Junkyard Lion (Theo, Lukas)

Aug 4, 2018
334
0
16
Somewhere in the UK
#21
"That's more like it! Give me something interesting. Something fun!"


Kath kept on firing away, each blast from the focus strong enough to burn holes in the plating - but not quite strong enough to fully destroy the shield. She was just fast enough to react before impact though, twisting her machine around so the plate made contact with the already-damaged side of the machine. The impact was enough to utterly ruin the arm, and the nails rammed in afterwards forced the suit off-balance as it tried to recalculate weight.

The pilot wasn't too happy either. Her first movement after the plate was attached was a blind thrust with the other blade, the suit twisting around even before the Gunleon had properly freed itself from the plate. This would be followed up by a series of equally frenzied slashes, the E-bit only barely keeping up with the pilot's movements as she sliced away in the direction of the Gunleon's chassis. No fancy tricks this time, just raw aggression slamming against the Gunleon until something broke.

"Mobile weapon operating 20% above tolerance levels. This output cannot be maintained for long. Utilise your backup, Kathryn."

"No chance! I can handle this, and we're getting some good data!"

"If this keeps up, you will lose. I am sending a request for assistance."

While Kathryn focused on duelling the Gunleon, the orange E-Bit turned to face the melee. Both shoulder cannons were already charging, burning longer and brighter than the rapid shots the woman had been using prior. But it didn't fire just yet - waiting for the perfect shot on the 'Repair' bot.
 

Theoran54

New member
Feb 13, 2021
16
0
1
#22
There that should cause some problems for them. Now to back off and - The thought was cut off from the suddenly glowing red metal burning away as the blade seared through the plating quickly, catching the fingers and wrist of Gunleon's right arm. Try as he might though, with the thrusters from the other machine and its frenzied onslaught of slashes didnt give him a chance to retreat in the slightest. He brought up the right arm to shield more important parts from the assault. But that only amounted to -

Pain.

Adrian groaned to himself. His head was splitting and he didnt want to be inside this machine in the swealtering heat of the workshop his father had set up right now. He'd just towed this old heavy truck into the shop for some work. Apparently the engine was bad and needed to be taken out and overhauled. Fine fine, thats all fine. But why him? Merida was the one with the tiny fingers and could fit into tight spaces. But fine. He'd handle it.

Rolling the truck onto the lift was easy enough. Disconnect everything from the engine. Simple. Draining the fluids was a bit more time consuming but simple enough. Two different drip trays that would need disposal in different ways. Intake, coolant lines, radiator, exhaust. All disconnected. Now was time for the hard part. He set up the crane to remove the engine then moved to crawl under the truck to unbolt the engine from the frame. He set up another drip pan for extra coolant leaking.

Okay, now that everything was ready he climbed out from under the vehicle and started to lift the engine by the crane, but after a few seconds of lifting he noticed it was also lifting the frame. Shit. He lowered it back down and let it settle before climbing back under the machine to find the bolt still connecting the engine to the rest of it. There was a soft creak.

"Hey Adrian, how are things going with the engine?" His father asked, coming into the work shop. Adrian responded with a grunt. Then all Adrian could remember was terror. The machine shifted, having been moved slightly off the lift. He had moved reflexively to get clear of the machine only for the crane to next give way, dropping the engine straight down to the ground. It caught Adrian's arm, crushing it. Then the rest of the vehicle fell as well, mangling the rest of his arm and shoulder. A scream was ripped from him, one he never thought he'd be capable of making. Then the world faded into white and -

Pain.



Every muscle in his body clenched at the sudden spike of pain, a familiar one. One that had driven him into painkiller abuse for a short time. He let go of the controls of Gunleon, huddling over into a tight ball as he screamed in pain. His eyes closed tightly and his flesh and blood hand gripping his metalic shoulder as he relived the agony.

Gunleon burned in pain with Adrian, face mask lighting up and opening to reveal the lit up eyes and mouth. The huge machine pushed back against the E-bit, shoving itself off and away from the momentum the other machine had produced. Energy readings in the machine spiked as it seemed that the space around him was thrumming with power. Plating on the limbs shifting off and glowing bright green. The machine seemed like it was inhaling before letting out a massive burst of energy with Gunleon at it's epicenter.



 
Aug 4, 2018
334
0
16
Somewhere in the UK
#23
"Hah! How do you like that!"

Kath's laughter intensified as the first couple of blows struck home, and she followed up on it with practiced ease - one final blade through the cockpit to end the fight for good. But that strike never hit home. The Gunleon's transformation and reaction were enough to send her spinning, and for a second she just watched in confusion as the machine awakened before her eyes. The E-bit was already withdrawing even if her brain hadn't caught up yet, the AI having noticed the energy spike and made a decision of its own.

"Readings are off the scale. Activating override."

"Override for what?"

"Preservation of your vital functions. Brace for impact."

"It just transformed, I don't see the big dea-"

Her E-bit twisted around as the Energy wave erupted, using the plate crudely stapled to it a a shield - for all the good it'd do. What was left of the plating disintergrated when the blast wave hit home, taking most of the right side of the machine with it. What was left was a burned husk. Barely able to pilot, but not one for fighting. And it was the lucky one.

The orange E-bit took the blast head-on, its own beam being dissapated effortlessly in the face of sheer, raw, power. The entire front of the suit was stripped away, taking the cockpit with it and rendering the unfortunate bioroid inside into ash.

"..alll? Fucking hell. Status report, bots!"

"Beta has been destroyed. Alpha unit has only suffered minor damage from the remnants of that blast. Retrieval 98% complete. Do you require assistance?"

"Finish, transmit, and eject! This machine's dead meat, and I need something I can actually fight with if this keeps up."

"Understood. This unit will self-terminate once you are within range."

"Don't need to phrase it like that. Geez."

Very little was still functional on Kathryn's machine, but the thrusters still had enough life to start pushing her away from the field. For now she seemed to be running, leaving Merida and Adrian alone in the Gunleon. But for how long would that quiet last?
 

Hitura Rael

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 29, 2018
326
1
18
36
Northeast Ohio
www.worldanvil.com
#24
Through it all, Merida kept her eyes shut, her knees pulled to her chest, and her hands over her ears. She focused on the controlled breathing techniques and grounding herself in her senses. She focused on the feeling of the Gunleon's seat, her fingers touching her hair, the artificial scent of pine and lingering smell of various cleaners in the air. She pointedly avoiding grounding herself by sound and sight. That was definitely a bad idea at the moment. They were both crazy to be enjoying this! Who could enjoy this?!

She grit her teeth through the violent rocking from the E-Bit's assault on Gunleon's arm. Right up until the blood curdling, bone chilling, stomach roiling hellish scream that erupted from Adrian's throat. One she had heard before during Adrian's accident. Briefly, everything around her seemed to slow to a near stop as her mind raced. She knew the accident wasn't her fault, just for being late. She had been to therapy for that too. The nightmare of that stressful hospital stay and following addiction haunted her mind.

Everything came back into focus when something new washed over her. Deja vu and pure terror. Her eyes snapped open at the brilliant orange glow, accumulating around the Gunleon before the massive burst of energy bellowed forth to consume all in it's path. When it was over she blinked several times to clear her vision of the green-purple after burn of the light. She caught the retreat of the enemy unit, thankfully it was the one the crazy bitch was in. Good, she hadn't accidentally died in the blast.

Merida took a moment to swallow and breathe. Her extremities felt like jelly. They resisted as she righted her posture, grounding her feet on the floor and shaking hands on the arms of the seat. A few more deep breaths in the quiet still of the after blast... She leaned forward, "Adrian?" She shook him gently, but did not press. He was in no condition to fly. Great. Would the Gunleon even be in any condition to move on it's own power? That blast was easily far more than any normal reactor could output. What the hell had fallen into Adrian's lap? She dreaded that she knew the answer, purely from experience with the Genion.

Calmed sufficiently, though that wasn't very calm at all, she set to work running the Gunleon's diagnostics, checking for damage, leaks, power output, etc.




James hung back from the battle field for several moments, watching the remaining mech cautiously. He played it off to his escorting force as caution at least. Truthfully, he was mildly unsettled by the feeling of deja vu. Why did this feeling keep sneaking him up and hitting him in the back of the head with a damn chair? This was the third time in a year! At least it wasn't giving him memory flashes again like it did with that fight with the Crow like mech. Once he settled down though and got himself back into control... "Secure the area, I'll check in with the remaining combatant."

"Yes sir." The Lympee dispersed into a scouting formation.

The Genion shifted to GAI mode, just in case. It remained to be seen if the occupant of the construction yellow mech was friend or foe, after all. The Genion approached the Gunleon, an azure comet with a verdant emerald trail. "Unknown machine, identify yourself."

"Oh thank the Pale Lady you're here!" Merida's voice crackled over the com line. He breathed a small sigh of relief, though he suspected not as much as she felt seeing him. This must be her brother's mech she had been telling him about. He was sure she had described it... Once. When he was too exhausted to retain the information.

"You two okay?" He smiled, his voice friendly, warm, and reassuring. He knew Merida's fragile state after their first fight together. Hopefully, this hadn't set her back any. He needed her for the Genion's systems, though he hadn't told her just yet.

"I'm fine... Adrian's not. I've got diagnostics running and I don't know how to make it... move."

James blinked. "How do you not- Merida, how the hell did you learn to make the limbs move but NOT the entire machine?"

"Why the hell would I, dumbass?! I'm a mechanic the pilot's job is to tell me how it handles and moves!"

He winced, rubbing his ear with his left hand, "Okay okay, sorry. We'll get you home. It'll take a bit though."

"Yeah- wait... How'd you get here so fast?"

He blushed, his hand moving down to scratch sheepishly at his nose, "I uh... may have been bored during maneuvers, saw in the logs that you guys had left, and followed your trail..."

There was silence for a moment before her cold reply came, "I am glad you followed us but I'm still shoving your head in the toilet when we get home."
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
0
16
Somewhere in the UK
#25
Two hours later
L4 Colony - Military Docks


Three mobile weapons had been sent out for what was ostensibly a salvage mission. Only one had returned. A bad omen at the best of times, but when one of the machines lost was a prototype it quickly tilted towards catastrophic. And while the pilot had survived...

Their reports often left something to be desired.

"Kathryn, this isn't a report. It's a video file."

"No shit. ...Look, we both know that my reports just make you mad. So I took the combat recordings, edited them a bunch, and said what I'd have written at the relevant bits."

While a crew of bioroids was busy disarming and disassembling the recovered salvage, the hangar was otherwise empty save the two women. Kathryn may have become a celebrity in the colonies at this point but the woman opposite was undoubtedly her superior. Aurora Caeks, one of the few Great Circle officials to survive the Tantra's destruction. Seemingly human - if you disregarded her pale blue skin - and dressing in a manner more fitting for a secretary than a military official or industrial leader.

And while Kathryn's footage and commentary were both rather crass, the image the video painted was enough to strike her interest. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the Pain shouter with a sort of twisted admiration. Something like this made the loss of three machines almost worthwhile, and her frown was long gone when she returned her focus to the other woman.

"I'm sorry for doubting you, Kathryn. Whatever this machine was, it had capabilities far outstripping your own. If Luna has these sort of weapons patrolling their border, we're going to need to put the Epsilon into mass production."

"Nah. I can take it. Or anything like it."

"Excuse me?"

Kath smirked, interrupting her 'superior' without a care in the world. Letting her splutter for a second before continuing.

"Look, that thing ripped through the armour. You saw it, I saw it. But the Valsione's got two layers of plating. If we can bait them into using their big move, then bam! Plating gone. But the underlayer's all fine, and I can kick their ass proper now they're all drained."

"...I'll keep that in mind. We don't have the resources for a full pursuit, but the next time a machine with that signature arrives we'll have you on standby."

Just because the human was a constant burden on her patience and sanity didn't stop her from having her uses. And those little moments of.. insight staggered in between her usual carefree insanity only provided Aurora with more stress. If she could find a way to curtail it, Kathryn would make a perfect template for bioroid movements. Plans for later.

For now? They had a prototype to reconstruct.
 

GEAR

Administrator
Staff member
Jun 15, 2018
1,165
1
18
#26
"And there it is."

As the Gunleon turned into a miniature supernova, cracks were sent snaking across the Lunar surface in all directions... and an unseen observer lingered, just out of sight. A pair of emerald eyes beneath a dark, angular head, like a metallic crow perched obnoxiously just out of view, a long, keen sword held in its grasp, buried into the lip of the overhang it crouched upon.

"That... makes twelve."

Ze'ev closed his eyes in the cockpit, letting out a contented sigh. Sometimes, just a little push was all people needed. He would have to thank Sedna later for her assistance... the Queen would be none the wiser. With Ganeden now effectively off his trail, drifting into the depths of slumber, he had all the time in the world to plot unhindered. The Shurouga rose, and lifted its sword towards the sunlight, letting the distant reflection of the Gunleon materialize in its surface.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, friend." He chucked, softly.

"We'll be seeing each other..."

The crow faded away as its cloak engaged, the very last thing to leave being its eyes - and for that moment alone, Adrian might have sensed a lingering presence, watching him through the pain.

"Real... real soon."