Within the Demon Realm, there lay two magical lands. Amphibia, the land of talking frogs, newts, and toads, and the Boiling Isles, the land of witches and demons, whose home is the remains of what was once one of the Demon Realm's only inhabitants, the Titans. For all of time, these two lands lived in peace and harmony with one another, trading resources, sharing their economy and technology, and building a peaceful society for all living creatures.
But then, one day, everything changed. The new king of Amphibia, Andrias Leviathan, suddenly declared war on the Boiling Isles without reason. Forcefully taking the resources, capturing and enslaving the inhabitants, and destroying all in their wake with their advanced technology. But not without resistance. Thanks to their magical abilities, the witches and demons were on even ground against the mechanical forces of Amphibia, and for a thousand years, the conflict between the two nations was put to a standstill, neither side gaining the upper hand in winning this war. That is until, a hundred years ago, Amphibia discovered a special ore, one that produced a massive amount of energy, an energy thought to have been lost for centuries, this ore was called Calamitite, and when it was properly synthesized, it became the fuel for Amphibia's greatest creation, the "Machina Frame."
The Machina Frames were the final key in turning the tides of this war in Amphibia's favor, destroying the land's defenses with little effort. As a result, the toes of the Titan fell under enemy rule and became known as the Lost Land. The citizens there were stripped of the economy, their tradition, and their pride. All hope was thought to be lost, for years, the Machina Frames have become the most deadly force in all of Amphibia, nearly destroying all in their path and would've put the war to an end…
That is, until one day, a stranger appeared. No one knew where he came from, or what he looked like. Only, that he bore white robes, wore a wooden mask, and possessed a unique mechanical staff. He told the citizens of the Isle that he was a speaker to the Titan and was gifted with the knowledge of how to turn the tides of this war back in their favor and that they were using magic all wrong. However, no one believed him, they said that he was crazy and that no one could talk to the Titan. But that all changed.
A few days later, an Amphibian invasion fleet suddenly descended upon the upper thigh of the Titan's left leg, taking the residents by surprise as they were unprepared for the sudden attack and had no idea of how they went past the border undetected. Many witches and demons did all they could to hold off the invaders so that the citizens could escape and warn the rest of the Isles. But the Machina Frames proved too much as they easily overpowered the resistance. But then, out of nowhere, all of the Machina frames were suddenly cut down and destroyed by a
mysterious force. All the resident witches and demons who survived the carnage that befallen their land looked up into the sky, to see what had saved them.
Descending from the sky, was a white and gold Machina Frame with beautiful wings of light. It descended from the sky as if it was a god from heaven here to pass judgment upon this world as it destroyed every last Machina in sight. Many of the witches and demons who survived looked in awe at the being before them, while others were suspicious of who was piloting it. When the steel angel descended, it knelt before the people, and from inside it, walked out the one who had proclaimed himself as the Prophet of the Titan, the man who was known as Belos. The people were in awe, never had they thought that their people could fight back against the Amphibian forces, but here this man was, aboard a Machina Frame that wielded tremendous power. Belos raised his hand, quieting the people as he proclaimed his words that would forever be etched into history as both the turning point of the war, and his first decree as their Emperor.
"People of the Boiling Isles. For too long, the Leviathans have kept us in check with the power of their 'Machina Frames.' Well…that all ends today!
The Titan has blessed us with the power to fight back against our oppressors, and this is that power! The Imperious!
From this one, a legion shall be made, and with this legion, we shall take back our homeland, and then we shall take the fight to their very doorstep!"
The people of the Isles cheered for this mysterious man, the Prophet of the Titan. Magic had always been their way of defending themselves, but now the Titan had granted them a stronger form of magic to protect themselves. Through this act, the Prophet continued to lead battle after battle against the Amphibian forces, and just as he proclaimed, from one Machina Frame, a legion was being born. More and more Machina Frames were constructed by studying Imperious and reverse engineering the broken Machina Frames of their enemies. Slowly, but surely, the Boiling Isles built up their own army, and as this army grew, so did the confidence and admiration for the Prophet, who called himself Belos, who was soon crowned as their first emperor.
Steal Heart Rebellion
Prologue
A Father's Sacrifice.
(In Another World…further into the future…)
The sound of heavy machine gun fire echoed through the air as multiple explosions took place around the battlefield. Giants of steel ran across the terrain, firing upon each other as some launched missiles from their backs, along with huge cannons that fired powerful mortar shells. Other machines rolled in, and their bottom halves resembled tanks as opposed to the other bipedal robots that were around them. The tank-like mechs were more heavily armed as well, sporting either large missile pods, cannons, or Gatling cannons.
This was warfare in this current era. Where once before, only tanks, helicopters, subs, battleships, and jets were the main weapons of the battlefield, a new type of weapon had been introduced to the world. These steel giants were given the name "Mobile Frames." Some countries had different variations when it came to the production and design of the Mobile Frames, along with their armaments, armor, and control systems. But nevertheless, these mechs have changed the course of human conflict across the world. Of course, such technology was not mutually exclusive to one group or the other; unfortunately, even terrorist groups were managing to get their hands on, and in some cases, making their own, Mobile Frames. It certainly increased the danger level of possible terrorist attacks across the globe, but in such cases, special ops teams were created to deal with such threats.
One such team was on a mission codenamed: "Knight Raid." They were a four-member squad, the best at what they did. Their current mission had brought them to the skies of western Germany. At the behest of the German government, the US dispatched its best anti-terrorist unit to investigate a suspected base of operations and, if possible, to eliminate the targets. A large plane flew over the Grunewald Forest, not too far away from Berlin. This was another reason for the urgency of their unit; considering a terrorist cell was operating so close to a heavily populated city, there was no telling what amount of damage they could do.
Inside the huge carrier plane, the members of Knight Raid were getting ready for their mission. One such member was a Latino man, in his mid to late thirties. He had short curly black hair, and a thin black beard and mustache. He zipped up his pilot suit and glanced inside of his locker. Inside of it were various small things. One of which he stared at with a smile. It was a picture of his daughter and his wife. It was a little older, as his daughter was in her "awkward hair phase." But she was a cutie, and his wife was smiling, having been caught mid-laugh when the picture was taken as their daughter made a silly face.
"Yo Manny, you in there?" a young man's voice asked.
"¡Calma! (Hold your horses), I'm almost ready," Manny answered.
"Alright, but don't take too long. We're almost there, and I want to punch something!"
Manny rolled his eyes at that with a slight smile of amusement at his comrade's antics. He'd been on this squad for five years now, so he's gotten used to it. He brought his right index and middle fingers up to his lips, kissed them, and then pressed those same two fingers to the photo of his wife and daughter.
"Te veré pronto, mija. Espérame, mi amores. (I'll see you soon, mija. Wait for me, my loves.)"
Manny put on his pilot suit tactical helmet and closed his locker. He walked towards the door and punched the button to make it slide open. On the other side, he saw the young man who had tried to move him along. He was a young man with long blonde hair draping on his shoulder and bright blue eyes. Around his neck was a necklace with a silver chain and a pendant with a cross wrapped in two wings. This was one of his comrades and the youngest member of the team, George Mustang.
"Finally, you done kissing your wife and daughter?" George asked teasingly.
"Oye, don't act like you're not jealous that I have a cute daughter and a gorgeous wife," Manny retorted with a smirk.
George gasped and put his hand over his heart."Ooooh! You wound my heart, man. Not cool!"
"Not my fault you can't get a girl."
"You two done messing around, or are we going to get to work?"
George and Manny looked to their left and saw a young Asian woman in her mid-twenties with short black hair that stopped to her chin and brown eyes. She had an annoyed look on her face as she approached the two men.
"Hey, we're just messing with each other, that's all, Vess," said George.
Vess, or Venessa, was pretty strict, even when they weren't on missions. She was a no-nonsense kind of woman, but she occasionally let her kinder, softer side show. Although, she'll be damned if she admitted it to anyone.
"Well, anyway, Captain Carter is waiting for us in the hangar. So you better bring your A-game of there's going to be hell on this Mission." Venessa gave a slight look at George. "I'm looking at you, George."
"Oh, har har, it's so funny I forgot to laugh," George said sarcastically with crossed arms.
Manny chuckled at the. For as long as he's been on the team, George and Venessa often bicker like siblings and would occasionally get into fights. But, they would calm down after a few minutes and stop as if it never happened. The trio headed down a small flight of stairs and entered the hangar through a sliding door. There was a small work crew inside, all of them doing final checks on their Mobile Frames to ensure the pilots didn't have any complications when out in the field. At the center of the hangar was Captain Carter, patiently awaiting their arrival.
Captain Carter was an African American man with short, buzzcut hair and a shaved beard. He had the look of a man who had seen many battles and lived to see another day. But in Knight Raid, that was a given. When you're known as the best anti-terror unit, you have to be prepared to fight in some grueling situations. Hopefully, tonight would not be one of those nights.
"Alright, fall in," Captain Carter ordered.
Manny, Vess, and George assembled before their captain and gave him a salute as they said at the same time, "Sir!"
"Alright, the reason why we have been gathered on this glorious night before our friend's retirement, is because the German government has called us in to deal with a nasty threat."
"Let me guess, terrorists with Mobile Frames, and are considered highly dangerous?" George asked.
"Oh, I wish it was that simple. The problem is they suspect there's a cell there. They have some intel that says they have a base outside of Berlin in the forest of Grunewald. Our primary mission this go around is mainly intelligence gathering. Since we don't know the number of combatants we're dealing with, this'll mostly be just surveillance. But we're dealing with terrorists here, so, we'll be going in fully armed," Captain Carter informed.
"So…we're basically just going to sit on our asses and stare at the base?" Geroge asked with a bored expression.
"It's an abandoned military base. There could be some Moblie Frame units that weren't moved there. You know how these guys like to scavenge Frames that were abandoned for one reason or another. So, this is how it's going to go, people. We're going to drop in, start our surveillance, and keep to the shadows as much as possible. If all goes according to plan, and we see nothing, we'll be on our way back home so Noceda over here can get a proper send off."
Venessa glanced at Manny and said, "It does seem a little unfair. Honestly, Manny, you could've just declined this mission. We could've handled this, you should be celebrating your daughter's birthday back home."
"C'mon, Vess, this is my last mission with you guys. Boring or not, I wanted to have one last ride with my amigos. Besides…I may not be around too long, either way, you know?"
Captain Carter, Venessa, and George knew all too well what he meant. Their friend and squad mate had been diagnosed with cancer. Manny had been receiving treatment, but so far, the efforts have only managed to stave off the worst. They had told him that he needed to retire soon so that he could receive more specialized care, so that he could spend more time with his family.
Just then, an alarm started to go off around the hangar. Indicating that they were near the drop zone and had to prepare for takeoff.
"Looks like we'll have to cut this short," Captain Carter began. "Remember, don't underestimate the enemy. You never know what they might have up their sleeve."
Manny, Venessa, and George all nodded with serious expressions. Captain Carter then put his right fist over his heart. Manny, Vess, and George repeated the gesture in response. Each member of the team hurried to their individual Mobile Frame, taking lifts to the walkways where the crews were finishing up the last checks. Captain Carter, Venessa, George, and Manny all entered their Mobile Frames at the same time, booting up the OS and calibrating their instruments. The visors of their black Mobile Frames, the MFS-110 Blackout, shined bright for a moment before a secondary, armored visor slipped over the glass one to hide the glow.
Each of the team members brought up a screen that displayed one of the four, and each had their names listed underneath. The computer systems showed all green as they gripped their controls and readied for the big drop.
{All systems green, pilot vital signs, check. Preparing to drop. In 3…2…}
As per their tradition, and what would be their last mission together, the members of Knight Raid spoke aloud their unit's famous catchphrase.
"WHEN TERROR STRIKES!"
"THE KNIGHTS DESCEND!"
Just as they finished, the doors under their Mobile Frames opened. All four machines were released from their cradles, allowing them to go into free fall from thousands of feet in the air. Their HUDs showed their rapidly decreasing altitude as the g-forces wracked their bodies, but to them, it was another Monday.
{Reaching target altitude!} Venessa announced.
{Pop shutes!} Captain Carter ordered.
{Popping shutes!} George and Manny exclaimed.
The back of their Mobile Frames opened up, and two black parachutes sprung out of each unit, slowing their descent. Once the mechs were close to the ground, the shutes were detached, allowing them to fire their thrusters to soften their landing. Four great thuds hit the earth, one after the other, causing the ground to shake.
After landing, the team of four began running a second systems check on their Mobile Frames; they can't be too careful when dealing with terrorists. After their systems checked all green, they began their silent track towards the enemy's base. The footsteps of their mechs shook the ground as they walked through the forest, with the sounds of gunfire being heard in the distance as the US and German forces worked together to fight off against the terrorists' main force.
{This is Knight Raid Leader to command base. We've reached our destination and are making our way to the terrorist base.} Captain Carter informed.
{Command base to Knight Raid Leader. Understood.} A woman's voice replied. {According to our intel, this terrorist group has remnants of Black Shark, so tread carefully.}
"Understood." Captain Carter replied as the transmission cut off before addressing his team. "You hear that team? Remnants of Black Shark are working with the terrorists".
Black Shark was a terrorist group their team took down in the past. They were wanted for crimes of cyber hacking, kidnapping, arson, breaking and entering a Mobile Frome scrap yard, and stealing their parts to create their own Mobile Frames. After Knight Raid destroyed their base of operations, and their leaders put in prison, many of the survivors fled and joined other terrorist groups around the world. In fact, almost all of the terrorist groups they've taken down over the years had former members of Black Shark.
{Ugh, seriously? Don't those guys ever quit? Why don't they just get on with their lives and get a real job?} George complained in his cockpit. "Seriously, I am really getting tired of fighting with those guys."
{Quit your whining, George,} Venessa retorted. {I'd like to keep my sanity intact, thank you.}
{Hey, what's wrong with being honest? Heheh,} George chuckled.
{Alright, cut the chatter. We have our mission. Let's hit 'em while the main force is keeping the enemy preoccupied,} Captain Carter ordered.
{Catching them with their pants down.}
{Ugh,} Venessa groaned.
Venessa moved forward, trying to get as much distance from him as possible. They continued to tredge through the forest, getting closer and closer to their target. They stopped at a hill clearing, put their mechs in a kneeling position, and exited their cockpits. They gathered at the edge of the clearing and looked down to see the abandoned military base they were looking for. Venessa brought out a pair of binoculars and brought them to her eyes as she looked through them with their night vision and zoomed in on the base.
It was like any other military base: heavily fortified, with a few warehouses for supply and a hangar for Mobile Frames. Venessa could also see a few of the terrorists. Some were walking around the base doing their rounds, while others were hanging out in the hangar with weapons by their side. She also saw what appeared to be a few heavily built mechs with broad arms and legs. The cockpits were visible on their chests, as evidenced by the bulletproof glass. They were also armed with 120mm machine guns on their lower arms from the elbow joint. Venessa recognized them as the Uropean Mobile Frame, the Urban Panzer.
"Don't they look comfortable," Manny commented.
"Then let's make them uncomfortable," said George with a smirk.
"Alright, people, saddle up. Let's get in there and get back home," Captain Carter ordered. "Venessa, I want you to give them a little something. They look cold to me."
Venessa had an almost wicked grin on her face as she replied, "Yes, sir."
The members of Knight Raid hurried back to their Moblie Frames, mounting up, and getting their mechs into a standing position. Venessa was getting into position as she brought her shoulder-mounted cannon into position. The targeting systems activated, bringing up a crosshairs as it locked onto the building ahead of them. With the pull of the trigger, the cannon fired a large shell that flew through the air and impacted against the building, exploding and taking a large chunk out of it. Brick and cement were sent cascading into the air as a raging inferno started to ignite through the building, with some of the flames spilling onto the ground and dousing some of the enemy units.
{I'm just going to say it: you like those napalm shells a little too much,} George noted.
"HA! Just be glad I'm not using them on you." Venessa boasted.
{You got them scrambling now,} said Manny. {Fire a few more shots.}
"With pleasure."
Venessa fired another two rounds. The first one hit one of the hangars, piercing through the wide double doors before exploding inside and unleashing a deluge of flames. Several of the terrorists and their mechs came running out of the hangar; some were on fire from head to toe, and others were only partially burned. The enemy mechs were working furiously to douse the flames on their units, but the napalm shells wouldn't be put out that easily. The second hit – what appeared to be – the barracks. The shell hit the middle of the building, exploding in all directions, and just like before, the entire building was set on fire. Another wave of terrorists were running for their lives, like chickens with their heads cut off, unsure as to where the shelling was coming from.
"All units move in!" Captain Carter ordered.
The thrusters on all four Mobile Frames ignited, propelling them forward at great speed. Each unit raised their rifles, and once they broke through the tree line, they unleashed a barrage of gunfire on the base. In the dark of the night, each bullet looked like a fast-moving firefly before striking its target. The enemy mechs were too late to respond as several of them were shot through their cockpit, unable to withstand the armor-piercing rounds of Knight Raid's rifles. Two of the enemy mechs managed to get it together and raised their machine gun arms into position before shooting their own barrage.
Each of the four Knight Raid units broke off from the main formation and began engaging their individual opponents. Manny approached one of the enemy mechs that was trying to hit him but was doing a very poor job of it. No doubt they were panic firing, what with the flames, explosions, and now their arrival. Which worked for him. Manny pulled out a large knife from his unit's right shoulder and lunged it into the enemy unit's cockpit, killing the pilot. Another of the enemy units turned to shoot at him, but Manny, with his knife still lodged in his previous target, whirled the "corpse" around and used it as a shield. The second enemy unit kept on firing, but it was no use as the bullets just kept hitting his dead ally's mech.
The enemy's shot eventually hit something, the fuel of that dead unit's thruster pack. An explosion took place, shrouding Manny's Mobile Frame in fire and smoke. The second enemy unit had a smile on his face, believing he had killed the person who killed his teammate. This was not the case. From the flames and smoke, that same knife flew out, flipping through the air over and under until it stuck itself right into the left arm of the enemy mech, completely disabling that unit's arm. Manny sped out of the flames and smoke, keeping to the left as the enemy unit tried to shoot at him, but of course, he could only use his right arm, so the bullets got nowhere near him. Manny took aim with his rifle, cocking the bottom of the barrel as he got a little closer and pulled the trigger. The secondary barrel unleashed a shotgun round that pelted the enemy mech, the impact was so strong that it shattered the glass casing around the cockpit, killing the pilot, and throwing the mech onto its back.
Manny panted in exhaustion, starting to have a small problem breathing. He took out an inhaler, put it in his mouth, and pressed the button, letting the air refill his lungs. He slowly exhaled as could breathe properly now. His cancer was starting to get worse.
"Hijo de puta, now you act up," Manny complained. "Just have to get through this battle, that's it. You can do one fight, right, Manny? Right!"
The Latino checked on the status of his teammates, spotting George using a severed mech's arm to cave in the cockpit of another enemy mech. Then, he finished it off with a shot from his mech's sniper rifle.
Venessa had switched from the napalm shells to High EX shells, focusing her attention on the other hangars as she fired into them. There was a chance that there might be more ammo and mechs being stored in them, so she wasn't going to take any chances in letting them get to any of it. And as if to prove her right, she spotted two enemy Moblie Frames heading towards one of the hangars.
{Captain, two heading for the hangar!} Venessa warned.
{I see 'em.}
Captain Carter had holstered his rifle on the backpack of his Moblie Frame and drew out a large sword. Upon gripping the weapon, the entire edge of the long blade started to glow an angry orange-red color. The Captain's thrusters ignited, propelling him forward as he swiftly approached the two enemy mechs. The two enemy units turned around, but it was too late. Captain Carter came down with an overhead strike, slicing straight down the middle of the first mech. The superheated blade of his sword easily sliced through the unit like a hot knife through butter, making both halves of the enemy mech fall to the sides before exploding.
The pilot of the second enemy unit shook in terror as he gazed upon the Knight Raid Moblie Frame, now cast in shadows from the flames of his fallen ally, giving the robot a menacing look. The shield for the Knight Raid MF's visor moved up, and flashed, as if the mech was saying, "You're next." The terrorist screamed in, well, terror as he made his mech raise both arms and fire. Captain Carter, once again displaying the swiftness of his Moblie Frame, closed the distance and slashed upwards, cutting off the right gun barrel arm. With a flourish, Captain Carter brought the blade down, and sliced off the left gun barrel. Leaving the enemy unit defenseless. But he wasn't done yet. Captain Carter spun in place and sliced the enemy unit right below where the cockpit was, making the upper half and bottom half fall separately onto the ground.
Unfortunately for the terrorist pilot, the upper half fell forward, trapping him inside the cockpit, and trying desperately to eject. The Knight Raid MF spun the sword around until it was in a reverse grip position, and in one fluid motion, Captain Carter stabbed through the enemy unit's back, striking the cockpit on the other side. He quickly removed the sword and backed away just as the unit exploded.
{Did you have to style on him that hard, Cap?} George asked. {I almost feel sorry for that poor bastard. Almost.}
{Agreed.} Said Venessa.
{What? I want Manny to have a good story to tell his kid when we get back,} Captain Carter retorted.
Manny gave a slight laugh as he said. "I'm sure Luz, my now nine-year-old daughter, would love to hear the story of how the Demon of Knight Raid killed a hundred terrorists in one swipe."
{C'mon, Manny, don't make it sound that grand…make it more like fifty, much more believable.}
{I think he's trying to upstage you, Manny. Trying to be your kid's new hero, better watch it, man,} George teased.
Everyone busted out laughing at that since this will be the last time Manny will be on the team. But, what they didn't know was that something was hiding in the shadows of one of the still intact hangars, something big as its glowing red eyes stared at Knight Raid. The unknown enemy then slowly brought out a large type of gun and aimed at Venessa's unit without her noticing.
Manny stopped laughing as he suddenly felt a large, disturbing feeling like something was watching them. Manny turned his mech around and saw the red eyes of the unknown enemy and the large gun that was aimed directly at Venessa.
"VENESSA WATCH YOUR SIX!"
Venessa sharply turned her mech around just as the large gun was fired, the flaming projectile soared through the air like a meteor coming to strike the Earth. Knight Raid quickly dodged the flaming projectile just as it hit the ground and released a large explosion. The impact created a large shockwave that sent Knight Raid's MFs flying, as they tumbled across the ground, landing on their backs, knocking their pilots around inside their cockpits.
Manny managed to regain his bearings as he called out, "Sound off! Is everyone alright?!"
{Goddamn it, what the HELL was that?!} George shouted.
His answer came at the sound of slow metallic, and thundering footsteps. Every member of Knight Raid watched, as what fired at them slowly left the hangar it was hiding in, and made itself known. It was a large hulking Mobile Frame, standing taller than their units, with thick armor on the chest, head, arms, and legs Its head was round and looked like a helmet with a skull painted on the front with menacing red eyes. Its main weapon was a large cannon attached to its waist, with the tip of the barrel smoking from its last shot. Inside its cockpit was a young German man wearing nothing but a black pilot suit, revealing his long black hair and blood-red eyes.
He stared out of his mech's monitors at the downed Knight Raid Units with a wicked smile and gave out a loud cackle that was heard from his mechs speakers. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Whoopsies, looks like I missed! Guess I'll have to try again! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
{You gotta be kidding me…that's a Gigan class Mobile Frame! I thought they decommissioned those things!} Venessa yelled in a panic.
Manny, as well as the others, knew how dangerous this thing was. Iron Giant Mobile Frames were huge, hulking metal beasts. Armed with weapons that were strong enough to wipe out whole cities. The Frames only needed a single pilot to operate, turning one person into a literal one-man army. They were decommissioned, and outlawed by the Geneva Convention because of the massive devastation just one of them could inflict, never mind what a whole squad of them could do if they worked together.
"Oh, they did, my little sheep," The Terrorist began, never losing that wicked smile. "Some were decommissioned while others were kept and put into storage, thinking they could be used in the future. Of course, when we stole this bad boy, I added my own personal touches to it, attuning it to my specifications and personal combat data when I started my crusade to wipe out that WHOLE City! NOW PREPARE TO FACE THE BEHEMOTH'S WRATH! Hahahahahaha!"
The back of the Behemoth had several panels shift and open, in the next moment, several missile salvos were launched from the Behemoth's back. The missiles rose high into the air before angling themselves downward.
{EVASIVE MANEUVERS!} Captain Carter ordered.
Knight Raid's Moblie Frames quickly fired their thrusters as they began to glide across the ground. The missiles rained down on them from above, exploding violently against the concrete and asphalt of the base. All four units raised their rifles to the air and returned fire, shooting down as many missiles as they could. The air and ground were lit up with multiple explosions, one after the other, and ten seconds later, the barrage ended, and thankfully, with only minor damage to their units. Unfortunately, they knew that wasn't all the Behemoth had.
"Hmm, impressive. As expected of the famous Knight Raid," The Terrorist complimented. "But that won't be enough to stop my BEHEMOTH!"
The arms of the behemoth began to shift, as two saw-like blades extended from its arms and began to rotate at high speeds while also glowing a fiery orang-red. The Behemoth's thrusters lit up as it suddenly sped towards Knight Raid at speeds that should be impossible for its large size. Captain Carter drew his sword, and charged ahead to meet Behemoth. The rotating saw blade and heat sword of the Knight Raid MF clashed, sending sparks flying into the air. Behemoth pushed down on the saw blade, making Captain Carter's MF strain from trying to push back against the hulking monster.
Manny and George sped to the right and left of Behemoth and opened fire, pelting the giant machine with gunfire in an attempt to help out their captain. However, the bullets barely graze the Behemoth's thick armor, merely bouncing off it. They might as well have been throwing rocks at it at this point. Behemoth took another step forward, causing the Knight Raid MF to go down to one knee as the saw blade got dangerously close to the mech's head. But before Behemoth could land the killing blow, the side of its head exploded as flames erupted all over its head and upper torso. Behemoth turned to its left and saw the damaged MF of Knight Raid had fired a napalm shell at it.
Now distracted, Captain Carter parried the saw blade away and dashed straight for Behemoth. The captain struck downward with a vertical slash, but the heat sword only managed a small cut in the armor. Deciding not to press his luck, Captain Carter backed away from the giant mech, trying to figure out a way to damage this thing. Just then, several explosions went off all over the Behemoth's back. Knight Raid followed the path of where the fire had come from and was relieved to see that the joint military force of US and German Mobile Frames were now approaching them. Several of the mechs fired on Behemoth with wanton abandon, knowing just how dangerous it was.
{Heh, look at all you little pests trying to hurt my Behemoth. I guess I'll have to do some exterminating since I absolutely HATE bugs! AHAHAHAHAAHAAHAAA!}
Behemoth ignored Knight Raid and instead turned its attention to the incoming forces. The Iron Giant Moblie Frame fired yet another barrage of missiles from its back, but instead of one salvo, several were launched one after the other. The main force's units started to shoot into the sky to try and intercept them, while others began weaving and bobbing around the battlefield. Some of the mechs managed to get close, while others were destroyed as soon as the missile rain hit. Several dozens of explosions went off as the joint forces of the US and Germany were destroyed one after the other.
The ones that did get through began firing at close range with their rifles. But Behemoth, just like before, received zero damage from their pea shooter guns. The giant mech reached out with its large left hand and grabbed the upper half of one mech, and crushed it in its hand, making oil pour down from the mech as if it were bleeding. Behemoth tossed the crushed Mobile Frame towards another one, the second Mobile Frame couldn't get out of the way in time as it was hit by the other damaged MF before exploding and taking out the second with it. Only three units were left of the United Forces, and they continued to fire at Behemoth as it slowly marched toward them, receiving no damage at all.
{That thing's body is impenetrable!} Cried one pilot in panic.
{Stay calm!} Ordered another as he loaded a grenade in his riffle and aimed at Behemoth. {Let him HAVE it!}
They fired their grenades at Behemoth, but, like before, there was no damage. Behemoth then suddenly leaped high into the air, surprising the Pilots as they aimed at Behemoth and continued to fire bullets. Just before Behemoth landed, the three MF units scattered, one going to the left and the other two to the right. As soon as Behemoth landed. The pilot of Behemoth gave out a slight chuckle and sliced off the head of the MF with its left saw-blade, taking the top of the cockpit with it, and exposing the shocked and terrified face of the pilot.
[MKAlieZ-Aldnoah Zero 2:47]
Behemoth swung his right arm downward, cutting the Mobile frame in half as it exploded a few moments after, and with a fluid motion, sliced diagonally with that same arm, destroying the second unit before it could defend itself in a fiery explosion. The last Mobile Frame fired its rifle in desperation, but the weapon was quickly sliced in half by Behemoth's saw-blade. That same saw-blade then cut the unit in half like it did with the others causing it to explode as well. The members of Knight Raid could only look in shock and horror, at the ferocity of Behemoth as it was able to destroy an entire squadron of US and German MFs and kill their comrades in arms like they were nothing in a few seconds.
"Oh my god…" Venessa muttered.
{We're seriously screwed right now…} George gasped.
{Don't panic yet! There has to be something we can do!} Captain Carter exclaimed. {My heat sword managed to scratch it a little. If I set it to overheat, maybe I can pierce through that thing's armor?}
{Captain, with all due respect, that's insane! We don't know exactly where the cockpit is, and even if you can do that, that armor is incredibly thick! Who knows if the sword will be able to go that deep even with it in Overheat Mode?!} Venessa stated.
Manny scanned the Behemoth up and down, having his Mobile Frame create a 3D model of the machine to find a weak spot, if there was any. After thinking and looking over the rough scans of the Behemoth, Manny came to one conclusion. They did indeed have something strong enough to take it down, each Mobile Frame did, as a matter of fact. The problem is, not many were willing to use it. Manny glanced at his teammates, he could still hear them talking about how they were going to defeat the metal beast, or if they should just run and call for backup. He then looked at the city of Berlin in the distance. The people dwelling in that city had no idea of the horror that was about to come their way, so many people would die before the Behemoth was stopped.
' …I'm sorry, mija….' Manny thought.
{Captain, I have an idea!} Manny cried out.
{What do you got?}
{Throw me your sword.}
Everyone looked confused by the request, but Captain Carter complied with his subordinate's request. Manny was always calculating when it came to missions, and if anyone could come up with a possible way to take down Behemoth, it was him. Captain Carter had his mech hand over the sword, which Manny gratefully took into his mech's hands. Once the connection had been established, he brought up the operating menu for the sword, prepared it to go into Overheat Mode, and had another switch ready to be activated.
{I want you guys to hit it with everything you got; don't hold back a single round,} Manny ordered.
{Manny, what's the plan?} Captain Carter asked.
{We only have one option…Cap.}
Suddenly, the visor guard on Manny's Mobile Frame disengaged and fell to the ground. The mech's visor turned a bright, blood-red color as various segments of the Moblie Frame's body started to glow bright orange, making sparks fly off it like hot embers.
[Warning: Self-Destruct Sequence has been initiated. 30 seconds until core meltdown and detenation.]
{WHAT THE HELL?!}
{MANNY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!}
{DEACTIVATE THAT SELF-DESTRUCT, THAT'S AN ORDER!}
"Sorry, guys…I can't. This is the only way to take it down," said Manny. "The core of our Mobile Frames should have enough explosive yield when pushed to critical with the self-destruct. I'm going to get right up in that monster's face and drag it to hell, personally!"
Captain Carter approached Manny's mech as he yelled, {FOR GOD'S SAKE, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING! YOU HAVE A WIFE AND DAUGHTER! THEY'RE WAITING TO SEE YOU!}
" …Twenty seconds left…Cap, Vess, George, hurry and attack it. NOW!"
The three members of Knight Raid squeezed their hands around the controls of their mechs, their knuckles turning white as they gritted their teeth with anger and sadness in their hearts. As one, the three Knight Raid mechs turned towards Behemoth, raised their weapons, and together as one, the three yelled out their battle cry.
{AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!}
All three mechs charged forward, firing off everything they had at Behemoth. The giant machine arrogantly stood there and let them shoot at him, enjoying just how much they were struggling against him in this last act of defiance.
[Overheat Mode: Engaged.]
Manny's mech got into an attack stance as it gripped the sword. The entire blade went from an angry orange-red to a bright red as literal flames started to waft off the blade, creating sparks in the air that crackled before disappearing. Manny fired the thrusters on his mech, going full throttle as he dashed across the battlefield, creating a streak of red light that followed in his wake. Behemoth saw Manny coming, but again, the pilot's arrogance prevailed as he let Manny get closer and closer.
Venessa loaded the last remaining napalm shells and fired all of them, one after the other. The shells exploded against the metal beast's head, torso, and lower body. Dowsing every inch of it in flames. The pilot of Behemoth got worried as the cameras were completely covered in fire, warping and distorting any visuals he was getting from them.
[10 seconds…9…8…]
Manny had his mech jump into the air as he fired the thrusters to the max, not caring if he burned them out. Once over the Behemoth, Manny twirled the sword around until he was holding it in a reverse grip. Manny cut off the thrusters as he allowed gravity to do the rest of the work, bringing him and his mech straight down until the MF's feet impacted against the shoulders of Behemoth, just as Manny drove the sword straight through the top of the metal monster's head. The pilot of Behemoth cried out in fear as his instruments blared out warning signals that he had received damage. But after a moment, he settled down, believing that the Knight Raid pilot had done nothing to him.
[5…4…]
"Hey, Cap…do me a favor, will ya? I have a birthday present for Luz…it's under my bed back at the barracks. Can you give it to her for me?" Manny asked.
Captain Carter, with tears in his eyes, replied, {I will…I promise!}
[3…2…]
Manny twisted the blade as he yelled with all the force in his body, "NOW EAT THIS SUCKAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
[1.]
The segments of Manny's Mobile Frame glowed bright white, and in the next moment, a massive explosion erupted at the head of the Behemoth. The explosion widened, growing bigger and bigger as the Behemoth was broken down, pieces flying off and disintegrating from the intense heat and power of the explosion. The pilot inside of the mech cried out in pure agony and pain as his entire body was burned away in the white-hot flash of fire and power. The others braced for impact but were still thrown several feet from where the explosion took place. A bright white flash of light was all that could be seen in the night, followed by a roaring explosion that shook the earth in all directions.
When it was over, the members of Knight Raid exited their Mobile Frames, now standing atop them as they bore witness to the devastation. Behemoth had been completely destroyed, only a huge crater remained. The base, the terrorists, if anyone was still alive before Manny made his sacrifice, then they surely were not anymore. Somehow, for whatever reason, the one thing that still remained in the center of that crater, was the sword, sticking up out of the ground with the hilt pointed up towards the sky. It was charred and blackened, but it still stood, as if it was marking the place where their friend had died. George fell to his knees and beat his fists against his mechs, crying in sorrow. Captain Carter, eyes still streaming with tears, stood at attention and saluted.
XXX
(1 Day Later…)
In the town of Gravesfield, Connecticut, the Noceda family was getting ready for a birthday party. It was Luz's ninth birthday, and the Latina was excited. Because today her father would be returning from his mission. Camila chuckled as she watched her young daughter run around the living room with all the energy of a child her age. Honestly, Camila was glad that he was coming home soon, especially after finding out about his cancer, she had begged Manny to resign from the military so he could spend as much time as possible with them. Luz needed her father, and truthfully, she needed him, too.
She wasn't as confident back in her earlier years, and as much as she wished it weren't true, it seemed that their daughter was starting on the same path as she had long ago. Being the odd one out, seen as the "weird girl" or "the nerd." She hated the idea of her daughter being seen that way, but hopefully, Luz would meet her "Manny" one day, someone who would be there to help her, to make her confident, and to share in nerdy things. Although considering that there were only the two of them in the house for this party, Luz's prospects for friends weren't looking so good.
Camila shook her head, trying to dislodge those depressing thoughts. Don't start that now. Focus on the good: Manny's coming home. We'll have a nice party for Luz as a family.
"Mamá, when's Papá coming home?!" Luz asked.
"Soon, mija, you know he wouldn't miss your birthday for anything," said Camila.
"Okay!" Luz said sweetly, before running off again.
Just then, a knock came at the door, Luz's eyes widened, practically sparkling as she suspected who was behind that door.
"Mamá, I'm gonna hide! Don't tell Daddy!"
Camila watched as her daughter went and hid, planning on popping out and possibly latching onto her father. The older Latina smiled as she readied herself, passing by a mirror to make sure her hair was right. Yes, Manny has seen her in various states, but that didn't mean she wanted to look too disheveled. Camila entered the hallway and twisted the knob of the door.
"Manny, welcome ho – Carter?"
Much to Camila's surprise, it was not her husband on the other side of the door, but the captain of his unit. He was carrying a package that was wrapped up in colorful wrapping paper, and tied together with a red ribbon. Camila recognized it as an oblivious present for Luz, but she did find it strange that Carter was here. Not that she was complaining, Captain Carter and Manny were friends, and often came over to their house, with Luz referring to him as "Uncle Carter".
"Carter, good to see you! Did you come for the party?" Camila asked.
"Uh…yes…and no." Captain Carter rubbed the back of his head, trying to find the right words. "Camila, can we talk…privately?"
"Oh, um, sure. We can talk in the guest room."
Captain Carter walked and closed the door behind him, as he walked down the hallway, Luz popped out from around the corner and latched onto his leg.
"Gotcha, Daddy!" Luz looked up and tilted her head in confusion. "Uncle Carter?" Then, that confused expression changed to joy. "Uncle Carter! You came for my birthday!"
Captain Carter smiled a little as he knelt, with Luz still attached to his left leg, and patted the young girl on the head. "Hey, Luz. Listen, I gotta talk to your mom real quick. Mind letting me have my leg back?"
Luz made a little whining sound. "Don't wanna! My leg!"
"Luz, let Uncle Carter go. Or no cake," Camila warned.
The little girl relented and released her uncle's leg. Afterward, Captain Carter and Camila headed into the guest room, where Camila closed the door and turned to face their family friend.
"Carter, what's the matter? Did Manny tell you he was going to be late? Probably finding a last-minute present, esa adorable tontería (that loveable goof)," Camila chuckled.
Captain Carter didn't respond; he only looked down at the ground with a sad expression.
"Carter?" Camila questioned. "What's wrong?"
"Camila…as you know, we were called to do a mission. It was Manny's last with our unit. There was an incident. We came across an enemy that was bigger and more formidable than what we had estimated," said Carter.
Camila's expression began to shift as she listened to the story. Feeling a growing sense of dread with each word spoken.
"We were against the wall, so to speak. And there were many lives on the line…"
Camila was starting to make some connections here, the fact that Captain Carter was here, without Manny or the rest of his squad. The fact that he was holding a lone present, and had a solemn expression on his face when she first greeted him.
"Tell me what happened," asked Camila with tears in her eyes
Captain Carter gathered his strength, stood up straight, and looked Camila in the eyes. "I regret to inform…Lieutenant Manuel Noceda has fallen in battle. He gave his life to destroy an enemy that would've killed several thousands of people, and in the end, he saved me, and the rest of our team. I owe my life to him, Camila."
The world ground to a complete halt for Camila; the only thing she could hear right now was the thumping of her heart. Her eyes widened as tears streamed down her face, the news hitting her like a meteor that dropped from the heavens, shattering her world. All at once, Camila broke down, sobbing hard as the strength in her legs left. Captain Carter hurriedly reached out with his arms and caught her, letting the wife of his friend bury her face in his chest as she cried loudly. Not even the stoic Captain Carter was able to keep himself from crying, the death of his friend was still fresh in his mind, and now seeing the wife of his friend in such pain, just made him hurt.
"Mamá…Uncle Carter…?"
Carter and Camila's eyes widened, both adults turned their attention to the door, which had been cracked open, but now was wide open. Luz was standing there, her right hand wrapped around her left as she looked upon the crying faces of her uncle and mother.
"What's wrong…why are you two crying...?"
Carter released Camila as she hurried over to her daughter and enveloped her in a hug. "Oh…Luz…Daddy…Daddy's not going to be able to come to your birthday, mija…"
"W-What? Why? Did I do something bad? Is Daddy mad at me?! I'm sorry! I'll tell Daddy I'm sorry!" Luz exclaimed.
Camila's heart broke again from hearing her daughter's words, but she had to make her understand, the last thing she needed was to have Luz think it was her fault. "No, Luz, no, you did nothing wrong. Do…Do you remember what we talked about? About how sick Daddy is?"
Luz nodded.
"A-And do you remember where we said he would be after?"
Luz nodded again and pointed up with her right hand. "You and Daddy said that Daddy would be watching me from way up in the sky, from 'he-ven', right?"
Camila nodded and said, "Y-Your Papá, he's there now. He's watching us."
"W-What? Why?" Luz asked.
Carter walked over and knelt next to Camila as he told Luz.
"Your dad is a hero, Luz. He saved my life and the lives of many people. Someday, I'll tell you how he did it, but just know, I'll be here for you and your mom." Carter said with tears in his eyes as he handed Luz her present. "He got you something. I don't know what it is, but if it's from your dad, then it's probably something magical."
Luz received the gift, but her heart started to hurt. Tears began to sting her eyes as the realization was beginning to set in that her father was gone.
"No…no, no, no!" Luz cried in denial with her eyes shut.
Camila hugged Luz tight as both mother and daughter cried sorrowful tears. Camila had lost her husband, and for Luz, her father, he had been taken far too early. Camila knew that his time with them was short due to his disease, but still, even if it were short, they would've had him here with them for that time. So many worries began to fill Camila's head, Manny was her protector and her rock. She had lost both, and now she had to step up and be Luz's protector and rock. But there was a part of her that doubted.
In Luz's case, she had always seen her father as invincible, even though her father had told her that he was sick, the way he acted and the things he did, to Luz, it didn't appear he was sick at all. And add to the fact that he was going out on missions to beat bad guys and save people, it was like he was a superhero to her. And heroes weren't supposed to die…right? So…why did he have to die?
A few hours later, Luz was in her room, all alone with no one else. The sudden shock that her father had died, was too much for the poor young Latina to handle, so she requested to be alone in her room for a while. Carter and Camila didn't argue with that, as they knew that this was hard on them, too. Luz looked at the present that her uncle had given to her, she turned it over and saw that the tag on it read, "To: Luz, From: Daddy." Luz's spirits were lifted just a tad, realizing that this was her father's last present to her.
Carefully, Luz undid the ribbon, and did the same with the wrapping paper. She had planned to keep both, as it was the ribbon and paper that her father used to wrap her gift. Once it was all undone, Luz looked upon the gift. It was a book, with the image of a green-haired witch, dressed in white, and wielding a grand staff. The title of the book read "The Good Witch Azura" and was, from what Luz could tell, the first volume. Luz and her father shared a love of fiction and of the magical. Her mother did not as much, but she didn't hate it or anything. Luz knew that if her father wanted to give her this book as a present, then it meant that he knew she would love it.
Without saying a word, Luz wiped her tears away, got comfortable on her bed, and began reading "The Good Witch Azura." Little did the young girl know just how much her father's last gift would help shape her life going forward…
To be continued in the main story.
That's all for now, folks! If you want to see more of Steel Heart Rebellion, please favorite and leave a review on what you want to see next.
Authors Note: This fanfic was written by both Michael Ravencroft & WildImaginator21. The first episode of the main series will be released later this year in spring, until then, have a look at the designs the mechs in this fanfic are based on.
Mech Designs.
MFS-110 Blackout: M9E Gernsback x RGM-89De Jegan [ECOAS Type]
Urban Panzer: AP-06 x 30 Minute Missions Mass Produced Sub Machine Ver
Behemoth: Mechwarrior Atlas.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Owl House or any of the mechs designs, they belong to their respective owners.
Music used in this story.
Striker Eureka Sacrifice OST-Pacific RIm
