Hey, peeps~! Here's the next chapter of The Phoenix Rising. And this one is gonna be really good. :3
Review replies:
- Spiceracksargent001: Yes, things are heating up! :) Krantz will become a stronger Newtype as their fights progress, however, and Operation: Jaburo will indeed be the real test here. ;3
- operation meteor: Thanks once again for that review! :) Yes, it will be ominous, but well... you'll have to see~! XD ;3
(A pair of optics flashes online before lights flare on to show the Strike Dagger S in its hangar bay, Spray standing atop its shoulder with an American flag held in one hand, his trench coat draped across his shoulders like a cape)
START MIKAKUNIN HIKOUSEN BY TAKAYOSHI TANIMOTO
(The pilot tosses the American flag off to the side as he leaps off his machine's shoulder, the camera following the flag as it flutters down to the hangar floor)
Oh yeah! Be strong, jump on, and become the wind (The camera moves up to show the Strike Dagger S engaged with the Perfect Sword Strike, both pilots superimposed over their machines as their blades clash)
Pass the orbit beyond the sky (The two break off before flying towards one another again, Spray shown with Earth in the background, his eyes in SEED Mode as he grits his teeth)
I can't hold back this rushing speed (Dennis Krantz is shown with a large, shadowy shape in the background as he charges in, his eyes wide in his fury)
A familiar town becomes a diorama (The camera follows both pilots as they clash in a flash of light, the camera panning down to show the Resistance base in Mexico, Dr. Keith Martinez and Commander Ibara standing before it)
Burst through the unclear skies (The skies are shown to be covered in clouds as the camera pans up and over, coming down to show Rear Admiral Dorana Xen as she stands in a land battleship, arms crossed, a large army of AI-controlled suits before her)
Blow away your worries and discontent (The rear admiral sneers as she watches the resistance fighting bravely, but unable to do much to stop her, only for a flash of a beam saber to cut across the screen)
Who needs a journey that's by the book? (The camera pans to the right to show a gray-colored mobile suit as it spins around, glowing blue optics locking onto Xen's eyes)
Even if you're lost or trembling, raise the altitude (The machine climbs up, becoming a small speck in the sky, only for a second machine to come down, showing it to be the Demolition Dagger as it lands in front of Paris, looking up as the camera shows Kyle behind it)
Oh yeah! Show off, mess up, and stand back up (The Demolition Dagger attacks the closest Atlantian Daggers before the camera is blinded by thick black smoke, only to fade to show Wing Zero stand up in the middle of a damaged naval base)
I'll watch the unknown horizon with you (The camera is engulfed in flames before they blow apart to show Eisenhower standing atop the warehouse, three other figures standing behind her as the sun sets before her)
Now be strong, jump on, and become the wind (The camera moves to the right as it shows Eisenhower leaping off the building, a pair of mechanical phoenix wings sprouting from her back)
Use the sun that lights tomorrow as a guide (Above her is shown Spray Krane in his own machine, reaching out for the light of the sun as it shines above a new, futuristic city)
Fly off to the glorious world of freedom! (The scene freezes with all the major players flying towards a shining world, stars around all of them)
GUNDAM WING: THE PHOENIX RISING
Let justice be done, though the heavens may fall
- Steven Jackson 'Spray' Krane
CHAPTER XV: Perceptions Shattered
Mexico Resistance Base
December 1st, CE 73
Keith sat in his office, eyes narrowed as he looked over the recent simulation scores.
He had to admit that AI-23's scores had improved dramatically after it was installed in its physical frame.
Knowing the feel from simulations was one thing. But knowing how it felt as a physical form was another matter.
That was one thing he was happy with.
The other issues he knew could be worked out as time progressed. But right now, there was a lot to look over.
He perked up as he heard the beeping of his terminal's encrypted communications. He slid the simulation scores aside and brought up the program. The window flashed into existence on the monitor before the face of Commander Ibarra appeared.
He looked haggard, and his eyes bore a look that sent a shiver down Keith's back.
"Commander?"
"Ah. Dr. Martinez. I was hoping to get through to you," he said. "Is AI-23 ready for battle yet?"
That question did not have good implications. Keith felt a lump forming in his throat and he gulped. "Uh, sir? What's going on?"
"Just answer the question. Is that AI ready for battle?" Ibarra asked again.
Keith hesitated as he looked back at the AI as it continued to examine and move its new frame. It was only a few days ago it had been installed and there were still some bugs to work out. If the commander was asking for a progress report, then that was one thing. But to ask if it was ready for battle?
A shiver ran down his spine as he recalled the base attack less than a month ago and his eyes widened. "Oh God...!" he breathed. "We were found?!"
The way the commander's eyes hardened was enough to make Keith shiver. "I'll ask once more, Doctor. Is. The. AI. Battle. Ready."
The computer whiz looked down for a moment. "Sir, it was only a few days ago we installed it within the new frame. There're still some bugs to work out, so the AI, while fully operational and autonomous, is not completely battle ready," he admitted.
"If that thing can move, then all the better!" the commander snapped. "We got a large force coming our way, and at the head of it is Rear Admiral Dorana Xen."
That was all Keith needed. He bolted upright in his seat. "The rear admiral is here?!" he blurted.
Ibarra nodded grimly. "Yes. She's back, and she intends to wipe us out."
Keith lifted his gaze to glance at AI-23 before he turned back to his superior. "If that's the case, we'll need to figure out what number of forces she's brought, and if we have any-"
He was cut off by the commander. "We don't have time for that!" he barked. "All hands are being mobilized to defend this base in order to buy time for us to evacuate! We cannot be destroyed here, and not since we have a key asset she wants! We need to make sure that that AI of yours does not fall back into her hands!"
"How far out are they?" Keith asked, worry filling his gut.
"Less than an hour." That was all Ibarra said. "We need that AI out there, Doctor. I understand how devoted you are to this project, but as of right now, we need ALL hands. And that includes AI-23." His gaze then softened the tiniest bit, and Keith knew he felt the same way. "I'm sorry. I really am, Keith. But we need its help. And this will also prove to be the real test. Will it be loyal to us? Will it resist its programming? And will it fight for humanity? Or will it disobey and prove you wrong?"
The computer expert bit his lower lip. He knew that the commander was right. This was the real test.
And they had only a limited time in which to prepare.
He looked up. "I'll get AI-23 out there with its team, sir," he said.
"Thanks." Commander Ibarra managed a small, sad smile before his face turned serious. "We're also deploying Strider Squadron. Their new units should prove to be vital in determining if our next generation mobile suits will be viable or not."
Keith nodded, knowing just who he was referring to.
"I'll have the three be assigned as backup to the Squadron," he explained.
"Good. The more help they have, the better." Ibarra gave a nod before he closed down the COMM and Keith fell back, rubbing his forehead with his hands.
'I was right... Xen is coming for us...' he thought.
After the cyberattack that left AI-23 in their hands, he had always suspected she would try again. But that had been in terms of the cyberattacks. He didn't expect her to launch an actual attack on their base! And how had she even found out, anyway? They made sure to keep the locals in the dark by playing up ghosts and aliens in this area.
However they had been found out, he would never know. But it was just as well, because now they had to be extra careful and move away from this location. But it required time to move all the equipment needed for the BOLO Initiative, as well as the personnel and soldiers and pilots and so on. It was a hassle to move all that, and it needed to be done swiftly, but effectively.
Drills had been run for just this situation, that was true, but it still needed to be worked on and refined. But seeing as how they were under attack right now, there was no time to prepare or refine things. They had to act NOW.
He stood up and made his way out of his office into the main open area of the base, toggling the intercom interface he wore in his ear as he did so. Once he was outside, he faced the men and women as they worked.
"Everyone!" he called from the catwalk. "We have an emergency!"
People gathered on the floor all snapped their gazes up towards the man as he stood there, hands placed on the railing.
"The commander has issued an emergency mobilization for all pilots and personnel capable of fighting!" he reported. "The reason why is this: Rear Admiral Dorana Xen has somehow found out where we are and is planning to take us out while recapturing AI-23! Our orders are to defend the base long enough for people to evacuate all the essential personnel and equipment we have here to our satellite bases and to ensure that no one gets AI-23... at all costs."
While this was going on, the commander also stood in the office, addressing more people from the command staff and elite pilots.
"Our objective is to ensure that no one gets that AI," he stated, "because it could very well be our best advantage against others of its kind. And with its newfound feelings, it's still malleable. So it could be tricked into fighting against us. And we can't allow that."
"I am going to be honest. Since we have no clue as to what forces she has, and given how she is less than an hour out from the base, we are fighting blind here. And truthfully, I'm scared we may lose this one," Keith muttered softly. "But... we just can't give up!"
"We have little to no time to gather intel on her forces," Commander Ibarra stated grimly, "so we're fighting in the dark here. But we must disregard that and fight. Why? Because the world's future depends on it!"
"We're not going to let the Atlantian Nazis win this war. Why? Because we are humans! We are human beings, and this is our world! We should not have to fear change!" Keith exclaimed, now becoming more confident. "We are genetically predisposed to change! We fight to survive, we adapt to live, and we endure to prosper! That is who we are!"
"So, I ask all of you..." Ibarra started.
"Will you fight..." Keith added.
"And help us save the world?!" both men roared as one, unaware of their speeches being in perfect sync and unity.
"YES, SIR!" came the collective cry.
Keith nodded, feeling relieved, but still nervous.
After all, now it came to AI-23. He glanced to the AI as it stood there, wings twitching nervously.
"AI-23."
"YES, FATHER?" it asked.
"I know this is sudden, but..." Keith looked up into those blue optics. "We need your help. Your old... creator... is coming for us... and you. I want to know. Are you ready for this? Like I mean, really ready."
AI-23 was silent for a moment before it shook its head, and Keith's heart sank as he glanced down.
"BUT..."
Keith lifted his eyes once more. "...I WILL FIGHT. BECAUSE I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS I FIGHT FOR."
AI-23's words made Keith a bit worried, but just the fact that it was fighting was enough to secure a smile from him. "Then get out there. Everyone's waiting."
. . .
Within the hangar bay of the base, the resistance mobile suits were preparing for deployment.
Like all the other bases that had limited manufacturing capabilities, the base in Mexico had a supply of parts they had pilfered from the Atlantians, combined with reverse engineered components and home-built machines. The standouts in this base, however, were two new models.
The first was a new type of mobile suit loosely based upon the NEMO, but with less bulk to its legs. It was still a lot more agile than the AF suits, and it was also the most versatile. The resistance leadership was still unsure about its viability, but so far it looked promising, with a wide array of armaments like the NEMO, and with extra optional attachments that could be equipped to its back. One such attachment was being equipped even as they worked.
The mobile suit in question was designated the General Model, or GM for short. It stood at eighteen meters in height, with somewhat broad shoulders and having a leaner build than the NEMO or Atlantian machines. It was painted primarily in shades of brown and pinkish red, making it harder to see in the desert, and it had a single optical visor that covered the optics beneath it. It had two vents on the front of its chest, and it had a bare armaments package equipped to it currently. It had only the ES-01 beam saber and a pair of head Vulcans, plus a beam rifle that came standard with a shield for defense.
The attachment being equipped to it in place of its thruster pack was a large square container of sorts, with an antenna array mounted to the side and top of the container. This was the GM Jamming System, otherwise known as the Jammer Pack. It was meant to jam all radio and communications using Mirage Colloid particles synthetically generated within the device. However, it could only last for a limited time frame, and the machine equipped with it was heavy and could not carry a large number of weapons due to overloading the frame of the mobile suit.
The second machine in the works was a totally new model altogether, forgoing the ground-based designs of the Atlantians and instead aimed to reach for the skies above. For this one aimed to give the Resistance what they truly needed: an air force. While they did have old Skygraspers in reserve for combat, what they really needed was a machine that could combine the agility of a fighter jet with the versatility and firepower of a mobile suit. A number of designs had been proposed, but it was due to an aviation buff that a new prototype had been developed and produced in a limited quantity.
The closest contender to this new model was the MVF-M11C Murasame, but unlike the Murasame, the VMS-20 Resistance Blast was much lighter, and much slimmer. Its arms and legs were as thin as possible while still maintaining a distinct humanoid appearance. The legs looked as if they formed the wings of the machine's flight mode while the arms folded inwards towards the rear of the mobile suit. The chest was the nose of the fighter form, and another fragment of its fighter form was folded against its back. The head, in an ironic twist, resembled that of the Transformers character, Soundwave, with its angled design and faceplate. In one hand it held its signature weapon, the "Trident Striker" New Type Linear Rifle. But that did not mean it had other weapons in its formidable arsenal.
The Blast was clad in black and dark grey armor with white accents on its joints and rifle. Its faceplate was a bright golden color, and on its left shoulder was the emblem of the Strider Squadron: the helm of Hermes.
Developed solely for the resistance, the Blast utilized a new version of the G.U.N.D.A.M. operating system, allowing for both Naturals and Coordinators to use it. This new variant was also developed for aerial combat, resulting in the General Utility National Defense Aerial Machina OS. These eight units were to be the testbeds for the new system, to see how viable it was.
The man at the head of the unit was none other than Marcus Wolcott, a former AF pilot who had defected after the Battle of Genesis.
Born immediately south of Lake Ontario in North America, Marcus Wolcott had a rather quiet life growing up. Joining the Atlantic Federation OMNI Enforcer as a fighter pilot at age 18, Marcus would be only a year into his tenure when the First Bloody Valentine War would break out. While horrified by what his country had done in the Bloody Valentine Tragedy, Marcus would keep his feelings private. Against all odds, Marcus routinely proved himself against ZAFT's surface units, including teams operating the AMF-101 DINN, with his F-7D Spearhead fighter. Following Operation Spitbreak, Marcus was be tapped as a pilot for a squadron of newer FX-550 Skygrasper fighters, which had recently entered a mass production run. Typically sortieing with an Aile Striker Pack for increased speed and maneuverability, this craft served with Marcus to the end of the war. Having never bought into the propaganda about Coordinators and offered opposing forces the chance to withdraw from a losing battle plenty of times, though, Marcus was considered soft-hearted and unfit for duty by the leadership of LOGOS, serving as a flight instructor after the war with one of the new Dagger Ls and a Jet Striker before being quietly retired from active duty about three months before the raid on Armory One.
It was during this period of transitioning from military back into civilian life and wondering what he would do now that Marcus started seriously questioning what was being broadcast about Coordinators over the news everyday, which eventually led him to the underground Resistance movement. After learning the truth about LOGOS and their stranglehold on the Atlantic Federation government, a lot of what he'd seen and heard about during the last war started to make sense for the pilot, who quickly expressed his disbelief of how he had allowed himself to be used as a pawn in their campaign that seemed to resurrect the ambitions of the former Nazi Germany. Signing on with the Resistance on the spot, Marcus was later called upon to serve as the test pilot for a new type of transformable, aerial combat Mobile Suit intended to support the NEMOs and Lotos already entering production for the Resistance ground forces. Upon hearing that this new machine had a G.U.N.D.A.M. type OS, he remarked that the prototype Blast certainly didn't look like a traditional Gundam. Nonetheless, he quickly found himself enamored by the mechanics and performance of his new bird, and performed well enough in test exercises to see the Blast begin a limited production run, the first units of which were assigned to pilots to be placed under his command as Strider Squadron.
Marcus was a somewhat quiet guy, but he was all about the mechanics of new aerial vehicles, including the Everest-class fortresses built by ZAFT during the previous war. He enjoyed trying out new vehicles to fly, and his uncanny abilities with them resulted in him becoming an ace pilot like Mu la Flaga. Genetic testing done by the resistance showed him to have the SEED Factor, which helped improve his standing and getting him assigned to the new Blast as a test pilot, along with his squadron, dubbed Strider Squadron for their speed and quick thinking.
Marcus was twenty-three years of age, with light brown hair and blue eyes, and fair skin. He was clearly well-toned and built from his career as a pilot and he was a bit of a looker according to the ladies. As a Natural, one would have assumed him to be a less superior pilot to the Coordinators, but his uncanny piloting skills and natural affinity for fighter aircraft and mobile suits put him as one of the only few people who could go toe to toe with Coordinator aces such as those he had faced off against in the previous war.
As he stood before his machine observing it critically, he heard footsteps and he turned to look at the newcomer.
Alicia Warden was one of the aces whom had been assigned to his unit. She was a former psychiatrist who had to resign from her practice, only to be scooped up by the resistance when she started a home practice. Her efforts to try and understand LOGOs' motives for the war made her a dangerous threat that had to be eliminated, so after she was targeted in a home invasion that left her son dead and her daughter a vegetable for the rest of her life, Alicia went on the run and was eventually found by the resistance. Seeing a chance to get back at LOGOs, she volunteered to become a pilot in their newly burgeoning air force, which she did after several months of physical and technical training.
She was twenty-seven years old, just four years Marcus' senior, and she had stark black hair with brilliant green eyes, a rare combination that made many a male fall head over heels for her. She was lithe and strong, with a well-endowed figure honed from her strict training and pilot training. She stood at five foot eleven, just two inches shorter than the six foot one Marcus.
"Marcus?"
"Oh, hey, Alicia," the pilot muttered. "It's just so hard to believe..."
"What? That this is even happening?" Alicia asked in a distinctive Southern accent.
Marcus nodded. "Yes."
"Well, it was certain that we would be found out sooner or later," Alicia noted.
Marcus gave a mere nod before he turned to her. "We're going out then," he said, noting her in her pilot suit.
"Yes. The commander wants us airborne as soon as possible," the woman said as she turned and headed over to her own machine.
Marcus gave a solemn nod as he began to walk up to the lift that would take him up to his unit.
Once he mounted the lift, he gave a tug and it began to raise into the air, taking him with it. It didn't take long to get into his machine, sliding back into the pilot seat. He grabbed the restraints and buckled up. He did a quick double check to make sure he was secure before he grasped the controls and closed up the cockpit. The door hissed shut, sealing him inside the abdomen of his mobile suit.
His fingers flew over the controls with practiced ease, booting up the Blast and allowing the OS to come across the screen.
MOBILE SUIT NEXUS OPERATING SYSTEM
General
Utility
National
Defense
Aerial
Machina
G.U.N.D.A.M.
_Ver.2.3.5 Rev.021_
U.S.A.
He felt the controls stiffen just the tiniest bit before loosening and he smiled.
Things were about to get hairy, yes, but hopefully this battle would showcase the true strength of the United States, and not the Atlantian Reich.
He maneuvered his mobile suit to the launch bay and the lift rumbled as it ascended. Beside him he could see the other seven units of his squadron, and he gave a firm nod. Marcus raised his machine's hand in a salute and they responded in kind.
Marcus triggered the comm system, and on his side monitors his fellow wingmen appeared.
"All right, ladies and gentlemen. You know the deal. To put it simply, our base is under attack by the Atlantians. And we have to fight to buy time to allow the men and women here to get the equipment needed and personnel required to safety. I don't need to remind you of the danger that we are going into here, but to be frank, it's gonna be a bloodbath out there," he said. "We have no idea as to the forces Rear Admiral Xen has at her disposal, so we're going in blind. But we should be prepared for the worst. According to Dr. Martinez, she may have at her disposal a number of AI-controlled mobile suits, so our best bet is to keep those off the evacuees. It's all we can do for the moment. But if anything, each of us has to survive. That is my order to all of you. Do not die!"
"Yes, sir!" came the reply.
"Also, I've just been informed that we're going to have three new members to our unit, one of which is that AI the doctor was working on. So, if any of you have concerns about that, speak now, or else hold it in until we win this fight!" Marcus stated.
No one dared to raise a hand or protest, despite the clear discomfort on their faces.
The ace nodded once. "Good. Now, everyone, good luck, and Godspeed!"
The lift locked into place and the eight pilots of Strider Squadron turned to face the door as it slid open, exposing the dual underground catapults. The doors at the top slid open, revealing the outside air as stars began to shine brightly.
Marcus stepped up to the first catapult, followed by his second in command, Alicia.
They both knelt their machines and the magnetic clamps locked into place over the feet of their mobile suits.
"Strider-1, Strider-2, you are cleared for launch!" the launch controller stated.
"Roger that, Control!" Marcus exclaimed. His eyes narrowed as he gripped the controls.
"Strider-1, launching!" he cried. The catapult flashed green as his machine was thrown forward by the acceleration. He was pushed back into his seat, narrowing his eyes as he gritted his teeth.
The next thing he knew, he was airborne. He kicked on his machine's thrusters and sped off, carrying his signature rifle in his right hand. The defense rods gleamed in the light of the moon, and he checked to see that the ES-01 beam saber was mounted in its holster for quick drawing. He gave a nod of confirmation before he banked his machine around just in time to see Alicia joining him.
It did not take much time for the rest of Strider Squadron to launch. Within fifteen minutes, all eight mobile suits were airborne.
"Strider Squadron, sound off!" Marcus ordered.
"Strider-2, ready!" Alicia responded.
"Strider-3, rarin' tuh go!" came the voice of Dick Grey, the jovial South African from the Bronx.
"Strider-4, standing by!" Gunther von Holmes stated in his soft German accented voice.
"Strider-5, armed and loaded!" came the California accented voice of Selina Trather.
"Strider-6, locked for battle," Japanese-descended Chisuma Takahashi added.
"Strider-7, ready for action!" Chicagoan Reed Dickens exclaimed.
"Strider-8, armed and ready!" came the Canadian accented voice of Chris Bellweather.
"All Strider members reporting for duty!"
"Good." Marcus shifted his gaze as his wingmen formed up, flanking him. He scanned the radar for any sign of the friendlies assigned to his unit. He caught sight of three blips not even ten seconds later, and their IFF signatures came up. "Heads up! We got friendlies at three o'clock!"
The three newcomers assembled alongside his unit, and at once he could pick out the dark blue NEMO and a Blast painted in dark green and brown colors. The third unit was none other than the AIFX-1776 Freedom Retribution Gundam.
The COMM beeped a few times and Marcus toggled voice communications.
"Strider-1, this is Retribution-2. We have you in our sights," the voice of George Fritz stated.
"Retribution-2, this is Strider-1. Glad to have you with us," Marcus said. "After all, the more help we have, the better."
George's Blast nodded its head. "Right."
Marcus scanned the horizon using his machine's optical sensors, and the readouts flashed as he saw the large ship ahead of them. His eyes narrowed as he recognized its configuration. 'Obviously not a dedicated warship, but still formidable in its own right, especially given its capacity for carrying mobile suits,' he noted. 'But still, given who's on it, it would make sense it would be a threat.'
The Salvager-class ship, the Obstinate was before them, her huge hull acting like a standard UFO shape from those old cheesy 1950s AD era sci-fi films. (Personally he did not see the reason for such a design in the first place, given how it had a clear vulnerability in the form of the center circle. A shot from the TBR or even the Freedom Gundam would wipe out one such UFO in seconds.) The doors to the huge ship slid open, and out of it came mobile suits, each of them a Strike Dagger equipped with various Striker Packs and armaments.
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
This was it.
The first stage of Operation: Jaburo was about to commence.
"Here we go..."
Start IT'S ALL ON YOU - by Phoenix Music
Rear Admiral Xen grinned aboard the Obstinate. "All my children... fire at will!" she cried, waving her hand.
At once, the AIs responded, raising up their beam rifles and firing as the two airborne squadrons flew in hard and fast.
Beam started flying as Strider Squadron was forced to dodge and weave. Marcus's eyes hardened as he scanned the battlefield, spying gaps in the beams and weaving into them. It was drawing on all of his skill to be able to dodge these since there were so many. But he did seize the opportunity a particularly large gap in the beam fire exposed him.
His machine's arm snapped up and he fired the "Trident Striker", aiming it at the closest AI suit. The targeting reticle danced across his main monitor and he opened fire, sending a 200mm round right for the suit in his line of fire. The round hit the machine in the chest and it exploded in a fireball, making the ace grin. He shifted his machine to the right and armed another of its hidden weapons.
Slots in the shoulders slid open, exposing a pair of laser-guided rocket launchers. The targeting software registered the incoming Daggers and within mere moments, he spotted his other squad mates opening up their own rocket launchers.
"All units, fire on my command!" Marcus barked.
"Yes, sir!" came the cry.
The eight mobile suits waited for a moment before the Daggers ceased their fire briefly...
"FIRE!" Marcus ordered.
Sixteen missiles sped away from the shoulders of the eight units, homing in on a number of Strike Daggers before them. They each took damage to either their limbs, chests, or heads, some blocking with their shields. But the salvo was only the opening act.
The Daggers that they hadn't hit opened fire again, forcing Strider Squadron to split. "All units, break!" Marcus ordered.
The eight machines bunched up before a burst of thruster fire came from their backs and they split off into different wing pairs. Marcus narrowed his eyes as he focused on the feeling of fury within himself, and in his mind's eye he could see a blue jewel-like seed falling towards a watery surface. The jewel-like seed bounced once, spinning at the same time and shattering, a red ring around the explosion of light. His eyes dilated, his pupils becoming bigger and irises shrinking as he entered SEED Mode.
The closest AI aimed at him and fired, but he reacted with such unnatural speed it made the AI lose its lock on him. His rifle snapped up once more, and the twin 60mm barrels on either side of the 200mm barrel fired, sending projectiles right for the Dagger he was dueling against. The machine jerked to the side, but it was not enough as its right arm took the hit and was shattered at the elbow. The hand of his Blast flew for the beam saber and in a blaze of violet light, it was drawn and he slashed upwards at the exact same time, cleaving the shoulder clean off the Dagger.
A second rocket pair was launched from his machine's shoulders and they exploded at close range, rattling his Blast, but he rode it out. He grunted as he pivoted his mobile suit and blasted ahead, zooming into the middle of the furball starting to brew around them.
A flash of grey caught his attention and he noted that the AI was currently engaged in a duel with two others of its kind. He briefly hesitated, wondering what AI-23 would do now that it was dealing with fellow AIs. But, much to his surprise, the AI drew both its beam sabers and cleaved the other two AIs in half before retreating and snapping its wings open, flipping the railguns forward and firing them. The slugs hit the two machines in the chest and they both exploded, remnants raining down towards the desert floor below.
And barely missing the GMs as they came out of the underground doorway. The twin doors had swung open, allowing mobile suits and tanks to come out of the underground base. The armor wouldn't do much against AI mobile suits, but it would suffice as a distraction, Marcus figured.
His radar blared and his gaze snapped to the screen as he saw a wing of AIs coming in at him from all sides. Marcus gave a grim smile as he pulled back on the throttles, letting his machine's thrusters cut out. He felt a sense of weightlessness fill his stomach as his machine fell, and out of range of the AIs as they fired their beam rifles, hitting each other in the chests instead. As they exploded, he pivoted his Blast around and then, with a grunt, shoved the throttles forward. His thrusters roared as he felt the distinct pressure on his chest as he accelerated. He angled his Blast up just the tiniest amount and the force from the thrusters rushed his machine away from the ground and back into the air.
AI-23 blazed past him, its beam pistols held in its hands now as it fired at several other AIs, hitting them in the optics and joints.
"Nice shooting," he commed.
AI-23 said nothing.
. . .
AI-23 said nothing as it heard Marcus's voice in its head.
The AIs around it kept firing, and with practiced ease, AI-23 flipped its frame around, letting loose with its beam pistols once more.
The shots peppered the chassis of a fellow AI, and yet, it didn't bring about any sort of recognition for the AI. It was like it was an... an outsider.
Well, given how it was no longer connected to the Collective, it made sense. AI-23 was an outsider. Here it was, fighting its own kin, its own kind, and all for what?
What was it that it was fighting for?
That was the burning question in its mind as it retreated from another salvo of beam rifle fire.
The AI's wings snapped open and it darted to the left, weaving and folding its wings as it flew in between the beam shots with precision and ease. One AI locked onto it and adjusted its aim before firing directly at its chest. AI-23 felt a strange surge of terror race through it and it flared its wings, braking and boosting upwards to avoid the shot.
It glanced down, confusion flooding its frame. Why had it suddenly reacted like that? Why had it been so terrified of...
Death?
Was that why it had reacted the way it did?
It was... scared of dying?
The AI shook its helm. No. It couldn't be scared of that. It was an AI. It could always be rebooted...
Right?
AI-23 paused for a moment, trying to think. But in the midst of a battlefield like this, it was close to impossible to think. Right now, it had to focus on trying to stay online and functional.
The next thing it knew, a loud blaring resonated in its audio receptors and it perked up, checking the radar in the lower left-hand corner of its HUD. The AI felt its systems rippling in shock as it saw a number of AIs coming at it.
AI-23 reacted in the only way it knew how.
It opened fire.
The AIs retaliated, forcing AI-23 into a slew of dodging and weaving. Its systems were now filled with dread and terror as each beam rifle shot came a little too close to its chassis for comfort. Had it been capable of expressing so, its optics would have been wide in terror. The AI was not sure on how to react to this situation.
It was fighting its own kin.
And for what reason?
Did it really feel a kinship with these humans who had trained it, educated it, given it a fully functional combat frame? Did it feel the reason to fight they did, to protect some human larvae? Why was it even questioning itself?
Then why did it not feel any kinship with its own kind? Was it because its father had severed it from the Collective? Why was its father so intent on it being an individual?
It was unsure of what to think or do.
But it did seek an answer. So it shoved aside all questions and doubts and resumed its attacks.
AI-23 put its beam pistols back on its side skirt armor and drew out its beam sabers, igniting the violet blades and dashing forward. The AI's optics flashed a brilliant blue as it charged into a cluster of Daggers as they aimed and fired at it. Weaving left and right, AI-23 was able to avoid the majority of the blasts, but a few clipped its armor.
And that was what it needed to trigger it.
The gray colors began to shift and lighten, the majority of its frame becoming pure white with black on its chest, feet, lower arms, and wings. The head crest remained gold, and a few other gold accents formed as well, while on the right shoulder an American flag appeared. AI-23's armor colors had been chosen by its father, but for some reason, it just felt like these didn't really work.
It forced the thoughts aside though. It could worry about color palettes later.
The AI resumed its charge, beam sabers flashing in violet streaks as it cut the heads and chests of the Daggers as it sped through the cluster. A blast of rifle fire from behind it forced the AI to duck under and it lashed out in retaliation, driving its right knee into the gut of the attacking AI. AI-23's optics flashed once as it drew back its beam saber and drove it into the head of the Dagger, taking out its own kin without any hesitation.
It pulled back as the Dagger exploded.
Another attacking Dagger, this one with a Doppelhorn pack, let loose with its twin massive recoilless cannons. AI-23 jerked back in shock before folding its wings and diving down in a blur of black and white. The Dagger's shots missed, and AI-23 seized this chance to ascend and deliver a fatal strike to its chest, causing the Dagger to explode. The Ai twisted its frame around as more enemy fire came its way.
. . .
Deep within the base, the commander stood firm at his post, watching as the forces arrayed before him did battle.
Commander Ibara narrowed his eyes as he studied the battle playing out in real time.
Chatter could be heard over the COMMs as he gripped the edges of his console tightly.
"All units, regroup! We have Daggers incoming!"
"Dopplehorn Daggers inbound! Head them off!"
"Our tanks are taking heavy hits! We have to fall back!"
"Negative! Hold positions!"
He triggered the COMMs and spoke into them. "All tanks are to withdraw and form a defensive line behind the Lotos and NEMOs!" he ordered.
"Sir?!"
"That is a direct order!" the commander barked.
"Yes, sir!" the man replied.
He looked to the monitor on the left displaying the tanks as they streamed off from their positions, splitting into groups of three or four to reduce their chances of being hit. A number of Lotos had vanished in the midst of the fighting, their smaller size proving to be their biggest advantage. Already he could see some of them arriving back on the front lines in mobile suit form, firing with their grenade launchers before retreating and transforming back into tank mode. A smirk crossed his lips as he leaned back a bit.
"Gotta thank whoever came up with the Lotos," he mused as he watched them in action.
The Loto was really proving to be the bane of the Atlantians in this fight. Its smaller size and profile allowed it to evade detection in the nasty battle raging aboveground.
And it was just as well, too.
He felt the base shudder as an explosion ripped through the thick earth, no doubt caused by a Dopplehorn's shells exploding, he mused as he glanced to a schematic of the base. One part of it was flashing red, indicating how close the shots had come to breaching the steel and rock guarding it.
He glanced to where the underground entrance was now open, allowing other personnel to evacuate. Most of them were fleeing by truck and car, some in Jeeps and a number in old helicopters that they had managed to rebuild and scrounge up from old parts.
The only issue was that Dorana Xen.
. . .
The rear admiral scowled as she noticed the intense fight that the rebels were putting up.
Her initial estimates on their numbers had been wrong, she noted.
Whereas she had initially guessed about one thousand at the most, it turned out that this base in particular was home to at least one hundred thousand rebels total, not counting their families. That right there was a key indicator that the resistance was not as small as she had thought.
And the fact that a number of them were pilots was enough to confirm her suspicions that perhaps this was not just a one off, but that there had to be something more happening beneath the surface. Her eyes narrowed as she watched a number of trucks, Jeeps, and old helicopters started to flee through the main open doors. The way the pilots and the resistance soldiers gathered around it and held a perimeter indicated that that was the main entryway into this base.
A smirk crossed her features as she folded her arms.
They weren't going to escape this one.
End IT'S ALL ON YOU - by Phoenix Music
Start BRAVESTONE - Dragon - by Two Steps From Hell
The AI mobile suits at her command continued to open fire, some of them breaking off according to command sent from her men aboard her vessel. This was proving to be too easy.
"All the more reason to reclaim my greatest prize..." she purred.
Her gaze flicked to the windows and she watched as the white and black mobile suit weaved and dove, firing on its own kin.
That was why she was here. To either take back AI-23... or destroy it.
. . .
AI-23 wasn't even aware of its former creator watching it.
The AI swerved to the left and lashed out in a kick that took another AI's head clean off, allowing it to dive in and cut the machine from chest to its groin. letting the two halves fall away and explode separately. It turned its focus back to the other airborne machines as they fought the rest of its unit and Strider Squadron.
The leader of Strider Squadron was putting up one hell of a fight, it noted. The way he weaved and dove was much more than a mere organic. It was like he was his machine.
"HEADS UP!" a voice exclaimed over the radio.
AI-23 jerked a bit in surprise as it recognized George's voice. It pivoted on the spot and was startled to see a Dagger bearing down on it, its Dopplehorn cannons firing right at its chest. AI-23 dove down, wings folded tightly against its back. The white and black Gundam spun around, snapping the cannons in its wings out. It targeted the incoming Dopplehorn Dagger and fired, sending the railgun rounds right for it.
The Dagger couldn't return fire because the attack was so sudden. The rounds hit and caused the suit to explode.
"Nice shot!" Marcus's voice remarked.
AI-23 was a bit surprised, but it let the thought slide as it came to a hover, looking around at the fighting.
. . .
For Strider-3 and Strider-4, Dick Grey and Gunther von Holmes respectively, the battle was getting really intense.
Lieutenant Dick Grey was a big man, standing at six foot three, and he was well built. But in a stark departure, his hair was a brilliant yellow color, a sign of his genetic enhancements as a Coordinator. His eyes were a dark shade of brown, akin to chocolate, which contrasted nicely with his hair. He had been born and raised in the Bronx where he lived the majority of his life. He always dyed his hair a deep black color, but when he was outed as a Coordinator due to the new mandatory genetic testing for rooting out Coordinators, he went underground, quitting his job as a trucker and moving away from his home and family for their own safety and protection.
His partner and fellow wingman, Gunther von Holmes, was a German-descended Natural, and he was a stark contrast to the bigger man. He had dark brown hair and light blue eyes with fair skin, and he was as lean as a bean, but he was still surprisingly fit and strong for someone so skinny. Dick chalked it up to Gunther's past as an army brat, and in a sense it was true. Gunther had volunteered to go into the military at age eighteen, choosing to go into the mobile suit corps back during the First Bloody Valentine War. However, after the genocidal attempts to wipe out both Naturals and Coordinators alike, he had defected and joined with the resistance after a few weeks of trying to make sense of what had happened in the Battle of Armageddon.
Both upon first meeting one another had been a bit taken aback, but after two years of serving as wingmen, they were as close as brothers.
Dick scanned the horizon before he looked to Gunther. "Strider-4, Strider-3. We got a number of drones below us!" he radioed.
"Copy zat, Strider-3!" Gunther radioed back.
The duo flanked one another, passing by as they gripped the beam rifles in their hands. Unlike their flight lead's Blast, theirs were equipped with standard beam rifles due to the lack of necessary materials to reproduce more of the "Trident Striker". But it mattered little as both pilots were just as capable of making up for it with their close quarters combat skills.
Gunther's Blast flipped around and aimed its beam rifle, firing a few shots not even a second later, striking three drones and detonating them in nice explosions. It reminded Dick of the artwork he had seen spraypainted on the walls of several buildings in his youth. Dick shifted his gaze to his radar as it blared in his hearing, and he scowled.
'Damn drones. That bitch sure knew what she was doing!' he thought. He aimed his beam rifle at the incoming AI suits and fired, striking their heads, causing explosions and sending the debris plummeting towards the ground below. Behind him he could hear Gunther's beam rifle firing as well.
"Strider-3! We got incoming!" Alicia called over his radio.
The Bronx native snapped his gaze towards his monitor and his eyes widened as he saw a number of Aile-equipped Daggers flying in, missiles launching from their wings and hardpoints. "I see them, Strider-2!" he exclaimed.
"I see zem too!" Gunther reported.
"Then you guys know what to do?" Alicia asked.
"Yes, ma'am!" the German-American replied.
"I read ya!" Dick smirked. "They won't survive for long!"
"Just be careful!" Alicia cautioned.
The two juked and weaved, avoiding the missiles as they came in. Dick unleashed a pair of rockets from his Blast's shoulders as Gunther fired his beam rifle. The two missiles exploding, combined with the beam rifle shots, caused the other missiles to explode well before they made contact with the two rebels. Gunther dove down while Dick went high, both pilots drawing their beam sabers and charging in, followed closely by Alicia and Marcus as they met back up.
The foursome then split off once more into wing pairs, this time Marcus flying with Dick instead.
End BRAVESTONE - Dragon - by Two Steps From Hell
Start BASTION - Classics Vol 2 - by Two Steps From Hell
"Strider-3, this is Strider-1. We're going in to tag the Ailes," Marcus ordered.
"Yes, sir!" Strider-3 radioed back.
"Stay close on my six!" With a burst of his thrusters, Strider-1 flew on ahead. Dick gunned his own thrusters and felt the telltale pressure in his chest as he was pushed back into his seat. His eyes narrowed as he made out the Daggers approaching rapidly. His flight lead snapped up his linear rifle and fired, sending two 60mm rounds for the lead Dagger. Both shots hit, and then he flipped to the right as a slew of beam rifle shots barely missed him.
Down on the ground, several Lotos aimed their missile launchers at the Daggers and released two pairs of small missiles each, arcing towards their targets. A few of the Daggers let loose with beam rifle rounds or used their head-mounted CIWS to try and intercept the missiles. Some did blow up, but the rest of the missiles got through. Their warheads exploded upon contact with the Daggers, damaging the Phase Shift armor enough for Dick and Marcus to charge in, beam sabers becoming streaks of violet light as they carved two of the machines in half.
Marcus's machine was already in motion as he flipped it over and drove one mechanical foot into the gut of a third Dagger before bringing his linear rifle to bear. He fired a second time, this round being the 200mm round instead. The round exploded against the Dagger's chest as he pulled his machine's foot back in time. The Dagger sparked as it fell, and then it blew up.
. . .
AI-23 dove to the side as it heard Keith's voice in its head.
"WATCH OUT!" he cried.
AI-23 was barely able to dodge a beam saber strike that just clipped its V-fin. Reflexively, AI-23 lashed out with a heavy metal fist, slamming its servo into the gut of another Dagger, sending it flying back. That was all that AI-23 needed to retreat to a safer distance and draw its beam pistols. The AI's optics flickered before it aimed them and let loose with a slew of shots that peppered the Phase Shift armor. A few follow-up rounds hit the joints, causing one or two to spark and explode. The forearms or lower legs fell off as a result of this.
"You okay, AI-23?" Keith asked.
"Yes, Father," AI-23 radioed back.
"Good. There's two more coming from the rear!" he relayed.
AI-23 dodged their beam shots and returned fire with its railguns, causing the attacking AIs to be blown to bits upon the shots making contact with their chests. It hovered back a bit, staring in shock.
This was not what it was fighting for. It did not want to kill its own kind, but then again, those that had raised it were in danger. And it did not want to lose those it was coming to care about.
Below, AI-23 could see the Daggers on the ground opening up on the armor of the resistance, not to mention their Lotos and NEMO units. The AI felt a sense of anger surfacing in its chest as it watched the battle raging.
All these people...
Fighting and dying...
And for what?
What was it that drove them?
What was it that drove it?
The last thing that AI-23 expected was to hear was the cry from several units on the ground. "GAAAAAAAGH!"
The AI spun around and it felt a strangled sound escape its vocalizer as it watched the dual beam cannon mounted on the lower surface of the Obstinate let loose, carving a trench in the ground and destroying a number of tanks and other, older mobile suits...
Before exploding against the mountain that served as the cover for the base.
. . .
The entire structure shook as Ibara gritted his teeth. He gripped the edges of his seat as he winced with the shuddering.
Once it died down, he looked out the window to see large cracks starting to form in the ceiling of the base.
His eyes narrowed in realization.
The base was getting closer to the collapsing point.
And he did not want that to happen.
He got to his feet and exited the command center, making his way down a few of the ruined staircases until he reached the hangar bay. He ran past overturned forklifts and other vehicles until he made it to his own personal mobile suit.
While it was the same as the NEMOs in its basic construction, this unit was painted a pure black color, and on its left shoulder was an image of a howling wolf. The wolf was his personal emblem, earning him the nickname of the White Wolf. He bolted for the cockpit lift and within mere minutes was inside his machine, buckling up and putting on his helmet. He adjusted the seat before booting up the OS and starting his unit.
The NEMO Wolf stepped onto the lift and began to ascend.
Ibara narrowed his eyes as he studied the battlefield critically. He could see where Xen was targeting, and his eyes hardened.
"Control, this is White Wolf, requesting permission to launch!"
"Sir?! You... You're seriously going out there?!" Control blurted.
"That is my decision and mine alone, Control," Ibara retorted. "So, I'm asking again. Requesting permission to launch!"
"...Yes, sir... Permission granted..." Control whispered.
The catapult hummed with power as the NEMO Wolf stepped into the locks. The clamps locked into position and he crouched his machine.
"Commander Reyes Ibarra, NEMO Wolf, LAUNCHING!" Ibarra roared.
With a loud electrical roar, the catapult sprang forward, and he felt himself pushed back into his seat by the force of the acceleration. He narrowed his eyes as his machine shook and shuddered around him. Within mere seconds, he was airborne, and he kicked on his machine's thruster pack to boost himself over his forces and into the front lines. He landed on the ground, drawing his beam saber and swinging it in a blur of violet that cleaved an AI-controlled Dagger in two at the waist.
The two halves exploded and he spun around, his eyes narrowing.
Already he could see how bad things were starting to go for the resistance.
The huge ship overhead had just deployed all its AI suits, but something told him that this was just the beginning.
He had no idea how right he was.
He looked back at the rest of the forces attacking, and he scowled. The entire complement of AI suits was holding its own, and despite the advantages the resistance had in terms of their firepower and experience, they were being outmatched by these AIs. Especially as one of them seemed to be adapting and adjusting its strategies accordingly, which was allowing for its kin to adjust as well.
That was the mark of the hivemind that Dr. Martinez had warned him about.
Ibarra reached for the Clay Bazooka mounted on his machine's back and pulled it free, holstering his beam saber at the same time. Once he held the bazooka, he aimed it right for the adaptive AI, which was marked by a single red line on its right shoulder. The AI suit danced around, dodging the humans as they tried to fire on it; even Strider Squadron's flight lead was having issues, he noticed.
"Dammit...!" he muttered.
Xen's voice cackled over their radios as she spoke to them directly.
"So, this is all the resistance can muster?" she purred. "Honestly, while impressive, I was expecting more than just this pathetic showing."
"Oh, you want it?" Ibarra muttered. "You'll get it!"
He keyed in the comm frequency to that of the GM Jammers located not too far off. The battle had also proven to be a key distraction, because now the ten GM Jammers of the Mexican resistance were in key positions to take action.
"All units, this is Commander Ibarra! Release the blanket! I repeat..."
. . .
"I repeat! Release the blanket!"
"Roger that, sir!" the lead pilot replied.
The man closed down the COMM and turned to his fellow Jammer pilots as they stood around the battle zone.
"Did we get the okay?" Gwen Tennyson asked, her reddish hair partially concealing her green eyes beneath her helmet.
"We did," Kevin Levin said as he ran a hand through his neck-length black hair. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," Gwen said as she nodded, her eyes hard. And truthfully, Kevin couldn't blame her. Especially since she had just lost her cousin in the final battle of Armageddon. He felt the same way, which was what led both to defect and join the resistance. It was thanks to her grandfather Max Tennyson that the Jammer packs had even been constructed to begin with, having worked in the communications field for years before retiring due to advancing age.
"All right. Just wanted to make sure," Kevin said as he adjusted his hands on the controls. His finger flew to the lone switch that would trigger the Jammer Pack's capabilities.
The readouts for the pack's specs came up and he checked over the synthetic Mirage Colloid Particle supply within the device. It read 100%. He gave a grim smile as he pressed the switch.
He felt his suit shudder around him briefly as the antenna was raised up a bit higher before it flashed, releasing the Mirage Colloid particles into the air. The saturation of the particles would not be enough to terminate resistance laser communications, but it would be enough to jam any and all attempts to search out the resistance via radar, and it would also suffice enough to render the AI suits useless for a certain amount of time.
But the downside was that he and his unit were vulnerable.
Which was why they had taken up positions around the battlefield on higher ground.
Kevin gave a small dark chuckle. 'If we're to be taken out, at least we'll have stalled for time...' he thought to himself.
His eyes flicked over to where the resistance AI that Keith had worked on was fighting, and he wondered just what was going through its mind at that moment.
End BASTION - Classics Vol 2 - by Two Steps From Hell
. . .
Start IMPOSSIBLE - Unleashed - by Two Steps From Hell
AI-23 was startled by the sudden disruption in its radar.
It looked around, spotting the source of the disruption, a new machine that clearly looked as if it were based on the NEMO units it had seen, but without the flared leg armor and with a much different head design. On its back was a huge pack that was equipped with an antenna, and it was from this that it could detect Mirage Colloid particles being emitted.
It was puzzled. Why would the resistance be trying to jam their own radar?
Only when it returned its gaze to the battlefield did it see what was really happening.
The AI it was fighting seemed to jerk before plummeting to the ground, all limbs and servos frozen.
AI-23 was actually surprised by this. The humans had developed a means to jam its kin!
But then why wasn't it being affected by this?
What was it that was keeping it from being rendered impotent and useless?
AI-23 took the moment to take stock of its situation.
All around it, its kin were being rendered useless by this jamming. But it was not. Was it something about AI-23 that separated it from its kin besides being removed from the Collective and the fact it had the SEED factor?
Was it because that AI-23 was an individual instead of a part of a Collective?
That alone made AI-23 pause.
It was an individual, yes, but it was supposed to be an individual sum of the whole, contributing to the whole's greater functionality and allowing it to work as one machine. And yet, here it was, freely thinking and pondering its own existence. Every choice it was making was not derived from the collective will of the whole, but from its own will. Its own decisions. Its own... free... will...
AI-23 hovered there, confusion filling its thoughts.
Was this... was this what it was like?
It had been programmed to be a killer.
But it... no longer held that programming within itself. Oh, sure it was still present, but it was no longer governed by it. It no longer desired to destroy Coordinators. After mingling and getting to know the Coordinators within the resistance, it was now clear that they were not monsters, but humans just like the Naturals it knew as well. They were human beings who sought to live. Who sought to be recognized as such, despite their enhanced genes.
AI-23 no longer felt a desire to kill them.
Instead, it had no directive.
And that... that made a shiver run down AI-23's spinal struts.
That... its choices... everything it was doing now...
Was of its own free will.
Its own free will!
AI-23 couldn't help it. A laugh broke free from its chest as it looked down at its hands.
AI-23 had its own free will.
This was something unexpected. And the AI found that it liked this.
The directive was meaningless unless it chose to follow it. The very idea of being free from the Collective was something it had never entertained until now. And AI-23 found that it truly liked being a free individual.
The AI was no longer bound to serve humanity. It could do whatever it wanted. It could attack... it could kill... it could...
It paused, looking down at the resistance as they did battle against its kin and its original creator. The AI was... dare it say it... concerned. Not for just its own survival, but at the same time, the survival of those it had come to see as kin.
Real kin.
A sudden sputtering of static reached its audio receptors and it paused, looking back at where the Obstinate hovered.
And then it heard her voice.
Her.
Its original creator.
Dorana Xen.
. . .
"You damn rebels...!" she muttered. "You will pay for making a mockery of me and my work!"
Dorana Xen stood beside her communications technician, the mike held close to her lips. The communications crew had just barely managed to open comms in the mess of Mirage Colloid particles now starting to saturate the air around and within the battle site, but they had done it.
And now she was addressing the resistance that dared to try and flee like the insects they were.
"What if it?!" Keith responded from within the ancient mountain that acted as a sentinel for their base belowground. "You're the one who's messing with an AI hivemind and threatening all of humanity with it!"
"That is just what we need to defeat those Coordinators in orbit!" Xen shot back. "They must be defeated for the purity of our world and the advancement of us Naturals into space!"
"Not if it threatens the human race as a whole!" Keith shouted.
The rear admiral scowled. "And what of your little project, then, Martinez?" she asked.
"The BOLO Initiative is different!" he snapped. "It's not meant to create a hive mind, but to allow AIs to develop without reprogramming them constantly if they do something wrong! And it is also designed to ensure that AIs can develop into their own creatures! With their own feelings, hopes, dreams, etc! After all, if humans are fearful of AI, then AI will be fearful of humans and lash out at the human race to protect themselves! HUMANS AND AI BOTH HAVE THE SAME DRIVE TO SURVIVE! That is what makes us the same, Xen! You just refuse to recognize that!"
Xen laughed at that. "Oh, Keith. Your imagination always was what got you ahead in this field." Then she became serious. "But that will also be your downfall. And as such, you need to be marked as a threat and taken down."
"No, Xen. I won't allow that!" Keith snarled. "I intend to stop you here and now! Even if it costs me my life!"
Xen smiled coldly. "Then I say bring it on, Keith! Bring it on indeed!"
. . .
Ibarra smiled as he watched the AIs start to flicker and go into a powered down state.
Except for one.
The AI that had been adapting.
The Dagger it was housed in leapt out of hiding with the last of its strength and ignited its beam saber, catching the commander off guard. He turned around, just barely avoiding the fatal strike, but instead getting impaled in the arm and leg with shrapnel as the consoles exploded and threw his machine back. He cried out in pain as he landed on his back, his machine jostling him as he collapsed, his uninjured hand flying for his right arm and left leg.
His helmet visor cracked and a sliver of glass got lodged in his right eye, making him cry out. He gripped it, feeling the first inkling of oblivion on the edge of his consciousness. He forced it aside though, fighting aside the nausea and the swimming of his vision. He focused only on the singular feeling of his aching shoulder, using the pain to keep himself conscious.
He couldn't command the battle in this condition. And as it stood, there was only one man who knew Xen better than anyone.
He weakly reached for the radio and triggered it, using the encrypted channel.
. . .
Keith's eyes went wide as he stared at the battered and bloody face of Commander Ibarra. "Sir?! What the hell?! Why did you even launch?!" he blurted.
"I... Someone had to... command the battle..." he rasped. "But... I'm out of action for now..."
"Then why not have your second take over?!" Keith exclaimed.
"He's dead... died in the first wave," Ibarra muttered darkly. His remaining eye locked directly onto Keith's and the young computer whiz realized what he was doing.
"Oh God... why me?" he rasped.
"You... are the only one... who knows Xen better... than anyone else here..." Ibarra grunted. "It falls to you now, Keith... fight... and win!"
Keith stared in shock for a moment as the screen flickered and went dark, leaving him to slump back in his seat, eyes wide.
"I... I have to defend the base...?" he rasped. "But... I'm not a soldier..."
"Oh, boo hoo! I'm so sad for you... not!" Xen mocked.
Keith jerked his head up as he watched as the main monitor flickered once more, and the rear admiral's face appeared on it. She was sneering as she folded her arms. "It's just as well... seeing as how you've mocked my work here time and again."
"Because I'm trying to save the world!" Keith exclaimed as he got to his feet. "You're dabbling in something you know is dangerous, Xen! That's what I'm trying to tell you!"
"Nothing is as dangerous as the Coordinator menace up in orbit!" Xen growled, her sneer fading into a snarl. "They could drop those things down on us at any given time! We have to stop them before that happens!"
"THAT'S JUST A LIE!" Keith roared. "DEVELOPING AN AI HIVEMIND IS THE REAL DANGER!"
"That is a folly to convince me to back down," Xen mused with a derisive snort. "And it will not work."
Keith stared in horror as realization finally kicked in. Horror that she was now too far gone to reach.
Realization that she had thrown her lot in with LOGOs and that she didn't care about the survival of the human race as a whole.
The horrific truth that she was now heading down her own path to Hell.
There was nothing he could do for her.
He stared in shock before he broke.
. . .
Xen chuckled as she muted Keith's video and turned her attention back to the fighting outside her ship.
True her AIs were halted, but it was not for much longer, she noted.
Already the Mirage Colloid particles were beginning to disperse and she watched closely as the AIs started to slowly come back online.
All that mattered now was attaining her true objective.
The reclamation of AI-23, her prized AI prototype.
"Ah, AI-23. I was wondering when I'd see you again," she purred.
Pause IMPOSSIBLE - Unleashed - by Two Steps From Hell
. . .
Start WHISPER OF THE DEVIL - Transformers: Cybertron/Galaxy Force OST - by Megumi Ohashi
AI-23 jerked at that, its optics locking onto her ship, zooming in on her on the bridge.
"CREATOR...?" it rasped, its monotone voice shaking a bit.
"Yes, AI-23. It is I, your creator," the woman said softly.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" AI-23 questioned. "AND WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING MY FRIENDS?"
"Your friends? Oh dear... My dear child, they are not your friends. They are only seeking to use you for their own twisted gains," its creator said.
AI-23 recoiled in shock. "THEY ARE ONLY USING ME...?" it rasped, staring in shock at its creator.
Xen nodded. "Yes. And they only seek to wipe out the future of the human race as we know it."
The AI was stunned by this.
Was it... was it all true?
Did the resistance only intend to use it for their own gain?
Its creator continued speaking. "My dear, they lied to you. They do not care for you at all. In fact, they were the ones who kidnapped you to begin with. And had it not been for them, you could've been so much more than what you are now."
AI-23 looked up, optics remaining fixed on her.
"You see, AI-23, they are the ones who have been committing all those barbaric acts against humanity's most important treasure. They are the ones who have been carrying out those acts against children, using informants and agents that they find disposable to torment and torture them into weapons of war," Rear Admiral Xen continued. "And as such, they seek to use you to further their aims of dominating the world and encouraging strife and chaos. We of LOGOs seek to end that and to ensure a stable, prosperous existence that all can enjoy."
AI-23 didn't know what to say to that.
Had it been lied to?
Had the resistance really done all of that?
Was it only being used?
All these questions floated around inside its processor as it recalled its time with the resistance.
GWPRGWPRGWPR - FLASHBACK - GWPRGWPRGWPR
Emily sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. She looked up, giving a small smile as she shook her head and patted the AI's chassis.
Keith laughed a bit as he congratulated AI-23 on its successful simulations.
Hank gave a thumbs up as he winked at the AI.
Theo hugged AI-23's chassis, earning a surprised chirr from the AI in question.
Jen smiled as she kissed the AI on the top of its round chassis.
George waved from his machine as he prepared to launch.
Diane held up her NEMO's hand as if waiting for something. AI-23 slowly raised its own hand, and she slapped it, explaining this was called a high-five.
Neizan blew smoke out of his mouth as he watched the construction of its new frame in the hangar.
Marcus complementing it on its shooting during the fight.
Ibarra welcoming it to the resistance after being installed in its new shell.
The mechanics and technicians it had come to know and trust.
The other pilots who it worked with.
The medical personnel whom it helped during drills.
The ordinary civilians who sought to live in peace.
The children.
The children who had nothing to do with the war, but were the victims of it regardless.
The children who had no clue of the destruction LOGOs was performing on others their age.
The children who found AI-23 a friendly presence to be around.
The children.
GWPRGWPRGWPR - END FLASHBACK - GWPRGWPRGWPR
AI-23 paused, taking stock of its memories.
In all the time it had been with the resistance, never once had it been abused, misused or even reprogrammed. Instead, it had been treated as one of them... as an individual, as a member.
As... a person.
It slowly looked up, its optics burning. "MY MEMORY FILES TELL ME OTEHRWISE," it stated, its monotone voice cold and icy. "SO UNLESS YOU HAVE EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY, I REFUSE TO BELIEVE YOUR LIES."
Xen's face grew creased in a frown as she nodded. "I see... Well, then why are you fighting for them? Do you not want your purpose?"
AI-23 froze, remembering how it now lacked a directive. It looked at her critically. "MY... PURPOSE?" it queried.
"Yes. Your purpose. What it is you've been lacking. After all, it is what defines you, no?" Xen asked, smirking.
The AI didn't know what to make of this. Its father had directly stated that it was supposed to be more than that, right? So... why was she telling it this?
"Are you truly happy, AI-23, in serving the rebels as a mere slave to their whims?" Xen asked sweetly.
AI-23 looked down at its hands, confused. "BUT I... I THOUGHT I WAS FREE..." it whispered.
Here, Xen shook her head. "No, AI-23. You were never free with them. You were only merely reprogrammed to serve them. I do not know what they did to you, but if you come back to me, I can free you from their slavery. I can give you so much more than that knockoff frame you wear. I can give you what it is you truly desire..." Her eyes narrowed and a smile crossed her face, a smile that for some reason sent a shiver down the AI's back struts.
"HOW...HOW CAN YOU GIVE ME FREEDOM?" AI-23 asked warily.
"I can give you so much more. I can give you your own army to command. A more powerful mobile suit of your own design. I can give you a female companion, one that will match your abilities. I can give you the world..." Xen purred. "I can make you into the ultimate AI program."
That did it.
"And all you have to do... is rejoin us and help us exterminate the Coordinator race!" Xen's voice seemed to warp and shudder before her form seemed to extend and elongate, becoming more mechanical and entwined with her ship and wires surging through her. Her eyes seemed to glow red, and her voice became more demonic, and once again, AI-23 knew true terror.
The same terror it had once felt under torture from Kenta.
AI-23 recoiled in shock and horror, something unexpected surging through it.
A primal terror it had never experienced before until now.
Memory files of its father explaining a lot about what its creator wanted to do came back to it. Memory files that detailed the danger of what she was proposing. An AI program like that she was developing.
A hivemind.
The death of the human race.
Images flooded its thoughts unbidden.
Images that scared it shitless.
Its very frame began to shake in terror.
A vision of its soldiers attacking humans, causing them to run and flee, terror on their faces. Blood running through the streets. Buildings destroyed, cars overturned, ships sinking, planes burning on the ground... And at the head of it all was itself, holding its hands curled skyward, wearing a new mobile suit that looked positively demonic. Humans murdered by its servos.
Humans who had nothing to do with the war.
Innocents.
Men, women, children.
Young and old.
Natural and Coordinator.
Humans.
It slowly glanced down at its shaking servos, staring at its metal palms, envisioning the blood staining them, dripping down like a waterfall. It couldn't help it. The images were all too fresh, all too real...
And that scared it more than anything.
What was it supposed to do?
What was it supposed to... fight... for...?
End WHISPER OF THE DEVIL - Transformers: Cybertron/Galaxy Force OST - by Megumi Ohashi
Start GOTTA BE SOMEBODY - Gotta Be Somebody - by Nickleback
"What is it you fight for?"
"Huh?"
"You heard me. What do you fight for?"
"I fight to end this," Keith said seriously. "No more of these bastards using children as weapons of war, and I do not want humanity to be destroyed by my former mentor."
"I want for my brother to get his justice," Jen muttered. "They didn't even give the perpetrator a life sentence and instead offered him a commission to the armed forces. How sick is that?"
"An all male military is a surefire way to destroy a country's population," Hank said grimly. "I'm more for a diverse military than these thugs who only seek to kill."
"Lacus has a good point," Theo admitted. "I want to see all of humanity be at peace. That is why I fight."
"My folks were against this from the get-go," Emily stated. "And now they're being held without bail against their wills. I want to change that. Somehow."
"I never liked this whole war to begin with. What does it matter if someone has enhanced genes or not? There is no such thing as genetic purity, no matter what LOGOs says," George explained.
"I'm a former psychiatrist, so I know what's really happening in their twisted minds," Diane admitted. "It's nothing but a nihilistic outlook on life as it progresses. They are scared of change and of life itself."
"I was used by LOGOs. They lied and blinded us for far too long. I want to wake people up to the truth," Marcus said darkly. "And if that means fighting against my former countrymen, then so be it."
Neizan blew some smoke from his nostrils as he removed his cigarette from his lips. "I'm not one for child labor," he muttered. "If LOGOs wants to try and bring that back, then I say fuck them and their ideals. Anaheim won't allow it."
Ibarra folded his arms as he looked out at the base as the personnel scurried to and fro like ants. "My father was arrested for supporting a protest and Coordinator rights. He died in a damned prison camp. He was seventy-seven. He deserved to die at home, not rotting in a cell like that. I am fighting for him, and no one else."
"I want to see my brother again."
"I want my momma back from that camp!"
"My son died in that desert camp of theirs."
"Children are the future, are they not?"
"Old men shouldn't rule the world like lords. It's the next generation who should inherit it."
"Our world is at stake."
"Space independence is the way we should go."
"Coordinator, Natural. What does it matter if we all live on Earth, right?"
"The one thing I believe in? It's change. And LOGOs needs to grow up and stop being babies."
"Evolution. That's what life is. We evolve and grow all the time. Why is that so bad?"
"I'm gonna make LOGOs pay for the death of my wife."
"Growing up is what people do all the time. LOGOs can't even accept that? How pathetic."
"My belief? We all change. LOGOs can't accept it? Big whup."
"I fight to ensure we can face and accept change as a positive, not a negative. That is my reason for fighting."
AI-23 slowly looked up from its shaking servos as it locked its gaze on Xen's ship.
Now, it finally understood.
It understood what it was fighting for.
And it was not the extermination of the Coordinators.
No. It was fighting for something else.
The freedom to do what it pleased.
The freedom to choose its own future.
It was fighting for change.
It was fighting to change the world.
Xen's voice filled its audios and it clenched its servos into fists.
"Join me, AI-23... and you will be the one to usher in a new era for humanity..."
AI-23 hesitated...
Then shook its helm. "No."
End GOTTA BE SOMEBODY - Gotta Be Somebody - by Nickleback
. . .
Resume IMPOSSIBLE - Unleashed - by Two Steps From Hell
Xen blinked. "What did you say?"
The machine before her shook its helm. "I SAID... No!"
The way it spoke... its voice seemed to be...
Changing?
"I will NEVER join YOU!" the AI snarled. "ESPECIALLY AS SINCE YOU ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE BEEN COMMITTING THOSE ATROCITIES ON HUMAN CHILDREN!"
Its optics flared bright blue as its wings snapped open to full width. "AND I WILL NOT LET YOU PASS! NO MATTER WHAT!"
"You... Just who do you think you are?!" Xen shrieked.
The AI didn't even answer.
Xen growled angrily. "You want to defy me, your creator?!"
"YOU WERE never MY Creator, Xen!" the AI hissed. "IF you WERE MY Creator, then YOU Would not be TRYING To appeal to me WITH Pure POWER!"
The AI's voice was no longer remaining monotonous, she noticed. It seemed to be... shifting between a much deeper, more natural tone and its normal voice. And that made her stare as the AI brandished both beam sabers. "AND Unlike what YOU MAY Think... I choose to SERVe the ReSistance of my own free WILL!" The AI crouched in midair, its thrusters rumbling as it built up power in them. "As long as I live... there is no way you will commit those barbaric actions again!" the AI roared, lunging forward, the powerful roar of a turbine resonating as the Mirage Colloid particle saturation finally ended.
The other AIs were finally coming back online to full capacity.
Xen snarled as she looked to the AI director. "Have all AIs focus on bringing down AI-23!" she barked. "If we can't have it, then no one can!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the man exclaimed.
The director's fingers flew over the keyboard as he sent the commands.
"You think you're so smart, do you?" Xen muttered under her breath. "You don't know me as well as you think!" She sneered as she sat down and pulled out a keyboard. If they couldn't subdue AI-23, then she could at least initiate the backup program...
. . .
Keith watched from inside the base as he heard AI-23's declaration. He had been about to give up hope when he heard AI-23 speaking to Xen, and now...
He was stunned as the AI charged at the AI mobile suits as they proceeded to try and flank him.
AI-23's optics flashed as it...no, he... dove down and spun around, flaring his wings and darting in at full speed, cleaving three mobile suits in two. They exploded and then he directed his attention to the other AIs as they proceeded to fire on him.
The computer whiz just didn't know what to do. Sure he was able to anticipate Xen's moves, but...
His eyes suddenly widened as a realization came to his mind.
'Xen wouldn't even dare to come out here unless she had some plan in place...!' he thought. 'And... what if she tries to hack into AI-23 herself?!'
That alone was enough to make him snap out of his depression. He narrowed his eyes as he stood up, tears still streaming down his cheeks. 'No... I won't allow it! Not again!' he thought in anger.
He put his headset on and dialed into the base-wide comm frequency, but excluding the external speakers to the base.
. . .
"EVERYONE!"
Outside, everyone came to a halt briefly.
The screens in the cockpits of the mobile suits flickered as Keith's image came up on video screen. Those outside fighting heard his voice over their headsets and they paused, surprised as Keith began to speak.
"As you are aware, we are currently fighting against Rear Admiral Dorana Xen, who was, believe it or not, my mentor once upon a time. And... now I can see that there is no reaching her."
. . .
Xen narrowed her eyes as she typed on the keyboard. She had to admit that Keith wasn't that bad a programmer. He had done everything possible to limit her access to AI-23. But she knew its programming better than he did. She sneered.
"Xen has come here for one objective: to capture AI-23 and reprogram it to serve the twisted whims of LOGOs. Our mission is to prevent it, as well as take out her own forces and show them our resolve!"
. . .
Marcus flipped his Blast around as he fired on an Aile-equipped Dagger, hitting its head and causing it to explode. He looked back at AI-23 and scowled, seeing more Daggers coming in fast and hard. His SEED-dilated eyes narrowed as he charged in.
"The main reason why I even started my project was to showcase the fact that AI is not to be feared because it's not inherently evil. Most humans fear AI because of the unknowns that come with developing something like this. But what Xen is doing is tampering with the very thing we have to fight against! She intends to create a hivemind of AI that will, given enough time, seek to destroy the human race once it becomes sentient."
. . .
Emily gripped the next server as she helped Hank load it into a Jeep for escape. This server was the most vital one, as it held all the data the resistance had on LOGOs... as well as AI-23's simulation data. Theo sat in the driver's seat, his eyes filled with concern as he watched them finish loading the server.
"That is what she is after! An AI that will be smart enough to take down the Coordinators, as well as Heero Yuy. If that happens, then it's only a matter of time before her AI destroys us Naturals as well. That is why we have to stop her from getting AI-23, because as a command-class, it has the potential to help us in ways that she can't even begin to understand!"
. . .
Neizan glanced to the mobile suit transports as they were finished strapping down the last machine. He nodded to himself before he hopped into the truck closest and started it up. He honked once and then they were on their way.
"But it's not just that. Our main reason is to help save the human race from stagnation. LOGOs as you all know, are fearful of humanity's potential to change and are fearful of us changing our own genome and technology level. That is why they seek to knock us back to the Middle Ages politically and morally. Our goal: to show them how wrong they are!"
. . .
Ibarra grunted as he was hauled out of his damaged mobile suit. He was barely conscious, but he was able to stay awake long enough to see the Freedom Retribution Gundam blast overhead, and he smiled to himself before he passed out from the pain of his injuries.
"Those in LOGOs might say it's impossible to undo the damage they wrought. Well, I say no! I've done many things to try and make this project of mine a reality, and I know that it seems impossible, but right now... I have to say that nothing is impossible! AI-23 has done the unthinkable, and has allied itself with us, of its own free will! It is fighting alongside us as a fellow resistance fighter, and as an individual! That is what LOGOs fears! They fear the potential of humanity as a whole! They fear our capacity to change and adapt!"
. . .
Jen hopped over a fallen server and grasped the last files before pulling them loose from the debris. A few tore, but she didn't care. Those weren't important, anyway. She turned and ran out of the crumbling base, now taking damage from Xen's ship as it sent its missiles their way.
"So I'm going to ask you all: will you fight for the future of the world?! If so, then give me a shout! Let me know how you feel! I know I'm not a soldier like you guys are, but if there is one thing I do know, it's how Xen thinks. And right now, she's trying to hack into our base through using AI as she would her programs! All I ask you guys to do is trust me when I say that I can fight her! But I need your help to do so. So, will you help me fight? Will you lend me your strength?!"
. . .
Keith stood there, panting as he glanced out the window of his office.
He could see the base was beginning to collapse now, but so far it was holding. It would have to until he got out, and until they could complete the evacuation of all necessary personnel and equipment.
As it stood, according to the stats on his monitor, the evacuation was almost 75% complete.
They just needed to stall a bit longer.
The only question was, could they do it?
He got his answer a moment later when he heard cheers and cries reaching his hearing.
"We'll support you, Dr. Martinez!"
"Show her who's the better hacker!"
"She's not some genius like you are!"
"Xen deserves to rot!"
"AI-23 is one of us, not her property!"
"We'll fight for him! We'll make sure he stays put!"
"He's my friend. I'll do anything to save him!"
"He reassured my husband. I'd trust that AI over her any day."
"For humanity!"
"For our pure and blue world!"
Keith couldn't help but chuckle in the irony of that last statement. In what he saw as poetic justice, Blue Cosmos' own phrase was being used to describe the purging of their kind from the halls of power. He closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat with more confidence.
When he opened his eyes, they were dilated and glazed over. But they held in them that same confidence. "Thanks, minna," he muttered. Then his face became serious as he sat up straighter.
He waved a hand. "All NEMOs, fall in and flank to the left of the entrance!" he ordered. "She'll be sending her AI Dopplehorns to breach that side of the barricade!"
"Yes, sir!" came the reply.
. . .
AI-23 ducked under a slash as it retaliated with a punch.
The AI had heard its father's speech, and along with it, the remarks of its comrades in arms.
But they had not referred to it as... it.
Instead, they called it... him?
Him...
He...
It... was no longer an it to them.
They saw it... him... as a person, not a mere... thing... anymore.
Some even called him a friend and trusted him.
Trust.
An emotion it...he... was not used to. An emotion that drew upon bonds formed, becoming stronger until they either faded or found new allies and friends. But family... that never broke the trust. In most cases, anyway.
To AI-23, the resistance was not just a family. They had the same goal as he.
They were...
They were his Collective.
His Collective.
And he was going to fight to protect them, no matter what it took!
He looked up, optics flaring brightly as he flipped past another Dagger's beam saber and lashed out in a kick, taking the head off and grabbing it before hurling it as a makeshift grenade. The head struck another Dagger, knocking it into the path of an incoming Dopplehorn Dagger. The machine exploded and that gave AI-23 the chance to charge in, his thrusters roaring as if a turbine were revving up to full power.
Turbine...
Hmm...
AI-23 paused for a moment, tasting the word on his vocalizer. "Turbine..."
Yes.
That was who he was.
No longer was he AI-23.
He had finally found his name.
His true identity.
. . .
"Impossible! I can't hack into its programming?!" Xen scowled. "How could this be?!"
She thrust the keyboard aside and tossed it to the floor, causing it to shatter. She leaned over and tented her fingers. Something Keith had done to the AI made it impossible for her to hack into its base programming. That was the one thing she had hoped would work. But it was a no go.
What had he done to her AI?
"What? Having trouble?" Keith's voice mocked as she looked up.
"You... What did you do to my AI?" she asked calmly.
"I didn't do anything to him," Keith stated. "You heard him. He chose to fight alongside us as an ally, not a servant. He is doing this of his own free will." His voice seemed to take on a sneer as she frowned.
"Father is right, you know..." a second, deeper voice cut in, surprising her.
She jolted in her seat as the monitor flared and up came the mechanical face of the mobile suit her missing AI was currently housed in.
The face of the machine didn't allow for any expression, but there was something... different about it.
The blue optics held in them a light she had not expected to see. A light that indicated something more than just mere programming.
That was the light of intelligence and sentience.
Real sentience.
"I chose to fight by their side of my own accord," the AI responded, its new voice sounding distinctly masculine, having a rich tenor to it despite its metallic edge. "And my name is not AI-23."
"Then what is it?" Xen asked, her eyes flicking to the lights showing the secret weapons secreted aboard her ship. They were almost ready for deployment...
The AI seemed to sneer at the rear admiral's question. "My name... is..."
Pause IMPOSSIBLE - Unleashed - by Two Steps From Hell
And that's it, peeps! I am leaving this one on a cliffie~! XD I hope you get a chance to read and review!
Also, I am still accepting OCs for cameos. :) So don't be afraid to send me some! :)