Sorry for the delay, here's chapter 8!
Chapter 8: I Burn
The sun was blazing gold through the cloudless sky as we flew over the mountains to the Richland Agricultural Plant. Pleased with the results from a few days ago, GA had wasted no time in contracting me for another job, this one in a less watery environment.
The Plant was neutral territory. Everyone needed to eat, and as the amount of productive land decreased by the year, Richland became the premier agricultural center for most of the companies. A large variety of crops were grown all throughout the valley region; Radishes, onions, zucchini, and peas made up the majority of the vegetables in the area we were headed to, but there were many other fields in any direction, just beyond the nearest mountain. In order to provide basic survival needs for civilians and corporate officials alike, The League had decided that no one company could own all the fields, and each member of The League was allocated an equal portion of the produce.
In their fight with Global Arms, the company Algebra had tried to infiltrate GA's fields. They had been pushed back by the defense forces, until they managed to commandeer two of GA's "Land Crab" Arms Forts stationed in the region. Despite Now, GA was pulling out all the stops, and I was going to be working with one of their LYNX and operators to eliminate the saboteurs with extreme prejudice.
"Prepare to engage, the drop zone is hot." The pilot yelled over the speaker. Already hooked in to Crescent Rose, I sat motionless in the loading bay. "We'll be doing a combat insertion. LYNX, I'm going to disengage the locks and shoot you out the back in three, two, one."
The large helicopter rotated around as the doors opened around my feet, flooding the otherwise dark loading bay with light. Clamps buckled and shuddered as they released from the black hull of my NEXT, and a magnetic rail launched me with surprising speed from the rear of the craft. Reorienting myself as the optical sensors adjusted to the sun, I saw my radar pick up the signature of my partner.
Looking over at the source, I saw a heavily armed, blocky GA model dropping from another quadrotor. Zooming in to inspect its weapons, I saw a long, tubular "Ogoto" grenade launcher and a pyramidal "Dearborn 03" VTF missile launcher mounted on the back; Both were powerful heavy weapons. The arms held twin GA spread bazookas, a newer armament that looked like a large cannon but functioned similarly to a shotgun. If shotguns fired high explosive shells, that is. All of these weapons packed enough explosive force to level the valley, although I hoped the pilot had enough control to prevent that. The squared legs and arms of the NEXT itself were painted a mix of light and dark browns, and a pair of anti-missile flare launchers stood out from the shoulders. The broad chest, head and weapons were a mix of some bright orange and brighter yellow. The optical lens at the base of the tower-like headpiece glowed a light purple as the pilot prepared for battle. With these weapons and that paint job, there was only one LYNX who this could be.
"Yang!"
The large NEXT wheeled in midair to face me. If it was possible for a fifteen meter tall weapon of mass destruction to look happy, I was seeing it now.
"Ruby! I didn't know I was working with you!"
The NEXT Ember Celica jetted over to my position and we began to descend to the ground, landing in the thick, verdant grass on the edge of the fields.
"I'm so excited Ruby! We'll be fighting side by side, just like we always talked about."
"How have you been Yang? We hadn't heard from you in a while."
"Oh, I'm fine, just working my way up the corporate ladder. How's everyone at the Ark?"
"We're good, no one has bothered us for months now and-Yang look out!"
A low rumble like thunder on the horizon came from the Land Crabs as they fired on our position. Each one let loose a volley of four high caliber shells from massive cannons mounted atop their frames, enough to severely damage either of our NEXTs. I boosted nimbly to the side and emerged unscathed. Yang did the same, and together we turned to face our aggressors.
"I guess we'll have to catch up later, Yang. I'll handle the normals and MTs if you take out the first Land Crab."
"It would be my pleasure."
With a burst of speed, we were off, blazing through the fields towards the massive, ten legged monstrosities towering into the air. Emerging from around their feet to meet us came almost a dozen Muscle Tracers and a few normals, Type-Dulakes from the looks of them. They were similar enough to the Gopperts I had faced in Mimir, but were more lightly armored and lacked a shield. Easy prey.
I picked up the pace as I closed with the first Land Crab, strafing to the left and dodging another volley of fire. The shells kicked up dirt and left craters in the land. They weren't explosive, but their sheer size and force was devastating. I unsheathed my scythe as I boosted into the throng of MTs. I was close enough now that the first Land Crab couldn't aim at me, and the second couldn't fire for fear of hitting its allies. Perfect.
Two rounds from my sniper dropped a pair of walkers, and then I was among them, slicing through legs and weaponry around me. A number of them collapsed uselessly to the ground as legs gave way to the Kojima scythe. The group was so tightly clustered together that I barely had to move to be within reach of my next opponent. Extending the scythe as far from my body as possible, I spun in a wide arc, incapacitating three more Muscle Tracers while I fired on an outlier.
From somewhere to my left, I heard more cannon fire from the first Land Crab. Explosions rocked the air and my radar picked up a large amount of missiles being launched. Knowing Yang, all of this was probably directed right at her.
"How's it going Yang?" I commed as I fired a volley of missiles at an encroaching Dulake.
I was met with silence for a moment, and then a rather loud response. I was thankful that I could adjust the sound levels of the communicator.
"Just fine Ruby!"
"Are you okay?"
"Never better! Give me a minute and…okay, watch this."
I heard a large explosion and multiple thuds, probably owing to the shearing and warping of metal as Yang assaulted the Land Crab. I almost lost my concentration and barely dodged a spray of lasers from the surviving normals. As I returned fire, I noticed another comm channel opening up, this one on a public frequency.
"It's in here with us!"
"Everybody get out! Run!"
"Hey boys, happy to see me?"
I cringed a little as I thought about those sorry Algebra men in there. Yang didn't do so well with enclosed spaces.
A massive green blast erupted from the seams and joints of the Land Crab. Explosions rippled through the joints and fire shot from the cannons as they exploded in a terrifying display of force. Metal armor peeled from the sides and embedded itself haphazardly in the ground below. The Arms Fort gave an audible moan as it lost power and collapsed into the ground, the six knees in the front and the four in the back giving way and dropping the rectangular center like a massive rock. I took to the air to avoid the shockwave that blew through the fields below me, probably taking out a couple days worth of food for Line Ark. Such a waste.
Yang emerged from a smoking hole in the top of the Land Crab, Ember Celica looking none the worse for wear.
"Looks like that was a soft-shell Crab, eh?"
I merely sighed at her attempt at humor. Sometimes, she still acted like a kid. But she did just take out an Arms Fort in a pretty impressive and kind of menacing way, so I let this one slide.
"I'll get the next one while your PA recharges. I'm closer and faster anyway." I said as I began charging an Overboost. By funneling my PA into a jet stream, I could propel Crescent Rose at even higher speeds. But the action left me without armor and vulnerable, so I still had to be careful. Some Overboost units, like whatever Yang had, could be equipped with assault armor, which also drained PA. But they were still extremely powerful weapons, as a bunch of Algebra saboteurs had just learned.
"Well what am I supposed to do, fly in circles? Carve our names into the ground with explosives?"
"I left you a few normals. Why don't you occupy yourself with them, this won't take long."
"Ugh, fine."
I just shook my head with a smile. She had seemed pretty enthusiastic about carving out our names. For a while, I would have to disappoint.
Shots rang out from Yang's twin bazookas as she engaged the two remaining Dulakes, and I launched myself like an arrow straight at the second Land Crab. It began firing volley after volley of cannon fire as I closed, but they were easy enough to dodge in the open field. As I approached, I let loose a few sniper rounds and a salvo of missiles. Unfortunately I could see they barely dented the thick armor of the Arms Fort. Yang had used extremely high-powered explosives to cut through, ones that were made for destruction on a large scale. My weapons were more precise and personal, but as a result they were rather limiting in my options for offense. I continued forwards as I asked Yang for help.
"Yang, any idea where I should hit it? That armor's too strong for my sniper and missiles."
An unfamiliar, male voice with a slightly australian accent answered my call, from a closed GA channel. I had almost completely forgotten that Yang's operator was supposed to be looking out for both of us.
"LYNX Ruby Rose, this is the operator of Ember Celica. The underbelly is unarmored, strike there. Go for the inside of the legs too, they're your best chance at stopping it."
I could hear another blast behind me as the last normal exploded in a mass of oil and heat. Looking ahead, I saw the second Land Crab readjusting its aim to target my big sister while her back was turned and her PA was low. I had to hurry.
Locking away my missile launcher and tucking my sniper in close, I flipped open the blade of the scythe into the long, straight edge better suited for large targets. Until now, I don't think I had truly understood the size and scale of these Arms Forts, but moving through the hulking shadow to get under it really left quite an impression. It's no wonder companies hired NEXTs to take them out. We could swoop in with surgical precision and eliminate them quickly, but a skirmish between two of these would just level everything in-between.
As I approached the legs in front, I slowed to a halt just behind the treads on each foot and made a ninety degree turn to position myself parallel to the six appendages. My targets lined up nice and neat before me, I saw exactly where I wanted to swing: A gap in the armor plates between the suspension pistons and the superstructure of the leg and foot. I positioned my scythe carefully and charged.
I was surprised by how thick each mechanical tendon was, but the Kojima particle edge performed beautifully. There was barely any resistance as I blazed through the silver alloys, which scraped against each other in a shower of sparks as the muscles of the legs slid from their joints. The Arms Fort began to slope forwards as it fell, and fires started in electrical circuits overloading in the back legs as they vainly struggled to support the main structure alone. But, like a dying, cornered animal raising a paw for one last strike, the gunners kept turning their cannons towards Yang even as they fell. Frantically, I called out to her.
"Yang, look out!"
"I see it Ruby, don't-."
"Ruby, finish off the Land Crab quickly. Strike its underbelly with your scythe, it should rupture the power core."
"But I'm fine I-"
"Yang, let her do this."
I blocked out the conversation Yang was having with her operator and focused on the collapsing Arms Fort. NEXTs came with auto-stabilization drives, which automatically reoriented them into an upright position. Normally, they were never turned off. Most LYNX had no need to move on their side or back, other than when they were loaded into a transport. But a thought came to me then, something that would eventually give rise to a new level of skill that at the time I couldn't begin to believe I would possess.
Turning off the stabilizing drives, I carefully flew into the air, scythe held out. It took a lot of work to stay aloft without them, a surprising amount to be honest. But there was no time to go back. I boosted forward, skimming along the underbelly of the Land Crab. As I passed the center, I locked the scythe outwards and threw myself sideways, so that the blade was positioned to carve the smooth surface straight down the middle. And carve it did.
I had to push my boosters hard to drag the blade all the way through the long surface of the Arms Fort, but the results were worth it. As I reached the rear of my quarry, the sudden lack of pressure against the blade caused me to spin around as it emerged from back of machine. I landed a little more heavily than I would've liked to, and nearly fell over before I reactivated the stabilizers.
As I stood clear of the hind legs and looked back, the Land Crab seemed unaffected for a moment, before it began to sag downwards. The massive tear in the belly was growing larger by the minute, as the weight of the now-compromised generator began to focus on the split. The only warning I got before it exploded was a shower of green sparks from the dark crevice, and then it erupted into a pyromaniac's dream. Explosions tore apart the entire structure, and machinery came tumbling, charred beyond recognition, through the gash, spilling the guts of the Arms Fort across a field of peas. I lowered my weapons as the hulking behemoth fell before me, guns mauled and silent. Mission complete.
Smoke curled lazily into the sky as Yang and I sat in the grass atop a nearby hillside. From here, the fields looked small, like different shaded spots across a great green carpet that stretched between the mountains. I couldn't remember the last time I had actually felt grass, or if I ever had before then. I suppose sometime long ago before there was any war, I might have. But my memories of the feeling were lost to me now.
Yang lay stretched out on her back at the top of the incline, hands hidden somewhere beneath her golden hair, which sprawled out below her. I sat cross-legged, absently plucking strands of the soft grass in front of me as we waited for pick up. Crescent Rose and Ember Celica stood motionless like sentinels behind us, locked up and ready for transport.
Abruptly, Yang sat up, thin blades of green falling from the back of her head. Her hair seemed radiant as it fell across her tan jumpsuit in the bright sun that beat down on us. She seemed to enjoy it, but with my paler complexion I would probably burn if I was out here much longer. This black jumpsuit didn't help with the heat either.
"So," she inquired, bumping up against me with her elbow. "How are Mom and Dad?"
"They're fine, I guess." I muttered. I know my high AMS should make piloting easy, but now I just felt tired. "We all miss you."
"I miss you guys too. Sorry I haven't called or visited, I've been super busy lately at work. With Algebra getting more bright ideas like this one, I doubt I'll have any free time for a while."
I nodded in understanding. I doubted it would get any simpler for me either, since it seemed like we had a full scale war on our hands. Everything I saw before me was vulnerable to the ferocity of the corporations, every vibrant field worker, every chirping bird and buzzing insect. In Aspina and Line Ark though, everything was clustered and condensed. Out here, the light breeze tasted cool and fresh, and the sun felt warm in a way that the thick windows of a building prevented it from feeling. The valley itself was alive with people and plants and a few animals, all pressing on despite the catastrophic battle that had taken place barely a hundred meters away. It was all innocent and pure and safe. It was beautiful.
"Yang, when everything is over, and Omer is gone, and no one is fighting, let's come out here again." I said. Yang looked at me with a caring smile as I continued.
"I want to look out over this valley, and see everyone who we love living together in peace and safety. I want to sit up here again, and know that we did the right thing by fighting, and that it all will end well."
Yang wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me in close for a hug. She had a very tight grip, but her control had increased with her age.
"I'd like that too, Ruby." She said sincerely. As she pulled away, I tried to ease us back to more casual conversation while we waited for pickup.
"What else have you been up to Yang? Meet any other LYNX?"
"Well, I guess I technically met Shamir RaviRavi. We fought to a standoff before I was ordered to pull out. Pardon my french, but she is one crazy bitch." She sighed, and I laughed a little.
"Oh I've certainly heard of her. Algebra's infamous Femme-Arachnid." Jokingly, I lowered my voice to a conspiratorial level. "They say she's really sadistic and unhinged, and enjoys setting traps for her enemies like a spider."
"She is. And she does. And she laughs like a maniac the whole time she's taunting you." Yang shivered. Clearly I had brought up something unpleasant, so I punched her elbow lightly. It seemed to snap her out of whatever memory she was in.
"Ah, I'm sure we can take her." I said reassuringly. "But what I meant earlier was have you met any important LYNX in GA? Or was that talk about climbing the corporate ladder all nonsense?"
"No, no, I've risen in their ranks pretty quickly. For starters, I have a higher AMS aptitude than a lot of their pilots. I also happen to have the most combat experience against Algebra's forces, save for my operator."
I was puzzled by that statement. Her operator? They didn't see combat, so who was she talking about? The wind picked up behind us as two transports grew closer, hovering over our stationary war machines. Both Yang and I stood quickly and turned around to watch as the NEXTs were hooked into mag locks and slowly retracted inside the large bays. They came to rest flat on their backs inside the large helicopters, and the two transports began to descend all the way to the ground, flattening grass with wind and steel alike.
As we started for the vehicles, a figure approached from Yang's chopper. He wore an old, black leather jacket over a plain red undershirt. Some loose fitting jeans and black combat boots rounded out a man whose clothes I could only compare to that of a rock musician from times long past. His face didn't look the part so much though. He looked fit, but could have been in his late thirties or early forties judging by the thin lines developing on his forehead. His thick, black hair was cut in a flat top about an inch above his scalp, and a similarly dark moustache hid his upper lip. A pair of weary green eyes scanned us both up and down as he stood hands pocketed waiting for Yang.
"Sorry that took so long, the pilots wanted to be sure there weren't any remaining contacts around these hills." He said. The rocker turned to me and extended a large hand.
"Ms. Rose, I didn't introduce myself earlier. Name's Adrian, but you can call me Roadie. Everyone else does." I shook and was surprised by his grip. It was just as strong, if not more so, than Yang's. But that name… an operator who had the most experience fighting Algebra…
"Wow, you're the rank 4 LYNX!" I cried. Standing before me was GA's top soldier, a living legend from the LYNX War. Piloting the NEXT Feedback, Roadie had been rank 36 then, and was cast aside as mere cannon fodder for his low AMS. But as he built up an illustrious combat record, the companies started paying attention. Now, he was one of the most respected members of Collared and The League, and the supervisor of GA's pilots.
"I didn't think I'd meet you so soon! It's an honor to be working with such a skilled veteran, really." I fawned. Roadie just chuckled.
"Oh, I'm really not that skilled. I've just been doing this forever, and over time you pick up some things. Once you've seen it all, it gets a little easier. But you showed me something different today, and I thank you for that."
"For what?"
"The way you fight with that scythe weapon. I've never seen a blade like that, and flying without stabilizers is very unorthodox and draining. I've only seen one other pilot even attempt that, and it was in a Rayleonard simulation."
"Thanks but—wait, a Rayleonard LYNX did this too? What happened to him?"
"Well, he got though the simulation perfectly. But after that he dropped off the radar. I think he was just a test subject. I never saw him again, and I guess the project was scrapped during the war." Roadie shrugged.
"The base design for my scythe came from Rayleonard. Maybe they were testing a prototype?" I added.
"I didn't see any scythe in use, just guns. It was an indoors operation, room to room fighting in a factory. This guy was very good, flipping upside down on ceilings and walls to get a better angle on opponents, rolling his NEXT to dodge shots in close quarters. It was very impressive, but they only released a single recording of him in action. I never fought or heard of anyone else using that style, so I guess he's gone." He sighed heavily. "Oh well. Just more wasted talent."
Yang cut into our conversation from the side, growing bored of just standing around.
"Roadie's been watching over me for a while now sis, and he's an awesome mentor! Kinda like Hector, but with a mustache." The senior LYNX shot her a look before turning back to me.
"Speaking of Hector, how is that old Raven? We haven't really gotten much news down from the CEOs, and everything else is League propaganda discrediting him as a radical terrorist."
"He's fine, and taking to the new White Glint well." I paused as I considered pressing for information. "Roadie, what exactly do you know about our situation?" I asked cautiously.
"Yang filled me in a while ago. Everything starting with Joshua O'Brien's abduction to her leaving Line Ark. I'm sorry about Joshua, I know the two of you were close. I sparred with him a few times. He was a good kid, a real straight shooter."
"Thanks."
"Your sister has made some real ripples at GA, you know. She pretty much wrote the book on CQE."
"CQ what?"
"Close Quarters Explosives. After some skirmishes with Algebra, Yang complained enough about our lack of hard hitting close range weapons that the R&D boys developed the spread bazookas she uses today."
"I just applied boxing logic to the problem," Yang chimed in. "If you can't dodge a hit, make sure the one you give back is twice as hard. We couldn't keep up with Algebra's speed, so we just made a more powerful shotgun weapon than theirs." Yang beamed with pride. "My babies will take out anything that gets close."
Roadie rolled his shoulders a little and stretched as he moved to take his leave.
"Anyway, I've been observing Yang's missions to see if she's ready for her own babysitting job. Did she tell you? We pulled up some prestigious grunt from a normal division with an AMS compatibility and just slapped him in a NEXT. It's supposed to be a test to see how easy the newer systems are on the LYNX's mind, but I think it's a bad idea. They didn't even give me time to train him on the basics."
"I'll be going with him to try and keep him from dying." Yang said. "We're supposed to ambush an Interior Union transport convoy tomorrow." I nodded in acknowledgement. My fateful attack on the IU seemed to have had the opposite effect. Now, they were about to declare open war on GA. The only thing that stopped them from allying with Omer and Algebra was Omer's quarrel with Torus, a former subsidiary and working partner of the Union. The stage was set for yet another global war. Wonderful.
Yang swept me up in another powerful hug before starting for the ramp into her transport. "I'll miss you little sis. Take care." She said.
"I will, don't worry about me."
Yang smiled before quickly turning and walking past her operator, waving him on to follow her as she stepped up into the loading bay.
"C'mon, let's hit the Roadie again." She called. I just gave a sympathetic grimace and a shrug to the exasperated veteran.
"Did she do this a lot at home?"
"All the time."
He sighed as he turned away, but I thought I caught a tiny smile on the corner of his mouth.
"Anyway, it was good to meet you Ms. Rose. I'm sure we'll meet again someday."
"Good to meet you too. Bye Yang!"
My sister turned and waved to me as the ramp closed behind Roadie, and I quickly entered my own helicopter as theirs took off. Taking a seat in the briefing room against the wall, I nestled my arm on the side of my head and closed my eyes. Within seconds, I was soundly asleep, exhausted from my efforts, the aroma of the clean air and vibrant grass still fresh in my nose.
Unfortunately, updates will probably just be slower from here on out. School is escalating very quickly, I've got a thesis to do, colleges to apply for, blargh.
Hope everyone is enjoying this so far. I apologize if I alienate any Armored Core die hards with the whole stabilization booster thing. I just needed a way to fully utilize the scythe, and that seemed like a reasonable excuse. And if you have a very visual imagination, it looks completely badass.