Mission 7: Attack the Dam Complex
621 opened her eyes, blinded by the strange array of lights above her. Her eyes slowly adjusted as she blinked, barely making out the darkened corners of the room. She tried to shield her eyes, only to meet heavy resistance.
She was strapped down to whatever hard surface she was laying on. She tried to look down at herself, only to find that even her head was completely immobilized. A heavy weight held her neck down as various clasps pinched her cheeks and temples. She tried to kick, only for restraints similar to those on her arms to lock her in place. She wanted to growl, only to find that her entire head underneath her nose was sealed by some sort of strange wrapping.
"Is this the subject for our next experiment?" a voice asked from within the room. 621's eyes widened.
"Yes. Their papers say they were a mercenary," a second voice answered. "Deemed problematic. Removed from duty."
"Ah. So they took the usual route here," the first voice said.
"Seems to have amassed quite a debt as well," the second voice said.
"Must have dashed their dreams," the first voice said. "But no matter. They will be reborn with this experiment."
"That is, if they live," the second voice said.
"Hmm. You have a point there," the first voice said.
A series of electronic beeping went off above 621, prompting the massive lights to focus directly on her face. The blinding light only lasted for a moment as a swarm of mechanical arms descended from behind her, clouding her vision as they shifted erratically before her.
"Let's get started," the first voice continued.
621 screamed, lurching forward in her bed. Pain shot through her abdomen, her yell devolving into pained groans as she collapsed backwards. Clutching her abdomen, she felt an IV drip tug lightly against her, her head sinking into the pillow as she shut her eyes and hissed.
The strange arrangement of lights flashed in her mind once again. The mechanical arms began lining themselves up in a wide array over her face and forehead. The leading arm slowly approached her forehead.
"621," Handler Walter said.
She felt his hand on her shoulder. The firm grip slowed her writhing and presented a new sensation to focus on as the stinging pain slowly began to ease. Slowing her breaths, 621 slowly relaxed, letting her senses dull as she laid back into the bed. The vision in her mind faded away into the ambient lighting of reality as she caught her bearings.
She was laying on a proper medical bed. There were a few IVs hooked into her arms. Handler Walter was next to her. She was injured, but safe.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Dim lighting and the slightest hint of shaking immediately revealed that she was on Handler Walter's transport, residing in a room she was unfamiliar with. Glancing around at the hospital-like arrangement of the area and the heavy-duty restoration chamber occupying the other half of the room, she presumed it was a makeshift medical bay of some sort. Notably, she saw the restoration chamber's access-panel displaying the 'cleaning' symbol, indicating that she must have recently been inside of it.
Vaguely recalling the full extent of the injuries she had taken during her last sortie, she took a deep breath. Considering that her violent return to consciousness had only resulted in immense pain rather than torn skin and heavy bleeding, it was obvious she underwent extensive emergency care. The feeling of weakness suddenly plaguing her now made much more sense as she recalled the side effects of heightened regeneration on humans. Her gnawing thirst and hunger were now a great comfort; her stomach didn't shut down, meaning there would be no need for a follow-up removal operation.
"... Handler," 621 said, slowly shifting her gaze to the man. He relaxed his grip on her shoulder, but kept his hand on her as he sat hunched on a small chair likely intended for a doctor rather than a visitor. "... Did I… fail?"
"No," Handler Walter said. "I sorted things out with the Liberation Front. We recovered footage from the wrecks of both the STRIDER and your AC. When they saw what happened to their ship and how you fought the machines that attacked it, they paid us in full. The mission was a success."
621 sighed. They weren't going to blame her for what happened. Not this time.
"About those machines you fought… I've asked a friend to look into them," Handler Walter said. "Your job now is to focus on getting some rest."
"Only… rest?" 621 asked.
Handler Walter sighed. "Before we took that request from the Liberation Front, I had already organized another job for you. It'll be an in-person briefing, set a few days from now," he said. "You'll be meeting the leader of the Redguns, Gun 1 Michigan. It's a perfect opportunity to establish a name for yourself with Balam… but if your injuries are more serious than we anticipated, I'll call it off."
"No… can pilot… tomorrow…" 621 began, only to fall silent as Handler Walter shook his head.
"Don't undervalue yourself, 621," Handler Walter said. "Your reputation means nothing without you."
"...Will… try," 621 said.
Handler Walter nodded, finally leaning back and removing his hand from her shoulder. "Good. I'll have the medical staff monitor you for now. Rest up, and remember to tell people if you need anything," he said.
As Handler Walter stood up, 621 called out. "Hung… hungry… and thirst…"
Handler Walter nodded, reaching into his overcoat and producing a small radio. Clicking a button, he spoke into it. "621 is awake. She wants food and drink."
At that, he left, leaving 621 to recover on her own. The day passed as uneventfully as she expected a day drifting in and out of consciousness on a bed would be, with 621 receiving bland nutrient mulch and water laced with supplements. Thankful for dreamless sleep, time passed without much notice,
After spending roughly 28 hours resting on the bed according to the person who deemed her fit for purpose, 621 spent the next day confirming the extent of her recovery. While confirming her physical recovery was simple enough, she also found herself presented with an unusual choice.
"Your pilot suit was irreparably damaged," Handler Walter said as he handed her a datapad. "Pick something new."
621 nodded, beginning to scroll through the options present. She paused after looking at the first few, confused by the options she was presented with. "... What are…?" she asked.
"You're starting to become famous. Occasionally, you'll have to attend in-person briefings," Handler Walter said. "There's a degree of personal branding attached to what a pilot wears. Your previous outfit was simple - it showed the world you were my Hound. We'll need to show that you're more than just that if we want the corporations to understand your worth."
"... What should… show?" 621 asked.
"Who you really are," Handler Walter said. 621 tilted her head, unsure of how to take that, before he added, "Or who you want to be."
Taking another day to fully consider her options, 621 eventually decided on her new look. There was no getting around the basic Fourth Gen bodysuit as a base; she needed that to connect with her AC in general, and the various resistances to the strain of high-intensity piloting were always beneficial regardless of augmentation. She could have taken the usual black, but opted to try a more unique white one with purple lining, building the rest of her outfit around that base.
Deciding upon her outerwear was a strange task, as she wasn't given the option of a semi-armored oversuit like the one she landed on Rubicon with. Thinking it was likely due to the fact that she would not be expected to partake in ground combat as her piloting reputation grew, she ultimately decided on a mixture of comfort and presentability. Taking some inspiration from Handler Walter's own choice of attire, she chose a loose-fitting sherpa-lined hoodie with multiple inner straps that could tighten it into something resembling one of his many overcoats. However, she deviated from his style with her color choice.
Bright pink had never been an option for as long as 621 could remember. Even in her vague recollection of life from before she had ever become a pilot, she could never recall seeing such a vibrant color before. It stood out so vividly among the plethora of darker choices that she could imagine having seen and not even registered countless times.
She was referred to by a serial number, C4-621.
She would not be seen as a serial number.
With her upper body sufficiently covered, she moved on to her outer pants. There were options she was less familiar with, like jeans or formal wear, but she couldn't tear herself away from a particular style of pants that looked absolutely luxurious. Baggy cargo pants. Taken by how she imagined those pants might look while she lounged lazily with her jacket open, she decided to go with a beige set and snagged a purple belt to go with it.
Finally, she was given complete freedom to choose the styling of her footwear, an odd luxury given that she had fully expected standard military boots as the only real options available. She looked over a few odd ones, like semi-formal shoes that looked something like what Handler Walter wore, and rather odd looking sneakers, before thinking about what was required when piloting. Boots ultimately made the most sense, but she wanted to avoid the standard options. Ultimately, she found some velcro boots that sported the same purple as her belt and inner suit's lining, accentuated by white and gray padding that lined its soles and bottom.
When her clothing finally arrived, 621 inspected her new garments with Handler Walter and added the finishing touches. Mimicking the usual army jacket style, she patched Handler Walter's emblem onto the left shoulder of her hoodie, marking her as his Hound. She then added a much larger stitch onto the back of her hoodie, centering the recovered emblem for Raven on its back. Once finished, she modeled the outfit in front of a large mirror Handler Walter had brought into his office, giddily examining just how loose parts of her outfit were before asking the question that slowly grew in the back of her mind.
Turning to face Handler Walter, she spoke. "You like?"
Handler Walter said nothing, seemingly taking some time to more closely examine her. For a brief moment, 621 feared he may have been scrutinizing her, but his eyes appeared more curious than judgmental. She could tell by his posture that no matter what his appraisal of her choices were, it wouldn't be harsh.
"... If I had known you'd liked brighter colors, I would have asked them to paint your replacement AC parts," Handler Walter said. "That drab gray doesn't match your new look. I'll speak with the maintenance crew about it."
621 gave a nod. She had barely looked at her replacement AC during her recovery, but she registered the machine as something almost identical to what she used before.
"As for the clothing… It stands out well. Functional, too. You've got better fashion sense than I expected," Handler Walter continued.
621's face lit-up at that. She let out a delighted squeal, tugging at her fluffy hood and pulling it over her messy black hair. The bright lining silhouetted her head perfectly, hazel eyes peeking out of the comfortable window she had created with pure joy. Turning back to Handler Walter, she couldn't help but smile wider than she had in a long time.
A few days later, 621 stepped out of the transport's hangar and onto a snowy airstrip alongside Handler Walter, the man wearing a heavy gray overcoat with black fur lining its collar and hood above the usual business-like attire she was used to him wearing. They emerged onto the airfield of a decrepit military base, currently being patrolled by a squad of MTs and armored vehicles. 621 paid them no mind, instead more focused on the larger airship that covered the majority of the airfield. Armed with dozens of artillery cannons and missile launchers, 621 thought such a machine could make quick work of the very base she was on if unopposed by an AC. She took note of the massive red mark covering the side of the ship, a stylized assault rifle pointing out the name of the ship's owners: Balam Redguns.
She didn't have time to properly assess the ship's armaments as Handler Walter ushered her into the base proper after speaking with a few soldiers dressed in heavy combat attire near the entrance. Stepping out of the cold, they both removed their hoods upon entry at the request of the two escorts awaiting them, dressed in lighter military fatigues but clearly just as well-armed as the ones who awaited them outside.
The inside of the base was by no means warm, with most of the heat emanating from sporadically placed generators to power what little non-defunct equipment remained in the building and body heat. Despite how the building looked from the outside, it seemed that only a portion of it was being occupied, making most of the rooms 621 and Handler Walter passed by appear overly cramped. 621 heard all kinds of strange shouting coming from some of the rooms, ranging from curses strewn together in odd fashion to raucous laughter about things like debt and virginity.
Luckily, 621 was spared from needing to navigate any such room, instead proceeding to the end of the hallway they entered to find a large door that bore the same emblem as the ship, proudly displaying 'Balam Redguns' at a crooked angle indicative of the decal being forcibly slapped onto the door. One of their escorts walked past them, inputting a code into a terminal next to the door.
"We'll be meeting the Redguns face-to-face. Don't let them intimidate you," Handler Walter said.
"Mmhm," 621 said as the door opened.
"Commander Michigan, sir! Handler Walter and independent mercenary Raven, arriving for Galia Dam Assault debriefing!" the woman who opened the door yelled. 621 didn't think that level of energy was needed for opening a door.
"Clear and concise as always, Krystal. Send em' in!" an equally energetic, but much more commanding voice, ordered from within.
"Sir, yes sir!" Krystal yelled. She gave a full salute before pivoting on her heels, taking a step back to clear the way for Handler Walter and 621 before gesturing with her right arm to proceed forward. Handler Walter nodded and advanced, prompting 621 to do the same and quickly follow. Once she was through, the door quickly closed behind her.
Taking in her surroundings, 621 recognized the area as a somewhat functioning command center. The monitors and machines lining the wings of the room were non-functional, but the main projector base in the center was fully operational, along with the large main monitor at the back. Despite the grandeur of the room, 621's attention was inexorably drawn to the lone person inside.
Sitting at what would have been the commander's chair with his boots propped up onto the main console, a large man with wavy brown hair exhaled the largest puff of smoke 621 had ever seen come from a human, the massive cigar balanced in his gloved hands nearly finished. Once the smoke cleared, the man slammed his boots down onto the ground, the weight of them causing a loud bang that almost shook the room as he pressed a button. Leaning forwards with his stubbled chin leading the way, he spoke into a microphone.
"Gun 4 and Gun 5, our guests have arrived! Hurry up and get in here!" the man yelled. Once finished, he swiveled in his seat and stood up to his full height, letting 621 get a proper look at him.
Golden aviator goggles sat perched atop the man's head like a crown, warped reflections of the room's various light sources dancing along them like dazzling jewels as he stepped forward. A thick dark yellow bomber jacket with black lining hung open over a dark green flight suit, sporting the logo for Balam Industries on the right arm and what was clearly the distinct decal for the Balam Redguns on the left. The front of the jacket bore a symbol in place of where shirt pockets might have been, one being a disjointed red-diamond with 'G1' written in white near it and the other being the same diamond with a strange blue animal with some kind of weapon for a tail. Despite wearing a flight suit, the man's musculature was clearly apparent, with even the sleeves of the bomber jacket almost appearing tight. The black military fatigues and boots he wore rounded out the man's outfit, giving him a downright imposing appearance as he stood even taller than Handler Walter.
"Gun 1 Michigan. Looks like the Redguns are finally done setting up," Handler Walter said. 621 noted that the 'G1' probably indicated Gun 1, some kind of ranking for the Redguns.
"If our logistics crew didn't forget how calculators worked, we'd have been ready a week ago. Lucky for us, we got ourselves a resident mathematician to sort out their numbers problem," Michigan said. He shifted his attention to 621, who was still examining him. "Now, we just need those two good-for-nothings to arrive and we can get started. Until then… who do we have here?"
"... Raven," 621 said, remembering not to use her serial designation when speaking to others.
"Raven. Not the worst callsign I've heard," Michigan said. "So, heard the good news from Handler Walter, did you?"
621 nodded. "... Job with… Redguns," she said.
"Little slow on the uptake, is she?" Michigan asked, shifting his glance over to Handler Walter.
"Heavy speech impediment. A common side effect with Gen Four augmentation," Handler Walter said. "She's more than capable both physically and mentally. Just don't expect her to give detailed verbal reports."
"Then I'll expect her actions to be even louder than normal," Michigan said.
Before anything else could be said, the door to the command room opened once again. Handler Walter stepped to the side, leaving 621 and Michigan alone near the center as they both turned to greet the new faces.
A second large man with notably darker skin than Michigan entered first, wearing a similar outfit to him except with the sleeves of both his bomber jacket and flight suit rolled up to expose his forearms. His head was shaved down to a buzzcut, though she noticed an interesting wave-like pattern shaved into the side of his head. His jacket bore similar markings to Michigan's, denoting 'G4' and an odd creature wearing an army helmet with a mounted cannon.
He was followed by a much shorter individual, one 621 noticed might have even been shorter than herself. Dressed in a similar manner to the other Redguns, his bomber jacket was notably loose on him. His hands were wrapped in old bandages, unbloodied but clearly masking some sort of scarring, that were as disheveled as his spiky black hair. In a way, his hair was probably the closest to 621's own that she had seen so far. Like the others, the front of his jacket bore two unique markings that utilized the red diamond design, one depicting a stag beetle's head being carried by a group of ants and the other simply marked as 'G5'.
"Reportin' in, Commander," the larger man said, standing aside and giving an extremely lazy salute. The shorter man didn't bother trying to feign respect, simply crossing his arms and standing next to the larger one, narrow eyes leering at 621.
"About damn time you showed up! I didn't expect the newbie to care more about the mission briefing than my own men!" Michigan said. He gave 621 a rough pat on the shoulder, directing her towards the nearest open chair before he continued. "Now all of you, sit your asses down and listen!"
Noticing that Handler Walter had stepped back and taken a seat near the outskirts of the room, 621 followed Michigan's cue and sat in the nearest open seat, taking up a left center aisle spot that gave her a clear view of the command room's central projector and main monitor. She glanced back to the two other men, watching as the one marked 'G4' sauntered over to a nearby seat and dropped into it with enough force to spin the chair and prop his boots up on the console while the other marked 'G5' stomped to the closest seat and planted himself firmly in place, hands loosely clasped in front of his face as his eyes remained fixed on 621.
"Eyes up front, maggots!" Michigan yelled, getting 621 to shift her gaze back towards Michigan. He started up a presentation on the main monitor, the large screen depicting an icy lake overlooked by a large structure. 621 saw Michigan glare towards the one marked 'G5', who let out an annoyed grunt and presumably took his eyes off of 621.
"Balam's moving in on the Galia Dam Complex, one of the Liberation Front's bases," Michigan began. The screen showed multiple images of the dam before switching to a large generator somewhere on the structure, highlighting it in red. "The objective is to destroy their lifeline - and make those sacks of shit beg for mercy! We're hitting them hard and fast, before they can prepare any real defenses. I'll be sending you two good-for-nothing maggots out to deal with this: G4 Volta and G5 Iguazu."
621 tilted her head quizzically as two ACs appeared on screen, one marked 'Cannon Head' and the other marked 'Head Bringer'. Based on what she saw from their assemblies, she couldn't think of anything short of a hidden Liberation Front AC having any chance of stopping the duo based on the sparse MT squads previously depicted defending the area. Michigan shifted his head towards her, seemingly noticing her confusion. He grinned.
"Raven, you're just gonna be tagging along on ass-wiping duty," Michigan said. "I'm assigning you the callsign G13 - a lucky little number that just became available. G13, sound off!"
"Ehh? Ahhh…" 621 managed, not sure how to respond. Volta let out a laugh as Iguazu snickered.
Michigan sighed. "Good enough. Now go get ready! You're going on a field trip, kiddos! You're flyin' out in 30 minutes! Dismissed!"
Clicking a button on the console he stood by, Michigan ended the presentation. 621 blinked as she heard Volta and Iguazu stand up. She followed suit, glancing back at the two Redguns already making their way out of the room.
She thought an in-person briefing was going to be a little more involved. She might not have understood what 'ass-wiping duty' meant, but she guessed providing back-up for the other two would be good enough.
"Heads-up, G13!" Michigan said, getting her attention. She turned just in time to see him toss a small container at her, fast enough to qualify it as a projectile. She snatched it out of the air before it struck her face and inspected it, seeing a small black box.
Handler Walter's cane loudly struck the ground as he rose to his full height. "Michigan," he said, tone harsher than 621 was used to hearing.
"Just making sure she's got the reflexes you say she has," Michigan said. "Besides, would've barely left a bump! That box is softer than a Balam Cobalt Medal, y'know? Doesn't fly as well, either!"
Handler Walter said nothing, instead turning his attention to 621.
She opened the box to find a small patch that mimicked the usual Redgun design, complete with the mark of 'G13'. "... Thanks," 621 said.
"That's the spirit," Michigan said. "Now, you run along and handle whatever you need to for the mission. Handler Walter and I have some things to discuss."
"Your AC should have been moved into the base's main hangar by now. You're on standby there until Michigan or I give the order to sortie," Handler Walter said.
"You can probably catch Volta and Iguazu draggin' their feet on the way outta here. They'll end up in that hangar if they know what's good for them," Michigan said. "But if they've somehow decided to take things seriously for a change and are long gone, show one of the guards that patch and ask em' to take you there."
"Mmhm," 621 said with a nod. She was about to turn away, but then recalled what the one person who Michigan seemed to respect did. She gave a salute and said, "Sir, yes… sir."
Michigan smirked at that but said nothing, simply nodding at her before turning his attention to Handler Walter. Taking that as her sign to leave, she left to try and catch up with the two Redguns she was going to work with.
Just as Michigan said, 621 quickly caught up with G4 Volta and G5 Iguazu, who had apparently stopped to bicker over a lighter. "C'mon, man, just lemme hold it for a sec," Volta said.
"I ain't falling for that shit again. Buy one for yourself this time," Iguazu said.
"Need a light?" 621 asked from behind them. Iguazu notably flinched while Volta simply glanced backwards, one eye raised as he turned to face her. Before he could say anything, she produced a lighter of her own and raised it. Once she realized that Handler Walter occasionally smoked cigars, she had gotten into the habit of keeping a lighter on hand in case he ever needed one. While that day had yet to arrive, she was still prepared for it.
"Well, you might not be that bad after all," Volta said. He leaned forward a little, proffering a cigarette already held in his mouth for her to light. She obliged, a little smile on her face as the untested lighter worked without issue. Volta took a puff, relaxing slightly before exhaling. "So, G13 Raven, huh? Gotta say, wasn't expecting a cute little thing like you. Still, bet you're a nicer sight than whoever the hell that Oshiro kid was."
"Oshiro? Kosuke Oshiro?" 621 asked.
"Yeah, some bright-eyed recruit like Red used to be," Volta said. "Did ya know him?"
"Killed him," 621 said. Volta laughed while Iguazu turned to face her with a scowl.
"Tch. If the newcomer got offed by a no-name like you, he wouldn't have lasted anyways," Iguazu said. 621 nodded, which strangely seemed to annoy Iguazu even further. "What are you following us for?"
"Find hangar," 621 said.
"Heh, we're literally walking the dog," Volta said, clearly amused at the situation. He looked her over once again, this time fixating on the accessory still clearly visible around her neck. He grinned. "That what the leash is for?"
"No," 621 said, raising a hand to touch it once more. "I… like it."
Volta whistled. "Kinky."
Iguazu let out a disgusted sigh and turned around. "If you two wanna go screw around, do it somewhere I'm not," he said, continuing down the hallway.
"Aww, you getting uncomfortable, Iguazu?" Volta asked, turning to follow him with 621 in tow.
"Annoyed is more like it. You're a little too okay with all this," Iguazu said.
"I'm not seeing the problem here," Volta said. He took another deep pull of his cigarette, exhaling a bit as he continued. "We get a cute babe cheering for us on the next job. Sure, she ain't one of the Dafeng girls, but I'll take her company over a guy's any day of the week."
"We're stuck babysitting some rando on a mission we could take friggin' blindfolded," Iguazu said. "Michigan's giving us the short end of the stick again and you know it."
"The only stick I'm seeing is the one up your ass today," Volta said. "The job ain't hard or special - we just have a tagalong."
Iguazu scoffed. "You don't get it," he said.
"Probably not. Sometimes you go on about the weirdest shit," Volta said. He took another puff of his cigarette, following Iguazu further through the base before turning back to 621. "Since you are coming along with us, anything we should know about your AC?"
"Should… know?" 621 asked.
"You launch napalm all over the place or anything crazy like that? Cuz' you're gonna be staying the hell away from me if that's how you fight," Volta said.
"Mmhm-mmhm," 621 said. "Current weapons… pulse blade, burst rifle… explosive missiles. Light build."
"Ah, built like a more offensive Head Bringer, then? Good. I wouldn't mind another distraction," Volta said.
"I wouldn't count on it," Iguazu said. "For all we know, she'll try to use you as cover."
"Doesn't matter. Cannon Head ain't going down to anything we're expecting to fight out there," Volta said. "If she's using standard weapons, we got nothing to worry about."
Shortly after the trio of AC pilots arrived at the hangar, they each went to their respective machines for launch preparations. Head Bringer was a bipedal AC with a sharp angular frame, sporting the Curtis linear rifle and Ludlow machine gun for arm weapons alongside one of 621's shoulder missile racks and a pulse shield. Cannon Head was a classical tank AC with heavily armored treads in place of legs, equipped with a massive shotgun and grenade launcher and some kind of dual-grenade cannon and dual-split missile launcher for shoulder weapons. Comparing the two machines, 621 not only realized the much heavier Cannon Head was far more threatening than Head Bringer, but also that the disparity between the two AC designs complemented each other almost perfectly.
When the time for deployment came, all three ACs rolled out in standard mode as Walter's transport took off, separating from Balam's temporary base of operations. The three ACs initially moved in synch with one another until Head Bringer boosted forward, taking the lead. Cannon Head followed suit, matching pace with Head Bringer and remaining slightly behind. 621 didn't bother adjusting her speed, remaining slightly behind the two as they followed the path through a ravine that snaked up to a cliff overlooking one side of the Galia Dam Complex, their designated insertion point.
"G13, huh?" Handler Walter said over private comms. "I'll stick with 621. Don't let the Redguns teach you bad manners."
"Mmhm," 621 replied.
Shortly after their communication, the three ACs came to a stop in a clearing overlooking their first target, a large generator unit tucked away near one side of the Dam Complex. An area that likely would have been difficult to reach if attacking from any other direction. Volta touched down atop a large rock, overlooking the area and standing out among the snow and ice in his tanky AC, while Iguazu landed in one of the depressions further down the path, setting a clear line of attack that would take him straight into the action. 621 remained slightly further back from both of them, preparing for battle with the shift of her AC's operating mode.
"Main System: Activating Combat Mode," her computer announced.
"Balam Group AC Squad 'Redguns', reporting for duty. Commence mission," Michigan said, his tone surprisingly formal. In the next moment, he spoke again with a much more recognizable tone. "ATTACK! Get in there, you maggots!"
"Alright, this is how-" Iguazu began, only for 621 to assault boost past both him and Volta. He groaned over the comms. "Great, an independent merc. Who's the wiseguy who decided the Redguns should be taking care of some freelancer?"
621's left shoulder missiles fired, her multi-lock quickly eliminating four missile trucks that reacted to her presence without slowing down at all.
"Who gives a shit? We can handle this mission ourselves," Volta said, assault boosting after 621 with Iguazu following suit.
621 primed her rifle for burst fire as she cut down one RLF MT that emerged from behind cover to shoot at her, pulse blade striking twice in quick succession. Her AC swiveled around, the Ransetsu unleashing a three-round burst that instantly downed a second MT. She shifted her view, firing off her right shoulder missiles along with a few single shot rounds from her rifle, destroying their first target just as Volta and Iguazu reached the combat area.
"One target destroyed," Handler Walter said over open comms.
"Proceeding," 621 replied, letting her boosters cool for a second before assault boosting off of the Dam's small corner area, sights set on another raised platform lined with artillery cannons overlooking a frozen pool below.
As she barrel rolled to avoid a few cannon shots and change her line of approach to the more open snowy hill nearby, her comms came on again.
"Hey, freelancer. Bet no one even told you we're here," Iguazu said.
621 slid along the snowy hills and fired off some missiles, taking down an RLF MT as she charged her pulse blade, eyes already focused on her next victims.
"Well, us real Redguns are gonna go climb the Wall," Iguazu said.
Darting forward, 621 unleashed a massive swing with her pulse blade that caught two MTs trying to back away from her and fire, their bullets barely scratching her AC before they were thrown backwards by the attack. She turned around quickly, firing missiles at one cannon while unloading a few more bullets at another, destroying both as she slid her way up the hill.
"This is just target practice. When we're done, the locals' little base is next," Iguazu said.
621 emptied the last bullets of her rifle's clip into another MT, quick boosting to avoid an incoming bazooka shot before cutting down another with her pulse blade.
"G5! Can't tear yourself away from chatting with the tagalong?" Michigan asked.
Reloading her rifle as she boosted past the now defenseless generator, 621 let her AC fall to the lower platform while quickly preparing a multi-lock. Her machine crushed one of the missile trucks that were trying to aim at her and summarily dispatched the rest with a spray of missiles, her sights now shifting to the few MTs and cannons failing to land any hits on the approaching Iguazu and Volta.
"Why don't you start a sewing club together and stitch that damn mouth of yours shut?!" Michigan yelled.
Destroying two of the cannons with her rifle as she slid around incoming machine gun fire, 621 fired missiles at one MT before rapidly shifting focus to cut down the other, leaving only two cannons and their second target. She let the other two incoming ACs handle the cannons, boosting back into the air as she primed her rifle for burst fire yet again. She registered two explosions behind her and noted the cannons disappearing from her compass as she fired, destroying the second generator with three piercing shots through its center.
"Second target destroyed," Handler Walter said over open comms.
"Well how about that?" Volta asked as his tank drifted to a halt, taking a look at 621's handiwork. "Guess you're not a total amateur."
"G4! Can't say I considered you a pro, either!" Michigan said. "We don't need backseat drivers in the Redguns! Shape up, or ship out!"
"Heh. Guess we'd better stop saying we'll handle the mission and handle it, huh, Iguazu?" Volta said.
"If it'll shut Michigan up, I'm all for it," Iguazu said.
At that, Head Bringer and Cannon Head assault boosted past 621, both splitting up to attack the next two targets from different directions.
"That takes care of our initial targets and the frontline MTs," Handler Walter said.
"Good! That was just the warm-up. Look alive, maggots!" Michigan said.
621 was about to take off after the duo before Handler Walter opened a private comms channel once again.
"Wait, 621. I'm picking up a coded transmission. Patching it through now," Handler Walter said. 621 pulled back on her controls, allowing her AC to gently land on the large lake of ice at the center of the expansive Dam Complex, flicking a few test switches to give the appearance of checking her weapon systems. Static crackled over her comms as Walter transferred the encrypted call to her AC, giving way to a stern voice.
"Raven… I represent the Rubicon Liberation Front," the message began. "Our request is simple: we want you to take out the two Redguns. Our compensation will be double Balam's offer. Awaiting your response."
"Interesting," Handler Walter said as the message cut out. "Your call, 621."
621 reloaded her rifle and let out a breath. She could see Iguazu making quick work of a few RLF MTs along a hillside path, boosting out of view with a mostly undamaged AC. Explosions going off in rapid succession along an upper section of the complex likely meant Volta was having just as easy of a time as Iguazu.
Completing the job for the Redguns was going to be easy. She'd get paid for just standing here until Volta and Iguazu finished having their fun. But that would bore her. As much as she enjoyed bullying her enemies, there were two inherent problems with this situation.
One - She never liked sharing her toys.
Two - Weaklings could only entertain her for so long.
"... Accepted," 621 said.
"Sending your response now. Establishing a secure connection," Handler Walter said. A few moments later, a new communications channel opened, listed simply as 'RLF'.
"Your cooperation is appreciated, Raven," the Liberation Front representative said. She also received a small map of the Dam Complex that listed the locations of currently available RLF forces, something she began making quick notes of.
"621. We've received a friendly ID tag from the Liberation Front," Handler Walter said. "Let's not waste their firepower."
"Mmhm," 621 said, assault boosting up the narrow path Iguazu had taken.
Stopping in the shadow of the hill that ran alongside her path, 621 spotted Iguazu destroying another squad of RLF MTs, systematically clearing the area before focusing on the target. She locked-on to his AC while it was fighting, hoping that he wouldn't notice one additional targeting warning while surrounded by enemies.
Iguazu kept fighting, allowing her to walk forward and prime her burst rifle. She watched intently, letting the RLF MTs fall one after another as she waited for the perfect opportunity. Finally, he turned his back to her AC and deployed his pulse shield, charging up his right arm's linear rifle as he boosted around in the air to line up a perfect shot.
At a distance of 500, there was no way he could land and recover in time. Assault boosting as Iguazu's AC stabilized mid-air to unleash a charged linear rifle shot, 621 homed in on his landing area.
621's AC slammed into Head Bringer's back as it landed, making Iguazu's entire frame lurch forward and stumble, the machine unable to properly utilize its boosters and instantly stabilize.
"Ngh! What the hell are you doing?!" Iguazu asked, attempting to turn his AC to look at 621. Her response was to strike with her pulse blade, landing two clean hits on Head Bringer's back that forced the machine to crash face first into a wall, forcing his machine into ACS overload. Iguazu yelled something upon crashing, but the combination of Ransetsu burst fire and both of 621's shoulder launchers all firing simultaneously drowned him out. Bullets and missiles bombarded Head Bringer as 621 quick boosted backwards, having noticed Cannon Head ascending up to their level just in time to witness her attack.
"They bought you out, didn't they?!" Volta yelled, firing his split missile launcher. Two large missiles shot towards where she was before splitting apart into six smaller missiles each, these curving towards 621 and forcing her to maintain her backwards momentum.
"That's a low blow, Handler Walter," Michigan sneered over open comms. "G4, G5! Return fire! It looks like G13's playing dirty now!"
Four more missiles flew down the path towards her, prompting 621 to quick boost sideways and avoid them. She saw Head Bringer assault boosting down the path towards her, readying its Ludlow machine gun at her as familiar metallic sparks emanated from its back.
Her ambush had caused enough damage to merit the use of a Repair Kit.
"I'm not taking any more of your shit," Iguazu said, opening fire with his machine gun as his linear rifle began to charge. "I already get enough from Michigan every day of the week!"
"Maybe… deserve it," 621 said, returning single shots with her rifle as she minimized damage by weaving around while boosting backwards.
"The hell did you just say to me?!" Iguazu yelled, deploying his pulse shield to block most of her shots. Two explosives flew past him as Volta clearly aimed at the portion of the hill behind 621 to try and catch her in the explosive radius. 621 quick boosted away from the hill, reaching the massive open lake of ice and avoiding potential splash damage.
Quickly checking the map she had been given while haphazardly firing off the last of her rifle's current cartridge, she saw that a BAWS Tetrapod backed by a few RLF MTs were stationed near the Dam Complex's southern section, an easily accessible area that the Redguns' infiltration path completely sidestepped. Battling Volta and Iguazu head-on was already proving to be difficult, and she doubted her current armaments could deal significant damage to either of them without utilizing her pulse blade, which required openings she wasn't sure she could find while taking them both on alone.
Reloading the Ransetsu as she boosted into the air to avoid Iguazu's linear rifle, she watched as Volta charged down the path after Iguazu, raising his left arm to fire another grenade launcher round at her from afar. She quick boosted away, firing off both her shoulder missiles at Iguazu as her AC retreated onto the partition leading towards the Dam's southern section. From what she could see, the BAWS Tetrapod helping her was the same model she had destroyed previously and was approaching the center of the area. The artillery MTs had taken positions along the secondary structure further back, spreading out to likely minimize the effectiveness of Cannon Head's wide-range explosives.
"You think I'm gonna let you run?!" Iguazu yelled, Head Bringer boosting after her as it fired its machine gun.
Swapping to the RLF only channel, 621 spoke. "Target me," she ordered, firing a few shots down towards Head Bringer that Iguazu easily blocked with his pulse shield. The Tetrapod did as instructed, its main cannon snapping into position and targeting her without locking on. She couldn't tell if the MTs had followed suit, but it didn't matter. Head Bringer activated its assault boost, prepared to close the gap.
Bracing herself, 621 made a show of trying to quick boost backwards, fully aware that Head Bringer could still ram into her. What caught her off guard was the sudden twisting of Head Bringer's body, the AC throwing its weight around and delivering a powerful kick that rocked her AC and instantly caused ACS threshold warnings to blare in her cockpit. She didn't know an AC could actually move like that.
"Not so tough in a real fight, you backstabbing bi-!" Iguazu began, only for a series of artillery shots to strike Head Bringer one after the other. The bombardment of explosives knocked the AC down to the ground, its frame skidding back into the raised portion of the wall it had just flown over.
Staggered out of shape with an overloaded ACS, Iguazu made for a fine target. 621 assault boosted forward and struck twice with her pulse blade, leaving deep gashes in Head Bringer's arms and core armor. 621 backed away, firing both of her shoulder missiles at the same time Iguazu deployed his pulse shield, his ACS barely recovering in time.
"Dammit!" Iguazu yelled, his AC stepping away from the wall as a metallic spray coated it once more. He had activated another Repair Kit, restoring his machine to a fighting state before quick boosting away from another Tetrapod cannon shot. "You aren't pulling another trick like that again!"
621 matched his movements, taking a few shots with her rifle to keep the pressure up. A few of her shots struck Iguazu before he changed his tactics, firing both his machine gun and linear rifle in rapid succession. The frenetic exchange followed a simple enough rhythm with both ACs moving at a similar speed, allowing 621 to retreat further back towards the RLF forces. She noticed the BAWS Tetrapod shifting to one side, readying its laser blade, and decided to move Iguazu away from it.
"I told you, that shit won't work!" Iguazu yelled, suddenly boosting into the air to avoid a shot from the closest artillery MT. He retaliated by firing his machine gun and missiles at it simultaneously, downing the machine with ease. 621 responded by firing her shoulder missiles at him one after the other, each salvo forcing him to quick boost to avoid the upwards spray of missiles. She opened fire on him with the rest of her rifle's clip as he descended once more, forcing him to use his pulse shield to mitigate the damage as his AC's boosters visibly weakened.
"Still working," 621 said as her rifle began to reload and Head Bringer touched down.
"What the hell are-" Iguazu began, only to fall silent as an alarm in his own cockpit came over comms. 621 smirked, watching as Head Bringer tried to boost away in time only for a massive leaping laser blade slice to tear into its back. The hit sent Iguazu's AC reeling forward right into 621's range, pulse blade striking the arms twice in quick succession and overloading his ACS again. While her weapons weren't immediately available, two of the three remaining artillery MTs capitalized on the opportunity, their shots crashing into Head Bringer's shoulders and forcing the AC back even further.
"Tch! Local pricks! You wanna die first?!" Iguazu yelled, assault boosting upwards the moment his ACS recovered. He completely ignored 621 and the damage he had just taken, rocketing towards the MTs positioned along the upper wall as his linear rifle began to charge. He approached the first, emptying the last few rounds of his machine gun into it before kicking the machine off the wall, the strike collapsing a critical piece of its core area. Whipping Head Bringer's linear rifle around before his first victim even exploded, he unleashed a charged shot that tore through the second MT, piercing the cockpit along with a number of vital systems.
Intercepting his would be charge to the final RLF MT, 621 cut her assault boost just a short distance in front of him and unleashed her rifle's burst fire. The first bullet managed to land before his pulse shield could deploy, prompting him to quick boost backwards. 621 watched a small canister shoot out from behind Head Bringer's neck, bursting into metallic particles that quickly veiled the machine, various sections of it glowing as its third Repair Kit activated.
"What's the matter?! Scared to fight me alone?!" Iguazu yelled, firing off his shoulder missiles the moment his pulse shield retracted.
621 jumped off the side of the structure back towards the level of the BAWS Tetrapod, letting gravity handle her evasive maneuvers as the missiles arced harmlessly overhead. She saw the final RLF MT attempt to launch an artillery shot at Iguazu, but he quick boosted after 621 and easily avoided its shot. The Tetrapod had other ideas, readying its cannon once more and firing another powerful round past the falling 621 to try and hit Iguazu, but he quick boosted away again. His minimal movements preserved the strength of his boosters, allowing him to maintain momentum and keep moving to match pace with 621, who was boosting around to try and force a pincer situation with the Tetrapod. She fired both of her shoulder missiles at him, forcing him to use his pulse shield to mitigate the damage.
"Left and Right shoulder ammunition at 50%," her computer warned. She noted that her approach against Volta would need to make a lot more use of her rifle, especially if she wanted to continue using the RLF forces effectively.
Her strategy was suddenly shattered as 12 missiles slammed into the side of the Tetrapod before the machine could raise its shotgun, the explosions rocking its body. A rocket-powered grenade followed suit, enveloping half of the massive machine in flame as it staggered backwards, the ACS system clearly overloaded.
G4 Volta arrived with Cannon Head, boosting directly towards the Tetrapod as it fired the dual-grenade launcher on its shoulder, another pair of massive explosions striking the weakened machine. Volta didn't slow down at all, boosting directly into the smoke to fire the massive shotgun his AC wielded in its right hand, massive pellets ripping chunks of metal clean off of the damaged BAWS frame. Even then, Volta continued, assault boosting along the ground before making his AC jump, turning his own suit into a weapon that crashed clean through the now mangled remnants of the Tetrapod.
"Were you really having trouble with this thing?" Volta asked, Cannon Head drifting to a stop and throwing off the burning wreckage that clung to its body.
"Been a little busy in case you haven't noticed!" Iguazu yelled, unloading machine gun and missile fire while trying to maintain distance from a rapidly approaching 621 and charge his linear rifle.
Before Volta had a chance to answer, the final RLF MT launched a shot at him, the artillery shell exploding against Cannon Head's back. The AC's upper body rotated around, unphased by the attack. Cannon Head fired its shotgun and grenade launcher at the remaining MT one after the other, the first spray of bullets throwing the MT off balance before the grenade launcher struck the wall just underneath it, consuming the machine in a fiery explosion.
"Dealt with some vermin too, huh?" Volta asked.
"Got the lord of flies right here," Iguazu said, suddenly assault boosting towards 621 instead of retreating. Head Bringer went in for another powerful kick, but 621 quick boosted around the incoming AC while locked-on, spinning just in time to launch a bit of burst fire into Head Bringer's back. Head Bringer turned around just as quickly, its now charged linear rifle firing mere fractions of a second after 621's burst rifle fired.
Kinetic rounds whizzed past one another before either AC could recover. 621 and Iguazu both recoiled as the shots they exchanged triggered both machines' ACS threshold warnings, but neither relented. 621 fired her shoulder missiles before assault boosting towards Iguazu, who immediately opened fire with his machine gun. The bullets barely registered to 621 as her missiles struck true, pushing Iguazu back as she readied her pulse blade. Closing the distance, she swung.
Deploying at the perfect moment, Iguazu's pulse shield met 621's pulse blade at the height of its power, the initial guard window borne from excess power output during shield formation. Blinding light erupted from the clash as 621's AC barely managed to complete its swing, frame shaking as she pushed for the second. Her pulse blade struck nothing but air as the light faded, exposing her AC to a volley of missiles from Head Bringer as it quick boosted back out of range.
"AP at 50%."
Her computer's warning was quickly followed by an incoming missile warning, and she quickly realized that Volta had launched his split missiles at her again. Using what little boost she had left, she quick boosted to one side as the two larger shots broke apart, managing to only take a few stray hits instead of a full barrage. The final few hits pushed her ACS system to its limits, her AC skidding as if it were about to collapse before grinding to a halt, the automatic system forcing it to stabilize.
Iguazu wasted no time strafing around her, unloading machine gun fire and uncharged linear rifle shots into her as her machine corrected itself. Volta followed suit, assault boosting toward her and firing his shotgun, the heavy shells rocking 621's machine as he prepared to ram into her.
"AP at 30%."
Recovering just in time, 621 jumped and boosted straight up, narrowly avoiding Volta's attempted ram as she activated a Repair Kit. Activating at the apex of her flight, she began descending as the metallic particles trailed after her, lights and sparks emanating from her AC as she re-evaluated the situation.
"Two Repair Kits remaining."
Cannon Head was easily the more dangerous AC. If she got hit by the same kind of assault he unleashed on the BAWS Tetrapod, she would die outright. If she got hit by enough parts of that assault, her AC would be wrecked beyond recovery. If she got hit by any single part of that assault at the wrong time, her AC would likely be disabled. In short, she had to minimize the chance of Cannon Head landing any solid hits against her.
Head Bringer was less of a threat, but much more persistent. Volta didn't immediately try to attack her after defeating the Tetrapod and RLF MT, something she attributed to long weapon reloading times, poor generator efficiency, or both. Head Bringer suffered from none of that, being able to constantly attack, though Iguazu paced himself to try and maximize his linear rifle's charge shot potential. The pulse shield was also troublesome invalidating her burst rifle for the most part while also having the potential to stop her most effective weapon, the pulse blade.
The true threat lay in fighting both ACs at once, and that pushed 621's thoughts in one direction.
She had seen Head Bringer use three Repair Kits, and standard AC frame equipment could only hold three Repair Kits.
She could take down Head Bringer and make this a one-on-one fight.
Assault boosting just before she would land, 621 barrel rolled immediately while turning her AC, almost pivoting completely to avoid the explosive radii of Volta's dual-grenade launcher blasts aimed at her expected landing zone.
"She's a slippery one!" Volta said, firing off his arm grenade launcher. 621 barrel rolled and turned yet again, allowing the shot to fly past her before detonating out of range.
"Not for long, she ain't!" Iguazu said, firing his machine gun and missile launcher while waiting with a charged linear rifle. A few bullets scraped 621's armor and a single missile exploded against her AC's right shoulder, though none of the attacks slowed it down.
621 primed her rifle for burst fire, noting this would empty its clip. She maintained a steady course directly to Iguazu, watching her energy supply carefully during the last moments of her assault boost. As her generator's power levels touched the red, she made her move.
She charged her pulse blade to the max, flying directly at Iguazu from the limit of its strike range.
Head Bringer came to a halt, thrusting its linear rifle forward and aiming directly at 621's cockpit.
621 activated her quick boost, overriding the charge blade command as her boosters threw her AC to the side.
"Die!" Iguazu yelled, linear rifle sparking with energy as the shot exploded out.
Sparks exploded across the side of 621's core, a charged round scraping across its side as the machine rotated.
Head Bringer's mono-eye rotated to track her, its head the only part of the AC mobile during the linear rifle shot's half a second recovery time.
The Ransetsu's barrel enveloped the mono-eye, a distinct metal clicking sound audible to both pilots.
Three bullets fired in rapid succession, shattering glass and crushing metal.
Head Bringer's head unit flew backwards as the AC attempted to turn around, its linear rifle still stuck in a cooling position from the shot it just took.
The residual charge of 621's pulse blade flared to life, the weapon activating as the last of her AC's energy went into the strike.
Iguazu prepared to deploy his pulse shield and retreat, auxiliary warnings and cameras letting him track 621's assault. His boosters warmed, fires burning within them as he tried to quick boost away.
621 struck, the wide arc of the full-power pulse blade strike leaving a trail of green energy behind it.
The blade roared as it swung in a crescent arc, refusing to let its prey escape. It ripped through Head Bringer's pulse shield before it could deploy, beheading it before enough power flowed into the projector. It scarred Head Bringer's core unit, a trail of fire and thunder blazing across the AC's chest as it honed in on the real target. Jumping from the main unit to the barely cooled linear rifle, her blade bit into the tender metal. Sparks and molten chunks erupted from the hot weapon as it popped off of its AC arm, plasma coursing between its disjointed segments before the entire weapon erupted.
Head Bringer's boosters kicked on just in time to spare it from the secondary explosion from its destroyed linear rifle, the machine skidding back as the remnants of its lower right arm sparked violently.
"Damn it! I've been hit bad…" Iguazu said as Head Bringer continued boosting backwards. He raised its machine gun up, attempting to take aim at 621. Without a head unit to properly target with and a damaged AC with cameraless malfunctioning manual aim, Iguazu didn't even bother firing. "... Tch. No point in fighting like this. The freelancer got lucky!"
"Iguazu! How many ranks below you is G13?" Michigan asked. "You can count, right?!"
621 paused at that, intrigued by Michigan's choice of words. Did Michigan know that her attack relied entirely on Iguazu miscounting how many aerial maneuvers her generator allowed for?
"Don't take too long figuring it out - It's a lot!" Michigan yelled.
Iguazu said nothing, simply flying away from the battle. Before 621 could see where he was going, she immediately received a warning for incoming missiles. With her generator having just recharged, she managed to quick boost away from the 12 missiles Volta usually launched, shifting her attention over to him.
"Heh, you dumbass, Iguazu," Volta said, boosting along the wide ice field to try and match 621's pace. "You talk the talk, but you can't walk the walk."
621 might have considered him arrogant if not for the fact that her rifle's shots seemed to do next to nothing against his AC's armor, the bullets unable to dig into Cannon Head's armor. Once her rifle needed to reload, she fired off one set of shoulder missiles. Volta quick boosted to the side, the heavy tank scraping along the ice as its boosters fired. She fired her second set of shoulder missiles, almost certain they would hit, before Cannon Head twisted its lower body at the last moment, the tank AC drifting just enough to avoid all but one of the next four incoming attacks.
Volta fired the grenade launcher from his arm, a haphazard shot that did nothing but force 621 to quick boost once so she could steer clear of the explosion. He didn't press his attack, instead taking the time to turn his tank with a wide arc while firing more of his split missiles to cover the attack. His reserved fighting style made one thing abundantly clear - he knew she couldn't defeat him without using her pulse blade. The moment she went in for the attack, he'd counter with the full force of his arsenal.
"621. There are still RLF forces deeper into the Dam Complex," Handler Walter said. "They're not much, but it's better than nothing."
"... Will need," 621 said, boosting sideways to avoid the incoming missile barrage. She began firing her rifle again, retreating towards the edge of the arena she had lured Iguazu to before jumping backwards and assault boosting away from Volta.
"Commander, looks like G13's retreating," Volta said. "Should I let her go?"
"G4, you've still got a job to do," Michigan said. "If G13 really is wimpin' out, then ignore her. But I doubt one of Handler Walter's Hounds would up and run. From what I can tell, she's headed towards your next target… So, pop quiz! What'd G13 do to G5 that made him run cryin' back home?"
"... Aww, shit. They got another RLF ambush?" Volta asked.
"No idea! But I'd expect one," Michigan said. "Just remember - they can't ambush you if you blow 'em all sky high first!"
"As expected from the Hero of Jupiter," Handler Walter said on private comms. "You'll need to be a little creative, 621."
"... Will ask… ideas," 621 replied as her AC ascended up the path she had originally attacked Iguazu on. She boosted into the air, noting that Iguazu had managed to take out the generator before she stopped him, and made her way over to the Galia Dam Complex's central power station. She saw a few MTs stationed near the base of the area, apparently trying to guard a vertical catapult intended to propel machines up to the area housing the central generator, along with missile MTs keeping watch along a second raised area with another vertical platform.
Switching her radio to the RLF only frequency, 621 spoke. "One Redgun left… heavily armored… high firepower," she said. She coughed and cleared her throat, turning her AC around to face the low wall that Volta would have to approach from. "Expects ambush… Requesting reinforcements."
"... The forces you see before you are all that remain," the RLF representative said. "They may only be MTs, but know that each warrior standing before you is a true Rubiconian. They are prepared to die if it means stopping those corporate vultures. Independent mercenary… the Liberation Front will not hold a grudge against you if you believe the risk is too high. You are not a Rubiconian, and we do not expect you to wager your life for ours. However, should you flee, we cannot promise any payment."
"... Understood," 621 said. She switched off of the frequency and huffed, realizing what had happened. The RLF had used her to create time for their own escape. The few forces that remained were either expendable or suicidal. All she had left to use against Volta were cannon fodder MTs whose only qualification was being ready to die.
"They are, but the man you spoke to isn't."
621 huffed, catching her breath. She didn't even bother looking in the direction the voice came from. She would not be distracted in the middle of a mission.
"Index Dunham. A guerilla leader for the Rubicon Liberation Front. I have no doubt that he would have offered his life here had you not taken their request."
Taking another deep breath, 621 warily glanced over her left shoulder. There ALLMIND's avatar was, somehow leaning against the side of her seat while looking through something on her datapad.
"... Please… don't interfere…" 621 whispered, eyes shifting back towards the horizon. Volta hadn't made it there yet, but he was undoubtedly getting closer.
"I have no intention of interfering," ALLMIND said. She made a notably loud flick on her tablet before continuing. "I am only here to provide support."
Before 621 could say anything, various pop-ups appeared at the corner of her screen. She was about to close them before Cannon Head's schematics appeared, with individual parts being linked to each pop-up. She could easily tell at a glance the exact weaponry the AC used, along with specifications regarding both frame and internal parts.
"What is…?" 621 asked.
"The most recent AC data linked to G4 Volta's mercenary registration," ALLMIND said. "I look forward to watching you in action."
621 glanced back towards ALLMIND, only to see nothing but the inside of her cockpit. The avatar had vanished without a trace, but the data on Cannon Head remained on her screen.
"621. Seems like that other Redgun did a sweep of the area first. He's taking extra precautions," Handler Walter said. "I don't think the remaining RLF MTs can do much against him."
"Don't need… can win… alone," 621 said, quickly reading through as much information on Cannon Head as she could. She took note of weapon reload times, effective ranges and explosive radii, built-in tank booster capacity and recharge rate, and FCS ideal ranges before the screens automatically minimized. Staring towards the raised wall, she saw Cannon Head boost up and over the wall, her FCS snapping onto him.
The Bornemissza tank treads suffered when it came to upwards thrust, meaning that Volta needed to have burned most of his energy just to get up there. It was why he had taken so long to join Iguazu when she lured him to the Tetrapod - his AC simply couldn't make it that high into the air even when fully charged. Even if he did use the raised section of the lower generator structure, he would have used most of his energy getting up here.
He was vulnerable.
Firing off both her shoulder missile launchers, 621 began boosting towards Volta in an arc. She opened fire with her rifle, watching as he quick boosted upon landing and drifted to try and get opposite to her, a few missiles exploding against the side of his AC but doing little damage.
"What, did you think this was a prettier place to die?" Volta asked, firing off his split-missile launcher first. "Should've run when you had the chance!"
621 primed her rifle and assault boosted forward the moment Volta fired his missiles, suddenly closing the gap in a near instant. She flew under the larger missiles before they could fully split, nullifying their effectiveness almost instantly. Volta fired the Songbirds on his shoulder, two grenades launching at close range. 621 spun her AC and darted upwards, changing a simple barrel roll into more of a corkscrew maneuver as she narrowly evaded the incoming explosives. She rolled in the opposite direction, fully expecting the pursuing shot from Volta's Zimmerman shotgun that barely scratched her suit, now flying even higher into the air.
Her AC came to a stop as she re-established targeting on Volta, rifle aiming down on his machine's head as her frame hovered above his. Three shots rang out, bullets raining down on his AC and striking his head and shoulder joints. Volta kept on driving underneath her, clearly trying to make space so he could properly aim the handheld Gou-Chen grenade launcher. She didn't let him, quick boosting backwards so her AC would descend directly on top of his. Watching as Volta tried to aim upwards with no success, she readied her pulse blade and primed her rifle once again.
Landing directly behind Volta as she passed overhead, Cannon Head's upper half whirled around just in time to greet the first swing of 621's pulse blade, the sparking green slashing into the AC's head and core. 621 instantly followed-up with the burst fire from her rifle, emptying the last of its cartridge into Cannon Head before it had a chance to recover from her melee strikes. Quick boosting diagonally back once more, 621 narrowly avoided the retaliatory shot from the Gou-Chen. As the grenade flew past her, Volta took aim with his Zimmerman and fired.
Left with only her standard boost, 621 barely managed to avoid taking the full force of the shot, managing to slide back and dodge a few of the incoming pellets. Her ACS threshold warning screamed as she fired her shoulder missiles once more, retreating towards the remaining RLF forces as her rifle reloaded.
"Left and Right shoulder ammunition at 30%," her computer warned.
Volta quick boosted away from her missiles again, his generator now recharged enough to allow both the burst of speed and following sustained drift. She watched as he avoided the bulk of her attacks yet again, but noticed something much more important. The metallic sparking on his AC gave away the fact that he had used a Repair Kit. She continued boosting backwards, noticing the RLF MTs beginning to take action. The two standing atop the raised platform fired their missiles while the four on the ground boosted forwards, machine guns raised.
They didn't stand a chance.
Volta fired his Songbirds at the leading machine gun MT, twin explosions consuming it and two others instantly. The final MT opened fire as it entered the smoky aftermath, landing a few hits before being shredded by a Zimmerman shot. Cannon Head emerged from the blast, MT bits trailing off its body as it fired its dual-split missile launcher, one large missile a piece headed for the last two RLF MTs. They fired their missiles and tried to retreat, but an MT didn't have the boost speed necessary to avoid incoming missile fire. Each of them took six missiles a piece, blown to bits as Volta continued his charge.
"So much for your back-up," Volta said, firing the Gou-Chen before immediately assault boosting towards 621, ramming through the RLF's last missile barrage without a shred of concern.
Jumping and boosting directly up to avoid the incoming grenade launcher shot, 621 returned fire with her rifle. The bullets practically bounced off of Volta as his AC began gliding upwards to try and reach her like a titanic homing missile. Waiting until she saw his boosters flare once more, she quick boosted and began to fall at the same moment Volta tried to hit her with his AC's body, narrowly avoiding the incoming attack. Passing underneath him as he proceeded to cut his boosters, she struck with her pulse blade, striking him twice in the back yet again. The two swings rocked his tank AC, the frame shaking wildly in the air as its boosters began to jet wildly in an attempt to maintain altitude.
Cannon Head's ACS had overloaded.
Wasting no time as she fell back, 621 immediately fired both of her shoulder missiles and took shots with her rifle, striking Cannon Head's underside and causing the ACS system to work even harder to prevent the massive machine from flipping over and crashing into the ground. She landed just as Cannon Head's ACS stabilized, still taking shots at the falling machine as it inevitably needed to touch down.
"This merc's something else! Michigan, where the hell did you find this freak?!" Volta asked, the upper body of his AC turning to track 621 once more. A coating of metallic sparks covered its body yet again, signaling the use of another Repair Kit.
"Don't tell me you and Iguazu skipped the damn preamble!" Michigan yelled. "That's one of the infamous Handler Walter's Hounds! The only missions his mercs have failed are the ones they don't return from, and even that's not a guarantee! You're fighting someone with predecessors that died with 100% mission success rates! They were never to be underestimated!"
"The hell?! Why wouldn't you tell us that personally?!" Iguazu asked, apparently still on comms but nowhere near the battlefield.
"I distinctly recall you ingrates saying you could read!" Michigan retorted.
Despite the argument happening on comms, Volta remained as focused as ever. He continued his push towards 621, firing both shoulder weapons simultaneously to limit her evasion window.
621 jumped and quick boosted to the side, narrowly avoiding the incoming grenade launcher shots before assault boosting to avoid the split missiles. Volta whirled Cannon Head's upper body around quickly, firing the Zimmerman and catching 621 with roughly half of the blast.
Her boosters cut out as her ACS overload warnings began blaring, her AC almost collapsing onto the ground as it stuttered mid-flight to try and keep itself upright. She hissed, wincing at the incoming fire warning as she heard Volta fire the Gou-Chen. The high-explosive flew directly into 621's back, rocking the AC as it stumbled onto the ground, barely able to remain on its feet as the ACS slowly started stabilizing.
"AP at 20%."
She activated a Repair Kit, her AC boosting forward to try and maintain more distance from Volta. She could hear the crackling of the Repair Kit for a few moments behind her, indicative of how extensive the damage to her back was. Despite knowing Cannon Head's specifications and singling out its clear weaknesses, she couldn't neglect Volta's own skills.
"One Repair Kit remaining."
Whirling around, she began firing her rifle. Volta quick boosted to evade the first few shots, drifting while trying to keep pace with her and find another opportunity to attack as he rapidly closed the distance between them. The last few bullets of her cartridge struck dead-on with minimal effect, forcing her to reload as he approached.
"Right Hand ammunition at 50%."
Firing her shoulder missiles as Volta fired his Gou-Chen grenade launcher, 621 quick boosted away from the arc of Volta's approach. The sudden shift in momentum gave her enough space to quick boost again when he tried to catch her with his Zimmerman shotgun, managing to evade the entirety of the attack as her rifle reloaded and she almost lined up behind him. Volta wasted no time, his AC jerking to a stop as he quick boosted backwards and began approaching her in reverse, the upper body of his AC facing the opposite direction of his tank treads as he continued his pursuit. The sudden shift in momentum put Volta in the perfect range to unload his Songbirds, twin grenade rounds flying directly at 621. She quick boosted yet again, narrowly avoiding the incoming shots as she readied her pulse blade.
Cannon Head hopped off the ground, boosters flaring as its lower body swiveled faster than 621 expected. Volta assault boosted as she began her swing, crashing his AC directly into hers with enough force to throw 621's machine aside before it had a chance to swing its weapon. Ignoring the ACS threshold warning, 621 fired off a few shots from her rifle as Volta landed, landing a few extra hits before assault boosting in pursuit of him.
The energy recharge delay difference between the two of them was slim. Fractions of a second. But that was enough time for 621 to close in on him as he turned and score another two pulse blade strikes on him. Cannon Head skid off track, treads speeding up to maintain Volta's intended course as he tried to fire his Zimmerman again. Pushing her generator's supply into the red, 621 quick boosted away as his aim steadied, narrowly avoiding the attack while continuing to fire with her own rifle. The duo exchanged missile fire, Volta's larger split missiles going through the small spread left by the four-missile salvos 621's shoulder weapons fired.
"Left and Right shoulder ammunition at 10%."
Giving out an annoyed snarl, 621 weaved back and forth while boosting away from Volta, her rifle reloading as she narrowly avoided the incoming split missiles. She was running out of effective ammunition too quickly and wasn't looking forward to an even further prolonged battle using only her rifle at range. Cannon Head's armor would likely outlast everything but her pulse blade, assuming it wasn't destroyed.
The next exchange needed to count.
Reloaded, she took a few more shots at Volta before assault boosting past him, back towards the central area of the Dam Complex.
"Don't bother lookin' for help! I took out the rest already!" Volta said, boosting after her while firing the Gou-Chen again. 621 barrel rolled to the side and flew slightly upwards, evading the large explosion against the Dam's support structure. He fired his Songbirds at her, but the grenades flew skyward as she changed course, diving down and out of sight towards the snowy mountains. Volta assault boosted after her, moving just enough to try and keep track of her AC.
Volta cut his boosters just over the edge of the area, beginning a slow descent as he tried to pick out 621's AC amongst the white snow and gray structures. He only had a moment to try and find her before he was struck by twinned missile salvos and a trio of burst fire rounds from below.
"You gotta be shitting me!" Volta yelled, his FCS only picking up 621 as she approached the underside of his AC, pulse blade at full charge and prepared to swing. "She doubled back?!"
Taking advantage of Volta's surprise, 621 tore into the underside of his AC. The roaring blade tore into boosters, treads, and weaker underside armor, bits of seared plating breaking off as Cannon Head crashed onto the mountain, swerving wildly as the AC emerged from a cloud of kicked up snow.
"Rgh! I'm losing control of my machine!" Volta said. Cannon Head shakily turned, firing off its split-missile launcher as it thrashed its way down the mountain, the destroyed booster and damaged tank tread on one side ruining the AC's balance. He activated his third Repair Kit, a dim glow covering most of his AC's upper portion but failing to work on his damaged underside.
Gliding across the snowy mountain with her boosters, 621 evaded most of the incoming missiles while maintaining fire on Volta with her rifle. He tried to quick boost, managing to move to one side before his AC suddenly locked up, unable to continue into a drift as it unceremoniously skid through the snow.
"ACS is shot… Shit!" Volta said. He didn't relent, forcing Cannon Head into an uneven upwards boost to get back up onto a nearby structure while firing his Gou-Chen. The recoil from the weapon almost caused his AC to tip over, Cannon Head skating precariously on its damaged tread. Volta grunted, swiveling around and firing his Zimmerman at the ground to forcefully rebalance Cannon Head, the heavy machine slamming back down as it came to a stop. He let out a huff. "Can't fight like this… No choice but to withdraw."
"Volta! That's not the only thing you're losing," Michigan said. "But good job on knowing when to quit. Rendezvous with G5 and get your ass back to base. You're restarting training from square one!"
621 took aim at Volta with her rifle, having easily evaded the previous grenade launcher shot. Cannon Head began driving away from her, upper body and weapons trained on her but refusing to fire.
"... You're pretty good," Volta said.
"... Not bad… yourself," 621 said.
Volta chuckled. "You know I'm killing you the next time you pull shit like this, right?"
"It's a date," 621 said, lowering her rifle.
"Heh. Knew I liked you," Volta said, turning his AC's upper body away from her. With that, he boosted away, keeping low to the ground to minimize airtime and risk of further ACS malfunction.
621 licked her lips. Next time, they'd go all the way.
"Confirmed. G4 and G5 withdrawing from the combat area," Handler Walter said over open comms. "You can bill me for the AC repair fees, Michigan."
"You've ruined our little field trip, Walter. I'll be billing you for tuition fees, too," Michigan said. "As for you, G13… I'll be keeping an eye on you."