Chapter 12: Release and Transfer
Welcome back! I'm sorry for the wait, I've been waaaay busy, getting in shape, practicing the trombone for concerts, and all that jazz. But here I am, you may fret no longer. Besides, Titanfall 2's campaign is short as fuuuuuuck, so there's no more predetermined story to ride, so expect pretty long breaks between chapters. Everything from here on out is completely made by me! Except for Locostral and the Riftiverse, you can thank Sleepysaurus Rex for that. Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy today's chapter!
Please Note: I ain't written in weeks, expect the chapter to be a lil rusty
We sat and talked for what felt like hours, I had the chance to spill whatever emotions I'd bottled up, and I can say, I've never felt better. My mind felt clean, and it was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from my consciousness. Night had fallen by the time we'd finished, the room was dark, only illuminated by the soft rays of moonglow and the bright burning lights of the city.
James and Aleki had already left, disappearing into their rooms, hunkering down for the night. I was contempt to sit there all night, but I knew I had a duty to fulfil. A seriously important one at that. Besides, I'm sure Stephane's in a bit of trouble without me around. After all, how can you lose a 48-foot-tall glowing robot?
I stood from the couch as it creaked and groaned in relief as my weight was lifted from it. I felt about my hip for my key, eventually running a finger over its sleek surface. I slipped it off and held it firmly in my grasp, before gently stabbing it forward. Slowly, a stream of energy flowed from my core and down my arm, gathering inside the key. The 'veins' in my body pulsed with a soft golden glow as the energy made its course.
After a decent amount of time had passed, I twisted the key, forming a golden glowing portal, as usual. I stepped through its gelatinous face and disappeared off into the everlasting stretches and bends.
As I passed through the gold, I found myself in an endless tunnel with many sprawling pathways, each presumably leading to its own unique world. It's a sight that I'd probably have to get used to from now on... As I looked about, my key sprang to life effectively garnering my attention. It spun about in my hand before settling down, pointing off I didn't question and I followed its directions. I wandered through the seemingly endless hallways for what felt like hours, making turn after turn. But my journey was not fruitless, as the key firmly stopped ahead of a wall. It was no different to the rest of this 'realm', it had the same texture, and it moved in sync with everything else. But my key firmly told me this was the right path, so I didn't doubt it any longer than needed.
I stepped into the golden wall, easily tearing through its gelatinous face. I slowly passed through, and before I knew it, I was standing back in the dull, and depressing hangar. Flickering bright lights, dusty dirt floor, rusted walls, and ceiling? Yeah, this is definitely it. The soft glow from the golden portal finally burnt away, as the portal closed in on itself, disappearing with a 'bloop'. I glanced about the room, maybe it was out of boredom, or maybe it was out of curiosity, but I'm glad I did. As my gaze darted about my enclosure, I spotted the faint glow of a helmet, with an unmistakable Y-shaped visor. Stephane was here.
My stomach dropped, and I instinctively stumbled back, my hand clamped tightly down over my key, hiding it from view. But as the moments passed, he hadn't said a word, matter of fact, he hadn't even moved a muscle. I slowly walked toward him, my grip on my key loosening. I crouched down and stared right down at him, he was leaning back in a rusty fold-up chair, his arms resting atop his stomach and his head lulled back. As I lowered my head down toward him, my microphones picked up a sort of rumbling sound from him, I was a rather bit confused, until my brain decided to actually work for once... Turns out, he was snoring. Fast asleep.
I let out a sigh of relief, and let my arms fall loose to my side. I stared down at him, pondering whether I shouldn't or should wake him from his peaceful slumber. I decided on the latter, lightly flicking his helm back. A loud clang rang out, as my thick metal finger collided straight with his helm, he toppled from his chair, screaming in confusion. He hit the dirty floor with a thud, sending a cloud of dust up into the air.
"Wake up. Sleeping Beauty" I remarked, monotonously.
"Ahh! General, I'm sorry! It won't happen again!" Stephane half-yelled, quickly pushing himself to his feet and saluting. I could guess that behind that impenetrable visor of his that his eyes were clamped shut in fear.
It took every ounce of will I had to not laugh, even the tiniest amount. And yet, he kept stock still, saluting.
"Pilot, there is no reason to panic," I said, staring down at him.
He slightly lowered his salute, tilting his head to stare into my visor. His posture changed completely as spotted me, his body language radiated relief, as his back loosened and his arms relaxed.
"E! Where've you been!" Stephane said, playfully punching me on my visor
"That is classified information" I replied, pulling away from him.
"Mate, I'm your Pilot. You can tell me this stuff." Stephane said,
"Negative. It is... personal." I said, sternly
"You got a girlfriend big guy? Ah! I'm so happy for you mate" Stephane joked,
"I lack the faculties required in order to attract a mate. The theoretical relationship would be left fruitless." I replied, blandly
"Mate, can you ever take a joke?" Stephane laughed,
"Yes. Yet I am detecting no traces of humour within my interior systems" I said
Stephane clutched his chest, "That's harsh man." He said. He then let his arms down his side and sighed.
"You cannot believe how happy I am to see you. The General was ecstatic at first when he told of the retrieval of the Ark, but then he freaked out when we came back to see you missing." "You nearly outweighed a super-weapon in terms of importance. Good for you buddy."
"I have a hard time believing that," I replied.
"Well, you better believe it. You've seen enough of the guy to pick up what I'm putting down." Stephane said. "Anyways, I gotta report this back to the General, I personally believe that the longer I leave this, the closer my fate approaches. Hope you won't get too lonely buddy." Stephane said, patting my leg. He didn't waste any time afterwards, as he dashed to the door and pried them open, before squeezing through the minuscule gap he'd made. Well, it was minuscule in my terms, but it didn't quite matter as of now.
It was relatively silent after he left. There was still the faraway screeches of the animals of the jungle, and the sounds of footsteps as people and Titans alike wandered past my carrier, but it wasn't anything new. Even if I have been here only a little while, I've gotten used to all the noise.
I tried to keep myself preoccupied whilst I waited, I didn't want to just stand around and stare at the wall like every old Titan after all. I fiddled around with some of my weapons in the meantime, twirling the very oddly shaped pistol around my finger, and feeling the corrosive edge of my trusty cleaver. Yeah, I may have lost a little thickness to the ends of my fingertips, but it was well worth it in my opinion.
Just as I was sheathing my cleaver on my back, I spotted something in my peripheral vision. I instinctively looked over towards the sight, and just as I'd suspected, Stephane was back, with the General in tow too. His expression was unmoving, stuck with the same old frown he always wore from what I'd seen in my tie here. But something felt a little off, maybe he was angrier or something? Maybe he was tired. Eh, none of my business to find out.
"See General? What'd I tell you?" Stephane said, gesturing to me. "He's back, and now hopefully you'll let me off the hook" Stephane added,
The General took a few steps closer and squinted his eyes up at me. I stared right back at him, though as our gazes met, he didn't falter, instead he sighed and looked back at Stephane.
"You're a lucky man, Pilot," The General said. He paced toward Stephane and grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him closer. I could barely make out what he was saying, but I managed to catch a few words. 'don't ever' and 'hang', he said hang with extra spite, Sometimes he makes me wonder how violent he truly is. Stephane shuddered before the General pushed him away. He walked to the door, but before he left, he looked over his shoulder and stared right at me. "Be careful where you tread E-0001." He then promptly left, disappearing from behind the door. I was half expecting him to pull me away into another interrogation, but yet, he hadn't. Just makes me wonder what he's planning now.
Stephane slowly looked at me, before staring up into my cameras. "Mate, please don't do that again." He said, a hint of fear laced within his words.
I felt if I said anything, I'd probably just make things worse. So for now I just nodded, I'd ask him about that later. He walked up and collapsed against my leg, propping himself up against my edmundium hull. "E. Seriously. Where were you?" Stephane asked, staring off into the distance.
"Again Pilot that is classifie-" I started,
"No, tell me." He said, sternly. I'd never seen him act like this before, it kinda freaked me out, despite the clear height level. I cringed at the thought of telling him the truth, but he'd not be happy if I told him otherwise. I know he couldn't do much to take me down, but I'd rather not have a bad connection with the guy whose job is literally taking control of me.
"... I was... making ties with another highly advanced faction," I said.
"Really? What's their name." He asked
"Well... I...-" I started.
"Ahh, mate I'm just messing with you! No need to get so nervous." Stephane said with a laugh.
I paused and looked down at him. He got a real kick out of it because he was practically rolling on the floor. Don't know why, that shit wasn't funny at all. Eh, Aussies will be Aussies I guess.
"Mate, that was hilarious! Besides, I know what you were really doing." Stephane said
I froze up as he said that. He didn't seem to notice though, as he was still getting his bearings together. "What do you mean by that," I said
"Well, you were obviously kicking ass off in the jungle, I mean, where else could you have gone?" Stephane replied.
I let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. This man's really giving me a roller-coaster of emotions. One second I'm startled, the next I'm calm, then this and that and this. I could really do with a better Pilot... He finally stopped giggling and pushed himself off my leg. He climbed up one of the many scaffolding around the hangar that was set up for easy access to the wall-mounted Titans. Yet I saw no use for them, seeing as no one ever came in here. He leaned against the rusted railing and looked at me once more, before initiating conversation, again.
"Sorry for that mate. Didn't mean to scare the big scary Titan" Stephane teased.
I stared blankly back at him, but he just ignored it and went on.
"I forgot to tell you something... again. I really feel this helmet isn't doing its job well enough... Anyways. You should know that this is a training camp, right? Yeah, somehow this massive complex is a training camp. Surprised me at first too." Stephane said
Y'know, I never really thought of that. If the Militia is so low on resources, how come they managed to afford all this? It was a thought that would go unanswered for now.
"Yeah. The good news is we've graduated! Hooray! The bad thing is the General doesn't really respect me anymore... We're getting the hell outta this dump is what I'm trying to say. He's sending us to some planet called Ngahengahe. Sounds like a pretty cool place to me, and on the plus side, we won't have to deal with the shit here. I mean, look at where they're housing you? I think they could've done better for the Titan who retrieved the Ark for them!"
"That opinion is validated. This housing area is not ideal for the upkeep of expensive military equipment" I replied
"I know right? Just look how... clean and polished you are... Y'know, I would've expected you to be a little more... war-torn" Stephane said, slightly confused
"Yes. My exterior systems are rather... advanced so to say." I replied.
"Yeah, I can see that mate," Stephane laughed "...Anyways, let me in you... That didn't come out as I intended"
I stifled a laugh, Stephane seemed to notice too. He grumbled and started spewing out as much as he could to defend himself, but I couldn't be bothered to let this drag on any further. I simply grabbed hold of him and let my visor fizzle away before I stuffed him in my cockpit. He didn't really expect it, seeming as I felt him scramble about inside my head in confusion. Y'know? I think I'll never get used to that feeling... It's just so... odd.
"You may take control if you wish Pilot. The interior of this hangar is not ideal for human health. There is a thin layer of toxic substance floating about in the air, origins: the degrading of the paint on the walls, I suggest we make haste" I said. I don't really care if I was lying or not, I just wanted this guy to get this guy moving, yeah, I'm impatient I know.
"Really? Man, I could've died! Guess this helmet isn't so bad after all." Stephane said, eyes wide in surprise "Anyways, since you're obviously too lazy, I'll take over." Stephane replied with a scoff.
"I am detecting high levels of dopamine in your systems, I advise you to not get too overwhelmed with power. It can lead to grievous bodily harm." I replied. Y'know, somehow I could actually sense that. It was a strange sensation, kind of like a second mind, or an ethereal body if you get what I mean.
"Calm down Big Guy. If I'd wanted a joyride I would've asked for one the moment I woke up." Stephane said with a laugh. I felt him slip on the motion capture equipment mounted within my head, as I slowly lost control over my body, limb by limb. I didn't panic though, as I knew for a fact that this guy didn't have nearly enough mental strength to hold complete control over me, I'd be able to take over whenever the need arrived...hopefully.
Soon enough I felt my control over my body slip completely, as my consciousness was pushed aside in place of Stephane. He looked about, opened, and closed my hands, as he tested out my body. He took a few experimental steps forward, and I could say he was a rather bit surprised that we hadn't collapsed yet.
"Pilot. Why are you surprised? You performed perfectly yesterday. That mission would have been practice enough" I asked
"Mate, this is a lot harder than you'd expect, plus, I was on an adrenaline rush, doubt you'd know what that is" Stephane argued.
I would've rolled my eyes if I had any, but alas, I couldn't, mainly because I didn't have any. Besides, Stephane was in control of me at the very moment, so I couldn't do a whole lot as of now. After Stephane got used to the newish feeling he walked up to the hangar door before grabbing hold of it, almost punching a hole through the door. He pulled my hand back in surprise before looking down at it.
"How do you control yourself..." Stephane muttered,
He looked back up to the door and slowly reached out, before easily pulling the door aside. The wheels skittered and screeched as their rusty bearings were pushed to the limit, which was surprisingly low for something of military grade. Stephane let the door roll away as he pressed on out into the sunlight, from what I could see, nothing had really changed last I saw, which was to be expected, I was only gone for a day or two.
Stephane soon pressed on into the base, not bothering to close the gate behind him, I probably would have done the same too, I can't complain. He wandered down the winding paths, his posture was upright and strict while he marched onward. It was strange to see coming from Stephane, normally he'd walk around all carefree acting the way he usually would, not like a trained soldier, which he was. Maybe the General finally kicked a little discipline in him.
As we made our way through the camp, the area cleared out to a smooth asphalt runway as we eventually reached the helipads, or starship pads... Eh, the specification didn't matter. There were already a few ships scattered about the area, most were of the same design, although a few were a little bigger or slimmer. Though despite their presence, Stephane simply plopped himself down on the ground, slightly cracking the asphalt in the process. He then proceeded to whistle a tune through my speakers. I was a little confused, to say the least, but I wasn't gonna question it, not for now at least.
The whistling suddenly stopped before Stephane spoke up "Say, E? Waddya think our new place be like?" Stephane asked,
"There are many different factors to take into consideration, Pilot. I have yet to be clued to any details about our destination." I replied, monotonously
He leaned forward slightly, and sighed, "Guess you're right." Stephane said, "But I've got a few ideas of the place myself!" Stephane said eagerly "Lush waterfalls, a beautiful view of the ocean, room service. And I bet you'll get whatever little Titan needs you need to be met." He added dreamily
"I doubt the Militia would have an area situated in a region such as that you described," I replied. But that would be nice... Y'know, just loosen up my non-existent aching joints.
"Yeah, but it would be nice, you get me?" Stephane asked,
"Yes. That would be ideal for the stimulation of the human mind." I replied
He leaned back and propped himself up on an unfortunately placed Widow, causing it to groan as an unnecessary amount of weight was pressed against it. "Yeah, it would be," Stephane said, stars in his eyes.
As we gazed up into the sky, a small light caught our eyes, I couldn't quite tell what it was at first, maybe it was the glare of the sun? But as it grew closer, it felt almost obvious what it was. The sleek shine of a durable fuselage, the unmistakable roar and the brightly burning flames of powerful jets pretty much gave it away. It grew closer and closer, before slowly touching down on the soft asphalt just a few feet away from us. The jets sputtered to a stop as the spacecraft touched down on the pad, and I caught a glimpse of somebody through the spacecraft's windshield. He was dressed in the garb of a pilot, with an old model flight helmet, he was also staring off in our direction.
Stephane pushed himself to my feet, before clapping my hands together. "Seems our ride's arrived. You excited Big Guy?" Stephane said eagerly
"Yes," I replied blatantly
"Come on, cheer up mate! Gimme a little enthusiasm!" Stephane asked,
"Yes. I am 74.5867% excited for this journey." I replied, putting just a little bit of emotion in my voice,
"That's the spirit! Now come on, let's not leave the guy waiting, shall we?" Stephane asked
"You are in control of me, Pilot," I replied
Stephane rolled his eyes and marched off towards the ship, not bothering to give me a snarky remark. The door was already wide open by the time we arrived, it was lowered down to the ground, acting as a sort of ramp for us to enter. Stephane walked up the ramp with a little difficulty, but he managed just fine. The interior was pretty bland, just as every other starship had been, with the only interior design being the wires and pipes strung about the walls and ceilings, and I doubt those were decorations, more like vital systems.
The door closed behind us with a hiss, pulling itself back up before it completely sealed, washing us in relative darkness, beside the small windows that lined the fuselage.
"Alright, congratulations on your graduation err... Pilot! Thought it was more Riflemen... Uhh, anyways, I'll be taking you to planet Ngahengahe as you should already know, so, yeah, enjoy the flight."
"Hear you loud and clear boss!" Stephane replied,
He didn't get much of a reaction out of the Pilot, seeming that he'd already shut off the speakers, but I did hear a faint sight through the thin walls of the ship... before it got drowned out by the booming roar of thrusters that is. I felt a change in altitude as the ship flew higher and higher into the sky, and I glanced out one of the windows, watching as the ground grow farther and farther away. Soon enough we broke through the clouds and continued higher and higher toward the atmosphere.
"Pretty cool shit huh?" Stephane remarked.
"Affirmative, this is in fact 'Pretty cool shit, huh?' "I replied, effectively getting a snicker out of Stephane in the process.
And in the short time we spoke, we were already in orbit, I'm surprised Stephane and the Pilot haven't passed out and or died from the sheer amount of g's they experienced, perhaps it had to do with the ships design, or maybe some whack mumbo jumbo system built into the starship they didn't go over in the games. But hey, they're alive, and we aren't falling out the sky, so I ain't complaining.
"Alright, just giving you a heads up, the jump drive needs a little time to charge up, so we'll be in stable flight for maybe... 1 or 2 minutes, just do whatever you gotta do in that time, and don't forget it."
"Two minutes!? Ugh! Can you believe this? Outrageous!" Stephane complained,
"Yes. This is most definitely a perilous situation, one in which we could die from." I replied sarcastically.
Stephane laughed heartily, "Never knew you could be sarcastic like that!" Stephane said, still snickering,
"I can do many things" I replied
Stephane sighed, as his laughing fit finally came to an end. "You're a pretty great Titan, E" Stephane said,
"Thank you, Pilot Bryce" I replied. That made me smile deep down. Seems someone actually cares for me here, it's not all grim, dark and depressing after all.
There was silence from then on, as we laid back and relaxed. Well, I didn't have much of a choice, but I wasn't gonna take up that chance, no way in hell! Then in mere moments, the silence was broken as the crackle of the onboard speakers rang through the fuselage.
"Alright! The jump drive's up and running! Get ready, and don't say I didn't warn you."
My vision bent and twisted, pulling and folding in on itself. It looked almost like zooming in a camera, but instead, it was your eyesight being torn inside out. Soon afterwards, I was met with a bright flash of light, completely engulfing my vision with a stretch of blinding white. But soon, it died down, as I regained my vision, I was met with the same dull walls of the starship, but at least I could see. I don't think I'll ever get used to that... Hopefully, it wasn't a common occurrence.
"As you could guess, we're currently orbiting Ngahengahe right now. Don't be surprised if it takes us maybe 10 or more minutes to get there, it's a pretty big place, and the GPS on this thing's faulty."
"Aww come on man! I can't wait any longer!" Stephane complained
"Well you better, because you ain't getting there without me!"
"Yeesh, tough crowd," Stephane muttered
I gazed through the window and watched as the pitch-black expanse of space changed to a lively blue as we entered Ngahengahe's atmosphere. And from what I could see from up here, this place was green as fuck. And that's saying something, seeming that I lived in New Zealand when I was still...Y'know, Human.
I watched as it all flew by from up high, the small specks of grey and green disappearing mere seconds after I saw them, it was decently cloudy, but not so much so that it was blotting my view of the ground. We descended down through the clouds as the spacecraft shot through the sky, tearing through the air like a hot knife to butter, or pretty much anything to air.
The ship slowly began losing speed before slowing to a halt right over someplace by the beach. It descended down closer and closer towards the ground, and as we did, I caught a glimpse of silver amongst the green. That's probably our new base! Hopefully, it's better, and hopefully, I'm treated just a bit more like a person, and less like a tool.
"Alright, so they don't haven't set up a clear landing strip down in their base yet, so I'm gonna have to drop you down on the beach. They've got a communications array somewhere in that little forest camp of theirs, so you can just pick up on their signals if you need directions or anything."
"Sweet! So maybe there isn't gonna be a good view of the ocean... But there's still the other things!" Stephane said, enthusiastically.
"Yes, those options are still available" I replied.
The ground grew closer and closer, till we were mere meters from the ground. The starship shut off its thrusters, landing heavily on the sand, and probably damaging something in the process. The door hissed to life, letting in the sun's radiant rays into the dark fuselage, and soon enough it was wide open, with a nice little ramp leading down to the white, hot sands of whatever beach this was. The sounds of distant waves crashing soon entered my microphones, and the whoosh of a gentle ocean breeze swept into the fuselage. Stephane, as eager as he could be, pushed himself to my feet and rushed out the door and onto the sand.
The door hissed once more as it raised back up before sealing shut. Stephane looked back at the ship as its thrusters roared to life, and he watched it fly up into the sky before it disappeared into the clouds. And just then, did I realize we were probably going to get horribly lost. Stephane looked to the forest and gazed into its endless woody expanses
"Now this is the hard part," Stephane said with a sigh.
"It is a challenge that I believe you and I are able to overcome," I replied,
"Thanks, buddy," Stephane said with a smile, "Now, let's not waste any time, shall we? Let's get those comms up and running!"
"Affirmative, pairing you with Base Camp" I replied. Although there was one slight issue... I didn't have a clue how to do that. So, I guess I'll have to improvise... Fuck. Maybe this would work somewhat like feeling for Rift Energy? Hopefully, it would... I began feeling about my consciousness, for slight differences or oddities, it's kind of hard to explain what it was like, but it was a bit like feeling about for a charger at night, but instead, the charger is an electrical difference in your surroundings.
Eventually, somehow I felt a little crackle of energy brush along my ghostly fingertips, and the moment I felt it, I grasped on tight pulling it right into my consciousness, which I had no idea how I did, if I'm being honest. I heard something fizzle and crack in my microphones and speakers before I heard the voice of somebody. He sounded young, but the sound quality was just horrible. But giving it time was just enough, as the speakers and microphones cleared out, and soon, that sound quality was as smooth as silk, better than anything I've ever had from any speaker back home.
"Hello, people of... whatever your base camp name is. I'm Stephane, glad to be of service!" Stephane said,
"Hello? I take it you're the new Pilot they've assigned here?" They asked,
"Yep! First name Stephane, last name Bryce. But you should already know that" Stephane replied with a laugh
"Alright, that checks out... So, why do you contact us?" They asked,
"Well, for directions, obviously! I mean, do you think I just popped by to say hello?" Stephane replied, half-yelling
"Right... Well, if you look to your right, you should see a trail in the tree line, follow that, and you'll meet us. And also, I did actually" They answered
"What..." Stephane muttered. He looked over to tour right, craning my neck till it was almost backward. And hidden away in the overgrowth, there was a trail. It was a fairly large dirt road concealed by the canopy, only visible from the height of a Titan, maybe a little shorter, but either way, we could see it. "How'd you know that?" Stephane asked, bewildered
"We tell them to drop you there so there's no confusion, plus, it's for the best that you and your Titan arrive in peak condition" They replied
"...Well, I'm not complaining! good talking to ya mate" Stephane replied, and just like that, I felt my grip on the energy completely slip, as it rocketed away into the vast expanses of the dark abyss. I'm guessing Stephane cut comms with them or something like that...
Stephane didn't bother with anything other than reaching our current destination, trudging from the sands of the beach to the soft dirt of the forest floor. The trees here were absurdly tall, and if I had to guess, I would probably say these things were maybe half the size of a kauri tree, which is still like, twice my height. But hey, so long as I'm not getting a faceful of branches, I'm content with whatever.
From what I could see, this path stretched on for miles, littered by a soft layer of pines and dead moss. It didn't twist or turn or anything like that, at most, there were only a few dips in the path. Finally! Someone who can properly make a track!
As we trudged onward, Stephane decided to speak up a little, with something on his mind. "Hey, E? I've always wondered what that key's about. I mean, who keeps a giant key? Was it for a giant door or something?" Stephane asked,
"She had never told me, a few weeks after our link, she brought it to me and asked me to 'Please hold on to this for me, okay?' since then, she's not retrieved it" I replied, deadpan
"Ah, well. I guess people are just like that, am I right?" Stephane asked
"Affirmative, the Human Being can be quite questionable" I responded.
We continued onward, down the damp road the sounds of what I assumed to be birds chirped and whistled off in the distance. Our heavy footsteps were dampened by the moist carpet of moss laid out on the trail, only providing a damp squelching sound as we trudged along. Though our footsteps certainly didn't crack the ground beneath, they certainly did leave a mark.
We climbed over small hills, with quite a bit of difficulty on Stephane's part, he tripped me up multiple times and dampened my entire front torso in mud and pine needles. I probably could've breezed through it by now, but I'd let Stephane have his fun. Though I doubt he's having much of it... He seemed so excited just moments earlier, hmm, guess he's not a fan of moisture.
"Detecting a dopamine drop and a large spike in mono oxidase, is something wrong Pilot?" I asked
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just fine, y'know, I just faceplanted like 5 times in the mud, I'm doing just great!" Stephane replied, snarkily.
"Detecting sarcasm, would you rather I take control from here?" I asked
"Nah. I'm fine, also, sorry for snapping at you Big Guy. It's just not what I'd expected the journey to be" Stephane replied,
"Apologies accepted Pilot. But you're trained for tolerance in harsh environmental conditions, why do you have such inefficiency here?" I asked,
"Look mate, I would be doing just fine if it weren't for your weird bird legs" Stephane replied with a sigh
"There are many words to describe my design, 'weird' is not one listed" I replied,
That got a quick laugh out of Stephane and seemed to cheer him up a little bit too. Better to have a slightly pissed off Pilot, than a fully pissed off Pilot is what I'm assuming. We continued onward, Stephane still slipped about every now and again, but it'd grown less frequent the more we travelled, good to see he's improving. As we trudged along, I caught something off in the distance, a slight gleam of what seemed to be steel and a large surge of energy in it's general direction. Though I couldn't tell if Stephane noticed, or if his head was high in the clouds.
"Pilot, we are nearing our target destination," I said
"What? Really!" Stephane said, excitedly
"Affirmative, though an unnecessary amount of dopamine is flowing through your systems at the current moment" I replied
"Well duh! Come on, get those Titan legs of your working buddy! No more forest for me baby, I can't wait for that new luxury room!" Stephane said dreamily
Stephane burst into a slight jog, kicking up pines and mulch in the process. The camp grew closer and closer, with each long stride Stephane took taking us ever so closer to sanctuary. We grew close enough so we could get a view of what we were actually looking at, it was a surprisingly clean area, with only a bit of mulch gathered beneath the trunks of the pines. There was a large complex of mud-brown buildings made from a sleek metal of sorts, probably just plain old carbon steel if I had to guess. There were quite a few trees littered about the place to keep the place concealed, their thick branches spread high over the base, acting as a sort of natural ceiling of sorts, alongside a few streams of sunlight that'd torn through the small gaps in the canopy. But most importantly, there was a giant steel gate blocking our entrance.
In the short period, I had to observe our new home away from home, we were right outside it, only separated from glory by this thick metal gate... that only went up to my waist.
"Helloooooo! Anyone in there? It's me, Stephane, Stephane Bryce! I'm here!" Stephane yelled, his voice amplified greatly by my speakers.
We looked about the camp, and I spotted something a little farther off in the distance. A door opening, and said door opener being a tired-looking Pilot. His helmet was off, and he wore only his suit and body armour. His character had no weapons besides a measly P-20 holstered on his hip. He looked about before finally laying his eyes upon my Mа̄ori glory. He stepped back in surprise with a very faint yelp.
"No need to be afraid little guy! I ain't gonna hurt ya!" Stephane yelled
He managed to right himself, clutching his chest and taking a deep breath, well, at least that's what it looked like from over here. He walked over toward us with a mixture of concern and relief. I managed to make out a few finer details on his outfit as he grew closer, he wore his hair in a bun and he had a short trimmed beard shaven into a goatee. He had a necklace, adorned with the teeth of many different creatures, and finally, he had a shallow scar running through his left eyebrow.
He eventually reached a reasonable distance from the gate, he stood there and stared up at Stephane and I.
"So, Stephane I take it?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.
"On the dot" Stephane replied, smirking through his helm.
He looked us up and down, noting the small scratches and mud patches littered about my hull. He glanced back up through my visor and cringed.
"Buddy, your Titan is looking a little worse for wear. For the man who pilots... whatever this thing is. You sure came in a lot more beat up than anyone we've let in" He said, wincing.
Stephane sighed, all while dramatically throwing our heads back before he slouched over and stared at the man.
"Yeah. Tell me about it. Anyways, you gonna open this door or not? I'd love a hot bath" He said, his tone a mix of disdain and excitement.
The man shrugged and reached to his waist and he pulled out what looked to be a small phone of sorts, dunno the brand, if they even had them here. He pressed down on the screen, and before we knew it, the gate had already parted, kicking up a cloud of dust in its wake. That was surprisingly quick... He turned around and walked off, waving us along as he strode.
"Come on then," He said, seemingly uninterested in whatever stunt Stephane was bound to pull.
Stephane groaned before trailing behind him, taking very small steps, as to actually keep up with the man. He led us through the camp for a short while, leading us down the dusty track, past building after building. And I had to say, this place was a major upgrade from training camp. It wasn't all tents and hangars, is what I'm talking about. They had plenty of resources, a couple of water tanks lined up, plumbing, the lot. But most important of all, they had what seemed to be a massive hangar. Though it was a little separate from the rest of the camp. Oh well, guess I'll get accustomed to the Titans here then, they'll accept me.
"You know what to do, drop your Titan off here and I'll give you the rest of the 'tour'" He said, nodding towards the hangar.
Stephane sighed a little, before reaching out to the gates. Before he could grab hold of them, they automatically parted for him. He looked a little dumbfounded by that, despite everything, that's what got him... Oh well, I'm not one to judge. We scanned the room, and I was pleased to say, they actually maintained the place. The room had a soft glow to it, emanating from the spotlights mounted along the ceiling, despite the dim sunlight. There were quite a few Titans littered about the place, patiently waiting for their next orders.
They ranged from a camo-painted Ronin, with a single glowing slit across its cockpit. A cyan Ion Titan, with a bright teal eye beamed through the entire hangar. A mud-brown Legion with a heavily modified Predator Cannon, with some strange attachments that did who knows what. To a dark red painted Scorch with a custom-painted blood-red eye in the centre of his face. And last but not least, a hardy-looking Vanguard, painted a striking mix of Brown and dark green... Yeah, maybe it wasn't all that striking, if I'm being honest. Stephane walked me up to the group and shut down my visor, soon enough I felt control slowly melt back into my body, the stiffness present in my whole body just a moment ago, disappearing without a trace.
Stephane leaned out my visor, hanging on to the edge of my face, he swung himself down onto my shoulder, then down my arm. Eventually ending up in the palm of my hand, he stared up at me, before speaking up.
"Hey, you behave alright Big Guy? Be nice to your new friends, got it?" He said, hands on his hips, kinda like he was berating a kid... Man, fuck you.
"Affirmative, Pilot. I will tie relationships between our allies." I replied, deadpan.
"Sweet, alright, now be a good boy for Papa and let me down" He replied, probably with a dumb smile hidden away behind his helm.
"You are not my maker" I replied, sternly, although still lowering him to the ground.
He scoffed and walked away, only turning back a single time, just to send a single nod my way. And in but mere moments, I was alone. Well, not technically, I still had the Titans. But it wasn't like they were gonna be much fun. I've seen how they act, not much of a personality if I've gotta be honest. I turned to face the nearest Titan, that being the Scorch, they were staring endlessly off into the distance, their fists clenched and their bearings tight.
"Hello, my designated serial code is E-0001. Requesting yours." Nailed it! They won't even tell the difference... maybe.
They stared up at me, their cold red eye piercing straight into my visor. Even though they were about half my height, they still were intimidating as fuck... Like a chihuahua or a crackhead or somethin... I dunno, they just gave off a creepy vibe, if you'd asked me.
"RF-8426. Special Forces." They said, their voice was deep and metallic, and distinctively male. Sounds like the voice of one of those bald brolic PE teachers you'd get in middle school... but robotic. "Welcome to the team, E-0001"
They didn't bother speaking any farther than that, prying his eye away from me and staring forward. Primed and ready to pounce at any moment. The other Titans hadn't bothered to stare other at me, either standing perfectly still or tending to their weapons. Well, only one was looking after the kit, that being the Ronin. He was carrying a 'whetstone' which could only really be described as a boulder, and he was using said 'whetstone' to sharpen his blade. Swiping away at the edge, over and over again, sending a spray of burning flakes of metal, aka sparks, flying out onto the smooth concrete floor. It was basically the only sound present in the room, besides the rumble of our interior systems and the faraway echo of the forest.
Hmm, y'know? A weapons check doesn't sound all too bad right now... Yeah, I'm just gonna flex on them, what did you think? I unsheathed my cleaver from my back, and let it slam against the ground, blunt side down, sending a little shockwave through my arm, and cracking the concrete ever so slightly. The blade glowed a vibrant cyan, and from what I could tell, that edge was as sharp as could be. I looked over to the Ronin, and they were staring right back. With what I could assume was a stare of jealousy, despite them not having any facial features. They scoffed and looked back to their broadsword, and went right back to sharpening, casting a few sly glances at me as they did.
I reached for the nearest loose object, well, one that would be hard enough to sharpen a blade, that being an unfortunately placed steel brick, possibly used for construction or whatnot. But I didn't really care. I placed the brick just beside the edge of my blade and it hissed and fizzled as if it were being burnt. I shrugged it off and swiped the brick down, the brick melted down as I pushed it down the length of my blade, the brick dripped with molten iron, and it dripped down onto the ground forming a small puddle of mixed metals. Didn't expect that... Well, maybe I did. I carefully placed the majorly deformed brick back onto the ground, before turning away from it, acting like nothing had happened.
I slid the cleaver right over my back, as the corrosive edge died down alongside the cyan hue it emitted. I took a quick glance back over towards the Ronin, seemed he was still giving me the side eye, being all edgy and such. Can't expect anything less of a Ronin, much from my experiences with em' I've learned that those weebs are salty as fuck.
And once more, silence. Giving me more time to check out the new wā kāinga. I took a quick glance about the room, just for second measures. It was primarily empty, aside from a few battery crates lined up against the far wall, alongside a singular forklift. The walls were a dark grey and the ceiling a dull green. The room wasn't all that big, just large enough to house us, with quite a bit of room to spare for other commodities. I wouldn't describe it as cozy, but who can blame them? It's not like we feel anything anymore, physically that is.
A light breeze tore through the singular window set up high on the far right wall, sweeping the room with freshly fallen leaves. Small rays of sunlight peeked through the gaps in the canopy, piercing through the ajar door, and the open window. We weren't all that bothered by it, especially the others, small piles of leaves gathered at the base of their feet, and a sneaky few slipped into the gaps in their plating. They seemed to slip right off my chilled hull, but easily piling upon my broad shoulders.
Aside from that, it was rather uneventful, the Ronin had finished up his maintenance, slipping the sword over their back before staring forward, standing stock still such as the likes of a soldier. Man, the Special Forces are boring, I can only imagine what Stephane's doing right now. Probably playing foosball or pool with all the guys, why'd I have to be reborn as a Titan, God? I wanna play pool, not stand around doing nothing!
Soon enough, the seconds turned to moments, then the moments turned to minutes, and the minutes turned to hours, till the sun had disappeared over the hidden horizon. By then the Titans had shut off, the soft glow of their data-cores dying away as they slumped over, though strangely still stood firm in their spots. The area around me was lit with the faint glow from my 'veins' and visor. But apart from that, it was pitch black. Everywhere I looked was coated in an impenetrable darkness, not even the bright shine of the stars reached my cameras. Lonely, was definitely a word I could use to describe this.
Though just as that thought graced my mind, a flicker of light caught my attention. A soft yellow beam of light found its way through the gap in the door, lighting up a fair share of the hangar. I turned my attention towards it, and a few moments later, I heard a familiar voice... It wasn't talking though, instead grunting. Said voice originated from a small figure, inching their way through the door. I immediately recognized the y-shaped glowing visor that pierced into my own. Yep, it was none other than Stephane. Knew he wouldn't forget me.
"Hey there buddy" He whispered, through grunts, as he tried to fit his body through the door, his satchels getting caught as he wormed his way through.
"Welco-" Stephane cut me off before I could finish, pressing a finger to his helm and shushing me.
"It's nice to see you too, but I ain't exactly meant to be out here. Keep it down." He muttered, finally pulling his form through the gap. He stumbled out onto the floor, and dropped his flashlight to the ground, causing a resounding shatter to sound out through the hangar. Stephane cringed as he reached down to pick up the broken flashlight. The lens had shattered as well as the bulb, coating the hangar in darkness once more.
"Oh... That's not good." Stephane muttered.
End of chapter. I wanted to make it longer to make up for the months of wait you guys had to deal with. But writing this book is just so DRAINING. Keep in mind that this story has NOT been abandoned, nor do I plan to ever abandon it. As I said previously, expect long gaps between chapters. I've got a lot on my hands at the moment, and I'll find time to write whenever I can. Sorry for the poor quality.
Please leave a review, I will improve on the shit you don't like if you'd like me to.