This whole process is really great, and my writing is a little ahead of schedule! I may be able to pump out more than one chapter a week depending, but I will always have at least one finished every seven days unless I say specifically otherwise.

In any case, I hope you enjoy chapter 2!

Chapter 2: Interlude

I sat on the doorstep in the bright light shining down through clear skies, gazing towards the garage. My frazzled half-sister Yang sat next to me, eyes barely open as she struggled to stay awake in the early morning. I sighed to myself and tried not to think about what had happened three days ago. I kept going back to that gunshot. The red river. The crying girl. Joshua's last smile. I curled up into a ball on those steps, silent as the grave that I kept picturing my friend in.

"Ruby, he'll be fine, ya know? Joshua."

I tilted my head to view my sister, who now turned sleepily towards me and extended an arm around my small shoulders in an effort to provide some comfort. She pulled me in closer, and I had to spit some of her hair out of my mouth as it blew in my face. She had a lot of it, reaching down to her legs all golden and perfect, even when she just woke up. My hair, on the other hand, only reached to my neck, and was mostly black. Yang barely noticed my disturbance as she continued.

"He and Anatolia's Merc probably just talked it out and teamed up to go after whoever kidnapped him, is all."

"Yang, I hope you're right, but…" I paused as the words caught in my throat. "You weren't there when they took him. They murdered someone right in front of us. They threatened to kill all of us if he didn't destroy Anatolia." I turned to stare into my sister's lilac eyes. "I don't think Joshua would take a chance with the colony by trying to go after those men."

Yang relaxed her arm to give me some space, and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. She leaned back groggily as she responded.

"Either way, he's pretty tough. He took down a company by himself. One of the same companies that not too long ago helped overthrow an entire nation. Only one other LYNX can say the same."

"But it's the same LYNX that he was told to kill. Even if he does try to go through with it… I don't think he could beat him. Not after what happened at the abandoned city."

Yang turned in surprise, eyes fully open and alert. I was puzzled that she seemed not to have heard of this battle before. It was the climax of the LYNX War, after all. I sighed and began trying to educate my oblivious sister.

"Rayleonard and Akvavit assigned a super-elite squad of four NEXTs, under the command of the Rank 1 LYNX Berlioz, to hunt down and destroy all other NEXTs. Before they could make it too far, Rosenthal and Omer Science intercepted them at the former Peace City area."

Yang still looked confused.

"Where Amazigh was killed by The Mercenary."

Nothing.

"The Desert Wolf? Maghrib Liberation Front?"

As she squinted in thought, I could hear the gears turning in Yang's head. Turning, and subsequently grinding to a halt as she drew a blank.

"Where Joshua first met The Mercenary! Midway through the war! It was the mission that made The Mercenary famous!" I nearly yelled, waving my arms for emphasis. Yang's hair glowed in the sun like a lightbulb as she smiled with recognition.

"Oh, I remember that!"

I sighed again, and continued the rest of the recent history lesson.

"Anyway, Omer sent Mido Auriel, the rank 30 LYNX, and Rosenthal sent Leonhardt, the rank 4 LYNX, to stop Berlioz. They were severely outnumbered and called for support from Anatolia's Mercenary, but he arrived just as Leonhardt and Mido Auriel were both killed by Berlioz's team."

Yang leaned in closer on the step, enthralled by the story. I kept going, relishing my short role as teacher.

"The Mercenary's operator told him to retreat, but he didn't. He fought all four NEXTs at once, defeating each one in turn. Rank 15, Unseel. Rank 21, Rank 12, Zanni. And finally Rank 1, Berlioz. After that battle, Rayleonard and Akvavit had nothing left. They were both defenseless. That's why Joshua was able to destroy Akvavit. And that's why I don't think he will be able to defeat The Mercenary."

Yang sat in stunned silence, mulling over the facts in her head. I turned away as my mind began to wander back to Joshua's state. It was then that I felt the wind picking up. Dirt kicked up against myself and Yang as we looked for the source of the sudden gust. Yang was taller than me, and she stood up to see over the growing cloud of dust coming in from the road. I shielded my eyes as she craned her neck to see. Through the storm I could hear her yelling.

"It's the helipad! A huge transport helicopter is landing! It's carrying a NEXT! Looks like… something from Rayleonard!"

I stood up as well. There were very few, if any, Rayleonard LYNX left. And the only other person who used a Rayleonard model that would be landing in the colony and not attacking the colony was…

"It's Anatolia's Mercenary!"

I broke into a run for the helipad, desperate to get some answers. Yang yelled something behind me but I couldn't hear it. A dozen questions raced through my head, as I sprinted into the wind. Where was Joshua? Why are you here? Why would someone want you dead? Isn't the war over? The helicopter lowered the NEXT onto the pad behind it, before gliding forward and landing on the pad closer to me. The massive craft was daunting, almost like a flying building. Four massive rotors slowed to a halt, and with them, the dust storm. A lone figure peeked out of a small door near the front of the helicopter. As I approached, I could see it was a young woman, with brown hair similar to Joshua's and cut at neck length, like mine. She stepped out of the helicopter and descended a short stairway extending from the door. Technicians rushed out from the control tower to meet her, so I kept my distance. Instead, I turned my attention to the NEXT on the other pad.

It was a Rayleonard 03-Aaliyah model, one of the first to be produced. And one of the fastest. Despite being classified as a midweight, the Aaliyah had the most powerful set of drive boosters in the world, making it a sleek, angular speed demon and a nightmare to slower ACs. For a moment, I forgot about my troubles as I saw The Mercenary's NEXT up close for the first time. Joshua had told me about it, and I had seen pictures, but it had never been brought here. The jet black frame was smooth and menacing, designed to cut through the air with as much ease as it cut through enemies. The air also passed through numerous gills on the shoulders, helping to cool the internal systems at the same time the NEXT was propelled forward. It was an ingenious system, and despite Rayleonard being one of our main opponents in the war, I had to hand it to them. They could make some quality equipment. And this one was armed to the teeth, with weapons from all manner of companies. On its back was an Akva Vit "Sultan" plasma cannon, one of the most powerful NEXT weapons ever designed, and an MSAC International "Cheyenne 02" spread missile launcher, great for pressuring the enemy. And his right hand had a Rayleonard "03-Motorcobra" machine gun, one of best and coolest looking machine guns ever! It can shred primal armor in seconds! And his left hand had a Bernard and Felix Foundation "051 ANNR" rifle, one of the best rifles ever made and-

"You seem to know a lot about NEXTs, kid."

I jumped as I realized I had been spouting all that knowledge out loud and I hadn't noticed the man walking up behind me. I thought back to my first meeting with Joshua. The same thing had happened, and as I turned around I half expected to be looking up at his familiar green eyes. Instead, I saw the tired, grey eyes of a war veteran. No, not grey. They were silver, like mine, just dull with exhaustion. He was about as tall as Joshua, but with sandy blonde hair that seemed to be almost greying at points. He wore an olive green trench coat, buttoned up to protect him from the dirt. I didn't think I had ever seen him before, but I didn't have time to ask as Yang pulled me away by my shoulder. The man turned as someone called out. I looked around as I was dragged and saw it was the woman from the helicopter. She was moving back inside it.

"Hector! They're coming! Get ready!"

"Ruby, come on, we have to go!" My sister yelled in my ear.

She was dragging me towards another helicopter, where I could see our parents ushering people aboard. I shook myself out of Yang's grip and continued running with her.

"What's going on?" I yelled. We kept running for the helicopter as she answered.

"I'm not sure, but some of us are evacuating the colony. Mom and Dad said we're going to a new, independent nation called Line Ark."

"Why?"

"They said it will be safer there, away from the corporations' influence. After what happened with Joshua, they think staying here is a risk."

I couldn't disagree with that. As we got to the helicopter, our parents ushered us inside quickly, before following and closing the doors. It was dark and cramped, and seats on either wall were filled up with people. I saw Abe Marsh sitting further up, closer to the cockpit and talking to the pilot. People were talking in hushed whispers, and everyone sounded frightened. I looked out one of the small, circular windows behind my chair. A large group of people were still outside, running towards a second helicopter parked across the pad. The older girl with the flowing black hair I had seen days ago, crying over the woman's body, was with them. She ran for the helicopter, alongside an even older boy with reddish brown hair.

Suddenly, a noise rang out from behind us. A very loud bang, but drawn out. Not a gunshot, it was something… bigger. I realized what was happening just as the helicopter I was looking at was hit by the first round. A streak of blinding yellow and white slammed into the front of the helicopter, boring a hole of flaming metal and glass through the inside. Everyone screamed around me, but I remained silent, watching the explosion with disbelief. The second round bisected the helicopter, leaving it a crippled, flaming mess of twisted metal on the pad. The people nearby were thrown to the ground. Some of the ones who were closer to the explosion didn't get up, and I could see chunks of metal stuck haphazardly in bodies. The girl and boy were farther back, and I could see she was unconscious. The boy struggled to his feet, lifted the girl over his shoulder, and ran away from the smoke and flame with the rest of the few survivors. I watched the group with apprehension, but thankfully no more rounds came their way. I could hear my father yelling up to the pilots to get us off the ground, and the helicopter shuddered to life as the dual blades began rotating.

As we lifted into the air, I heard more of the loud noises, which I now knew to be NEXT rifle fire. I closed my eyes and held onto Yang, who nearly smothered me in returning the embrace. My body was shivering with fear as I braced for impact. But the end never came. No explosion, no fiery ball of heat and flame. I cautiously pulled away and looked outside, only to find my view blocked by a black figure. More rifle fire came from behind it, and a greenish static field seemed to appear in between myself and the figure. Primal armor: the advanced NEXT shielding system that set them above normal Armored Cores. It was absorbing hits for our helicopter, and as we rose past the black mass I could see what was happening.

The Mercenary's NEXT shielded our helicopter with itself, as we made our way to a higher altitude. I began to see our attacker as we rose up above the the combatants. A green, spindly looking bipedal NEXT was positioned opposite The Mercenary, with a smoking rifle raised in its left hand. I would have identified it right away under normal circumstances, but I was lightheaded and overwhelmed with everything that was going on. It started to adjust its aim upwards to track us, but the second it did, The Mercenary attacked. A bright yellow flare exploded from the back of our guardian, rocking the helicopter and blinding me temporarily. The Mercenary burst forward with incredible speed, and the green NEXT frantically readjusted its aim and boosted backwards and to the side, barely dodging a burst of machine gun fire. They moved farther out from the colony, into the arid wastes just beyond our borders. I watched with a confused fascination, not sure whether to be terrified or amazed. The green NEXT was at a serious disadvantage. It was only armed with a rifle, scatter missile launcher, and laser blade. All of these weapons the Mercenary easily dodged, returning highly accurate fire with his own rifle and machine gun.

The NEXTs were moving so fast I could hardly keep up with them. Blinding flashes obscured my view as the two pilots boosted left and right. Dust kicked up from the ground as mechanical feet carved through the thin topsoil. Both NEXTs were built for speed, and both were top of the line. But I could tell Anatolia's Mercenary was winning. His primal armor barely activated to deflect rifle fire, while the green NEXT was almost completely hidden as its armor worked in overdrive to protect the frame from a bright yellow string of bullets that seemed to almost tether the Motorcobra machine gun to the green NEXT. They traded shots at mid range for a while as we moved farther away from the battle, passing over our former home. The Mercenary let up on his torrent of fire for a moment to arm his plasma cannon, and the green NEXT made a wild charge with its laser blade, closing the gap between them with so much speed I thought it had teleported in a flash of light. With incredible precision, The Mercenary boosted to his right, then forward. As he coasted just past the bright laser blade, he fired his left arm boosters backwards and his right arm forwards, rotating him around in a blur to face the rear of our attacker. The green NEXT was mere feet away from the tip of the now active plasma cannon.

The Mercenary fired in an incredible display of destructive power, as a massive burst of what could only be described as balled lightning erupted from the tip of the plasma cannon and slammed into the rear of the green NEXT. The primal armor sputtered and died, leaving the frame completely exposed. Liquid-like fire spurted from the rear of the NEXT as the plasma bored through the core, sending sparks and molten metal in all directions from the point of impact. There was no way the pilot had survived. The green shell slumped forward as it lost power and control, collapsing heavily into the dirt and sending a shockwave that kicked up a small dust storm. Steam rose from the red-hot hole in the back of the frame, and a second, smaller explosion came from the missile pod as it caught fire, knocking it away from the NEXT and nearly severing its arm.

The Mercenary was unmoving over the smoking hulk, and as I stared in awe I could see the huge transport helicopter moving to pick him up as we turned away. With such power and skill, it's no wonder he defeated Berlioz. He defeated this LYNX in minutes, with barely a scratch. I shuddered thinking about how Joshua would fare against him.

The fresh battlefield fell out of my vision as our helicopter picked up speed and began moving in another direction. Calming down from my rush of adrenaline and excitement, I began to think about what had happened. Some of us were fleeing to a supposed safe zone, away from the companies. This is happening after a group kidnapped Joshua and told him to destroy Anatolia, but now Anatolia's Mercenary is here protecting us. So… maybe Yang was right! Joshua had teamed up with The Mercenary to stop them. So he sent The Mercenary here to protect us while he hunted down his kidnappers. But that NEXT… not just any group would have a top of the line NEXT on call just to enforce a destruction threat.

I racked my brain thinking of all the active LYNXs I knew of that used a bipedal. Aabye was working for Rayleonard, but he was rumored to have gone missing just before the battle at the abandoned city and besides, he used a red Aaliyah. Sara Angelic was alive, but used a larger Tellus model NEXT. The only lightweight, green bipedal user was… Palmette! An original pilot from the National Dismantlement War, rank 13. She used a green Type-Judith model, the same one I must have just seen destroyed! And the Type-Judith was produced by… Omer Science Technology. I clenched my fists in rage as I sat in the cold, metal chair. Omer had been allied with us throughout the war. They were the ones who initially employed Joshua! And they had betrayed us!

I relaxed my hands and tried to take some deep breaths, although my behavior must have startled my sister. She turned to me quizzically.

"Ruby," she asked, in a soft whisper. "Are you okay?"

I turned to her with a fire in my eyes.

"That NEXT belonged to Omer, the company that hired Aspina to develop weapons and employed Joshua as a mercenary. And it must have been their men who took Joshua away and murdered that poor woman."

Yang looked on in disbelief as I explained my revelation.

"Joshua must have escaped, and they sent that NEXT here to punish us for it! But The Mercenary got here faster. He destroyed that LYNX, and now we are going to Line Ark to be safe from more attacks."

Yang growled in anger, and I thought for a minute that her eyes turned red. Her hair seemed to glow even in the dark of the helicopter.

"He'll get them Ruby. Joshua and The Mercenary won't let Omer get away with this. They'll take down the company like they took down Rayleonard and Akvavit. And Joshua will make that monster pay for what he did."

I nodded in agreement, happy to have some small victory after these days of horror and worry. Suddenly exhausted, I began to lean back in my chair. Yang stretched her arm out behind my head, and I gratefully used it as a cushion, resting against her shoulder. I felt her place her head over mine as she gently stroked my hair and we tried to get some sleep on the flight to our new home of Line Ark.

Special thanks to thermalsnipern7 for alerting me to a timeline calculation error, which has been remedied.