Sitting there like a statue. She was a true oddity, which was saying something since he had met some Pilots before who aren't exactly "normal", both appearance and personality-wise.
He only knew of her when they first met before this flight began, and after an hour of being stuck in the same craft together, the only thing he knew of her is her basic identity.
Zoe Grey, 18 years old. No known relatives. 4 years of service in the Frontier Division. Attained the Pilot Combat Certification around 6 months ago, much earlier than he did. Apparently not a talker.
Jack had tried to start a conversation with the female Pilot, but all he received was a name, and nothing else. Either she's shy, or he's really just not someone worth talking to in her eyes. Oh well, they'll get to know each better later on, once they become classmates in the Academy. Unless they're in different classes. How many classes are there anyway?
He mentally sighed. He didn't know how long he would have to stay in this school. He'd just hoped the days would pass by like mere seconds. He started to miss all his fellow Pilots back home, and slightly envy them as well. At least they wouldn't have to put up with whatever's coming for him from now on.
"She's..fine." He almost forgot to respond to the pilot's earlier question.
"Well, heads up. We're almost there. IS Academy, just up ahead."
The pilot's sentence was not unheard of by him. He wasn't sure what kind of reception both Titan Pilots would get upon taking their first step into this academy. Not to mention him being the only guy there.
Okay, that wasn't exactly true. There was one other interesting individual who also recently entered the Academy as a first year.
Interesting because he was the younger brother of the "Brunhilde", supposably the strongest IS pilot who won the first Mondo Grosso championship and became a finalist in the second, only because there was an emergency that forced her to forfeit in the finals.
That's right. He. The first and only male who could pilot an IS, Ichika Orimura.
-
"Ichika Orimura...what about him?"
"You've heard it in the news. The first male capable of piloting an IS, something that was once thought to be impossible. Even Hammond's finest engineers couldn't figure out the cause of the IS cores' apparent androphobic nature. "Whoever designed these things was a helluva genius," that's what they said.
Mr. Orimura was sent to the IS Academy as a way to pry off unwanted attention from world governments wanting a piece of his DNA for research. But that's not going to stop the Echelon. Someone like him would prove to be a great asset, or obstacle for whatever the Echelon is planning in the future. And they're going to do something about that. We're going to use that fact to our advantage, and be prepared, should they ever strike.
This is your second objective, Pilot Cooper. Find out everything you can about Ichika Orimura, his relationship with the "Brunhilde" Chifuyu Orimura, and anything that may be classified involving his role in the Academy, and anyone else who might have some keen interest towards him."
"Aside from us?"
"Exactly."
"So does this mean, I'm going to become like, his personal bodyguard?"
"More like a stalker, but both terms sound accurate enough."
"Fine, I'll try my best."
"Good luck, Pilot."
-
After recalling the conversation, Jack couldn't help but feel a wave of trepidation hitting his thoughts. After all, the Echelon was a force to be reckoned with. A grim reminder of what would happen when artificial intelligence goes too far, beyond man can control.
The Battle of Demeter was a devastating loss for Hammond. Frankly, it was a devastating loss to everyone on the defensive side. The Echelon was the one on the offensive. No one was prepared for it.
Obviously, the council never revealed anything sensitive to the world governments. Any questions were answered with finely crafted lies, like one of the nuclear plants suffered a huge meltdown, or something along those lines. After all, the sudden loss of one of Hammond's biggest production facilities was sure to raise some questions.
Sure, the IS Academy was nothing to be laughed at. Hundreds of students each one piloting weapons of mass destruction doesn't sound like an appropriate target. But if even one of Hammond's best facilities could fall to such an enemy, who would be ignorant enough to claim the ISA would have a much better chance?
More unpleasant memories surfaced, but he quickly washed it away from his head.
Looking out the window, he could see the IS Academy, just barely visible in the horizon, its image becoming bigger with each passing second.
He couldn't help but mentally sigh once more. It was going to be a long year.
--
--
Author's Note
Finally I decided to write a second chapter. Although, this is mostly a character introduction and still a bit of an exposition dump, so the actual story with the IS cast included are still yet to come.
I decided to include the protagonist of Titanfall 2's campaign as the protagonist of this story. This is technically still an OC, since I changed his background and backstory, and decided to make him a teenager instead of an adult. His personality will pretty much be the same like his canon counterpart, although it would be altered a bit, or a lot, considering his different background. BT-7274, our friendly neighbourhood Titan, will also make an appearance, don't worry.
Some terms like the Frontier, the Division, the Echelon, and the Insurgency will be further explained in later chapters, and there are still more new characters to come.
Anyway, thanks for reading. And I'll see you in the next chapter. Hopefully. Fingers crossed.