Ok… Chapter 2 is underway… I guess the Armored Core fan fics don't get read often huh?
Insert Disclaimer here
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Chapter 2: Open War… First Shots fired
July 31st, North American Quadrant, Town of Veldez, Hidden Underground Next Hangar-
"Ow… that hurt…" Zetsumi muttered as he had banged his head on the edge of the cockpit during his fall into the Next. "Man… how the hell do I pilot this thing?" Zetsumi asked, as he pressed a random button and the cockpit hatch closed up on Zetsumi, leaving him basked in the glow of the blue tinted display panels that glowed brightly in the gloom. "Zetsumi… do you hear me?" Kanna's voice rang out inside the cockpit of the Next. "Yeah… I hear you, and I need to ask… why am I piloting this thing?" Zetsumi asked bitterness evident in his voice. "Look… I'll explain later, just listen to my instructions and we might be able to save the town…" Kanna told Zetsumi.
Kanna immediately began instructing Zetsumi on how to pilot the Next, and Zetsumi followed the instructions to the best of his ability. Kanna then told Zetsumi to move the next onto the deployment elevator, and prepare for an immediate fire-fight. Zetsumi took a huge gulp of his own spit, and he silently did what he was told, the ancient metal titan moving easily onto the launch elevator. Kanna keyed a few switches, and the entire ground above the hidden hangar slid apart, as the Raven Black Next slowly ascended to the Chaos above. Zetsumi kept his eyes anxiously glued to the main view screen, and what awaited him made him want to throw up.
"The whole town… it's gone!" Zetsumi cried out, as he viewed the burning wreckage that was once his home. "There's our culprits…" Kanna said to Zetsumi, as she pointed out the ones who had destroyed their home… six obviously outdated Normals, three that were outfitted with Bazookas, while the other three ere support types that were obviously customized to hold multiple missle launchers. "Those Bastards are gonna pay!" Zetsumi cried out, before he activated his Next's Boosters.
Zetsumi immediately opened fire on the Normal's with the Next's rifle, taking pot shots at them from long range, his aim being badly thrown off by his state of high acceleration. However, one of the Normals ended up taking a blind shot right in the cockpit, the high powered rifle shell easily piercing the ancient armor that covered the unit. Billowing smoke from the cockpit, the Bazooka wielding Normal fell over onto what remained of Veldez's city hall.
"I actually… killed him?" Zetsumi asked himself in shock as he realized what he had just done.
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Stay tuned for the next chapter readers… or reader