Freaking Vortex! Everyone in MECH knew about No.11, even those not in the base where Jazz and said murder mech were stationed! Jazz still remembered the first time he saw the damned mech.
He had been led into the hangar where all the mechs were waiting on stand-by, always ready in case of a sudden invasion. Jazz was led towards his own mech – a standard Striker class mech. All gray and white factory colors, standard arm and leg modules, the helmet was round and made to look vaguely like a human face with the 2 'eyes' being the main set of cameras. The only unique thing about the machine was the bright red numbers on the front -1061, which was its serial number. Frankly, it looked very bland and boring as heck to Jazz, the paint job was hardly different from the hangar's walls, making the mech blend a bit with the background.
"So, this is the hangar." Knox grinned "What do you think about the mech? It is one of the newer models, straight out of the production line!"
"It…" Jazz hesitated "Looks fine?"
Suddenly, the new pilot felt an arm enthusiastically swing over his shoulders.
"Ey, don't worry! All mechs look boring like that but they'll let you customize it and make it really pop out!" – the new person laughed lightheartedly.
Jazz looked to the side, only to be met by the definition of the word 'sunshine'. It was another young man, looking to be around Jazz's own age, a bright smile on his lips, stretched wide and showing his teeth in a playful manner, fair skin that was a bit glistening from sweat, freckles and bright red hair that reminded Jazz of flames. The other man was also practically radiating good vives and body heat like said fire.
"Hey, Hot Rod! Back from training, eh?" – Knox greeted.
"Heya, chief!" Hot Rod greeted Knox "Nah, finished training a while ago, I just came from a run around the hangar."
"Haha! Alright, but don't overwork yourself too much! You don't want old Ratch to come after you again for pulling something." – Knox lifted a brow and exchanged a look with the redhead.
"Oh, don't worry! I don't want a wrench thrown at me, so I am careful." Hot Rod pretended that something hit him on the head "So, you are the new pilot, eh? How's the first day at base?" – he looked at Jazz.
"Uh… It's really cool, I guess? But I think I almost got kidnapped a while ago?" – Jazz said, unsure.
Hot Rod looked quite confused.
"He met Shockwave." – Knox chimed in.
"Hiss~ OUCH! On the first day and you met Doc Shock -the resident med doctor?! That's some luck right there! Man!" Hot Rod shuddered "Oh, I almost forgot, I am Richie, but everybody calls me Hot Rod and I am your senior! Nece to meet ya!" – he extended a hand.
"Name's Jazz, nice to meet you too!"
Jazz shook his hand and at that moment, he got the distinct feeling that he and Hot Rod would become good friends.
"Don't let him fool ya!" Knox leaned closer "He's the same age as you and not your senior." – he mock-whispered in Jazz's ear.
"Hey! Knock it off! I came here almost a year earlier, so I am no longer the newbie!" – Hot Rod pointed an accusatory finger at the general.
"Is that true? Wait, if we are the same age, then how are you here a year earlier? Isn't the minimum age for the training academy 18?" – Jazz asked.
"Oh, I graduated almost 2 years earlier, I am that good!" – Hot Rod puffed his chest in pride.
"Yeah, right! Says the guy that got transferred a bunch of times because he couldn't stop setting his mech on fire!" – one of the nearby mechanics shouted.
"Hey! It's not my fault! And it's alright now, Swerve fixed the problem and made it a feature! Oh, Swerve is like the best engineer we have in here! He's this short guy, always wearing goggles and he's also a ginger! Like me! Can you belie it?! There's also this Ratchet and this other medic that are also gingers-" – Hot Rod started rambling fast.
"Don't worry. Kid's got too much energy for his own good. Just let him get it out of his system." – Knox chuckled.
Jazz just stood to the side and laughed awkwardly, barely able to keep up with the rapid info dump about all sorts of things on the base. After a minute or two, Jazz was starting to worry about Hot Rod suffocating from not breathing, but thankfully the redhead finally stopped.
"Soooo…." Hot Rod took a deep breath "Basically, they give these gray walking fridges to all newbies, as to not waste parts, but if you can prove yourself and can slay the aliens like a badass, you'll get to customize your mech with all the sweet upgrades you want! Well, as long as the higher ups approve the cost." – he added after a sharp look from Knox.
"I see. I don't think I got most of that but thanks!" – Jazz gave a thumbs up, already feeling much less nervous around the redhead.
"Oh, this reminds me why I came!" Hot Rod hit a fist to his palm "I saw you being led around by Knox to look around and decided to come and help. So, how about it? Want me to take you around the hangars and show you all the mechs we have on base?"
"Oh, that would be great- Ehm, I mean-" – Jazz looked back at the general.
"Eh, knock yourselves out. This is the last stop of the tour either way, so take your time!" – Knox waved his hand.
The two young pilots cheered and exchanged excited looks, man, Hot Rod's cheery mood was contagious!
"Just make sure that you bring Jazz to my office after you are done so he can get his ID and access key! I will be filling out some documents in the meantime. Thanks, kid." – Knox sighed and walked away.
"No problem, boss! I will teach him everything there is!" Hot Rod then turned to Jazz "He's such a nice guy. Knox is maybe the most easy-going boss you could have. I heard there was another one before him, another pilot they called… Onslaught? If I remember correctly? I heard he was an ass and everyone cheered when he got promoted and Knox took his place. All pilots like him, so don't piss him off, unless you want to end up with motor oil in your coffee or sawdust in your breakfast." – he made finger guns at Jazz.
"Oh, don't worry. I don't plan to. He seems like a good man." Jazz smiled "So, you said a tour around the hangars? What are we going to see?" – Jazz asked, excitement clear in his voice.
"Oh, get ready to have your mind blown! We might not be as big or high-tech as the base in Washington, but I think we have some of the coolest mechs and pilots out there! Follow me!" – Hot Rod moved his hands like he was directing a plane, before he started walking quickly in the direction he had been gesturing at.
…
The two arrived in front of a striker class mech, like all other inactive mechs it was secured to its maintenance station with thick metal clamps and support, the charging cables were plugged in the back and a pair of engineers could be seen up on the nearby walkway, looking at a monitor and talking to each other. The mech itself, to Jazz's humble opinion, was cool as heck.
It was painted in fiery reds and oranges with yellow accents, making the mech look like those cars with flame decals, there were some pretty bug thrusters sticking out of its back, making it look like it had wings, there were even thrusters on its feet and exhaust pipes along the sides.
"Tada~ This is the best mech on this base! The Rod Pod! My personal mech! Pretty cool or should I say- HOT?! Eh?!" – he jokingly elbowed Jazz in the side.
"Wow! It is pretty awesome- WAIT?! Are those flamethrowers?!" – Jazz pointed at the mech, noticing the attachments it had on its arms.
"Yup! For one reason or another, I somehow ended up setting my mech on fire the first time I went out to fight the aliens, then it repeated a few more times. I got transferred a lot because of the damages, until I came here and as I said earlier, it kind of became a feature, the whole being on fire thing. So, Swerve did a lot of work on my mech, added all these cool safety features, fire-resistant materials and what not, I even have a fire extinguisher inside! Eventually, I decided to go all in with the whole fire theme and got flamethrowers! Isn't it awesome?! This is the only fire-throwing mech as far as I know!" – Hot Rod laughed.
"Well, I won't judge, as long as you don't end up a crispy burned chicken." – Jazz shrugged.
"Oh, speaking of the devil!" Hot Rod led Jazz further in "Hey, Swerve! Look! It is the new pilot! Jazz, that there is Swerve! One of the best engineers out there!"
Jazz looked around before finding the person in question. Swerve was currently sitting on top of a detached green and yellow mech leg, hands deep into the circuitry, tools working on fixing the damaged machinery. He was wearing an oil-stained apron and gloves, a blue-tinted transparent set of goggles was on his face and his hair was also her, he was stocky, if a bit short. Swerve only looked up and waved at the pair before going back to work.
"He's busy now but he's a great guy. We sometimes watch movies together." – Hot Rod said before leading Jazz to another mech.
…
With each mech and new person he met, be it another pilot, engineer, medic or a scientist working in the hangars, Jazz got more and more excited. Hot Rod was a great company and despite not all people being as eager as him, Jazz could see himself working along them very well and hopefully for a long time. He still couldn't believe how many of the mechs he saw on posters and on ads, sometimes even on merch were there!
Like the Fix Squad – a group of 4 small construction class mechs, although not fit for direct combat, they were pretty loveable for the rescue work they did during and after alien attacks. They had quite the following and merch, Jazz even saw a few plushies of them sold in some stores.
There was also THE BLURR! Like, this was the most famous mech out there, literally plastered on every poster promoting the MECH program! Even if Blurr, the pilot, was not there, it was still cool to see the mech in real life.
Hot Rod was telling him about a fun story about how he and a few buddies of his were once caught in a storm after an alien attack and got stuck in the mud of a riverbank in the middle of nowhere, when a flash of yellow and black caution tape caught his eye. Jazz slowed his pace down and looked away from the animated redhead, his head turned to his left and then he saw it.
A quite wide section in the back of the hangar was marked off by a lot of caution tape and beyond said tape, there, in the farthest, most secluded corner of the hangar was a mech.
The mech was tall, easily the tallest mech in the hangar, towering over the other mechs currently inside. It was covered in dark green and black metal plates that looked almost… splotchy? Four large blades stuck out of the mech's back and its face held a large red visor. The mech was also away from anything else, purposely separated from everything, judging by the caution tape. And even though the hangar was well-lit, that particular corner seemed darker, the mech's shadow long and stretching across the walls, almost… ominously.
Without realizing, Jazz had stopped walking and was staring at the mech. The longer he stared, the more things seemed off about the machine. The dark splotches were most concentrated on the arms, legs and the front, including the red visor, the splotches there dripping, almost like drool. It was then that he noticed the visor made the mech look like it had one giant, red, gaping mouth. Cold sweat started forming on Jazz's back.
Another odd thing was the way the mech was stored – so far away and isolated from anything. All important tools seemed pulled away, only the bare essentials were left anywhere near the mech and its station, which was eerily empty, compared to the rest of the hangar where there would be at least 1-2 people on each station at the very least. The greenish mech also was held up by many metal clamps, mechanized support arms and even chains, almost hanging in the air. It reminded Jazz of a horror movie he once watched, where a mad killer had strung up human corpses in a freezer and carved them up like pigs. Except the mech felt more dangerous.
"Jazz? Why did you stop? We have to- oh…" – Hot Rod came quickly after he noticed Jazz was not following him.
"W-what's that?" – Jazz stuttered and pointed at the mech, the cold sweat falling down his back.
"That…" Hot Rod had a somber and serious look on his face, which looked very uncharacteristic, despite Jazz knowing the guy for less than a day "That is Vortex."
"Vortex?"
"Yes." Hot Rod was not smiling as he glanced up at the strung up mech "Do NOT go anywhere near it, no matter what happens. The thing is isolated for a good reason – that mech is haunted!" – Hot Rod warned with a serious look.
"H-haunted?!"
"Yes, or at least it seems like it. It is the largest and strongest mech currently in base but we only deploy it in really dire situations. That thing… it eats every pilot that's been put in there. It has killed almost as many pilots as the aliens… You don't know how many people were pulled out of there, bleeding, mad or just mangled mess smeared on the inside of the cockpit." Hot Rod looked Jazz straight in the eye "It is a good thing we don't need it often, I hope we won't need it for a looong time but… knowing our luck, you will see it deployed sooner or later. Come on, let's go to Knox's office."
Hot Rod turned around suddenly and walked away, no longer happy or smiling. Jazz gulped nervously and hurried after the redhead, not looking back at the intimidating mech. Still, he didn't know if it was just his nerves or what Hot Rod said, but he felt like he was being watched the whole way out of the hanger, like some unseeing eyes were tracking his every move. Like a predator observing its prey.
It had been a particularly nasty invasion – 6 small S-class aliens and 4 bigger M-class ones had dropped down at the outskirts of the city. Every mech in the base was deployed as soon as the portal opened in the sky. All strikers and even the construction class mechs were out and working to contain the damages, evacuate the citizens and deal with the aliens.
[This is Waspinator, one of the S-class slipped by me! It is heading for the residential area!]
[Fixit here! We haven't ev-emm-evacuated! Evacuated the residents yet! Req-questing! Assistance!]
"This is Jazz! We are a bit preoccupied at the moment here- Gah!" Jazz shouted as an M-class alien slammed into him "God, what won't I do right now to have more mechs out here!" – he shouted over the comms.
[Sorry, man.] Hot Rod's voice said [I am also stuck here got 2 S-class and 1 M-class on me and I can barely contain them in the area and away from the city limits!]
Jazz managed to kick the M-class in one of its many eyes, he pushed himself away from it and shot his gun at it, the giant bullets hit their mark and green blood sprayed out of the alien but it didn't fall down. Instead, the massive beast screeched and charged angrily at him.
[Hound requesting for backup! Gah! Why did that pompous bastard need to get called on a meeting right now?! Can't you just shove someone in that mech and get him out there to help us?!]
[Hound! You know very well that no one but Blurr can handle that glorified tin can!] – Ricochet said, the sound of rapid gunfire accompanying his voice.
They really needed a backup; any would be welcome! Jazz was struggling with the alien's many sharp tentacles that were trying to grab and crush his mech all while trying to get a clear shot and kill the monster. It was then that he heard the words he and the other pilots hoped to not need to hear.
[Command Center to all pilots- we are deploying Vortex. Repeat, we are deploying Vortex!]
Meanwhile in the hangar=
A nervous pilot stood on the walkway, right next to the ramp leading to Vortex's open cockpit. It was almost like the mech's 'mouth', bathed in red light, was gaping open, ready to swallow him whole. He gulped and got inside, strapping himself into the pilot's seat.
"Connection successful…" the engineer hesitated "C-clearance for deployment?"
[Clearance granted.]
The cockpit closed shut, the many clamps holding Vortex in place clicked open, the chains rattled as they went lax.
Creaaak~
The metal arms propping the mech up creaked ominously as it was fully lowered to the floor, resting its full weight on its feet. The charging cable popped out with a hiss and a few sparks of electricity.
"Mech released, opening gate 6." – the engineer said.
The gate right next to the taped off area opened wide and the mech slowly walked towards the exit, steps slow and a bit staggering like a zombie's. Inside, the pilot was nervously sweating as he moved the mech, his hands gripping the controls tightly.
'So far, so good.' – the engineer foolishly thought.
The mech had to lean down a bit to get out through the hangar door, but as soon as it took one step out of the hangar-
The inside of the cockpit suddenly went darker, the comm link cut off, instead static crackled in the pilot's ear. Without any warning, his harness tightened painfully and cables descended and wrapped around him, he could see also the glint of needles, the same ones used in mech in case of an emergency, just hanging in the corner of his eye. The pilot frantically struggled, tried to get free and shout for help but he was trapped and no one could hear his screams. The large display on the inside of the red visor flashed, large white letters appeared one after the other.
Let's get this party started!
-, paused for a moment and then Vortex tore forward like a bat out of Hell.
Back on the battlefield=
Jazz finally managed to bring the alien down, half its tentacles were ripped off and it was full of holes but it was still alive, if only writhing on the ground. Jazz was breathing heavily, the mag of his gun almost empty.
'I have to ask the guys to maybe install some bladed weapons in my mech, if I need to fight in longer battles than this.' – Jazz thought, before ailing for the alien again.
He was about to shoot again when his comm crackled to life.
[Jazz! Fall back! You are in the way!] – Hot Rod shouted in distress.
Jaz startled and immediately pulled away from the alien, noting that his mech stumbled a bit at the sudden jump he performed. Thankfully, he jumped back in time, not even a moment later-
Shick!
A large metal blade whizzed though the air and embedded itself in the alien's head, killing it.
(Doom music starts: Doom Eternal OST - The Only Thing They Fear Is You /kpnW68Q8ltc?si=YG9fL35AYnTZ7biG)
Jazz looked to the side and froze at the sight of Vortex, mech No.11 was there, active, and heading towards him. He scrambled as quickly as he could, the heavy steps of the larger mech passed him, almost trampling over him in its run.
Vortex pulled one more blade off his back and stabbed it into the already dead alien, he stabbed it and tore into the corpse until his hands and front armor was splattered in alien guts. He just loved tearing into these fuckers and watching them squirm!
'GahahahaHA! Oh, how long I waited to be let out of that dusty ass hangar!' – he laughed loudly.
Not that anyone would be able to hear his cackle, him being just a consciousness trapped inside his mech, but it felt damn good to let loose again! He stabbed the flea struggling in his seat with some morphine to shut him up and let Vortex enjoy the moment. This was not the pilot's battle, it was HIS and his alone! He was done with the dead alien, so he took both his blades, green blood still dripping from his frame, and ran towards where the other aliens were.
Jazz, on the other hand could only stare in fear as he watched the haunted mech tear through the battlefield with manic glee and viciousness. It was the first time he saw Vortex deployed and now he fully understood what the other pilots meant. He finally knew why Vortex was so dangerous. No one could stop the rampage now.
…
After Vortex joined the fight, the aliens were dealt with rather quickly, their bodies and pieces and blood spilled all over the place. The rescuers still were working on clearing the rubble and looking for people that hadn't evacuated on time, but so far they had managed to hold the aliens back and away from the populated areas without any causalities from the pilots. A few of the construction class pilots were a bit banged up from holding back the one S-class that slipped in the residential area until one of the strikers was able to dispatch it. Knox was also sporting a bruise from the time the alien threw his mech into a building but the general was otherwise fine.
The last mech to come in the hangar was Vortex, blood still fresh on his plating, leaving a trail of bloody steps in his wake. Everyone held their breaths as they waited and watched Vortex get back in his taped off station. As soon as the mech got clamped down and connected to the charging cable, everyone sighed in relief. Immediately a team of medics and engineers descended on the mech's bay; Jazz observed as they moved around with practiced ease. They milled around but no one got too close, except for when one of the medics split from their group and started climbing up to the walkway and towards Vortex's cockpit.
Felix, of First Aid as the pilots had started calling the young medic a while ago, was wearing a protective helmet, rubber boots and gloves, some protective eyeglasses and a rubber apron.
"I hate this." – the young medic said to himself.
First Aid braced himself and pressed the emergency release button for the cockpit. The reflective red glass moved, the chamber inside depressurizing and the distinct smell of blood wafted from the inside. In the pilot seat laid the latest 'pilot' or more like victim of Vortex.
He laid limply in the seat, still strapped in, but his eyes were dull and empty. Blood was leaking from his nose, mouth, eyes, ears… almost everywhere, really, when combined with the lacerations on his skin and the bloody claw-like marks on the control panel.
'Please, don't let me drop to the floor or break something…' – First Aid thought before hopping inside the cockpit.
He had job to do, even if he hated it, it was his punishment for trying to get those alien organs. So, he went to the pilot and checked for his vital signs. There was a pulse, if faint!
"He's alive! Bring the stretcher!" – First Aid shouted and started pulling the unfortunate man out of the mech.
The pilot was quickly loaded on the stretcher and rushed to the med bay, all while First Aid went back to start scrubbing the blood out of the cockpit. From the side, Jazz watched in horror as they carried out the half-dead man. He felt like he was about to hurl and this was only the first time he saw Vortex in action. If what the other pilots said was true, he'd have to see that again in the future.
"It is never easy, kid. I have been working here since the mechs still had double digit numbers, yet I still feel awful whenever they put someone in that damn mech." – Knox patted his shoulder.
"C-can't they scrap the mech, if it is so dangerous?" – he asked the general.
"As much as I like that, no. There's too much money in play here and as much as I hate it, Vortex is one of the strongest machines MECH has at the moment. They used some quite dangerous and experimental technology back then for him and the other Combaticons back in the day." Knox shook his head sadly "There have been SO MANY complains but all the higher ups care about is that he can mow aliens like it is nothing and nothing else. Not until they actually start losing too much on that mech, after all."
"But! There has to be another way, right?" – Jazz looked the general in the eye.
Knox just sighed and took off his signature glasses, his scar and unseeing eye visible.
"I wish for that too, but unfortunately, this is war. A war for humanity's survival. We just can't afford to pick and choose when the lives of so many are at stake, when the whole planet is in danger." he put his glasses back on "Go wash up and take a break, Jazz. You look like you need it."
Jazz could only nod numbly, the general turned back and walked away.
Bonus=
"Are they serious?!" – Jazz shouted and slammed a fist on the table.
"Jazz, calm down, please. They might pull you out of-" – Ricochet begged.
"I can't calm down, Rico! They are putting a MEDIC in freaking Vortex!" Jazz emphasized the words "It is beyond insane! We've been trained for this, First Aid has not, he's a medic for a reason and they are going to put him in that death machine!"
"Well, the kid did survive the first run. Not many can say that." – a Latino man said, lounging back on a chair and drinking soda.
"Shut it, Wasp! I am going to go there and give those guys a piece of my mind!" – Jazz was about to storm off when someone caught his arm.
"Wait! You can't do that! What if they pull you out of the mission?! You worked so hard to be able to go on the first space test run!" – Ricochet tried to persuade him.
"Don't worry, Rico. There's only 2 months until launch and they can't get a replacement that fast." – Jazz gave thumbs up before going out of the break room.
He was not going to let one of his friends get thrown as fodder to Vortex! Not if he could help it.