Chapter 6: Deep Into The Abyss
I wasn't expecting this to be honest. Once I'd entered this tunnel, I was expecting it to be another day-long trek, down winding corridors and all that jazz, but the journey was actually rather short, to my surprise. The path between facilities wasn't all that interesting, to be honest, just a tunnel, lit up with a yellow hue from the overhead lights, nothing too special. The path only stretched on for maybe 10-15 minutes this time? Either way, I was grateful, whether that be for the time we took traveling from A to B or the fact that nothing was actively trying to kill us along our trek.
The tunnel had ended just up ahead, behind two giant steel doors. I would've happily opened them but BT beat me to it, as well, you know, he was in front. He grabbed hold of two indents on the door, prying the heavy steel gate open all while they creaked and groaned as if they'd never been oiled for years, which was probably true considering the state it was in.
Soon the door was wide open, and BT continued in, Cooper and I following suit. The tunnel had abruptly ended, melting right back into mother nature, it wasn't some nice open grassy field or something of the sort, instead, it was a pitfall, with a short pathway that had just barely enough space for BT and I. There was also a waterfall streaming down into the pit below, which wasn't all that far down actually, maybe I'd get a dent or two if I fell, but that'd be all, nothing more.
"Major Anderson went this way, it could be a shortcut to the rendezvous point. I recommend we proceed"
Cooper nodded to BT before running down the trail. The trail followed alongside the left-hand side of the pit, eventually reaching the other side where there was a gate of sorts, constructed into the canyonside. It didn't matter much though, as we simply passed through it, not giving it so much as a second glance. On the other side of the gate, there was a lagoon of sorts in the center of a cavern, it was mainly lit by a giant skylight in the center of it, and there was a small island in the middle with not but a few trees atop, and a lookout tower mounted on its side. But what stood out most was some sort of gate to a massive facility, it was built straight into the wall and was primarily illuminated with flashing red lights, there was also a small naturally landscaped ramp that led up to the area the facility lay.
"What is this place?" Cooper asked, gazing about the sunlit lagoon.
"Accessing files... unknown"
"What are we doing here?" Cooper asked.
"We must proceed through this facility and continue to the rendezvous point with Major Anderson. It is our only chance at survival"
This place seems oddly familiar... Well duh, Elijah, you played the fucking game you should know this stuff.
Cooper walked up to BT as he opened up his cockpit, letting Cooper freely take control.
"Transferring controls to pilot"
Cooper jumped down from the gate, trudging on through the shallow waters keeping his eyes focused on the facility entrance. I followed soon after, my head barely grazing the cavern ceiling as Cooper traversed through the small cavern, walking up the ramp and straight to the facility entrance. After only but a moment, I ended up at his side. But just as we were about to enter, something caught our eyes.
Right beside the entrance lay a dead Titan, it was slouched up against the wall, but that wasn't what really caught our eye, we've already seen plenty of dead Titans already. No, what really caught our eye was its weapon. It was a fully intact T-203 Thermite Grenade Launcher, with only but a few burn marks laden on the barrel, but it was inevitable for a thermite launcher after all. It was sprawled out beside the titan, on its side, just sitting there waiting to be retrieved.
Cooper kneeled down and picked up the weapon, looking over the gun in all its glory.
"It appears you've collected a T-203 Thermite Launcher Pilot, its capabilities to cause heavy damage will be most beneficial to our survival," I said, pointing to the gun.
"Well, sounds like somebody's in love" Cooper joked,
"Negative, I am not capable of complex human emotions" I replied deadpan
"Erm, just forget it" Cooper replied
"Deleting Memory File..." I replied
He held tight to the gun, before heading down into the depths of the facility. I've got a bad feeling about this...
"Ash, this is Blisk. How copy? Over."
"This is Ash, go ahead"
The tunnel made a turn to some sort of viewing platform, blocked off with barbed wire. Behind the barbed wire was a view of a large body of water, glistening in the sunlight. Nothing too interesting...
"Kane is not responding. I think our Militia Pilot's trying to be a hero. He's got to be headed your way. Kill him."
"Understood. Ash out"
The tunnel parted from the viewing platform, changing from a nice open area to a cramped tunnel, filled with pipes that were almost bursting with steam.
"Who's Blisk?" Cooper asked.
"He is a war criminal wanted by the Militia, commonly employed by the IMC. Blisk was responsible for the death of my previous pilot, Captain Lastimosa"
The tunnel shifted from a cramped tunnel to an open storage room, the room was hundreds of deactivated Reapers, all mounted on the wall, waiting to be sent into combat. The room wasn't all that large though, on the other end of the room was a steep ramp, connecting to a large open manufacturing room. frames, being carried about by massive robotic service arms. Within those frames were two trees each, each waiting to be shaved and built into something new.
Cooper, BT, and I slid down the ramp. Before continuing further through the facility. That manufacturing room was only a small portion of the entire chamber it connected to, the rest of it was absolutely massive. There was a giant wire fence, and behind it was a massive sinkhole. The rest of the room that was accessible to us was a long bridge, running alongside the sinkhole, filled to the brim with Specters and Riflemen.
Cooper rounded the corner, Thermite Launcher raised, and they immediately opened fire. He took hits from weapons galore, from Flatlines to R-201s and R-101s. Mastiffs and Charge Rifles and Kraubers, L-STARs, and CARs. This time, they actually carried some pretty heavy firepower! I'll give that to them.
Cooper didn't hesitate to counterfire as he fired off a thermite grenade. It flew down the bridge, just before landing right in the center of a group of Riflemen, turning them to ashes faster than the eye could blink. The rest scrambled for cover, jumping behind stray crates or pillars, ducking for cover.
Cooper wasn't fazed though, firing off gas canisters from his gun. The gas immediately spread out around and behind their cover. Then, Cooper set them aflame, causing every single Specter or Riflemen caught in the flammable fumes to get burnt to a crisp almost instantaneously. But even as the infantry were scorched to death, there were still a few brave soldiers firing upon BT.
Some of them were lucky enough to be equipped with Charge Rifles as scolding hot rays of plasma shot across the room, before tearing off more and more plating from BT's chassis.
I wasn't just gonna stand there though, I mean, Cooper is getting BT's ass kicked. I dashed around the corner, and held up my vortex shield, catching any stray projectile sent my way. Unluckily for me, vortex shields couldn't quite catch energy-based weaponry, allowing the charge beams to pierce through the shield like butter, before piercing shallowly into my reinforced hull.
After a moment, I let the shield go, sending a wild spread of shrapnel across the room, turning some unlucky Specters into a pile of scrap, and a few Riflemen into a bloody spray on the walls. The room lay silent, not but the sound of the maintenance arms, working away in the background. Cooper trudged around me from behind, Thermite Launcher still pressed to his shoulder. But as he realized everybody was most likely dead already, he let down his cannon, slinging it over his back.
"Thanks, E" Cooper said, sending a quick nod my way.
We trudged on down the bridge, and Cooper gazed upon the mayhem, staring down upon the remains of what used to be a people, now only but smoldering piles of ashes. Soon enough we'd reached the end of the bridge, it parted a little to the left, down a narrow corridor. BT easily fit, with a decent amount of space to move, but I kind of had to sidle down.
This room was a part of the bridge also, with the obvious wire net that gave a clear view of the sinkhole, and a giant storage rack along the back wall. We didn't have to spend much time here though as it soon parted, making a bend around to another tunnel, only illuminated by reddish blaring lights, and I could see why. There were swathes and swathes of Riflemen lined up, each facing straight toward us with their rifles drawn. Oh, I get it now, it's an ambush. I was still stuck between the narrow walls and Cooper had already made his way in, unarmed.
They opened fire as bolts of plasma flew through the air, slamming hard into our chassis. You know? I'm getting really sick of this. Cooper stumbled back in a daze as the Riflemen hammered down on him, he fell to his knees, but yet he wasn't down. He held his hand in front of his datacore, shielding it from harm, and sent out his Acolyte Pods.
As the Acolyte Pods extended from his back, I pulled my pistol free and squeezed out from the ensnaring hallway. I opened fire, sending bolt after bolt down on the Riflemen, sending them flying either way, while Cooper fired a seemingly endless barrage of tracking missiles from his Acolyte Pods, after all was said and done, all that was left was a cloud of smoke. We waited till the dust settled, and there was literally nothing left of them, aside from scorch marks on the walls and floors but the Riflemen? Nothing, not even a strip of fabric was left.
Cooper pushed himself to his feet and pulled the X0-16 Chaingun from his back, cautiously walking forward. The hallway we'd found ourselves in was yet another storage room, many rows of Reapers were lined up on giant storage racks on the right side wall. I trudged on alongside him until the hallway made its end along a railway.
Cooper was just about to make his way onto the tracks, but just a moment before he could step down, a panel shot by, nearly smashing him into a thousand tiny pieces. He stumbled back a bit, slightly taken aback at the sight, but he straightened himself and dashed off the platform, quickly making it across the railway just in the nick of time as another panel flew by.
He turned around, beckoning me across, but the moment he turned away, a ray of L-STAR bolts smashed into his hull. He swiftly turned around with his X0-16 Chaingun raised, and he rushed straight at them, running straight down the ramp at the end of the corridor, before disappearing far down the hall. The only source of him still being there was the ring of heavy caliber bullets firing off and the clatter of their empty shells clattering to the ground.
I waited, as panel after panel shot by, mere inches away from my face. I took a deep breath, sighing as I readied myself to possibly be turned into a flaming pile of scrap metal. here we go...
The moment the next panel shot by, I made a mad dash for it, well, it was more of a mad crouch walk as the ceiling was really far down, severely limiting me. But somehow I didn't die as I toppled onto safety on the other end of the tracks. Just as a panel flew by too. I pushed myself to my feet, and trudged down the slope, keeping an eye out for Cooper on my way down.
As I reached the bottom, I looked round the corner to see Cooper wildly firing off towards a group of Riflemen, each member taking cover behind anything they could get to really, their cover didn't quite save them from BT's Multi-Target Missile System though, as he fired off a missile for each Grunt there. Their screams were cut short as they got turned into a bloody paste on the walls as each missile blew them to smithereens.
I stretched to my full height, as the ceiling in this hallway was actually rather tall, which I wasn't quite used to with these facilities being small and all that. Cooper ran along once more, not even stopping for a moment of rest, his dedication is just... wow. He eventually stopped at the end of the corridor, there were two caution lights mounted on the walls, signifying to be, well, you know, cautious?
Anyways, the track made a small drop, down onto a track, it crossed paths with another track, and giant panels were being sent about these tracks. The panels came down from a massive elevator just a little bit to the right of the track, eventually sloping down to the flat ground just beside it. Cooper didn't hesitate to jump down, quickly dashing off the tracks to the wide-open storage room it connected to.
I followed soon after, making a quick jump off the tracks, the moment I'd fallen to them. Cooper cautiously looked about the room, X0-16 Chaingun pressed strongly down unto his shoulder.
Then, he got hit by multiple streams of plasma, fired from a group of Specters hidden away inside a miniature room of sorts. Cooper immediately whipped around, and fired upon the Specters, easily shredding them like a sawblade to wet cardboard.
The storage room was filled with unactive Reapers, mannequins, and Specters. There were thick concrete pillars scattered about, and multiple live Titan battery cases were lined up against a crate. Cooper quickly made his way to the crates, smashing them apart and robbing the batteries from their cases. He ejected the old batteries from his chassis, before replacing them one by one with the new batteries he'd recently gotten.
As he slotted battery after battery in, his chassis grew less damaged. Somehow the metal started to bond together, and even the paint regrew. It was pretty impressive, to be honest. And after the final battery was slotted in, his chassis shined with a thin barrier, just barely visible along his hull. The moment he tucked the X0-16 Chaingun back into his shoulder, he got hit by multiple streams of plasma, fired from a group of Specters hidden away inside a miniature room of sorts. Cooper immediately whipped around, and fired upon the Specters, easily shredding them like a sawblade to wet cardboard.
But as Cooper was distracted with the light infantry a voice echoed throughout the wide-open room.
"Flight Core: Online"
I snapped to attention, pointing my pistol straight at the voice, only to be met with a face full of rockets. Each one impacted my visor, slowly but surely cracking it open. And just as the final missile impacted my visor, it shattered, raining a shower of element shards to the ground, the golden key clattering down to the ground along with it.
My vision had significantly blurred, not without my visor filtering out everything. So is this what visually impaired people see? I slung my sword from my back and charged the Titan, it shot a barrage of missiles from its quad launcher, but I let them patter uselessly against my blade as I brought it to my face. He may have just realized that he may have fucked up as he turned tail and fled as fast as his thrusters could carry him. Yet his flight core betrayed him as it was known for being slow as fuck.
I slashed my sword down at the hovering figure, the blade tore through its chassis only stopping as it reached the hatch. Most definitely killing the pilot in the process. The Titan lay limp, hanging off the edge of my blade, it lay there for only but a moment before self-destructing, sending shrapnel just about everywhere. I sheathed my sword once more, before looking back to Cooper, or, what I guessed was Cooper. After all, I couldn't see for Jackshit.
Just as it exploded, I got hit in the back of the head by a stray cannon shell. I turned around, pistol raised, there was an outline of a Titan, but it wasn't there for long as Cooper tackled the Titan to the ground. Cooper pummeled the Titan's face in, over and over, before stabbing his X0-16 Chaingun right into the hatch, and punching a hole through its face with the rattle of his Chaingun. He pulled the Chaingun free and looked over at me.
"You alright E?" He said.
"Negative... Ocular systems: damaged" I replied.
"Anything we can do about it?" Jack asked.
"Negative, you will have to wait until my Self-Repair systems deal with the issue," I said.
"You have that?" He said, slightly surprised.
"Affirmative" I replied.
"Cooper, we do not have time for this"
"I'll have to catch up on that later then..." Jack replied, turning round and waving me over, well, I guessed he did. Primarily because, I couldn't see for shit, but you know that already.
Phew!
As he trudged away, I quickly walked up to the unmistakable shine of the golden key, before slotting it back in my visor, whatever was left of it at least. And I trudged on after Cooper, hoping he wouldn't bring up the key later if he even saw it that is. The key jingled around loosely, not quite held in place by my visor anymore, but it didn't immediately fall out so that's a plus in my book.
As we rounded a corner we immediately took fire. Three titans were lined up at the very end of the hall, firing off missiles and cannon shells toward the both of us. Just can't ever catch a break, can I?
I shielded my open visor, and randomly fired off in their direction, my pistol continued to fire bolt after bolt each exploding off in the distance all while I still took fire. Cooper helped as he took cover behind me, he'd switched from his X0-16 Chaingun to what I guessed was his 40mm Tracker Cannon and he was firing off shells toward the titans, firing off the odd pocket of missiles as it locked onto the Titans he shot at.
Sooner enough my pistol overheated, and slots on the side of the gun shot out, releasing an ungodly amount of steam as my arms started overheating, the hexagonal metal beneath my plating glowing red hot. I'd have to let Cooper finish this off. I holstered my pistol to my side, and held up my Vortex shield, providing Cooper with just a little bit of cover.
Cooper continued to shoot at the Titans as they shot back, most of their projectiles being caught within my shield. I could see through the gaps in my fingers that their vents were now jetting with flames as their chassis grew more and more damaged. I decided to finish the job letting Cooper save some of the seemingly endless ammo he had. I let go of the shield, sending their built-up projectiles straight back at them. Missiles and Cannon shells all tore into each and every one of them, causing them to simultaneously self-destruct, leaving only the thin, damaged legs of their Titans behind.
Cooper trudged on ahead, 40mm Tracker Cannon now lowered as the Titans exploded. I followed behind him, focusing primarily on him to lead the way, as my Self-Repair systems kicked in, slowly but steadily bonding my hull back together, and slowly building my visor back up. Cooper walked up the ramp, and through the massive gate at the end of the hallway.
I crouched down as I walked into the gateway, at the very end there was a rack of weapons. A blocky one at most, Cooper reached over and pulled one free from the rack, he slotted the Tracker Cannon back over his back and looked over his new gun. Before hurrying along. We both emerged from the end of the tunnel, onto a decently sized platform. Yet it didn't lead anywhere at all, just to a bottomless pit of nothingness.
The only notable things that were here were two giant outlines of maintenance arms, both the maintenance arms went up and down the track, carrying around an assortment of crates and pipes.
"Pilot, this loading dock's cargo lift offers a shortcut through the facility. Check your HUD for the control panel."
"Another shortcut?" Jack asked
"Trust me"
Cooper disembarked from BT, sliding out of his cockpit and walking down a pathway before double jumping across a pit and into a room of sorts. Which I supposed was the control room.
I heard the sounds of gunshots echoing from the room before I saw the unmistakable glow of Cooper's helmet visor through the glass of the control room window. He pressed down on something which I guess was a tablet before a voice rang out through the facility.
"Cargo lift activated"
The light from Cooper's visor disappeared as he ran back to the lift, but yet, he wasn't fast enough for what happened next. Both the maintenance arms came up the track, I didn't think much of it at first, that was until they clamped down on the two of us. It caught me between my sword and my back, stopping me from pulling it out and slicing the arms to pieces. It was also big enough to stop me from reaching down for my pistol, so BT and I were well and truly stuck.
"Pilot, I require assistance"
"Warning. Warning. Unauthorized Titans detected in Loading Dock 13" "Transferring Titans to Asset Reassignment."
BT fired wildly from his Quad Launcher, but to no avail, his acolyte pods shot up, firing swathes of missiles out, but without a live target, they shot off wildly into the distance, before exploding against the facility walls.
"Ash to Kappa Three. I have located a security breach. Loading Dock 13, over"
"Roger. Kappa Three en route, out."
"Pilot, I cannot free myself... Cooper..."
BT slammed down on the arm, slightly knocking it off course, but it steadied itself. Cooper quickly rushed over to a platform connected to the docking bay, pressing down on a tablet and following us down. The platform descended just below the track the Maintenance arms followed.
"Pilot... Pilot, we need assistance"
The arms carried us down a track, past a platform overlooking us. There was a group of Riflemen staring in amusement as we struggled to free ourselves.
"Looks like the automated security in this place has picked up a Titan." One of them joked
"Less work for us." One shrugged.
The Maintenance arms brought us down a track Cooper couldn't follow so easily, so I had no idea what happened next, all I could do was hope he didn't die. Like usual. I ripped the key from my open visor and brought it down on the arm, over and over. For some reason, the key didn't dent, but neither did the arm. It only shook about before righting itself and carrying us further down into the facility.
"Cooper... If you need us. We are being taken to this facilities sub-station"
"How do I get to you two?" Jack asked.
"You must follow the pipes to a lower level." "...Warning. Losing contact."
Then all feed from Cooper's helmet cut out. All the audio and the vision I couldn't see just disconnected as we grew too far from Cooper. We continued to relent down on the arms, over and over. Continuing to stab and smash down on the arm like there was no tomorrow, which there probably would be if we ended up in the sub-station.
We passed by multiple levels of the factory, passing by multiple IMC Riflemen and Specters, the Riflemen decided to have a little joke and taunt us a little, laughing and making rude gestures, I made sure to send a couple of missiles their way, don't worry, I made sure they didn't lock on. But as we got taken about through the facility, Cooper's feed slowly connected, as he got closer and closer. BT and I took advantage of this as fast as possible
"I can see IMC infantry scattered throughout this facility. Be careful, Pilot"
"Cooper, good luck" I added.
Though Cooper's helm didn't quite disconnect this time, I guess maybe it was because of how wide open the facility was. I mean it was massive you could probably fit Godzilla down here if he was real. I then listened in on Cooper's feed, and eventually, something came up on his radio.
"Blisk, this is Ash. I have a Vanguard-class Titan and another unknown model. What would you like me to do with them?"
"I don't bloody care. Destroy them. What about their Pilots?"
"He is being dealt with" "This facility was built to kill. I'm sure I can take advantage of that fact if I have to"
"Ash, that place is not your bloody playground!" "I'm not paying you to be clever!" "You scuttle that place if you have to, eh? Blisk out."
The arms twisted and turned their way through the facility, eventually taking us both down a common line with plenty of other random items.
"Pilot, we are being taken down an assembly line. There may be a common exit. I recommend you follow the flow of the platforms"
The arms wildly swung about as they rounded corners, and I'd nearly been crushed once or twice by passing walls or low-hanging ceilings.
"Pilot. This facility is extremely dangerous, watch for crushing hazards along the assembly line"
As BT and I made our way along the assembly line, we passed by many arms constructing what seemed to be houses and rooms. Didn't know this factory made entire houses for people. Or maybe they made it for test maps that multiple Pilots could use in a one-on-one lethal battlefield, but hey? What do I know? I'm just a guy lucky enough to be reincarnated as a giant robot.
"We are being taken through an area stocked with prefabricated structures. We are not far apart. Keep moving."
"What the hell are they building here, BT?" Cooper asked,
"Unknown, but I doubt the IMC are mass-producing homes. They usually destroy them" Well said BT.
We were sent farther and farther through the facility. Man am I lucky to get a full tour for free! Just kidding, I am not enjoying this.
We were sent all about the facility, passing by multiple platforms, with many different arms carrying many different pieces of prebuilt housing, and well, us of course. As well as crushers, grinders, smelters, and all sorts of manipulator arms. And as we were sent flying about the facility, BT decided to speak up once more, slightly dulling the relentless hammering he was raining down on the arm that kept him suspended.
"Pilot... Pilot, are you alright?"
"Barely, that was a meat grinder. Are you two okay?" Cooper responded.
"We are undamaged... however I do not believe this is a food processing plant"
"With my luck, this place is going to turn itself inside out," Cooper remarked
"Or upside down considering the circumstances"
Moments later, somebody spoke over the intercoms, and it was non-other than Ash herself, or themselves, I dunno they're a robot and they sound feminine.
"I see you, Pilot." "I admire your perseverance, if only the IMC infantry were as dedicated... There is only one way out Pilot. Up" That would've made more sense if I could see what Cooper was seeing, but all I'm seeing is a whole fuck ton of blurry machinery and dark rocky walls. And from what I remember, which is not a lot I remind you, is probably that shitty parkour thing, I did not like that portion of the level one bit.
"Pilot, scans indicate the dome above you is your best course of action to find an exit. I recommend getting there by any means necessary"
I listened in on Cooper's comms, as I heard his Jump Pack boosting him about, and the sounds of him running along throughout the parkour course. It wasn't very interesting without a video feed though, man Titans have way more accessibility to everything than Meks. It makes sense though, this suit was entirely made to fight off massive corrupted creatures, whereas Titans are made for warfare, so they need a lot more functions to properly communicate with one another, I don't see how air conditioning comes into play though.
"The dome is still waiting" "Rest assured I will not execute you summarily" "You have my word"
I listened in once more after Ash finished, Cooper ran about, boosting now and again till I guessed he finished the course as a loud voice played over his radio.
"Simulation Dome Scenario activated. Resetting terrain"
"Impressive Pilot, you made it all this way alive." "Unfortunately for you, there is only one way out." "Step onto a moving platform."
After she said that, the sound of moving gears and the clamp of a manipulator arm echoed from his comms, before the sound of him walking out onto what I could only assume was said moving platform.
"Well done Pilot, I will take it from here"
The sounds of hydraulics and the clang of steel shifting together rang out from Cooper's radio, followed by the sound of things slotting together, one by one. Until eventually a voice rang out once more.
"Loading Scenario one two-seven in Dynamic Simulation Dome three-one-four"
Just a moment after the voice finished talking, the sound of lights powering down echoed lightly from Cooper's comms.
"Now- let's see how impressive you truly are."
It was followed by the eerie sounds of lights flickering on one by one, and the whir of servos and pistons.
"Delivering Militia test subjects"
Alarms blared and eventually, some voices could be heard, though not robotic this time.
"It's another test. Arm up!"
"We barely survived the last one!"
"Shut up and grab a gun!"
I heard Cooper running over, to what I assumed were the Riflemen test subjects.
"Look a Pilot! Now the odds are in our favor"
"Nothing about this is in our favor. Aim sharp!"
I heard the sounds of heavy weaponry being equipped by multiple people, perhaps including Cooper.
"Scenario one-two-seven complete"
"Let us begin... Deploying Specters."
Then the sounds of dropping pods ensued. With the sounds of gunfire following, energy-based and non-energy based.
"Pilot, your heart rate is accelerating. Are you in distress?"
"You could say that!" Cooper replied, as the sounds of bullets ricocheting echoed from his mic.
"Your heart rate is exceeding 170 beats per minute. If possible, you should find a place to rest." Goddamit BT
"Also, focus on not dying Pilot" I added,
Just after I said that a voice rang out once more, not human this time, but robotic. Which may even the odds in favor of the IMC
"Initiating IMC Reaper Test Program"
Alarms blared over the sounds of gunfire, as A Reaper was deployed into the battlefield.
"What the hell is that?!"
"A Reaper! Shoot it!"
"Look out!"
Cooper opened fire, seemingly with a new gun this time, it wasn't the usual old patter of his old rifle, but now the new fizzle of an L-STAR. Good lad, choose the overpowered gun. Explosions rang out as the Riflemen threw Frags at it, slowly but surely ripping the Reaper to shreds.
BT stopped attacking the arm once more, laying there still for only but a moment, before springing back to life, attacking the thing once more.
"Pilot-to-Titan video feed reestablished. Cooper, the houses contain weapon caches, I saw them being loaded on the assembly line."
"Your tactics are impressive. I'm sure the IMC won't mind if I deploy a few more units"
"Deploying additional Reaper to test scenario"
Don't get your ass killed Cooper...
Once more, alarms blared as another Reaper was added to the test.
"The IMC really ought to thank me for helping make the Reaper more effective. Perhaps I'll have to renegotiate my contract"
Cooper continued to fire more and more upon the Reapers, the sounds of bullets panging against the Reaper's thin, measly hull.
"How strange... This is taking longer than expected. You should have died by now." I could actually hear her voice properly now, as she'd switched over to the radio we shared. "Kappa One, report to Dome 3-1-4 immediately. Objective, destroy the Militia Pilot. How copy? over."
"Solid copy. Proceeding to dome 3-1-4. Out." "Kappa One in position. Awaiting orders to proceed- over."
Things went silent before Ash switched back to the intercom.
"I admire your perseverance, but its time to end this"
"Kappa One, eliminate the Militia Pilot. You are cleared to engage."
"Opening the door! Squad, prepare for dome breach!"
The sounds of explosions rang out, before the overwhelming sounds of multiple heavy rifles firing entered the comms.
"Pilot Cooper, are you alright?"
"I think I pissed her off, BT."
"You will have to explain that expression later. Get out of there while you can. I have detected an opening in the outer wall. Marking your HUD."
Once more, the sounds of an L-STAR rang out as Cooper powered through the enemy infantry, followed by the pained screams of Riflemen as they got torn apart by the scolding hot bolts of plasma the L-STAR fired. Eventually, Cooper managed to escape, signified by Ash hopping back on the intercoms.
"As I should have expected, the IMC infantry clearly lack your resolve." "Perhaps I have no choice but to step in personally." "A rare miscalculation on my part"
Then, she stepped away. Shutting off the intercoms once more. Leaving us in momentary silence. Leaving us with nothing to do but struggle free from the grasp of the manipulator arms. I continued to repeatedly punch against the steel of the arm, slowly but surely denting the thing more and more as it struggled with the upkeep of its own stability.
But eventually, someone appeared back on our comms,
"Ash, tell me you killed that Pilot"
"I am dealing with him."
"Stop getting caught up in your games."
"Am I not allowed to enjoy myself while I work?"
"Not when your work suffers."
"Point taken. Ash out."
"Don't worry- with the price I'm putting on his head, you can buy all the toys you want."
All was silent for a moment before a voice rang out through the entire facility.
"Sector Four Charlie. Detonate charges 21 through 29"
Just half a second after that announcement finished, multiple explosions tore apart the facility around us, loosening the arms that once held us tight in their grasp.
"To all IMC personnel- this is Ash" "I am sorry to report, due to your inability to contain the security breach..." "I have been forced to scuttle the entire complex." "Some of you may consider this overkill. It is" "I suggest you evacuate immediately"
BT and I struggled free from the manipulator arms, easily tearing apart their slack jaws and swinging ourselves through a massive opening through one of the many domes, falling down onto the solid ground of the dome, and luckily not falling into an endless pit of despair. Yet the solid ground we made it to, was brimming with Ticks and Titans. Well fuck. My visor had been fixed by now, giving me my complete 20/20 vision back. I shut it down momentarily, slotting the golden key within before flipping it back on, pulling my sword from my back, and the pistol from my hip. I raised both weapons and pointed them at the advancing enemies. Bring it on...
"Pilot. I do not know what you did but a series of explosions just weakened the manipulator arms. E-0001 and I have broken free." "This place is falling apart. I suggest we leave. You are not far from my location. Marking your HUD"
We were being shot at from most angles, whether it be from a Specter or a Titan, BT and I, huddled up and made sure to cover one another's back. I fired upon groups of Specters and shot Ticks from outta the sky as they leaped from building to building with my Missiles. Some Titans made their advances, mainly a Ronin-class Titan, Northstar-class Titan, and a Brute-class Titan. And just as they started approaching, Cooper made his way in through the massive hole in the dome that we'd entered from.
"This is a highly dangerous environment. I suggest you embark Pilot." "I detect an exit beyond this dome. Check your HUD."
Cooper ran up to BT, jumping up to him before BT caught him in his free hand, gently placing him in his cockpit.
With Cooper in control, we advanced toward the enemy, Cooper focused on the Brute while I made my way to deal with the Ronin, We'd focus on the Northstar once the advancing party has been dealt with. I brandished my Cleaver to the Ronin, he pulled his broadsword from his back, holding it in front of his face all anime-like.
"So you wanna sword fight eh? Well, come on them." He said, taunting me.
I charged him with my cleaver raised, and I slashed it down at the Ronin, he dashed out of the way, before pulling out his Leadwall and shooting me straight in the face. I thought we were having a sword fight?! WELL THEN, TIME TO GET FUCKED RONIN. I activated my Wasp Missiles, each missile firing in unison toward the Titan, he brought his broad sword up, as the missiles impacted him. Some of the damage was negated, but yet there was still so much damage caused.
They almost immediately made him crumple like a wet paper towel, because, let's be honest. That's one of the downsides of maining a Ronin. Anyways, he fell to his knees, propping himself up with his broadsword. Just as I was about to stab my sword through his cockpit he disappeared, only but a cloud of weird gooey particle shit floating around.
I was a little confused, till he appeared behind me. How do I know you ask? Well, he hit me with an Arc Wave. My vision fizzled as it passed through me, but aside from that it didn't 'phase' me much. I swirled around and fired multiple bolts from my gun, he brought up his sword, but it was of no use, as they pierced right through the blade, snapping it in half, and killing the Pilot as the Titan exploded.
I turned around, looking to see how Cooper was holding up. He was currently showing that Brute who was boss, he was using his Quad Launcher now. Sending missiles in every direction, mainly toward the Titan. He wasn't liking it too much as he got an ass whooping from the missiles, each explosion tearing off more and more plating every time.
Eventually, the Titan grew weak. And Cooper took advantage of that, rushing up to the Doomed Titan. He punched the Titan, square in the hatch, before sending a flying knee its way. It fell back, nearly dead, and Cooper stomped down on the Hatch, caving it in. Finally ending the Titan.
He tucked the Quad Launcher back into his shoulder preparing himself for the next battle. That being the Northstar. I ran up to it as it was a little too busy on Cooper at the moment, and I grabbed hold of its arms, holding it in place. It tried to escape with its hover utility, but yet that only injured it further, weakening the bonds to its shoulders.
I threw it down the natural flight of stairs it was perched atop, and it fell down each gruesome step, breaking apart its chassis more and more, Till it reached the bottom, where Cooper was waiting for it.
He slotted the Quad Launcher back on his back, before switching out for the T-203 Thermite Launcher. As he swapped out his primary weapon, so did he swap out the utilities. He walked up to the weakened Titan and sent it a face full of Thermal Shield. Melting through the hatch frame and scorching to a crisp almost instantly.
"Good job Pilot," I said.
"You too" He replied.
We ran up the stairs and continued along our path, with our weapons at the ready. We reached a short tunnel that I had to crawl through, but it didn't last for long as I emerged momentarily afterward. At the end of the tunnel there was a long trail, and there was an enemy Tone, currently getting mauled by a pack of Lizard Cat Dog things, man I need a better name for those.
Cooper shot a gas canister down, before setting it aflame. The gas spread out and caught every single beast, including the Titan. It scorched the beasts dead and caused the Tone to self-destruct, all with one gas canister.
We continued up the trail, as satchels exploded around us, slowly but surely caving in the ceiling as chunks of stone fell all around us. The trail continued onto a flaming bridge, there were stray Specters and Reapers about, each attacking groups of Prowlers that'd broken free from containment as the Facility shut down. I didn't have time to deal with them so I turned them all into but a pile of dead robots and creatures as I shot bolt after bolt into the group.
We continued down the path, and eventually, the bridge reached a completely broken dome, with flaming buildings and piles of rubble scattered about everywhere. And as we reached the town, we heard the sounds of light footsteps from afar. And on the other side of the town emerged Ash, from out of a tunnel on the other end in her Ronin-class Titan.
She brandished her sword before popping open the hatch.
"Blisk has put a high price on your head, Pilot. Dead or Alive, that makes you worth something to me."
She closed the hatch, slotting the sword onto the side of her Titan before Phase Dashing right in front of us. Cooper was the first to react, shooting a Thermite straight at her which she easily blocked with her sword which she pulled from her Titan within a second. She backed away, pulling the Leadwall from her back, and firing upon us. With swathes of Riflemen emerging from basically everywhere to assist her.
I rushed her and swung my blade down where she once was, yet she easily dodged sending red hot lead right into my visor. I switched tactics pulling out my pistol and firing bolt after bolt toward her. She gracefully dodged every one of them, then sent an Arc Wave my way, this was much more powerful than the regular Ronin's Arc Wave as I actually felt something this time.
My artificial muscles ached and my vision spazzed out, giving her adequate time to do as much damage as possible. She fired upon me with her Leadwall, focusing on my weak spots with each pellet. That was until Cooper came to the rescue, darting around a corner and catching her off guard. He had switched to his 40mm and sent shell after shell toward her. She ended up in a daze as he sent a cluster of tracking missiles, as each one impacted her hatch. But now it was my turn for revenge, I know this Ronin is gonna have some serious durability to its name, so I might just go all out.
My core was completely full and ready to be used. The core symbol was that of a core (duh) But with three bolts of deep purple lightning surging into it. I flicked it on and it felt amazing. I felt stronger, faster, and smarter, time seemed to slow significantly and the cyan 'veins' on my body had swapped out with that of a bright purple. And the blade on my cleaver had turned a dark purple, with a serrated flame dancing along the extraordinarily sharp edge.
Ash seemed so slow now, as she slowly picked herself up from the ground, the shells that Cooper was firing were actually rather slow too. I could actively watch the cannon shell fly, without only catching but a glimpse, I could probably catch it if I wanted to. But enough of this, I got a robot to kill.
I ran up to Ash, and quickly brought my sword down, somehow she'd managed to bring her sword up and block mine, even when I moved so much faster than her, yet that didn't stop me, I kept slashing my sword down, each hit making her grow weaker and weaker until I finally brought my sword down and tore off her Titan's arm. Without anything to defend her from my attacks, she resorted to Phasing away. Before Teleporting behind me shortly with her Leadwall equipped.
She fired a round at me, but they simply bounced off with no effect. I then just brought my sword down, like a chainsaw, it just ate away through Ash's hull, digging deeper and deeper till it completely tore her Titan in half. And just as the sword sliced through her Titan, the effect wore off. Time sped back up and I returned to my normal self. Yet something deep down had changed, just ever so slightly.
Ash lay there dead, burning away alongside her dead Titan.
"Security Lockdown disengaged. Surface access is authorized."
"Pilot, the security lockdown has been disengaged. I recommend we leave through the tunnel"
Cooper nodded, as we both made a mad dash for the exit, as the facility crumbled apart, more and more. We didn't even bother with the remaining Riflemen, but still, I wouldn't have done anything to them in the first place. The tunnel made a slow turn, before leading out into the great outdoors, into the sunlight. We rushed outside, and I simply took in the view.
"I have concluded that we should take no further shortcuts"
LET THE EDMUNDIUM SURGE! Ok, forget about that, it's a reference to the core, if any of all you Titanfall guys didn't get the reference. And boom, there's your chapter on my least favorite mission in the game. I may or may not have triggered a few Northstar mains and a few Ronin mains, and I send you my deepest apologies that your titans have the durability of a soggy paper towel.
8000 Words... That's a new record! Thank you for reading dear viewer and thank you to nobody in the Riftiverse discord for reading this, except that one guy who followed the story. If you're reading this, thanks for following. It really boosted my morale. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter, please give your feedback if you want to, I don't really mind. And have a very nice rest of your day! or night, if that's when you're reading this.
To the guy who reviewed the story about 4 hours ago, thanks for that. I was kinda going for a custom story arc, but then I was like, ahh fuck it, and brought in the big guy that you all know and love.
